A Battle of Wits: Kakashi/reader/you

by LuciaScene

Summary:

In a last attempt to gain control over the power that lies within, you travel to Hidden Leaf Village in search of a ninja who may be able to help. Only to find the ninja you are searching for is retired and not accepting students. It is your mission to make him your sensei, and you will do what ever it takes…

Chapter 1

The papers were signed and dated. You had filled them out as best you could—every line, every checkbox, every carefully chosen word. But it was the final page that held its breath like a secret. That last section… that’s where everything could unravel from just two words…

Jutsu and chakra.

Two things you know nothing about. The only upper hand you have is something very few people have heard of. Which you are hoping to show rather than try to explain it in written words.

A Stone of Gelel—rare and ancient, pulsing with unstable power—was embedded deep within your body the very day you came into the world. 

From your earliest memories, you knew something inside you wasn’t normal. As a child, it manifested in wild surges of energy—walls cracked, fires sparked from your fingertips, and shadows moved of their own accord. As you grew into a young woman, the stone seemed to grow with you—its energy maturing, intensifying, adapting to your emotions and thoughts.

You learned to live with its presence, even manipulate fragments of its power. You could summon energy in bursts, amplify your strength, and tap into abilities others could only dream of. But the power came with a price. When pushed too far—when your emotions flared or you lost focus—the stone would awaken fully, surging through you with devastating force. Entire landscapes could crumble. A single village could be wiped from the map if you lost control.

You’ve felt it teeter on the edge more than once—seen the fear in the eyes of those around you, and known deep down that if this force isn’t mastered, it will consume you… or worse, destroy everything.

That is why you’ve come here—to this distant, hidden land, chasing whispers of a shinobi who understands the ancient power of Gelel. A ninja who may hold the key to unlocking the truth behind the stone… and teaching you how to wield it without being consumed.

“Step forward,” The dark-haired jonin commands, his voice calm but edged with authority. He sits alongside four other seasoned ninja, each scrutinizing the line of hopefuls. This is the first trial — a screening of mind and intent. Only those deemed worthy will be sent through the doors behind them, where the true test begins: the physical trials.

You can’t help the flutter in your chest. This is your seventh time doing this—in the seventh land, facing yet another jonin—and somehow, it never gets easier. The tension coils in your stomach like it’s your first time all over again.

You step forward and slide your application onto his desk. He doesn’t even glance up at first. But then his eyes hit the final page—and that’s when he finally looks at you.

 He pauses. 

You cringe. 

He blinks from beneath his bandana. His eyes widen, and his mouth parts slightly in shock. You watch him swallow hard, and the scowl that crosses your face is almost instinctive. You’ve seen that look more times than you can count.

The shinobi seated beside him leans over, curiosity piqued, and now both are staring—at you or the paper, you’re not sure. Either way, the silence is stretching far too long.

You decide to cut through it.

“Is there a problem with my application?”

The jonin startles as if shaken from a trance. He clears his throat, fumbling for composure.

“Uh… well, yes. Just one thing. The last page—it’s blank. Was that intentional?”

In monotone you reply.

“Yes.” 

 

“So you don’t know any jutsu?” 

 

You sigh and sweep your crimson strands of hair to the side. He follows your movement.

“No I don’t. That’s why I am here.” 

 

“And you know nothing about chakra?” 

 

You bite your bottom lip knowing exactly how this is going to end and it is very disappointing. 

“Nothing at all….” 

He inhales deeply, eyes scanning you once more before turning to his fellow jonin. The one beside him is still slack-jawed, and the others aren’t much better—leaning back, murmuring as they flip through your application again. You can’t hear every word, but you catch enough.

The weight of their stares presses down on you. Whispers ripple through the room, sharp and biting—some cruel, some vulgar. You feel heat rise to your cheeks, not from shame, but from the sheer frustration of being reduced to a spectacle. 

Just when you think you might walk out altogether, the jonin share a final glance and a subtle nod passes between them. The dark-haired one shifts forward, placing your papers deliberately in front of him.

His tone is calm, almost too careful, as he begins to speak.

“Hana, we appreciate your application. But without the basic knowledge of jutsu and chakra development you won’t get far here. I am not sure if we have a sensei for you as the ones at your level only teach young aged genin.” 

Your cheeks burn with humiliation as they liken you to a child, and your eyes drop to the application. This was it—your final attempt to find someone, anyone, who could help you master the unstable energy within. You no longer cared about climbing the shinobi ranks or perfecting flashy jutsu. If you couldn’t gain control over the stone embedded in your body, then by the time you reached twenty-one, its power would consume you. You’d stop being a person—and start being a threat.

Their disapproval cuts deeper than you expect. Your fists clench, knuckles white, and before you can stop yourself, you slam them onto the table with a crack that echoes through the room. The chakra beneath your skin flares. You can feel it—a warning.

Tears sting your eyes as desperation finally spills over. “Please,” you say, voice shaking, “this is my last chance to get this under control. I need your help.”

He doesn’t move. His eyes scan your face, slow and searching, as if trying to see the truth behind your words. You hold your breath, locked in his gaze, the silence stretching painfully long. Then, at last, he speaks.

He sighs.

“Alright. You’re one lucky girl, as I’m not easily persuaded in these situations. But for you I will pass you on to the next test. Although, I can’t guarantee you’ll get any further than this..” He pounds a stamp down onto your application, reading accepted in red and hands it back to you. 

 

You breathe out in relief. You can’t help but take his hands in yours and thank him deeply. 

 

His cheeks turn a very noticeable shade of red as you praise him for being so kind.

“Ok, ok. I get it.” He says breathlessly. You release him and he removes his bandanna, fanning himself with it. “Move down the line girl, before I change my mind.” 

 

You smile sweetly at him and make your way through the door to your left and into the next room. 

As you step inside, a wave of sweat and silent judgment crashes over you. The air is thick with tension, the kind that sinks into your skin. At the far end of the room, ten jonin stand in a line, each one staring you down with the sharp eyes of seasoned warriors.

The space resembles a dojo, but with a strange elegance you’re not used to. A raised platform sits at the center, outlined with worn perimeter lines—clearly the battleground for whatever comes next. Sunlight pours in from towering floor-to-ceiling windows on either side, casting long shadows across the polished floor. Overhead, a large opening in the ceiling lets in the sky itself, fresh air swirling through like a silent witness.

This wasn’t the kind of place you trained in growing up. Your dojos had been hidden—tucked deep in forests or buried in the bowels of forgotten buildings. This place felt… exposed.

You scan the room again, your pulse quickening. That’s when it hits you—there are no other applicants.

It’s just you.

And ten jonin.

Watching.

Waiting.

A silver-haired jonin steps into the center of the sparring ring, his movements precise, controlled.

“Come in. Shut the door.”

You obey, the door clicking shut behind you like the seal of fate.

“Application.”

You approach him, trying to steady your hands, but the paper crinkles in your grip. The jonin meets you halfway, the dull rustle of his flak vest the only sound between you. He takes the folded sheet with calm authority, his silver hair catching the light from the open skylight above. As his eyes sweep over the document, there’s a cold, hawk-like intensity in his gaze—one that weighs far more than words ever could.

The silence in the room thickens. You can feel the weight of every gaze pressing into your back.

His brow furrows.

“Name,” he says, eyes still on the paper.

You answer, voice steady—barely.

“Hmm,” he mutters, flipping to the last page. The moment stretches, tension wrapping around your chest like a coil. A murmur stirs from the jonin along the wall again, but no one dares speak aloud

“What’s this? They passed you?” His eyes rake over you, slow and calculating. “Ah… I see why.”

You narrow your eyes. “Why is that?”

He doesn’t answer right away, instead he flips through the rest of your application. Then, with a dismissive scoff, he tosses the pages at your feet. They scatter like dry leaves across the polished floor.

“I can’t move you forward. I’m sorry. Thank you for coming.” His voice is flat and final.

A flush of heat burns through your chest. The insult—cold and cutting—hits harder than expected. You feel the stone pulse within you, responding to your spiraling emotions. Before you can stop it, a spark jumps from your fingertips.

Time skips.

The jonin freezes mid-step, caught in a grip not of his own will. His breath catches audibly as his body locks, helpless.

Your mind snaps back, eyes wide. Your hand is outstretched, trembling slightly. “No,” you whisper, yanking it back. “Not again…”

You release him. His body jerks with sudden freedom, eyes burning into yours—silver fire laced with fury and something else… curiosity.

“I’m sorry,” you breathe, heart pounding. “But please—let me show you what I can do.”

The words come out in a rush, almost a plea. Heat floods your face. A bead of sweat rolls down your spine as silence stretches thick between you.

He doesn’t speak. He just studies you, eyes sharp as blades.

“What did you just do?” he finally asks.

You square your shoulders, forcing the words past your fear. “Give me a chance. Just one. I promise, you won’t regret it.”

He tilts his head slightly, then glances over to a quiet figure leaning against the far wall—a jonin with beautiful eyes and long raven hair, arms folded across his chest. The man lifts a brow, shrugs, and shakes his head slowly.

The silver-haired jonin exhales through his nose, still watching you. Something in the air shifts—an opening.

Maybe…

He turns his attention back to you and steps in closer. Fear coils in your gut, twisting tighter with every breath. A nervous hum slips from your throat as he towers above you, his eyes sharp and searching, trying to catch yours.

You stare at the floor, shaky breaths trembling from your lips—until his scent hits you.

It’s distracting. Comforting. Dangerous. Like warm cedar smoke on a winter night, or the kind of smell that makes you want to sink into someone’s arms and forget the world. For a fleeting second, you forget the looming pressure of his judgment.

Then his fingers lift your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze.

“Fear has no place in this room,” he says, voice low and steady. “Step fully into the ring. Let’s see if you belong here.”

“Y-yes, sir.” Instantly you scramble to gather your scattered papers, hands fumbling as you shove them into order and thrust them back toward him. He takes them with a scoff, barely glancing down.

You’ll show him. You’ll show them all.

Stepping into the ring, you move to the left side and plant your feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped neatly behind your back. Waiting.

Ready.

“Who wants to start?” the jonin asks, his voice cutting through the air like a kunai.

The raven-haired ninja steps forward, his expression unreadable.

“I’ll start,” he says, cracking his knuckles. “This won’t take long.”

He strides into the ring without even raising his hands.

You do.

You raise your fists, planting yourself like a wall.

You don’t care that you don’t know chakra. Or jutsu. You’ve lived your whole life fighting to keep your own power in check—and today, you’re done being underestimated.

They have no idea what’s coming.

The silver haired jonin stands between you and holds out his hand. “The rules are, be mindful of your opponent. This is a demonstration of skill not a fight to the death. Leave your emotions behind. Anyone who leaves the ring perimeters is out…Ready?” You nod and trigger the stone's energy, letting it flow around your body to heighten your speed, strength, and agility. 

 

“Fight!”

The raven-haired jonin stands unmoving, expression unreadable, waiting for you to make the first move.

Fine. You’ll go first.

You shoot forward—faster than they expected. Faster than any of them gave you credit for. In a blink, you’re in striking distance, crouched low in a lunge. Your fists snap forward—one, two—sharp and fast. He blocks both with practiced ease, but there’s a flicker in his eyes: surprise.

He counters, a backhand slicing through the air toward your face, but you’re already ducking, sliding beneath it like wind under a blade.

You reach deep—pulling more from the stone. Energy surges through you, electrifying your limbs. In a heartbeat, you vanish from his sight and reappear behind him, your movements liquid and deadly. He gasps—audibly—as your presence brushes past him.

Then—impact.

Your foot, reinforced with the stone’s power, slams into his back. The force launches him like a missile, hurling him across the room. Glass shatters as he crashes through the windows, disappearing in a shower of glinting shards.

You hold your stance—one leg still high, balanced perfectly—then lower it with precision. Fists snap into place as you settle back into a calm, crouched position. Not a single breath wasted.

Silence.

The kind that screams.

Every eye in the room is on you. The air feels heavy with disbelief.

You lower your fists and turn toward the silver-haired jonin. The look on his face—pure, stunned awe—burns itself into your memory. His mouth hangs open beneath his mask, and for once, he has no words.

He thought you were nothing.

You smile, just barely. Because there’s no better satisfaction than watching someone choke on their own underestimation.

And this? This wasn’t even close to what you’re capable of. If they push you any harder…

God help them.

The raven-haired jonin stumbles back into the room, one hand gripping his lower back, eyes blazing with fury.

“What the hell was that?!” he snaps.

Another jonin steps forward—shorter, stockier, with a shaggy chin and a heavy build that doesn’t quite match the rest.

“Akatsuchi,” the raven-haired one barks. “Show this girl what a Leaf jonin is all about.”

Akatsuchi nods, though his eyes flick to you with a hint of uncertainty. That nervous smile doesn’t escape your notice. He already suspects he’s out of his depth.

You reset your stance, this time leading with your opposite foot, testing your weight.

“I’m not sure what game you’re playing,” Akatsuchi says as he settles into his own stance, “but I think you can handle a little jutsu.”

You ignite the stone again—its pulse syncing with your own heartbeat. You keep the power low. Controlled.

Before the breath leaves your lips, Akatsuchi barrels forward, fists flying. They’re fast—deceptively fast. Each punch lands with the force of a landslide, heavy and packed with chakra. Dust breaks from his knuckles, trailing with every hit. Earth-style.

You block, dodge, parry—his rhythm predictable, a brute-force pattern. He’s trying to wear you down. But the repetition bores you.

Enough.

You draw on the stone and tug at the air, manipulating the dust now scattered at your feet. With a sharp twist of your wrist, it swirls upward into a dense, blinding wave. Akatsuchi stumbles, shielding his face.

Now it’s your turn.

In two smooth motions, you’re airborne, fist aimed straight for his head. But he’s no fool—he anticipated the counter. A stone shield bursts upward, catching your punch mid-air, and before your feet touch the ground, he traps you in a capsule of hardened earth. 

Clever. You’ll give him that.

For most, this would be the end.

But you aren’t most.

Inside the stone, you cross your arms and breathe. Calm. Centered. You reach inward—deep—to the source in your chest. The stone flares with life, and when the energy peaks, you release it.

Boom.

The boulder erupts around you, chunks of rock are suspended in midair—frozen by your will before they tear the room apart. The force is quiet, elegant. You hover inside the floating debris like the eye of a storm.

You look around the room, memorizing the stunned expressions on every jonin’s face.

A smirk pulls at your lips.

You turn your eyes back to Akatsuchi. Slowly, you lift your hands. The rubble answers your call, circling you in a controlled orbit. With a flick of your wrist, you send the stones surging back at him—measured, not deadly.

He blocks a few. Not enough.

A large chunk catches him square in the chest, sending him flying backward, out of the ring.

Chaos erupts.

Every jonin but one shouts at once—angry, defensive, humiliated.

Only the silver-haired jonin stays silent.

He raises his hand.

The room falls still.

Then a pink-haired ninja steps forward, placing a firm hand on the silver-haired jonin’s shoulder.

“Let me show her what a real fist fight looks like.”

He nods. “Very well, Sakura. Make us proud.”

She bows slightly, then strides toward the ring. You reposition yourself, heart pounding. It’s been a solid warm-up—but this is clearly about to level up.

“Wait,” the jonin leader says sharply. “Yamato. You too.”

Gasps ripple through the watching jonin.

“Two at once?” The raven-haired ninja blurts out.

“I think she can handle it,” the silver-haired jonin replies calmly.

Yamato enters from the other side, his expression unreadable as he forces you into the center—between him and Sakura. You square your stance. Well… this just got interesting.

You gather your energy, the stone within you pulsing hot. It’s already unstable after that last release—you’ll need to cool it soon or risk losing control.

“Ready?”

You raise your fists.

“Fight!”

They charge.

Both jonin move with frightening speed, fists flying in a blur of motion. Sakura launches into the air, her punch backed with raw power. She’s fast—faster than you expected. You dodge, but her fist clips your jaw, sending you skidding back. No time to wince—Yamato is already forming hand signs.

Wooden splinters explode toward you.

You drop to the ground, palms skimming the mat, narrowly evading the first barrage. Pushing up, you vault into the air, dodging the second wave. In mid-air, you spot a larger shard of wood arcing wide.

Without thinking, you tap into the stone.

The shard halts mid-flight, then veers—straight toward Sakura.

Her eyes widen. She realizes too late.

Damn. You regret it instantly. That’s going to hurt her badly.

But before it reaches her—crack—the splinter freezes in midair.

The entire room hums with electricity.

There he is. The jonin you’ve had your eye on since the beginning. He stands between Sakura and the flying shard, arm outstretched, hand clenched around the projectile.

Impressive.

“I’ve seen enough,” he says, voice cold, eyes locked on you.

But the other jonin aren’t ready to stop. Fired up, they shout for Yamato to continue.

He does.

He comes at you with a punishing flurry—punches, kicks, pure strength. You block as best you can, but he’s relentless. Your body takes the hits. Your limits strain.

Then… the stone breaks loose.

You drop low, arms crossed tight.

Then—boom.

A shockwave erupts from you, slamming outward in every direction. Glass shatters. The room darkens.

The haze returns.

That dizzying, terrifying sense of losing yourself. Again.

You black out—hard.

And as you do, one thought claws through your fading mind:

Please don’t let them die.

Please… let them be safe.

You were so close.

And now… you’ve really fucked it up.

Chapter 2: Sensei

A machine beeps steadily beside you. Hazy memories swirl in your mind. This isn’t the first time you’ve woken up like this. You know the routine.

Open your eyes…

You do.

Wiggle your toes…

You can.

At least you’re not paralyzed this time.

Look around…

Your vision is intact, though slightly blurred.

Sit up…

You try—and succeed.

But a sudden, pounding headache knocks you back down.

That’s new.

Must be the stone. It’s getting worse. You can feel it.

“…Dammit…” you mutter under your breath.

“Nice of you to finally join us,” says a sarcastic voice nearby.

You groan. “Hmmm…must’ve dozed off or something…”

He grunts. “Not before you tore apart the dojo.”

You smirk weakly. “Sounds about right…”

The tone in his hum shifts. If you really had destroyed the dojo, there’s a good chance someone got hurt—or worse. A familiar dread creeps in.

“…How many bodies this time?”

There’s a pause.

“This has happened before?” he asks, surprised.

You close your eyes, trying not to remember. “Yeah. A few times.”

“No bodies,” he says. “Just minor injuries.”

Relief floods through you. You exhale, whispering, “Thank god…”

A knock at the door interrupts.

“It’s Sakura.”

The door buzzes, then unlocks with a soft click. A pink-haired woman steps in, clipboard in hand. The door seals behind her.

“I need to run some vitals,” she says briskly. “The CT scan came back positive.”

She leans in and shines a bright light into your eyes.

“I’m Sakura, the village’s head medical-nin. Do you remember me?”

You nod. Of course you do. She’s the one who clipped your jaw earlier.

“I have to say,” she continues, narrowing her eyes at your readings. “I haven’t seen anything like you before.”

You give a tired nod. No surprise there.

Then comes the question.

“Can you tell me about that Gelel stone in your body? How did it get there?”

You sigh. It’s not something you talk about often—and never easily.

“It was placed inside me… the day I was born.”

Her brow furrows. “Who would’ve done such a thing?”

The man lays it out plainly for you.

“Haido… or someone who follows his path. From what I know about the Gelel stones, only a few can wield their power. They’re called the Children of Gelel. Fewer still can embed one into another’s body.”

He’s dead on. Except it wasn’t Haido who did this to you—it was one of his followers. Your father.

Who is no longer alive.

You sit up, wincing as another wave of pain crashes through your skull.

“I’ll get you something for that headache,” Sakura offers gently.

“Stop, Sakura,” the man cuts in.

You glance up and recognize him instantly—it’s the silver-haired jonin from the dojo.

“I have one question before you continue to treat her,” he says.

Sakura pauses and nods.

He turns to you.

“Are you here to bring harm to the Hidden Leaf Village?”

You meet his gaze.

“No. I’m here for help.”

He narrows his eyes. “Help with what?”

You place a hand over your heart.

“For this. I’m losing control. And every time I wake up from a blackout, the side effects get worse. I was told there’s a ninja here—someone who can help me learn control through chakra and jutsu.”

He folds his arms across his chest. “You have a name?”

You nod.

“Kakashi Hatake.”

At that, he closes his eyes and mutters a quiet curse under his breath.

“You know him? Can you send for him? Please—I need to speak to him. I’m running out of time!”

He exhales slowly, hesitant.

“…You’re looking right at him.”

You gasp, a hand flying to your mouth.

No way. This older, cranky man is Kakashi Hatake?

“You’re Kakashi?” you ask in disbelief.

He rolls his eyes.

“Yeah. But I stopped taking students a year ago. I’m retired.”

“Retired…” you echo in disbelief. “No, I was told you would help me.”

“I’m sorry,” he says flatly. “But I’m not interested in mentoring anyone. Especially not someone this complicated. Try somewhere else. I hear the Land of Sound is accepting students.”

Your brow furrows.

“I’ve already tried there.”

“Then find another place.”

God, this man is cold.

“I have. This is the last safe place left. The only other lands who would accept me want power—nothing more. Do you know what they’d do if they found out what I carry?”

Sakura casts a worried glance at Kakashi, but he doesn’t budge.

You sweep your hair aside, trying to stay composed.

“Fine. But the world will hold you responsible if I fall into the wrong hands.”

He shakes his head, disgusted.

“So that’s the game we’re playing?”

You glare right back.

“What choice do I have?”

“The answer is still no.”

He turns, walks to the door, and presses a combination of buttons. The lock clicks open.

Panic rises in your chest. This can’t be how it ends. Not after everything you’ve endured.

As the door begins to close, you shout after him:

“You will be my sensei, Kakashi Hatake! Or I’ll sit in front of your office every single day until you agree!”

The door shuts.

You fall back onto the bed, cursing under your breath.

Sakura watches you, amused.

“You’re really going to sit in front of his office every day?”

“Fucking rights I am. What the hell else do I do?”

She chuckles.

“I think it’s a good idea. You do need help—this stone is taking over. I wish I could remove it… but I can’t. I can, however, give you some advice about Kakashi.”

You perk up slightly.

“He’s stubborn. Clever. Sarcastic. And a little lazy.”

You groan. “That’s… promising.”

She smiles.

“He also loves salt-broiled saury.”

You cringe. “Ew.”

“Miso soup, and a venti coconut milk latte. No sugar.”

You grin mischievously.

“Thanks for the tip. No sugar, huh? Sounds like he could use some sweetening up—he’s pretty damn bitter.”

Sakura laughs. “He’s not so bad once you get to know him. But yeah… he’s definitely low on fucks to give.”

You nod. “I see that. Well, I’ll be on my way then—”

“Ah, not quite yet,” she interrupts. “The Hokage wants a word with you.”

There’s a knock at the door.

A tall man with sun-bright hair steps in, his expression unreadable.

“Hana Ikki?” he asks.

You nod.

“You’ve got some explaining to do.”

You scratch the back of your head with a nervous laugh.

“I guess I do, don’t I?”

He frowns and shuts the door behind him.

“Start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”

Chapter 3: Persuasion Day 1

After a long explanation—and with Sakura’s help—you were finally granted the freedom to roam the Hidden Leaf Village. Fortunately for you, the Hokage had been deeply moved by your story. In return, he asked only one thing: that you vow never to leave the village… at least not until you’ve gained full control over your stone.

He promised to speak with Kakashi and try to convince him to take you on as a student. However, his opinions of Kakashi seemed to echo Sakura’s: this man was notoriously difficult to sway.

Determined, you spent the rest of the day studying every detail about Kakashi—his likes, his habits, even his favorite snacks. If you were going to win him over, it would take strategy… and maybe a little flattery. By morning, you’d prepared an entire arsenal of hand-picked “suck-up” items to present at his office—every day if needed.

————————————————

Day 1:

It’s Monday, and Kakashi has a mountain of paperwork to catch up on from the weekend, which means—thankfully—he’ll be holed up in his office all day.

You’ve staked out your spot on the floor beside his office door, back against the wall, latte in hand. You asked around to find out what time he usually shows up, but no one could give you a straight answer. Apparently, Kakashi is as unpredictable as he is stubborn.

Luckily, your gamble pays off. Right at 9:00 AM, you hear familiar footsteps echoing down the hallway. He’s fumbling for his keys, completely unaware of your presence, until—

“What the—?!”

He nearly trips over your leg.

With an exaggeratedly sweet tone, you beam up at him.

“Good morning, Kakashi-sensei!”

You offer him the still-warm latte.

He glares—first at you, then at the coffee. For a second, it seems like he’s about to take it… but instead, he unlocks his office door and shuts it in your face.

Big sigh.

You’re sitting there questioning your life choices when, a few minutes later, the doorknob jiggles. Kakashi pokes his head out.

“Is that a coconut latte?”

“Umm… yeah.”

“Sugar-free?”

“You bet!”

He snatches it from your hands, mutters a thank you, and promptly slams the door again.

You stand, raise your fist, and knock determinedly.

“Kakashi! Be my sensei!”

“No! Go away!!”

Double sigh.

“Alright! Have a good day! See you tomorrow!”

“No you won’t!”

“Yes I will!”

…Silence.

You walk away with your head held high and your determination unshaken.

Tonight, you’re going to cook saury—gross, but apparently it is his favorite. Tomorrow, he’ll have to talk to you.

Chapter 4: Persuasion Day 2

You’re back in the same damn spot—outside Kakashi’s office, glued to the wall like an overly determined barnacle. The only difference today? The man is late. Like, lunch-is-an-hour-away late.

Your stomach has started chewing on itself. Even the lunch you made for him—grilled saury and miso soup—is starting to look like a gourmet buffet. You stare at the bag longingly.

Is it betrayal if you eat the peace offering before offering it?

Probably. But if he doesn’t show up soon, betrayal’s getting a spoon.

You lean your head back against the wall, eyes closed, making up increasingly dramatic plans to infiltrate his office and force him to accept you as his student. Maybe a flash bomb and a power-point presentation? Maybe sobbing theatrically until he caves out of sheer discomfort?

Half an hour later, salvation comes in the form of clomp clomp clomp—the rhythmic sound of his sandals echoing down the hall.

There he is. In all his lazy, book-reading, chronically-late, silver-haired glory. Kakashi Hatake. He takes one look at you and mutters a very real, very audible:

“Shit.”

You spring to your feet, placing yourself squarely in front of the door like a very determined traffic cone.

“Good mor—I mean, afternoon, Kakashi-sensei!”

You shove the bag of food toward him.

He pauses, sniffing. “Is… is that saury?”

“…And miso soup,” you add, like a proud little chef.

He snatches the bag. “Thanks.”

But you don’t budge. You plant yourself in front of that door like it’s your job. He eyes you, clearly waiting for you to move.

You don’t.

So he does what any unbothered, emotionally evasive jonin would do—he just walks right at you, making you backpedal awkwardly until your spine hits the door. Now you’re trapped between solid wood and six feet of lean muscular, infuriating indifference. His shadow falls over you. Your brain short-circuits.

Then, in the most unnecessarily intimate way possible, he leans in—scent of clean linen and mystery novels washing over you—and whispers:

“Hey… you dropped your pocket.”

You blink.

“My… what?”

He nods toward the hallway. “It’s over there.”

You look. You actually look. Like a dumbass. You even bend a little, scanning the floor for your allegedly dropped pocket.

It isn’t until the slam of his office door behind you that it hits you.

You can’t drop a freaking pocket.

You stand there, stunned. Then yell, loud enough for the whole building to hear:

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”

You hear a chuckle through the door.

You squint menacingly at the wood like it’s personally wronged you.

“Haha, you’re funny, Sensei! I’ll get you back for that one! See you tomorrow!”

“No, you won’t!” he shouts from inside.

You growl and storm off, muttering enough swear words to make a sailor blush.

Alright. Food? Check. Coffee? Already done.

Time to escalate.

Next stop: the hospital. You’re gonna talk to Sakura and dig up everything she knows about what makes one emotionally-stunted ex-ANBU tick.

Operation: Crack Kakashi continues.

Chapter 5: Day 3 Operation Desk Job

You had spent last night digging up intel on Kakashi like a love-struck stalker with a research grant. Among all the weird trivia, one thing stood out like a sore thumb dipped in smut: the infamous Icha Icha Makeout Paradise. Apparently, the silver-haired mystery man had a thing for steamy ninja literature. Bingo.

So naturally, your brilliant plan started with locating the latest volume. Easy, right?

Wrong.

Turns out every copy in the village was sold out. Even the clerk at the Leaf’s Hidden Pleasures shop (yes, that’s really what it’s called) rolled their eyes and muttered something about “closet pervs in flak vests.” But you didn’t leave empty-handed. You snagged a copy of Hidden Leaf Entertainment Weekly, a gossipy, half-trash mag with a feature-length interview from none other than the Icha Icha author himself. Close enough. #ResourcefulQueen

Magazine in hand, coffee in the other, you strut towards Kakashi’s office like a woman on a mission—only to spot him on the bridge surrounded by fellow jonin. No exits. No excuses. Perfect.

Your grin goes full villain.

You sprint up to him with purpose. He hasn’t even seen you yet. Bonus points.

“Good morning, Kakashi-sensei! I brought your coffee and the magazine you asked for.”

Boom. Checkmate.

He turns around so slowly it’s like he aged five years in that moment. His smile? Plastic. His laugh? About as real as a genjutsu.

“Haha… oh, Hana. You must have me confused with someone else. I’ve been here all morning. Definitely not sending anyone on smut-missions. You must still be disoriented from your hospital visit…”

“Oh, I see,” you say sweetly, turning to the group. “You mean I just imagined running around every sex shop in this village looking for Makeout Paradise?”

Gasps. Snickers. One ninja nearly chokes on his dango.

“And when I couldn’t find it, I settled for this.” You hold up the mag with flair. The cover is loud, proud, and wildly inappropriate. “There’s a full spread interview with the author. I thought you’d appreciate it, sensei.”

And that’s the moment Kakashi goes redder than a tomato on a summer day. The other ninja burst out laughing so hard one of them falls over. Kakashi does the only thing left in his arsenal—vanishes in a dramatic puff of smoke.

“Did… did he just poof away?” you mutter.

“Where’d he go?” someone else asks, still wheezing.

The jonin who passed your application strolls up to you, grinning ear to ear. “That… was epic. I’ve never seen anyone embarrass Kakashi like that. I mean, it’s about time.”

You shrug. “I do what I can.”

He slings an arm over your shoulder. “So… that means he accepted you?”

“Nope.” You sigh dramatically.

“You sure you don’t wanna try someone else?”

You glare at him like he just insulted your chakra lineage. “Hard pass. If he doesn’t crack soon, I’m just going to rent out the hallway in front of his office and live there.”

And suddenly—lightbulb. Your eyes widen. Your brain gears shift. Your soul whispers: desk.

You shove his arm off. “I’ve got decorating to do.”

“Wait—what?” he calls after you. “That’s a terrible—!”

But you’re already gone.

You race to the academy, storm through the halls like a girl possessed, and finally find a classroom with the goods. Peeking through the door, you see a lonely ninja marking papers. No witnesses. Excellent.

Time to weaponize your looks.

You tug your kimono top open just enough to be considered a fire hazard, then hike your skirt juuuust short of a scandal. You push the door open like you own the place.

Snap! goes his pen.

“Uh—are you lost?” he stammers, eyes trying not to glue themselves to your chest.

You giggle. “Oh no. I think I’m exactly where I need to be.”

He blinks like he’s having a stroke.

“I just need a desk,” you say, voice dripping with faux sorrow. “Kakashi told me to figure things out on my own, so here I am. With nothing to sit on… or write with…”

His jaw drops. “He did what?! That man has no manners. Absolutely take a desk. Take two. Do you need pens? Paper? A full art supply kit?”

You beam. “Oh, you’re so kind, senpai.”

You pick the heaviest desk and a comfy chair, plus pens, pencils, a whole damn stationary starter pack—and get him to carry it all the way to Kakashi’s office for you.

“Just drop it here,” you say sweetly, pointing to the very spot you’ve been loitering in for two days. “I’ll move it inside tomorrow.”

He grumbles about Kakashi’s ego but sets it down without protest. You hug him goodbye.

“Come ask me for anything,” he says, still starry-eyed.

You smirk. “Thanks, senpai.”

Once he’s gone, you scoot the desk precisely in place: a perfect passive-aggressive blockade. Tomorrow you’ll bring a plant. After that? A bookshelf. Then the clinking focus ball thing. The constant sound will drive him mad.

You giggle to yourself as you head home. Time to cook up something delicious for tomorrow.

Kakashi won’t know what hit him.

Chapter 6: Persuasion Day 4

Bright and early, you set up shop outside Kakashi’s office yet again—this time with a new decorative touch: a potted plant for “feng shui.” Because nothing says “pick me” like chi-aligned succulents.

You beam at your makeshift desk, proud of your strategic genius. But the longer you sit there replaying everything you’ve done so far, the more you start questioning your sanity. If someone saw this from the outside, they’d definitely recommend a padded room and a straitjacket. This plan may have started out as clever… but now? It’s dangerously close to deranged fangirl territory.

Too late to back out now.

Especially because today—of all days—Kakashi decides to show up early. As in before-the-coffee-stands-open early. He must be trying to avoid you. #Rude.

He stops the moment he sees you. His expression darkens, then shifts into a knowing smirk. Why does he always look like he’s just figured out a new way to torment you?

“Good morning, Kakashi sensei!”

“Good morning, Hana,” he says in a suspiciously sweet voice that makes your stomach flip. Uh-oh. He’s plotting something.

You hand over a neatly packed lunch. “It’s your favorite—miso soup and broiled saury.”

He sniffs it and takes it like you’re passing him a bomb. “Thanks,” he mutters and vanishes into his office, slamming the door with enough force to shake the plant.

You knock politely. “Need help with paperwork today, Sensei?”

“No! Go away!”

“Okay, I’ll just study chakra development out here. Not like I have anywhere else to be.” You whip out a hefty chakra theory book from the library and plop down with a dramatic sigh.

Halfway through chapter two, you get stumped.

“Sensei?”

…

“SENSEI!”

“What?!”

“What’s the difference between chakra positives and negatives in relation to ambient energy?”

…nothing.

“Sensei?”

BAM. The door swings open with enough drama to qualify for a daytime soap opera.

He looms over you. “Are you staying here all day?”

“Yep. The whole glorious day.”

He grins—evil, vengeful, glorious—and whips out a mountain of files from behind his back. “Great. File these alphabetically. Then size order. Then by numerical content. Then… shuffle them.”

You blink at him. “That’s not even a real system!”

“Neither is harassing me. Yet here we are.” He dumps the stack on your desk.

“I’ve been making you lunches and bringing you coffee for four days! Do you even know how long proper miso soup takes? Hours, Hatake. Hours.”

His glare softens. Just a little. But enough to catch.

He runs a hand through that glorious silver hair and exhales in frustration.

“You embarrassed me in front of my fellow ninja. Why would I even consider helping you?”

You shoot to your feet, fists clenched. “Embarrassed you?! Try having your application thrown on the floor in front of nine jonin, after being told you only made it this far because of your looks! Then try waking up the next day and still showing up for more!”

He’s frozen. Not glaring. Not smirking. Just…thinking.

Then he steps aside and nudges the door open.

Your eyes go wide. “Wait. Are you—?”

“In.” He grabs the scruff of your sweater and yanks you inside like a misbehaving cat.

The door slams behind you. You barely notice, because—holy hell—even his office smells good. Like books, cedar, and betrayal. Drool.

“Sit.” He points at the chair in front of his desk.

You sit.

He comes around his desk and sits in his computer chair, then resumes typing like you don’t even exist.

“Sensei?”

“I’m not your sensei.”

You grit your teeth. Panic rises. You need him. You’ve worked too hard. Too long.

“Kakashi!”

No answer.

You scowl at his smug look, and the tap tapping of his stupid keyboard. Without thinking, you leap onto the desk, wrap your arms around his monitor like it’s a hostage, and cry directly on the screen.

He rolls back, wide-eyed. “What the hell are you doing?!”

You hiccup through tears. “Kakashi—it has to be you! My mother said you would help me.”

“Your mother?!…What clan is she from?” He asks in an all knowing tone.

You hesitate to answer as this clan name is not on your application. You whisper, “Hoki.”

His eyebrows rise. “Well…that explains a lot.” He sighs. “I knew a man from the Hoki clan. A good man. He rescued children from trafficking camps in the Land of Wind.”

You peek from behind your sleeve. “So…you’ll be my sensei?”

“Maybe. First—let go of my computer.”

“No! Not until you say it.”

He mutters something foul and starts glaring lower. Then he smirks.

“Hana?”

“Yes?”

“Your panties are showing…polka dots huh?….never would have thought….”

You blink. Then shriek. You yank your skirt down so fast you nearly fall off the desk. He seizes the moment, scoops you up like a sack of rice, and deposits you beside his chair on the desk far away from his computer.

“Stay off my tech,” he grumbles, typing again like nothing happened.

You stare at him. You’ve had enough.

You launch yourself forward and plant yourself in his lap.

He grunts.

You straddle him with confidence and grip his cheeks—face cheeks—forcing him to look at you.

“Please, Kakashi Hatake. Will you be my sensei?”

He searches your face. He’s quiet. Too quiet.

Finally, he clears his throat. “Okay.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. I’ll do it.”

You squeal and throw your arms around his neck—too hard. His chair snaps and topples backward, both of you hitting the floor like a sack of potatoes.

“Shit, Hana.”

You blink up from his chest, dazed and tangled. The floor lamp’s dead. There’s chaos everywhere.

“Sorry…”

“I change my mind.”

“No! You already said yes!” You slap his shoulder. He grabs your hand mid-swing.

“The way you’re sitting is not student-appropriate.”

You glance down. Oh. Right. Still straddled. Still polka dots showing.

You shrug. “Not moving.” and pout your plush lips.

He groans. “Don’t give me that look!”

You lift your chin defiantly. “Say it officially. With names. And a nice comment.”

“What are you, royalty?”

“Yes.”

“You are far from royalty!”

“Say it.”

He snarls in defeat. “Fine! Hana of the Hoki clan, from the Land of Wind, I hereby enlist you as my student and I as your sensei, to teach you chakra development and jutsu.”

“Aaaaand?”

He glares.

“A COMPLIMENT.”

He mutters curses, then: “I vow on your deranged persistence and your terrifying talent for destroying buildings.”

“That’s not a compliment!”

He groans. “And…your pretty eyes.”

Pretty eyes?

You melt. For a solid moment, you forget how to function. You slide off his lap and fix yourself up while he mutters something about needing hazard pay.

When the mess is cleared and the awkwardness is still very much in the air, Kakashi pulls out a piece of paper.

“Before you go. I have some conditions.”

“conditions?”

He nods. “Conditions.” And hands you the paper.

He points at the page. It’s titled: KAKASHI HATAKE’S GUIDE TO NOT LOSING HIS MIND AS A SENSEI.

You grin. “I’ll do whatever it takes, sensei.”

“Good. Clean up your shrine outside my door. From now on, you study inside this office so I can at least supervise the madness.”

You beam. “Thank you, sensei!”

He huffs at you. “Get out before I change my mind again.”

Quickly he ushers you out. He slams the door behind you and yells through it.

“Meet outside the gates at nine sharp tomorrow. Do not be late!”

You salute the door. “Yes, Kakashi sensei!”

And march off proudly—Operation Stalk-and-Conquer complete.

Now to find that poor senpai to clean up the mess you left behind.

Chapter 7: Lesson 1

9:00 AM.

Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and way too enthusiastic for this hour, you practically skip out of the village gates with your lunch bag swinging and your chakra book hugged to your chest. The morning air is fresh, the field ahead is blanketed in daisies, and you find your perfect patch of grass like a cat finding a sunbeam.

You plop down, set the bag beside you—stuffed with favorites for both you and your mysteriously tardy sensei—and crack open your book, eager to squeeze in a chapter before training.

10:00 AM.

You check the time.

He’s late.

Dammit.

You chew your bottom lip, scanning the horizon. Maybe he overslept. Maybe he’s lost. Maybe he fell into another “path of life” again. Honestly, at this point, you wouldn’t be surprised if he just poofed away on a cloud of excuses.

You sigh, flop onto your back, and stare at the drifting clouds until sleep sneaks up on you.

A warm, savory scent teases your nose. You hum dreamily. “Mmm… nice…”

“Hey. Wake up.”

Poke.

Poke.

You jerk awake as Kakashi jabs your ribs with a bony finger, crouched beside you, face unreadable beneath that damn mask.

“OW! Can you not stab me awake?!”

He shrugs. “Thought I’d try the direct approach.”

You sit up, squinting. “What time is it?”

He flips up his sleeve to reveal an absurdly shiny silver watch. “One in the afternoon.”

Your jaw drops. “You are FOUR HOURS LATE.”

You flick the metal plate on his headband in protest. He doesn’t even flinch.

“I got lost on the path of life,” he offers casually, as if that explains everything.

You squint at him. “You need a GPS installed in your mask.”

“I always find my way back,” he says with a grin.

“Barely.” You huff. “If this keeps up, I’m setting up a desk outside your house. With clipboard and whistle!.”

The threat visibly registers. He knows you mean it.

Ignoring your vengeance plans, he stands and offers a hand. “Come on. Let’s get moving.”

You gather your things and take his hand. “Where to?”

He points at a distant field. “That open valley. Enough room in case you get a little… excited.”

“Oh shut up. It was ONE time.”

He smirks. “Regardless, let’s keep the village intact.”

As you walk, his next words stop you mid-step.

“This is our village now.”

You blink. “You mean your village.”

“No, I mean our village. You’ve been accepted as my student. That makes you one of us.”

You stare at him, warmth blooming in your chest. No one had ever said that to you before.

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said all week.”

“Really? I thought ‘you dropped your pocket’ was a highlight.”

“Don’t make me throw a daisy at you.”

He chuckles, but then adds more gently, “How far into your book are you?”

“Chapter ten.”

“Already?”

“Yup. Been studying at night.”

“Ahh, that explains the dramatic midday naps.”

You gasp. “Excuse me?! If you were on time, I wouldn’t need to nap!”

He shushes you with a finger to your lips. “Just teasing, kiddo.”

You frown. “Kiddo? How old do you think I am?”

“Hard to say. Some days, you’re a fiery twenty-something. Other days, you’re five.”

You smack his arm. “You’re so lucky I respect your hair.”

He grins. “Still older than you.”

“Yeah? How old are you?”

“Guess.”

You study him. “Take the mask off.”

“Not happening.”

“How do you eat?!”

“Very creatively.”

You groan. “Fine. Thirty-two?”

He bows dramatically. “Flattered.”

“Thirty-six?”

Higher.

“Forty-five?”

“Thirty-nine. As of last spring.”

“Pfft. You do not look thirty-nine. What’s your secret? Baby oil and prayer?”

He winks. “If I told you, I’d have to charge.”

You both laugh as you reach the field. The grass brushes your calves and the breeze smells of flowers and fresh air.

He plops down and holds out a hand. “Food first. I saw the bag.”

You yank it away. “Only if you’re good.”

“I would sell my left leg for your saury.”

You giggle and hand him the container, watching as he tears into it. You retrieve your burrito and unwrap it, but when you glance down to grab a napkin from the bag—somehow half of your burrito goes missing.

“KAKASHI!”

He grins, already chewing. “So fast you didn’t even see it.”

“You thief!”

“You make good burritos.” He replies, swallowing down your lunch.

You snatch what remains and guard it like a national treasure. 

After lunch, you sit in the breeze, letting the stillness settle.

“It’s really nice out here,” you say.

“Yeah, probably not what you’re used to back home…. I’m not a fan of the desert. It’s too dry, not good for my flawless skin.”

You laugh. “I really hope I can stay here.”

He turns to you. “What makes you think you can’t?”

You pause. “Because if I lose control, Hidden leaf may not be a village anymore..”

“That’s not going to happen.”

He says it like a fact. Like a promise. It means more than you want to admit.

Then he asks, “Has something like that happened before?”

You take a deep breath.

“Yeah… Once. I traveled through the desert for weeks and finally made it to the Hidden Village of Rain. I was only seventeen. They accepted me as a kunoichi, and for a while, it felt like maybe I belonged there.”

You glance at him. He’s listening. Really listening.

“But the men there… it was constant. The stares. The comments. The threats. I brushed it off until they tried to corner me. More than once.”

Kakashi’s expression darkens. His jaw tightens behind the mask.

“When I refused, they turned on me. Set me up during a mission. I don’t remember much after that—just the screams. I woke up days later, exiled.”

You don’t realize your fists are clenched until he gently taps your hand. His touch is brief, but steady.

“That won’t happen here,” he says, voice low but firm. “Not on my watch.”

A long pause stretches between you. Then, almost like he’s thinking out loud, he adds, “Idiots. Threatening someone like you… beautiful and powerful… It’s no wonder they felt small.”

You blink. He seems to catch himself too late. His eyes shift, as if he’s debating rewinding time.

“…I mean, it’s no excuse,” he mutters quickly, clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck.

You raise a brow, but a small smirk tugs at your lips.

“What did you say?” You 

He doesn’t look at you, but the tips of his ears flush the faintest pink.

“Nevermind…,” he replies, brushing it off. “Let’s keep things simple.” 

You question that line again in your mind.

He stands and changes the subject. “Alright, enough talking. Let’s train. Wind chakra first.”

You take his hand and let him guide you to the center of the field. He holds out his palm, flat.

“Place your hands around my hand.”

You do. His hand dwarfs yours, and it’s warm.

“Close your eyes. Feel it.”

The breeze shifts. A current of chakra swirls in his palm, buzzing like static. You open your eyes and see a glowing white spiral.

“That’s chakra?”

He nods. “Now tell me how it feels.”

“Tingly. Like… a spark.”

“Compare that to your stone.”

You shake your head. “Totally different. The stone feels like fire. Like my blood’s boiling.”

He nods thoughtfully. “Then we’ll train you to use both. Separately. In sync.”

You hesitate thinking about your future and how much more complicated things are going to get. “Can I be honest?”

“Always.”

“I don’t want to do this forever.”

His brow lifts. “What do you mean?”

“This wasn’t the life I planned. I’ve always wanted something… quieter. My own land. Growing food. Taking care of animals. Maybe open a bakery.”

He laughs. “You want to be a farmer?”

“Yes.”

“You’re twenty and planning retirement?”

You glare. “When you’ve had a living bomb inside you since birth, calm feels like freedom.”

He nods, more seriously this time. “Fair.”

Then he claps his hands. “Back to work, dream farmer.”

You train for two more hours, energy swirling, focus deepening. Kakashi is impressed with your control, even if he pretends not to be.

As the sun begins to lower, you both begin to part ways.

“I’ll see you in two days, same time,” he says.

“And don’t you be late,” you warn, “or someone else is getting your lunch.”

He gasps dramatically. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

You smirk as he walks off, hands in his pockets, whistling.

 

Chapter 8: Lesson 2

Two days later...

You were to meet Kakashi deep into the middle of the forest outside the village. From there he would lead you to his favorite place for chakra activation and pooling. The instructions stated to bring a change of clothes and avoid skirts or anything that can throw you off balance…or his. That had you wondering where exactly he was taking you and what you were doing.

Deep into the forest you find the clearing with hidden leaf markings carved into the trees. You pick out a nice fluffy patch of moss to sit down on and wait for your aloof sensei to arrive. You had brought another book with you just in case he decided to follow his annoying path of life again and show up four hours late. You open it to the first chapter but don’t get farther than the last paragraph on the first page. A lovely scent breezes into the clearing and you know exactly who carries it.

“Good morning, Kakashi sensei.” You say as you close your book.

“Good morning, Hana. Did you get any sleep last night?”

You spring to your feet to greet him and smile with pride.
“Not a wink.”

His eyes soften at the beat in your step and he can’t help but smile.
“Oh good, so you’re ready.”

“Yup! Full to the brim with caffeine! Let’s do this!”
He chuckles.
“Alright, this way. We have another half hour before we get there. What’s your tree scaling abilities like?”

You look up at the tall trunks and branches swaying in the breeze.
“Ahhh…I’m not sure. We don’t have trees like this where I come from. Buildings…but not trees.”

“Well then, this will be a good learning experience for chakra development.”

Unsure of how this could relate to chakra development you reply skeptically.
“Oh yeah…”

“Hear me out.”

Kakashi runs through the same exercise he used to practice with his previous students. A grounding technique by focusing chakra energy to the bottom of your feet and using it to climb trees or create more stability.

“Ok, give it a try.”

You place your hands together in a prayer and focus on pulling energy from around you. It took quite some time to feel anything, but Kakashi waited patiently without any sarcastic remarks or criticism this time.

Finally after an hour you feel a small trickle of chakra energy pulling into your body. Then more…and even more until you felt as if you were vibrating in place.

“It feels weird!” You complain.

He laugh.
“Sometimes it does, if you’re not used to it. Now, envision the energy pushing down to the bottoms of your feet.”

Picturing it exactly, you feel the energy slowly working its way down your throat, chest, stomach, pelvis, legs and into your feet.

“Ready?” He asks.

You nod with determination.

He waves a hand for you to proceed up the tree to your right. You march forward meeting the trunk of the tree. You plant a foot on a flat area and to your surprise it doesn’t slide off. The next step was just the same and the next and the next. You have lift off!

You are high above Kakashi looking upside down at him hanging from a thick tree limb.

“First try hey?”

And with a puff of smoke, the ninja disappears and reappears above you on the tree branch you are sticking to.

“Good job, Hana.”

“Will you teach me that next?”

“What’s that?”

“That puffy cloud thing where you appear in different places?”

“That is a terrible analogy. Your five year old brain is showing.” He winks at you.

You laugh.
“Shut it! But can you teach me?”

“Well…it’s a little above your education level right now. Maybe one day.”

“Oh ok…We should get on it soon though, you’re getting close to the four wheel walker and dentures age..”

His eyes grow as wide as quarters at that remark and he bursts out laughing.
“You know, Hana…” and he stops himself from finishing his sentence. “…never mind. You’re doing great, keep that energy going.”

You are filled with excitement and pride. Especially when getting praise from your sensei.

“Ready for some tree jumping?”

“Yes!” He holds out a hand to you and pulls you up onto the branch he is crouched down on.

“Hold that chakra ok? We are going fast.”

You nod.

“Ready…set…go!”

You both take off into the forest leaping and tumbling from limb to limb. This was nothing like the parkour you used to do around the dusty buildings of your hometown. This is way better and far more challenging. No landing was perfect, there were no flat surfaces to stabilize on. What you noticed helped the most was not only the sticky chakra on your feet but moving quickly. The quicker you are the more stable your leaps become. The less buoyancy you make the better.

You were keeping up with Kakashi just fine and with your acrobatic skills you were easily maneuvering between smaller spaces or farther jumps.

“Almost there!” Kakashi calls back to you.

Finally you come to a clearing and Kakashi jumps down off the trees. You follow suit and land beside him looking out over the landscape. You drop your bag to the ground. Then something terrifying takes over you as your eyes run along its crest. Your eyes lay upon a colossal sized lake surrounded by wilderness. And strung up from the trees is a small rope that floats in the air from one side to the other.

You freeze completely.

“Alright we are here. And I’ve set up another exercise as you can see.”

“Kakashi..I…” You begin and he interrupts you.

“If you can get from one side of the lake to the other without falling into the water, using your chakra of course, I will take you out for dinner tonight.”

Both of those endeavors were shocking.

“Dinner?”

“That’s right, there is a new restaurant that has just opened that I want to try. I thought maybe you’d like to have someone else cook for once. Give you a break.”

He sure is being sweet today. Still a little salty in his sarcasm but his compliments were pouring from him today. You wonder what has gotten into him.

“Dinner sounds great but I’m not sure about this next exercise…” You reply.

“I have confidence that you will complete this exercise with no problems based on what I’ve just seen.” He crosses his arms.

You start to shake as you picture yourself hovering over the lake.
“I…”

“Come on! Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights.” He says sarcastically.

“No I’m not. But…”

“Good! Now let’s go. I’d like to get this done soon, I have a few things I need to do before dinner…I’d hate to be eating alone tonight..”

You can hear a small amount of impatience in his voice which is forcing you to proceed despite your fears.

“Draw your chakra.” He says.

You do exactly as he says and begin to climb the tree. With each step your nerves start to take over. Occasionally you lose your footing but Kakashi pushes you on.

“Come on! You were far faster than this up in those trees.”

Too scared to say any words you whimper and inch your way to the rope tied off on a tree branch. As you approach the branch it dips down and you cry out as quietly as possible in hopes he doesn’t hear you.

“Hana, you got this. Keep going.” He encourages.

You wince at each cautious step trying desperately to hold onto the chakra so you don’t fall. By now you have made it onto the rope and a quarter of the way over the lake.

Just don’t look down…just don’t look down…maintain the chakra… you repeat in your head.

And stupidly you lower your eyes to the water as a breeze picks up swaying the rope with you on it. You shriek at the feeling and the look of the deep depth of water you could plunge into. Instinctively you l reach for the rope with your hands. However another gust of wind whips the rope and you miss the grab falling into the water.

Once you felt the cold prickling of liquid swarming over your skin absorbing you into its oxygenless pit you screamed. You know this feeling, you know there isn’t anyone who can hear you scream right now. You thrash at the water trying to find your way back to the surface. But it is to no use. You sink lower and lower to the lake floor until you feel it at your feet. You thought the first time this had happened was going to be your last day on earth but someone had saved you.
You are drowning…will you be saved this time?

Minutes go by as you stare up at the glistening sunlight reflecting on the surface you are begging to return to. Slowly your vision blurs. Your lungs begin to fill and your body starts to choke. You close your eyes not able to watch this part then suddenly you are jerked from the lake bottom by strong arms.

Your eyes try to open to see if your sensei has come to your rescue but you are losing consciousness. You feel yourself break the surface and float towards shore. You feel the ground again, the dirt underneath your back and pressure on your chest.

Then suddenly his voice wakes you.
“Hana!”

Your eyes snap open and you turn to spew the water pooled in your lungs.

“Oh thank god.” He says and scoops you up into his arms. He cradles your head against his bare chest and pats your back helping you cough out the rest of the water.

You groan loudly and cuddle around his warm body straddling his lap. You hang onto him tightly heaving for breath.

“Hana, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

He cups the back of your head and rubs your back.
“It’s ok.” You croak.

“God you're shaking.” He rubs your arms and back vigorously to gain friction in hopes to heat you up. But you aren’t shaking from the cold. You are shaking for yet another near death experience. An experience you have already been through once before. You swore to stay away from any large bodies of water thereafter. You have never learned to swim, and deep in the desert where would you? You were too poor to travel as a child and the closest lake above your knees was hours away on foot. It just wasn’t in your path to learn.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asks, pressing his cheek against your forehead.

“I…didn’t want to disappoint you, sensei. Dinner sounds really nice.”

He breathes out into the nape of your neck sending a small shiver down your spine.
“This won’t happen again I promise.”

Little does he know this isn’t the first time…At that comment you could no longer hold in your emotions and you cried some solid tears into his shoulder. He held you closely, running his hands down your wet hair and rubbing your back for comfort. He would randomly curse himself out loud or apologize to you but you brushed it off and continued to tell him it wasn’t his fault. Until finally you stopped shaking and your mind was able to cope with what just happened bringing you to a more calmer state.

You rise off him and look up into his eyes which are pain stricken and sad. You take his cheeks in both hands and press your forehead to his.

“It’s ok.”

He shakes his head.
“No it’s not.”

It was then you noticed he was still wearing his mask.

“How did you get your shirt off without taking that mask with it? Don’t tell me you stopped saving me to put it back on!” You scold.

“Ahhh…I’m not sure how I did it. But here we are.”

The both of you start to smile. You pull away from him still seated in his lap.
“Can we cut class a little short?”

“Of course.” He removes you off his lap and you both stand brushing off the sand and dirt now stuck to your clothes.

“You should get changed. I brought you a towel.” He picks up a bag you hadn't noticed, situated close to a tree and pulls two towels from it.

“Were you planning on going for a swim too?” You ask as you take the towel and wrap yourself in it.

“I thought maybe we could… after your exercise.” He shyly scratches the back of his head. “But that didn’t go as planned.”

You can’t help but smile as your heart flutters over how much effort he has put into your day. If you weren’t student and teacher, the entire day would be similar to a date, minus the whole drowning part.

You laugh sweetly at him causing his cheeks to rose even more.

“I’ll let you get changed. I’ll be over here. Don’t go throwing yourself in the water or anything. I'm not saving you again.”

And you two are back to the banter in no time.
“Psshhh…because I did it on purpose and all...” You reply sarcastically.

When he got a fair distance away you unwrap yourself from his towel and shamelessly bundle it up then bring it to your nose. You breathe his scent in. The towel is saturated in that smell you are becoming addicted to. Why does he have to smell so good?

Once you have your fill of him you change into your spare clothes and start to feel normal again. Although still shaken up even standing beside the lake, your nerves aren’t as bad as long as you stay away from the water's edge.

“Ready?” Kakashi hollers.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

And both you gather the rest of your things and leap into the trees heading home.

————————————-

On the way home you had asked Kakashi if he was still up for dinner at that new restaurant. He was hesitant at first considering what had happened but you gave him your best doe eyes and he caved right away. He told you it was a fancier restaurant so you should dress for the occasion. You questioned it as it was really starting to sound like a date. But he brushed it off as just a friendly gesture he partakes with his students. Apparently he used to do this a lot with his other teams.

Now you stand in front of your floor length mirror in your new home trying to figure out what to wear. Definitely something eye-catching. Who knows who will be there. You have set out three styles of clothes. One a shorter tight dress, an a-line flared dress, and a longer pencil skirt dress. You decide on the flared dress as you can dress it up and down depending on the restaurant ambience. Throw a cropped Jean jacket over top and some thigh high boots and you are dressed.

You straighten your hair and sweep it to the side, pinning the other side in place with a silver pin. With your entire body dolled up you spray some perfume on your chest and in your hair then head downstairs to get your boots on. Just as you pull your boots on, Kakashi knocks on your door.

And for some reason you feel nervous about your looks.

He is your sensei…that’s all nothing more…you repeat to yourself.

You open the door to him and his scent flows around you….yum…then you notice five other shinobi with him. Sakura, Naruto, Hinata, Konohamaru, and Sasuke. Five ninja you have gotten to know a bit more over the last week. It was nice to get to know people around the village, but you half wanted to spend some time with Kakashi by himself. He is still such a mystery to you and he is second on your list of things to discover.

You suck it up and take a deep breath in. Then in your sweetest voice. You say hello to everyone and begin to pump yourself up for a fun evening with friends.

Chapter 9: Lesson 3

The next day…..

You wake up to your alarm pinging on your phone. It was 7am and there was no need to get up this early as your sensei informed you he had errands to run outside the village and won’t be seeing you for a few days. #cry

You’re beginning to notice your attachment to him, and take this as an opportunity to dampen the fire you’ve been feeling lately. You don’t want to be too much of a bother to your sensei as you’re sure he has his own life to live despite him taking you on as his student.

Let’s keep things simple…You repeat in your head. Just what he had said to you days prior.

You sauntered out of bed replaying dinner last night. The walk to the restaurant was awkward to say the least. You realized after a few minutes, Kakashi was trying to pair you and Konohamaru as a couple. Although he is very handsome, you found him a little boisterous. He is a very loud person full of energy. He had no wit to him, and any sarcasm thrown his way he would take far too personally or not understand it. After a while Kakashi seemed to notice your differences and stopped trying to push things between you two. Things were far less awkward after that.

Once the pressure was off, Konohamaru became a different person. He was a little over the top, but nice for the most part and he did ask for your number at the end of the night. You didn’t want it to seem like you held any interest in him so you asked for everyone’s number after that, including your sensei.

Speaking of numbers. You open your phone and check your text messages while you make something for breakfast. You have a few messages come, the first being from Sakura.

Hey! It was nice to hang out last night. Looks like things are going well with Kakashi. Have a good sleep, let’s hang out soon.

That was nice, which you replied.

It was great to hang out! I had a lot of fun. We should plan something soon, maybe just the girls?

You click send then move onto the next message. One from Konohamaru.

Hello Hana.

You cringe at his formality and read on.

It was nice to finally meet you. If you ever need a hand with chakra balance or want to learn more jutsu throw me a message. I would love to show you a few things…

That was actually really nice and sparked some excitement in you.

Hey! It was nice to meet you as well. I would love to learn more jutsu. Kakashi is away for a few days so this might be a good time to get together and practice. 😋

He responds right away.
This evening?

You hesitate to answer while you figure out what your day is supposed to be like. Then you notice a message from Kakashi and you can’t help but get distracted. You switch over to his message and it reads only one thing.

A meme saying

I told a girl to text me when she got home….

She must be homeless….

You laugh out loud and realize you had forgotten to text him when you got home. You were unsure why he was so worried about you as there aren’t many people here that could challenge you. But he did insist on your message which you had completely forgotten about after getting a call from a friend back home.

Sorry Sensei. I made it home safely. 😅

He replies right away.
😑

Lol That’s exactly what you look like 90% of the time.
You reply back.

Which he replies.
Only when you’re around. 😈

This man is way too fun. You can’t get enough. In fact you spent the morning insulting each other playfully with memes and selfies. It wasn’t until after lunch that you realized you hadn’t texted Konohamaru back.

I’m so sorry!. Yes I am available this evening if you would like to get together.

He replies immediately.
Great! I had made a few plans but nothing major. I will rearrange my schedule. Can I pick you up at 6?

Sure that sounds good. I am not sure where to go so it’s up to you for location. Be mindful of explosions.

He replies.
Lol Yes I have heard about your explosive personality. I will bring my A game as well. See you then!

You are so excited to tell your sensei you are going to practice jutsu with another jonin. You click on your message thread and open it.

So… guess what? 😋

He replies.

Oh no…what now?….

You reply.
🤨

What is it, Hana? 😜

I’m going out with Konohamaru this evening to practice jutsu and chakra balance!

Kakashi stops his quick responses. You can see the message has been read and he begins to type. Then he stops and begins to type again. Finally he sends you a message.

I don’t think that’s a good idea.
He says bluntly.

You consider his words and try to come up with reasons why it wouldn’t be a good idea. All you can think of is the small chance you may lose control of your stone's power. But you’re not using it, so what’s the problem?

Don’t worry sensei. Everything will be fine.

He begins to type something lengthy and you grow impatient. You also need to get ready for your day so you put your phone down for a bit. You’ll come back to his message later.

———————————-

Five hours later you have just got back from the grocery store and are about to get ready for your evening with Konohamaru. You throw on a tight long sleeve black crop top, some form fitting stretchy jeans and short cut boots overtop. You braid your hair and throw on some simple makeup.

Now that you’re ready you check the time. 530pm. Just enough time to have a protein shake and get into the jutsu mood.

Sipping on your shake, you open your phone remembering Kakashi was sending you messages earlier this morning. You open the text thread to see a few messages from him.

You should not be practicing jutsu without my guidance. Especially with another jonin. They don’t know the difficulties you are facing and this could be dangerous….. I am your sensei, not Konohamaru…

You are caught off guard by this rigid behavior. Kakashi is obviously not happy about this. You read on.

??? Hana, please tell me you’re not following through with this. I thought you weren’t interested in Konohamaru….

Hello?

…..???

 

Then nothing after that. You feel the color leave your face as you reread each message. He is very displeased with this. You reply in a panic with your heart racing.

I’m sorry I forgot to respond.

Kakashi texts back immediately.

😑😑😑…So are you going?

A knock at your front door interrupts you.

“Shit.” You curse out loud. “Be right there!”

Sensei, he’s here right now or I would have said no. Literally standing at my front door. I promise not to blow anything up or let things get out of control.

You reply to Kakashi, hoping it brings him some comfort.

Great…now I will be worried about you the entire evening….. I want you to message me when you get home and I mean it this time. If anything happens to you I will be very upset.

It was sort of sweet how worried he was. But you also don’t want to cause him any grief. Another knock on the door.

“Hang on!” You holler.

I’m sorry Kakashi. I am sort of stuck here, I will make sure to message you first thing when I get home.

Alright. Be safe.

You leave it at that. You pocket your phone and head towards your front door to meet with Konohamaru.

——————————————-

Hours into your evening with Konohamaru. You are having a great time. He is a very patient teacher although he has the tendency to over explain things. You are a quick thinker and can understand things easily which in turn had you waiting through his ongoing explanations for quite some time. He was also a great story teller and has had some very interesting adventures. Things were going great…

The location he chose was dreamy. A beautiful mountain ridge looking over the entire village.

You sit side by side basking in the scenery around you and for once Konohamaru was quiet.

You glance at him.
“I have never seen you so quiet...” You say playfully.

He laughs and shys away.
“I’ve always been told I’m too loud. I like to call it spirit.”

You smile.
“That’s a better word for it.”

“So what brought you here to hidden leaf village?” He asks.

“Kakashi, Hatake…” You reply. Even as you say his name it was like you were repeating it for the millionth time since you got here. He had been constantly nagging at you in the back of your mind since you arrived here. His worry for you was concerning. You didn’t want him to feel like that or ruin his own plans today thinking about you. Once he gets back you will make him all of his favorite dishes and suck up to him big time for causing him problems while he is away.

“Kakashi huh? I’m surprised he took you on.” Konohamaru replies.

“He didn’t really have a choice.”

He looks at you confused.
“Why is that?”

“Well…I basically took over the hallway to his office and wasn’t moving until he said yes.”

He bursts out laughing.
“You were that desperate for Kakashi? You know…there are other jonin here just as skilled who could teach you everything you need to know. Like me for instance.”

“You are a really good teacher. But Kakashi knows a lot about my situation. I’m not your typical girl.” You say the last bit with unintentional disappointment.

“No you’re not…at all…There are some beautiful girls in this world but you…you are something special.”

Your eyes widen to the size of quarters at his remark. What is happening right now? He shuffles over closer to you. Oh god…This can’t be happening…Wait of course it would…how stupid could you be to think he didn’t want to make a move on you this evening? The scenery is picture perfect for a movie scene kiss…shit. He moves his hand placing it over yours and you look down at it…oh no it’s happening…it’s really happening…

How do you tell him no without hurting his feelings? What do you say to blow him off without damaging the relationship you had just started. Oh god…

Suddenly your pocket begins to buzz and the familiar chime of Kakashi’s ringtone interrupts everything. You praise the man, that overly sarcastic, loud mouth, who smells heavenly all the time. You praise him deeply..

You quickly whip your phone out of your pocket and look at it.

“Speak of the devil.” You say and answer the phone. You stand breaking the physical connection between you two and begin to talk over Kakashi.

“Oh hey sensei! Everything ok?”

“Where are you? It’s getting late!” He asks.

You ignore his response and come up with your own in hopes he gets the picture.
“Oh no! Do you need help? I can head home now to look for it…” please get the hint Kakashi.

“Uhh…wh…what are you talking ab…oh…yeah…head home now. I need to know what’s on the files and don’t have access. If you could screenshot me the map as soon as possible. That would be great.”

You look over to Konohamaru who is patiently waiting for you to get off the phone.

“Alright I’ll do that. Anything else I can do to help?.” You smile at Konohamaru and he smiles back at you.

“Call me when you get home.” Kakashi says gruffly.

“Sure thing, sensei. Ok bye.”

“Bye.”

You click the phone off, relieved at your new excuse to get out of this situation you are not ready for. However out of the blue, just as you pocketed your phone Konohamaru grabs you by the waist and pulls you into him. You stare up at him barely breathing and before you know it his lips are on yours and you’re not moving.

Your mind stops thinking all together focusing on his soft lips and how firm he feels against you. What are you doing? You need to stop this now…The kiss was lasting far too long. And for some reason you felt a whole pile of guilt over it. He finally pulls away from you but not before he sweeps a thumb over your lips.

“You even taste as sweet as you look.” He says in a huskier tone, his eyes hooded with lust.

You feel your cheeks burning with shame and regret. This was exactly why you should have never come here.

“Hmm…that was nice.” You reply, still unsure of what to say as he is holding you tightly, wanting some kind of reciprocation for his actions.

“We should do this again.” He states.

You sigh, not able to let the guy down.
“Sure.” You reply and smile a fake smile.

He releases you and you let out a heavy breath.
“Let’s get you home. Kakashi isn’t all that patient these days.” He says.

Thank god…

“You got that right.” You laugh.

He takes your hand in his and walks you home.

—————————————

You are now lying in your bed staring up at the ceiling with your phone in your hand ready to call Kakashi. But your stomach twists and turns over it. He will be asking what happened indefinitely. Especially after that performance on the phone earlier. Deep breath in… you dial. Your heart is pounding into your ears.

He picks up on the first ring.

“What happened?” He asks right away. You cringe.

“Ahhh…well…I didn’t realize he had set me up for a date..” you explain.

“Really? And what gave it away?” His tone was full to the brim of bitter sarcasm.

“Ummm…well after I learned a couple new techniques we sat down to watch the sunset up on this mountain.”

Kakashi sighs.
“He took you to makeout hill Huh? There’s better places than that.”

“Well I’d like to not go to any of those places! Not with him anyway…” you protest.

“What did you expect, Hana?”

“What do you mean? I expected to learn some shit today, not be lip locked with a jonin.” Your voice is becoming noticeably shaky as you come to terms with what just happened. You feel slightly violated and tricked into this whole mess.

“You kissed him?! I thought you weren’t even interested!” His voice gets louder as you go on.

“No! It’s not like that! He kissed me!. It was out of the blue. I had no idea what was happening as I had just got off the phone with you!”

“So are you interested or not?”

You sigh.
“Not at all. He’s a really nice guy, but I need someone with a little more humor. Someone who can challenge me. I am far too sassy for that guy.”

Kakashi bursts out laughing.
“Yeah you are.”

“It’s not funny! Why would he offer to teach me jutsu then bring me out on a date instead? …I feel played.”

Kakashi sighs.
“I'll be real with you, gorgeous women are hard to find. Sometimes a guy has to use tactics that are in their own comfort zone, as you are waaaaaaaay out of his league.”

That whole line just shocked you in so many ways. Does your sensei think of you like that? Or is he just telling you what Konohamaru thinks? Do you want your sensei to think of you like that?….part of you does. A very big part of you does…But you are half his age and his student. These feelings are wrong aren’t they? And your stupid mouth just has to ask…

“Sensei…Do you really think those things?”

He grows quiet…very quiet. There is a long pause before he answers all of the questions above in one sentence.
“I can’t comment any further on that.”

“But you already said…” He interrupts you.

“I know...and I shouldn’t have... Look, I'm glad you’re home and safe. I am sorry you had to go through that whole awkward date. It wasn’t right for him to play it the way he did and I will be talking to him about it when I get home…”

“Oh please don’t! Please don’t mention it, I’m so embarrassed.”

He hums at you through the phone.
“Ok I won’t say anything. Not unless you want me to. But can you just… stay out of trouble? I’ll be home in two days. We have a lot of progress to make over the next few months as I have some plans for you. Focus on that ok?..”

You feel a thousand times better knowing he will be home soon.
“Ok, I promise I will stay out of trouble. What kind of plans do you have for me? I hope it doesn’t involve any near death experiences this time…”

“That’s not funny. I feel terrible about that still…there will be no near death experiences…unless that’s what you’re into. If so I would recommend another teacher.”

“what? No! I’m most definitely not into that…and I only want you…But what are the plans?”

“I’ll explain face to face. I wouldn’t want to miss the look on your face.” He snickers.

“Oh good…I have a feeling I’m going to love the idea.” You reply sarcastically.

“We will see. Get some sleep, kiddo. I’ll message you something obnoxious in the morning.”

You giggle.
“Not before I do! Good night.”

“Sweet dreams”.
You hear him click the phone off and you drop yours onto your side table and breathe out yet another heavy breath.

What a day it has been. Your mind and stomach is hating you for all the excitement, butterflies, nerves, and fear you had just put them through in the last twelve hours. Sleep will be a blessing.

Chapter 10: Jacked

You had spent the next two days studying hard. It was your mission to finish reading your chakra development book and move onto balancing before Kakashi gets back.

Throughout the day you spoke with Sakura, Kakashi, and Konohamaru.

Sakura was helping you out with your studies over text which was extremely beneficial. She was an expert when it came to studying from a book and has even told you which chapters to read over more than others.

As for Kakashi he was the same smart ass as usual. You found yourself bantering with him back and forth more than you should. He made sure to keep your attention. You noticed every few hours he would send you something hilarious or insulting and you didn’t mind one bit. You found it quite amusing trying to beat him in wits. Let’s face it, you loved every conversation you had with your sensei.

Then there was Konohamaru. You would start your morning with a sweet message from him. And end your day with something even sweeter. But it was getting out of hand. He was smitten over you and it was about time you put a stop to it. However, you couldn’t find it in you to do it. Everytime you would think of something to say you couldn’t get it out. Maybe your sensei can help you out when he gets home. Today is the day he arrives, and you couldn’t be more excited.

You aren’t sure if you will be seeing him today or not as he hasn’t made any type of plan with you. Yet you can’t help but look a little extra today. You have also discovered a new recipe that you are sure he will like and spent the morning making it and will present it to him on your next training day. Once you have it all placed perfectly in a container in the fridge you head to your room to look as good as possible.

You know you shouldn’t be going overboard as he made his boundaries clear. Still, you can’t help it. Two hours later you are dressed in a maroon colored pleated skirt, a black tight low cut sweater with a thin choker necklace and thigh high boots. You have curled your hair, which took quite a while due to the thickness and length, and you let it flow over your shoulders. Looking in the mirror, you begin to doubt yourself. Like maybe this is too much…No…you are going to follow through with your plans.

You have a few things to get from the music store. It was quite a walk to get there but it is a beautiful sunny day out so you will take your time and enjoy yourself and look good doing it. Maybe …just maybe you will run into your sensei on the way…

———————————————-

You’ve been walking through the village for forty minutes, nearly at the music shop. The weather’s perfect—warm sun, a soft breeze—and the street is alive with weekend chatter. You stroll past window displays, half-admiring expensive merchandise you can’t afford and don’t really want. Your mind drifts.

And then—

Wham.

A door swings open right in front of you, and someone barrels out without looking. You collide hard enough to knock the wind from your chest, stumbling back a step. But strong arms catch you—fast, firm.

You don’t need to look up. You already know.

Kakashi.

His hands grip your waist, steadying you. His eyes meet yours—and in that one gaze, the world drops away.

Everything stops.

You forget the street. The sounds. The sky. All you can feel is him—his body so close it presses against yours, your chest brushing against his torso. His scent hits you hard, pulling you under. Clean, crisp, warm…God, you missed that smell and him.

You swallow hard, heartbeat pounding, throat dry. He doesn’t let go. If anything—he pulls you closer.

His fingers shift slightly, tightening at your sides. His gaze flickers from your eyes to your lips and back again. There’s tension there—heavy, heated, dangerously close to unraveling. You see it in his eyes: the fight. The part of him that knows this is wrong. The part that doesn’t care.

Your breath catches, and a soft, involuntary hum escapes you as you take in every shade of silver in his eyes. If he leaned in right now—if his mask dropped even an inch—

You might let him.

You want to let him.

But the murmurs begin. Whispers around you. Then the unmistakable click of a phone camera.

He’s not just your sensei. He’s Kakashi Hatake—famous, admired, watched. This isn’t just reckless. It’s dangerous.

You come to your senses before he does.

So you do what you do best. You deflect.

You lean in closer, lips nearly brushing his mask, and whisper low—

“You dropped your pocket.”

His eyes fly open, blinking as if you’ve slapped him with a genjutsu. His cheeks flush under the mask, just enough for you to spot it. That familiar heat flares in your chest. You won. Barely.

Then he laughs—sharp, low, laced with tension. “You can’t drop a pocket…”

He finally steps back, releasing you. Your body instantly feels colder.

“Yeah,” you say with a smirk, trying to swallow the ache in your chest. “But I was hoping to watch you look for it.”

He shakes his head, muttering a curse, still smiling. But his eyes—those aren’t smiling. Those eyes are burning.

“I’m a lot smarter than that.” By now he has gotten a good look at you and doesn’t hesitate to run his eyes up and down your figure repeatedly. Internally you are loving every bit of his open gaze. Then he quickly ruins it.

“You going on another date or something?”

You scowl and place your hands on your hips.
“Noooooo.”

“You look like you are.”

“Well I’m not! I was actually on my way to pick up my guitar from the music shop. I don’t just throw myself out there all the time you know…”

“I know. I’m just playing. Can I walk you there?”
You lift your chin defiantly.
“It would be rude if you didn’t.”

“Well I guess I have no choice then. Being rude is not in my vocabulary.”

You laugh and roll your eyes.
“Same here. Come sensei, you can be my guy repellent.”

“Ahhhh no. That’s not in my vocabulary either.”

“It is now.” You take his arm, forcing him to walk with you and he does. Like he wouldn’t.

You both walk in silence enjoying each other’s presence. Arms are locked and he wasn’t pulling away. It has only been three days since you have last seen him, yet you have missed him more than you thought.

“How was your time away?” You ask, breaking the silence.

His shoulders drop slightly and he breathes out heavily.
“Ahhh…it was ok.”

You glance at him.
“Just ok?”

“Yeah…it wasn’t much fun this time around.”

And you can’t help but feel responsible.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause you so much trouble.” You explain.

“I know…I just have one more thing to say about it all. You can’t go out without a plan. There are people out there, even in this village, who would want to…” He chokes on his words for a moment trying to think. “You are my responsibility now, and anything you do will reflect on me. I need you to be safe ok?”

Even if someone were to try anything with you, it would be the worst mistake they have ever made. If anything it would be their funeral. But the sincerity in his tone throws away any argument you might want to start.
“I won’t cause anymore problems..I promise...”

“Good girl. So you play guitar too Huh?”

“Since I was a child. In the trafficking camps there wasn’t much we were allowed to do. There was one boy, his name was Ongaku, he would play for us kids at night before bed. I fell in love with his guitar at first sight and begged him for weeks to teach me.”

Kakashi laughs.
“Sounds familiar.”

You giggle.
“Yeah…I may have used similar techniques on you. I can be very persuasive.”

“I know.” He says and nudges you. “I had a hunch you were a part of the child trafficking in that area. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

It was a part of your life you both hated and loved. You have met some good friends and even called them family. But your camp was different from most. Yours included high levels of psychological training, the Gelel stone, and conditioning as an assassin.

“It’s ok, I have come to terms with that part of my life. Onto the next.” You say positively.

“That’s right. So…I was thinking that we should work on some of your “life skills”.” He replies making quotation marks with his one hand.

Your brows knit together in confusion.
“You’re trying to be polite. It’s confusing. Just come out and say what it is you want me to work on.”

He chuckles.
“Alright, I want to teach you how to swim.”

You stop walking completely and stare up at him in shock.
“I….no…I don’t think that is a good idea…”

He places his hands on your shoulders peering down at you.
“Hana, you are surrounded by lakes, rivers, and oceans now. If you don’t learn to swim, what happened a few days ago will happen again. And next time there might not be someone to help you.”

You consider his words and how right they are. But the more you think about it the more your fears begin to take over the reasoning behind it. You search his black vest, making up terrifying scenarios in your head. Only his touch on your cheek stops your thoughts from spiraling out of control. A sharp pain stabs at your chest, you gasp and place a palm directly over the stone which seems to be glowing through your shirt at the moment.

“Calm down, Hana. Here…let me see.”
He removes your hand off your chest and lowers your sweater examining the glowing orb. “It hurts?”

You nod
“The pain started six months ago after an incident I had.”

He sweeps his full hand over the area of the stone, his eyes following the movement. “There is some type of heat signature around it. I can feel it when I use my chakra. Yet it doesn’t respond to the chakra…” He closes his eyes concentrating. “No…it’s more like it closes itself off.” He opens his eyes again but this time with serious determination. “You must learn chakra control… and soon.”

“Tell me about it….” You reply quietly.

He removes his hand from your chest.
“Next week we will start your swimming lessons. But for the rest of this week you are to practice chakra balance…” he pauses a moment to look around. “I won’t be able to walk you to the music store right now. After witnessing this I need to do some research and talk to some of the other jonin around here. I will message you later tonight. Are you ok to go by yourself?”

You laugh.
“Of course. I’ll be fine, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me. Keep me posted ok?”

“Sure.” He places a small chaste kiss on your forehead before leaving you. He disappears into a cloud of smoke and you carry on down the street to the music shop.

————————————-

After picking up your guitar you headed straight home for some much needed music R&R. You sit on your balcony playing into the evening letting the wind guide your fingers and the sunset decide the song. You were happy. Something you haven’t felt in a very long time.

You sing deeply, feeling the words through your soul. It has been months since you have sung something this up beat and as you finish the last chords you let the note vibration fade out and sigh leaning back on your chair looking out over the village.

“And you sing too…well aren’t I the luckiest sensei in the world.” Kakashi says startling you. You nearly topple off your balcony.

“What are you doing on my roof?” You ask flustered.

“Listening.” He says and you blush profusely, you thought for sure no one was listening.

You place your guitar to the side then do the polite thing and ask your surprise guest inside despite him scaring the shit out of you.
“Are you hungry?” You ask.

“Always.” He replies and jumps down off the roof following you inside.

You rustle around the living room cleaning up.
“Sorry for the mess, I wasn’t expecting company.”

“It’s fine.” He says. “Smells nice in here…”

You laugh.
“Are you being sarcastic?”

“No, it smells like lavender and vanilla…Like you…” He states as he takes his boots off. You watch him curiously thinking how strange this is right now. In seconds you have invited your Sensei in without even a thought about it. As if it were something that has happened before. Something you are both used to.
You cross your arms and question him.
“Do you frequent my rooftop often?”

His eyes flick up to yours and he scratches the back of his head.
“Ahhh…no. Your file has your address on it. I thought it would be easier to talk in person.”

“So you found something about the stone?” You wander over to the kitchen as he explains and start prepping something for dinner.

“I found out that the stone has a lot of powerful properties to it. I also found out more about the trafficking camps.”

He sits down on your new floral sofa and props his feet up on the coffee table tucking his arms behind his head. Doesn’t he look comfortable…you snicker and open the fridge door.

“Do you want some wine?”

“You have wine?”

“Of course I have wine? Why wouldn't I have wine?”

“I figured you were a whiskey girl…considering how fiery you get…”

“Whiskey?…I’m no backcountry hillbilly, Kakashi Hatake .”

He laughs.
“No you are far from that…” He rises off the couch and walks towards the kitchen island to sit down on the bar stools and watch you. “What type of wine?”

“Chateau Badette.” You say it as exquisitely as possible, kissing your fingers.

“Ooooohhhh….and she knows her wines…a strong choice. I’ll have a glass..”

You giggle and pull two glasses from a cabinet and hand one over but stop before it reaches his grasp.
“You taking off that mask?”

He smirks.
“Nope.”

You sigh and hand over the glass. You pop the cork and fill both to the top.
“Fine…enjoy…”

“Cheers!” He says and holds his drink up.

“What do we cheer for?”

“Hmm….” He thinks on it. “Here’s to finding what you’re looking for.”

You smile thinking about it. You have finally found your sensei but what was he looking for?
“I found exactly what I was looking for. But what about you?”

He grins wide.
“I found someone to cook for me on a daily basis.”
You burst out laughing.
“And that’s what you were looking for?”

He raises his brows and nods still grinning.

“You know a girlfriend can provide that too….”

“Well not all girls can cook so…it’s hit or miss, really.”

You shake your head and carry on pulling things from the fridge. Thankfully you had planned on lettuce wraps tonight with leftover barbecued pork, hopefully mister picky eater will accept.

“Do you like lettuce wraps?” You ask leaning down to grab the pork from the bottom shelf.

“Yeah I could eat that. If you’re making it….”

You pull your ingredients out from the fridge and turn around to catch Kakashi’s eyes wandering over your backside. You smirk at him.
“And what do you eat when I am not cooking for you?”

He shrugs.
“I’m not much of a cook, so I try to eat out as much as I can. It’s been nice having some home cooked meals.”

You smile at him.
“I should start charging you…” You reach back into the fridge to grab the rest of the ingredients and come across the container of special foods you had made earlier.

“Ha! I would pay you..” He agrees. “Buuuut considering I’m not charging you tuition for my top notch education I feel the exchange for home made meals makes us equal.”

You roll your eyes.

“Oh! Speaking of home made meals, I found this great recipe I thought I would test out on my favorite sensei.” You turn towards him smiling happily and present the container.

He laughs.
“Hey! I’m your only sensei!” He eyeballs the container.
“I’m a test subject for your culinary skills now?”

“That’s right!” You push the container closer.
He pulls it towards himself with one finger.
“What is it? I’m not big on sweets.”

“I know that…you’re sweet enough right?” You wink.

“I’m almost too sweet.” He picks up the container and sniffs it then grips it in both hands ready to shake it.

You giggle.
“Would you just open it already? I promise it’s not alive.”

He opens the container, his eyes widening as he does. You can smell the saury already…barf. But he seems to like it.

“Saury dumplings? And wait….” He sniffs the food again. “ jasmine rice…made from scratch…” he is literally salivating all over this dish.

“You’re too good to me.” He says and closes the container.

“I have to keep my sensei happy.” You say playfully. He blushes at your generosity and lowers his eyes to the counter top growing quiet. It was obvious he was thinking about something more on the serious side.

“Something wrong?” You ask. “Is it too much?” You chew your lip as your mind spirals, over analyzing his change of mood.

He sets his deep eyes on you.
“No…You’re a sweet girl… You’ll make someone very happy one day”

And for a moment you see a dash of sadness in his expression. But instead of questioning it your nerves decide to laugh it off. You come around to his back and drape your arms over his broad shoulders. Taking note of his muscular stature and that lovely smell.
“Let’s be real, I couldn’t handle a man…I mean not anytime soon. I’m too busy trying to control the bomb inside me. Come to think of it, I’m surprised I haven’t blown you up yet. You’re lucky you still have arms and legs with all of my wacky emotions running around rampant all the time.”

He laughs wholeheartedly.
“You are wacky sometimes…”

You squeeze his shoulder muscles appreciatively and work your thumbs into them in hopes to ease any tension he is feeling. He is definitely a little off lately…. He hums at you.

“Yeah…right there.” He says in a huskier voice that rumbles through his chest. That voice almost made your knees buckle. God he is sexy…You press into his muscles firmly and smooth them out to his shoulders. You’re not sure why you are so comfortable doing this. As everytime he gets close to you your body always wants to shut down. But here in your home, it felt sort of normal.

“Are you always this tense?” You ask concerned.

“Not usually…no…just in the last two weeks.”

You sigh. This was all your fault and you know it. You drop your hands and his head turns slightly towards you.

“If you want…I mean if it’s easier… I can lay off a bit. Sometimes my attitude can cause problems. I know it. I’m not the easiest person to be around..” you swallow hard at your own words and how true they are.

“No. It’s not you.” He says and watches you walk by. Suddenly he grabs your hand making your heart skip a beat. You look back at him and watch his eyes run down your body and back up again very slowly. He pulls you in front of himself positioning you between his legs. By now your heart is pounding into your ears. He places his hands over your hips and looks up at you from his seat.

“I’d like to talk about the stone, and the camps.” He says bringing you out of your daze.

“What about them?” You ask breathlessly. All you can concentrate on right now is your position between his legs and the firm grip on your hips.

His expression deepens and becomes more serious grounding you completely. He has your full attention now.
“Tell me more about the body control.”

There was so much to it, where to start?
“Like when I held you in place?”

“Exactly. Have you done that before?.”

You gulp some air and close your eyes remembering the last incident you had before Kakashi.
“Amegakure was my last village before this one. Like I said, I had trouble with the men there. They knew I couldn’t swim. There were ten of them.. they…held me under…but the stone took over.”

You search his vest as you remember the short vivid clips of blood and bodies.
“I remember…god…” a vision of a man's terrified face flashes before your eyes. You look at Kakashi who is listening intently.

“It’s ok, you can tell me…” He says.

You sniffle and your chest starts to heave in hitches.
“I remember bodies floating above me. I felt like I was looking in from the outside, like it wasn’t me but it was. And suddenly they tore apart…there was so much blood. I remember the blood…and I remember that I did it…I killed them….”

A tear slips past your cheek and you wipe it away on the sleeve of your oversized sweater.

Kakashi sighs and squeezes your hips letting his thumbs sweep over them back and forth. “Did you drown then too?”

You nod and breathe out a shaky breath.
“Yeah…after that I was thrown into the water by the force of the stone… The water looked so clear from the bottom. Then someone saved me. I don’t know who. They were gone when I came to…”

“What did you do after?”

“I…well I couldn’t move for hours. The stone’s power had paralyzed me from the neck down. I lay there for a long time surrounded by my own destruction. I tried not to look at it but there was a body lying right beside….”

Kakashi curses and stops you there.

“I wish I was there for you. No one will ever hurt you like that again as long as I live. Ok?”

“Ok...” You reply shamefully. “I hate myself for what I can do.”

“We will get it under control…Hana, as much as I would like to stop this conversation, because seeing you cry really bothers me, …I can’t…I have another question.”

“Alright…but you owe me some nice compliments after…” you pout.

“What kind of camp were you sanctioned in?”

You shake your head.
“We’re not supposed to say…”

He stares up at you with sincere eyes.
“I am pretty sure I know already. But humor me..”
Hesitantly you answer.
“Bloodclaw.”

He nods and his expression darkens again.
“So you’re an assassin.”

Your eyes widen. Does he still think you’re here to harm the village? In a panic you grab onto his arms.
“I swear to you I’m not here to hurt anyone…I swear it!” You begin to lose control of your voice. “I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore!! You have to believe me!”

Slowly he rises to his feet he lets go of your waist but still keeps his eyes locked onto yours. He says nothing only stares down at you examining you for deceit.

“Kakashi, I swear…I’m a terrible assassin. You would know if I was going to try and attack the village. I’m the worst liar, I can’t even remember the lies I make and I am a big softy when I’m conscious…I can barely put a worm on a fishing hook without crying…and the last time I went on a mission I set myself on fire!…you have to believe me…” you start to babble under his stern glare. Which he in turn begins to laugh hard.

Eyes streaming with tears, you look up at him biting your lip.

“Hana, you are a terrible assassin. I saw through you the first day we met..”

You reply sadly.
“Ohhh….thanks that makes me feel better. If you want to transfer my contract to another jonin I understand...”

He chuckles and cups your cheeks in his big hands.
“No. I am the only shinobi I’m this village who is going teach you. Understand? No one else. Not even Konohamaru.”

He tilts his head watching your expression soften and he runs his fingers through your hair tucking it behind your ear.

“I understand..” You say barely audible.

He drops his hands down your neck and over your shoulders sweep the rest of you hair away to expose your chest. He run his fingertips over your heart where your stone lies. You whimper under his touch and close your eyes.

You hear him breathe deeply through his nose.
“Good girl.”

Suddenly there’s a knock at your front door interrupting the heated moment. He glances over to the door.
“Expecting someone?”

“No, not at all.”

He pulls away from you and walks over towards the door.
“Stay there.” He says protectively.

You watch him open the door and guess who is standing there. Konohamaru with takeout in hand and a confused look on his face.

“Kakashi?”

“Konohamaru…”

“Wh..what are you doing at Hana’s house at this time of night?” He asks full of suspicion.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Kakashi replies firmly.

Konohamaru looks at the bag in his hand then peers around Kakashi looking for you.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d bring by some dinner. I haven’t heard from Hana in awhile, that's all…what about you?”

“We are discussing her training.”

You approach them both, feeling sympathetic over his kindness.
“Hi Konohamaru. How are you?”

He blushes the minute you lay eyes on him. Which catches Kakashi’s attention.

You are in no mood to be in the company of Konohamaru right now not after the conversation you just had.
“I appreciate your kindness. But we are right in the middle of an important conversation. Can I get a rain check?”

He looks at Kakashi who is being very patient through this then looks back at you.

“Alright, will you text me tomorrow? I’d like to see you sometime soon.” He replies.
You smile sweetly.
“Sure.”

“Looking forward to it. Have a good night.” And he leaves your house obviously disappointed.

Kakashi swings the door shut and turns towards you.

“He is head over heels..”

You cringe at his words
“I knoooow. He wants to teach me more jutsu.”

Kakashi glares at you through a smile.

“What’s that look for?”

“Think we'll have to hide you somewhere. There’s too many jonin out there wanting to take my student from me.”

You can’t help but laugh.
“Hide me? You’re kidding right?”

“Nope!” All of a sudden he picks you up and throws you over his shoulder.

“Hey! Put me down sensei! This is not appropriate for a teacher and student!” You smack his back repeatedly while trying to hold in your laughter as he walks you around your house attempting to find a box to put you in.

“There’s no good hiding spots here. My place might be better.” He says walking into the living room.

“Your place? That sounds like even more trouble.”

“You’re probably right.” He replies and lays you down gently on your sofa and rises up looking over your body. You love it everytime he does that. Then his phone beeps in his pocket interrupting the fun.

“Aren’t we popular today.” You joke.

He chuckles.
“Well we are the coolest people in the village.”

You like how he included you in that comment. Unlike his prior compliments which were mostly about himself.

He looks at his phone reading a message and his fun upbeat mood fades quickly. His brows knit together and his shoulders tense.

You sit up.
“What’s wrong?”

He looks at you then looks back at his phone and puts it in his pocket.

“Nothing. But I should go, it’s getting late.”

“What about dinner?”

“Ahh…I forgot I had something to do.” And he walks away from you. You follow him out your balcony door protesting.

“Wait a minute!”

He doesn’t stop until he reaches the balcony railing.
“Kakashi!” You snap and he stops right away.

“I’ll message you later ok? There’s something I need to do right now.”

And he leaves. Just like that. Without hesitation, without an explanation, nothing.

“What about dinner?” You whisper sadly into the evening air.

Hours later….

You lie awake in bed replaying the day. It had your mind spiraling out of control and your stomach filled with butterflies. There were moments with Kakashi you loved. The playful banter, the light flirting and the satisfying touching. Then there were moments you wished you could forget. Like Konohamaru showing up with take out, how Kakashi had to comment on his feelings towards you.

You also wished Kakashi hadn’t brought up your past. You came to this village to change things and to forget. You are no longer the assassin you were forced to be and with your camp and clan gone you had no ties to any of that violence anymore. You wonder what Kakashi really thinks of you. If he really does believe your lies about how terrible you are at being an assassin. Lying to someone wasn’t your favorite thing to do especially when it came to him. But you can’t afford to lose what you are building here. A home in a beautiful village with a man you adore…although not exactly the way you want it to be. It is enough for now. You are also so close to gaining control over your stone. It would be wasteful to have this all come down on your now.

There is another aspect about tonight that bothers you. That last text message he had gotten before he left your home. You need to know what that message is about. All signs point to you, but that could also be your fears talking. Damn….

You slap your hand onto your cell phone sitting beside you on the end table and bring it up in front of your face. Just as you do a message comes in.

Hana, I apologize for leaving so quickly. Can I make it up to you? 🥹

You sigh…jerk….

Idk… eating by myself kind of sucked…

In Which he replies.

In my defense…some babies are dropped on their heads. I was clearly thrown at a wall…🤪🙃

You laugh out loud.
…clearly...so, what happened anyways?”

I can’t disclose that…But I cannnnn take you out for dinner…I’ll even pay.

You huff and picture yet another gathering with “friends” to find you a boyfriend.
🙄 I’m not interested in anymore of your match making games. Don’t need a man, don’t want a man…

Umm…sorry about that too. I’ll talk to Konohamaru for you. It’s my fault. Please don’t be mad, let me make it up to you. Pleaaaasse…

Why are you such a sucker for this guy. Really.. he is twice your age, rude, sarcastic, and chastising. But he is also a perfect sculpture of toned muscle, intelligent, mysterious, and god does he smell good. You curse at your lack of selfcontrol around him.

Ok, but it better be spectacular.

Oh it will be, I promise. You’ll be seeing stars by the time I get you back home...

And for some reason your mind goes straight to the gutter.
That can mean a lot of things, sensei. Better clarify that one.

What do you want it to mean? 😏

Hold up now…never has the banter between you two gotten this flirtatious. He is really pushing boundaries right now and being far too bold for his character. Maybe it was the wine?. But you only poured him one glass…wait a minute. Come to think of it after you had cleaned up dinner you don’t recall any bottles of wine on your counter. Did he jack your fricking bottle?

KAKASHI HATAKE! Did you steal my wine?

Hehehe 😂😏 you’re just noticing now?. We need to work on your observation skills.

Double jerk…
Well he is in for it. You are going to send him one hot selfie for his bullshit. He will regret pushing your boundaries after this. You sit up sweep your hair to one side and pull your shirt off leaving just your roushed silk bralette on. This top held your full breasts perfectly and came with tiny jeweled charms that read FU on them. You angle your phone to capture as much cleavage and sweeping hips as possible then lick your lips for extra shine. You click the capture button and scroll back on it for review. Damn…ok this was hot you aren’t going to lie…cue evil grin…

You click send and wait patiently for his response. Although your heart is pumping at an unnatural speed as you do. By the time you sent the message he was already typing which once the message was read he stopped completely. And everything on your phone grows quiet.

After several minutes of silence and you cackling in your room praising yourself for a successful plan he replies.

😑….that’s not fair….

“No it’s not fair Kakashi!” You say out loud in your room.

Now do you see what pushing boundaries does? You explain.

Yeah…🤔I need to steal your wine more often…

You burst out laughing.
I guess you’ll be buying me dinner more often too….

I’ll steal as much as I can afford then…😂

Well, from the looks of that Rolex on your wrist you can afford a lot.

It’s not real, Hana!! 😂 See, we really need to work on your observation skills. We will go over it before tomorrows lesson. You may need glasses or something, I’m not sure how you walk around half blind like you are….

God he is way too good at this.

Alright. Maybe we can work on your personal skills too. You’re lacking in morals and your charm…well…That word is definitely not in your vocabulary.

Alright alright. We work on my behavior too. You know I hear a good spanking can solve a lot. 😋😋 He replies still out matching your banter.

Great idea! I’ll bring something hard.
You retort.

😏😏 me too….😏🍆

You gasp loudly and screech at your phone. “What the hell is happening right now!”

You are bad. Mr. Hatake.

Bad to the bone…Definitely got some bad bone right now after that pic….

Oh my god…stawwwwwp. No more wine for you! I’m going to sleep now. Good night!

Yup it’ll be a good night for me. 🙃 sweet dreams….

You decide not to humor him anymore as your hot selfie didn’t do the job you thought it would. You had expected him to pull back and ease up as he was the one to place the first boundary. But your 18% alcohol bottle of wine he jacked has burned through his filter. Thank god he didn’t stay for dinner or you most definitely would be lip locked with your sensei by now…which to you doesn’t sound all that bad…

Exhausted from your wacky ride on the Kakashi emotional rollercoaster you lay back on your pillow and close your eyes. Picturing things that don’t involve your drunk sensei…

Chapter 11: Swimming Lesson

The next day you wake up surprisingly well rested. You grab your phone to check the time. 10am. It was then you realized Kakashi hadn’t given you a time for your lesson. You are about to open his message box and text him then something else intriguing slides to the top of your screen.

A message from Sakura in fact.

Hey! I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the Konohagakure Gala this Saturday, Sasuke is away on a mission so it would be just the girls going. We can get ready at my place.

That does sound like fun. It has been a long time since you have attended a gala of any sorts and the last one was not what you expected. Maybe this one will be better.

Sure! I would love that. Can I come by at 6pm?”

That’s perfect. Do you have a gown to wear? She asks.

Now that was something you didn’t have. Your closet was mostly filled with whatever is trending and ball gowns are definitely not trending at the moment.

Ummm…no. Do you have anything I can borrow?

I don’t think what I have would fit your curves. But Tsunade might have something. She always shows up in these extravagant looking dresses. I’m sure she has something for you. I’ll her to call you.

Perfect, now you don’t have to spend money on a dress you’ll only wear once.

Thank you! I’m looking forward to it.

See you then.

You smile happily at your new upcoming event. Then you slide open Kakashi’s message box.

Hey!…Wake up! 😬

Silence…

Wake up, senseiiiii!

Nothing…you open your calling app and dial him.

In a groggy voice he answers.
“Yeah?”

You snicker. He must be hung over.
“Good morning sensei, how are we feeling today?”

“Ahhh…I don’t know yet. Let me review our text messa…ges...” And suddenly he stops talking.

“Hello?”

All you can hear is his breath.

“Shit.” He curses.

“What?” You ask.

“Wow…” He says.

The rest of his words were either cusses or saying the gods name in vain.

“Finished your review?”

“Yeah…” He replies in a shameful tone.

“Any regrets?”

“A few…but not all. Sorry I jacked your wine.”

You sigh slightly annoyed by his wine jacking. It was an expensive bottle...
“Sorry I sent you a lewdy pic…”

“Wait…you did?…hang on. I must have deleted it off my messages..”

That was strange, it was obvious he enjoyed the picture so why would he delete it off his phone?

You hear him breath out hard.
“Fuck…” He says very loudly. He must have found the photo.

“Really sorry.” You apologize again.

“You should be! Photos like that can cause heart attacks in old men like me.”

You giggle.
“I suggest you stop wine stealing unless you want a heart attack!.”

“Fiiiiine…I won’t steal your wine.”

“So what’s the plans for today?” You ask, trying to change the subject.

“What I had planned, I’m now too hung over for…can we try the swimming lesson instead? I could use a dip in the spring.”

You hesitate on his request but can’t bring yourself to say no.
“I guess we can…”

“Alright I’ll come get you in a couple hours. It doesn’t open until one anyways.”

“Sounds good…Drink lots of water ok?.”

You can hear him rustling out of bed grunting all the way.
“Yes mom.” He replies sarcastically.

“It’s obvious you need one.”

“No.. I have you. Talk soon.” And he drops the call.

You drop your phone onto the bed and stare at the ceiling mustering up those terrifying scenarios of you drowning in the spring water.

“Damnit….” You whisper to yourself. It’s going to be a long day. You worry about your stomach which is already twisting and turning.

You swing your legs over the bed and saunter over to your closet to pick out something to wear. It was only then you remembered you had nothing to wear. What on earth would you need swimming attire for? You had avoided swimming like it was the plague. The only one who can help you right now is Sakura. As you know she frequents the spring often in her healing practices.

Back to your bed to find your phone. You whip the sheets off your phone and dial her up.
Her bright and sunshiny voice answers.
“Hey Hana! What’s up?”

“Hi, Sakura. I have a bit of a problem.”

Another realization. You now have to explain to Sakura that you can’t swim and your sensei is going to teach you. The temperature rises in your room as you explain.

“Oh no. What’s wrong?”

“Well…you see…I have this problem. It’s not a big deal or anything but it’s kind of a big deal..” You’re babbling again and you know it. Then you just blurt it out without any thought. “Can I borrow a bathing suit to go swimming?”

She giggles at you.
“Are you going with Konohamaru?” She asks presumptively.

“Ahhhh…no.”

“Oh…really? By yourself then?”

“Not that either.”

“Then who are you going with?”

“Well you see I don’t know how to swim…”

She interrupts you.
“You what?”

“I can’t swim ok! Kakashi has offered to teach me.”

“Oh reeeeeaaaally…Kakashi is going to teach you how to swim?”

“Yeah. He said any proper ninja should know how to swim.” You reply shamefully.

She laughs hard.
“He has a point. I’ll swing by in ten minutes to drop something off. I have a few, but you may want to wear a shirt over top. You are double my size in the chest area.”

You take it into consideration but can only picture it weighing down your body as you drown.
“Alright I’ll find something. Thank you! You’re a. Life saver.”

“See you soon.”

You click your phone off and head back to your closet to figure out what the hell to wear after your terrifying venture with Kakashi.

————————————————

Two hours and fifteen minutes later…yes you are counting…you reach the spring. You stand staring at the misty pool of death that beckons you in so it can take your soul.

Your partner in crime, although very hung over, is extremely excited for this. You swear he squealed when he saw the water.

“The water looks nice and warm today!” He says stretching his arms up over his head and resting his palms on the back of his neck.

“It looks like a portal to hell..”

“Maybe it is….you know they stock this spring with fish. They’ll nip at your toes and drag you under if you’re not careful.”

You scowl at him knowing he is just messing with your head.
“That is very comforting to know. Sensei.”

He lowers his arms and ruffles your hair, which was held in a bun, and has now fallen over your eyes in a mess. You elbow his side.
“Stop that!” And pull hair out of the bun letting it fall down one side of your shoulders.

He chuckles happily to himself and walks towards the edge of the spring peeling his clothes off at the same time.

You watch closely memorizing each and every flex, bend, and ripple of muscle you can see….definite spank bank material…

His gloves hit the deck first

Then his head band…

Then the vest…

Then the tight navy shirt…

Oh dear god…..you nearly fall over at the sight of him. For a forty year old, he looks as if he was in his twenties….now that is not fair…

You bite your lip holding in your gasps and awes. Then he turns towards you, pants lowered just enough to see the deep lines of his pelvic muscles. Add a chiseled eight pack on to that and puffed up pectorals. Mix those ingredients together with perfectly toned shoulders and biceps that are equal in size. You have Kakashi Hatake, the hottest ninja in hidden leaf village. And he is your ninja, your sensei, your master.

You gulp nervously which he notices.

“You gonna make it?” He asks with a devilish grin. Knowing full well you are drooling all over him. But as obvious as it is you’ll play the “I’m not that into you game” for your dignity.

“I don’t know, depends on your teaching skills today. This may be life or death.”. This really is a life or death situation as you’re about to have a heart attack if he takes off anymore clothing.

And he does. He drops his pants right after you say that in your head. Thankfully he is wearing shorts, anything tighter you would probably pass out. Deep breaths, Hana…

It took five breaths to calm yourself before you came back to a normal thought process. Kakashi stands at the edge of the pool patiently waiting for you to do something.

“Come on Hana. Let’s go! We have a hangover to cure.”

You scowl.
“How am I responsible for your hang over?”

“How are you not? You offered the wine.”

“And you jacked it!” …Thank god for your banters they really ease the sexual tension.

“You basically told me to take it.” He states grinning wide.

Before you can protest anymore he dives into the water mask still on. You question it… How does one breathe through a wet mask?

He comes up for air and stands in the navel high water. Drops trickling down his torso. He flicks his silver strands out of his eyes then runs a full hand through his hair slicking it back. Some strands spring back up into perfectly spiked blades others stay flat smoothing out his edgy look. Fuck me now….

“How do you breathe through a wet mask?” You ask, Tearing your mind away from the overload of lewdy thoughts.

“Ahh! Good question. This is a special mask I made just for swimming in. I got tired of tying a towel to my face.”

Now that is funny.
“Looks like someone’s bikini bottoms to me. Something you wanna tell me?”

He shakes his head and laughs.
“Would you get in already?”

You huff back at him.
“Fine…” You begin to take off your clothes starting with your boots, then socks. After that it was your shirt. You had already put on Sakura's bikini underneath so there was no need to use the change room. But there was a slight problem. Sakura’s body was similar to a teens body and yours was more of a woman’s body. The exact measurements? 34-24-36 with well rounded double D cups. Are they good measurements? You have no idea, all you know is most clothes don’t fit right and your pants always seem to sit low due to your hips and long torso. You are also taller than most women, the average height being 5’2, and you? You’re towering a 5’6 with long legs. Yes pants that fit you perfectly are hard to find that is why you wear skirts.
…Back to stripping in front of your sensei…

As you pull off your shirt and throw it to the deck Kakashi begins to choke on something. You knew this would be a problem, the size of your bikini top covers an A to B cup. You tried your best to cover up your full D’s but they seem to just pop out the sides. Defeated, you just accepted it the way it is, mashed into the fabric covering only the places that matter.

You look up at Kakashi who is coughing and pounding on his chest.
“You gonna make it?” You ask mimicking his sarcasm earlier.

“Yup…cough…I’m good…” He sputters.

“You sure?…I’m hoping you won’t be so I can reschedule this terrifying escapade...” You reply and stare directly at him then drop your skirt to the floor. You watch every expression he has as he drags his eyes up and down the length of your body. Then he squeezes his eyes shut and looks away whispering something you can’t hear.
(Snicker)
Now that you are dressed for the occasion, you look at the blue liquid of death and your nerves start to get the best of you. You hug yourself, chewing on your lip trying to stop your mind from replaying past trauma.

Kakashi seems to notice your hesitation and throws some dumbass remark at you to stop your thoughts.
“Do you always buy bikinis too small?”

Your eyes flick up to him.
“Sensei…why on earth would I buy a bikini in the first place?! I can’t swim remember?! … I think your dementia is setting in. Maybe we should put this whole lesson on hold and get you to a hospital.”

He laughs hysterically at you.
“No way! You’re not getting out of this now. You are going to learn to swim today…However long it takes!” He points an authoritative finger at you. And for some reason that turns you on. The need to tease is growing stronger.

“Yes daddy.” You reply in the most seductive voice you can muster…and finally…finally! He gasps at you without a witty response in return.

He points to his left to a set of stairs made from slate rock that enters into the more shallow part of the spring.
“You. There. Now!” He snaps.

You salute him and march on over, not even planning to go in. You stand at the edge of the first step curling your toes over the rock while you contemplate on taking another step. Kakashi watches you patiently.
“Whenever you’re ready.” He says with care this time.

Deep breath…you step down into the water feeling the warmth of the spring water. It tickles your toes making you smile.

“See it’s not so bad.” He encourages.

You take another step dipping your legs into shin high water. Suddenly an image of you choking on under the water floods your mind. You pause at the step and shudder at the image. You look up towards the blue sky, away from the rippling pool below you in hopes to distract yourself from any more intrusive memories.

Subconsciously you begin to count. The same numbers you’ve counted before to calm yourself.
“One..two..three…four…”

Kakashi approaches you very concerned and all teasing, sarcasm, and flirting subsides. It was a serious time now…and you were struggling with it.

“It’s ok, Hana. I’m right here.”

You look down at him, arms open coaxing you in. The only thing pushing you forward is the thought of being close to his half clad body. God you are a sucker for him.

You breathe in a heavy breath and let it out as you make the next step. The water is above your knees now and another memory enters your thoughts. This time, a gruesome memory. One your mind had buried deep down before you had a chance to think upon it. Another face of death from a body floating by in the lake you were thrown back into…

Your hands begin to shake. Trying to force it out of your mind, you close your eyes tightly and whimper.

“Hana. It’s ok. Think of the warmth of the water, the smell of the forest around you. Listen to the breeze.” He says in a calm, cool voice.

You shake your head as another vision comes up.
“Sensei, I am having war veteran flashbacks. I don’t think I can do this…”

He tries his best to hold in his laughter at your analogy and moves in closer.
“Just go slow.” He says.

You nod.
“Ok.”

You lift your leg and take another step down into the abyss. Everything around you slows, the rushing sound of water is ringing in your ears and as the surface reaches just below your bikini bottoms hundreds of thoughts pour into your mind. It was as if the water had washed away the dirt you had piled on top of all those memories over the years. The ones you tried so hard to bury. Defeated by your own trauma the tears slip past your reluctant eyes.

“Hey, hey…Don’t cry.” He says. You feel his strong hands run up your thighs and over your hips stopping to grip your waist.

“Focus on me ok?”

Focus on him? Well you can do that, that is easy. You breathe out a shaky breath and swallow back your tears. Then you begin to think of your sensei. All of the things you like about him. There wasn’t any part of him you didn’t like. Even his trashy attitude was something you found well…adorable. He squeezes your waist trying to get your attention.

“You ok? Can you move forward?”

You take three deep breaths, the calming meditation kind, and you respond with a nod.

“Good.” He reaches out to grab your hands and places them carefully on his shoulders. You are almost at eye level with him just a half a foot taller.

“Step down. I have you.”

You swallow hard and do as he says, feeling more comfort holding onto him. You step down into the pool, the water coming up to your navel. He wraps strong muscular arms around you. You had no idea how big this man was compared to you until this moment.

“You’re so small.” He laughs mostly to himself and you laugh because you are both thinking similar thoughts.

He leads you back slowly entering deeper water. Your nerves begin to stir again.
“Stop…please stop.” You say in a panic. Standing on your tippy toes with your arms secured around his neck you pull him into you closer. He leans down, giving into your much needed embrace and stops his movements.

“Shhh, hey. Look, you’re waist deep and still alive.”

“Just don’t let me go ok? Not until the flashbacks go away” You plead.

“I won’t. Here…” He squats down a few inches and grabs your thighs lifting you out of the water. You instinctively wrap your legs around his waist and hoist yourself up. You nuzzle into his shoulder thanking him.

“It’s not over yet.” He says and lowers you both into the water. You are now chest deep sitting in his lap as he leads you back to the shallows. All you can do right now is trust that he will keep you afloat.

You close your eyes and sink into him brushing your fingers lazily through His hair. The feeling of his wet smooth hair entangled into your fingers seemed to distract you enough to calm yourself. This is the only time you have felt semi-safe in water. He shifts back until he reaches a level of water where he can sit with you in his lap.

“Hana?”

“Yeah.”

“Keep petting me and I may fall asleep.”

You giggle and sit up looking into his eyes.
“But you’re such a good pet.”

“I am no one’s pet, miss.”

“True…you are way too feral to domesticate.”

He smiles at you and presses his forehead to yours. The same way he had after your drowning incident. There was something unsettling in the air between you right now, and it has nothing to do with your swimming lesson. Kakashi was lost deep in thought again and you are curious to know what it is this time.

“You’re quiet…did you forget to turn the stove off?”

He leans his head back laughing hard.
“No, Hana. I didn’t forget to turn my stove off….”

“Are you sure? You know.. ten percent of house fires are caused by leaving the stove on…, we can go to your place right now and check… I don’t mind.” You reply trying to get out of this whole experience.

“Nice try….Are you settled now? I’m worried about explosions. Your stone is glowing a lot brighter than before.”

You lean back and look down at your chest. The stone isn’t as bright as he explained but definitely concerning.

“It’s not so bad right now, but we do need to be careful.”

He nods.
“So, don’t throw you in…” He states.

You scowl at him and flick his forehead.
“No dummy! That would definitely set the bomb off.”

He chuckles.
“Ok, I want you to sit beside me.”

But this is so much more comfortable for you.
“Is there something wrong with this position?”

He leans back slightly and looks you over.
“Well, I would like to get you on your back.” You notice he immediately cringes at his own words and you can’t help but tease him about it. You smile deviously and he glares back at you knowing exactly what you’re going to say.

“Wouldn’t that be more comfortable on a ….” And suddenly he covers your mouth with his hand, blocking you from finishing your sexually suggestive sentence.

He looks you dead in the eyes.
“Don’t even say it.” He warns.

You roll your eyes in acceptance and he releases your mouth.

“Now…Are you going to be a good girl from now on?”

You sigh and pout your bottom lip.
“Yes…but you know…I hear a good spanking can fix a lot of things…”

He shakes his head as his ears turn red.
“Hana I swear, I can’t take much more of this without crossing some dangerous lines. Now sit beside me. The water is shallow and you can’t drown in it. If you do, then I think we should let natural selection make its choice.”

You laugh and begin to wonder what those dangerous lines are and if they are the same as your fantasies. However asking him about it would push him over the edge. It’s best to avoid conflict in the situation you’re in right now.

“Fine, if you put it that way…”

You rise off him moving over to his left. Noticeably, he takes the opportunity to let his right hand drag the length of your entire left leg down to the toes. He plays it off like he is just making sure you’re ok. But you know that satisfying touch was just for him.

You sit side by side looking out into the deeper parts of the water.
“How’s that? Not so bad, hey?” He asks.

“This is… ok. It’s the first time I’ve been in water this deep without trying to dash to the shore.”

“You’re doing great. I am actually surprised you got in the water in the first place. I think you’re ready for some actual swimming.”

You chew your lip thinking about it.
“What does getting me on my back entail?”

“Ahhh…what I meant to say is I want to teach you how to float.”

“Ohhhh…that’s much better.” You nudge his shoulder. He nudges you back.

“I have a hard time with words around you.” He confesses.

“Really? I haven’t noticed. If anything, I think you are too good with your words.”

“Exactly.” He replies and stands. He reaches a hand out to you. “Come on. Let’s get started.”

You take his hand and he pulls you up. He grabs your other hand in his and leads you into deeper water stopping twice so you can calm your stones power.

Minutes later he has your waist in his hands again looking down at you.
“Alright, I want you to lean back onto my hand.” He places a hand in the middle of your back.
You raise your brows.
“Like a trust fall?”

“Exactly.”

You huff and try it out. Boy was this a whole new level of terrifying. It was the same feeling when you hit the lake water after falling off the rope.

As he eases you down your stone and emotions go wild. But instead of pulling you back up he lets you drop into the water then quickly brings his hands up for support so you don’t fall under. It was shocking, you had no time to react. All you could do was let it happen and it worked. Aside from your heart pounding into overload he had placed you in the perfect position to practice floating. All he has to do now is calm the energy building inside of you.

He lowers himself down to your level curving his arm to support your back and neck.
“Good girl.”

You can feel your legs begin to sink as you are unsure how to keep them afloat. He uses his other hand to support them then instructs you to take in a deep breath. You do and your chest rises creating more buoyancy. But how do you maintain it without support?

He pauses for you.
“Everything ok?”

You nod quickly and take in another breath.

“I’m going to let go now. I want you to hold that breath as long as you can and focus on keeping your chest at the surface.”

You breathe in deeply and hold it then feel his hands let go. You thought for sure you would go under, you thought for sure you would be coughing and sputtering up water. But instead, you quietly float at the water's surface.

“Yes! You got it! Just like that!” He praises getting you all over excited.

You release your breath and let your legs float down first. It seemed natural for your body to do that without too much thought. You stand in the waist deep water and smile wide.

Kakashi places a hand on the top of your head.
“That was exactly what you should do.”

You sweep the excess water off your forehead.
“Yeah…I still don’t like swimming.”

He chuckles.
“You’ll get used to it.”

Two hours later….

“Ok, on the count of three…one…two…three…”

You hold your breath, push any negative thoughts aside, and go under. Dropping low to the pool floor. Kakashi follows you down until you are both sitting cross legged floating just above the pool bottom but fully submerged. His eyes squint as he smiles proudly at you. He lifts his hands and you copy.

In your mind you think…

Rock, paper, scissors…

You close your hand into a fist and he sticks out his two fingers. You bump your fist onto his fingers and stick your tongue making it obvious you have won that round. He smiles and makes the motion again.

Rock, paper, scissors…

This time you choose scissors and he chooses….well…you’re not sure what it is exactly. He lifts one finger and floats it towards your chest. Your eyes follow it looking down and he suddenly boops you in the nose. Which has you snatching his hand and bursting out laughing, releasing all the air from your lungs. You kick off from the bottom of the pool and break the surface. Kakashi surfaces shortly after.

“What was that?” You ask.

“That was Rock Paper Scissors. I may have added in a reflex test. And you failed miserably.”

You purse your lips and squint your eyes.
“Try it again!”

You back up and open your arms then flick your hands motioning him to bring it.
“It doesn’t work that way. The element of surprise is key.” Begins to stroke his chin thinking out loud. “Now that I think about it, this probably wasn’t fair considering your sight disability.”

You growl at him and send a large splash of water barreling towards his face which he casually holds up one hand and stops using some kind of chakra energy.

“I’m not blind!”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I can definitely see you and all the sarcasm that pours out of your mouth.”

“It’s not sarcasm, it's truth. I am just an honest person.” He covers his heart as stoic as can be.

You roll your eyes. This is how every game has ended up between you two. Kakashi had some great ideas to get you under the water on your own and they worked well. First was a thumb war which he won every time due to the size of his hands compared to yours. His thumb was so big it could squash two of your fingers at once and with his quick reflexes you lost before you even started to wiggle your own.

After that was underwater charades. That was your favorite game, as you learned some new cuss signs from Kakashi with your hands and he learned how to play charades. You have also developed a handshake together, something only you two knew. That meant a lot to you for some strange reason. It was as if you shared something no one else does and it strengthens your connection.

Then he had an idea to play Rock Paper Scissors which he consistently incorporated jutsu signs and called it something ridiculous. He also won every time he did that. Until you pout at his gloating. Your puckered bottom lip seems to cause him a lot of trouble and almost always he gives into you everytime you show it.

Now you stand shoulder deep in the spring water watching each other. Waiting for the next fun game. But sadly that doesn’t happen. Instead Kakashi hears an odd buzz from his phone. He looks over to the clothes piled on the deck behind you and curses.

“What?” You ask.

He swims by you avoiding eye contact lost in his thoughts once again.

“Who is it?” You press as your curiosity gets the better of you. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to tell you but this is starting to become a problem.

He ignores you carrying on to the side of the pool.

“Kakashi, please answer me. This is the second time your phone has distracted you.”

His shoulders slump over as he searches his vest for his phone confirming he is actually listening to you.

“It’s nothing, Hana. Don’t worry about it..” He finally finds his phone and you watch him lean against the pool edge scrolling through messages. You see him chew the inside of cheek reading something lengthy and that was enough to draw you towards him.

He glances up at you as you approach and he quickly tucks his phone away out of your line of sight. This was definitely suspicious, it was obvious he was hiding something on that phone.

“Hey…” He scratches the back of his head looking down at the water. “I gotta go now. It’s been four hours and I had other plans I forgot about.”

You cross your arms.
“What other plans?”

“I can’t really say right now. But they were important.”

“More important than this?” You wave your hand at everything he can see.

He says nothing. And you can’t help but feel angry at him for brushing you off again.

“This is the second time you’ve done this…you can’t be this much of a flake.”

He bring his eyes back up to you and you notice a flash of sadness in them. “You’re right I’m not usually like this. I get a little carried away when I’m around you…” He smiles looking up at the sky reflecting on something. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

As nice as his words are right now they aren’t enough for you. You are still feeling cheated by his damn phone.
“So playtime is over?” You sigh sadly..

“Look, I’ll take you out to make up for it.”

“Yeah… you already said that….”

He scratches the back of his head again and looks down. His cheeks rose up at being caught repeating himself.
“I did, didn’t I?. Well then how about next weekend. Saturday night you and me. I would this weekend but I’m really busy.”

You can see excitement growing in his expression. But yours is still hesitant on trusting his terrible follow through.

“You’re away this weekend?”

“Yeah I have some more errands to run and unfortunately next week, I have a ton of paperwork to do. I haven’t touched anything on my desk since we were both there last. You can work on your book studies while I catch up.”

That was sort of satisfying to hear, that you’ll be spending an entire week sitting in his office with him. At least you’ll get to see him.
“Ok.”

“We can talk about dinner plans next week.” He smiles, although you are beginning to doubt that smile is honest.

“Alright.”

His phone beeps again pulling him away from you. He checks it quickly then tucks it back into his vest pocket.
“Let’s go. I’d like you out of the pool before me.”

You nod disappointed and head towards the stone stairs. Once you are out of the pool he climbs out and finds you both towels to use. He hands it over noticing your sulking.

“Thanks.” You say and wrap yourself in the towel.

He sighs and walks around behind you. Then wraps his thick arms around your waist and presses himself against your backside.
“Thank you for today, I had a great time. And I am so proud of you for getting this far. I know it wasn’t easy for you.”

You place your hands on his forearms and sink into his hold. It washes away any disappointment or resentment in just a few moments like this.

“And I’m proud of you for tolerating me and avoiding any explosions.” You reply and his chest rumbles with laughter.

“You’re the only one I want to tolerate these days. But I still have to live my life outside of Hana Hoki.”

Another answer that begins with everything you want to hear and ends with everything that makes you feel ashamed and selfish. But you aren’t going to end your wonderful day pouting over his phone. You turn towards him letting his grasp slide around your waist as you do. You bring your hands up to his cheeks and cup them then guide his head down to your level. You slowly press your lips to his cheek and forehead before letting him go.

“Thank you, Kakashi Hatake. You may have saved my life in the future.”

His cheeks flush a deep red and you walk away from him to gather your things leaving him speechless. You focus on getting dressed rather than his quiet shock behind you. You’re still disappointed.

He clears his throat and continues to dress.

Once you are both ready to leave he walks you to the front entrance then says goodbye and you reluctantly go your separate ways.

Hours later…

 

You had just finished dinner, Taco Tuesday, and are sitting on your roof this time playing your guitar. Beside you sits a bottle of Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc. You had chilled it to perfection and sip on it between songs. The moon is bright shining over the village buildings and a soft breeze is cooling the warm air.

You play the last few chords of your favorite song and let your voice fade into the night. Then a lovely smell floats through the air around you. The only smell that sets your heart on fire.

(What the hell is he doing here at this time of night?)

“Kakashi?”

You hear a small chuckle from behind you.
“Can’t sneak up on you can I?”

“Not when you smell that good.” You reply not even caring about complimenting him.

He hums at you thinking about something and comes around to your front to sit down.

“What are you doing here?”

He seems a little taken back by your question. But you are in no mood to play nice with him tonight.

Nervously he fiddles with something behind his back.
“Ummm…well I….” He breathes out heavily trying to find the words he had lost and if it weren’t for the darkness around you, you would see how flustered and nervous he is.

You put your guitar to the side balancing it on a flat portion of the roof and pick up your bottle of wine then take a swig. He watches you intently as you wipe the excess off your lips.

“I got you something.” He says finally and pulls a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. Your favorite flowers in fact. (How did he know?)

“I love daisies…they’re my favorite.” You reply and reach for them.

“Really? Well that was a good guess then.” He laughs at himself.

Your rigidness seems to float away in the breeze as you examine the perfection of each flower. They were the biggest daisies you have ever seen.

“Where did you get these? They’re beautiful.”

“I..well..umm…I went to a few shops…”

He can barely talk right now.( What is going on here?)

“Thank you.”

“You were pretty upset with me earlier. I wanted to make it up to you.”

You feel the warmth inside with a light fluttering of butterflies in your stomach. So he does actually care… you were beginning to think Kakashi didn’t care about your time together as it was so easy for him to cut you off with just a single message from someone else. You still wonder who it is that can pull him away from you. But you decide not to think about it right now and enjoy this lovely visit from your favorite person in the world.

You show him a warm smile and reply.
“You’re too good to me.”

He smiles back at you then shys away looking over the village.
“No, I’m not good enough. Don’t forget that.”

“I think you are.”

He scoffs at that. Things grow quiet as you watch him stare out into the night deep in those distant thoughts again. He does this so often you are beginning to notice the exact time when it happens and what it is associated with. It only happens when you two talk about real feelings and not backed with sarcasm or teasing. Yes…when things get real you lose him. That was a painful realization. It means through all of the flirting he still has a strong boundary. Which also means he hasn’t taken down the one he had set in the first place.

You are my student, let’s keep things simple…You repeat in your mind.

It was a student to teacher boundary and as long as you are his student nothing between you could happen.

“You’re quiet.” He says bringing you out of your own thoughts. “You leave the stove on?” A sly smile grows on him.

You giggle.
“No, I’m just thinking about things.” You rise to your feet scooping up your guitar along with your bottle of wine and the flowers, he follows. “Do you want to come inside and finish this bottle with me?”

He looks down at the bottle then back up at you.
“As much as I want to, I think we might get into trouble.”

There it is, that damn boundary slapping you in the face.
“You’re right.” You sigh as his comment deflated you completely. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Not tomorrow I have plans with Gai. But Thursday for sure. I want to teach you some jutsu.”

His last words spark a bit of excitement in you. Even though you don’t plan on using the jutsu, learning it will be fun. Especially with your sensei.

You stroll over to him letting go of all the disappointments of today and you lift yourself onto your tippy toes and kiss his cheek.
“I’m excited. Have a good day tomorrow. Don’t forget about me.”

“Like I could…” He whispers under his breath.
He salutes you with two fingers and turns towards the moonlit village.
“Sweet dreams, Hana.”

And you watch him leap into the night. Over each building too until he is out of sight.

Chapter 12: Boundaries

The next day you wake up to a text from Konohamaru.

Good morning, Hana. Think we could get together today for some fun?”

You lie in your bed thinking about what his fun entailes with him. Probably more makeout sessions. You sigh. But what if it isn’t? What if the guy just generally wants to hang out? And with Kakashi busy with Gai and still enforcing his boundaries you decide to take him up on the offer. Even though it won’t be as fun as when you’re with your sensei, it was time to get your mind off things and do something different.

You will have to be crafty with Konohamaru though. You don’t want to be stuck in another awkward lip locking session up on makeout hill.

Sure. What’s the plan?

Really? He replies.

Lol 😂 yes really.

Can it be a surprise?

You hesitate as your last surprise was awful. Better set your boundaries before you go out. Just like Kakashi said, “you need a plan.”

As long as it doesn’t involve any makeout hills….😜

😅 fair enough..how about some genuine fun then. There’s a market tonight, we could go check it out. Do some shopping and watch the street entertainers.

Now that sounds like fun, for real.
I’m there! What time?”

6pm? I’ll pick you up.

Great! See you then. Now you have something to look forward to.

Just as you finish your conversation with Konohamaru, you get a text from your sensei.

Wake up

You laugh.
Lol I am awake. Are you just getting up now?

Mmmaybe….🤪

You look at the time, 9am. Not a bad time to start the day.
A little early for you isn’t it?

It is…😭 But I’ve been up for hours. Had trouble sleeping last night.

…curious….

Ohh no. What happened?

It’s nothing to be worried about. Just a little tense lately. What are you doing today?

You’re reluctant to tell him as he might get upset again like last time. So you tell him a short summary leaving things out so he doesn’t worry about you today. He should have fun with his friend and not worry about all of the things he shouldn’t.

Not much. Just hanging out at home studying. I might go out to the market with some friends tonight. I would be devising a plan for that. Just like you said.

He responds right away.
Good girl. Stay out of trouble.

And what are you up to today?

Literal Gai time. Involving too many drinks, the river, a fishing rod, and some really bad jokes.

I’m jealous. Sounds like a good time. 😋

It will be fun. I gotta run though. Don’t forget about me. He says mimicking you from last night.

You smile at that and respond the same way he did.
Like I could.

😏 He sends you one last emoji and you throw your phone on lock.

 

Hours later…

You got some serious studying done on jutsu and how it is formed with chakra energy. The book you had found at the library was well worth the read. You could almost say you’re ready to try out jutsu. You will impress your sensei on Thursday with a wind release you have read about.

It is nearing time for Konohamaru to arrive. Tonight you have picked out a tight Jean stretch fit skirt, a coral colored cropped shirt, and ankle high boots. You have pulled your hair up into a high ponytail and put on more makeup than usual. You felt great. And as you come out of your bedroom your phone beeps at you. It is a message from Konohamaru telling you he is here.

You grab a small bag with your cards and cash and tuck your phone into it then swing it over your shoulder.

You whip open the door excited, smiling wide. And double take. Konohamaru stands dressed to the nines and smells pretty good. Nothing close to your sensei but it was definitely a pleasing smell. His hair is spiked perfectly and the clothes he is wearing are extremely trendy. Unlike Kakashi who wears only his uniform or comfort clothes. At least that is all you have seen on him.

“Hey! You look great tonight!” You say.

He blushes profusely at your comment.
“And you look as stunning as usual.”

You smile and lift your chin.
“Thank you.”

“Are you ready for some fun?” He asks and holds out his hand to you.

“Sure am!”

“Perfect! I hope you don’t mind, I have some friends who wanted to come along.” He looks back at your front gate and you peek around him to see two jonin leaned up against it talking casually to each other.

Now this is more like it. No more one on one incidents. You have three male jonin to tease all evening. You hope they can keep up with you.

“I don’t mind at all.”

He leads you down to meet his friends. These are jonin you haven’t met before or even seen around the village yet. Both jonin have fixated on you as you wander up to them smiling with excitement. Konohamaru places a hand on your lower back, something that men seem to do to show that they are pursuing the said female and not to interfere, and introduces you.

He waves his hand over to the first ninja on your left. “This is Shikamaru.” He sweeps his hand to the right. “And this is Udon.”

You smile sweetly.
“Hi there! Im Hana”

Each jonin bow their heads.

Shikamaru smiles handsomely at you.
“It is nice to meet you, Hana. Naruto has told me a lot about you and your special abilities. Maybe we can spar one day.”

That offer stirs some obvious jealousy in Konohamaru.

“She’s too busy learning chakra balance right now.” Konohamaru says bitterly.

Shikamaru shrugs it off.
“Maybe after.” He replies and winks at you.
And you respond with a typical answer. You’re not one to turn down a spar session.
“That sounds like fun. I accept the challenge.”

“Great, let’s exchange numbers later.”

You look at Konohamaru who is staring daggers at Shikamaru. And now you feel bad, so you grab his sleeve and pull him forward as you walk through your front gate.
“Let’s go boys! I heard there are some drool worthy food vendors at the market.”

“You bet there is! The best in the land.” Udon replies feeling better now that you are attached to him.

“There are some new shops set up to. They must be here to take advantage of the Gala on Saturday.” Udon says as he falls in-line beside you.

“Right! Sakura invited me to that yesterday.” You inform everyone.

And Konohamaru stops you there.
“Wait…you’re going?”

You laugh.
“Yes! Tsunade is letting me borrow a dress or something. I hear it’s really fancy.”

Konohamaru curses loudly.
“You can’t go!” He protests.

You cross your arms in defense.
“Why not?”
He begins to muddle up his words as he realizes he can’t tell you what to do.
“Well because…”

Shikamaru speaks up.
“She can go if she wants Kono. It’s not up to you.”

“But, there’s a lot of jonin there. A lot of them aren’t from here…and…who will keep an eye out for you?”

Well that was a very sweet thing to say.
You giggle at him, causing his cheeks and ears to turn red with embarrassment again.

“Are you kidding? If anyone tries to mess with me they will regret it. I’ll be ok. Don’t worry.”

Shikamaru strolls over to your side and sweeps an arm around your shoulders.
“I’ll be there too. I can watch out for you.”

Konohamaru glares at him. He’s got some real good friends here..not.

“Dammit…I leave on a mission tomorrow or I would be there.” Konohamaru says.

“So do I.” Udon agrees.

Konohamaru sighs heavily and continues walking, muttering under his breath.
You remove Shikamaru's arm off you.
“Hey…really, I’ll be ok. Don’t worry. I have friends going too. Sakura and the girls will be there.”

“Yeah…just stay away from the jonin from the land of iron. They are assholes.” He replies, which the other two jonin agree entirely.

“He’s right, those guys are bad. They’re privileged royal assholes who would be all over a girl like you.” Shikamaru says.

Konohamaru growls thinking about it.

“I’ll be fine, I mean if it gets out of control I can always blow up the place and head home early.” You snicker and some of the tension subsides.

“I heard about that.” Udon laughs. “You tore apart the dojo after taking on three jonin at one time, including Kakashi.”

“Yeah Naruto wasn’t happy about it.” Shikamaru states.

“Oh I know. He showed up at the hospital to tell me exactly how pissed he was.” You explain. “I am sorry for that.”

“It’s all good, the dojo is back to normal now. It’s not the first time someone has trashed it in combat.” Shikamaru says. “But is it true you took down Sasuke with one kick?”

You laugh nervously as you remember the fight. You don’t want to seem like you have some sort of ego.
“Ahhh…well..in all fairness, he was expecting a fight from someone who knows nothing about chakra or jutsu.”

Shikamaru argues.
“True, but underestimating an opponent is chunin level shit.”

You shrug as you don’t really have a counter for that. “I guess you’re right.”

Udon agrees with Shikamaru.
“He’s been a little off lately. Sakura has been testy, and I think she’s taking it out on him.”

You laugh at that.
“Girls get crazy at certain times of the month. You boys should know this by now.”

Each jonin chuckles to themselves.
“Yeah we definitely know that.” Konohamaru replies.

Shikamaru strides up ahead of you and turns to walk backwards with his hands in his pockets. He begins to ask you a questions very curious about who you are and where you are from.

“So where you from anyways?”

“The land of wind.”

He grins.
“Ohhhhhh….that explains it.”

“Explains what?”

Udon speaks for him. “Your more exotic looks and slight accent.” He replies while pushing on his glasses with one finger.

“I have an accent?”

Each jonin look at each other and laugh.

“Definitely. You say things a little more pronounced and with some finesse. It’s hot.” Shikamaru replies.

You shake your head. You had no idea you had this accent, no one has ever said anything before.
“I had no idea.”

“You must speak the language over there.” Udon says.

That was true. You speak several other languages in fact. Most of which was trained into you by Bloodclaw not from your hometown.

“Yes I speak a few languages.”

Udon seems intrigued by this.
“Can you say something in your native tongue then?”

“Sure. What should I say?”

Shikamaru smiles slyly.
“Something dirty.”

Konohamaru argues.
“Would you stop hitting on her already?”

Shikamaru glances at Konohamaru for a second.
“I’m not hitting on her, I’m having a little fun. There’s a difference.”

“You just said she was hot.”

“She is!” Shikamaru shrugs.

You interrupt their argument with words in your language. The scolding kind.
Fluently you speak and at the end of it esch jonin was quiet listening.

“That’s so hot.” Shikamaru says breaking the silence.

“Shut up!” Konohamaru protests.

Udon seems to like it too.
“I actually agree with Shikamaru, that was extremely hot.”

You smile at them all watching the hormones fly all around you. These guys are too easy. It’s going to be a fun evening of messing with them. It will give you some good practice for when you see your sensei again.

“Hey! Look! We’re almost there.” Konohamaru says changing the subject.

You look into the distance, down the wide paved street. Festive lights have been strung from every building and you can hear music playing the closer you get. There is a smell of fried foods, and freshly baked sweets floating around bringing back some good memories of the festivals you used to attend back home.

“Let’s hit the shops first!” Udon says and everyone agrees.

They guide you along the streets from vendor to vendor poking fun at each other all the way…

…Three hours later you and the boys are finishing up. You had bought a few new items from the shops and ate some great food. The music was fantastic. On almost every corner was someone performing. And when you are musical yourself you appreciate good quality performers over others.

Right now you are sitting on the steps of the market square located in the center with Konohamaru on your left and the Shikamaru on your right watching Udon shuffle around to the music.

He wasn’t a bad dancer and surprised everyone with his moves. You even got up to give it a try with him. The guys are a great bunch when they aren't bickering about you. And the jokes and banter are pouring from all of you thanks to yours truly.

Shikamaru sweeps his arm around your shoulders again.
“You’re one of the good ones, Hana.”
He says. By now Konohamaru has gotten used to his bold affection as it is mostly platonic and has little to no meaning behind it.

“You’re only as good as the people around you…” You reply which earns you a choking squeeze around your neck from him.

“Yup! And we’re awesome!” He says and removes his arm around you. “You guys wanna go to Hidden Leaf pub to get some drinks?”

You think about it, it does sound like fun. But it also sounds like trouble which reminds you of your sensei and his firm words to stay out of the trouble.

You stretch your arms out above your head and pretend to yawn.
“I got jutsu lesson tomorrow with sensei. If I am too tired he’ll harass me about it all day.” You explain.

“I would never harass you. I can teach you whatever you need to know.” Konohamaru replies.

“I know. But Kakashi is my sensei until he decides I’m too much of a problem and kicks me to the curb.”
You wrap and arm around him and hug him appreciatively then stand ready to head home.

Both boys follow you up and you give Shikamaru and Udon a warm filled hug still holding the conversation.

“I don’t think Kakashi would do that. He’s definitely got some sort of soft spot for you.” Shikamaru says.

You raise your brows.
“What makes you say that?”

Shikamaru laughs.
“He hasn’t shown up to a leadership meeting since he took you on. He’s almost always with you…come to think of it the last time we saw him was at lunch last week and he spent the entire time texting, which I assume can only be with you.”

Well doesn’t this information heat you up to an unruly temperature.
You try to laugh it off.
“Aha…I don’t know about that. I think he just doesn’t want me to blow up anything. He’s always worried about that.” You reply.

Which everyone laughs at.
“He’s pretty lucky to be your sensei.” Konohamaru says.

Things are getting a little too personal right now. So you decided to break off from the group and head home to think about what has just been said.
“I gotta run though. Thank you so much for this evening. Let’s do it again sometime.”

“I’ll message you later.” Konohamaru says still head over heels for you.

“Sure.”

“Me too!” Shikamaru says, smiling deviously. (…This guy is trouble)

You salute them all and head out homeward bound. It is a half hour walk to your home from here so you decide to check your messages now that you have the chance.

Your heart hopes that Kakashi has messaged you and sure enough there are several texts filling up the home screen on your phone.

You open the messages and read.

Look what I caught! I’ll bring it home for you to cook. 😬

The message is followed by a selfie of Kakashi holding eight saury fish hooked together on one line. It was then you noticed something strange in the background. A man, which you assume to be Gai, holding two fish behind Kakashi’s head making it look like he has fish for ears.

Every picture after that was something hilarious, including a video of Kakashi putting a live fish down Gai’s pants and him running around the river bank trying to get it out.

They must be wasted right now. You check the time. It’s 930pm, you wonder where they are. Maybe they had wandered over to bar or something on the way home. Or maybe they passed out on the side of the river. Who knows…you better send him a text back.

Are you alive?

He doesn’t respond right away like he usually does so you pocket your phone. You are getting closer to home and can’t wait to get into more comfortable clothes and snuggle up to watch a movie with your soft blanket. Once you’re settled you’ll give Kakashi a call.

Ten minutes later you open your front door and walk in kicking off your shoes. You shut the door and lock it then throw your keys on the hallway table as per usual. Your phone gets placed on the kitchen island in its regular spot and you head up stairs to change.

It was warm out tonight so something light to wear would be the better choice. You pull from your drawers a supportive tank top and loose boy cut shorts then some knee high socks for foot comfort. As you sit down on the bed to pull your socks on you hear a rustling on your balcony. Then something crashes into the sliding door window followed by very loud cursing. After that a tap against the sliding door.

You smile and laugh to yourself knowing exactly who it is. You pull up your socks and walk towards the sliding door then pull open the curtain halfway. Surprisingly you are greeted with not only the handsome face of Kakashi but his friend Gai too. Both holding up fish very drunk with deep grins on their faces.

Ohhhh….this will be good…you smile slyly and close the curtains then lock the door just to mess with them. Kakashi and Gai begin to plead through the door.

“Hana! We’re hungry! Let us in!”

(Snicker). You unlock the door then slide it open and are hit immediately with the smell of fish….puke.

You plug your nose.
“Oh my god you guys…”

Both men shove their way through the small sliding door and you back up keeping a good distance from the fish.

“We brought you dinner!” Kakashi says, stumbling through the door while holding up the fish proudly and hands you eight dead carcasses. You reluctantly take it and gag on the smell then walk it over to your dresser for now until you get these drunktards settled.

Gai stumbles through the door beaming up at you.
“Kash…she’s gorgeous!” He whispers loudly.

“I know.” Kakashi whispers back.

You were about to comment on that then you noticed their mud covered boots which are sloughing off onto your hardwood floors.

“Boots you two! And vests and well shit...I may have to hose your down outside… you two are filthy!”

Both men laugh and begin to drunkenly take off their boots. Which Kakashi is struggling with. He stumbles into your vanity knocking over some perfumes. He tries his best to pick them up but he just seems to make things worse. He settles on piling them all into the middle and shrugs at them….

Barely audible he apologizes. You roll your eyes finding this all so amusing…yes this is going to be great ammunition for tomorrow.

Laughing all the way you force them to sit down.
“Alright both you two sit on the bed before you break something.”

“Yes miss.” Gai says and zigzags over to the bed then slumps down onto it. “Ohhh Kakashi…” He calls to him and pats the bed then bites his lip in a sexual manner.

You burst out laughing.

Kakashi turns towards him, swaying slightly while looking him up and down.
“Don’t give me that look. I’ll need’nother bottle of sake b’fore any a that shit happens…” He replies and hiccups.

Gai laughs maniacly and tries to pull off his boots. He fails miserably and almost face plants on the floor. (This is just too funny.)

Kakashi stumbles towards the bed and slumps down beside Gai. With both boys sitting down you can now give them a hand. You stroll up to both grabbing their attention immediately.

Both men gape at you mouths open, waiting for their next order.
Gai nudges Kakashi and leans over to whisper loudly in his ear again.
“You think those are double D’s?”

You raise your brows to his unfiltered comment. Kakashi doesn’t reply. Instead he giggles, something you have yet to hear and it is painfully amusing.

You start with the loudest mouth in the room and kneel down before him, shutting him up completely. You see his thick fluffy brows knit together creating one unibrow that sits prominently on top of his small dark eyes. He wipes the black bowl cut bangs from his eyes as you get closer.

“Let’s get these boots off.” You say.

Kakashi is watching you intently as you do this and no one is saying a damn thing. You grab the laces to his boots and untie them then slide one off. You hear a sloshing sound inside and realize his boots are full of water.

You look up at him. This strange looking man whose face is so red it’s almost purple and ask.

“Did you lose a battle with a fish? Or did Kakashi push you in?”

He blinks at you twice then whales his head back laughing.

“He pushed me in first!” Kakashi complains.

“You put a fish down my pants!” Gai retorts.

“I saw that. That was hilarious.” You reply and Gai scowls at you although still holding his smile.

“There, your boots are off Gai. Can you take your vest off, I’ll dry it for you..”

You look up at Kakashi.
“Your turn.”

“Oh goodie.” He pretends to wiggle like a puppy as you kneel down before him and he doesn’t hesitate, in his drunken state, to comment on your position. “I like this position.” He says and smirks.

You glare up at him and turn the comment back on him.
“You do? I don’t find kneeling down as comfortable as you do I guess….”

“Ohhhh….she’s got a mouth on her.” Gai says.

Kakashi grins wildly.
“I hear knee pads help.”

You pause for a moment…and huff out a small chuckle.
“Can I borrow yours then?” You untie his boots and take them off more aggressively as you return his lewd remarks.

“Actually I get mine from him.” Kakashi replies and nudges Gai.

“Hey don’t bring me into this! My knee pads aren’t for borrowing!”

You laugh and stand making sure to hold Kakashi’s gaze the entire way up. He watches you with a devilish grin. You can see his mind racing with deeper thoughts.

“Vests please.”

Both men scramble to take their vests off and hand them over. You take them noticing the damp smell of river water and hang them over your one arm so you can grab the fish with the other. You pick up the fish and approach your bedroom door then notice no one is following you. They’re too drunk to do anything without you telling them to.

You sigh, turn towards them and call them.
“Come here boys! Come on!” You whistle and pat your thigh with on hand.

Both men laugh hysterically.
“Can we keep her?” Gai asks.

“Oh she’s already bought and paid for.” Kakashi replies with another remark that needs to be justified.

“Right…I’m so expensive, Kakashi is forced to forage the land just to feed himself.” You wiggle the fish infront of them.

Gai is in stitches over your banter. Kakashi has definitely brought his A game this evening. You knew he was sharp when he is drunk but damn, he is over the top tonight.

“I want you both sitting on the sofa downstairs until I get these vests into the dryer.” You point to the open door for them to head downstairs.

“Yes ma’am.” Gai says and bows to you then heads down the stairs but not without skipping a few.

Kakashi walks by and ruffles your hair right out of its ponytail. You scowl at him through the strands dangling in your face and he snickers loudly then stumbles down the stairs after Gai.

Fish in one hand, dirty clothes in the other, and hair covering your vision you curse loudly, whip your hair from your face and head down to your living room after them. You can hear them talking amongst themselves about you.

“You didn’t say she was that hot. What the hell Kakashi. How do you hold it together?”

“Ha! You kiddin? I’m a mess all the time…” Their voices trail off as you part ways. You are full off butterflies as you walk down the hallway to the laundry room listening. But as much as you want to think about all of the lovely things you have just heard, you need to get rid of the vests and fish in your hands. You throw their vests into the dryer with a lint sheet and turn it on then hastily make your way back to the kitchen.

You walk around your kitchen island and slap the saury onto the counter and look up at the boys. Your kitchen and living room are connected in an open concept making it easy to converse while youre cooking. Both boys are telling stories at the same time talking over each other. Which gives you time to whip something up for them. You start up your oven placing it on broil and do what you usually do with the fish. On the side you make jasmine rice and some freshly cut vegetables. It wasn't an elaborate meal but it is enough for these intoxicated dummies.

With everything cooking you pour yourself some wine from the box in the fridge and take a seat on the coffee table right beside Kakashi’s propped up feet. Their eyes never leave you as you enter their space.

“Can you play a song for us?” Kakashi asks.

He picks up your guitar resting beside the sofa he sits on and hands it over to you. You can’t help but feel a bit nervous to play in front of them. It is far easier to play by yourself than with an audience. You take a deep breath in and grab the guitar.

“Ok, but I’m not very good. No laughing.”

Kakashi shakes his head.
“You are very good. Don’t kid yourself.”

“Ok shhh…” You reply flustered and begin to play. You choose a song from their era. Something they would know, leaning more on the alternative rock genre. And they pick up on it immediately and Gai goes nuts. He had a huge character to him. A man with a boisterous personality and absolutely no filter whatsoever. It was an interesting contrast to Kakashi, as he is a very calm and cool person. Only in certain circumstances with you does he ever get worked up. These two were meant for eachother.

As your song ended they begged for you to play more, even chanting encore out loud until you gave in. You play into the night, eating and drinking. It wasn’t until two in the morning when they began to settle down. It started with Gai lying down on the couch after dancing too hard. Before you knew it he was passed out snoring logs.

That left just you and Kakashi who were teasing each other back and forth in the kitchen. You sit on your island counter with Kakashi leaning beside you telling you a story about how he had met Gai. He sure is talkative when he has had a few…

“He’s a strange one…but really nice.” You reply.

“Yeah he is.”

With the conversation fading you start to feel tired yourself. It has been a long day for you and it’s time to get some sleep. You stretch your arms above your head making the motion and yawn, running your hands through your hair.

“Sleepy?”

“Mmhmm…”

“I’m getting there too…I’ll be feelin the sake t’morrow.” He looks over to Gai who has passed out cold.

It would be a challenge for them to try and get home considering how drunk they are. Luckily you have a spare room for Kakashi to sleep in. You place your hand on his which is resting on the counter beside you.
“Hey…Why don’t you two stay over. I’ll make you breakfast in the morning.”

He considers your offer for a moment. Then removes his hand from under yours “Not s’pposed to…you’re my student.” He says.

(That is not what you meant…)
“I know… I have a spare room you can stay in.” You reply.

He sighs at you hesitantly. Then he does something unexpected. He draws his eyes over your body and moves in front of you, placing his hands on your thighs. Those hands send a chill of desire through you making you quiver in front of him. He seems to notice how sensitive you are to him and moves his body in between your legs pushing them wide open to fit himself.

His hands move, gliding up the sides of your legs, you can’t help but feel a tingling warmth growing in your belly. Even though this was a familiar position for you both, this time you could feel the whirlwind of emotions behind it. His hands continue to explore you, making their way up under your short shorts and around to your ass resting his thumbs in the crease of your thigh and hips. He squeezes you hard. You let a small whimper out at not only the sexual stimulation building but the powerful grip of his massive hands. He hums at you and whispers.
“Not s’posed to do this.” Almost like he was talking to himself. He isn’t all there, you could tell as his pupils float about his eyes lost in his own gratification. His drunken state was taking over his mind and all reasoning. You doubt he even heard you when you offered your spare room to him.

And your tipsy brain decides to push things too far. You wrap your arms around his neck and whisper.
“I won’t tell.”

His eyes flick up to you as if he just realized you are here in the room with him and not just a body he can touch.

You see him swallow. He leans down passing your lips and presses three fabric covered kisses on your neck. You instinctively place your hand on the back of his head holding him in place praying he doesn’t stop. You shudder underneath him. A small moan escapes you, and he hums into your skin squeezing your ass again setting the heat between your legs ablaze.

Then a loud sleepy mumble from Gai startles you both and Kakashi quickly slips away. He leans back against the kitchen island again and runs a frustrated hand through his hair. You hadn’t noticed how heavy your breath is and how sopping wet your panties are until just now. You close your legs shifting uncomfortably.

“I gotta sleep. Thanks for lettin us stay.” He says, looking over at you with obvious strain.

“Of course.” You reply sadly and look down at the checkered tile of your floor. This was painful. The more time spent with him the harder it is not to throw those boundaries out the window and just fucking kiss him already.

“Good night.” You say obeying the rules.

“Sweet dreams, Hana.”

You listen to him trudge up the stairs and open the door to the spare room. He doesn’t shut it but you can hear his body thump onto the bed. And you smile at the level of intoxication he is at. But it quickly fades as you replay how he touched you in your mind. You would give almost anything to have him. What started out as a teacher and student relationship is now a forbidden mess of attraction and desire. You want him so badly it hurts.

Another snore from Gai interrupts your thoughts and you decide it’s time to head to your room. Hopefully kakashi is still in for a jutsu lesson when you wake up…

Chapter 13: Cherry Blossoms

Morning came quickly. You were up and about at 9am. Sleep was not in your favor last night, not after how turned on you were after Kakashi touched you the way he did. (…sigh) You carry on with your regular morning routine and wait for the boys to wake up. And what better way to wake up than with the smell of freshly baked bread and a miso eggplant stir fry.

The smell was so good Gai sat straight up on the couch sniffed the air and asked what is for breakfast. You giggled and described the delicious meal. He sprung from the couch and came around to the kitchen to check it out.

He comes in close behind you and sniffs again.
“Kakashi told me you have been cooking his meals for him. You think you could make some extra for me sometimes?”

You laugh.
“Of course Gai. It would be rude if I didn’t.”

“You’re a sweetheart…think I could have a shower?”

You turn towards him.
“Of course! Please do! You still smell like the bottom of a pond.”

He laughs loudly at you.
“Oh yes, we are keeping you.” He replies and pats your head.

You smile wide and show him to the bathroom. Once he is settled, you decide to wake up Kakashi while the stirfry simmers.

You creep into the spare bedroom and see Kakashi sprawled out on the bed wearing just his boxers, mask and headband. (Drool)

Taking quiet steps so as not to startle the ninja you approach the bedside and sit down carefully next to him. He doesn’t seem to notice your movements. He lays on his back with one arm tucked behind his head and the other resting over his stomach. He looks so handsome in the morning light. You lift your hand, your heart starting to pump faster, and drag delicate fingers starting from the top of his chest down to his rippling abs. Taking notes on every bump and curve they bear. He hums sweetly rousing from his sleep.

“Good morning, sensei.” You say with melody to your voice.

He flutters his eyes open to look at you, still not all that coherent as he whispers something he shouldn’t.
“So beautiful...” He says in a daze.

Wracking your brain at his compliment, you stare at him in shock. This is the first direct compliment he has said aside from pretty eyes to which you had forced him to say. It was obvious he wasn’t all with it, for once he fully opened his eyes and really looked at you he realized his mistake. His eyes widen and he abruptly sits up looking around the room. He begins to panic.

“Shit…!What happened?! Did we?!”

You know exactly what he is thinking and it kills your self esteem in seconds.
“No... You’re safe, don't worry. We didn’t have sex or anything if that’s what you mean…” You reply shamefully.

He huffs out a breath and collapses back into the bed. You tear your eyes away from him feeling stupid all of a sudden.

“Breakfast will be ready soon.” You say with a bitterness you can’t hold back and lean forward to get up but Kakashi quickly grabs your hand before you do.

“I didn’t mean it to sound like that!.” He says with a fearful expression.

“Yes you did.” You reply and rise to your feet, swallowing your pain. You stop at the door while he curses himself.

“Gai is just finishing up his shower. You are more than welcome to have one too.” You plaster a fake smile onto your face and head down stairs.

You can hear Kakashi whispering under his breath as you walk down the steps to the kitchen.

——————————————

Breakfast was served and both boys devoured everything as if it was their first meal despite their gruesome hangovers. Luckily you had a cure for that too. Something you have learned from traveling to so many places. It was the perfect mixture of fruits and vegetables combined with a super secret concoction of herbs that stabilizes your electrolytes and brings balance in your body.

They had chugged down two full glasses of it and felt ten times better.

Now, you sit at the table enjoying a cup of coffee listening to the two talk about their fishing escapade. You noticed Kakashi glancing at you far more than before. And sometimes you would catch him just plain staring. It was enough for Gai to notice. He would look between the two of you in those instances as if he was trying to figure out what was going on.
You played it all off like nothing was amiss, like Kakashi hadn’t taken a stab at your ego upstairs in the spare room. Like he hadn’t heavily reminded you of your boundaries at two in the morning.
(Just smile it will be ok..) you repeat in your head.

“Are we practicing jutsu today?” Gai asks.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t miss it.” Kakashi replies.

Gai turns to you.
“Are you ready to blow us away?”

“No pressure huh? Will you be there too?” You smirk.

Gai glances at Kakashi.
“Yeah Kash asked me to come help out. He said something about explosions.”

“I don’t mind at all. But you should both head home and change first. I have to return some books at the library. Maybe we can meet tonight?”

“I can make that work.” Gai says.

“I’ll be there.” Kakashi says. “Meet us at the field I took you to before, at eight.”

“Deal.”
You stand and gather up the dishes. But Kakashi stops you.

“We will clean this up. You just relax.”

You sit back down sipping on your coffee and watch the boys gather the dishes off the table. They work the kitchen as if they were married. Even tossing plates to each other and picking up where the other has left off. The kitchen and dining table was sparkling clean in minutes.

“We should head out now.” Kakashi says turning to you, as Gai finishes drying the dishes.

“Right. I’ll go get your vests.” You spring to your feet and make your way down the hall to the laundry room with Kakashi following behind. Gai hangs back finishing up. You both walk into the room and immediately Kakashi grabs onto you. He holds your waist in both hands and pushes you up against the dryer.

“Are you ok?” He asks with deep concern.

Your brows furrow.
“Yes. Why?”

He shakes his head.
“Did something happen last night?”

You look away from him, feeling guilt over what did happen as minuscule as it was. It was obvious he couldn’t remember. So you lie to him again feeling it deep down in your heart this time.
“No, nothing happened. It is very obvious you don’t want it to.”

He seems taken back by that last bit of honesty. His eyes try to find yours but you still look away, unable to face him. That is until he forces you to. He lifts your chin gently and your eyes meet his. You feel a tightness in your chest and your eyes begin to water. He stays like this for quite some time studying you before saying something.
“You have no idea what I want.” He replies then releases you. “Thank you for taking care of us drunk old men.” He says.

You clear your throat trying to gain back your composure and tease him habitually. Even though all you want to do is cry.
“Of course! I now have a plethora of black mail material.”

He laughs.
“See you tonight, Hana.”

You hand over their vests and head out to your front door to see them off. Gai gives you a crushing hug asking if you have a twin he could purchase and pouts when you tell him you don’t.

And Kakashi says goodbye with your secret handshake and a wink. You watch them leave, arguing about something the entire way feeling even worse than before. But you can’t let this ruin what you have with Kakashi. It will always be hard wanting something you can’t have, it is just the way it is. So you plaster a smile on your face and repeat in your mind that there is no other place you would rather be.

——————————————————

7pm, you are getting ready for your late night jutsu session with the banter boys and couldn’t be more excited. You made sure to read over your jutsu book before returning it to the library and even got to practice drawing chakra after lunch. You were ready to blow them away…(not literally).

The jutsu you had decided on is a wind release. This particular jutsu stuck out to you mostly because it combined cherry blossoms with it. Apparently this is hard, but with your affinity it seems to come naturally to you. After lunch you had to try it out. You drew chakra in just like you did while climbing trees but instead of pooling it into your feet, you pooled it into your hands. Almost immediately the chakra explodes into white wisps in your hands with tiny fluttering petals. The only downside to this practice was your location selection. (Your living room). That was a bad idea as the wind energy blew all sorts of things around your house. You had spent the rest of the day cleaning up the mess until it was time to get ready to go.

And now you walk the dark streets of the village to the front gates and beyond to the beautiful field Kakashi had first taken you too. Your attire for tonight? A traditional hanfu, white in color with red trim and silver embroidery. Most would think this is too formal. But while training with Bloodclaw, it was a must when practicing with the stone's power and jutsu was very similar. It just felt right. You hope sensei won’t be bothering you too much about it.

As you walk through the gates you get a whiff of that smooth cool scent of your sensei. He is here. You can’t see him right now but you know he is around. You smile to yourself and carry on towards the field in the distance.

The moon was bright and full tonight, tinting the landscape with blue hues. Flecks of shimmering silver glisten off the longer strands of grass and that same easy breeze floats through the air just like before. The energy was so uplifting here and beautiful you had to take your shoes off just to feel the earth beneath your feet. You hold your shoes in one hand and drag your fingertips with the other hand over the blades of grass. They tickle your senses giving you tiny pricks of energy as you brush along them. Humming all the way, you stop at the very place you and Kakashi had lunch and sit down.

You pull from your hanfu pocket a small bag of treats you had brought for both boys and set it down beside you then look out over the field.

Suddenly you feel a short tug on your hair to your right. You quickly turn to see what it is and that lovely smell enters your senses again. But there is nothing behind you. Another tug on your hair this time from your left. You whip around again to see only grass and the mountains in the distance.

“Sensei!” You call for him…silence. (He’s toying with you)

You pull your braided hair to one side hanging onto it to keep his hands from tugging at it. Then the ribbons to the back of your hanfu suddenly release and the top half nearly falls off. You gasp and quickly hold onto the fabric falling loose from your shoulders and breasts. You are not wearing a bra under this.

“Kakashi Hatake! Quit trying to undress me!”

A loud chuckle echoes around you and you catch wind of a shadow flashing by. Just as your peripheral loses the shadow there is another tug at the elastic holding your braid and it snaps off. Your hair falls loose spilling over your shoulders breezing in the wind.

“If I catch you, you’re going to regret it!” You threaten and sit up on your knees scanning the field. Another flash of a shadow whips by to your left followed by a tug on your silk waistband keeping the rest of the hanfu on. Your entire ensemble falls open and you squeak, scrambling to keep it all together while covering up your breasts. At this point you can only pray Gai doesn’t show up to see this.

Your hanfu has fallen open and the only part still left clung to your body is the front which your arms have clutched covering up your indecency.

“You’re in big trouble, Kakashi!”

Another rumble of laughter can be heard from behind you and suddenly in a puff of white smoke he appears in front of you. The smoke fades away revealing his deep beautiful eyes. He is crouched down in front of you resting his chin on his palm getting his fill of your indecent exposure.

You stare daggers at him and he smirks back at you.
“Bad boy!” You scold.

He chuckles again.
“You need to be much faster than that, Hana.”

You scowl, he has no idea how fast you can be when you use your stones’ power. He is just lucky you haven’t tapped into it.

Challenging him, you huff and stand up straight letting the hanfu fall off parts of your body naturally. Kakashi’s expression turns serious as he watches the fabric slip down one side of your hip and sweep open in the breeze revealing your red silk panties. And in two seconds you have charged your stone and disappeared whipping up the air in front of him.

He springs to his feet searching for you. In the time lapse you had created with the stones power you managed to tie up your hanfu again. You circle him just as he had done and watch him scramble to locate you. But you are too quick for him, even with his experienced eyes. In the meantime you bounce around him poking at certain parts of his body.

You tug on the back of his vest and he spins on his heel reaching out to grab you. But misses terribly. You laugh and spin around to his front. It was then you noticed his orange paperback peaking out from the front of his vest. (Snicker) You power up again even faster and snatch it from his vest then spin to his back and lean up against him letting go of your stones energy.

Nonchalantly you rest against him and begin to read out loud.
“It was a pleasure to see her flowing, sun lit-blonde hair. Her enticing, constellation-blue eyes gazed at me over her puffy, heart shaped lips. Her lips looked as if they tasted like strawberries, sweeter than a cup of sugar…”

You can hear Kakashi gasp as you read on. He pats himself down searching for his book then disappears in a puff of smoke and reappears looking down at you with disapproval.

“That is a private book! Hana!”

You ignore him and read on.

“Breasts the size of…”
“Oh my! kakashi.”
You cover your mouth at the next paragraph trying to hold in your laughter.

“Hey! That’s enough!” He says utterly embarrassed and tries to snatch it from you to which you spin underneath his grasp around to his backside again. You continue to read out loud.

“And thighs that could crush a man’s heart with just one squeeze…”

You squeal at this book and how sexual it is. You knew it was lewdy but not to this extent…

“I think it’s turning me on! It’s no wonder you read this so much…Can I borrow this for tonight?” You snicker.

He growls at you and reaches for it again but you hold it behind your back, so he attempts snatches your body instead. But you are still too quick for him and duck under his grab then spin to his right still holding the book.

“Give it here!” He reaches his hand out with a firm expression. “Please.”

You shake your head and giggle. To toy with him further you pretend to give it back and just as it touches his fingertips you reef it back into your grasp.

“Grrr…Hana! Come on!”

You shake your head again and stuff it down the front of your hanfu. With your size of breasts it is now lost in the pillowy softness of your cleavage. His eyes grow wide watching you place it there.

You clasp your hands around your back and taunt him further by pushing your breasts out and wiggling them.
“Come and get it.”

“That’s not fair!.” He scowls.

Then a loud voice interrupts you two.
“Hello my friends! The party has just arrived.” Gai appears beside you both, hands on his hips with a toothy grin. And in shock you stare at his outfit. For he too is wearing a hanfu for some strange reason, in a bright green color.

You burst out laughing at him.

Kakashi doesn't hesitate to comment.
“What did you two call each other beforehand?”

Gai looks you up and down and laughs loudly.
“Aha! It would seem you came dressed for the occasion, Hana. And Kakashi has not.” He turns to Kakashi. “What were you thinking?”

“You won’t get me in a dress.” He says.

Gai laughs wholeheartedly.
“A hanfu is a traditional style of clothing! It is not a dress! Don’t worry Hana, he’s just jealous.”

Kakshi scoffs. “It is a dress!”

You pipe up, siding with Gai.
“Oh he is soooo jealous. Hmmm if this were a contest of who can wear a dress better Gai would definitely be the winner.”

Gai smiles proudly and does a twirl. “I know I can look good in anything.”

(Kakashi sighs.)

“Alright, give me my book back and we can start our lesson... Now that everyone is here.”

“What book?” Gai asks.

“Kakashi’s sexy book.” You reply.

Gai is beyond curious now.
“What sexy book? You have a sexy book?”

Kakashi runs a frustrated hand through his hair.
“It’s not a sexy book, it's an Icha Icha book.”

“Mmhmm! Full of dirty sexy scenes.” You confirm.

A very frustrated Kakashi growls and storms towards you. You stand your ground ready for whatever he is going to do. So you thought, in two seconds he has you over his shoulder upside down shaking you until the book falls out of your top. Once it hits the ground he promptly sets you down and picks it up tucking it away out of sight.

“Ohhh that book. Yeah I’ve already read that one.” Gai says brushing it off.

Kakashi curses under his breath and straightens his vest.
“Alright, Hana. I want to see what you can do. I know you’ve been studying your jutsu book. Have you made any progress on your own?” Kakashi says getting to the point of this meeting.

“Sure have! I’ve tried a wind release already.” You smile proudly.

Kakashi hums.
“You’ve tried it?”

You nod and smile wide, lifting your chin.
“Yup! Tore apart my living room in the process.”

Gai chuckles.
“Wind release isn’t easy.”

“Although I am happy you have tried it out, I would rather you practice jutsu in my presence. Just in case your stone gets the better of you.” Kakashi replies.

That seemed fair. You did feel a slight pain in your chest after using the jutsu. Which means you’re still not able to separate the two energies and you still don’t have proper chakra balance.
“Alright sensei. “

He waves his hand to you.
“Let’s see it.”

You salute your sensei and back up into the field drawing chakra energy along the way. Immediately the energy began to pool into your chest just like you have taught yourself. You press your hands together in prayer and close your eyes concentrating on pushing the energy into your palms. But something was different this time around. The energy here was far less controlled and felt almost wild inside you. You carry on, doing as you have done before and begin the hand signs.

Half way through you feel a slight pain in your chest. You push through not wanting to disappoint your sensei. You were so excited to show him it would be very sad to stop here.

After the last hand sign was made and you poured the energy into your hands and opened them to the sky. You look up and notice a strange looking storm has gathered above you. The wind has picked up whipping around you while cherry blossoms colored in a blood red spill from your hands. Something was wrong, you could tell right away from the odd color of petals. This was far beyond what you had done in your home. The only explanation is that this valley must hold a stronger source of energy.

Suddenly lighting strikes above touching down on the ground setting a part of the field on fire behind you. Then chaos erupts in your chest, your stone begins to glow a bright blue and your body loses control. The cherry blossoms whip around you and turn on themselves attacking you. Petals slice through your skin like tiny knives drawing blood on all parts of your body. You fall to your knees through the pain and cry out. They prick and pierce every part of flesh they can. And you feel it, your stone defending your body as your jutsu attacks it. They battle each other in a storm of wind, lightning, and petals clashing with each other in a hurricane of power. It was completely out of your control and you had no idea how to stop it. All you can do is scream out in pain through it all.

Then a sudden shock wave of violet electricity scatters around you decimating every petal piercing your skin and the chaos falls silent. You sit shaking, covered in gashes and blood. You look down at your cut up body and see that your hanfu is torn to shreds. You cover up yourself as best you can, wincing at the pain.

In a panic your sensei and Gai rush to your side. You can hear them talking, but only in muffled voices as the stones power rings in your ears. Your body is completely torn apart from the outside and inside it is aching, your heart is beating so hard you can barely breathe. You have a pounding headache and your palms feel as if you set them on fire. You stare at the charred grass around you trying to remember how that happened. You didn’t see any fire, maybe it was the electrical shock? What the hell happened? Where did you go wrong? Why is it you are so prone to inflicting pain?

In your bewildered state you feel yourself being lifted into strong arms. You can’t tell which of them is holding you as your vision is starting to blur far worse than before. All you can do is rest your head against the shoulder you can feel and let go of trying to stay conscious through this. You are exhausted and in so much pain your body is shutting down.

Then that familiar darkness takes over your vision and you fall asleep. Once again you have fucked things up…

Chapter 14: Chi No Neko

“Oh my god what happened?!” A familiar female voice asks in a panic.

“She lost control over her jutsu. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It was like it attacked her.” Another male voice says.

A loud voice interrupts both of them.
“Something is very wrong. I don’t like this at all. We need to stop the bleeding…!.”

“Let me check her vitals. She is covered in blood! Do you have something to wash her with?” She rustles against your side. You can feel small jerks of movement against your body as she does. It wakes you just enough so you can hear, although there is still a ringing in your ears. And you do as you always do to wake yourself up after losing control.

Open your eyes…

You can’t…

Wiggle your toes….

You can’t…

Move….

….you can’t…

A painful realization that you can no longer move. You are completely paralyzed and although your mind is conscious nothing else works. It was then the pain began to wrack the only senses left functioning. You feel everything but your body can’t move. Internally you scream through it breathing heavily praying for it to subside.

“Her vitals are through the roof!” The female voice says.

A hazey light peers into your eyes through the darkness then quickly disappears.

“She’s awake!” She says, astonished. “I need to get something in her for pain and a sedative.”

A smooth male voice stops her.
“No sedatives. Just deal with her pain.”

“But the sedatives will calm her.” She argues.

“No sedatives! I want her mind here, not skimming through past trauma. It’s too risky as she has been through…too much.” He replies.

“Hana! Can you hear us? Come back to us.” The stronger male voice says.

“Why didn’t you bring her to the hospital?” She scolds and brushes something across your wrist. You feel every sensation of it, a slight poke into the skin and your vein filling.

“There was no time. I needed to stop the bleeding.” The smooth male voice says.

“Well…you did a pretty good job.” She replies.

“Can you heal her?”

“I…well I have no idea. This is not anything I am familiar with. This may be something Hana has to do on her own. If you want I can have her moved to the hospital in the ICU for closer observation. But I don’t recommend it until she is fully conscious. Her body is in a bad state and it could cause nerve damage.”

You listen to their words trying to register what is happening and who is with you. It is difficult to comprehend through all the pain you are feeling. As you listen, you feel that the poke in your wrist has pushed a fluid up your arm and into your bloodstream. It numbs you, giving you the extreme relief you were begging for. You feel your muscles relax and stop ceasing. Your heart slows to a natural pace, and your stone begins to calm. Once it calms completely it will start work on the healing process for you.
The stone has a natural ability to heal, making you almost immortal to any wounds caused to your body. You can heal from anything within a day or two give or take.

The female sighs.
“I’ll get her cleaned up and into something proper. Who’s shirt is this?”

“It’s mine.” The smooth voice says. “I’ll move her into bed when you’re finished.”

You hear the shuffling of feet and assume the two men are leaving you alone with the woman.

“Oh, Hana. I’m so sorry.” She whispers and pets your head.

You thank her in your mind and slowly drift back to sleep.

 

The next day….

Warm rays of sunlight spill through gaps of faux wood blinds. You smile in comfort as it reminds you of waking up to summer's bright mornings.

A lovely smell, something cool and spiced saturates the air around you. You breathe it in, letting it stir your senses.

Hmmm….nice…..

You hum out loud and curl your arms around the plush soft pillow you’ve nestled into. As you drift back into your deep sleep something falls against your hip. It stays there not moving for sometime, long enough for you to push the awareness aside and slip deeper into your dreams. But the pressure against your hip moves, it glides over your hip, up into the deep curve of your waist, and over the side of your neck stopping to tickle your jawline. You stir at the feeling clutching onto your pillow not wanting to wake up just yet.

“Wake up, Hana.” His smooth voice calls to you.

You shake your head, burying your face into the pillow.
“Too comfy…” You reply in a sleepy voice that is muffled by the puffy cotton.

He chuckles. The tickle leaves your neck and moves up into your hair. You feel fingers tangling themselves in it, smoothing the strands and you purr appreciatively.

“Mmmmm…”

He laughs.
“Just like a kitten….”

You smile into the pillow and begin to roll your tongue, mimicking the actual purr a kitten makes. By now you have named the voice. He is unmistakable. If not his intoxicating smell, it would definitely be his voice that gives him away. His fingers leave you and you turn onto your back to look up at him.

Slowly you open your eyes to his. With a smile you can feel he looks down at you happily.

“Meow.” You say softly.

He laughs again, this time much louder and presses his forehead against yours.

“Hi sensei.” You whisper.

“Hi, Hana.” He whispers back.

“I knocked myself out again…”

He sighs.
“You sure did.”

“You’d think I’d knock some sense into myself, but I feel like I just get dumber every time…”

He rises up off you
“No, you’re just too smart for your own good.”

“I don’t know about that…” you reply and scan the room around you. It was then you realized you are not in the hospital, you are not in your room, you are not anywhere you recognize. You bring your eyes back to Kakashi who is still gazing at you.

“Where am I?”

Kakashi scratches the back of his head, cheeks flushing beautifully.
“Ahhh….This would be my room…”

You raise your brows.

He tries to explain.
“No, it’s not like that… It was the closest place to go…. You were losing a lot of… blood. I had to do something quick.”

And the playful tone of the room vanishes at the word blood. Suddenly you are hit with flashbacks of what had happened. They pierce your mind with painful visions, so painful your brain feels as if it were going to explode. You hold your head in both hands trying to push the visions away.

“Hey, hey…calm down. It’s ok. You’re ok.” He soothes, placing those heavy hands on your waist just below your chest. He sweeps his thumbs back and forth coaxing you into a calmer state.

“Kakashi.” You say his actual name this time. “What happened?”

“We’re still trying to figure that out. But I think the Gelel stone and your jutsu saw each other as a threat. They attacked each other.” He replies.

“See! Just plain dumb! What the hell was I thinking trying a jutsu like that?”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You made some mistakes. But if you didn’t have that bomb inside you, it would have been successful.”

You curse yourself for being so reckless.
“What were the mistakes?”

“You were lacking control in your chakras. You had pooled energy into your chest. There must be balance first as that type of jutsu requires equal chakra in each pool. Do you understand?”

You analyze what he had just said. How does one do that? You thought for sure you had balance or it just came naturally.

“I guess…I wish I knew the feeling of balance. If I knew it, I could replicate it.” You reply.

“Well, that’s why I am here.”

“True…” You sigh and look down at your body remembering how cut up you were. Another realization…your eyes widen, you are no longer wearing your hanfu. Only a thin white shirt covers your body and nothing else. Your cheeks flush at the thought of being naked in front of Kakashi.

You whisper.
“Did you dress me?”

He chokes before answering.
“Well…no. Sakura did. But there wasn’t much left of that dress you were wearing. I wrapped you in a sheet at first….Although, there was so much blood it wouldn’t have even mattered.”

You huff, still embarrassed about it.
“Thank you for taking care of me.” You reply.

He looks down at the sheets thinking.
“Of course…I was worried.”

“About?”

He swallows noticeably.
“Losing you.”

That pulls at your heart and you smile lovingly.
“Oh no, you’re stuck with me. You’ll be my sensei even in the afterlife.” You reply, teasing him to ease his grief.

He laughs again.
“Good…I’m going to go get us some breakfast. I’ll be back in an hour. Feel free to do what you want in my house, it’s all yours. What type of coffee do you like?”

You sit up on your knees and sweep your hair to the side thinking about it.
“Mmmm….a venti Cinnamon Dolce half sugar.”

He raises a brow.
“Alright I’ll try to remember that.” He leans forward to rise off the bed but you stop him. You’re not ready for him to leave yet at least not without showing him much you appreciate him.

“Wait!”

He looks at you curiously. You rise up off your knees and sweep your arms around his neck pulling him into your chest for a loving embrace. He sits strangely frozen in your arms. His hands held out to the sides seemingly unsure of how to reciprocate the affection.

“Thank you…for saving my life again. Kakashi Hatake.” You say again.

He sighs into your chest giving into you. You feel his hands rest on the back of your hips and he squeezes. You both sit like this for a few moments feeling each other. Until he breathes heavily into your chest through his nose then looks up at you.
“I’ll be back soon, ok?” He says quietly.

Your stomach rumbles and he chuckles.
“Ok. My stomach is excited.”

“Sounds like it.” He stands and turns away from you adjusting something around his pants area….curious…Your eyes widen as you catch sight of something in that area..Is he turned on right now? You watch him leave and see a slight protrusion at crotch level. You gasp and bite your lip trying to hold back your excitement around it as he leaves the room.

You have never noticed that before. If he was ever turned on by you, he was damn good at hiding it in those baggy pants. Your heart skips a beat thinking about it and your mind begins to wander through lewd thoughts. You wonder what his lower half looks like. You wonder how big he is, if he tastes as good as he smells. You wonder what he would feel like…these are bad bad thoughts….ones you definitely shouldn’t be having. Then again you shouldn’t even be here in his bed, wearing nothing but his white shirt. You fall back into his bed in bliss over this.

Then you hear Kakashi’s phone ring. He rustles around outside the bedroom to find it and answers.
“Yeah?”

You listen intently to his conversation.

“Yeah she’s still here…” He says slightly annoyed.

Is he annoyed with you? No…he didn’t seem annoyed at all.

“I’m not sure. A few more hours?…No!…she’s my student!…” He says with a defensive tone.
“No!…are you kidding me?!…” He snaps and then stops talking all together. You can hear someone yelling at him on the phone but can’t tell whether it is a female or a male. You hear him walk towards the front door and grab his keys still holding the conversation.

“Look I don’t have time for this shi…” he pauses. “So you’re not coming then?” Another pause. “Fine, you do what you want. I don’t care.” And the intense conversation grows quiet. Kakashi reefs open his front door and slams it shut leaving you in his house alone.

What the hell just happened?…

You lie there for quite some time trying to piece together the conversation. It was obvious whoever was on the phone with him wasn’t happy you are here in his home. Why would they be so upset about it though? It’s not like you had both planned this. This was just an unfortunate happenstance.

You begin to feel stupid for being in his home and small tears swell in your eyes. You replay all of the affection he has ever given you. Questioning his behavior. Were those sweet gestures just a misinterpretation? Those beautiful moments with him seemed so real, so full of emotion and desire. Or…did you back it with your own emotions and desires just to justify your growing feelings for him. But then why does he touch you the way he does? Why does he glance at you more than he should? Why does he try to console your emotions when you’re upset? He even bought you flowers and wants to take you out for dinner….

Unable to come up with any conclusions you wipe the wet from your eyes and decide to have a much needed shower. You have gotten good at burying emotions and brushing it all to the side.

Twenty minutes later you are covered in the smell of his shampoo, wearing his shirt and boxers which you had found in his dresser. You sit on his couch staring at his life’s entirety in this room. Still very aware that you are the foreign body in this trendy dwelling. He had surprisingly good taste in furniture and interior design. His home was made up of cool greys, white washed wood, and pops of tamed colors here and there. It was beautiful and you found yourself gawking at all of the expensive artifacts and paintings covering his walls that bring it all together. He knew art very well and so did you. Just one more thing you had in common to torture yourself over…(.sigh.)

Suddenly there is a knock at the door. It startled you enough to jump up from the couch. You stand staring at the door trying to decide whether to answer it or not. You wander over to the door and another knock presents itself just as you reach for the knob.

You turn the handle and open it to see an older blonde haired woman with blue eyes and heart shaped lips. You gasp as she looks exactly like the woman depicted in Kakashi’s Icha Icha book. Then you notice a silver haired man standing behind her with a shocked expression. In fact both surprise guests looked shocked to see you. Their eyes wander down your front and instantly you heat up in this awkward situation.

“Hana?” The woman asks.

“Y-yes.” You reply nervously.

She sighs and bows her head slightly.
“My name is Tsunade. I am here to check up on you as Sakura is not available.”

You look up to the man who is still in utter shock and Tsunade shoves an elbow into his side breaking his bewildered expression.

He clears his throat coming back to reality.
“Hana.” He bows his head. “I am Jiraiya. I am here to ask you some questions about that stone of yours.”

You take a deep breath in and open the door to them.
“Come on in.”

They skirt by you with Jiraiya gawking as he walks into the living room…so strange…

You follow them. It would seem they have been here before for they sit down comfortably on the couch without hesitation. You come around circling them and take your seat on the leather recliner.

“I see Kakashi has been a good host to you.” Tsunade remarks looking down at your attire.

Your cheeks flush again.
“It’s all I have right now.”

Her expression seems to change instantly as you explain.
“Yes. You will be home soon…. Tell me. How are you feeling?”

You sit up straight rotating your muscles testing them to see if there is any strain and of course there isn’t. Thanks to your stone, you are one hundred percent ok.

“I’m fine. The stone helps a lot.” You reply.

Jiraiya leans forward placing his hands on his knees seemingly curious.
“How so?”

“I’m not sure how it works. But it gives me certain abilities. I can heal from almost any wound including the fatal ones.” You begin to explain. You are not sure why you are enclosing all of this information as it is forbidden and has been since this stone was placed inside you. Maybe you are just low on fucks to give today. Especially after hearing Kakashi’s conversation over the phone before he left.

“Interesting. What other abilities do you have?” He presses on.

“There is a list of things.” You reply vaguely. The look in his eyes tells you he knows more about the stone than he is willing to share with you.

“Can you name another?” Tsunade asks.

“Body control….” You think back on all of the times you took over someone’s body, even the times you destroyed them with just a flick of the stones' power.

Jiraiya straightens up even more intrigued by you.
“Can you explain that further?”

You nod.
“I can control someone’s body with just a thought.”

They both share worried glances and Tsunade questions further.
“How far can this control go?”

You shrug.
“As far as it is needed to survive the encounter.” You reply honestly.

Both tilt their heads confused and Jiraiya asks a question he obviously already knows the answer to.
“You mean, like decimating an entire platoon of jonin?”

Tsunade's eyes widen and she stares at Jiraiya.

You lower your eyes to the light colored vinyl plank floor remembering that incident.
“If that is the cost for survival the stone will do what is needed despite any countering thoughts from myself.”

Tsunade's eyes squint and her brows knit together. It was obvious her brain was running through scenarios and situations that could arise.
“So what you’re saying is you don’t have control.”

You nod simply.
“It is what I have been saying all along. What I’m trying to fix…”

Tsunade and Jiraiya share sympathetic looks and nod at each other.
“It looks like you have found the right person to help you. I don’t doubt Kakashi’s skill to help you find control. He is one of our best.”

You smile at that. He is the best… really..

“However.” Her expression turns dark. “There are others seeking you out. Are you aware of that?” She asks.

You nod again.
“Yes, I don’t doubt it. It took many villages to find Kakashi. Most of them know about me.”

Tsunade sighs.
“That is what we are afraid of.”

This conversation is getting increasingly concerning for you. They obviously know more than they are willing to tell you. Something is definitely going on behind the scenes and has been since you kicked Sasuke out of that dojo…literally. After that, everyone had started talking, rumors began to fly around the village. It’s only a matter of time before things get more complicated here and you are forced to leave... You were really hoping this village would be different…

You take a deep breath in and breathe out some anxiety. There is a long pause between everyone as you are thinking the same thing but not sharing it out loud.

“Hana, are you sure you’re feeling ok? There is no shame in being honest.” Tsunade asks.

“I am completely fine. Like I said, I am basically immortal.”

She nods.
“Alright. So, Sakura had asked me if I would lend you a gown for Saturday’s event. But as of right now I don’t recommend you go. You should stay home and rest.”
And your heart drops. Immediately you start to panic. This was something you had been looking forward to all week. The only bit of fun you had without your sensei around. It was the only thing that made you feel like you were a regular girl. You stand and come to sit down beside her hoping to change her mind.

“Miss Tsunade, please! Don’t deny me this.” You beg.

“It is not safe for you to be in a public setting like this. There could be many jonin banking on you being there.” She replies with a good point.

Tears start to swell in your eyes again. Tsunade places a hand on your cheek.
“I’m sorry Hana.”

You take her hand and plead one more time. “Please, it’s the only piece of normal I have. I spent so many years alone…” Real tears spill from your eyes and Tsunade gasps. Her own eyes swelling up.

Jiraiya suddenly interrupts.
“Let her go. We will all be there and can keep an eye out for her. I would rather her lose control in my presence than somewhere else while we are all busy not watching her.”

Tsunade sweep the tears from your face and holds your cheeks in both hands.
“Alright, love. But no drinking! And stay away from the jonin of the iron village. They’re…”

You finish her sentence.
“Real big assholes, I know.”

She laughs and Jiraiya smiles.

“Can I still borrow a dress?” You ask.

She lowers her hands into her lap.
“Of course! Come to my house tomorrow we will get ready together. I’ll make sure you are dressed for the occasion.”

Jiraiya agrees stating she is always the best dressed.

“But Hana, if you feel unwell at anytime. Seek us out ok?”

You nod and give her a big hug.
“I will I promise.”

You release her and she looks at you.
“You are discharged from our care at this point and may go home. Stay away from alcohol, and anything else other than water. Hydrate, sleep, and eat for the next twenty four hours. I have your number and will message you my address tomorrow.”

You smile wide.
“Thank you. And I will.”

She turns to Jiraiya.
“Are you finished with your questions?”

He hums over it stroking his chin.
“Not really but I think we can sit down sometime and talk when you’re in a more comfortable situation. I will be in touch with you, Hana.”

“Anytime.” You reply.

“Alright, where is Kakahi anyways?” Jiraiya asks.

“He went out to grab coffee and breakfast.”

Both look at you strangely.

“Well, that is nice of him. We will leave you to that. See you tomorrow.” Tsunade replies and both ninja stand. They make their way to the front door and you follow thanking them repeatedly. Then say your goodbyes. After shutting the door you lean against it huffing out a nervous breath. You hope giving away that much information doesn’t bite you in the ass later. It has before…

Shortly after your surprise interrogation your sensei shows up, coffee in hand and a bag of something yummy. He sits beside you on the couch unpacking everything onto the coffee table and you watch him smiling all the way. He had nailed every single item you loved from the coffee shop. And you can’t help but ask how.
“How did you know this was my favorite?”

He stops for a second, his ears turning red.
“Ahh…well… you are there so often once I said Cinnamon Dolce, or however you say it, they knew it was for you. The rest was easy.”

You laugh.
“That’s funny.” You reach out and take your favorite breakfast wrap and bite into it. Every bite was a little hug and you weren’t afraid to show it by wiggling and humming out loud.

Kakashi looks at you questionably.
“You’re making me wish I was that wrap. That good Huh?”

You stop eating for a minute to look at him. You smile deviously and he immediately stands trying to escape the comeback about to happen.

You begin and he interrupts you.

“Don’t say it, Hana!”

“Say what? I was just going to ask if you wanted to be in my mouth too…is that what you mean?”

His shoulders visibly tighten and he walks into his kitchen cursing.

“Enough! Hana!” He hollers from the kitchen.

“Hey you started it! Don’t start what you can’t finish….I always finish what I start!”
You reply with a more sexual tone to your voice.

“Quiet!” He says.

You smile at yourself for causing him to leave the room and quietly snack on your wrap. He returns just as flustered but with a wide smile on his face.

“What is that smile for?” You ask.

He shakes his head.
“I just…you’re just…” He huffs and stumbles over his words making you laugh.

“What is it?” You ask again, taking the last bite of your wrap and dusting off your hands.

“I can’t say…But just know that I really enjoy my time with you…” He says, and the last words seem to fall away.

That is the best thing you have heard him say….almost. So beautiful is top, but this is definitely hitting number two on the list. It was then all of your doubts drifted away and that phone call just became meaningless.

You stick your tongue out at him.
”You‘re just saying that so I'll cook you dinner again.” You reply.

He grins and nods.

“Too bad you’re busy this weekend….”

And his smile fades.
“Ahhh…yeah.” He sighs. “I got some stuff to do. But I’ll keep in touch. And Monday is an office day so dress appropriately.”

You scowl.
“What do you mean appropriately? Are my skirts and sweaters causing problems?”

“They can. I heard a certain senpai was having trouble with a low cut top and a very short skirt…”

Your face heats up to an unruly temperature and you curse out loud at getting caught by your sensei using your looks for manipulation.

“Well that was a desperate time! I was in dire need of a sensei!” You explain.

He holds his grin shaking his head.
“You should use your super powers for good not evil, Hana.”

And you burst out laughing.
“I wouldn’t exactly call my looks anything super.”

He shrugs.
“There are others who would disagree…“

And he gives you yet another indirect compliment that confuses the hell out of you and just sparks more questions.
“Alright I will not dress to impress. I will dress to meet your sensei standards.”

“Good! It is in the conditions list I gave you, you know. Did you even read them?” He asks with fake disapproval.

“Absolutely not. It’s actually being used to support my uneven kitchen table…it’s doing a good job.”

He smirks at you.
“Well I guess you will learn the hard way…” He brings up his watch to check the time. “I think it’s time we get you home. I have to head out soon. I have an appointment at one.”

“Oh alright.” You reply noticeably disappointed.
He nudges you.
“Hey, Monday will be here before you know it.”

“Oh I’ll be fine, I have a ton of stuff planned for this weekend.” You say trying not to seem so desperate for his attention.

He raises his brows and questions you.
“Is that so? And what are those plans?”

You remember Tsunade and Jiraiya stopping by and laugh at yourself for being so wrapped up on your sensei you had forgotten about it in minutes.
“Tsunade and Jiraiya came by while you were out. I’ll be hanging out with them tomorrow.”

You see a hint of relief as his shoulders relax.
“Well that’s good. They are…safe…”

“Yeah. They put all kinds of conditions on me. So you don’t have to worry.”

“Let’s hope you follow them.” He replies.

Kakashi leaves your side and wanders into his bedroom.

“Sakura brought you over a bag of clothes.” He hollers from the room. You hear the crackling of a plastic bag and he returns to present it to you.

You take it and begin pulling out the clothes. A tank top and stretchy yoga pants. Not your first choice but it is far better than walking around in Kakashi’s underwear.
“I’ll go put these on.”

He leaves you to it shutting his bedroom door for you.

You throw on the clothes and look into the mirror hanging on his wall by the dresser. Good lord is that girl tiny in all aspects. Your waists are the same but everything else on you is blown out. The soft pink tank top just covers up your goods and creates a substantial amount of cleavage. And the pants? Well they are tiiiiight. Thank god they are high waisted. You sigh looking at yourself. Your hair is a mess too so you finger comb it the best you can and flip it over to one side doing the best you can.

It is what it is… and you walk out of the room. You find Kakashi putting away some dishes in the kitchen. Wiping a plate with a towel he looks up at you and stops moving, completely fixated on your breasts. Then the plate slips from his grasp. He tries his best to catch it before it hits the floor. In your instinct, you flick your wrist, trigger your stone with one thought and stop the plate midair.

Kakashi stares at the plate in shock. You lift it back up to his level and it floats onto the counter beside him. He stares back at you with a very serious look on his face.

“I’m sorry.” You say nervously.

He seems to snap out of thought then. But his expression still remains.
“It’s ok. I uhhh…that was… incredible…”

You shy away.
“Not really. I wish moving plates is all I can do.” Which is the truth.

He sighs.
“We are making progress.” He places the plate in its spot in the cupboard and turns back to you smiling.
“I’ll walk you home ok?.”

You smile back.
“It would be rude if you didn’t.”

He walks by you to the front door and grabs his uniform vest pulling it over his beautiful body.

“Oh! I found your phone in the field. Must have lost it when you tried to take your hanfu off the first time…”

You gasp at him and slap his chest.
“Excuse me! You are the one who tried to undress me, sir!”

He snickers and plays it off as if he has nothing to do with it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh shut up.” You take your phone and he leads you out of his house and into the open air.

“I should let you know..that I did “not” try to open your phone to see if you had any more of those pictures you like to send.”

Hold up now…

“Excuse me again! I don’t just go sending out lewdy pics to just anyone. Kakashi Hatake.” You stand at his front door not moving with your hands on your hips very displeased with that comment. You ain’t no hussy.

He turns back grinning wildly.

“I know…I’m just messing with you...”

Wait a minute…did he look through your phone for real? You rush down to meet him.

“Did you really look through my phone?!”
He begins to walk down the street towards your house with you following.

“No, that would require knowing the password. And I can assure you I don’t know that the password is “2877486” or “burrito” when spelled out.”

Your jaw drops. (How in the hell did he figure that out!)

“Kakashiiiii!” You squeal.

He laughs loudly and sweeps his arm around your shoulders.
“You are a very good girl, Hana. Don’t worry. I’m sorry I had to look at your phone, it wasn’t my favorite thing to do but someone had called while you were sleeping… from a strange number. After that you received a picture message from that number with a symbol on it and a threat. To protect you, I broke in. Again I’m really sorry.”

You look down at your phone and open it to the message he is talking about. The number is familiar to you and sends a terrible shiver down your spine. You look at the message and just as he said a picture appears below the number carrying the symbol of your stone’s cohort instinct.

Kakashi glances down at your phone as you walk side by side.
“What does it mean?”

“It’s like…an affinity. But it is directly related to my stone.”

“Do you know who it is from?” He asks with a more dangerous tone to his voice.

“No. There are only two people in this world that know my seal. It’s tattooed on my neck. See.” You lift your hair exposing the small tattoo.

Kakashi removes his arm off your shoulders. He examines the tattoo carefully and you explain further.
“The symbol is a Chi no neko.”

“A cat?…go figure…” he replies.

You laugh.
“Yes, a panther in fact.”

“Interesting. Most seals are placed by someone. Who placed yours?”

“My father. He followed Haido obsessively. He is the one who started Bloodclaw and the other trafficking camps. But you have to go through initiations first to get the seal.”

“What type of initiations?”

“At first you have to pass skill exams. After that you are sent into the wild to find your cohort.”

“Oh yeah…and how old were you when that happened?” He asks, very interested in your story.

You think back on it. You were the last to find your cohort out of the group of assassins you were placed in. But the first to touch the spirit of a panther.
“I was seven years old. I spent two months in the jungle by myself. It was there I had run into a panther. Instead of eating me it decided to befriend me….it was strange…the stone connected us together and after I returned I was assigned the seal.”

He hums to himself thinking.
“That explains your wild side and cat-like tendencies…”
You scowl up at him.
“What cat-like tendencies?”

He pokes your side tickling you causing you to hiss at him, ironically sounding like a cat…(touché)

“Yeah just like that…. You also purr in your sleep.” He looks up at the sky reminiscing on something.

“Huh…you have a point.” Thinking about it, you replay back to some cat things you do subconsciously. Like your strange attraction to quick moving objects or things. Or how you puff your pillows before you go to sleep making sure they are perfectly fluffed.

“Yup, you’re more feral than I am.” He says with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

“I highly doubt that. I’m surprised you’re even house broken.” You reply with equal mischief.

He laughs loudly and stops at a high end tailoring shop.
“Well, Hana. This is me.” He flicks his wrist checking the time. “My appointment is in twenty minutes. Are you ok to make it to your place on your own?”

You roll your eyes.
“Yes sensei. I don’t need a bodyguard all the time.”

He grins.
“I have to disagree.” He lifts his hand to perform your secret hand shake together then salutes you. “Stay away from back alleys, and garbage cans, little kitten.”

You purse your lips and glare at him.
“I’m not a back alley garbage cat, Kakashi Hatake!”

He chuckles to himself and ruffles your hair, easing your rage at his comment. “I’ll message you something obnoxious later.” He says.

You look up at him completely and utterly head over heels and say what you usually say to that.
“Not before I do.”

He smirks and leaves you. You watch him walk into the shop then head towards your home in the distance.

———————————————

Chapter 15: Instinct

Midnight in hidden leaf village. The moon is still shining brightly over the rooftops with that same cool hue. It was warm out again and had you sweating in your bed while you tried your best to get the rest you were told to get by everyone.

But something was on your mind. A constant annoying thought that would push through anything else you tried to distract yourself with. Kakashi Hatake.

(Yes…that guy…)

His silver polished eyes seem to look back at you everytime you close your own. You just can’t get him out of your head for longer than a second. All you want to do right now is curl up beside him in his fluffy bed so you can purr into his chest. But that could never happen. The only way to get back into his bed is to knock yourself out again and hope he takes you home the second time around.

You scoff at yourself for even thinking of a scenario that could ensure that outcome.
“Stupid…” you whisper out loud into the night sky.

A light appears beside you catching your attention. You look down at your phone and see a message come through. It is a message from Sakura. You sigh in disappointment. You thought for sure Kakashi would have texted you by now…maybe he forgot. Or maybe he is just busy…either way it was making you ache inside.

You sweep open your Lock Screen and read the message.

Hey! Want to spend the day together tomorrow? We can get ready for the gala. I have some appointments you can join in on too. We have a lot of work to do to look our best! 🥰

You sigh at the word work as you are not one to put that much of an effort into your looks. But you reply politely as maybe this will get your mind off your sensei.

Yeah sure! I’m game for anything.

Sakura replies right away.
Great! I’m about to head to bed. But I spoke with Tsunade, she will come with us too and the rest of the girls.

That doesn’t actually sound so bad.

Alright! I’m excited! 🥰 good night! C u tomorrow.

You bet! I’ll pick you up at 10am. She replies.

You leave it at that and stare at your phone messages. Part of you still prays he will send you something insulting or ridiculous and you wait in anticipation. Five minutes go by with nothing, so you decide to try out this thing called sleep once again. You pocket your phone and hop off your rooftop. You had left your sliding door partially open so the room would cool down a bit. You shut the door and throw the lock on then place your phone on the bedside table. You slide into bed and fluff your pillow just right then close your eyes. But an annoying ping from your phone stops you from sinking into your sheets. Your heart skips a beat hoping it is Kakashi. You slap your hand onto your phone and bring it to your face half excited.

And the color leaves your face….
It is not a message from Kakashi at all. In fact it is a message from that same number that had
sent you your seal and a small threat. You slide open your phone and read it.

I’m coming for you.

That strikes some fear into you. You reread the message filtering through your past as you try to figure out who this may be. It is time you start asking questions instead of pretending like these messages aren’t happening.

Who is this? You reply.

No response…asshole…so you try calling. But the number rings twice then the call drops. This happens several times as you keep trying until the number says out of service. Frustrated, you throw the phone onto the bed and lie back thinking. Your mind is still flicking through your past trying to figure it out. There are only two others who know your cohort instinct. Your father who is dead and your brother who went missing years ago. After a severe incident with his own stone of gelel he was permanently disabled by it and disappeared after that. Could it be him? If it is then what does he want from you?

With Bloodclaw gone and the camps cleared out there is no reason to connect with each other again. It doesn’t matter anyways, as you are and have always been the stronger one. If he comes for you, you will finish what his stone had started. You lie back thinking about two things, your sensei and mastering your chakras and the stone before you need to use it to defend yourself. You are running out of time…

—————————————-

Morning had some quickly. You slept surprisingly well considering your constant worries last night. You are still waiting for Kakashi to message you and haven’t heard a damn thing. As of right now you are sitting at your kitchen island sipping on a shake, reading over chakra balance and waiting for Sakura to arrive.

And she is right on time. A punctual person. You swing your front door open and see Tsunade and Sakura smiling with excitement.

“Ready?” Sakura asks.

“Yes.” You reply.
She fist pumps.
“Alright! First stop, is the boutique for a wax and a manicure.”
(A what now?)

You hesitate at the door.
“I’m sorry, what are we doing?”

Tsunade and Sakura snicker at you.
“I’ve booked us all in for a Brazilian, and to get our nails done.” Sakura replies.

You blink twice. That is something you have never done and it sounds painful as she explains what a full wax entails.

“Ahhh…” you scratch the back of your head nervously.

Tsunade laughs.
“It’s not as bad as you think, let’s go!”

Four hours later you are exhausted and feel slightly violated. (Your poor coochie). You had met up with Hinata and Ino along the way and each of you got plucked, primped, and trimmed. Next was a tan and some lunch after that. Then Tsunade took everyone over to her house for pre-drinks, (which you weren’t allowed to have), and to get you fitted into a dress. All of these efforts you had no control over.

Now you stand in Tsunade's luxurious room in front of her mirror looking at yourself in a floor length velvet dress that is so fitted it makes every curve you have ten times more exaggerated than normal. Thankfully there is a slit up the side of the dress making it easier to walk in and sit down.

“You look fantastic in this dress! I wish I had those hips. That’s why I haven’t worn this one.” Tsunade says, tying the thin ribbon on the back of the dress..

You blush slightly at everyone’s remarks.
“Yes! It’s perfect!” Hinata says oddly pressing her fingers together and Ino agrees.

“Thank you.” You reply.

Sakura checks the time on her phone.
“We have a couple hours before we need to leave. I’ll do your makeup and hair if you want, Hana.”

You shrug as your entire body has been theirs to shape and mold all day. Why stop now? She ushers you into the bathroom and closes the door.

Another two hours later…

You and the girls are ready. Although you appreciate what they are all doing for you, this is not your favorite way to spend an entire day. You would rather be outside doing something productive or hanging out with your sensei…speaking of sensei you still haven’t heard a word from him. You check your phone quickly before putting it in your bag. Still no messages. You sigh sadly. This is unusual for him. Maybe you had done something to upset him?

You decide to put your pride on the back burner and send him a text.
Hey how are you?😋

You wait a few minutes and nothing comes. He doesn’t even read the message. Your stomach turns and your heart drops. (What is going on?)

“Let’s head out, we have a lot more fun ahead of us.” Tsunade says.

Everyone except you cheered at that and Sakura seemed to notice.

As you walk down the street to the gala dressed to impress. Sakura falls beside you glancing at your glum behavior.

“Hey, you’ve been quiet all day. What’s up?” She asks in a lower voice.

“I haven’t been quiet all day…” You reply.

She laughs.
“Right. Remind me never to take you for a Brazilian wax. But really, you aren’t your happy self today. What’s going on?”

You wished she hadn’t put you on the spot as you don’t really have an excuse that doesn’t involve Kakashi. Then again this girl knows him very well, maybe she can shed some light on his behavior.

“Well. Kakashi said he would message me last night. I haven’t heard from him at all.” You reply.

She looks at you strangely.

“You two seem to talk a lot. I know when he was my sensei he wouldn’t even show up on time. And I barely knew what he was doing outside of training.”

You sigh regretting bringing him up in conversation.
“I guess we do talk a lot..”

“A lot! But…Kakashi is hard to read. He does one thing then does the opposite the next day. He is also unreliable sometimes. I mean if there is a threat I trust him with my life and have. But as for anything else, well, he loses interest fast and becomes aloof.”

That hit you like a punch to the stomach. So he’s lost interest? Did he even have interest in the first place? This was more confusing than what you had thought before.

“Well, I won’t worry then. Do you know where he went this weekend?” You ask.

She shrugs.
“I heard a few of the guys had a quick mission last night, which they should be back by now. As for the rest of the weekend. That’s a mystery.”

“Ok.” You say trying not to be noticeably disappointed. A mission was a good excuse not to message you. You decide to make that the reason.

“We’re almost there. Let’s try not to think about the bad stuff and focus on the fun time we’re about to have!” She says and takes your hand.

“You’re right. Thanks Sakura.” You smile and she smiles back.

As you approached the gala everyone stops to stare, you were amazed at the location. Nothing like what you have been to before as this setting was outdoors in a vast garden with solariums scattered along a wide river. This has to be the most beautiful place for an event.

Upon entering the gala you were given a stamp on your hand by jonin guards at the front. You recognized one particular jonin right away. The very same ninja who had put an approved stamp on your application. He double takes at you again as you approach.

“Hey, Hana. Wow…I mean…I don’t even know what to say…you’ll be breaking hearts tonight.” He says.

You smile and stick out your tongue to that remark.
“Thanks, Genma. You’re on stamp duty again, hey?”

He chuckles softly.
“If that’s what you call it. I am also making sure no losers enter. As this is a gala for all villages, not just ours.”

That did have you wondering what this gala is all about.
“Is there a reason for it?”

He nods.
“Yes, it is the anniversary of our great hokage. The ones who founded our village and our allies. Although some who are attending aren’t allies, they do contribute to our village in some way. I recommend you stay away from…”

“Anyone from the iron village. Yup I’ve been informed.”

He smiles.
“Good. If you have any trouble, come find me.”

You smile sweetly. It was nice to have so many people here who care about your well-being.
“You’re first on my list to find!”

He blushes at that and reaches his hand out to yours. You place your hand in his, he kisses it then gently and presses a stamp on it.
“All set. Again Hana, if you need anything. Come find me.”

“Thank you.”

“Have fun!”

You move down the line following the rest of the girls who have made it inside the golden gates. On entering the gates you immediately smell barbecued foods and high end treats. (Drool).

The girls usher you in through the winding pathway until finally the entire place opens up to a well manicured spread of grassy terraces, gardens, and balconies with glass solariums. There were several levels, each with tables and chairs set up and beautifully decorated. The entire gala overlooked the river and sunset in the distance. There is a lovely orchestral tune coming from one of the higher terraces next to a solarium. You close your eyes really listening to the precise notes being played. Then Sakura grabs your arm.

“Come on! Let’s go get a drink!” She says and pulls you ahead through groups of people mingling. Most of the men stop to stare at you two. While others whistle or make sexual comments, and some even follow situating themselves close by. Ignoring everyone, she marches you both over to a classy looking bar and slams down twenty ryo then asks for two vodka crans…not your first choice...

The bar tender smiles.
“Sure thing!” He reaches for a bottle of vodka and flips it around impressively pouring the drinks into two short glasses with skill.

And your loud mouth can’t help but throw out a bit of sass.
“Have you ever dropped a bottle doing that?” You ask.

He smirks.
“Not in a long time, sweetheart.” He winks at you and floats the drinks across the smooth bar and they stop directly in front of you.

You lift your glass to him and he blows you a kiss. Sakura clinks her glass against yours and downs her cocktail in just a few seconds. It looks like she has a level of intoxication to get to and it’s waaaay higher than yours. You watch her turn around scoping out the scene and you do the same.

The entire place was packed full of every kind of ninja aside from the youngsters. Everyone seemed to be sticking to their own clicks for the most part. However, anyone within twenty feet of you and Sakura have their eyes on you. Then four women approach you with lovely smiles. They seem to know Sakura well and don’t hesitate to squeal, hug each other, and compliment each other’s outfit. You watch them quietly sipping on your cocktail feeling very out of place.

“This is Hana! She’s new here to hidden leaf.” Sakura says waving her hand to you.

You greet the four girls smiling and being sweet. They seemed nice for the most part. One of the girls places two fingers to her mouth mimicking smoking something while looking at Sakura. She nods and turns to you.
“Hey I’m going to freshen up in the bathroom. Did you want to come?”

You scowl not understanding.
“Do I need it?”

She laughs.
“Not at all. But the girls want to smoke some weed. That’s what I mean. I can meet you back here if you like. Hinata, Ino and Tsunade are just over there too.”

You look around at your situation and start to feel very out of place. In times like these you find comfort in just being alone.
“It’s ok I’ll be around, I’m going to go check things out.”

She smiles.
“Alright I’ll see you soon.”

“Sure thing!” You salute her and watch her leave with the rest of the girls. You sigh and turn around to order an actual drink.

“Hey bartender.” You call, catching his attention. He wipes down the counter as he makes his way to you.

“Yes ma’am?”

“A glass of your finest Chardonnay.” You say with poise.

He raises a brow.
“Not diggin the cocktails huh?”

You laugh.
“It’s not my thing.”

He smiles wide.
“I have just the thing for a classy lady such as yourself.”

He whips open a wine fridge and pulls a large bottle of Chateau Montelena. You are literally drooling as he flips it around himself and holds it up for you to view.

“Chateau Montelena.” He says with a thick accent.

“Enchanté.” You kiss your fingers and tap them on the bar eagerly.

He chuckles and places a wine glass down in front of you then fills it half full. You take the glass and swirl the smooth golden contents around testing its fullness. You bring it to your nose and breathe in its sweet yet sour aroma. It was a heavenly glass of wine.

The bartender watches you closely, smiling all the way. You take a sip, just a small one, and let it sit on your palette taking note of the slight oak and apple after tastes.
You hum at how robust this wine is.

“Nothing sexier than a lady who knows wine and what to do with it.” The bartender says.

Suddenly a heavenly smell wafts towards you. The bartender looks up behind you.

Before you can turn around to see who it is you feel a finger draw up your back along the open section of your dress sending a substantial shiver up your spine. Then a shadow of a tall man peers over your shoulder and that finger finds its way back down to your hip along with the rest of his hand. He squeezes your hip and presses his firm body against your backside.

You know exactly who it is and you couldn’t be more excited he is here. He leans down to your neck and says the words you have been dying to hear, which is pretty much anything that comes from his mouth at this point.

“Hey…you dropped your pocket….” He whispers. You can sense the grin on his face.

You lift your chin to him and he noticeably breathes in the perfume you had sprayed on your neck.
“You can’t drop a pocket.” You reply and giggle.

He straightens up chuckling to himself.
“I see you’re breaching your conditions already.”
He says as he leaves you to lean his back up against the bar and your mouth drops at the sight of him.

Dressed in a perfectly tailored tux with his mask on and headband removed. He has put some time into his hair this evening, god does he look delicious. And being the rebellious type, he has also untied his bow tie to let it hang with his collar buttons undone. You stare at him shamelessly until the bartender interrupts you both.

“Would you like a glass?”
He asks Kakashi.

Kakashi doesn’t bring his attention to him. Instead he nods and holds his own obvious gaze on you. You can see him lick his lips under his mask as he draws vision lines down your body.

You take a deep breath bringing yourself back to reality and take a sip of your wine.
“I am a rebel without a cause.” You reply finally.

“A rebel?…yes…without a cause?…I’m not sure about that…” he says just as the tender hands him his glass of wine and Kakashi takes it, making sure to put the bill on his tab.

“You’re a lucky man, Kakashi Hatake .” The bartender says.

Kakashi glances back at him and holds his glass up nodding. You can feel your cheeks heat up…(was that about you?”)

The bartender leaves you two and you decide to change the subject.
“Of course you know the bartender.” You roll your eyes.

He smirks at you.
“The second most important person here.”

“And who is the first?” You ask assuming it is the cook making all those yummy snacks you’re going to devour later. But he shocks you with honesty.

“You.” He says, causing you to blush.

You take another sip of wine, drowning your nerves. He is so handsome you are barely able to get words out.

You draw your eyes down his chiseled front again and comment.
“You’ve dropped five years in that suit.”

He smiles wide, cheeks turning as pink as yours.
“And you’ve gained five years in that dress.”

You raise your brows.
“I guess we’re even then?”

He laughs.
“I guess we are. There’s a problem though..”

You tilt your head.
“And what’s that?”

“You forgot your guy repellent…”

You laugh.
“Not exactly…you’re here. I think I’ll be ok.” You smile and bite your lip trying to hold in how in love you are.

“Ha!…in that dress? I’m not sure about that…I would have to tether you to me.”

You smile deviously.
“I don't mind being tethered…”

He huffs and whispers something under his breath. Most likely something he shouldn’t be thinking and that draws you closer to him. You lean in beside him resting your elbow on the bar and place your wine glass down.

You can’t believe he is here right now, standing in front of you, acting as if he hadn’t just spent the last twenty four hours ignoring you. Did he even notice? You just have to ask.
“Banter aside…I have to ask…Did I do something wrong?”

His brows knit together and that cool expression changes into concern.
“What do you mean?”

You look over at the bottle of wine, watching the bubbles reach the surface thinking of how to respond in a way that doesn’t seem like you were too worried about him.
“I…well I texted you hours ago and got no response, thought maybe you got lost on the path of life again….”

He breathes out.
“I’m sorry, Hana. I was on a mission. We had to be stealthy which meant no cellphones. I should have told you but it was so last minute, I didn’t have time.”

And all your fears disappear in a matter of seconds. You move yourself to his front and he straightens up, rising off the bar. You smile up at him lovingly and begin to do up the buttons on his shirt then tie up his bowtie.

His eyes flick back and forth over the features of your face seemingly in a trance as you carry on the conversation.

“It’s ok. I’m glad you’re safe.” You reply as you finish tying his bow. You pat his chest giving him a once over and he grabs your hands gently looking deep into your eyes.

He leans in close to your lips and starts to whisper something.
“You look fff….”

Then an angry female voice interrupts you. And you watch as Kakashi’s eyes snap wide open and the color in his face turns white. He looks terrified right now putting you instantly on edge.

“So, is this what you have been doing in your spare time?” The voice asks furiously.

He releases your hands immediately and steps away from you. You watch his movements feeling his fear. Your eyes turn to the voice and a woman you have never seen before, with hazelnut hair wearing a kimono style dress approaches. “Hanare?” Kakashi asks in disbelief.

“Let me guess, this is your “student”. She says with quotation marks hissing with jealousy.

You swallow and watch Kakashi choke on himself not defending you like he should. You turn your focus back on her and scowl.

“And you are?” You ask.

“I am Hanare, Kakashi's girlfriend!” She snaps. Those words ring loudly in your ears and everything disappears except for Kakashi and his surprise girlfriend.

Your entire world begins to collapse around you. You look between the two, Kakashi with a desperate painful expression, Hanare fuming with rage. And every boundary and borderline he has ever crossed with you stabs you in the heart.

“From the look on your face, Kakashi hasn’t mentioned me has he?” She snarls and glares at Kakashi.

Kakashi finally comes to his senses and begins to protest his relationship with her while she snaps back at him.

“Don’t place me in a relationship I haven’t committed to!” Kakashi seeths.

“You just spent last weekend with me!” She retorts.

But you can’t hear anything right now. All you can hear is the repetition of the word “girlfriend” in your mind. Then your chest starts to glow as your blood begins to boil, your flight or fight instinct is kicking in, your emotions are going wild right now with so much hurt you can barely register their argument in front of you.

Pulling you out from your emotional spiral, she says something that makes you angry.
“I will make sure you lose your title, Kakashi!”

That was shocking to hear. For you that can’t happen. No matter how badly he just hurt you, ruining his life is not something you can do and you won’t be the cause of it. You hold your hand over your heart so Kakashi can’t see the stone glowing through your pain. You take a deep breath in and come up with the perfect response to change the tone.

In a voice louder than theirs you reply.
“Ohhh! You’re Hanare! I am so sorry, I wasn’t expecting someone so beautiful.”

She startles at the volume of your voice.
You look at Kakashi, who is shaking his head. His eyes beg you to stop vouching for him but you carry on.

“Kakashi has told me so much about you.” You say holding your free hand out to shake hers.

She blinks at you stunned and shakes your hand cautiously.

“He told you about me?” She asks.

You fabricate a laugh just to save face even though all you want to do is scream.
“Of course! He talks about you all the time.” As you finish your sentence a sharp pain shoots through your chest. You need to leave this fucked up situation before you lose it and she ends up a pile of body parts on the floor.

You take one look at Kakashi and glare at him through a plastered smile. He looks as if he is ready to cry and you excuse yourself politely.

“If you would excuse me I have a lot of drinking to do to get through tonight.” You laugh wildly. “I’ll catch up with you two later. Enjoy your evening.”

You bow your head and grab the entire bottle of wine off the bar and walk away before you smash it into Kakashi’s face.

You can hear him call out for you earning another hiss back from his girlfriend. You walk away holding the pain in your chest while you pound down the bottle. You rip the pin from your hair that is holding one side back behind your ear. You shake it out letting it fall wildly, not even caring about looks or the effort you put into today. Nothing mattered at this point. There was no need to look your best or even feel it. You have just lost everything your heart desires and you now realize you didn’t have him in the first place. You curse yourself for falling for him. It has only been a couple weeks and you are mad for him. Damn him!… Damn him and his smooth tongue, crushing good looks, and wonderful smell. You are such an idiot!

You carry on through the gala not caring about anyone around you until you reach the band playing in the opening of a solarium on a stone terrace balcony. You find an empty spot to drink by yourself and lean over the terrace railing watching the water rapids of the river in the distance. The tears came right away and you drowned them in wine as best you could. That is until you hear a man’s voice beside you.
“The music is that bad hey?”

It startled you as you hadn’t noticed the man until he said something. Embarrassed about crying in front of someone you shy away and wipe your cheeks.

“I’m almost in tears too. I wish they would play something more upbeat.” He says.

You let out a small laugh at that and take a long swig of your wine wiping the excess off your lips. You reply still looking out over the river.
“It’s not the music, it's the people.”

“Now isn’t that the truth.” He agrees. Out of the corner of your eye you can see him lean over the railing two feet away. “Gala’s aren’t my favorite place to be.”

“Me either.”
You reply in disregard and notice Kakashi in the distance. He is still arguing with Hanare and finally she storms off. You’re surprised she didn’t pack it in ten minutes ago with his behavior. You did….

“My name is, Arufa…and yours?”

You reply with slight annoyance.
“Hana.”

“What is it you would rather be doing right now, Hana?” He asks.

You listen to him considering his question. There are so many things you would rather do…And finally that brings your attention to him.

At first impression, he looks like a man of expensive taste with well bred self composure. He has black perfectly spiked hair, a slender build and a suit that puts the rest of the men here in rags. He looked expensive and breakable.

You turn and lean up against the railing watching the band. You point out the guitarist and reply.
“That, sitting on my rooftop with a bottle of loveblock, playing into the night.”

He moves closer within a foot and leans over the railing with both elbows to look out over the river.
“You play?”

You nod and take another swig of wine. By now over half the bottle is gone and you are starting to feel it.

“Not just a pretty face huh?” He smirks at you and you huff back at him smiling.

“You know what I would rather be doing?” He asks.

“What’s that?” You look straight at him and pick up on a strange scent. Something similar to burnt sugar. He smiles at you and you notice sparks of gold flitting about the air but brush it off as just a happenstance.

“Taking a beautiful woman like you out for dinner. I’d like to get to know you a bit more. You seem…interesting…” he replies and another thick smell of burnt sugar enters your nose. You close your eyes, breathing it in deeply. Once you open your eyes you get a strange tingling in your body. Maybe it’s just the wine hitting you. But it almost knocks you over and you stumble into the balcony railing.

He moves in closer, placing a hand on your waist to help stabilize you.
“Woah…that wine is hitting you hard hey? Let’s slow down a bit. Here have some water.” He offers you his drink and takes the bottle of wine from your hand. You lift it examining its contents, it is clear and full of ice. You sniff it cautiously.

As you hesitate he laughs and moves his hand down to the exposed skin of your thigh then pulls you in closer. His touch seemed to send a shiver of pleasure through you. You hum at him feeling dizzy and light headed.

Something was wrong, but you couldn’t place it. Your peripheral vision is starting to blur, making you focus solely on him. His amber eyes coax you to come closer and you do for some reason.

“Drink.” He says lifting the glass to your lips.

You do as he says and press your lips to the glass edge and tip the contents.

All of a sudden a very angry male voice stops you.
“Don’t drink that, Hana!” And the glass is taken out of your hands. You can barely register what just happened. But you manage to look over at the voice and see a beautiful man with silver hair and a half mask covering his face…Who is he? You know him but can’t seem to remember…in fact you can’t remember anything…. What is happening to you?

In a daze you pull away from the amber eyed man and stumble back into the balcony railing trying to support yourself upright. Then you watch a fight unfold between the two men….

“Eh!, Kakashi Hatake. It is a pleasure to see you again.” The black haired man bows.

The silver haired man scowls.
“What’s in the drink, Arufa?”

“It’s just water. She looks like she needs some.” He grins, sinister in fashion.

“Then why don’t you drink it?” He holds out the water to him.
He brushes it off by waving his hand.
“I got it for her.” He replies still smiling.

Kakashi bears his teeth and throws the drink at him but the man dodges it and the glass smashes against the stone terrace floor. You watch the glass scatter across the floor and begin to feel even worse accompanied by a sharp pain in your chest.

Kakashi warns him.
“I suggest you release her from that genjutsu now, or you won’t be leaving here in one piece.”

He laughs loudly, startling you from your dizzy spell. You groan loudly while holding your head, feeling sick to your stomach.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You are getting delusional in your old age.” He laughs and positions himself in front of the silver haired man. They square off, obviously getting ready for a spar. Both remove their suit coats and throw them to the floor. The silver haired man unbuttons his cuffs and rolls them up then rips off his bow tie throwing that to the stone floor too.

“Age aside, I can still wipe the floor with you.” He replies and raises his fists.

Everything was happening so fast and you begin to panic as you spiral into another dizzy spell. Yet you force yourself to watch what is happening before you despite wanting to go lie down. Who are these men and why are they fighting right now?

Minutes later the fight was on. Both men tear after each other with precision and power.

The silver haired man slams a heavy lightning-packed fist into his opponent, knocking him to the ground with enough force to crack the stone beneath him. You watch his skill and technique marveling at how agile and quick he is. The younger black haired man was no match for the silver haired dream before you. Every counter punch made, missed him terribly or landed him on his ass.

With each hit the black haired man takes, your mind comes back to reality until finally you clear the haze over your vision and realize what is happening. It was then three more jonin joined Arufa. Each wearing similar suits, most likely from the same village…the land of iron. How stupid could you be to let this man take over you mind. It is no wonder you are beginning to lose control over your stone.

It was four on one and Kakashi was the target. Astonishingly he takes on each one pummeling them down with little effort. That is until he is attacked from both sides. He takes a punch to his temple and stumbles towards you. He repositions himself in front of you in protection and raises his fists again ready for more.

You notice the gasps and screams from others around you. An audience has gathered watching the fight unfold and more jonin join in, this time on Kakashi’s side. You watch fists and jutsu flying everywhere in chaos causing your stone to throb in your chest. You keel over holding it through the pain, supporting yourself on the railing.

By now Tsunade and Jiraiya have made their appearance calling out for Kakashi to stop. But he is seeing red right now smashing fist after fist into Arufa’s face while he holds him down. You watch, closing in on the sound of bone breaking, the splatter of blood from the open gashes, and the painful grunts Kakashi is inflicting. All of which trigger your cohort instinct. The Chi no neko stirs inside you, rumbling through your chest as you watch.

You suddenly sense a threat, and your eyes flick up to see Hanare ahead of you just beyond the chaos staring daggers in your direction.

Kakashi takes a hard hit from frost jutsu and bits of ice scatter by, cutting open your shoulder. And you lose yourself, you let go of the stone's energy, unable to contain it anymore.

You scream.
“STOP!” And the three solariums shatter into pieces. You hold out your hands halting any more chaos from unfolding. You freeze everything in place bringing a much needed silence to your ears. Your chest throbs painfully pouring blue energy from you as the stone fills your body with heat. Once your temperature peaks you look around you. You scan every shocked motionless expression and flex your power with primal instinct.

You curl your hands in circles gathering the stones' energy. It pulses from your hands and you force everyone within twenty feet around you to kneel. Your instinct begging to display its god-like strength.

“Sit down!.” You say in a low feline growl.

And everyone around you slams to the ground staring up at you. This took a substantial amount of power from your stone and you stumble back feeling the exhaustion backed with the familiar dizzy feeling you get before you black out. You have to stop yourself or everyone here will be nothing but bodies.

You bring your eyes to the only thing that matters in your life. Kakashi, the first man you have ever fallen for, and watch the blood drip from his forehead over the scar of his left eye. Lovely memories of him flash through your mind and instinctively you hone in on his scent. You breathe him in with heightened senses and bask in its cool spiced aroma. Your stone begins to calm and you release everything around you. The glass hovering in the air falls scattering like beads under everyone’s feet.

It is a horrifying silence and all eyes are on you. Kakashi rises to his feet slowly, hands spread out in defense. But this time it is directed towards you.

“Hana, please, calm down. You’re safe, I’m here….” He slowly walks towards you in caution, taking easy steps. You look down at your hands and see they are still glowing unnaturally. More jonin join Kakashi in defense, each drawing energy.

Kakashi takes another step towards you and you back away feeling cornered like a helpless animal. Tears stream down your cheeks as you grasp the concept that you are now considered the enemy. Just like so many times before. It was time to run while you still have control. You power up your stone and Kakashi calls for you to stop. With one flick of your wrist you send the entire group around you backwards to the ground. And you take the opportunity to disappear.

You run through the gala as fast as you can go. Passing by perfectly trimmed bushes and gardens. Your momentum tears leaves off and rips apart the ground below you. You run as if your life was at stake.

————

Chapter 16: Ambush

You ran through the shadow filled streets kicking up dust in your wake. You passed by people who screamed or hid when they saw you, even calling you a monster. You barely take note of it. You kept running with no idea where to go. The pain in your chest is growing and getting worse. It is beginning to seep up your neck and into your head. You have to get out of this village before someone gets hurt…or worse. 

 

After what seemed like an eternity of winding through the streets and alleyways you finally approach the front gates leading out of hidden leaf village. You sigh in relief at the sight of those gates, but notice a peculiar rumble in your throat as you breathe out. There are also an extra two beats in your steps which seem to tear up the ground around you as you run. But there is no time to investigate as you hear your name being shouted in the distance. You scramble through the gates and make a quick decision to stop in the field Kakashi had first taken you to. You need to catch your breath and hopefully ease the pain growing inside you. You also need to figure out the next plan of action before you are found. 

 

The field, which previously took twenty minutes to walk to, you had arrived to in a matter of seconds. (But how?) even at a running pace using your stone you would not be able to replicate that time. 

 

Something is very wrong…

 

Your usual loss of control always ended up with you unconscious and paralyzed in some way. But right now, as the stone glows inside your heart pulsing with excruciating power, you have some control. You are aware of your surroundings. All of your senses, although heightened to a level you have never felt before, are functioning at maximum capacity. 

 

You come to the clearing of charred grass, the same place where you lost control two days prior, and stop. Although stopping was quite difficult. You slide twenty feet past the actual clearing before coming to a stop. Finally you have a moment to catch your breath. Heaving for air you collapse to the ground panting. That low rumble in your throat is still making noises. Maybe the stone is attacking your lungs now? Yet you haven’t had lung capacity like this before. You think about this for quite some time trying to clear out what is causing the strange noise to your voice. But it is to no use.

 

Then you hear rustling in the grass from all directions. You have run out of time…Shadows dart through the sky above you disappearing into the field which is now over your head….how is that possible. Only two days ago it was knee deep. There is no way it could have grown this much in that little time. 

 

You panic, unable to see through the thickness and can hear footsteps closing in. You position yourself into the center of the clearing. If anyone were to approach you within ten feet you would know. 

 

You crouch down silently waiting. A snap to your left and right. 

 

The wind picks up

 

You feel energy sources drawing in all directions.

 

You hear their shallow suppressed breaths.

 

Their subtle whispers of attack plans.

 

Even their smells. 

 

You are surrounded by ninja and they are closing in quickly. Your stone instantly charges sensing the threat and you let out words of warning for them to stop or you will do what is needed.

 

“Don't come any closer! This is your last chance!” You warn. Although your voice holds a low feline grumble to it…it doesn’t feel normal. The words formed are different and don’t sound….human….

 

Suddenly you sense the release chakra all around you and the air begins to swirl upon itself, faster and faster. The grass pulls from the ground ripping right out of its roots. It is so strong you can barely stay grounded. You curl up into a ball and grip the soil with your fingers as hard as you can. You can no longer hear the shinobi approaching, only the tornado tearing up the earth. You cry out in fear, knowing that once the wind dies they will be waiting. Ready for an attack. 

 

You pray to the gods. You pray for them to keep you safe, to keep them safe. You pray for your stone to hold back and not lose control. You cry out as the wind whips blades of grass so strong it cuts small slivers into your skin. You scream over and over, not just because of the wind and grass.You scream for all you have been through. Pain is all you know, whether you are feeling it or inflicting it. It is all you have ever felt.

Your prayers angrily turn into questions. 

 

Why were you given such a harrowing path? 

 

Why were you meant for so much suffering? 

 

Why? What did you do to deserve this?

 

Then you hear it. A smooth voice echoing through the field and the valley. It pulls you out of your thoughts and the wind dies down.

 

“Stop! Leave her to me!” He shouts with authority. 

 

You groan and rise to your feet looking around to find his voice. As you stare into the distance you see the entire field gone. Decimated by what looks like fifty highly skilled Jonin who are at a stand still. Some bearing weapons, others with hands full with chakra waiting to attack and defend. Some you know, but most you don’t.

 

Your chest heaves at the sight. All eyes are on you again. There is a silence in the air, as if his voice had pressed pause and stopped the world with just one command. You praise him and curse him all at the same time.

 

Footsteps approach from behind towards the hidden leaf gates. You turn quickly to meet those steps and instinctively charge up ready to fight. This instinct is fighting against your conscience. It wants you to let go and take over, but you can’t let that happen. Not unless absolutely necessary. You hold your position and watch the form of a man approach. It was then you realized the strange look to all the ninja around you. As if you could see the heat generated inside their bodies making up their form. They contrasted the darkness standing out like tiny flames flickering about. 

 

He approaches. You cannot see his face clearly, but you know who it is. From his voice and that lovely scent you are obsessed with. 

 

“Kakashi! Don’t come any closer!” You warn. And back up two feet. 

 

He ignores your warning and holds up his hands showing he is unarmed.

“I won’t hurt you. Please, just calm down. Let me fix this.” He says in a soothing voice. 

 

You whine up at him, but only another rumble spills from your throat. Then a sharp pain shoots through your mind. You stumble to the side and shake your head groaning. The sharp pain brings a vision of you devouring Kakashi where he stands. You argue with yourself over that thought. What is wrong with you?

 

“Hana, please. You need help. Let me help you.” He says. 

 

More footsteps close in and you begin to panic. You scream at them to stay away.

“GET BACK! STAY AWAY!” 

 

Kakashi stops and kneels down, hands still open and raised.

“Please, Hana..come back to me.” 

 

You cry for him. That is all you want to do. But you have gone too far. Can you really go back now? You watch him closely, your instinct still unsure of his words and the ninja around you. 

 

“Come. I will keep you safe I promise. Just let me help you.” He says and reaches out to you. 

 

His outstretched hands cause you to flinch ready to run again. But he doesn’t move, he remains kneeled before you, coaxing you into his arms. Then his scent spirals around you and you breathe him deeply, picturing every loving memory you have of him. You take a step forward, cautiously, carefully. Keeping an eye on the others around you.

 

“That’s right. There is nothing to fear, Hana.” 

 

You breathe out heavily, and let go of a portion of the stones power and take two more steps towards him. 

 

“Kakashi, don’t let me hurt them.” You say. 

Then a sudden rush of energy roars towards you and you are hit hard in the side by a stream of flame. It burns your flesh and sends you further into the field away from Kakashi.

 

He screams out for his comrades to stop. But no one is listening. Then a barrage of jutsu rains down on you. From frost, to flame, from lightning, to water and earth. You are hit in every direction possible, unable to gain any ground. 

 

After a hit from a shard of ice which stabs into your side the ninjas pause to gather more chakra. Barely standing you search for an escape route and see one in the distance towards the lake Kakashi had taken you to before. You charge up your stone, bits of earth crack around you and raise into the air. But before you can put your power into motion four jonin leap across your vision and slam heavy footed kicks and power packed punches into your sides and head. You are thrown back once again away from your destination. They give you no rest and close in again for another attack. 

 

You leap to your feet and dodge the first two, skidding by them. The other ninja scurry to catch their footing and come at you with Kunai in hand. You send a shock wave of energy out into the valley knocking everyone standing to the ground. But half the others had anticipated this and have already lept out of the way dodging your blast. They barrel towards you and you crouch down gathering energy ready to blow them to bits. 

 

Then something happens. You feel arms wrap around your shoulders and hear his voice again. 

 

“I won’t let them hurt you anymore…” he whispers.

 

You pause in shock, unable to do anything to him. Your instinct screams at you to eat him alive but your conscious..No… your love for him is too strong. He squeezes you harder, pressing your forehead into his chest. He holds you in a tight embrace telling you he is sorry. You peer up at him, his eyes are closed shut, chakra energy pulsing around his body in a white wistful aura. He is protecting you. And just when you thought it was all over for you, the ninjas stop their attack and land cautiously in the field. All chakra energy is released and the world around you falls silent once again. 

 

It is you and him against the rest, as they watch, waiting for the barrier to fall. You groan into his chest feeling the broken bones, seared skin, and open wounds inflicted on you. 

 

“Shhh, I won’t let them hurt you again.” He whispers, his voice wavering and you feel drops of water hit your left cheek. If you weren’t shaking so badly right now you would have noticed the hitches in his breath.

 

He holds you for quite some time, stroking your head down your shoulders and back. With each caress you let go of your stone's energy. However, it doesn’t seem to bring you back to a normal state. Your senses are still heightened, your vision is still seeing heat signatures and there is still a low rumble in your throat. 

 

“Hana.” Kakashi calls you quietly. 

 

You groan, burying your face into his chest. 

“Don’t let me go.” You plead. 

 

He sighs and removes his hand from your back. You hear him rustle around in one of his pockets then he stops. 

“Please forgive me.” 

 

You press into him further, nearly pushing him over. He raises his hand, and you expect him to continue his gentle touches. But he doesn’t. Instead he apologizes twice over and sinks a sharp tip of a needle into your neck. You gasp at the feeling but only a loud roar escapes your mouth. He forces the contents into your body and holds you steady then throws the syringe away. 

 

The strength in him was astonishing, you tried your best to break free from him. He holds you into his chest gripping the back of your head hard as you try to get away. 

 

“What did you do?” You ask him.

 

He doesn’t respond, only apologizes again. As he holds you close, a faint dizziness rushes through you followed by fatigue. You realize he had injected you with some type of sedative and in minutes of administration you collapse. You close your eyes, unable to fight the drug pumping through your blood and you fall into a deep sleep.

 

———————————————

 

Dreaming….

 

“Again!”   His stern voice shouts, startling you out of your fatigue.

 

You nod quickly submitting to his authority.

“Yes, sir.” 

 

You get into position and power up your stone. It hurts, god it hurts. But you clench your jaw through the pain and pour the power out. Blue wisps of gelel magic seep from your hands….it burns...

 

You falter your position stumbling as you move into your combative sequence landing to the ground.

“Pathetic!” Your father shouts “No daughter of mine will embarrass me like this!…if you fall again I will throw you into the pool.”

 

You whimper at him and the thought of drowning in the pool again.

“Yes father.” 

 

You stand in position. This time looking at your opponent. Your brother. He has a permanent smirk on his face with a chin held high in superiority. He’s way ahead of you, he knows it and so do you. But your father is determined to trigger your new cohort instinct. If you can turn, and become the cohort you will surpass your brother and be the top assassin in the Bloodclaw ranks. You will be the most valuable assassin in the world.

 

“Again!” He snaps.

 

And you power up, then shoot forward towards your brother. He gasps at your speed but defends flawlessly.

 

“Yes! Keep going Neko!” Your father encourages.

 

You strive for your brother's perfection, trying to out match him in strength, agility, and tactics. But he is just too experienced. He hits you in the temple hard and knocks you back skidding to a stop miles away. 

 

Now you lie on your back watching the cloudless sky and the vultures circling. You almost wish they would just eat you already and take you away from this terrible place. 

“Get up, neko. You’re embarrassing us.” Your brother says with slight sincerity. 

 

“What’s the point?” You reply.

 

“Don’t give me that shit. Get up or I’ll finish you right now.” He threatens and steps on your hand.

 

You gasp.

“Do it then!” 

 

He grinds his boot into your palm and laughs.

“Get up.” 

 

He steps off your hand and reaches out to you. You huff at him and take his hand letting him help you up. 

 

“I know you can feel the instinct. Stop being such a loser and let it go. I’m tired of beating you up all the time.” He smacks the back of your head pushing forward back towards the training ring. And continues to scold.

 

“You’re useless right now. If you don’t let the transformation happen the stone will destroy y….” 

 

“I know! Ok? I know! I get it. I’m trying.” Tears swell in your eyes.

 

He sighs at you.

“Let’s try again tomorrow. I’ll tell dad to lay off a bit...” 

 

You say nothing to that as relieving as it is, you will also be locked away with nothing to eat for dinner…. Punishment for everything….for that is his way…

Chapter 17: Good Kitty Kitty

One day later….

You hear a door open, which stirs your consciousness. Voices echo around you and you listen quietly as you adjust to waking up…

 

“I’ve never seen anything like this before. Even Haido wasn’t able to fully embrace the stone like she has….I found out Temujin is responsible for placing it inside her. He had also trained her from childhood to use it.” A woman says.

 

“Did you get a copy of The Book of Gelel?” A man asks.

 

“No, just short snippets here and there, 

The book was nearly destroyed in the battle against Haido.” She replies.

 

“Did it mention any transformation abilities?” Another man’s voice asks. 

 

“It did, but not to this extent. The one page I have says a gelel stone can grant the ability to change into animal form but nothing after that. We don’t know if it is reversible, or how powerful she has become…or…if she is even herself.” She replies. 

 

“She wouldn’t have come to me if she wasn’t herself.” A man protests. “She told me that the Bloodclaw Assassins would start training at very young ages. Once she had passed skill testing she was forced into the jungle for months until she had found her cohort instinct. At age six she connected with a panther.” 

 

“Well, that explains the big black cat appearance.” Another man says. 

 

“I think chakra balance is still the key to gaining control and getting her back to her original form.” 

He sighs. “Although this is all just speculation.” 

 

“Yes, but we are running out of time….Kakashi, you read up on her file right? Did you know she has signed several contracts with other villages?” The woman asks.

 

“Yes. But what does that matter?”

 

“They are all still active. No village has released her. She has abandoned them all in some way. There are twenty four tracking ninjas trying to find her to kill her…thank god she is a clever girl. She does the same thing everytime she enters a new village. She will change her name, tell her story and try to blend in as much as she can until the stone gets the better of her. I believe we would have lost her for good if we didn’t take her on like we did….as harsh as it was.”

 

“It was unnecessary, I had it under control.” Kakashi argues.

 

A man sighs and explains.

“The others were scared and their emotions got the better of them…You seem to be the only one who can calm her, Kakashi.” 

 

“Only to a point. And only because we have established trust. We were making progress…slowly.” He replies.

 

“Progress? She nearly tore herself apart with her own jutsu.” Another man protests.

 

“That had to happen. I needed to see what jutsu would do without chakra balance while the stone was triggered.” He replies.

 

“It nearly killed her!” He snaps.

 

“No, the stone has the ability to make the subject nearly immortal.” The woman says. “You knew that, didn’t you Kakashi?” 

 

“Yes, it was a risk. My assumption was correct.” He replies.

 

“And what about the lake incident?” The same man asks.

 

“That….was a big mistake. I had no idea she couldn’t swim. It wasn’t in her file..” Kakashi protests, defending himself.

 

“A very big mistake. And your “trust” so to speak is a little more in-depth than that isn’t it?” He asks.

 

“I…well…it’s not what you think.” Kakashi replies although his voice is much quieter.

 

“Hanare thinks differently.” He argues.

 

The woman interrupts.

“Look…What’s done is done and cannot be undone. We have to move forward. Hana…I mean…Neko, will be called to order soon by the Hokage from every village who still holds her under contract. From there the Hokage leaders will decide what to do with her. I have heard whispers that the hokage from Amegakure wants to lock her away.” 

 

“Lock her away?! No one can take her from this village! We are her only hope to get this under control! Can you imagine what would happen if anyone else were to use her for power?!” Kakashi says, panic stricken.

 

“We don’t have grounds to hold her. Every village for miles holds a piece of her. I doubt anyone will want to share her either. She is far too precious.” The woman states, humming to herself.

 

Kakashi curses loudly. 

 

“Naruto, we will need your help to get her back to her original state. With the help of Kakashi of course.” The woman says. “Jiraiya and I will go and see what else I can uncover about this stone. In the meantime do whatever it takes to get her back to normal.” 

 

“Of course, I trust your judgment lady Tsunade. Kakashi and I will take it from here.” Naruto replies. 

 

“Keep me posted. Let’s go, Jiraiya.” 

 

Boots shuffle against the floor then a door opens and shuts. The loud click of the bolt closing jolts you awake. You sit up and open your eyes to the world around you. Bright fluorescent lights strain your eyes. You groan and squint as your vision begins to focus.

 

You are in a large white room with no windows and only one door. There are no other escape routes from what you can see. On top of that you are surrounded by iron bars that buzz with energy most likely something electrical that will shock you if you get too close. 

Visions cross your mind. An ambush, ninjas everywhere. Jutsu lighting up the sky. Kakashi and then darkness.

 

You have been captured by Hidden Leaf Village and are now being held hostage in a cage like an animal. You growl loudly in outrage. (How could they do this to you?)..Then again…this isn’t the first time. (How could you not expect this?)…

 

That growl brings the attention of two jonin to you. Naruto and Kakashi.

 

“She’s awake…” Naruto says, staring wide eyed at you. 

 

“She is…” Kakashi remarks.

 

You begin to tear into them for putting you in a cage like a wild animal. They had even placed a bowl down beside you filled with water as if you would lap it up on all fours. 

 

“What the hell is this? Is this how the Hidden Leaf Village treats their students? Like wild animals?” You scold. But your voice is distorted. Growls, and hisses pour from your mouth but no words. 

 

“I think she’s pissed.” Naruto states. 

 

“She should be. You caged her up!” Kakashi scowls.

 

Naruto sighs.

“It was the only option. I had to do something to comfort the village. Everyone is scared.” 

 

Kakashi clenches his fists.

“You didn’t have to hurt her in the process.” 

 

“She seems fine now.” Naruto protests.

 

“Yeah, but the memories are still there….”

He approaches the cage. Your eyes flit about him remembering how handsome he looks in his black uniform, hair tousled to the side under his headband, his mask providing that mysterious look to his silver polished eyes. You snarl at him for being so handsome. For claiming your heart. That snarl causes him to stop. 

 

“She’s really mad. Her shackles are up, Kakashi… I would be careful.” Naruto says.

 

Kakashi raises his hands cautiously. 

“I’m so sorry Hana… Or Neko, I should say.” 

 

You cringe at that name, hating it so much. That name is where all this shit began. Where you learned to be a killer, even though it wasn’t your choice. 

 

“You don’t like that name do you?” He asks, noticing the upwards curl of your lips. 

 

“Not at all.” You reply, but your voice is still not able to come through. 

 

(What is going on?) You shake your head and sit down to think about it, then notice something touching your leg. It taps it twice and you look down. A thick black fur covered tail flicks back and forth beside you. You leap into the air at the sight of it. 

 

“What the hell?!” You shout but only a loud roar rings around the walls of the room. You look down at your hands, but those aren’t your hands. (No they sure aren’t.Those are paws…fricking paws!)

 

You scan your body all over growling, hissing, and roaring at all the aspects you can’t believe are true. 

 

Kakashi chuckles softly as he watches earning a loud snarl back from you. To which he backs up, raising his hands in surrender.

 

“It’s not funny!” You snarl.

 

He glances back at Naruto.

“I think she just figured out she’s a cat.” 

 

Naruto laughs loudly. 

 

(Are they seriously laughing at this?)

 

In your anger you let a small force of stone power out and it bends a few bars, shorting out some of the electrical current running through it. 

 

“Woah, woah, easy now.” Kakashi says, walking towards you.

 

“Be careful, Kakashi.” Naruto warns.

 

You huff at him and begin to pace back and forth, while scolding them both. Even though they don’t understand you, which is blatantly obvious, as you doubt anyone here can speak cat. You scold like you have never scolded before. 

 

“How dare you put me in here and laugh about it, Kakashi Hatake! This is not funny! This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me! Aside from the bullshit you pulled the last two weeks! You are all idiots! Especially you Kakashi!….” You snarl at the bowl of water, and in one swipe of your paw you send it flying towards Kakashi. He nonchalantly steps aside dodging the water and bowl.

 

You pace wildly back and forth cursing him and every ninja you know out loud in cat-like growls. 

 

Naruto begins to laugh hysterically, placing a hand on his forehead.

“I think she’s lecturing you!.” 

 

Kakashi grins wide.

“I think she is too.” 

 

You stop talking all together as they don’t even know what you’re saying in the first place. Defeated, you lie down on the floor resting your head on your stupid paws and look away pouting. 

 

“Poor kitty cat.” Kakashi says and you somehow lift a paw and finger him. 

 

He laughs loudly and turns towards Naruto.

“Looks like she can understand us.” 

 

It was then your stomach began to rumble loudly, startling you enough to spring to your feet and search underneath yourself for the sound. That earned more laughs from the two. 

 

“God she is cute. Isn’t she?” Kakashi says. 

 

Naruto scratches his head.

“Right now she is…But I would hate to see her when she’s really pissed off.” 

 

Kakashi approaches the bent bars examining them and shoo’s Naruto with his hand.

“Ahhh she’s just hangry. Aren’t you kitty kitty?.” 

 

You growl very loudly at him.

 

He shows you that insufferable sexy smirk in return. 

 

(…jerk…)

 

“I’ll go get us some food. I don’t want to be the first dish on her menu.” Naruto laughs nervously. 

 

“Good idea. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on her.” Kakashi says. He walks back over to Naruto and grabs a metal chair then obnoxiously drags it closer to the cage and takes a seat. 

 

“Alright, any trouble, press the emergency button.” 

 

“There won’t be any trouble.” Kakashi confirms.

 

You watch Naruto leave the room. Then set your glare back on Kakashi who is beaming at you. 

 

You roll your eyes and lower your head back down onto your paws and look away. 

 

It was silent for quite some time as Kakashi watched you, and you? Well tried your best to ignore his handsome face and intoxicating smell. Until he finally speaks up.

 

“You’re probably really pissed at me right now hey?” He asks. 

 

(Stupid question…)

You ignore him. Pissed is an understatement for how you feel right now. 

 

Kakashi leans forward in his chair resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. His deep silver eyes search the floor below him as he tries to think of the right words to say. So far he’s just being a fucking idiot.

 

“We will get you back to normal. I promise.” He says finally. 

 

You huff at him. 

 

He looks up at you and the playful glint in his eyes has disappeared and is now replaced with obvious grief. 

 

“Hana…I truly am sorry for all of this.”

You ignore him not wanting to hear anything that doesn’t help this situation. Sorry’s are pretty much useless. He taps his fingers together still trying to figure out what to say.

 

Then he intrigues you with a simple question.

 

He sighs.

“Do you want to know why I refused to be your sensei?” 

 

You lift your big panther head and nod. (Now that is a good question..)

 

He leans back in his chair shifting uncomfortably. His right foot starts tapping nervously and he clears his throat mustering up the courage to say what it is he wants to say. 

 

“The first time I saw you, I…well…don't tear me apart for saying this..but I thought you were just another pretty girl, who thinks joining ninja academy would gain her a boyfriend with a title.” 

 

You growl at him then do the cat thing and bear your teeth. 

He raises his hands in surrender. 

“Now wait! Hear me out!” 

 

You huff and slump back down grumbling to yourself.

 

“I was wrong. Very wrong…your combat skills are incredible. In fact I haven’t seen anything that good in years. And the skills I have seen were from elite jonin with decades on you. Aside from that, you are a very smart girl, especially when it comes to that playful tongue…and there is another part of you I have a lot of trouble with….it drives me crazy in fact…but that part I’m not allowed to say…or even think about…or even want….” 

 

He curses out loud. 

 

You sigh, wishing that you could just lay into him still. It is hard not being able to say your piece despite his confession right now and listening isn’t something you’re all that good at. But he can’t understand you. So you will have to save your words for later. 

 

“I knew I would have a hard time keeping a professional relationship with you…that is why I refused. Then you looked at me with those pretty eyes, sitting so perfectly in my lap with those polka dot panties...how could I say no?” 

 

Your kitty cheeks heat up thinking about that embarrassing moment. You shake your head and groan aching inside. This isn’t fair. You just want him to stop, there is no point to this. You can’t be together that is obvious, so why bother with confessions and he has a girlfriend anyways. None of this matters. You rise up onto your feet and turn around to face away from him, hoping he will get the point. You lie back down and rest your head on your paws trying to ignore him.

 

He leans over again resting his elbows on his knees again. Then places his forehead into his palms, entangling his fingers into his hair, very obviously frustrated. Minutes go by like this with no words, only deep sighs and whispers under his breath. He is sorting something out right now. 

 

Then finally he breaks the silence, shocking you in so many ways.

“I shouldn’t say this as it can cost me everything I have built here. But I can’t hold it in anymore…you deserve to know. I…fuck…I think I’m in love with you…” 

 

He looks up at you with glossy eyes as he finishes his sentence and his cheeks turn a shade of red you have never seen on him before. You stare blankly back at him, jaw dropped. That is not what you had expected him to say at all. You expected him to tell you all the boundaries he crossed was just meaningless flirting. That he has a girlfriend and that is that. But this.. this just makes you incredibly happy and sad all at the same time. 

 

He laughs softly at himself.

“I never expected it to be like this….i mean…it’s never been like this before..I have never been in love. Not like this.” His words pour from him in broken sentences. He pauses thinking about it then he smiles warmly. “I have had interest in women…well you know…but not like this.” 

He swallows hard and laughs at himself again.

“I have never in my life bought a girl flowers before…I didn’t even know where to begin to be honest. I went to all sorts of shops looking for the right ones. Then I remembered how beautiful you looked sleeping in those daisies...” He shakes his head. “I have never been so jealous before either. Konohamaru is far better at this stuff than me…It's obvious. He showed up at your doorstep with dinner in hand and all I did was steal your wine…I’m so stupid….” 

 

You are in utter shock. Part of you wishes you could just hold him right now and the other part wants to slap him in the face. But you can’t do either. You are stuck in this form, in a cage, with no ability to reciprocate any feelings. You whimper at him and bury your face into your paws. 

 

He continues on.

“I’m sorry about Hanare. She is someone I see from time to time…although not anymore….”

 

He scowls. “I have never had feelings for her, like I do for you. But that doesn’t justify my behavior. I should have had more self control. Can you forgive me?.” 

 

There are still so many questions you have and so many things you need to get off your chest. This isn’t over yet, but you need his help right now if you are to get out of this cage and back to normal so you can tell him everything you need to tell him. You sigh and rise to your feet. He grows quiet watching you. You slink towards him then slump down in front of the bent bars. The ones that hold no charge to them and slide a claw ridden paw towards him. He smiles meekly and he walks over to you then sits down in front of your paw on the floor. But instead of holding your paw, he performs your secret handshake. Although very carefully, as you have sharp claws and all. You rumble with laughter and place your head on that paw poking your nose out from the bars. 

 

He pats your head and sighs softly.

“You are one big back alley garbage cat, Hana.” 

 

You scowl at him and swat his hand away. He chuckles.

 

“But…I miss human, Hana.” He says. “So let’s get you back ok?” 

 

You nod and pant excitedly, your tail flicking back and forth. 

 

“Chakra control is the key. That is why you have so much control over that stone now. I think our previous practices have helped immensely. We haven’t had time to go into different techniques, so I’m going to show you one that will evenly place chakra into each pool. This will go much faster now that you can’t distract me with flirting or short skirts….” 

 

You scowl at him. He is just as guilty of flirting…double jerk!

 

He grins mischievously and sits cross legged then claps his hands into prayer.

“Ok, put your hands together like this.” 

 

You look at him dumbfounded. (Is he serious right now?) You awkwardly try to place your paws together and end up falling over.

 

He looks at you then your paws and scratches the back of his head.

“Right, paws don’t work like that. Ok let’s try it without the use of anything. Just that beautiful mind of yours.” 

 

He straightens up.

“Close your eyes, I know it’s hard to do when you have someone this good looking in front of you, but just try….” 

 

You groan at him and close your eyes. By now Naruto has returned with a few snacks and quietly shuts the door. You slide one eye open to see if it is truly Naruto and watch him place snacks on the table. Your mouth begins to salivate immediately. 

 

Kakashi notices.

“Pay attention. We eat after.” 

 

You grumble at him, Naruto chuckles and takes a seat. 

 

“Start from your Sahasrara. Draw your energy from there.” He says. “Picture a white light building in that area.” 

 

You do as he says and feel a white light building above your head. Instantly you feel a sharp pain in your mind. You groan and shake your head trying to concentrate and Naruto stops you. 

 

“Stop.” He says and approaches you. He sits down beside Kakashi who looks at him questionably.

 

“You’re still using your stone. You can’t use both until you have chakra control. Believe me I know…” 

 

You tilt your feline head and watch as he lifts his shirt revealing a large symbol embedded into his stomach. The spiral circle seemed to glow and a faint whisper greets you as you look deeper into its power. 

 

“This is Kurama. Just like your stone, he was sealed away inside me the day I was born. I had to learn to use his power and chakra separately.” 

 

“Do you start chakra energy draws through your sahasrara?” Kakashi asks.

 

Naruto shakes his head.

“No, I have to be grounded first. That tree climbing exercise you taught me really helped with that. So now I start to draw energy from the earth. Or through my Muladhara.” 

 

Kakashi strokes his chin pondering the thought.

“It makes sense actually. As sources of energy drawn from the earth are pure. Your stone is a product of the earth's energy therefore starting from that chakra shouldn’t trigger the stone. Alright let’s start there.” He sits up straight and Naruto follows. 

 

You position your cat like self as best you can. 

“I want you to picture a red light pooling just below where you sit, Hana.” 

 

You close your eyes and picture it. But instead of a light, you picture a four petal flower. The same flower as your cherry blossoms you had used in your jutsu. It appears in your vision spinning upon itself drawing in energy. 

 

And for a moment your chest relaxed, easing the tightness that has been growing since you were born. Your headache stopped and you felt…healthy, clear, and peaceful. It didn’t last long as it is not easy keeping this energy going. But it was a start.

 

You open your eyes to the boys who are looking around the room. 

 

Kakashi brings his attention back to you.

“That’s some chakra pool you got there.” 

 

You blush and shy away.

 

“Yeah…too bad you can’t speak right now. It’s hard to tell what you’re feeling.” Naruto says. “But from what Kurama is telling me, we are on the right path.” 

 

Kakashi smiles.

“Perfect. Let’s try a few more times. I want you to hold onto that energy a minute longer each time. I can set a timer.” He flicks his wrist and begins to set a timer on his fake watch. 

 

Naruto makes a comment on it.

“Nice watch man, is that real?” 

 

“Sure is.” Kakashi replies.

 

You gasp at Kakashi. He glances at you and winks. 

(Son of a….)

 

He sets the time and all three of you draw in chakra over and over. Each time practicing holding the energy still. Each time your stone eases off and your body starts to feel normal again. But there is a problem with keeping it going. 

 

“Grounding is much harder than anything else.” Naruto explains. “Because our consciousness is up here.” He points to his forehead. “The focus has a long way to go to stay connected with the lower chakras. But in time and with practice it will come naturally. You may be able to do it without a thought.” 

 

You make another attempt, this time you are able to hold the chakra for longer than five minutes. It was hard, but much easier than the first time. 

 

After another hour of practice you lower your head to your paws in exhaustion. 

 

“I think that’s enough for now. We can try again tonight. You have earned some food. Good kitty kitty.” 

You groan at Kakashi for that comment.

 

Naruto laughs.

“Alright, I brought a ton of snacks.”

 

He gathers the bag from the table and presents to you all kinds of tasty treats including a burrito. 

“Kakashi said you like burritos. So I got you one”.  

 

He hands it to Kakashi who unravels it from its wrapper for you. He pauses holding it up, you are literally drooling from the mouth.

“I’m not sure panthers eat burritos.” He states. You are about to tear through the cage and devour it and his hand. He waves it back and forth teasing you while he pretends to think about the things large cats do eat. “Wouldn’t you prefer a rabbit? Or a live chicken?” 

 

You hiss at him and he laughs. Naruto hums nervously watching Kakashi taunt you. 

 

“Yeah I think she wants the burrito, Kakashi.” 

 

“You do?” 

 

You nod and whine at him.

“Alright. Here you go.” He hands it over and you fumble with it in your paws. You try your best to grip it but end up mashing it into pieces. Too hungry to care about dinner etiquette you devour it all, lapping it up and Kakashi laughs. 

 

“Too cute... After we eat. We will continue practicing until you are tired. But I’d like to go as long as we can.” Kakashi says.

 

“I have some work I gotta do after this. But from the look of it I think you’re ok with her on your own.” 

 

“Of course! You wouldn’t eat me would you Hana?” Kakashi asks, smiling away.

 

You shrug in a “maybe you would” type of way and he grins.

 

“See? We’re ok.” He nudges Naruto. 

 

“Alright. Make sure you punch out when it’s time.” Naruto reminds Kakashi. 

 

“Sure thing, Naruto. Did you bring any saury?”

 

Naruto nods and hands him over the bag..

 

Hours later….

 

Naruto left shortly after dinner to get his hokage work done. Which left you and Kakashi together alone. He worked you hard until you collapsed from exhaustion. 

 

Now you lie on your side on the cool cement floor watching Kakashi fumble about trying to figure out how to disarm the cage. He is determined to come in with you to clean you up and give you a good scratch. Which you protested. You are not an animal!…even though you kind of are…

 

“Ahh! There!” He flicks a switch and the buzzing around the cage stops. “Got it! I’m coming in.” 

 

Before he approaches the cage he grabs a small bowl of warm water and a cloth he had prepared and enters your cage with it. You only glance up at him, too tired to protest any of this. And you let him clean your paws and your face up from dinner.

(How embarrassing..) 

This is not your favorite moment between you and Kakashi. Having a man you’re in love with wash the burrito off your mouth is utterly embarrassing. But there is nothing you can do about it so you lie there and take it like a good kitty kitty. At least that’s what Kakashi keeps saying to you. Which you would occasionally smack him with your tail when he gets too mouthy. 

 

“There! all cleaned up!. You look less like an alley cat now.” He smiles proudly. “Tomorrow morning I’ll give you a real bath.” 

 

It was sweet how much he is caring for you right now. And he seems to be the only one not scared of you or worried about getting eaten. You wonder about that. He is literally fearless, you remember back when he held you close before injecting you with the sedative. He was so strong, even with your stone's strength he overpowered you. There is so much to him you don’t know. But from what you can see he may be the strongest ninja you have ever met. 

 

He pats your head gently and strokes your ears. You purr loudly at the feeling. So this is why cats like to be scratched on their ears. It wasn’t long before Kakashi and his gentle caresses had you laid out snoring logs and you drifted into a dreamless sleep. The first one in many years…

 

—————————————-

 

You wake up to the sound of Kakashi whistling a merry tune and the smell of lavender and vanilla. You groan sleepily and open your eyes to him. Making sure to examine all aspects of his back side. He has removed his black uniform vest leaving just his tight undershirt that shows all kinds of muscle tone…drool

 

He is at the table, back turned to you, mixing items into a large basin full of steaming water. 

“Good morning, Hana! It’s bath time! Hope you don’t mind, but I broke into your house to get your shampoo and stuff…smells nice…” 

 

You sit up on your palms feeling the pain of sleeping on concrete. Your lower back is killing you. Subconsciously you sweep your thick crimson hair to one side and sit up further onto your knees. 

 

“Bath time?” You ask, looking at him. You are still a little dazed from such a heavy sleep and don’t feel quite awake yet. 

 

Kakashi stops pouring soap into the water and turns towards you stunned, with the bottle in hand. His eyes widen to the size of quarters and he suddenly squeezes the rest of the soap out of the bottle while staring at you, mouth dropped open under his mask. You watch the liquid shoot upwards hitting the roof from the strength of his hand and it pours all over the floor below his feet. 

 

“What’s wrong?” You ask and your hair spills over your face again, annoyingly blocking your sight. You sweep it away with both hands while brushing It back with your fingers to hold it in place. This causes Kakashi to drop the bottle, curse loudly, and turn away quickly. But the soap spreading over the cement has made the floor so slippery he loses his footing and hits the deck hard with a thud. 

 

You gasp and cover your mouth. In that moment you realize you have hands, lips, and red hair. (…You have hair again!) And it has grown two feet longer than it was originally and spills over your body like a thick blanket. You pat yourself down in disbelief then look at your body to confirm that you are in fact a human again… your own eyes grow wide with a daunting realization. 

 

…you’re naked….

 

Kakashi groans on the floor swearing at himself as he tries to gather his wits.

 

…Kakashi just saw you naked….

 

You squeak at the thought, just as Kakashi stabilizes himself on his feet. It startles him enough that he loses his footing and hits the deck again, this time landing on his front. Thankfully, he catches himself before knocking himself out cold and sits up on his knees completely embarrassed and shocked. 

 

“Oh my god.” You whisper and try to cover yourself up. You end up using your blanket of hair to help by pulling it over your breasts and covering up your coochie with your hands. You watch Kakashi quietly, unsure of what to say or do at this moment. He is obviously having a hard time with what he just saw. His eyes are closed, his hands pressed firmly in prayer, he is whispering something under his breath. 

 

“Kakashi?” You ask meekly. 

 

He holds up one finger for you to give him a minute before he adjusts his crotch area. 

 

You begin to laugh. This is so embarrassing it is the only thing you can do. He has covered half the room in soap including himself at the sight of you and now can’t stand up due to his raging hard on and how slippery the floor is. You just have to tease him. It would be rude if you didn’t.

 

“You gonna make it?” You ask.

 

“I think I’m having a heart attack.” he replies, jokingly holding his chest..

 

“I think they call it a boner, you’ve had those before haven’t you?” You snicker. 

 

He glares at you then remembers you’re naked and turns his head away quickly squeezing his eyes shut. 

 

“You shush. You’re going to get me in trouble.” He replies and grasps the table trying to stand again. He is successful this time and keeps himself turned away from you. 

 

“I should have brought you some clothes too….” He states mostly to himself. 

 

“It’s ok. You didn’t know. I’m sorry you saw me like this.” You reply.

 

Then he says something before thinking.

“I’ve pictured it, but it’s even better in real life...” 

 

That brings a smile to your face and a flutter in your stomach.

“I’m still up for that bath…if you are.” 

 

You see his shoulders tense up and he clears his throat. 

“You shouldn’t say those things…I’m trying to be a good boy….”. 

 

You sigh disappointed.

“Alright. Well, I guess clothes would be the next best thing.” 

 

He straightens up and runs a frustrated hand through his hair. He turns towards you, his eyes seemingly sad and he gazes at your entire body for quite some time before speaking.

“You are a lovely sight right now.” He says breathlessly. 

 

Your cheeks heat up and you smile biting your lip. Hoping he does carry on with that bath. But he disappoints you again.He shakes his head, still muttering words under his breath. 

“I’ll go find you something and get someone to clean up this mess.”

 

And before you can respond he leaves the room as quickly as possible. 

 

As the door shuts you squeal with excitement and begin to laugh hard at Kakashi. Well isn’t this naked incident full of his own karma. You doubt he will be able to forget that image of you. And was he just praying a minute ago? 

 

You are sure your naked body has caused him a lot of torment. You hope it causes him as much torment as he put you through over the last two weeks. He isn’t off the hook yet. You still have so much to say to him as he is still enforcing boundaries despite confessing his love to you. This is all such a mess. You sigh happily, also relieved that your throat isn’t rumbling with growls anymore. 

 

It turns out Naruto was right. Grounding yourself was the key for chakra balance. Now all you need to do is practice until it becomes instinct. But what happens after that? 

 

So you gain control. Then what? Do you have the urge to take it further and combine the stones power with your chakra? Ninety percent of you wants to end it there, but in the back of your mind there is a small percentage that is curious about what you can do with it. That reminds you of your brother and what he had told you long ago. 

 

Your power is infinite if you can control it….

 

(Infinite Huh?…curious…)

 

The door to the room suddenly opens and in walks Naruto and Jiraiya. Your eyes flick over to them who are seemingly unaware of your naked human form. They are talking to each other and are too distracted to notice anything. That is until Jiraiya looks up at you. 

 

His eyes bulge from their sockets and a drop of blood seeps down his nose. Naruto scowls at him questionably then focuses on you and your barely covered body on display. His mouth drops open and he stops walking forward. But the sudden stop of movement in his step causes him to slip on the soap mimicking Kakashi's exact fall. He instinctively latches onto Jiraiya for stabIlity but takes him down with him. Both men fall to the ground playing a game of jonin twister while cursing each other to move.

 

You burst out laughing and Kakashi rushes into the room panting and yelling something about closing their eyes and not to look. In his panic he had forgotten about the soap on the floor and slid right into the boys already laid out. 

 

Everyone in the room is in a disarray but you and you can’t stop laughing. This is all too funny. Who would have thought your naked self could cause this much trouble for these men. You think they would be able to hold some composure but they have completely fallen apart. 

 

“Shit.” Kakashi curses and comes to their aide. He helps them up.

 

“Didn't you hear me?” Kakashi asks Naruto.

 

“No! I was talking to Jiraiya. I figured you were talking to yourself again. You do that sometimes.” 

 

Kakashi scowls.

“What? When do I do that?” 

 

“All the time!” Naruto says trying to brush off soap bubbles from his pants. 

 

“I do not!” 

 

Jiraiya stands straightening out his clothes and fixates back on you to get his fill of your indecency. Kakashi notices immediately.

“Hey! No staring! She isn’t for your entertainment, show some respect.” He smacks the back of his head, snapping him out of his daze. Each of them turn around giving you the respect Kakashi is enforcing and you are in stitches over it. 

 

“We need to get her some clothes before one of us ends up in the hospital.” Kakashi states.

 

“I don’t mind making the trip…”Jiraiya giggles which earns him another slap to the back of his head by Kakashi.

 

“Don’t tell Hinata about this ok?” Naruto whispers nervously. 

 

“I’m not telling anyone about this!” Kakashi says. 

 

“I was going to grab her some clothes until you two idiots came barging in. Did you even knock first?” Kakashi scolds.

 

Naruto raises his hands.

“Hey! I didn’t know she was human again and naked! Jeez she makes my sexy jutsu look like a cave troll” 

 

Kakashi huffs back at him and tears off his shirt. 

“She can wear this for now so we can all get back to thinking straight.” 

 

He takes a deep breath in and carefully turns towards you. You grin wildly at him loving all of this and he glares at you knowing how much fun this is for you. Cautiously he walks across the thick layer of soap to hand you his shirt. He holds it out to you and you rise up off your knees coming onto all fours. You can hear his breath hitch and you slowly reach one hand out to snatch the shirt. He gapes at you. You watch his eyes wander all over your body before he closes them shut and throws the shirt at you. It hits you in the face wrapping around your head and he makes his way back over to the table very quickly. 

 

You unravel it and pull the oversized shirt over your head letting it slip down your body covering up the goods. You untuck your hair and let it flow out around you. 

 

“I’m decent now.” You state. And every man in the room breathes out a heavy breath. 

 

“Thank god.” Naruto says.

 

“When did she turn back?” Jiraiya asks.

 

Kakshi shrugs.

“I don’t know. Between the time I had filled the basin full of hot water I assume.” 

 

Naruto gasps.

“You were going to bathe her like that?” 

 

He raises his hands.

“No! She was still a cat at that time. When I turned around she was…well..not a cat anymore.” His cheeks turn a noticeable shade of red and Naruto raises an eyebrow.

 

“I swear!” Kakashi says.

 

“It’s true.” You confirm giving him a break from this torment of seeing you naked. All men focus back on you. “I was sleeping, and woke up. Kakashi was filling the bath and I startled him. He spilled the soap then slipped in it….It was hilarious.” You hold yourself laughing at the thought. 

 

Kakashi huffs at you.

 

Naruto begins to laugh too and so does Jiraiya.

 

“It’s not funny! I almost knocked myself out!” Kakashi frowns.

 

“You know what else isn’t funny?” You ask.

 

“What?” He scowls.

 

“Laughing at a caged animal.” 

 

His scowl fades into shame and he lowers his eyes away from you. 

“You’re right…sorry about that.” 

 

The room grows quiet. (Touché)

 

“Speaking of cages. Can I come out now? I promise not to eat any of you.” 

 

“Of course.” Naruto rushes over to free you. You stand and walk over to the cage door to meet him. He glances bashfully at you for a second before opening the door. 

 

You storm out the door with one destination in mind. Kakashi, you’re not sure if you’re going to punch him in the stomach or hug him tightly. You decide to let God take the wheel this time. You walk straight up to him. He stares at you unsure of your expression and backs up a step. You come within inches of his face, although he is a foot taller, so you step up onto your tippy toes. Your eyes lock onto each other and you glare at him thinking back on all the pain he put you through. Then you remember how much of a sucker you are for him, especially when he’s shirtless…damn…His stern gaze softens weakening your own and you settle on calling him a fucking idiot and flicking the metal plate on his head band. 

 

“Sounds about right…” He replies.

 

“I’m going to go get some food. I’ll see you jerks later.” And you skirt by him, bound gracefully over the soap bypassing it completely and head out the door slamming it behind you locking it. You peer in through the window of the door and watch as each boy rushes after you forgetting about the soap again. And you laugh hysterically watching them tangle themselves in a soapy mess. 

 

“Hana! Come back!” Kakashi says grunting as he nearly throws Jiraiya off himself. 

 

“No way! It’s your turn to be locked up. You guys all deserve this! I'm going to get some ramen.” You reply cackling all the way.

 

“Hana! Come on! You don’t have any money. How are you going to pay for it? And I’m pretty sure they have a no pants no service rule!” Naruto replies, making a good point. “Actually I know so!”

 

Double Damn…

 

“Oh alright. Give me your pants and your wallet, Kakashi!” 

 

“What? That’s not happening. You can either go with me or not go at all.” He bangs on the door glaring at you through the window.

 

You both square off with equal stubbornness. Finally you cave.

 

“Oh alright.” You unlatch the door and Kakashi swings it open. 

 

“You will be the death of me.” He states and grabs your wrist tightly. You scowl at him protesting as he drags you down the hallway leaving the other two behind.

 

“Hey! Let me go!” 

 

“Not a chance! I will tether you to me if I have to. Or maybe I’ll get you one of those toddler harnesses with the leashes.” He begins to run through all the ways he can tie you to himself. 

 

It was kind of kinky…

 

“You’re turning me on, Kakashi.” You reply and bump him with your hip. 

 

His cheeks pink up and he stops talking about it.

“Shhhhh. You need clothes! And don’t say shit like that. I’m having enough trouble as it is…” he whines.

 

You snicker. 

“Alright. Let’s go find some clothes. I believe you owe me two dinners now, so we are eating out tonight whether you like it or not.” 

 

“I have never once said I didn’t like the idea…” 

You roll your eyes and your smart mouth gets the better of you.

“Oh right, you just had to space out your time between girlfriends.” You reply. 

 

He chokes and stares at you In disbelief.You ignore his stern gaze that is until he pulls on your wrist and stops you in the middle of the hallway. 

 

“I’m not that kind of man, Hana.” 

 

But that is exactly what he was doing…

You try to pull away from him again but he grips you harder.

“Then what kind of man are you?” You ask. 

 

He growls.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen…” 

 

It hurts you everytime he says things like that. Your chest tightens and you clutch onto it. 

“I know you have made it clear, you don’t want these feelings.” 

 

His anger fades quickly. He looks around making sure no one is close by listening. Thankfully the hallway is empty, for he grabs your other wrist then forces you into the wall. It was hard enough for you to thud against it drawing a small squeak from your mouth. He lingers over you pressing your hands against the wall looking down at your startled expression. 

 

“You have to understand. I can lose everything. We have a contract in place, and if I keep breaking the rules, and someone finds out you will be gone. Another jonin will take my place and everything I want will be taken from me. Including you!” He releases your wrists and glides his hands down your arms, over the sides of your breasts, stopping at your waist. You shudder under his touch and close your eyes, feeling him with every sense. He squeezes you and kisses your forehead. 

 

“Please, Hana. Don’t ever think I don’t want this. You are everything to me...” And he steps away from you just as two jonin round the corner ahead. Both stare questioning your attire and your position against the wall. 

“What’s going on, Kakashi?” One asks.

 

“Hana, is no longer a cat as you can see and she needs clothes. That is where we are going. To find some clothes!.” He snaps waving his hand over your body. 

 

You had nearly forgotten you’re only wearing his shirt. And heat up to the realization. 

 

Both glance at each other strangely.

“Alright. There are some hospital pajamas down the hall in one of the locker rooms.” He points up ahead. 

 

“Thank you.” Kakashi replies. 

 

The jonin bow to Kakashi, and carry on with their previous conversation. However they don’t hesitate to check you out along the way which stirs some jealousy in Kakashi. He growls loudly just as the men turn the corner leaving you two alone.

 

You let out a breath you have been holding and Kakashi turns away from you, placing his hands in his pockets. 

“I really need to put a shirt on. This doesn’t look very good right now. It looks like we just had sex!” 

 

He grabs your wrist again and pulls you into a speed walk. 

 

“Sex hey?….” 

 

He stops you there.

“Don’t even fucking say it, Hana.” 

 

You smile to yourself as he leads you down the hallway to find pajamas in the locker rooms

Chapter 18: True lies

He walks you by hand, very briskly into the locker rooms to find hospital pajamas. You pass by bathroom mirrors and sinks, toilet stalls, and showers. Then stop at one mirror hung over top of a counter noticing something strange about yourself. Kakashi tugs on your wrist to keep moving but you don’t budge. Something has caught your attention.

“Just a minute!.” You say sharply.

He turns back towards you.
“What now?”

In the mirror you see your appearance has changed. You stare at yourself studying those certain aspects that have magically transformed. Since your sudden transformation your eyes seem to change color in certain lights. They go from the deep green you grew up with to a shining gold. Your hair now reaches your lower back with a thick black streak through the left side. There is a more mature look to you, more toned, and also more voluptuous. Your hips are substantially bigger and your breasts? well this may be the best perk to the gelel stone and your cohort instinct. They are much firmer and round in shape. You bunch the back of Kakashi’s shirt you are wearing, holding it close to your body, to get a good look at the change in your broadened curves.

Kakashi releases your wrist letting you look over yourself and he indulges as well.

“Your eyes aren't the same. Like a hybrid between a panther and a human.” He states. “And you uhhh…well your body has changed a lot too…” He wanders over to a locker while you continue to stare at yourself as a whole.

It was strange seeing yourself like this. Do you like this new you? You’re not sure. It is hard to picture yourself this way. A second opinion would be nice…
“What do you think of the changes?” You ask.

You look back at him and watch as he pulls orange fabrics from the locker holding them up for sizing. He glances up at you.
“You look stronger.” He says with practicality, avoiding what you actually want to hear.

You tsk at him and shake your head.
“Was I not strong before?”

His eyes fixate on you in a half lidded glare.
“No, you had arms like spaghetti and legs like a chicken…a walking chicken Alfredo…but now, you’re more like a meaty steak and extra saucy…”

You stand stunned, unsure of what to say to that. He just compared you to pasta and an expensive cut of beef and you’re assuming the extra sauce is the extra attitude you have been giving him. He also said it with absolutely no tell tale sign he was being sarcastic.

You reply.
“Ok, I have no words for that metaphorical analogy as it makes sense in a strange way…”
“It does, doesn’t it..” He smiles happily to himself.

“You must be hungry or something.”

 

“I’m starving! I have had no one to cook for me for days! I’ve resorted to eating out again…it’s just not the same…”

You roll your eyes.
“You are hopeless without me.”

“I need you more than you know… Here, put these on.” He throws the clothes at you which hits you right in the face. You hear a faint chuckle from him as you unravel the orange colored oversized pajamas.

You hold them up examining the very loud color they are.
“You’re kidding right?”

He sits down on the bench adjacent to you and lies back pulling his head band over his eyes.
“About the chicken Alfredo?”

“No!….well… yes and no!”

He replies in monotone.
“That is confusing…”

You begin to put the pajamas on while arguing.
“I can’t wear these, it looks like I just got out of jail!”

You pull up the pants and tie the drawstring. You most definitely can’t wear these..

You throw him his shirt and it lands on his chest to which he clutches onto and says thanks. He pulls up his headband over his right eye to look at your jailbait self. Which doesn’t fail to put a wild grin on his face.

He corrects you.
“You mean the psych ward.Those are for psychiatric patients.”

You gasp.
“That's even worse!”

“I think it’s great.”

“And what makes it so great, Kakashi Hatake?” You reply with your hands on your hips.

“They are a definite guy repellent…I can now relax…” He sighs in obvious relief.

“Yeah! Because I look like a wack job that escaped the psych ward!”

He strokes his chin.
“You are wacky sometimes…”

You growl as this conversation is becoming very frustrating and just feeding his banter.

“Look, it’s just until we get you home. You don’t need to make a fashion statement.”

You sigh in acceptance.
“Oh alright. But straight to my house, no stops!”

“That's fine.” He replies.

“Let’s go then.”

Kakashi leaps to his feet but you are both suddenly interrupted by a text message from his phone. He pulls out his phone and begins to read. His expression becomes very dark.

“What’s wrong?” You ask, feeling the familiarity with this situation.

He looks up at you and in all seriousness and honesty this time, he replies.
“There’s something we need to talk about. But not here. Let’s get to your house.”

You chew your lip nervously.
“Oh…ok.”

He takes your hand in his and walks you out of the locker room and onwards to your house.

—————————————-

You are now sitting comfortably on your sofa in your own clothes. You have showered and are feeling ten times better. You have even made Kakashi a light snack so he can stop harassing you about food.

However the mood quickly changes when Kakashi sits you down for that “talk” you were trying your best to avoid. He sits on your coffee table in front of you leaning his elbows on his knees trying to come up with the right words to say.

“I’m not sure where to start….as there are so many questions I need answers to. And I know you haven’t been all that honest with me.”

You think back on the times where you have lied about yourself to Kakashi. You hated it, but you also felt it was necessary to protect yourself. You are curious of what he does know or at least what the rumors are these days.

You sigh at the knot growing in your stomach.
“What do you know?”

“I know that there are several villages that hold active contracts with you. I know that you have dozens of tracking ninjas wanting to either capture you or kill you.”

You lower your eyes to your hands shamefully.

“I know you have several aliases. There is one in particular that I need to confirm is actually you.”

He knows a lot more than you had hoped. You begin to wonder how long he has known all of this information and why this is all coming to light now.
“The name?” You ask.

He replies.
“Sunaneko.”

You close your eyes at the name and blow out a breath. You thought for sure that name was wiped from this world when you left the land of wind. You had taken extra steps to make that happen, where did you falter?

“Hana…is that you?”

You open your eyes to him.
“Yes.” You whisper.

“So you lied when you said you were a terrible assassin.” He replies with a bitterness in his tone.

“Yes.”

“The Sunaneko Assassin, from what I heard, had turned on her own clan. Is that true?”

You can feel your hands begin to shake and your chest tightens at the thought of what you did those years ago. Blood and bodies are all you can picture…

“Yes, it’s true.”

He sighs at you.
“Why?”

“The Sunaneko Assassin found out her clan was trafficking children. Thousands of children. They…did horrible things…” you explain as you think back on the day you found them. Tiny faces, beaten and bruised, huddled in the basement of an old run down mill.

“But she killed the children too…” He exclaims.

And you stare at him in shock.
“What?! No! That’s not true. I was there to save them! It wasn’t my fault, I tried to get them out…”

Tears swell in your eyes as you explain. “I didn’t know about the gas lines….they set me up dammit!”

So that is the rumor going around…

Your stone starts to glow painfully in your chest and you clutch at it breathing heavily.

“Hey…it’s ok… calm down.” He places his hands on your knees and gently rubs them for comfort. But it only stirs up more anger.

“Don’t tell me to calm down! I’m tired of hearing that!” You push his hands away and stand.

“Hana…”

“Just stop it! I didn’t come here to try and fix my past. I came here to fix my future!” You exclaim.

“So you didn’t intentionally kill those children?” He asks, pressing on. And you can’t believe he even would think you are capable of such brutality.

You glare at him.
“Do you think I am capable of something like that?”

He rises slowly to his feet and looks you up and down. But not in his usual desirable manner, this was more like he was analyzing you for deceit.
“The rumors say you were ruthless….”

“I had to be! You have no idea what I was up against!”
You hug yourself feeling like a stranger to him now.

“Then tell me..”

You huff at him.
“Gelel soldiers.”

“Soldiers? I thought they were assassins.”

“Not when you have an army of them. My father had come across a large piece of Gelel ore. He split it into thirty pieces and sealed them inside children he had stolen from other villages.”

“So he’s not your biological father?”

“No.”

“Then who is?”

“I don’t know. I have no memory of my parents.”

“You said your mother told you to find me. Was that a lie too?”

You nod shamefully.

He sighs hard whispering something under his breath.
“I hate being lied to. But I understand why you did that….” He pauses for a moment. “Just know you don't have to lie to me anymore….ok?”

You feel god awful about it now.
“I promise to tell you the truth from now on.”

“Thank you…So what happened to the soldiers?”

“I…killed them…I had no choice..”

“ Aren’t they your kin?”

“Yes. But…what they were doing was wrong.”

“The child trafficking?”

“Yes, and the drugs. Father was also training us to conquer lands. If I didn’t intervene he would have taken the land of wind. I wouldn't be here right now and neither would you. The world would have fallen under his power.”

He shakes his head in disbelief.
“How is it possible for one person to stop a war and destroy the trafficking camps all on their own?”

“Well…I wasn’t on my own….. There are two others who are still alive that hold a gelel stone.”

“The one who keeps texting you?”

“Yes.”

“And the other?”

“I don’t know where she is. After the accident with the children she disappeared.”

Kakashi searches the floor obviously thinking about who you are and what you’re capable of. Moments go by before he speaks again and you wait patiently for him.
“If what you’re saying is true then we are all in your debt…”

“I’m telling the truth this time.”

“I hope so. I’m here to help you not put you in danger.” He walks up to you and places a hand over the stone in your chest. It was then you noticed the fear in his eyes. and here you thought he was just angry….

“You’re worried.” You state.

He lowers his hand to his side and nods.
“I have a lot of worries…”

“What worries you the most?”

He swallows hard and his brows furrow.
“You will be called to order soon by the hokage of every village that holds you under contract.”

You breath hitches and your heart begins to pounds painfully at his words.
“For what?”

“For everything... But…. Hana you need to understand this…as of right now you are the most valuable ninja in all the lands. Everyone wants a part of you. They know who you are and what you are capable of…so far. I just hope they go easy on you.” He sweeps his fingers through your hair, tucking it behind your ear.

You stare at the fabric of his shirt. This is what it all comes down to. No more running from those who want to use you.
“I knew this was coming.” You reply.

He sighs heavily again.
“Yeah…We will figure it out. Let’s focus on getting control over the stone. We’re almost there.”

You pull him in for a deep embrace realizing that your time with him may be ending sooner than you thought. He wraps his strong arms around you holding you just as tightly thinking the same thing as you. You could feel it. His whole persona is filled with that painful realization.

“I guess we should start looking for a box to hide me in….” You say trying to lighten the mood.

He laughs softly into your shoulder and presses a sweet kiss on your cheek before releasing you.

“I wish it were that easy. But there is no hiding from the world anymore.”

You nod sadly.
“I know.”

“I have a meeting to go to in an hour. We will be discussing this whole mess and hopefully come up with a solution.” He says and walks towards your front door. You watch him put his boots on preparing to leave.

“Shouldn’t I be present for this?” You ask.

“Not yet. Not until you have control over that rock in your chest.”

You nod in understanding. It would be quite the risk especially with your stone still acting up every time you get into a heated conversation. You watch as he finishes lacing up his boots and for some reason you start to panic. You don’t want him to leave, the last thing you want is to be alone right now.

“Kakashi..”

He looks up at you.

You cross your arms over yourself feeling cold and alone all of a sudden.
“Will you come back here after?”

He smiles handsomely.
“We have dinner to go to, remember? I think your five year old brain is showing…”

You sigh in relief and laugh, thankful that who you were before Hidden Leaf Village isn’t changing the way he feels about you. At least it doesn’t seem like it.
“Right. Any idea where we are going?”

“I have some ideas.”

“And my attire for the evening?”

“Anything you want.”

“So….Skirts are ok?” You ask, as you do recall him saying they cause him problems.

“A dress would be better.” He replies and winks.

So he prefers dresses over skirts…good to know.

“I’ll pick you up at six.” He says. And you say goodbye extremely excited for your dinner date with your sensei.

————————————————

Chapter 19: The contract

Four hours later you are dressed in a tight bodycon dress black in color. Showing off your new curves. Underneath you are wearing a full set of lingerie right down to the stockings and garters. Your plan is to make this dinner very hard on Kakashi and tease him in every way possible.

He deserves it…right?

You left your hair down and curled it letting it flow naturally the way it likes to and put on some makeup with lipstick to match.

You check the time…545pm. He will be here in fifteen minutes. You wonder if he is dressing up this time. You hope he doesn’t just show up in his uniform again. It would be nice to see a little more effort than that tonight. The more you think about him the more butterflies fill your stomach. God you were nervous. Even though he has confessed his feelings towards you, it was still hard to believe and made you doubt yourself far too often.

You decide to drown those nerves with a glass of wine while you wait for him to arrive.

Usually you would be on your phone checking messages while you waited, but you had lost your entire bag at the gala and it was nowhere to be found. You’ll have to go out and buy a new phone and order in some new cards tomorrow as this is driving you crazy. You settle on reading about chakra polarities instead. A book you had picked up the other day from the library after returning the ones you had finished.

Fifteen minutes go by and you can’t help but watch the clock as you sip on your wine. Growing more and more anxious by the minute. You read onto the next chapter of the book.

Another fifteen minutes passes and you curse Kakashi for being notoriously late.

“Stupid path of life…” You say out loud.

He agreed to never be late again and he hasn’t been since you had set that in place. But as the clock ticks away and the minutes go by you start to doubt him. Maybe the conversation about your past has changed your relationship. Maybe he doesn’t think so highly of you anymore. You spiral through self destructive scenarios as the time goes by still holding onto the hope that he may show up.

You spend hours waiting for him thinking about all the reasons why he hasn’t shown up yet. Right down to the reason that he may not love you anymore…and it is all your fault.

You look at the clock again…8pm….you are devastated.

And you burst into tears at being stood up by the love of your life. You feel stupid for the effort you put into yourself and him. You feel stupid for trusting him and loving him the way you do. You feel stupid for telling him anything about your past, you should have just lied again. Maybe you could have avoided this heartbreak.

You sob into your hands at the kitchen table hating yourself. Then someone knocks on your front door.

If that is Kakashi at your door he is in so much trouble.

“You jerk!” You shout out loud.

Quickly, you straighten yourself up and fix your makeup before answering the door. You swing it open angrily to see Naruto standing at your door.

“Naruto?” You ask.

He looks you up and down then sighs.
“So it’s true.”

You scowl at him.
“What do you mean by that?”

He takes a deep breath in.
“I’m here to let you know Kakashi has signed off on your contract. He is no longer your teacher.”

Your heart stops beating entirely and your chest tightens making it hard to breathe.
“He what…? No…He wouldn’t do that.” You reply in disbelief.

There is no way your sensei would give you up. Not without a fight, or a good reason. You are everything to him…right?. That’s what he said…

Naruto nods and replies with the same emotionless tone he started with.
“He did. I am taking over as your sensei until our meeting with the other village hokage. From there we will decide what to do with you.” He hands you the contract you had originally signed with Kakashi in his office after those few days of persuading him, along with the bag you lost at the gala and your cell phone.

You take it all and read the contract over. Sure enough at the bottom of the form under the release of student title is his signature and reason written below.

Reason: Failed to comply with instructors conditions.

That reason just tore a strip out of your soul. It was crushing to read and tears begin to pour down your cheeks. Your breath is in hitches, you can barely stand right now.

“I…I’m sorry Hana.” Naruto says, noticing the heartbreak. His voice seems to soften as he watches your tears hit the concrete steps at your front door.

You look up at him and lose your shit.
“Screw you, Naruto!…you can take this contract bullshit and shove it!”

He stops you there.
“Hana, that’s no way to talk to your hokage and sensei.”

You glare at him through water filled eyes.
“You are NOT my hokage! And you are definitely NOT my sensei!”

He whispers something under his breath and replies, ignoring your rage completely.
“You have two options. You can either let me take you on as a student and get this stone under control before it kills someone. Or you can go back into the cage I released you from earlier today. It’s your choice.”

Your chest heaves as you analyze your options. Naruto glances down at your stone.
“I also suggest you calm yourself before that stone takes over again.”

You follow his eyes down to your chest and notice the burning sensation and bright glow of your stone. He was right, if you don’t calm down you will end up in a fight soon.

You take some long breaths in and out to help calm your heart. You need to start thinking clearly.

“Make your choice.” He says.

“Fine! Let’s get this shit under control so I can get the hell out of here!.” You snap.

Coldly he replies.
“I will write up a new contract. Come by my office tomorrow and we can get it signed.”

You wipe the tears from your cheeks.
“FINE!.”

His firm expression softens.
“Thank you. And again I’m sorry.”

You huff at him and walk into your house slamming the door on his face. You lean back against it and sink down to the floor. What the hell just happened?….

———————————————-

Two hours later…10pm

You are still sitting at your front door trying to come up with a reason for Kakashi to release you from his contract. One that doesn’t make you feel like he has ripped your heart in two. The reason written on the form didn’t make sense. You haven’t officially breached any conditions, maybe some subtle things. But that was on Kakashi, he was just as guilty.

By now you had turned your phone on and searched through it looking for any messages from Kakashi or others that might explain this mess. But there was nothing. In fact all of your messages to Kakashi have been deleted including his phone number which you can’t remember as it only showed up on your phone as Sensei.

This is the lowest point you have been in a long time. Except this time it is entirely out of your control and there is nothing you can do about it. You have so many questions, so many things you need to know. There is only one man who can answer those questions and he is avoiding you right now.

It was then you had an epiphany. You have never been one to be pushed aside or treated like crap. At least not without you voicing a very strong opinion over it. You had always stood up for yourself. This time is no different.

He didn’t even have the decency to show up and tell you he wrote you off in person. It’s about time you stop the tears and confront him. You are going to his house right now. You don’t even care how late in the night it is.

You leap to your feet and stomp towards your bedroom to change. Then you stop yourself. You spent quite some time getting dolled up for Kakashi, you're not going to waste it. So you spend the next half hour fixing your makeup and hair. You spray on extra perfume and storm down the stairs to gather your essentials including the contract to present to him.

You throw on your heels and swing open the front door to the cooling humid air. It was dark out, the sun had set hours ago revealing the star peppered sky and a crescent moon that lights the way in the distance. You take in a breath of confidence and make your way to Kakashi’s house.

Chapter 20: Breaking in

The walk to his house was unbearable to say the least. You replayed the whole situation over and over in your mind. Nothing made sense, it was all speculations and assumptions. There was no solid reasoning for any of it. All you know right now is that Kakashi asked you for dinner, failed to show up, and booted you out of his life in just a few hours. 

 

Thirty minutes is a long time to let your mind spiral out of control. And now, you are standing at his front door half regretting your decision. You can tell he is home by the flashing light from a tv in his bedroom. Is he awake? You have no idea but you don’t care, you’ll wake him up if you have to. 

 

You suck in a nervous breath and raise your hand to knock on the door. But pause to let your heart beat settle as your stone is starting to do a number on you. Then finally you follow through. You knock three times and wait, listening intently. 

 

…silence…

 

You gulp down some nerves and pound on the door again this time much harder. 

 

Nothing…

 

He is either sleeping very soundly, which is unusual for a trained ninja of his standard, or he knows it’s you and is ignoring you. 

 

You’re going to go with the second assumption as it seems far more realistic than a highly trained ninja who can’t hear someone knock on his front door. However, that second assumption pisses you off even more. You are now determined to get into his house and confront him no matter what it takes. You do recall Kakashi confessing he has broken into your house to get your shampoo. If he can do it, so can you. 

 

You look around the front of his house in hopes of finding an open window. As if the gods were listening to you at that moment, your eyes catch on a half open window leading into his dining room. You tuck the contract into your bag and swing it over your shoulder securing it for a climb. While praising the gods for helping out, you break into your previous sensei’s house. 

 

You climb up to the window easily, thanks to a nice sturdy vine covered lattice you used for leverage. You are now ten feet in the air reaching for the window sill. You pull yourself up opening the window the rest of the way at the same time. Then you slither your way through. Once your upper half is through you slink the rest of your body in. But the drop from the window to the floor was much farther than you had anticipated and you sway forward unexpectedly then plummet head first into the vinyl plank flooring barely catching yourself with your hands. 

 

“Shit…” You say out loud as you lift yourself onto your knees sweeping the hair out of your face.

 

Suddenly a light flickers on and his sarcastic voice startles you.

“Those are some top notch ninja skills right there…stealthy….” 

 

Your eyes snap up to him. He stands shirtless with rippling abs and a puffed chest, his half mask still hiding the face you have always desired to see, and his usual baggy pants that sit far too low. He stares down at you with that insufferable smirk. Happy at himself for stinging you with yet another sarcastic insult. You glare back at him seething over his behavior.

 

“I’m not trying to be stealthy! If I was, I wouldn't have knocked on the damn door, you idiot!” You snap back at him and rise to your feet, readjusting your dress. 

 

He grunts at you then runs his eyes  down your body and back up, this time showing that desire you love so much making you snicker at it. That’s right, this is what you missed out on tonight! #jerk.

 

And you lay into him, your anger rising to a level that begs to be released.

“I waited for you!” You clench your fists thinking about it. 

 

He places his hands in his pockets and says nothing in response. He only watches you cautiously, still running those grey eyes over your body. 

 

You growl at him and begin to shout as you can’t control your voice any longer.

“I even put on a fucking dress. What the hell happened?!” Then a sudden sharp pain in your chest stabs at you. You place your hand over your stone breathing heavily and wince through until it passes.

 

Your eyes fixate on him again waiting for a response that you’re not sure is coming. Finally he breaks his silence with a comment that hurts worse than the pain the stone is giving you. 

“You shouldn’t be here right now...” 

 

You can almost feel the coldness radiating off him. He is like ice right now and it is crushing your heart into pieces. “Why not?!” You whimper.

 

“Go home, Hana…” He says. He shakes his head and walks away into the living room ignoring your question. You storm after him while pulling out the contract ready to throw it back at him. He sits down on his sofa and leans back, staring at the dark wall ahead still trying to ignore you. Only a small side table lamp lights the room to his right. It creates a shadowed contrast over his stripped torso. Showing off those drool worthy muscles you so badly want to be pressed against. You hate him for being so damn hot…

 

You march right up to his handsome self and throw the contract into his face. He catches it easily and unravels it. You hear him curse under his breath as he realizes it is the very contract he signed off on earlier.

 

By now your chest is aching and not just from the stone. You curve your hands over the stone shielding it from your emotions. Reluctant tears begin to spill down your cheeks. Tears you wish desperately to disappear. You didn’t want to cry in front of him, you really didn’t. You wanted to be strong in this moment and not show him any type of weakness. But god, you are so in love with him and so broken right now. 

 

You carry on with your questioning.

“Failing to comply with conditions?! What the fuck does that even mean?” 

 

He glances up at you for only a second then looks away still maintaining his silence.

 

“Kakashi! Would you just fucking answer me!” You shout even louder. 

 

Nothing….

 

And you break down completely. You sit down carefully on his coffee table. The only thing holding you up is your palms clutching at the edge of the table. You cry quietly to yourself trying to understand his behavior right now. He is just so fucking cold right now. You are starting to question everything he has ever said to you. Did he really mean it? Or was it all just part of some messed up plan he and his fellow ninja have for you. If it is then you have definitely overstayed your welcome here, in fact…You should have left days ago, you would have saved yourself from this.

 

He sighs seemingly annoyed by you and your tears, confirming your suspicions.

 

Bitterly you reply to his puff of air.

“Look, if you don’t want me around anymore….can you just say it so I can leave this fucking village. You’re the only reason why I am still here.” You say quietly through sobs.

 

That seems to catch his attention. He looks at you with glossy eyes. It was then you noticed the redness to them. 

 

Out of nowhere he says.

“They found our messages on your phone including the picture you sent me.” 

 

You blink at him registering that information and it all comes together in that one sentence.

 

He continues on.

“I breached our contract and the repercussions for doing that is to release you. I am no longer your sensei…Na..”

 

You finish his sentence for him.

“I know about Naruto. He showed up at my door in place of you!” 

 

Kakashi’s brows knit together. He is noticeably confused about that.

“Did you sign a new contract?” 

 

“I will tomorrow as I have no other choice. If I don’t he will lock me up in that cage again until my hearing with the hokage.” You explain.

 

He sighs hard.

“I’m sorry, Hana. This isn’t fair….” 

 

You are dumbfounded that he can even say that word to you. 

“Fair?…you think I care about what is fair?” You ask. 

 

He leans over his knees and entangles his fingers into his tousled silver hair, very obviously frustrated. 

 

And you spill your heart out to him. 

“I don’t fucking care where they put me as long as I have you. I am so in love with you, Kakashi…how can you just sweep me aside like I am nothing? This goes beyond what is fair….” Your last words are merely a whisper as you are losing your breath again. You stare at the fabric on the sofa sucking in gulps of air remembering his love confessions yesterday. 

 

He sits silently with his head in his hands. His desolate silence almost hurts worse than the feeling of being unloved. He needs to start talking soon or you will leave tonight and never come back.

So you ask…

“Am I nothing to you?…just this morning I was everything…” 

 

He lets out a shaky breath in response. It is now obvious to you he is hurting too. However if this is as far as the conversation goes then you have nothing else for him. You will take the silence for what it is and just leave. 

 

You stand looking down at the mess he is.

“Fine, I get it… I’ll go now… I just have one request.” 

 

You wait for a response but he is locked into not speaking to you. 

 

So you tell him. Swallowing back your tears.

“Can you give me a head start before you tell your superiors I have left the village. I think you owe me that…”

 

That seems to catch his attention much more than before and he lowers his hands to look up at you with a touch of anger in his voice and on his half masked face. 

“And where are you going to go? Every village is looking for you, remember? I can’t protect you anymore!” 

 

You burst out laughing louder than you intended to.

“I remember! But you seem to forget I have been doing this my entire life. I have gotten good at disappearing. You’ll never see me again..” You threaten just as another sharp pain rips through your chest and several tears hit the floor. You cover your stone again breathing through it.

 

He looks at your chest then back up at you.

“You still don’t have control.” 

 

You shake your head in defeat just as he did and begin to walk away towards his front door only to be stopped by his firm grip on your wrist. You whip around angrily to meet his sad glossy eyes. Those beautiful metallic eyes that seem to sparkle in the light right now. They search your own while he keeps you in his hard grasp. God he is strong..

 

“If you have something to say, now is the time.” You warn.

 

His eyes continue to search the features of your face, flicking about your lips and back up to your eyes. Then he slowly releases his grip on your wrist and draws the back of his hand up your arm watching his own movement. Until he reaches your neck, which he smooths his full hand over, sweeping his thumb along your jawline. You whimper at his touch, wanting it so badly it aches. You wished that hand would wrap around your waist and hold you like he has so many times before.

 

His ears twitch at the sound of your cry, it sparks a faint dusting of warmth over his cheeks. Then he drops his hand and steps away.

 

“I can’t do this..” He whispers more to himself and saunters back over to the sofa. He slumps down, placing his head into his hands again in noticeable heart ache.

 

You watch his silent breakdown, now realizing he truly is in just as much pain as you. He just doesn’t know how to voice it. It triggers just enough hope inside you to try and give this one last shot before you leave. But you will do it without words. You will do it in his way.

 

You praise yourself in this moment for wearing the full set of lingerie, if he denies you in this then you know for sure where you’ll be heading. You unzip the zipper to the side of your dress and let it fall off your body. It hits the floor and you step out of it carefully as you are still wearing your heels. You take your lace trimmed body over to him and with the flick of your wrist and the stones power you move his coffee table out of the way. The sound of the legs dragging against the floor startles him enough to look up at you. There you stand before him in a teal trimmed lacy number with stockings and heels. He swallows hard, his mouth goes slack and drops open at the sight of you. He falls back into the sofa staring wide eyed at everything his eyes can see. 

“Holy shit…” He whispers.

 

That brings a small smile to your rosey lips, drawing you in to take a step towards him. Watching as his eyes skim along your body from your toes and up, stopping at your breasts. He licks his lips under his mask, his brows knit together most likely envisioning all the things he wants to do to you. This pushes you to move in closer, but he suddenly stops you.  

 

“Hana… please, I can’t …I’m your sensei…” He says with a strained voice.

 

You blink at his words and shake your head and reply with the truth

 

“…not anymore…”

 

He seems to glitch at those words as he stares at you as if the words have finally sunk in. He is not your sensei, there is no contract holding you two apart. It is just you and him and nothing else. 

 

“ Fuck… ” he whispers to himself and in a fraction of a second he picks you up and throws you over his shoulder making his way to his bedroom…..

 

Chapter 21: Pain for pleasure

Summary:

*warning* this chapter has very explicit content. If you’re enjoying this story don’t forget to give a kudos!

You protest against his shoulder demanding he put you down as you are still pissed about how he has treated you and don’t feel he deserves to take you into his bedroom without a fight.

“What the hell! Put me down you big jerk! I’m only the display model, not to be touched or taken out of its package!” 

 

And finally he laughs whole heartedly at you. 

“I don’t think so, sweet heart! …You can’t wear this in front of me and not expect to be touched! You wore it for that reason did you not?” He replies.

 

You scowl at his backside.

“I wore it to remind you of what you were missing, that’s all!.” 

 

And he follows up with one hard spank to your right cheek leaving a burning hand print on your ass.

“Bad girl!” He scolds.

 

You squeal in his strong grasp trying to squirm your way out. He flips you over laying you down on his bed and gazes at your sprawled out body draped over his microfiber sheets with hooded eyes. Your hair cascading out around you, arms curled into your sides unsure of what to do from here. His eyes run down to the center of your panties making you blush profusely. You close your legs, feeling shy all of a sudden noticing that somber look he wore earlier has quickly changed to something you have never seen before. 

 

Something wild and untamed. 

 

Something he may have trouble controlling if you push him too far. 

 

You bite your lip at the lust pouring over you earning a quiet comment from him.

“So fucking sexy…”

Those words spill thousands of butterflies into your stomach which overflows into your heart intensifying your love for him. But it also stirs your nerves at the same time.

 

You had come here with a plan, to confront his shitty behavior and get some real answers, after that? maybe tease him a bit with your lingerie. Maybe make out a bit if the two of you had resolved the issues…You hadn’t thought about what comes next. What comes with teasing a seasoned man, in his house, with a full set of lingerie on?. You can only assume that the next step is well…sex…. You chew your lip thinking about it as he presses his chiseled stomach up against your cinched knees. 

 

On your left shin you feel something long, semi-hard, covered by the cotton fabric of his loose pants, brush up against your lacey skin. You can only assume what that is. He is getting ready for you…and you?…you aren’t sure anymore. 

 

It’s not like you don’t want this, you have touched your aching pussy to the thought of it many times over the weeks. In your dreams you give into him effortlessly, whimpering for him to do whatever he wants to you. But thinking is far easier than doing, especially when it comes to the first time. Your very first time…

 

You are worried your inexperience won’t feel good for him. You are worried he expects something spectacular from you and you have no idea what to do in the first place. And with him looking down at you, his eyes asking for permission…you are scared.

 

He seems to notice your state of mind and doesn’t hesitate to tell you about it.

“You ok, kitten? You’re quiet…did you leave the stove on?” He asks backed with your typical banter, although his voice is huskier, dropping several octaves. That voice you don’t hear very often and doesn't fail to send a shiver up your thighs and through your core.

 

You take note of his new nickname for you and let out a tiny nervous laugh…almost breathlessly you reply.

“No, I didn’t leave the stove on..” 

 

“Good girl.” Rumbles through his chest.

He places his hands over your knees, putting more pressure on the pads of his fingers. Those fingers very skillfully slide their way down your upper thighs stirring those nerves of yours. His thumbs discreetly tuck themselves between your thighs forcing your lashes to flutter at the feeling of his hands being so close to your heat. His movements are calculated, graceful as if he has done it a thousand times before and you don't doubt that for a second. He is far more experienced than you in almost every way.

 

He chuckles at you and asks with expectation.

“Are you going to let me in?” 

 

You stare up at him through damp lashes from your previous cry, still frozen, still unable to move. He sighs, dragging his eyes down your legs again and carefully coaxes them apart. You let them spread the way he wants them to, leaving him to gawk over your lace dressed pussy in the flickering light of his tv. 

 

You stare up at the ceiling watching that said light cast beams of vibrant colors across the textured paint, feeling almost embarrassed over displaying yourself in such a lewd way. Any confidence you had prior to this has now since dissipated. He doesn’t hesitate to position himself into the middle, sweeping hands up and down the back of your thick thighs and occasionally squeezing the pliable fleshy parts. 

 

Then something soft and plush tickles against your left knee. Your eyes snap back down to him, shocked to find he has pulled his mask down around his neck showing you every part of his gorgeous face. Those parts you have been dying to get your eyes and lips on and good god is he ever beautiful. You swallow hard and say his name in disbelief.

 

“Kakashi?…”

 

He pauses his gentle suckles, looks down at you and bears an unsheathed smile. 

“Yes, kitten?” He replies, stirring those butterflies in your stomach again.

 

“Y-your mask…” 

 

He raises a cheeky brow which makes your cheeks flush again.

 

“What mask?” He asks.

 

You had pictured it over and over, piecing together the outlines of what you couldn't see under that damn mask. It was close, but you hadn’t imagined the soft look of his lips, the prominent parts of his jawline, or the how well his features clash together. He is the most handsome man you have ever seen, even with the subtle aged wrinkles on the corners of his eyes. 

 

He rubs his length up against you, snapping you out of your daze. You gasp as it bumps against the most sensitive area of your heat. He seems to notice how sensitive you are to that little bump and does it again just to test you. This time it is much harder. A small moan escapes your gaped mouth and you rise up onto your elbows to get a better look at what he’s doing between your legs. 

He unfolds your legs further gaping over your body and this time running his hands up over your thighs to your waist. 

“Just…perfect..” He praises.

His thumbs dig into the skin over your ribs until his palms lay flat under your breasts. His index fingers tickle the sides of your chest, while his thumbs ever so secretly push up and under the wire of your bra, padding at the tender mounds of flesh. At this point all you can do is drool over his facial features focussing on his uncovered mouth and his smooth touches.

 

You want to taste him so badly but are too nervous to ask. Thankfully he fulfills that fantasy for you. He lifts a hand and runs the back of it over your jawline letting his thumb brush over your lips. 

 

“These give me trouble.” He states while licking his own lips. 

 

Surprisingly you come up with a witty response to that…although it’s pretty weak…

“I thought you liked trouble…” 

 

He grunts in response, smiling deviously and leans in towards your parted lips. He tilts your chin up to his level and presses a gentle kiss over your mouth then pulls away producing a shallow pop sound as your lips separate. He looks deep into your eyes, losing himself. 

 

“So soft.” He says and comes in for one more experimental peck before his mouth engulfs yours in a heated, much-needed wide open kiss.

 

With each sweep and curl of his tongue around yours his hands move. They trickle over your breasts spreading wide to capture as much flesh in them as he can. This brings forth a heavy groan from his chest muffled by your lips trapping his mouth in a sloppy, anything but decent and appropriate kiss. Until finally he pulls away coming up for air, breathing heavily. He lowers himself down to your neck and sucks in the scent of your perfume.

 

“I have wanted to do that for so long…” He confesses into the soft muscle of your shoulder before nipping it hard. It sends a substantial shiver over your skin forcing you to cry out and entangle your fingers through his hair at the back of his head. You’re not sure why you liked the feeling so much, but the pain from his teeth sinking into your skin makes your pussy pulse and a small gush of fluid soaks your panties.

 

He suddenly pulls away from you, rising up to look down at your shaking thighs….

“You like that huh?” He asks in a chastising tone, one that makes you feel stupid for revealing a secret you never knew you had. 

 

You stutter.

“I-I guess I do…” 

 

He tilts his head questionably, eyes squinting, very obviously thinking about your response. 

“You seem to have all the answers…but right now you can barely talk…”

 

He brings his eyes to your faintly glowing stone and rests a hand over it feeling the racing speed of your heart.

“Calm down, Kitten...” He coos.

 

You swallow hard as his words only make you more nervous and he is beginning to notice. He scowls watching you chew your lip and his expression turns suspicious. 

 

“Is this not what you want?” He asks, noticeably confused. “It looks like you want it…” He glances down at your panties.

 

Oh but you do want it. You want it so bad it hurts, but your fears of pleasing him properly is what gets you. He has had women before you, one he kept going back to. What if you're terrible at it? What if he loses interest after? 

 

He asks you again, pulling you from your thoughts.

“Do you want this?” 

 

You reply through the strain of the lump in your throat. 

“Yes…badly.” 

 

He growls while breathing out and grips your hips then pulls you sharply into his crotch. You yelp at his aggression and hum an uneasy tune.

 

He notices that tune and challenges you.

“Tell me what you want!.” He demands.

 

You breathe heavily against his stern expression unable to say the words. In your thoughts you answer him, you want him to fuck you. You want him to be your first. You want him to make you see fucking stars. But saying it is much harder than thinking it. A minute goes by and finally you say something before he loses his patience. 

 

“I…want you to…” you choke again at your lewd thoughts circling through your mind, still not able to put them into words. 

 

He sighs and interrupts you.

“It’s ok. We don’t have to.” And he releases his grip on your hips and steps away from you. 

 

Panic….

 

Instinctively you latch onto him, squeezing your thighs around his hips and force him back between your legs with such sudden movement he nearly falls on top of you. This gives you the opportunity to grab him by his neck and pull him in for a deep desperate “don’t leave me” kiss. Your tongue sweeps across his mouth exploring anything left unexplored while your other hand searches his pants for that raging boner he has. It doesn’t take you long to find it…not with his size…good god he is big…

 

He grunts into your mouth as you squeeze his firming length, stroking it at the tip until finally you find your words. You release him slowly, and shyly tell him…

“I want this…but…”

 

His brows furrow.

“But what?…jeez you’re acting like this is your… first….time…” His voice seems to trail off at his last words and his eyes grow wide at yet another one of your secrets revealed. You cringe at him and his reaction.

 

“No way…” He whispers in disbelief. 

 

You sigh, letting go and lay back down on the bed covering your eyes with your hands. You are utterly embarrassed, especially by his reaction to the truth.

 

“You’ve never?…” He asks. 

 

You shake your head.

 

“Never, ever?” 

 

You become defensive over his extreme disbelief that you haven’t given yourself up to anyone before.

“No!…No I haven’t ok?! It’s not like I haven’t wanted to or anything…” 

 

He stands silently between your legs for quite some time thinking, until finally he comes up with some type of resolve.

 

“I… fuck….” He whispers. A frequent answer he gives you.

 

You guess this is game over for him. Considering he has now removed himself from the clutch of your thighs and sits down on the edge of his bed beside you. He is thinking hard about this one. 

 

Bitterly you reply.

”I know it won’t be as good as you have had. I understand that.” 

 

He looks at you and scowls.

“You’ve already surpassed anyone I’ve ever had. Let’s get that straight…. But that isn’t the problem here.” 

 

You sit up on your palms.

“What is the problem?” 

 

“I …well…I don’t think I deserve this.” 

 

You come to your knees on his bed shaking your head at his stupid decision. There is no way you can end this here. 

 

“That’s dumb.” You reply.

 

“It’s not dumb!” He argues.

 

“It’s stupid then!” 

 

“It’s not that either!” 

 

You both sigh. Fears aside, your pussy is begging for him and always will. There is no turning back now. You will regret not going through with this for the rest of your life. Why is it you are always pushing him to take things further? Then you remember back to when you first got your way with him. It took those polka dot panties, sitting perfectly in his lap, and your pouting lips to which he has already said they cause him trouble. (Evil grin)

 

You suck in a deep breath and force yourself into his lap ignoring his subtle protests. Let’s be real..He wasn’t trying all that hard to keep you from nestling into his crotch. You can feel his firm shaft still protruding from his baggy pants and can’t help but grind yourself into it.

He groans at you.

“Hana…That’s enough…” He replies giving you a small warning.

 

You look him square in the eyes holding his cheeks in your hands. Then with the biggest doe eyes you can display, you begin to beg him to fuck you.

 “Kakashi, please.”

 

“Don’t give me that look right now!” He replies just as he said before. #snicker.

 

“Pleeeeease?.” You beg and take his hand by the wrist guiding it to your lace covered entrance. You place his full hand over your wet pussy and watch him fall to pieces. 

 

He gasps loudly in disbelief.

“Shit…you’re so wet…” He says and cups you with his whole hand. 

 

“I can’t wait anymore…I just need you…please, Kakashi.” You rise up, letting his hand slip further underneath you and he shudders cursing under his breath. 

 

“You sure?” He asks, giving in.

 

“I believe I already answered that.”  you reply, and press his face into your chest sending any protest he has packing. He groans and slides his free hand over your back unhooking your bra. He brings his hand back around and pushes up the lace fabric covering your left breast and feeds it into his mouth. Once he has had his fill of sucking and nipping at your swollen nipple he lowers you back onto his bed. 

 

“We go slow.” He says and pulls his mask off completely, dropping it to the floor. He comes to you, forcing his way back between your legs far more eagerly than before.

 

And you argue with him….because that’s just what you do.

“And fast sometimes.” 

 

He stops his movements and glares at you.

“Are you going to be a good girl and listen? Or do you need another spank?” 

 

You shake your head and reply in a sweet melodic tone.

“I’ll be good… daddy.” 

 

He hums in a low voice and replies perfectly.

“It’s obvious you need one.” 

 

You laugh.

“No, I have you.”

 

He grins wildly and pulls your thighs open, slowly moving down your body until he is kneeling beside his bed, tugging at your waist to hang off the edge. He begins to remove your heels one by one placing sweet kisses over your ankles as he does. He drops your shoes to the floor and tells you to unhook the clasp to your garter belt. You do as he says like a good girl and in a smooth motion he peels off your stockings throwing those to the floor. 

 

You lift yourself onto your elbows, watching him closely as he starts with pressing open-mouthed kisses on the inside of your stripped leg starting at your knee, just like before. His kisses start slow, imprinting further on your skin the deeper he travels between your legs. 

 

As he approaches your core, Kakashi positions your legs over his shoulders, pinning them in place, not allowing you any chance to move as he tackles all the right places with his mouth. The sensation of his mouth getting impossibly closer to your over reactive pussy, has you losing your mind, especially when he blows at your center teasingly just to pull any reaction from you. Your fingers reach down and twist into his hair, holding tightly at his head as he reaches the crest of your thigh, suckling so close yet so far. You whine pathetically, squirming at the tingling heat building under your panties. However, that whine and your desperate wiggles does nothing to move him closer to where you want him.

 

He tightens his grip on your thighs reminding you who is in control and chuckles.

 

“Too much, kitten?” He asks.

 

You pout your plush lips.

“Not enough.” 

 

He laughs.

“Tell me what you want.” 

 

Can’t he see what you want? It is pretty obvious by the look of your dripping wet pussy and shaking thighs. 

“Teasing isn’t nice.” You reply.

 

He raises both brows and shows you that smirk again.

“No it is not, miss lingerie.” 

 

Your nose scrunches to that.

Touché…

 

He chuckles at you.

“Now tell me what you want….I’m waiting….”

 

You chew your bottom lip again trying to find the words. 

“Well…I…I want you to…” You hesitate at saying something so lewd. Then find a word that is more soft core porn.

 

“I want you to kiss me here.” You tap a finger onto your clit. 

 

He watches that finger closely, licking his lips, repeatedly picturing just what you said. His hand leaves your one pinned knee, moving into that exact spot. 

 

“Right here?” He asks and runs his thumb from the bottom of your lace decorated pussy and stops to tap on your clit just like you did. In an instant your hips twitch and your eyes roll back at the feeling. It wasn’t much, but the sexual tension building between you two is enough to pull a small high pitched moan from your mouth. 

 

And he doesn’t hesitate to comment, with a shocked expression.

“God…you’re so fucking sensitive…” 

 

He is right, you are almost seeing stars right now. 

 

He pushes your legs off his shoulders and hooks his fingers onto the waistband of your panties then in a desperate pull he removes them throwing them to the side. His hands find their way back to your hips to position your body towards the light of the tv. Stretching your legs open once again, letting them fall loosely. He gazes at your glistening center. The cool air wafting over your bare skin leaves you breathless. Before you can catch that breath he moves himself back between your legs, praising you. 

“You are so beautiful.” He says.

 

He leans down, hovering over you, cupping one breast in his left hand, and slots his lips to yours for yet another feverish kiss. You feel high, as if he was using some kind of genjutsu on your mind. Your arms reach up around his neck pulling him down just to feel his body flush against yours. You lose yourself in the feeling and his intoxicating scent, the one you seem to get drunk on all the time. 

 

Through the passion between you, you feel fingers trickling down between your bodies with one location in mind. That being the hot mess of heat waiting to be filled with pleasure by him. Two fingers find your folds and he releases your mouth to watch your expression as he dabbles in your juices. He breathes against your open mouth and presses his fingers into your clit moving them in a circular fashion. A strangled gasp followed by a whispery moan slips out your mouth. 

 

That forces his rough fingers to pick up their pace and press circles into your clit, eyes watching your every reaction.  Your hips arching up to further push against the friction he has finally offered you. He seems to love the wavering gasps and hitches in your breath. He shows it with his own uneven breath and parted lips gawking at the first-time pleasure you’re experiencing. His fingers caress you in the exact way you like it when you do it yourself, yet it is far better having someone else do it for you. 

 

You’re starting to really see those stars now as he works your clit into a climax. He knows you’re close by the curl in your toes, the shake in your thighs, and the repeated mmhmms and high pitched moans you can’t contain. Suddenly he stops all together and rises up off your body while pulling his hand from your slick pussy. 

 

You whine up at him coming up onto your elbows to scold him.

“No stopping!” 

 

“So impatient.” He laughs. 

 

You huff at him pouting your lips.

 

He chuckles and kisses you sweetly then asks you a very dirty question.

“Have you ever fingered yourself?” 

 

Your eyes snap wide and your cheeks pink up, another devious smile curls his beautiful lips. You have never used your fingers before when touching yourself. It just wasn’t something you felt you needed as your sensitive clit does the job well. 

“No. Why would I do that?” You ask.

 

He laughs at you hard.

“Ohhh…love…you are such a virgin.” 

 

Before you can protest that comment he moves down your body positioning his mouth just where you wanted it to be and that rude comment disappears, replaced with one full tongued lick up the center of your pussy. 

 

“Mmmm….yes!” You mewl and fall back onto the sheets. 

 

He kisses your clit, eyes locked on you the entire time. Ghosting his lips over your pussy, you curse him for teasing you so badly. At this point, all you can do is beg, beg and hope that it will convince him to stop giving you just the start of what could be more.

 

“Please…oh god…please!”

 

You receive no response to your begging, at least not a verbal one, rather the very lips that had been previously ghosting your skin have since pressed themselves against your clit. your eyes flicker down to watch the silver haired ninja, his nose pressing just above your clit which his mouth continues to engulf in hot kisses and flicks of his tongue.

 

He smothers you with that pleasure you wanted and more, as his hands dig into the soft flesh of your shaking inner thighs, kneading the plushness all the while hungrily devouring where you need him most. He is so vigilant, so careful, and yet he maintains a certain level of authority and sternness that keeps you in check. His grey eyes alone lock you where you are, no will to move now that he is finally lapping at your heat the way you had imagined. 

 

Your moans are more high pitched squeals than anything as his tongue delves into your juices lapping at your entrance. He lifts his mouth off you and brings a hand under to press his thick index finger inside. He slides it in slowly, you hardly feel that said finger until he gets down to the knuckle inside you curling upwards in a sweeping motion. 

 

“Oh my god.” You cry out at this foreign feeling. Slightly painful yet full of pleasure. 

 

He chuckles at you.

“I knew you’d like it.” 

 

And boy do you ever. You never knew about your strange pain for pleasure fetish until just now and can only assume it is due to your stone. That stone has caused you pain all your life, it is no wonder you enjoy a little in your foreplay. You feel that tingling sensation all over again, building inside your walls. Tightening around his one finger, you wonder what two fingers would feel like curved upwards into that special spot you never knew you had. So you ask through gasps and moans.

 

“Kakashi…mmm…”

 

“Yes, kitten?”

 

“I… fuck… I want…one more…” 

 

“One more what?” He prys, making you say it out loud. He stops movement all together until you do. #cry

 

You whine shamelessly. 

“Please…I want one more inside me…”

 

“Hmmm….” He ponders over the thought for a minute. “As you wish.” He replies and pulls out his one finger half way to make room for the next. You feel it against your entrance teasing you. You shiver with anticipation holding your breath until finally Kakashi gives you what you asked for. Another finger sinks in beside the first stretching you out and you close your eyes welcoming the feeling. This was more painful causing you to fist his sheets and hiss at him. But he easily calms the pain with a few sweeps of his tongue over your clit sending you back into that synchronicity of pain for pleasure.

 

He holds his mouth against you, not that he can pull away with your nails digging into his skull to keep him in place, tasting your flow of juices pooling around his fingers. It wasn’t long before you lost control of your body. Not with the size of his fingers stroking your pillowy walls inside and his tongue lapping at the soft skin on the outside. But something happens as you cum. Not only do you soak his hand and sheets in a gush of clear fluid, your stone goes crazy over it. Although, not in your typical explosive behavior. It begins to glow with power. You can feel a prickling of electricity running through your body intensifying your climax. It is no wonder you soaked his sheets in that moment, for all feelings of pain, pleasure, love, and the stone combined has created a feeling even Kakashi could sense. 

 

He pulls his fingers from your pulsing pussy as you melt into the bed releasing his head from your firm grip. He positions himself over top of you.

 

“Hana, are you ok?” He asks, very concerned.

 

In a daze you open your eyes and look up at him.

“Very ok.” You reply. 

 

He breathes out heavily.

 

“Why?” You ask, very curious. Did something happen?

 

“You broke my watch somehow and…well…I’ve never seen a woman cum like that before.” He stares down at your glowing stone.

 

Now you feel entirely self conscious about the way you get off. You have had some strange things happen after touching yourself. Once the light bulb in the lamp beside you burst randomly during your own climax. You probably should have warned him about these things. But that was the last thing on your mind.

 

“Sorry.” You reply shamefully.

 

“Oh no…Don’t ever be sorry…it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” He replies and kisses you deeply. “And fuck do you taste sweet.” 

 

That plasters a perma-grin onto your face.

“Wanna do it again?” You ask.

 

He smiles wide with fire in his eyes.

“We’re not even close to being done, kitten.” 

 

His nicknames do things to your heart that both drive you crazy and make you fall hopelessly for him. You hope he continues to call you these names  forever. 

 

However you aren’t able to think about that anymore as he has pulled you into his crotch preparing for the next lust filled action. Somewhere along the way he had removed his pants, most likely as you were getting finger fucked. Him being a skilled and stealthy ninja there is no doubt he could pull that off without you noticing. Yes, a very experienced ninja in more ways than one…

 

He pins your knees back just the way they were before. You are getting used to this position, although finding it hard to settle down your heart and stone now that he is completely naked showing off what lies beneath. You gulp at the size of him, not entirely sure if he will fit.

 

“Relax, love.” He says and presses a sweet comforting kiss onto your lips then runs his hands down your front petting you until your stone has stopped glowing completely and your breathing has settled. You hum at each caress and close your eyes letting the gentle touches shiver your skin.

 

“There we go. good girl.” His hands stop at your hips and he squeezes making sure you’re listening.

 

“Ready?” He asks carefully. “I’ll go slow.” 

 

You nod, your eyes still closed, and open yourself up further to him. He removes his hands from your hips hooking one arm around your thigh holding it tightly for leverage. Your toes curl just like before, as he pushes inside your entrance. The tip slides out a few times before he angles himself properly, guiding his length with his free hand. Finally the tip squished in stretching you out to a whole new size. That pain for pleasure tears into you as he grabs your waist to bury himself inside your spamming silky walls. 

 

You cry out in utter shock at the feeling. It was nothing like his fingers, but it did hit that spot that you and your stone love so much. His barely sheathed cock feels twice as painful and twice as good. He pulls out and prepares for another thrust back in, inching deeper and deeper.

 

“Oh god…” You exclaim at the second thrust, the third you curse loudly, and the fourth and fifth are barely audible words until he bottoms out deep inside your core. He shudders to a stop fully sheathed and looks down at you. You open your eyes, feeling small tears drip from the corners. 

 

He moves slightly and curses while squeezing his eyes shut.  “So tight…so fucking tight…” He whispers, then pulls out again, this time leaving the tip just at the entrance. 

 

Heavy breaths fill the air as you two pause for a moment to let it all sink in. This was a lot for you, he had officially taken everything you had to give. But before you can work yourself up over it he soothes you with a caress on your cheek and a long kiss. With your tongue tied and brain focussed on his mouth he slides himself in again this time not stopping until he has bottomed out. You tearfully moan into his mouth as he continues a slow steady pace of pounding into your juicing heat. 

 

He releases your mouth with a pop and rises up to watch you squirm beneath him. And that wild expression enters the room, plastering all over his expression and demeanor. His eyes glued onto you making sure he doesn’t miss anymore lustful expressions. 

 

He groans as your eyes roll back into your head now that your pussy is getting used to being so full. 

 

Through huffs of breath he asks as he is still concerned about your well being.

“Is it…ahhh…is it good?” 

 

Between the gentle rocking of his cock in and out of your satisfied pussy, the slight creaking of the mattress beneath you both, and his body hovering over you showing his wilder side. This… this… is all so magical. You never thought sex would be this good.

 

You answer him, with equal difficulty.

“Y-yes…faster….I want it faster…”

 

He grunts at you and picks up his steady pace. 

“Fuck… You feel so amazing…ahhh..yes.” God he is sexy right now. You can’t help but feel your walls clench at the sight of him unraveling before you. 

 

Then suddenly he releases his grip on you and pulls out. Quickly he positions himself against his head board sitting up straight. You watch him questionably and whine at him. 

 

“Sit.” He demands, reaching for you. 

 

Yes sir!

 

You climb up to meet him and straddle his lap taking note of his actual size now that you can see it from an upright angle. You’re surprised he stuffed it in you. 

 

“Hurry….” He shudders when you rest your hands over his shoulders. Your bra covered breasts lining up with his mouth. In his raw haste, he pulls at your bra tearing it in half then slides the remnants down your arms leaving it in a mess on his bed. He leans you back to gaze over your perfect form and watch you lower yourself onto his “to big to be true” length. 

 

Slowly and slightly painful, he fills you again. 

“Ohhhh…..” You cry out at this new feeling as this angle pushes against that pillowy spot that is dying to be hit. He clutches onto your ass pulling you down further, a low moan rumbles in his chest.

 

He guides you into a blissful motion, lifting you up by your ass cheeks and letting you slam back down. You find yourself enjoying the new mix of pleasure and intrusion, with his tip beating into you too deep yet all the while hitting all the right spots in the process. It feels so good you could sing. You begin to take over his movements in harsher thrusts as you bounce in his lap. This earns some sharp heavy groans from him. You both are getting close to cumming, your stone acting up again, buzzing with waves of euphoric energy. You are sure he can feel it too, for every time a wave passes he whispers or curses under his breath, occasionally moaning your name out loud. 

 

Suddenly a rush of energy hits you along with a very hard thrust, did he just get bigger? You dig your nails into his shoulders drawing out a hiss from him. 

 

“Fuck, Hana…” He curses. 

 

He pants heavily, the two of you inhaling and exhaling the same oxygen which does nothing to help with the burning in your lungs. (Not that either of you care), not with how tightly you're holding onto him and how roughly his tip is ruining every inch of your pillowy walls.

 

It is a strange feeling, the way your stone reacts to your orgasm. At the peak of it you moan loudly and so does Kakashi. You dip your head back, eyes rolling, and as if the gravity in the room lifts your stone begins to glow in a bright white aura, blurring your vision. It drowns your mind in bliss taking over the climax. Your hair flutters about, tickling your skin. Your eyes squeeze shut, body shakes in tune with his. 

 

“Ohhh…fuuuuck.” He sings, and releases inside you, filling your womb, painting your silky walls white. His sounds were beautiful as he came and filled your ears bringing you back down from your own high. Then exhaustion hits you hard as your stone settles itself. You collapse against him, unable to hold yourself up any longer. He wraps you in a strong embrace, cradling you almost like a child. 

 

The afterglow was more blissful than the actual orgasm. The two of you sit as you are, his cock still inside of you, plugging all of the mess. His arms tight around you and his face nuzzling into the curve of your neck, aching from all the ruckus you two had gone through. He strokes your hair nearly putting you to sleep. 

 

“Hana…” He whispers, cupping your cheek as it rests on his chest.

 

“Mmmm….sleepy.” You reply. 

 

He laughs.

“You should be, you tore apart the room. I’ll need a new tv now.” He replies.

 

But you can’t hear that part. You’re lost in your afterglow sinking further and further into the warmth of his chest. Until you slip into your dreams.

 

Chapter 22: The four letter word

Summary:

So this book got placed on hold for awhile and I have lost my collections I was was book marked to. I have no idea what happened.If anyone can help with bookmarking again into a collection that would be much appreciated.

A soft, golden glow spills across the room, gentle at first, then steadily more brilliant as the sun crests the horizon. Morning’s quiet radiance filters through sheer curtains, casting streaks of amber across tangled sheets and bare skin. Kakashi lies on his side, unmoving, drinking in the sight of you—the woman who has so completely and utterly undone him.

 

His silver hair is mussed, his mask abandoned somewhere among the discarded clothing. He doesn’t even notice it missing. What use is a mask, when you’ve already seen straight through him?

 

On his right, you sleep soundly—curled like a scarlet kitten, warm and soft, your breath a steady rhythm that echoes in his chest. Your head rests on his bicep, your lips parted slightly, a soft hum slipping through now and then as if even your dreams are content. The way your lashes cast delicate shadows on your cheeks—the soft curve of your mouth, the rise and fall of your chest—every part of you is branded into his mind, permanent and searing.

 

God, you’re beautiful. Devastatingly so. And he has no idea how he came to deserve this. How he came to deserve you.

 

He lies still, afraid to move, as though if he breathes too deeply, you’ll vanish, like a fragile dream the dawn will steal away. His mind races despite the calm of the morning. How did this happen? How did a man like him—scarred, jaded, burdened by so many regrets—find himself beside someone so bright, so real? You could have had anyone. A prince. A war hero. A man whole and unbroken. And yet you chose him.

 

Him.

 

The thought makes his heart ache. He is not worthy—not of your touch, your loyalty, your love. But now that he has tasted it, he is powerless to let it go. You’ve ruined him for anything else. There is no going back.

 

The sunlight slips higher, painting you in a warm halo that makes your skin glow. You look otherworldly—some seraph, some goddess, curled in his sheets. He stares, his breath caught in his throat. He doesn’t dare blink. Every line of you, every dip and curve, is something he wants to memorize and carry with him to the end of his days.

 

And beneath all this awe, beneath this overwhelming need, lurks the memory that haunts him still—the confrontation with Naruto. The contract. The truths he couldn’t argue against.

 

He remembers the way the Hokage’s doors swung open, and instead of a council of elders, it was just Naruto, standing alone in that great room, papers in one hand, your phone in the other.

 

“I had to look,” Naruto had said, voice tight, weary. “She’s not just a kunoichi, Kakashi. She’s a liability like this. You’ve gotten too close. It’s a breach of the contract. And she’s too young for you, anyway.”

 

Kakashi had stood in silence, shame and fury warring inside him. Because Naruto wasn’t wrong. He wasn’t wrong. But it didn’t make it easier to hear.

 

“You know what I have to do.”

 

Kakashi nodded, throat tight. Losing the contract felt like tearing away his last thread of honor, but at least, at least, he thought—without it, he could be with you openly, no more sneaking, no more guilt. A chance at something real.

 

But then Naruto had twisted the blade deeper.

 

“You think that frees you? It doesn’t. You’re still her superior. And now it’s worse—your feelings are affecting her training. Your judgment. You’re distracted. Missing meetings. The gala—you embarrassed us. Do you even realize who Arufa was? The Land of Iron’s envoy. And now we have a diplomatic nightmare on our hands.”

 

Kakashi clenched his fists at the memory, fury rekindling. Arufa. The way that man touched you, smiled at you like he had a right. The only reason Arufa wasn’t a corpse was because of the last shred of control Kakashi had clung to that night.

 

Naruto’s voice echoed again in his mind. “She’s dangerous, Kakashi. One of the most sought-after assassins in the lands. A lethal asset—if she stays focused. You’re making sure she won’t.”

 

But Naruto didn’t understand. Couldn’t. No one did. No one else saw the real you—the soft, sassy, brilliant woman beneath the assassin’s mask. No one else knew how you purr in your sleep, or the way you look at him like he’s worth something. No one else saw how you fit in his arms like you were made for him.

 

After that meeting, Kakashi had sworn—sworn—to step back. To protect you the only way he could. But then came last night. The teal lace, your soft confession about Naruto’s threat to cage you if you didn’t sign a new contract. And Kakashi’s vow crumbled. Because if signing that contract kept you free, and kept you his, then damn the rules. Damn the village. He’d find a way.

 

And now, here you are, curled beside him, glowing in the dawn, his salvation and his ruin in one breathtaking form.

 

His fingers move before he can stop them, brushing the spiral of the stone at your collarbone, trailing down to your breast, your belly, the heat between your thighs. You shift under his touch, a soft hum escaping you, and that’s it. That’s all it takes to break him.

 

He leans down, lips at your ear. “Good morning, kitten.”

 

Your eyes open, trusting, wanting—and the world narrows to you. Only you.

 

And when he finally confesses, voice raw with everything he’s been holding back—“I love you”—and you whisper it back, his soul shatters and rebuilds at once.

 

He is yours. Entirely, irrevocably, ruinously yours.

 

And as he pours his heart into every kiss, every touch, every breath between you, he knows: there is no going back.

 

There is only forever.

——————————-

“Hmmm….” You hum to yourself very surprised at the lack of food in this fridge. “Do you live off condiments?” You ask, turning you ear towards him while you rummage through the first shelf.

Kakashi, who sits behind you at his kitchen island gawking at your backside as you bend down, huffs and answers in the same sarcastic tone.
“I’m not much of a cook, remember?”

You reply, jabbing him again.
“Right…I’m not sure how you survived this long…”

He shrugs.
“Me either…but here I am.”

Luckily at the back of the fridge you find eggs, salsa, and of course saury in a takeout container from last night. You pull out all the ingredients and turn towards him, catching him in that said stare. You smirk at him. He has been watching you like this all morning, ever since you woke up. You place everything on the counter in front of him and begin to prepare breakfast and Kakashi brings up something you don’t really want to talk about.

“So…when do you have to sign that contract?” He asks, taking a sip of his coffee. Yes he is unmasked. In fact he hasn’t even picked it up off the floor of his bedroom yet.

You chew your lip nervously thinking about that damn contract.
“What if I don’t sign it?”

He puts his coffee cup down and that cool, relaxed Kakashi becomes serious.
“You have to sign it.”

You pout back at him.
“You sound like Naruto.”

“I’m nothing like Naruto.” He says with a stern look.

You give into that look.
“I know, but what if I don’t?”

“You’ll be put back in that cage until the hokage can figure out what to do with you. Some want to lock you away for good…I can’t have that.”

You picture it, being held captive just like before. You can’t have that either.
“You could always break me out.” You stick your tongue out at him.

He chuckles, thinking about it.
“As fun as that sounds, we wouldn’t get very far. Besides, you need to learn to control that stone and Naruto is your only option.”

You pull a pan from the hanger beside the stove and turn on the element.
“He’s such a jerk!” You exclaim.

“He’s actually a lot like you.” He replies.

You gasp taken back by that statement, in no way is Naruto like you.
“You’re calling me a jerk?.”

He laughs hard.
“No kitten. I’m just saying you have some similarities. It will be interesting watching you train with him.”

You smile at the word kitten as it still gives you butterflies.
“So you will be there too?”

He sighs.
“No….I’m actually not supposed to be in your presence.”

You stop stirring the ingredients in the hot pan and turn towards him.
“What do you mean?…I’m not supposed to be here right now?”

He lowers his eyes away from you for the first time today.
“Well..yeah. Naruto had made it clear that despite severing our contract, our relationship can put the village’s reputation at risk.”

You scowl. How fair is that? And who cares about reputations anyways?

“That’s dumb.” You state.

And he actually agrees this time.
“You’re right. It is dumb.”

Then your heart starts to ache as you realize you may not be making him breakfast again, in his house, in his shirt, after seeing those orgasmic stars..
“So, this…” You wave your hand over yourself. “Won’t be happening again?”

He looks up to you with sad eyes.
“I want “this” to happen everyday. If you’re willing to keep it on the down low for awhile….i know that’s not ideal…but once you have control things will come together. Promise.”

You chew your lip thinking about it. It hurts keeping your relationship a secret. But it is also a little exciting and devious. Which is right up your alley. You begin to think of all the ways you can tease and torture your silver haired ninja. A vision of you standing in a sexy outfit in his office flashes through your mind. His hand over your mouth, trying to keep you quiet as he man handles you against his desk…oh yes…you can do this.

“Now that look has trouble written all over it.” Kakashi says, bringing you out of your fantasies.

You bite your lip and smile.
“Trouble? Me?” You ask sarcastically

You plate breakfast, keeping the saury far away from yours.

“Ohhhhhh….yes. Trouble is your middle name. Whatever you’re planning, I hope it doesn’t cause me anymore heart attacks. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

You giggle and set his plate down then take your seat beside him.
“That poor heart of yours.” You nudge him and he nudges you back.

“I know right?” He takes his first bite of breakfast and closes his eyes relishing over it.

You snicker at him.
“Good?”

Through mouthfuls he answers.
“I don’t know how you do it.”

He is literally bouncing in his seat. Then a text comes in on your phone. Kakashi glances at it and slides it over. You cringe.
“It’s Naruto….and…. Konohamaru…”

You notice a slight flare of jealousy in Kakashi at the name Konohamaru.
“What does Kono want?”

You can’t help but smile at his concern.
“Let me see.” You open the text and read out loud.

“Hey beautiful. I hope you’re ok. Can we go for coffee and talk? I need to ask you something but want to do it in person”

Kakashi clears his throat and drops his fork on his plate, obviously disturbed.

“You ok?” You ask.

“Oh yeah…I just…”

You can tell this is bothering him quite a bit so you cut him off and respond with something that comforts his worries.
“I’m not going to go. I have no interest in Konohamaru….I’ll tell him right now to buzz off.”

You begin to type and Kakashi stops you by placing one large hand over yours.
“No…I think you should go.” You look up at him questionably. “I am curious what he has to say.”

“Really?”

He sighs.
“Really.”

“But!….Don’t go falling in love or anything ok?” He says much more quietly.

You burst out laughing.
“With Konohamaru?”

He scowls.
“Well, you two did “suck face” just the other day….”

Your mouth drops open at that comment.
“Suck face? Seriously?! Is that what you call it?”

He shrugs.
“I’m not going to call it something nice. Drives me crazy he got to be your first kiss.”

Touché….

Doesn’t that reply change your tone…You sweep your hair to the side upset over this situation.
“Do you really think it would benefit us for me to go out for coffee with this guy?”

Kakashi leans forward over the counter thinking about it.
“I don’t know. He could have some information on what the higher ups have planned for you. My gut says he isn’t just asking you out. He wants to warn you about something.”

You sigh heavily knowing Kakashi is right.
“Alright, I’ll make a plan to go see him, but just this once!.”

You study Kakashi expecting him to be relieved by your conclusion. But he is still very shook up.
“I think you should…fuck I can’t believe I’m going to say this…I think you should let him “court” you for a bit.”

You blink at him and reply in a dangerous tone.
“Court me? Is this the eighteenth century?”

He raises his hands in surrender.
“Now hear me out! The more time you spend with Konohamaru, the better it looks on our end. He is also a great source of information from the higher ups. And with those perfect breasts and full lips I bet he’d melt over you and tell you whatever you want to know….since they have pushed me out of the way, I can’t help you as much anymore…you need to get the information yourself. ”

You sit shocked that the love of your life is asking you to pretend to be someone else’s.

“You want me to date Konohamaru?”

His eyes grow wide.
“What?! No! Not that! Please don’t do that! I just want you to be closer friends…please don’t suck face with him anymore…”

You slap his arm and raise your voice. You can’t believe he would even think you would do that…again…
“I'm not going to suck face with him you idiot!”

He finally sighs in relief.
“Thank god. I think that would break me.” He confesses.

That changes your tone once again.
“I would never do that to you…fuck…this sucks.”

He nods.
“Yeah…but to get out of this, we need to be clever. One step ahead of everyone else.” Hw holds up a hand to perform your secret handshake.

“Alright, I’ll be extra good “friends” with Konohamaru. For informational purposes only!”

And Kakashi throws another comment in.
“And no falling in love…or sucking face.”

You glare at him.
“We’ve already established that!”

He smiles at you lovingly, melting your anger away.

“What does Naruto have to say?” He asks bringing your attention back to your phone.

You open the text box and read out loud.
“Good morning, it is 11am, I hope to see you soon to sign that contract. I am out of office by 3pm. Can you please try to make it here before then? The more we delay the longer it will take to get your training done. I look forward to seeing you soon.”

Kakashi smiles.
“Well that is a nice text. Very professional and kind”.

You glare at him again and retort.
“Unlike yours.”

That smile quickly fades away.
“Hey! It’s too soon for that remark, besides, you liked it...” He replies and ruffles your hair.

And you reply by changing the subject.
“Maybe…..and now that we’ve planned out my day. What are you doing today?” Asking him suspiciously.

“I have a shit ton of cleaning up to do from your explosive orgasms, and I need to price out a new tv.” He flicks his wrist to check the time then remembers you had broken his watch too. He curses. “And I need a new watch.”

You snicker at him.
“I’m sure you can find another cheap knock off at the silk trade market.”

“That knock off was priceless.” He purses his lips.

You laugh loudly.
“Priceless, because it wasn’t worth anything!”

“It was about the memories and the good times I had with that watch, Hana. It’s not always about the money honey….” He says pouting his lips.

And you can’t help but make fun of him further as that watch took part in a subtle banter war between you two for days..
“Is that because it sits on your “good” hand?” You make a fist and mimic him jerking off. “I bet you have all kinds of memories and good times.” You follow up with a wink.

He pauses slightly shocked at what you assumed and shakes his head grinning wildly.
“I guess I should get you a matching watch, now that I have an extra “good” hand.”

You gasp and cover your mouth trying desperately to come up with a one up on him. However he has left you speechless at the kitchen island as he makes his way into the bedroom. You watch him the entire way trying to figure out what to say back .

He stops at the door and smiles deviously.
“Come kitten, let’s go suck face in the bedroom before you leave.”

You squeal at him.
“Kakashi!!! Would you stop calling it that! It is NOT romantic in any way!”

He cackles as he walks into the bedroom and you follow him in like a love struck fool.

Chapter 23: A New Contract

“Have a seat, Hana.” Naruto says waving his hand over a very vibrant colored chair. The entire room looked like the inside of an orange with pops of yellows and reds. It almost blinded you upon entering the room.

“No thanks I’ll stand.” You reply in monotone and cross your arms. You definitely have your shackles up for this meeting.

He looks you up and down and sighs.
“You’re not going to make this easy are you?”

Is he kidding? Of course you won’t…

“None of this has been easy Naruto! I have been dragged through all kinds of shit without any will of my own. I get no say in what happens to me…you try living your life that way and be expected to plaster a smile on your face and go along with it.”

He blows out a long breath.
“Then let’s get through this so you can live a better life.” He pushes the contract on his desk forward.

You approach the desk and pick up the paper to read it.

Hidden Leaf Village Academy Corp.
(Konohagakure)

Sensei: Naruto Uzamaki

Student: Hana Hoki.

You appreciate him using this name as the others were never yours to begin with. This name was one “you” had chosen for yourself. The others were all given to you by criminals, or people who you don’t associate with anymore.

You read on skimming past the liability portion, getting right down to the important parts.

This contract holds Hana Hoki as a kunoichi for Hidden Leaf Village (Konohagakure) in a life long lease with no ending term. There will be no release under any circumstances until all demands are met.

Hana Hoki is to proceed with training up to and until Naruto Uzamaki feels he/she has completed her training to his/her standards. His/her advancement is subject to contract work. Including missions in all class settings. Any Black Op or S class missions will be taken priority over any lower class missions.

This is concerning for you. Never once have you signed a contract without a term ending. They are trying to keep you for themselves. They are also contracting you out in high rated class missions. Just what you didn’t want to do.You read on...

Hana Hoki is no longer granted the freedom to frequent other lands or villages without permission and the escort of a minimum of three Anbu Black Ops.

Hana Hoki will abide by these conditions. Failure to comply with these conditions, Naruto Uzamaki is to place Hana Hoki into protective custody immediately for the safety of the village and its surrounding allies.

You swallow hard at that last part of the contract. How can you sign something like this?

You drop the contract on the table and look up at Naruto, eyes watering. He sits calmly in his orange office chair, hands folded in front of himself watching you.

You can feel your stone starting to act up again. So you take a moment to look around the room as your mind registers all of this. To your left you see an entire wall of superhero comics, action figures, and collectibles. Ahead of you is the large floor to ceiling window that looks out over the village. And to your right is hokage memorabilia of previous leaders. This nerdy and overly colorful office is going to be something you see for the rest of your life now. You recall what Kakashi had said, that once your training is done you will have no more worries. But now, if you sign this contract you will be forced into being a contact ninja, doing exactly what you didn't want to do and for the rest of your life.

“What do you think?” Naruto asks.

You glare at him.
“Do you want the truth?”

He tilts his head and leans back in his chair.
“Sugar coat it please.”

You huff. You’re dying to tell him exactly what you think of this stupid fucking contract.
“Alright. I think it is illegal and goes against human rights. What makes you think I want to be a Kunoichi? What makes you think I want to carry out missions for you?”

His brows knit together in confusion.
“You don’t want to be a ninja?”

You shake your head.
“Not one bit.”

“Why?”

You hug yourself feeling shy all of a sudden.
“I…don’t like killing people.” You say quietly.

He sighs and turns his chair towards the window.
“Yet you do it so well…so the rumors say….” He states.

That comment hurts more than it should.
“Not by choice! You said I would be free once we finish training! But this is far from freedom, I am signing away my life to this village forever. I can’t even travel without an escort!” You clench your fists and your stone begins to glow.

He turns back to you and glances down at your chest.
“We have to keep the lands safe. As of right now you are the most dangerous assassin in the world and you have no control over your power….”

You interrupt him.
“And what happens when I do get control? Why am I still under your goddamn rule?”

“You have a dangerous past Hana. We must establish trust first before we can grant you freedom. We need to know indefinitely that you will not betray us or our allies.”

You slump down in that stupid orange chair placing your head in your hands.
“I hate this…I never wanted this…I just wanted to grow up like a normal person.”

“We all have the responsibility to do what is right with what has been given to us.” He taps on his stomach as a reminder of the power he holds. “We are very much alike you and I. I understand what you are going through. If we can trust you to defend our village from our enemies. To put your heart on the line for your home, then we have no problems. I will revise the contract and we can come to a more lenient agreement. But you must finish your training and earn your place here.”

“What if I don’t want to stay?” You ask, mostly out of curiosity.

He shakes his head.
“There is no other place for you. You said it yourself. I will make sure that no other village gets a hold of you. I will make sure you are safe from politics, safe from those who want to use you for terrible things. However, I can’t guarantee your safety without something in exchange.”

You scowl at him. What a fucking hiprocrate.
“So you want to contract me out to do terrible things!”

“That’s not true. Sixty percent of our missions are helping people without bloodshed.” He replies.

“And what about the S class missions and black ops? Those are for killers.” You ask.

“You are looking at this all wrong. You call them killers, but they are also heroes. They put their lives on the line to save the lives of the ones they love. You need to stop thinking your enemies are justified. Your enemies would not hesitate to kill you and everything you love without a second thought. We need your help, Hana. We haven’t come across someone as skilled as you in a long time and it’s about time you found a village to protect and serve in, don't you think?”

You entangle your fingers through your hair fuming with frustration. Both of you sit quietly thinking.

Finally you lower your hands and look up at him wiping the tears from your eyes.
“But what if the enemy is just trying to defend themselves? What if they are doing the exact thing I am…saving lives?”

He leans forward on his desk and looks you straight in the eyes with intense severity.
“In no way does this village attack another village unless it is threatened. We do not contract kill, we do not kill unless absolutely necessary. Anything higher than an S class mission is analyzed by several elite jonin prior to initiation. You have my word on that, we are…or at least we try to be as peaceful as possible.”

These are things you have not heard of from other villages. Most villages want more than what they have and don’t hesitate to take it even at the unnecessary cost of lives. If what Naruto is saying is true, then this is the best place for you despite the lack of freedom. Here you can feel “safe” in some way.

You take a deep breath in, calming yourself.
“Alright, Naruto Uzamaki. You have my life in your hands. As long as you stay true to your word and don’t place me in a situation where I have to take innocent lives.”

“I assure you we don’t do that here.”

He looks sincere, but you are still hesitant as you have been deceived before.
“It looks like we both need to build trust with each other. As I have been lied to before and placed in horrible situations. I will sign the contract, but can you promise me something?”

“Of course.”

“Promise me that when you feel I have served my purpose here, that you will let me go live the way I want to? I just want a home and a family to call my own”.

And finally he shows some real sincere emotion. His stern glare turns very soft, and he smiles wide. You almost double take at the way he looks right now. He was actually a handsome man, with a great smile when he isn’t scowling at you.

“Of course, Hana. We want all of our people to feel safe and happy here.”

You blush at the warmth radiating off of him and shy away.
“Thank you.”

He springs to his feet and passes you a pen overly excited.
“Let’s get this signed! I want to start training as soon as possible!”

You pick up the pen and take a deep breath then sign the contract and hand it over.
In a louder than usual voice he says.
“I’m proud of you! And officially welcome you here as a kunoichi in Konohagakure! We will make sure you are taken care of in the best way.”

 

You smile although it still doesn’t feel right.
“I hope so.”

Then he does something strange. He gives you a thumbs up, winks, and says.
“Believe it!” Very loudly.

You stare blankly at him.
“What was that?”

He lowers his hand.
“What do you mean?”

You reply mimicking him.
“Believe it?”

“Yeah…believe it is going to happen. It’s just something I say.” He replies and shrugs.

You raise a brow.
“Like a trademark?”

His face turns red suddenly and he scratches the back of his head.
“Uhhhh…I guess so?”

You blow out an awkward breath and turn away from him walking towards the door.
“Right…. I’m going to go now. When do we meet for training?”

He clears his throat.
“Tonight. We meet in the field you and Kakashi have trained in before.”

“What time?”

“Nine o clock. Bring something to eat and drink.”

“Ok, sensei.” You salute him and he smiles waving as you leave.

——————————-

It’s 8pm, you are sitting at your vanity in your room braiding your hair. You’re almost ready for your training session with Naruto. All you need to do is grab a snack and a bottle of water.

You finish your last braid and tether it with an elastic. Then a text comes in on your phone. Immediately your heart flutters as you read it.

Hey 🐱, got a new phone. Put this number back on your list of favorites. Preferably above Konohamaru. You can even name it “My King” as I do accept references to royalty. 😏 👑. ..

You laugh out loud at that and reply.

🤨 Konohamaru is not on my favorites list. It is just you..and the taco place down the road. But I’ve already named you. …Daddy. 😏

You wait a few seconds before he replies.

😑 you did not…

Lol I may have… you reply.

😒……

I thought you liked being called daddy. 😂😂😂

He replies right away.
Only during sex, and it is very selective. You’re the only one who can make it “hot”….

You blush thinking about the times you have called him that. It might be time for a new nickname for him.

Ok no more daddy stuff. 😂

To which he replies.
I didn’t say stop... Just when it’s hot you can say it. Anyways…what are you doing right now?

He is literally the best.
I am getting ready for my late night training session with Naruto.

Oh yeah…where is that at?

At the field you took me to before.😊

While he responds you gather your things and head downstairs to make some food, stopping to read his text along the way.

That’s a good spot. Did he show you his trademark yet?

You burst out laughing and reply.

Lmao yes! Is it just me or is it weird?”

You place your phone down quickly to gather some snacky foods into a bag then turn back to your text.

It was at first as he always says it at weird times. I’m actually kind of jealous, I wish I had a trademark.

😂 you do have a trademark. That damn mask drove me crazy for weeks!

You stop to fill your drink container and place it in the bag then tie it and head towards the door to put your boots on.

Kakashi replies.
That’s a lame trademark…..😒

I think it’s hot.…😜. you reply.

Speaking of hot…got any more of those sexy photos to send me?”

You think about it. There is one file under a passcode on your phone that holds those special photos you have taken and never sent because you were too scared to do it. You wonder if Naruto and his henchmen of investigators had found it. You scroll over to find the file which is secretly labeled as burrito flavors and open it. You punch in the passcode which is of course jalapeño and it opens, revealing a few lewdy pics you had intended to send Kakashi if he was misbehaving. Looks like Naruto couldn’t figure this one out. You smile deviously as there is one photo on there you experimented with. A bare breasted photo with the perfect angle of sweeping curves and hard nipples. Your hair spilling around you, and a subtle bite to your lip with hooded eyes as you lie on your bed. White lacey panties for that innocent touch and matching stockings.

Now this photo you weren’t sure of, as it is the most sexualized selfie you have ever taken. But you are sure your silver haired ninja will love it.

You don’t bother to respond back to him. Instead you send the photo and watch him unfold. It sits on delivered for a few seconds before showing read and he replies perfectly.

It’s painful how sexy you are. 🥵

You can’t believe the sex drive of this man, it is obvious he can’t get enough of you as he has been hounding you all day. You had pleased each other three times since last night and he is still asking for more. You begin to wonder if you can keep up with him and also what has gotten him so hooked on you. Then a text from Naruto comes in reminding you of your meetup. You check the time…845pm. You’ll make it there at exactly 9pm if you leave now. You send Kakashi a quick text before leaving.

I gotta go now. Message you later. 💋

He responds.
Feel free to obnoxiously break through my window again for some snuggles….if you want….”

Oh you’ll be there. But you’re going to make him think you may or may not. He can’t always get his way with you so easily.
I’ll see how late it goes. Leave the window unlocked just in case 😜

Will do. 😜

And you rush out the door to make it to your meeting.

——————————————-

You walk into the darkening field. The sun is setting in the distance casting pastel colors over the sky. Yet it doesn’t match the desolate scenery below you. This is where they had captured you when you had turned into your cohort instinct. This is where your fellow ninja had torn up the field to find you and thrown you about in an unfair battle. That dreamy field you loved so much is gone, only dried dirt and rocks are left in the wake of your turmoil. There are a few charred sections and torn up earth scattered in different areas. This brings back some hurtful memories.

“Hey Hana!” Naruto suddenly appears in front of you. Which startles you enough to squeal and throw your bag of snacks at him. He catches it easily and hands it back to you laughing hysterically.

“Scared ya hey?” He snickers.

You glare at him and take your snack bag back, watching him carefully. It would seem Kakashi had taught him his white puffy smoke thing where he disappears and reappears somewhere else. Jerk! Why hasn’t he taught you that yet?…probably because you would abuse that power and he knows it.

“You’re lucky I don’t know that move, or you’d get pretty sick of me!” You snap.

He smiles deviously. Something you haven’t seen yet painted on his face.
“We are very lucky you don’t know that jutsu. Or we would all be in trouble.”

You both laugh at that.

“Alright, Hana. Enough messing around. We have work to do!” He slaps a fist into his palm. “We start with chakra pull just like I taught you. Once you have pulled enough energy, I will show you a small wind release jutsu.”

Now this sounds more like it. Straight down to business.
“I’m in!”

“We do this standing. When you’re in combat there is no sitting down calmly drawing in energy. It must be done with the ability to move quickly on your feet…now place your hands together in prayer and begin the draw through your root chakra.” He presses his hands together in prayer and closes his eyes focusing on the draw. Immediately you feel his energy, it was astonishing how strong it is for such a small amount pulled. In fact it makes you feel tingly all over. You press your hands into prayer just as he does. Then you start your own draw. After five minutes you feel that small trickle of energy seeping up your body, triggering your chakras to open and fill. You hear Naruto comment.

“You have strong chakra. I can feel it from here.” He states.

You carry on drawing more and more filling up each pool until you reach your crown chakra. From there you hold the energy. Naruto comments again.

“Impressive. I think your stone is helping.”

You open your eyes and look down to see your stone glowing ever so slightly. This energy feels like it not only has a purpose, but it yearns for a direction or channel. You look up at Naruto who is smiling handsomely.

“Do you feel it?” He asks.

You nod and smile back equally.
“Good! Keep up that draw for another ten minutes. I want you to practice holding it evenly. Picture the energy pooling into each chakra, the more precise the vision for more evenly it distributes. Absolute chakra balance is hard to obtain but once it is done, the possibilities are infinite.”

You close your eyes picturing energy floating about your body pooling into all the energy sources you have equally. It wasn’t a hard task, it only took extreme focus. You open your eyes back up to his instructions.

“Ok, I think you’re ready to try some jutsu.” He clasps his hands together excitedly. “You’ll need to watch this closely.”

He performs simple hand signs very slowly.
“This is an easy levitation jutsu called “air current levitation”. Give it a shot.”

“Ok.” You reply nervously as you remember what happened the last time you used jutsu. But you feel you are in good hands with Naruto. You form the hand seals just as he did and call out the jutsu.

A gust of wind picks up swirling around your feet picking up speed and suddenly your feet lift off the earth. You startle at the feeling and instinctively hold out your arms for balance.

“Keep it up! That’s right! You got this!” Naruto encourages.

You keep the energy flowing letting the wind pull what it needs to maintain its cyclone in motion. It wasn’t long before you were ten feet up in the air floating as weightless as a feather.

“You’re doing awesome, Hana! Not many can pull this off the first time.” Naruto praises.

Your heart flutters at his praises. You thought for sure you would be face down in the dirt unconscious by now. But minutes go by with you holding this levitation. Your stone barely feels a thing in fact you feel better than ever.

“Alright, you can come down now. I think we may be ready for something harder.” Naruto shouts at you. By now you are hovering twenty feet up and loving the view.

You laugh filled to the brim with excitement.
“This is amazing! I feel like I’m flying!”

Naruto chuckles.
“I thought you would like this one.”

He lets you have your fun for a few more minutes before calling you back.

“Come on down!” He hollers.

But there is a problem, how does one get down this without dropping and breaking a leg?
“I’m not sure how to stop it.” You state.

“Release the chakra slowly. One pool at a time but not all of it. Just enough to slow the process.”

You try your best to slow the process but you end up cutting off your heart chakra by accident and tapping into your stone. Suddenly the wind at your feet whips out from underneath you striking into the ground below leaving a massive crater behind it. Naruto just ducks out of the way, and you drop from the sky. You look down at your impending collision and brace yourself for a very hard fall. Then strong arms catch you in a not so familiar embrace.

You look up to see thick black eyebrows, bowl cut bangs, dark beady eyes, and the wide animated smile of Maito Gai. You shriek in excitement at the sight of him. It had been days since you have seen his quirky face, you missed being in his vibrant presence. You pull him in for a neck crushing hug, which he chokes on telling you to ease up while chuckling the whole time.

“I missed you too, Princess.” He says and lands softly in front of Naruto and sets you down.

“I wasn’t going to let her drop.” Naruto says scowling and crossing his arms.

Gai turns towards him with his hands on his hips.
“I know. I wanted to make a good entrance and no better way than to save a damsel in distress landing gracefully like a valiant hero!.” He displays that 00toothy grin again with a small sparkle to it.
Naruto rolls his eyes.
“Well…thanks. What are you doing here anyways?” He asks suspiciously.

“I was in the area and saw Hana up in the sky, thought I would investigate just to make sure she isn’t in any trouble.”

Naruto nods.
“She’s in good hands. Will you be staying for the rest of the lesson?”

“I would love to watch if you don’t mind. I may learn some teaching techniques from you.” He replies by stroking Naruto’s ego.

“Sure! I don’t mind. And if you have any tips or tricks feel free to voice your opinions as I think Hana is something we are both not used to teaching.” Naruto replies and repositions himself.

“She is something otherworldly.” Gai says, catching his eyes with yours making you blush.

Naruto turns his attention to you.
“Ok, Hana. You did well. But your stone got in the way of releasing chakra. You are having trouble separating your heart chakra from the stone as it sits in the same spot. I can see how this would be hard. So let’s work on separating the two feelings.”

He presses his hands into prayer again as Gai situates himself a fair distance away. You wonder what Gai is really doing here. Kakashi had told you that he lives on the other side of town, so this can’t be just a coincidence that he was in the area. Unless he was over at Kakashi’s. You have a feeling Kakashi had sent him to keep an eye out for you.

“Hands like this, Hana.” Naruto says pulling you out of thought.

“Right!” You mimic Naruto and wait for your next instruction.

“Pull chakra energy from your root and stop at your heart space then tell me what you feel.”

You nod and begin to draw energy, picturing it floating through your body until it has reached your heart space.
“I feel electricity buzzing inside. Zapping me in a circular sequence.”

Naruto nods.
“Good. Hold that for five minutes. I’ll time you.” He lifts his wrist counting the minute hand on his watch. You take note of how expensive it looks, it must be real and would look great on Kakashi’s wrist. Maybe later this week you’ll find a shop and replace the watch you broke.

“Pay attention, Hana.” Naruto reminds you.

You notice you have let go of some chakra energy in your distraction and quickly correct yourself.

“Good.” He praises. “Alright, slowly let go of the energy. You want it to release out into your palms.”

You picture the energy making its way over your shoulders and down your arms, then a small wisp of white light pools into your hands.

“You see that Gai?” Naruto asks.

Gai gasps.
“Yeah…she’s got some strength in her hey?”

“She’s a natural in wind release, but I think the Gelel stone has a lot to do with it too. You should be proud, Hana.” Naruto replies.

And you are proud.

“Ok, release the chakra and then draw from your stone.” Naruto says.

You nod and slowly let go of the energy pooled into your hands. Small silky strands of white chakra unfold into the night sky. Naruto watches it disappear and comments.

“Nicely done.”

You are over the moon with his praises. Finally you’re doing something right. You do as you always do to activate your stone, what was trained into you from the time you started walking on two feet. You picture your cohort seal etched into the skin of the back of your neck, then you envision the panther you had encountered and connect to its mind. Through your minds third eye you see a small pool of crystal clear water surrounded by jungle foliage and palm trees. The air is thick and humid, you can hear the familiar sounds of tropical beards in the distance. Then a low growl draws your attention to the pool shoreline across from you. There sits your golden eyed feline, head lowered close to the pool. He is watching you just as he always has. Once your eyes have set on each other he grants you your power. Your blood begins to heat as usual and you feel the energy pooling in your chest. Although, it feels different this time, much more calm. You can only guess this is due to the chakra control you are gaining. Once you have gathered enough of the stones energy you come back to reality and meet Naruto’s eyes.

“What do you feel?” He asks.

“I feel him, I feel warm.” You reply truthfully.

He raises his brows.
“Him?”

“Yes, my cohort instinct. We are connected now.” You hold a hand over your heart.

“Does it hurt this time?” Gai asks.

You shake your head.
“Not at all, it feels….peaceful.”

Both Naruto and Gai smile.
“Good. That’s what we want to hear. Now I want you to try using both at the same time.”

This was going to be a challenge as you still haven’t used both at the same time. Only one after the other. You take a deep breath in and give it a shot. Starting with your heart chakra you pull in energy, hands in prayer. At the same time you envision your cohort instinct. Almost instantly you are hit with a power you have never felt before. A mixture of prickling electricity and hot flashes.

“Balance it. You have to pool the energy evenly. Both must be at the exact same level or you will lose control.” Naruto guides you as he builds his own chakra most likely to counter you if you lose it. Even Gai is gathering his own chakra for a defense.

You close your eyes focusing on your feline keeping its watchful eye over you in the jungle.
Balance…

Chakra…

Balance…

Stone….

Balance….

Your panther groans happily at you and bears his teeth almost as if he was smiling. He lowers his head to the pool of water. Seals suddenly form over his shoulders and neck in a vibrant blue. The pool begins to glow in its own aura wisping light similar to the chakra that is building inside yourself. Your panther opens its mouth to drink from the water, you watch him curiously wondering what will happen next. You have never seen him move in your mind's eye before. Eye contact was all that was needed to fill your body with energy, but this time is much different.

Then a ringing sound suddenly pierces both your ears and your panther roars loudly in pain. You are thrown out of your third eye vision in a flash, falling to your knees gasping at an excruciating burning sensation searing your insides. You scream through the pain in frustration. Why can you get this right? And why does it have to hurt so much?

“Hana..” Naruto calls you. You hadn’t realized he was so close to you until you heard his voice.

“I think that’s enough for tonight.” Gai advises Naruto in a concerned voice. He approaches your side.

“I think so too.” Naruto replies. “Hana can you hear me?”

You cringe at another wave of heat coursing through your veins.
“I….fuck….” You curse loudly.

Gai hums nervously and places a hand on your back. With a rush of power your stone subconsciously strikes at him. He is shot into the air yards away landing on his feet. Letting that energy go brought you a small amount of relief which Naruto picks up on.

“You need to release both energies. Use the earth. Push it down.” He guides you then calls out to Gai.

“Are you ok?!”

Gai answers back a fair distance away.
“Yeah I’m fine. That’s some power though.” He replies, shaking it off.

Naruto turns his attention back to your shaking body.
“Release it Hana.”

By now painful tears are spilling down your cheeks, you are gulping air trying to breathe through it all. You manage to nod and try your best to focus. You hear Naruto leave your side, positioning himself far away and you release both energies at the same time into the ground below you. Like a bomb, the earth shatters all around you in a wide circle. Bits of rock and debris burst into the air along with blue electrical shocks scattering across the sky behind them. In an instant you feel the heat subside, the prickling sensation ease in your chest and that ringing in your ears disappears. Still kneeled down you lower your head to the ground in child’s pose to catch your breath.

As the dust settles Naruto and Gai cautiously approach you again.
“Hana, are you ok?” Gai asks.

You suck in a deep breath and manage to choke out a few words.
“Y-yeah… I’m ok….this sucks…”

Naruto sighs.
“It does. But you’re a tough girl! I’m sure you’ve gotten used to it over the years.”

“Sort of…Why does it have to hurt so much?” You complain.

“Absolute balance is not easy, to some it is impossible. But you are getting closer, Kurama and I can see it.”

You rise up back onto your knees and look around. The entire area is no longer recognizable. You had completely torn up the earth below you.

“Let’s get you home.” Gai says. “Can you stand?”

Although you are exhausted you are still able to stand, but you’re not sure about walking anywhere. You rise to your feet, your thighs shaking the entire time.

“You ok with me taking her home, Naruto?” Gai asks.

You draw your attention to Naruto who has a fearful expression across his face making you nervous. He holds your eyes with his analyzing you for some reason then finally nods.
“Yeah. Make sure she gets some rest. I’ll message you in the morning for your next training session. But Gai…I may need your help on this. Let’s meet again tomorrow.”

Gai nods, but makes a comment you both love and hate. Reminding you of who they had taken away from you and reminding Naruto of his mistake.
“You know…Kakashi was making breakthroughs with her. He is a much better fit for discussion on her training.”

Naruto snarls back at him.
“Kakashi was almost suspended. I can’t speak to him about Hana anymore.”

Gai sighs.
“Fine…I’ll help out, for Hana’s sake.” He picks you up in his arms and turns back to Naruto. “I just hope your decisions don't cause any rifts in your friendships.” He says with warning.

Naruto lowers his eyes to the ground very obviously ashamed and Gai carries you off into the night.

He takes you over building top after building top and you notice the rust colored clay roof top of Kakashi’s house in the distance. You pat Gais' shoulder to catch his attention. He stops his parkour for a moment.

“Yes princess?”

You smile at his nickname as it is just so sweet.
“Would you…” you begin to choke on your words as you are not sure if Gai would be ok with this request. “Can you…”
Thankfully he finishes your sentence for you.
“Take you to Kakashi’s?”

You stare up at him searching for the “all knowing” glint in his eyes. Sure enough it is there, he knows exactly what is going on between you and kakashi.

“Yeah”. You reply shyly.

He sighs.
“We could get into a lot of trouble if someone found out.” He replies.

You lower your eyes sadly and slump your head into his shoulder. He pauses for a minute obviously thinking about it.

“You’re lucky, Kakashi may be my rival in every way but he also means a lot to me or I wouldn’t even consider it. He deserves this as I’ve never seen him so happy before.”

You smile at him.
“Thank you, Gai.”

“Just don’t get me into trouble.” He replies.

“I promise I won’t.”

“Onwards to my rival's house!” He says and changes directions heading towards Kakashi’s house.

——————————————

Gai raises his hand to knock on the door while holding you up with his other hand. Just before his knuckles hit the door, it swings open. There stands a very concerned Kakashi wearing his mask and sweat pants. You immediately feel a sense of relief as if all your troubles have washed away and you can rest now. He looks at Gai then at you and holds out his hands to you.

You release Gai although not without grabbing onto Kakashi’s hands for support. He doesn’t hesitate to pull you into his chest supporting all your weight with one thick arm wrapped around your waist.

“What happened?I heard an explosion…” Kakashi asks, unimpressed.

“Same as usual my friend.” Gai replies. “Not enough balance. But it was much better this time and she even used a jutsu successfully.”

Kakashi smiles down at you with pride. “That a girl. Thanks Gai. I’ll take it from here.”

“You bet. Have a good night you two.” He winks and leaves heading off down the street.

Kakashi sweeps you up into his arms and kicks the door shut behind him. You nuzzle into your favorite spot, letting his scent waft over you.

He chuckles.
“I missed you too.”

You hum into him smiling as he walks you into his bedroom. He sits you down on the bed and you notice freshly washed sheets and pillow cases. A new TV much larger than before, new bedside lamps, and many other things that have been replaced. You look around at it all. This must have cost a lot of money and it was all your fault.

“You like the new TV?” He asks while taking off your boots for you.

You do like it, but you also feel guilty for being the cause of all the replacements and the money he had to spend.
“I hope it didn’t cost too much…” you reply.

He looks up at you and smiles sincerely through his mask.
“Money is never an issue in this house.”

That is still not comforting.
“Still…you shouldn’t have to replace everything in your house just to have an orgasm…” You pout at how sad this is, wishing you weren’t so explosive all the time.

He chuckles to himself and removes your last boot, placing it to the side.
“It’s worth it….trust me.” He replies.

“Yeah, say that to me again when you’re broke and living off of macaroni and hotdogs…”

He bursts out laughing and shakes his head. “That’s not going to happen.” He says and moves his hands up your legs stopping to squeeze your thighs. “I got you a few things today.”

You glare at him with disapproval.
“You didn’t have to…”

He rises to his feet and leans down to kiss your forehead.
“Well…If you’re going to stay over more often you should at least be comfortable. There’s a new toothbrush, that shampoo you like, and some other necessities in the bathroom. I also filled the fridge.”

You are entirely taken back by this as it is starting to sound like you are going to be living here part time. Which isn’t a bad thing, you are just taken off guard by how progressive he is with your relationship together. At this point you’re not even sure what your relationship really is. So you’ve confessed your love, but what does that make you? He hasn’t officially asked you to be his girlfriend, but does saying the L word by pass that part? You have no idea…you’ve never been in this situation before. Not even close.

But in all honesty you are so exhausted from your power surge, you don’t have the energy left to talk about it right now. You’re going to be happy with how he is taking care of you right now, as no one in your entire life has done this much for you.
You smile sweetly.
“Thank you.”

“I’ve got to keep my kitten happy, or she gets too sassy.” He says patting your head.

You glare jokingly at him.

“Are you hungry?” He asks, still looking down at you.

“Starving!”

“I’ll make you something to eat.” He replies.

That is frightening actually. You were sure this man can’t even cook for himself.
“Ummm…you can cook?”

He laughs.
“Not really. But I bought some chicken chimichangas, I’m betting you know what those are.”

Immediately you start to drool, you love chimichangas.
“ I sure do!.”

He laughs.
“You get tucked in.” He passes you the remote to the tv. “I’ll go heat one up for you.” And he walks towards his bedroom door.

“Three!” You say loudly stopping him.

He turns back to you.
“Three?”

“Yes I want three of them. With sour cream if you have any and some ice water please….”

He raises a brow.
“Yes, your highness.” And bows.

And you get excited about that comment.
“Ha! First royalty reference! One point for me, zero for you!”

He shakes his head and replies.
“Actually, you started in the negative so…”

“What?! No way!” You protest.

He shrugs and replies.
“Sorry kitten, I don’t make the rules.” And walks away chuckling to himself before you can get another word in.

———————

After eating and getting settled, Kakashi tucks in beside you with his arm curled around your waist and your head resting on his bare chest. He turns on a boring historical documentary which has you falling asleep almost immediately. That is until he sparks up conversation about your new contract.

“How did the contract signing go?” He asks.

You sigh heavily.
“It was…not so good.” You say truthfully.

“What part don’t you like?”

“There’s many things I don’t like…for instance the contract has no ending term. And Naruto wants me to run missions once I have control, including black op missions with the Anbu.”

He curses under his breath.

“I still don’t understand it though, he said I could live freely once trust is established. But I have a feeling I will still be contracted out for missions and I’m not allowed to leave the village without Anbu escorts.”

He blows out a hard breath.
“He thinks you’re dangerous.”

Now isn’t that the truth.
“He’s right. When I lose control I can be dangerous. I don’t have the best track record...” You reply honestly.

He huffs at that.
“None of us do.”

You think back to all of the things you have done in your life. Kakashi has no idea what you’re capable of, you can only hope he never sees you at your worst. Out of control…a ruthless killer.

“Yeah. I guess so.” You reply sadly.

“I don’t want you going on missions without me.” Kakashi states.

You chew your lip thinking about it.
“I’m not sure how you can get around the situation. I mean we aren’t supposed to be in contact right now.”

Kakashi runs his frontera over your back.
“I’ll figure something out. Let me handle that part ok?”

You agree although doubtfully.
“Alright.”

“Let’s get some sleep. I have a feeling it’s going to be another long day for you tomorrow.” He replies and pulls the blankets up over your shoulder then begins to pet your hair, making you hum.

“I would like you to stay with me after training. It isn’t safe for you to be on your own as weak as you are. Ok?”

“Ok.” You reply quietly as you drift into sleep mode.

He kisses the top of your head and whispers good night. But you’ve already slipped into a deep sleep.

Chapter 24: His Control

An annoying ringing sound wakes both you and Kakashi up. You hear him reach for his phone cursing at how early it is. He answers.

“Yeah?”

You listen quietly trying to hear the voice on the other side.

“When?….in an hour?…ok.”

He pauses for a moment, you can hear a males voice speaking to him.
“What class?” He asks.

“Alright, doesn’t sound so bad.” He replies and says a few more yeahs and uhuhs before hanging up.

You sit up and watch him drop his phone onto the bed staring up at the ceiling.

“What’s going on?” You ask.

“That was Gai, He needs help with a mission.” He replies bitterly.

“I thought you were retired?”

He looks over to you, running his eyes up and down your body. You still get butterflies when he does that.

“Me too. But we’ve been so short in numbers lately they’ve been calling everyone to help out.”

You sweep your hair to the side looking down at the sheets thinking about it. And you begin to worry about him which he notices right away.

“I’ll be fine. It’s a D class mission. We are delivering a couple packages not far from here. They need someone who knows the roads well.”

But you really don’t want him to go. For some reason you have a bad feeling about it and you’re not sure why. It is probably just anxiety but still... Then your phone gets a text message.

You look at the screen and cringe.

“What now?” Kakashi asks.

“It’s Naruto…doesn’t anyone know what sleep is around here?”

Kakashi smiles.
“Not really.”

You open the message box and read it.

“Hey Hana, I would like to schedule another training session today. We are getting close to our deadline. You have a lands hokage hearing in two days and we need to show them that we have established some sort of control. I would like to meet at noon in the dojo this time.”

You sigh heavily.
“Oh good, another training session….”

Kakashi sweeps the blankets over and sits at the side of the bed turned away from you stretching out his arms and yawning.
“Damn it’s early. I’m going to shower, you should try and get some more sleep before training.”

But you’re too anxious to sleep now. You lie back down on your pillow nervously chewing your lip.

“But Kakashi, who’s going to heat up my chimichangas after training?” You pout.

He laughs as he walks towards the bathroom stripping the rest of his clothes off. You gaze at his impossible backside drooling shamelessly. God damn…

“I plan on being back before you’re finished. Like I said, this will be an easy mission.” He replies and walks into the bathroom leaving the door slightly ajar. You lie there quietly coming to a resolve over your worries. Kakashi will be fine as it is only a D class mission. Nothing to worry about….Right? You begin to wonder what Naruto has in store for you this time. Hopefully your stone doesn’t get the better of you. You’re getting tired of being tired for god's sake, it is time to get control. That shifts your thoughts in the direction towards that lands hokage meeting.

Hopefully they haven’t found out too much about your past or everyone will be looking at you differently. You wonder how many hokage will be there and what they have to say and worst of all what they want to do with you…

“It’s going to be fine, kitten.” Kakashi says from across the room, breaking you from your thoughts. “Just focus on the chakra balance. And don’t worry about me, I’m super human, remember?”

You sit up in the bed watching him flex his muscles for you. Superhuman Huh?…he is definitely something else.
You are yet to see what this man can really do.

“You are super, but you're still human and bleed like the rest of us and I thought you were just a delivery boy today….” You reply while nervously fiddling with the sheets.

He tsks and comes to sit down beside you. Hair wet and spiked so perfectly wearing just his white towel.

”You could call it something cooler than a delivery boy you know…” He places his hand on your cheek lifting your eyes to his lovely smile.

“Hey…delivery boys are heroes too.” You reply.

He laughs softly and kisses you deeply then presses his forehead against yours.

“I gotta go. Stay as long as you want, there’s a key under the carpet at the front door…or you can use the window.” He says and leaves you to get dressed.

A key?….

“I get a key already?” You ask slightly shocked.

He pulls a on black tight shirt adjusting it as he replies.
“Don’t get all excited about it. It’s just a key and it’s always been at the front door, you just chose to use the window.”

He closes the drawer to his dresser and opens another, pulling pants from it.

You curse under your breath at him. Smart ass…but secretly you’re pretty happy about this as you now have a key to his house. Which means you can truly come and go at any time and that also means your relationship, or whatever it is, is a lot stronger than you had originally thought.

“Thank you.” You say and you mean that from the bottom of your heart as he is doing everything he can to make you feel safe even while he’s gone on mission.

“Yeah yeah.” He replies, brushing it off. “Alright, I’ll see you later today. Try not to blow anything up and be nice to Naruto. He is really trying to help you.”

You scowl.
“I’m always nice!”

He raises his brows and says nothing, staring at you with authority.

“Oh alright…I’ll be nice.” You say sourly.

He chuckles to himself.
“Good girl.”

He gives you one last kiss before he finishes getting ready and leaves you in his house alone.

————————————————-

Hours later….

 

The dojo was pretty much the same as when you last destroyed it. However, they had made some improvements to its structure, even adding glass that is almost impenetrable. So Naruto says. You are yet to test out that theory…

“We can’t have you destroying the dojo, everytime you train.” He said.

You shrugged back at him as there is no guarantee these windows will still hold up to your power. You promised to keep the walls intact as best you can and he seemed satisfied with that.

“Ok, Hana! We are doing things differently this time. I have been researching that stone and it looks like small draws of its power is a safer bet. We will postpone any jutsu for now and focus on combative training with the use of the stone and chakra to balance out the energies.” He says squaring off with you in the middle of the dojo.

You think about how to even put the energy together. It seems impossible at this point as nothing you have tried so far has worked.

“Don’t look so doubtful…” He scolds and pulls out his Kunai. Looks like he means business today.

You roll your eyes.
“I don’t have the best track record in training, remember?”

He sighs thinking on it.
“You’re right. I guess all we can do is try.”

...fists up…

You get into position noticing his similar stance to yours. A lunge stance with your weight shifted onto your back foot. Although you have many stances this one is your “go to” when it comes to testing an unknown opponent.

“Ready?” He asks.

“Always…” you reply.

He smirks, then in a fraction of a second he disappears. You scramble to meet his speed only seeing the streak of an orange colored shadow dashing by. He may even be faster than Kakashi. Then you hear him call out to you.

“Stone!” Signaling you to pull energy.

Instinctively you tap into the rock in your chest letting a small pulse of power enlighten your abilities. In turn, this gives you the upper hand as now you can see his movements more clearly. He is still a streak of light, but a slower one.

He circles you with ease then calls to you again.

“Chakra!”

You do as he says and quickly picture the chakra energy building in your root chakra. The second you fill it, Naruto appears in front of your blades slicing at all sections of your body. You block and dodge his unique speed and duck under a high kick.
“Stone!” He says as you skid on the tops of your feet rounding to his back. You tap in and reinforce a side kick into his back. He grunts loudly, tumbling feet away from you although he still manages to land gracefully onto his feet.

He pauses a moment to rub his back and praise you.
“You’re very good, Hana. It’s obvious you have mastered some taijutsu.” He says with a wide grin.

You blush slightly.
“I have trained for a very long time.” You reply and bow.

“Good.” He steps into his stance again, flipping his Kunai in his hands. “Stone.”

You comply and tap into the stone again and both of you explode towards each other. He dashes forward, his speed much faster than before and you barely side step his stab towards your stomach. He throws an elbow up to counter your dodge aiming for your head and you block with your forearm pushing him back.

He stops and shakes his head.
"That was a fair move, but you could be faster….Chakra." He calls.

You huff and pull more chakra letting it pulse into your next pool feeling that tingling sensation of electricity zapping your body.
“Good, Hana. I can feel it, keep it up.”

Both of you reposition yourselves and raise your fists and weapons.

“Stone.” He calls before you move.

You nod and draw in your stone's power, the air picks up quickly whipping around your hair until you feel that feverish tightness in your chest. The world seems to slow down when you do this, even the wind in your hair slows like the long pull of tidal waves. And you move forward testing your ability to hold this all together.

He moves as you do, swiftly and smoothly. You had no idea he was this quick. Both of you are completely in sync this time and you are able to maneuver around him just as fast. You slide by his blades around to his back then call forth a small but effective blast of your stones power through your fists and drive it home. He grunts and is suddenly sent into the air twenty feet away, but Naruto being who he is, regains himself mid-air. He handsprings back on the ground and lands up on his feet sliding to a stop still holding his Kunai.

You gasp, hoping you haven’t broken anything.

"I'm sorry Naruto!"

"Now that's more like it." He shouts."What are you sorry for? I'm teaching you control, don't ever be sorry."

You curse yourself for being so soft. He is right, there is no room for sorrys here.

"If you're afraid of hurting me, we won't get anywhere. Stone." He says as he walks closer to you.

You blow out your fears with one deep breath and get into position once again. He takes his own position, and this time you close your eyes pulling a substantial amount of your stone’s power just like he had said to do. It is enough to lighten the weight of your body. You feel as if you are floating although your feet are still planted on the ground and this catches his attention. But only because the loose dirt and rubble around you both begins to rise into the air. Naruto looks around nervously.

“Chakra!” He shouts.

And you pull chakra filling yet another pool. You open your eyes, sighting your target. He sees your determination and spins his blades into position, he takes the lead. However his movements have slowed like you had bent the wheel of time somehow. You lower your stance watching him gradually strike and as if you were just stepping aside, you easily dodge his movement while he raises his blades, slashing horizontally at your neck. In the motion you hook your leg onto his tripping him then kick his backside and let go of the one chakra pool. Naruto crashes into the dirt below tumbling twenty feet away. It was then you noticed the prickling of the stone’s power around you, light wisps of blue specks circling the air as the world around you returned to its natural gravitational pull. A sharp sudden pain strikes your chest. You ignore it not wanting to show Naruto that you may have messed up the balance in your energy pulls.

Naruto skids to a stop on his stomach losing his kunai in the process and groans coming up onto his knees. He looks up at you astonished.

“What kind of jutsu is that? You disappeared!” He says.

You shake your head.
“I was right here the whole time.”

He stares at you confused and stands brushing off the dirt from his clothes.
“Hana…Have you ever stopped time before?”

You think back on the many times you have caused havoc around you. There hasn’t been an incident where you remember stopping time completely. Maybe this has to do with the chakra and stone’s power working together.
“I haven’t, maybe the two are working together now?”

He blows out a breath and sweeps a hand through his air obviously awe struck by what you just did and you didn’t even know you were doing it in the first place.

“Stone.” He says in a more serious tone, recovering his Kunai from the ground not too far from where he stands.

You tap in once again and square off. It was your turn to start first and you lunge at Naruto sweeping low with a fist, he spins out of the way and stabs at your head with a blade. You duck under his weapon and meet his wide eyes with two fists glowing in the stone’s energy. He crosses his arms holding his blades then braces himself taking the hit with his them, and astonishingly he forces your fists to the side. You rebound with a spin around to his back darting by his vision. Before he can defend himself you send him soaring into the air once again. However, this time you had not anticipated him to throw his Kunai at you in the same instance. They come barreling towards you and instinctively you tap into your stone’s power once again.

With a swift dodge you miss one but take the other right into the shoulder. It wasn’t until you felt the pain of the sharp metal piercing your skin that you realized you had pushed your stone too far. That last pull sends you back into the realm of your cohort instinct. Your eyes lock with his, despite you trying desperately not to make the connection. He forces you. Almost as if he has more control over you than before….could it be the chakra?

“chakra, Hana!…CHAKRA!” Naruto shouts.

Then the world around you stops, the sounds muffle out into nothing and your vision blurs.

Panic…

You are losing yourself to your cohort and fall to your knees unable to stop it. You give into the feverish dream your instinct needs and he takes over your mind.

Panther POV:

A low growl in warning erupts from your mouth.

Pain thrashes at your shoulder where something silver protrudes from.

You fixate your golden eyes on the enemy in front of you. The one who threatens your life.

His energy is strange to you. Not something you have experienced before. As if he harbors a power you have yet to taste…and his blood smells heavenly.

Your stomach growls, you are hungry and this yellow haired man is the perfect size.

He speaks to you…

“Hana, pull chakra! Do it now, or you’ll turn again.”

But you understand nothing. He doesn’t speak your language and you don’t speak his anymore.

All you know right now is to kill or be killed.

“Do you understand me, Hana?….HANA!”

You tear after him, drooling from the mouth fixated on the largest arteries pumping that blood you so desire.

Not only do you smell his blood you smell the fear radiating off him. Those wide eyes meet yours as you close the distance and the fight is on.

“Hana! Stop!” He manages to blurt out as you throw your body on top of his. Then sink your teeth into his neck. You both skid to a stop and he forces a hard knee into your gut throwing you a fair distance away. But that doesn’t phase you one bit, for you have now gotten your taste of his flesh.

All you see is red now. You want him, you need him, and won’t stop until you have him.

“Shit…” He curses holding the gaping wound on his neck. You give him no time to regain himself. You are on him again thrashing at anything to stay attached to his body. …you need him badly.

You whip around to his backside and trip him with a hooked leg. He falls to the ground with a grunt, drawing chakra at the same time. He is about to unleash something fierce against you. You can feel it in the air, prickling your skin and before you can get a grip on him again he has forces a large wave of wind into your stomach knocking the air from your lungs sending you back again, tumbling across the ground.

However, this only angers you. He is really starting to piss you off as your primal instinct to eat him takes over. You hiss at him and growl loudly.

He in turn speaks in that language you don’t know, panting while holding his neck.
“Hana! Please, snap out of it!”

By now you have had enough. It was time for the kill, as he is growing weak from the blood spilling onto the ground. You praise yourself for carefully biting into that artery in his neck. He will succumb to his injury soon. You crouch down low gathering energy from your stone. A crack of Thunder strikes the sky outside, lighting up the dojo which has taken substantial damage to its stone floor.

Your eyes lock onto his. Those fearful eyes that are begging you for mercy. Then his eyes close, his hands move with impossible speed, and flaming chakra begins to swirl around him. Now is the time to make your move before he attacks you.

In swift movements you stride towards him to finish what you started. Then suddenly a voice echoes through the room. A voice you know very well but can’t place.
“Don’t do it Naruto!” It says.

Then a lovely scent floats by you, slowing your pace. Still striding towards your target, you become distracted and stumble in your step. Out of nowhere a figure appears in front of your prey, arms held out towards you in surrender.

Silver hair triggers a memory you haven’t yet experienced in this half human half cohort form. You slide to a stop on your feet and stare at the man standing tall in front of you.

You know him….but from where?

He kneels down before your arms still raised, stopping you from going forward.

You tilt your head as visions repeatedly flood your mind. Soft, sweet, loving visions. Then that scent fills the air again reminding you of who he is, and who you are.

You look down at yourself and remember.

“Sunaneko.” He says. That name you understand for that is your name in this form. This man has just named you causing your cohort instinct to lose its connection. In that moment he releases you, retreating back into his jungle realm. You fall to the ground on your side, exhausted, confused, and in pain.

“Hana…” He calls and rushes to your side.

You groan up at him, basking in those stormy familiar eyes, your body and mind coming back to its regular self as Hana Hoki.

“I’m sorry.” You whisper.

“It’s not your fault.” He replies and turns to Naruto in anger. “What the hell were you thinking?!”

“What do you mean?! She was using both chakra and Gelel power consecutively in small bursts!…it was working!” He argues.

“Really?! And stabbing her with a Kunai? What the fuck was that for?!” He shouts, then turns you on your back to look at the wound.

“God dammit, Naruto…” He says under his breath, as Naruto kneels down beside him.

“I didn’t mean to hit her with it. I thought she would have blocked it. I’m sorry Kakashi..” He confesses.

Kakashi sweeps the strands of hair stuck to the blood soaking your mouth out of the way. “This is going to hurt a lot.” He warns you then grips the Kunai and pulls it from your shoulder. You cry out latching onto his free hand hard.

“Hana, I’m sorry, I thought we had control.” Naruto says.

And Kakashi snaps back.
“The only one who has control is me! Can’t you see that?”

Naruto sits dumbfounded staring at Kakashi. You watch the wheels turning in his mind, most likely replaying Kakashi’s interference and realizing how right he is.

“You stopped her.” Naruto whispers.

Kakashi sets his focus back on you and lifts you into his arms coming to his feet.
“Of course I did.” He replies sourly.

“How?” Naruto questions.

Kakashi turns to Naruto and says only one thing.
“Trust.”

Naruto curses under his breath and stares at the newly formed cracks in the floor. “You…” he begins.

“Do you see it now?!” Kakashi interrupts.

Naruto nods shamefully.
“You’re the only one who can’t stop her when she loses control….I see it now…”

“Right! And you took her away from me! You are damn lucky I showed up, she nearly killed you.” He replies.

Naruto scowls while holding the wound on his neck with a bandage Kakashi had handed him before he had stopped you.
“It was just a scratch.”

“Right, the blood soaking the floor tells a different story. You need to remember that she is immortal, and you aren’t. Every attack she makes in her cohort instinct is meant to kill. They will all be fatal if they land on you. Now go get yourself healed before you bleed to death.”

Naruto nods quietly with no response to that.

Kakashi turns away from him with you curling up in his arms listening to the two battle this one out.
“Let’s go home.” He says softly, looking down at you sympathetically.

He walks you towards the door to the dojo and Naruto stops him.

“Kakashi wait!”

He pauses at the door.

“I’m going to need your help…The boundaries I set between you and Hana are revoked. I need you to stay by her side for now, at least until she has absolute control.”

You look meekly up at Kakashi who is now grinning from ear to ear. Was this all part of a plan?

“I’ve always been by her side, Naruto.” He says and walks out the door leaving Naruto shocked and ashamed.

————————————————-

Chapter 25: Healing wounds

Kakashi places you carefully onto your kitchen table.

“I can’t believe he stabbed you with a Kunai.” He complains, looking over the wound.

“I don’t think he meant to, Kakashi.” You reply.

He only glances at you and shakes his head. ”Do you have something to wipe up the blood?”

“There’s a cloth in the drawer underneath the microwave.”

Kakashi walks over to your kitchen cupboards and pulls open a drawer.
“I can’t find it.”

You sit up painfully and reply in a sassy tone as you’re annoyed with everything that has just happened and don’t have the energy to repeat yourself.
“Why is it that men can never find anything? I can’t simplify the instructions anymore than that.”

He stops and looks back at you, cocking an eye.
“Even when you’re in pain you can still dish out that sass.”

You manage to smile at that.
“That's all I got right now.”

“Found it!” He says and pulls a dark colored cloth out. He takes it over to the sink to soak it in water then comes to your side again.

“Lie back.” He guides you back down and undoes the buttons to your blouse. You had chosen this outfit thinking you would be using jutsu at the dojo, not engaging in combat. Which had torn up your skirt and shirt in all different places. Pants and a stretchy shirt would have been a better choice.

“So what happened?” Kakashi asks.

“I underestimated Naruto. He meant business today, and I was too soft. Then I messed up the stone and chakra balancing in the process.”

“He’s lucky I showed up when I did. But I think he underestimated you too. Actually, I think everyone does….except for me of course. I am the all knowing and the smartest ninja here…” He replies, stroking his own ego.

You giggle at that then start to think of how badly you hurt Naruto. Despite blacking out, there were small flashbacks of hunger and cravings for blood. Once you lost control and your cohort took over, Naruto became your prey. If Kakashi had not interfered, who knows what would have happened. You know Naruto is strong, but is he strong enough to stop you?…you picture yourself biting into his neck, tearing flesh at the same time and how he tasted. Tears begin to swell in your eyes.

“I….” You huff and Kakashi pauses looking down at you. “I tried to eat him…” and at the thought of it, tears start to pour from your eyes.

Kakashi being who he is tries to console you in his way, which helps a little. “I should have fed you a few burritos before I left.”

You smile through your sadness. Yet you can’t help but think of how much of a burden you are to everyone. You cause so many problems anytime you come in contact with someone. The only one who hasn’t gotten completely annoyed or pissed off at you is now wiping someone else’s blood from your mouth….he is too good for you and would be better off without you tormenting him all the time. You can’t imagine how hard this must be for him to constantly worry when you’re going to pop off next and kill someone…

“There, you don’t look so vampy now.” He says with that loving half masked smile.

“Kakashi…”

His fingers trail through your hair and he rests his hand on your cheek.
“Yes, kitten.”

“I…I think you should leave me be. I’m not good for anyone…. You deserve better than this…” You choke out.

His brows knit together and he replies very firmly with that smile fading away.
“No.”

“But…what if I hurt you?”

He wipes the tears streaming down your face and looks deep into your eyes.
“You won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I just do.”

You huff at that.
“I just want to be normal….”

He shakes his head.
“If you were normal, I wouldn’t be here. I love you because you’re not normal.”

God he is everything you have ever wanted.

“But…”

“Stop! You are not giving up now!”

“But Kakashi…”

“Enough! I don’t want to hear it! Don’t be such a baby. Just because you got stabbed doesn’t mean you get to quit now!”

You scowl at him and sit up on your elbows bringing your face close to his.
“In any normal situation, wouldn’t getting stabbed be game over?”

He tilts his head thinking about it.
“If you died, yes it would. But you didn’t…so…carry on...” He waves his hand brushing it off.

He walks away from you holding the bloody cloth and throws it in the sink to soak.

“Isn’t that a little extreme?”

“Not for what you are. Besides, you’re practically immortal so stop complaining. Let’s close up that wound so your stone can get to work on the rest. Where is your stitching kit?” He asks while rummaging through drawers he thinks it should be in.

“I don’t have one.” You reply.

He pauses and turns towards you, slightly shocked.
“You are a literal walking target and you don’t have a first aid kit?” He replies in a very condescending tone.

Ok..he is a little testy today…

“No I Don’t!” You snap back as usual.

He crosses his arms raising a brow, you to chew your lip and look away shamefully.
“Then what do you do when you get hurt?” He asks.

“Before you?”

He blows out an annoyed breath.
“Yes, kitten. Before me, what did you do when you got hurt?”

You think back to the many times you have stumbled into your previous homes covered in wounds or with broken limbs. At those times you were at your lowest point, and shamefully didn’t take much care of yourself.
“I…well…you really wanna know?”

“Yes.”

“I would sleep on the floor until the stone had healed me. Sometimes I wouldn’t make it home…and I would have to sleep outside.” And there it is the embarrassing truth of how well you take care of yourself.

“Gods, Hana.”

You lay back on the table and close your eyes thinking of how much of an ingrate you really are.

A “walking target?”…

…More like a “walking mistake” for anyone who wants to help you out.

He sighs whispering under his breath about something.

“I’m not giving up on you ok? So don’t give up on me either.” He says and appears above you with a needle and thread.

You look up at him.
“Where did you find that?”

“There’s a sewing kit in the utensil drawer.”

You gasp.
“I didn’t even know I had that.”

He laughs.
“This is going to hurt.”

“Fuck…can you grab me a bottle of wine from the fridge?” You ask. You’ll definitely need some alcohol for this.

“It’s three in the afternoon…” He replies in monotone.

“But…it’s five o'clock somewhere!” You argue and bat your eyes.

He rolls his own eyes, only responding with a huff and wanders over to the fridge humming something along the way.

“I still think you should just leave me be. You’ll probably live longer.”

He opens the door to the fridge and answers.
“I’m not going anywhere and neither are you. I plan on living a very long life just the way I want it to be.”

“Well, I hope you die from old age happily in your bed, and not eaten alive by some back alley garbage cat. I’ll take the whole bottle… thanks.”

He chuckles as he pours himself a glass of wine.
“I’m very tasty you know.” He replies as he carries the bottle wine over to you.

And you can’t help but get a little dirty from that comment.
“Don’t tempt me Kakashi…there are parts of you I haven’t tasted yet.”

You sit up further and take the bottle from him noticing the slight pinking to his cheeks and a devious smile.
“We have kissed many times, Hana.” He says innocently and places his glass down on the table beside you.

You huff.
“That’s not what I meant.”

He rests his hand against your waist and squeezes.
“What did you mean?”

“Psshh. You know exactly what I mean.” You reply feeling flustered now that he wants you to right out say what you mean.

“Hmmm…Do I?” He winks.

You flick his headband.
“You’re such a brat.”

“I know.” He replies, and pulls on your shirt to reveal that gaping wound once again. “At least the bleeding has stopped.”

He begins to thread the needle and prepare the site with an alcohol wipe he found from who knows where while you slam a quarter of the bottle back. You place the wine down on the table close by your reach just in case you need to gulp back more through the pain.

“Where the hell did you find an alcohol wipe? You’re like a wizard or something.”

“I’d rather be a wizard than a delivery boy.” He says and lowers you down onto the table again. “Now, sit still. I know it’s hard with all your wacky emotions running around rampant right now, but it will hurt less if you can stop moving for a few minutes.”

You stick your tongue out at him earning a small chuckle back.

“Alright. On the count of three.” He says and brings the tip of the needle to your skin. “One…two…”

And he suddenly skips the three and sinks the needle in.

“Owww! Fuck!” You cry out trying your best not to flinch.

He pulls on the thread slowly making sure not to rip the skin.

“What happened to the three?” You gasp.

“You were too tense for the number three. This is better.” He replies and continues to stab the tiny needle into your skin. Seventeen stitches later he had closed up the wound and sanitized it again.

“Please tell me you have a bandage.”

You shake your head.

He rolls his eyes.
“Cloth it is then.” And wanders over to that drawer again and pulls a small cloth from it along with some painters tape he found.

“I’m buying you a first aid kit, this is stupid.”

You pout at him.
“It’s not stupid.”

“It’s dumb then.” He replies mimicking you from the other night.

“It’s not that either!” You reply equally.

He laughs at you harder than before then comes to your side and wraps the cloth with the painters tape. He secures it on your shoulder.
“Let’s get you to bed for a rest ok?”

You nod and he sweeps you up in his arms walking you into your bedroom. You nuzzle into his neck as usual, running your fingers through his hair just below his headband tie.

Thankfully you had cleaned your bedroom a few days ago and it was in perfect shape for a guest to come over. Kakashi marvels at your bed spread saying a queen sized bed is great for snuggling in. While you complain that you miss his king sized bed already.

“Are you hungry?” He asks while turning on your bedroom TV.

“Not really, I filled up on Naruto, I’m good…” you reply grimacing at the thought.

He cringes and chuckles to himself.
“Gross…I’m going to get you comfortable, then I have to head to my office to write up a report on this last mission.”

You sigh wishing he could just lay in bed with you for the rest of the day.
“Ok. I guess you can leave…”

He bows.
“Thank you your highness.”

Then he magically sets your phone down beside you on your bedside table. You glance at it and back up at him wondering where the hell he pulled that from.
“Wizard.” You say.

He winks at you and smiles.
“I’ll message you later.”

You reach up for him, whining for a kiss.

He laughs softly.
“So needy.” He says and pulls down his mask revealing that gorgeous face and kisses you properly. You can’t help but try to coax him to stay as you love to tease him so much.

You reach for his pants and he stops you immediately. Damn his reflexes. He pulls away from you.
“Not right now, kitten. I need to get this done.”

You pout your bottom lip as best you can and reply with something very suggestive.
“But I haven’t tasted you yet…” you unbutton the rest of your shirt and pull it open displaying a thin white bra that holds everything perfectly.

He sits down beside you and places his hands over your breasts squeezing them firmly then hovers his mouth over yours.
“You’re such a tease...” He whispers.

And you take this opportunity to undo the button to his pants. He groans at you.
“Hana….I have to go….”

You smile deviously.
“I think your body disagrees.” And you reach inside feeling how hard he is.

“God, Hana….I…..”

Then a knock obnoxiously presents itself at your front door. Both of you stop your explorations and sit up straight with questionable expressions.

“Are you expecting someone?” Kakashi asks.

You shake your head.

“Stay here.” He says in that protective tone. He rises off your bed adjusting himself several times before leaving the room. You hear the front door open and cringe at the voice.

“Kakashi? What are you doing here?” Konohamaru asks.

Kakashi ignores the question completely and in a very impatient and bitter tone he replies.
“Hana is resting. She will contact you later.” Then he slams the door shut.

But Konohamaru persists. He knocks on the door a few more times until Kakashi whips it open again.
“What?” Kakashi asks.

“I need to see Hana.” He replies with urgency.

“Why?”

“I need to talk with her.” He says more aggressively.

“About what?!”

“It’s none of your business!”

It was time to interfere with this tense conversation before something happens. You leap out of bed and pull off your blouse then quickly make your way over to your dresser to find a not so bloody shirt to wear. You pull a tight black t-shirt out and some boy cut shorts. However, this was much harder than you had anticipated due to the lack of energy from your spar with Naruto and getting stabbed. In your state of weakness you become dizzy and fall into the door slamming it shut.

Both boys hear the ruckus and cursing from the room and rush to your bedroom.

“Hana, are you ok?” Kakashi asks through the door.

You reach for the handle on your dresser for leverage and pull yourself up to your feet.
“I’m ok.” You reply, kicking yourself for being so stupid. He opens the door to find you hunched over your dresser breathing heavily.

“I said to stay in bed.” Kakashi scolds and takes a step towards you.

Before anyone can register the heroic gesture, Konohamaru has swiftly scooped you up in his arms with you staring up at him in shock over it.

“Put her down, Kono. She is under my care right now!” Kakashi snaps.

Konohamaru snaps back equally.
“You’re not even supposed to be in this room right now! Or in this house for that matter!”

It is obvious that Konohamaru knows about the contract breach or at least part of it. He lays you back on your bed and sits down beside you. Your eyes flick back and forth between a very jealous Kakashi, and an overly protective Konohamaru. This has to be the most awkward situation you’ve ever been in.

Fucking hell…

Konohamaru sweeps your hair out of your face and runs his eyes down to your shoulder to where Kakashi had bandaged you up.
“What happened?!”

“She needs rest, you can come back later.” Kakashi says, trying his best to hold back his jealousy.

And in an angry tone Konohamaru replies back.
“Don’t you have a report to finish?! Why don’t you go do your job instead of harassing Hana all the time!”

“I’m not harassing her, you are!” You stare wide eyed at Kakashi watching his emotions reach their peak. Konohamaru’s one hand makes its way to your waist where it rests firmly, not giving up. His other hand pulls on your shirt where the cloth and tape are covering your wound. He begins to examine it closely and unravels Kakashi’s makeshift work.

You have to do something about this situation before they lose their shit.

Like a canine giving warning to a predator, Kakashi growls.
“Don’t touch her, Kono!.”

Konohamaru stops and turns his attention to Kakashi. He opens his mouth to speak, one fist clenched, but you interrupt him before any words can sting Kakashi.

“Both of you stop!” You grab Konohamaru’s hand and push it away. “I’m ok. Just give me some space for god's sake!”

Konohamaru looks at you sincerely.
“I’m just trying to help.”

“I know you are. But you’re interfering with my care. Kakashi is helping me out, please be respectful to the guests in my house!” You reply as best you can, making sure it isn’t obvious you and Kakashi are an item.

Konohamaru sighs.
“Sorry, I am just worried about you.” He glances at your shoulder again.

“I will be ok, Kakashi is here to help.” You reply, reassuringly.

Konohamaru scowls are that.
“Kakashi isn’t supposed to be taking care of you at all.”

“And where the hell did you hear that?” Kakashi asks, crossing his arms.

He replies sharply.
“Our leaders!”

So he does have an in with the higher ups…

You place a hand on his arm grabbing his attention again.
“What do you need to tell me?”

“You have your hokage meeting tomorrow. I overheard….” He pauses and looks back at Kakashi.

Kakashi sighs heavily.
“I…fuck…I’ll go get that report done.” He says bitterly and leaves your room slamming the door shut before you can even say one word about it.

Damnit Kakashi! … you curse him for leaving you alone with Konohamaru in your bedroom.

Konohamaru focussed back on you.
“Does he always hang around you?”

You nod.

“Asshole. If he’s bothering you, I can make that stop.” He replies.

That gets your gears turning once again. How is it this guy has so much pull around here?

You shake your head.
“No, he is a good friend to me. Please don’t do that.”

The word “friend” seems to please his ears.
“Alright, I won’t say anything. So. I overheard our leaders talking about some of the things you have done in your past. Not the specifics, just how dangerous you are. I think they want to hire you out for high class missions.”

That is something you already know, as Naruto made it clear.
“Yeah, Naruto already told me that.

He continues…
“I also heard, the Kumogakure wants to offer you a place in their village as their highest ranked ninja.”

You roll your eyes and Kono scowls.
“Do you know what that means?”

You shrug.

“You will basically be rich. The land of lightning is very wealthy and you will most likely be offered your own estate with anything else you want.”

You shrug again. This doesn’t interest you at all as money only brings problems. Money is the definition for power, they go hand in hand. It was the reason why you were made into an assassin in the first place. In Fact you despise money and wish there was a better system in place.

Konohamaru stares at you wide eyed.
“You don’t care about being rich?…you could have anything you wanted.”

“No, money is dirty and full of problems. I’m not interested in that as I will make my own way without give outs.” You reply.

“Well, the land of iron wants you too. After the incident at the gala they are desperate to get their hands on you. But I’m not sure why…not yet anyways. I’m working on that.”

There is no doubt Arufa and his goons would want you. Especially from the extent they went to in using genjutsu and trying to drug you. It is obvious they have known about you for quite some time.

“I…I heard Arufa used some genjutsu on you and tried to give you some type of drug in a drink. Is that true?”
Konohamaru asks.

“Yes, it is all true. I believe they have had their eyes on me for quite some time now.”

He hisses.
“Those assholes. I’m getting so sick of them. But don’t worry I will keep you safe. I am gathering more information and will be putting in some good words for you. Shikamaru is vouching for you too.”

You sigh in relief. It is nice to have men of their ranking on your side, god knows you need it.
“Thank you.” You say warmly.

“Anything for you.” He sweeps a hand through your hair gazing down at you.

“Do you know when my meeting is tomorrow? And who will be there exactly?” You ask very curiously.

“All superior ninja will be there and the hokage from the lands that are either interested in you or hold contracts with you still….but Hana, I have to ask…why did you run from all those lands knowing they would come for you?”

Why did you run? There are so many reasons why, and each land is different. It would be a very long story and you would like to get some sleep. You fake yawn up at him.
“I will tell you some stories another time. There is so much to it but I need to sleep my stone is begging to heal my shoulder.”

He glances at your shoulder again.
“What happened anyways?”

“Naruto threw a Kunai at me during training.” You reply simply.

He glares at the wound.
“What the hell is wrong with everyone these days? I swear everyone has lost their minds over you!”

You laugh, ain’t that the truth.

“Thank you for your help again. I really appreciate it. Will you be at the meeting tomorrow?”

He nods.
“I am scripting it. I will be there to write down the important parts, same with Shikamaru. We volunteered.”

It was relieving having your friends around you, helping you through this. Definitely not something you are used to and it makes you feel like you mean something.

You smile at him.
“You two are a blessing.”

He squeezes your hip again and presses a small kiss to your cheek.
“Have a good sleep. Message me when you wake up.”

You wished that part didn’t have to happen, but since Kakashi suggested you stay close with him, stopping affection from Konohamaru is not in your benefit at the moment.

“Night.” You say and turn on your side fluffing your pillow at the same time.

Konohamaru rises off the bed and tucks you in further very sweetly before leaving the room. You hear your front door open and shut then you swear loudly.

How messed up was that whole situation?

Immediately you reach for your phone to text Kakashi.

😮💨You ok?

He messages you back right away.
Did he kiss you again?

It was obvious he was very worried about leaving you alone with Konohamaru in your bedroom. He was probably going crazy over it, best not to tell him about the cheek kiss…

No kisses. Promise.

Good. Any useful information?

Yeah, the land of lightning wants to offer me a high ranking position in Kugomakure as a ninja and the land of iron wants their piece of me too. I’m starting to think this is going to be a battle between lands over me. I’m nervous…”

Don’t worry, I will make sure you are secured here in hidden leaf village. As of right now you have no control without me present. I plan to keep it that way for a while until this all settles out. So try not to gain control just yet, I know that sounds like we are moving backwards, but to keep you here and safe we have to delay progress.

That shouldn’t be too hard considering every time you do try to gain control you fuck it all up anyways.
I’m not gaining much ground anyways…

Soon…promise. Get some rest. I'll bring you some takeout in a few hours. Kono style 😏.

Why does he have to remind you of those things?
🤨 you reply.

To which he replies.
🤣💋

You roll your eyes and drop your phone onto the bed then snuggle into your pillow….

———————————————

The next day.

You wake up to Kakashi lying beside you holding your waist with one arm. He is resting on his side facing you, maskless, shirtless, and pantless only wearing his boxers. You begin to register your surroundings and realize you must have slept right through the night.

How the hell?

Then you recall short flashbacks of Kakashi hovering over you with your body quivering from some kind of fever. You recall the urgency and fear in his voice. You recall feeling sick to your stomach…then nothing after that.

Softly, you sweep your fingers through the thick silver strands of his hair gazing over his handsome features while trying to piece together what the happened. He was supposed to bring you takeout in the evening, but it is obvious something else had happened.

His eyes snap open at your touch and he grabs your hand.

“Hana!” He says almost breathlessly.

You smile back as if nothing is amiss.
“I think I slept through dinner..sorry about that.”

He sighs with relief and wraps his thick arms around you holding you as close as he can, nearly crushing your ribs. “I was so goddamn worried….” He whispers into your shoulder.

“What happened?” You ask annoyed at yourself. You are getting so sick of waking up like this.

He releases you and looks over your features, his eyes flit about you frantically.
“I came back to find you on the floor convulsing. You were sick for hours.”

That has happened before. It seems like each form you change into has a different after effect. This one makes you just plain sick, most likely from a fever that is too high. Your panther form turns you into a panther until it wears off. Your other losses of consciousness paralyze you, who knows what is next on the list.
“I think you should put me in a bag and leave me on the side of the road, we can let natural selection take it from there.” You reply.

He bursts out laughing.
“I did not spend all night wiping the drool from your mouth just to throw you out.”

You gasp.
“I was drooling?!”

“A lot.”

You cringe at that vision.
“Well, that’s attractive…”

He chuckles.
“Even drooling through a seizure, I wouldn’t say no.”

You laugh very loudly at that.
“I think you should raise your standards Mr. Hatake.”

“Oh I have…you are the highest standard I’ve ever had, kitten…don’t forget that.”

You smile triumphantly and sigh. He is the best thing that has ever happened to you.
“Well, I think I’m all better now….”

Suddenly a text comes in. You turn away from Kakashi’s embrace, however he barely gives you enough leeway to grab your phone. You manage to pull it towards you with one finger under his grasp and begin to read the message from Naruto.

Good morning, Hana. First off, I want to apologize for our encounter yesterday. I misjudged a lot during our training session and although I can’t guarantee your loss of control won’t happen again, I can guarantee not to stab you anymore. 🥺

Secondly I need to inform you of a few things. The time for your meeting is at 130pm. I don’t recommend being late as there are a lot of very important people wanting to see you.

I also need to ask you to be on your best behavior….

Kakashi snickers at that message earning a death glare from you.

We need to be careful what is said. So if you could be that sweet girl I know you can be please do.

“Almost too sweet.” You whisper.

Kakashi laughs and rips the phone from your hands. He throws it onto the sheets behind him and kisses you sweetly.

“Kakashi.” You say between kisses. “I think I should respond…”

He releases your mouth and replies sourly. “Oh alright.” And reluctantly passes you your phone to respond. He watches you closely.

Thank you for refraning from stabbing me. It is much appreciated 😒…

Kakashi stops you.
“You’re being sarcastic.” He states.

“I am not! I’m being entirely truthful.” You argue.

“He asked you to be sweet. Try again.”

You growl.
“Fine.” And delete the message.

I appreciate your concern, Naruto, and thank you for being more careful during our sessions. Although I guarantee you won’t get that close again. 😛

“Hana.” Kakashi snaps. “Try again!.”

“That is also true, Kakashi!” You whine.

He huffs at you. “Give me the damn phone!” And he yanks it from your grip. “I’ll do it.”

Dear Naruto,

“Don’t say that!. I can’t stand that formality crap!” You protest and he continues his cringing typing, smiling wildly.

Thank you so much for being my sensei, I know I am in good hands. I welcome any challenges you have during training and couldn’t be more happy to oblige your requests. I will be on my best behavior….

“I think I’m going to puke.” You say under your breath.

At the meeting and will make sure to be on time.

His thumb crosses over the send button and you try to snatch your phone from his hands.

“Ha! Too late, it’s sent!” He snickers and you pout at him. “Hey don’t give me that look!.”

“He’s going to know someone else wrote that!.”

He passes you back your phone.
“Nah, he’s not that observant. But it’s getting close to your date with the angry hokage. You should probably get ready. I know it takes girls a long time.”

“Fine…”
You nudge him and scoot over to the edge of the bed then whip off the sheets. Carefully you sit up and place your feet on the floor remembering how badly you had fallen yesterday. It would be a smart idea to test your strength first.

“You ok?” Kakashi asks.

“I think so.” You stand slowly, only feeling a slight dizziness. “I’m almost back to normal. I’ll go shower then make us some breakfast.”

“No, I’ll make breakfast, you just get ready.” He watches you carefully make your way over to the bathroom.

“Ok, but don’t set anything on fire.” You reply, wondering what the hell this man can cook.

He laughs.
“I believe that is your cliche not mine.”

You finger him again and strip down to nothing infront of him. He hums at you.

“I suddenly feel like showering.”

You would love to spend your shower with him, but he is right. It is twelve o'clock and you have little time to get your shit together. You haven’t even thought about things to come and what to say to the angry hokage. So you ignore his comment.

“Breakfast first, this kitty is getting hungry.”

“Well we can’t have that now can we.”

You turn and blow him a kiss then walk into the bathroom.

One hour later you are both sitting at your kitchen table with full stomachs. Kakashi had heated up the take out from last night which was a hearty bowl of Ramen. You had praised his advanced skills at heating things up to the perfect temperature and he smiled proudly. Now you are both going over details of the meeting.

“So…if you’re offered a position in any other land you will say?” Kakashi asks.

“I will take all the positions!” You reply overly enthusiastically.

He glares at you.

You laugh loudly.
“Kidding! I will not accept any transfers as I am a hidden leaf ninja.”

“Correct. And if you are questioned about control what do you say?”

“I do not have control yet.”

“From there, Naruto will reveal to everyone that you only have control in my presence.”

“Right.”

“After that, we try to hold off on any high class missions. If we are forced into one, then I will go with you.” He smiles through his mask.

“This was your plan all along, hey?”

He nods proudly.
“Remember, I am always five steps ahead of everyone….always.”

“So you’re not all looks then.” You snicker.

He shakes his head at you.

“Focus, Hana.”

You giggle trying your best to laugh this all off. It’s easier to make it a joke than it is to be serious about it. Your stomach hurts something fierce right now but you’re not about to show your anxiety in front of him. He needs to see your strength right now.

“I’m focussed. It’s going to be ok. I’ve gotten this far, I think I can handle this meeting.” You reply and place a fake smile onto your face.

His eyes flit about you, most likely analyzing your strange calm state.
“Good. And try not to worry, I’ll be sitting right behind you.”

That fills you with a very confusing feeling of relief and panic. You had no idea he was going to be present for this meeting. It was nice to have him there for support, but he will also be fully aware of the things you have done in your past. It is inevitable that the hokage of each village you have caused problems in will be discussing those said problems amongst the entire room full of people…..oh god…

You wish you could hide right now. You wish something would come up so you can’t make it to this damn meeting. At this point, you would even take another Kunai to the shoulder to get out of this.

Then Kakashi pulls you out of thought.
“Hello?” He waves a hand in front of you looking concerned.

You blink twice and shake your head snapping out of your anxious spiral.
“I’m ok, it’s going to be ok. Just roll with it.” You say in a type of mantra.

He raises his brows.

“Right…” He replies nervously then places a hand on yours.

“Hana, if you feel your emotions are getting the better of you, and your stone is causing that pain in your chest…I want you to say my name ok?…over and over again in your head. Say it until you are sick of saying it.”

You blink at him. It was an odd thing to comfort yourself with. But it may just work. You think back to when he told you to focus on him while teaching you how to swim and it worked. Focussing on him and your love for him changed all your fears. You nod in response.
“Ok.”

He sighs. “Let’s get going. We don’t want to be late.”

You quietly stand, pushing your chair to the side. Your mind is spinning wildly, running through embarrassing and terrifying scenarios. But there is nothing you can do about it. You follow Kakashi to your door to put your shoes on and can’t help but feel his eyes on you.

“What?” You ask, staring at him.

“Well..umm…you look beautiful today.” He says choking on his words.

Instantly your cheeks pink up matching the color dusting his own. You smile feeling the warmth inside.
“Yeah…you look good too. No falling for any hot hokage ladies ok?” You reply, complimenting him back.

He laughs hard.
“I know all the hokage coming to this meeting and almost every ninja. Don’t worry, there is no one there who holds my interest but you. My standards are above sea level now, remember?.”

You burst out laughing as he just compared any previous relationship he has had to bottom feeding fish. Where does he come up with this shit?

“Let’s go, beautiful.” He holds his hand out to you just as you finish slipping your boots on. And you leave your home feeling slightly better.

——————————————————

Chapter 26: Shiro Hebi

Fifteen minutes and forty five seconds until the meeting….

(Yes you are counting….)

You constantly check your phone for the time while pacing back and forth in the lounge adjacent to the hokage courtroom.

Kakashi watches you trying to ease the burn in your chest from your over reactive stone. Your emotions are running rampant, and causing it to glow quite brightly.

“Hana, please, you need to calm down. Everything will be fine. I have set up this entire meeting for success.” He assures you.

You huff at him in disbelief. How can one man influence so many people?

“I don’t know about that…I am pretty sure after this meeting you will find a box to put me in and ship me across seas without a return address.” You are terrified that Kakashi will no longer see you as he does now. Once everything you have done is revealed, he may never speak to you again.

“Fuck” You curse under your breath thinking about it, and come to stand in front of him. Kakashi sits on a loveseat, laid back, acting calm and cool about it all. Meanwhile you're losing your shit.

“What worries you the most?.” He asks.

You lower your eyes.
“I…well…I wasn’t the greatest person before Hidden Leaf Village, Kakashi.”

He shrugs.
“Neither was I.”

You shake your head.
“No you don't understand. You may not speak to me again after this.”

He sits up and leans forward looking you square in the eyes.
“Listen, we have all done shit in our past. It’s just the life we live, I won’t judge you for it.”

You roll your eyes, doubtful he has had to do the horrible things you were forced to.
“Just be thankful you’re a shinobi of hidden leaf and not the assassin I was….”

He scowls at you and shakes his head.

“Shinobi or assassin, it doesn’t matter….we all learn to paint our hands the same shade of red. We all learn to kill or be killed…that is the way of the ninja…and my hands are just as red as yours….don't kid yourself.”

You blink twice registering his words. He was completely right, it is the way of the ninja. Maybe he has done some horrible things in his past too. Maybe his hands aren’t as clean as you thought they were. You slump down beside him.
“So…did I fall in love with a serial killer?”

He bursts out laughing.
“I have had plenty of opportunities to take you out, but I’d rather take you out for dinner instead.” He nudges you and you barely return the gesture while staring at the windows ahead wondering how far the drop is from here. “Look, whatever happens in there I’m going to take it with a grain of salt. There isn’t anything anyone can say that will push me away. So please stop worrying about that.”

You lay back sinking into the chair further while blowing out a very long breath.
“Ok.” You reply, feeling defeated.

The door suddenly opens and you both watch Naruto walk through, dressed in a casual navy blue suit. Well doesn’t he look smashing today and ready for business. He walks in bright eyed and bushy tailed, nodding to both of you.

“You’re on time! Looks like we are starting off on the right foot. Did you leave your cussing and bad behavior at home?” He asks you sarcastically.

This earns him a very dangerous glare from you and Kakashi laughs much harder than he should.
(Jerks)

“I don’t know Naruto, I guess that depends on your attitude today. If you want sweet from me, you better show me something sugar coated soon or I swear I will….”

And Kakashi quickly covers your mouth with his hand, shutting you up completely. You stop talking and stare at him in shock, but are quickly put in your place by a very stern glare from him. Naruto smiles in victory.

“There’s that control we need.” He sighs in relief.

“Try harder, Hana.” Kakashi says with authority. That damn authoritative tone does things to you…not only does it make you obey him, it also turns you on, causing you to blush. You roll your eyes and nod. Kakashi releases your mouth but not without snickering about it first.

Naruto checks his watch for the time.
“Looks like we have five minutes left until we all walk into that room. I have to say I’m a little nervous. But I think we have the upper hand here.”

Kakashi nods.
“The only thing I’m worried about is the land of iron. They are planning something and I know it isn’t good.”

Naruto strokes his chin thinking.
“At least we don’t have to worry about genjutsu this time. Any chakra draws in the courtroom is forbidden and is punishable by law.”

You sit silently, trying to settle your stomach.

The land of iron…

What could their plans be for you? It is obvious it has to do with money and power. But how will their plan unfold? You have a feeling it will come at a huge cost to you.

A knock on the door pulls you from your thoughts. Konohamaru and Shikamaru stand in the open doorway looking at you sympathetically.

“It’s time.” Kono says.

Kakashi stands and offers you his hand reassuring you once again it will be ok. You take his hand although right now all you want to do is jump out the window and run. He notices your glances at that said window and shakes his head.
“Don’t even think about it.” He smirks.

You pout back at him as he leads you towards the door. Every man around you is feeling the tension brewing and it isn’t helping you one bit. You bite your lip and walk out trying not to lose your breakfast.

……

Ten minutes later you find yourself standing in the center of a large echoing room, at a gold trimmed podium with all eyes on you. This is the largest gathering of highly ranked officials you have ever seen. Your eyes have caught several familiar hokage and Jonin. Ones who you wished weren’t here right now. They don’t hesitate to scowl or glare at you, making your stomach turn and your stone glow bright. You cover up your chest with one hand pretending to cough or clear your throat as everyone stands silently waiting for the judge to make their presence.

Behind you sits your support, Kakashi and Naruto. To your right at a separate table is Konohamaru and Shikamaru writing down notes on who is here.

Everyone is situated into groups of their own lands with their leaders ready to dish out whatever they have to say. You have never felt so small, so weak, so… goddamn scared in your life. You are literally shaking in your boots. There are no exits here. There is nowhere to run. They have you surrounded like caught prey. You Stifle back tears as you search the room full of your enemies.

You hear quiet voices coming from a group to your left. Five men stand behind their own sectioned area, talking amongst themselves, smiling and laughing. They are dressed in very expensive looking suits with perfectly combed hair and straight postures. They must be from the land of iron. You catch the eyes of one man speaking and he smiles uncomfortably at you. He is a decent looking man, with a sizable build. Much stronger looking than Arufa, with the gold chains hanging from his neck and his position at the head of everyone, he must be the leader of the group. Instinctively you look back at Kakashi for some kind of comfort.

He nods at you and glances at the men.
At least he has noticed their strange smiles.

At this point Kakashi is the only person here who can protect you. The only one here who can change the course of action to your favor. But will it be enough?…god this is torture…

Finally a woman dressed in judge's robes enters the room and you cringe at the sight of her. You know this woman quite well and she doesn’t hesitate to make her presence known to you.

“Akari, Gotoru.” She says as she positions herself in her seat. That name brings back a whole crap load of mistakes. You noticeably cringe at the name and Kakashi hums behind you questionably. That name is one of the most embarrassing aliases you have used in the land of water. Boy did you fuck up bad in Kirigakure.

You bow your head at her as she sizes you up. She analyzes you for quite some time before scanning the entire room.
“It looks like you've made more ripples in the pond since I last saw you.”

“Small ripples, Miss. Mizukage, ma’am.” You reply meekly making an inch size with your thumb and index finger. “And…if you don’t mind, I would prefer the name Hana Hoki.”

She raises her brows surprised by your request.
“Very well…Hana. let’s see what small ripples you’ve caused.” and turns her attention to a small group of people behind Kakashi and Naruto. “I have reviewed your many…many…files. We will go over your charges from each land and their contracts, conditions, or offers depending on the situation. Let's start with the land of rivers, Tanigakure. Could its residents representing this land please come forward with your testimony.”

You are hating yourself inside watching the three members of this village make their way to the front of the room. They fixate their glares on you making your stone shoot a sharp pain through your chest.

You look away trying to focus on something else to ease your stone. Then remember what Kakashi had asked you to do if things were feeling like they are getting out of control. Say his name. Over and over until you’re sick of it. So you do, in your head you say it repeatedly until magically your stone dims and the pain in your chest disappears.

The leaders of the land of rivers situates themselves beside the judge shuffling an abundance of papers while passing them amongst each other. They decide on who is going to go first, and if it isn’t the head shinobi of the land you had a terrible accident with.

He clears his throat.

Here we go….

“Thank you Miss, Mizukage. My name is Yasai Kon. I am the lead shinobi from the land of rivers, in charge of delegating missions for smaller lands close by. This girl here.” He points at you scowling. “Had somehow gotten her hands on a scroll that was supposed to be delivered to the land of water. However….that scroll did not make it to its destination and she used it on us instead!”

It was true….you had accidentally switched the scroll with your application papers instead of returning it to its rightful owners, then read the mantra out loud mistakenly.

Miss Mizukage turns her attention to you.

“Hana, is this a true statement?” She asks.

You sigh.
“Yes…It’s true…but it was an accident.

“You activated the scroll in my office which produced a storm large enough to flood the entire building…!” He protests.

You huff at that memory. Such a stupid.. stupid mistake….

“It was an accident, I swear! And I cleaned up that entire building so why are we talking about this?”
He snarls at you.
“There is still a ton of water damage and you left without a contract dismissal!”

“Well maybe you shouldn’t keep scrolls like that out in the open! It looks exactly like a normal piece of paper! You’re lucky a child didn’t get their hands on it and flood the entire village!.” You scold.

The man begins to lose it, his face turning as red as a tomato.

“You stupid girl! There are still important documents missing from my office!”

You shrug.
“I spent weeks fixing up the place. And those important documents you’re talking about are just smut magazines are they not? I found boxes of them in the stationary closet of your office alongside a very large bottle of baby oil!”

It was then that Kakashi bursted out laughing. He tries his best to hold it in behind you, but it hisses through his teeth until Naruto slaps his arm shutting him up completely.

He scoffs at Kakashi and turns towards the judge, who is finding this amusing as well.

“What say you!” He snaps at her.

She raises a brow and leans forward.
“It is a debt paid as she had already cleaned up most of the damage and Hana is right. Leaving scrolls lying around isn’t wise…this issue is resolved, is there anything else you have to say?”

He glares wildly at you and shakes his head slowly.

“Please take your seat in your sectioned area. Thank you.”

Mr. Kon storms very angrily over to his section and sits down hard in his seat. Inside you are fist pumping to that. One down….and well…you’re not sure how many more to go…but this is a good start…

Another man from the land of rivers steps up to the plate. You don’t recognize this man, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. Curiously you wait for him to accuse you of something.

Miss Mazikage speaks.
“Now, I’m going to pause here for a moment. If anyone in this room has a debt that has already been resolved by the defendant do not approach the bench.”

Half the room grumbles at that and many people take their seats in the audience sections. You sigh in relief.

“Alright you may proceed.” She waves her hand to the man standing with papers in hand ready to speak. He nods and clears his throat.

“My name is Nori Ataki. I am the head of the nursing department at Rivers Seniors Care Facility.”

Your eyes grow wide at that and you swear out loud without thinking first.

The judge holds up her hand for him to stop and flares at you.
“Hana, please watch your language in this courtroom.”

You nod and apologize feeling very embarrassed about that outburst. Then you hear Naruto scolding you from behind and Kakashi chuckling.

“Continue.” She says and waves the man on.

“I am here to address a very serious situation that had happened during the time, Rin….” He points to you. “Was volunteering in our facility.”

You clutch the podium feeling the suspense.

“At first she was great. All of our residents loved her, however, after a week things went sour. …” He pauses for a moment to take a deep breath in. “We want Rin to be accountable for the damage done to the facility. She had caused such a disruption in care. It…well…it was the biggest riot the land of rivers has ever seen.”

Kakashi bursts out laughing again and you cover your face with your hands.

“It was..terrifying.” He explains.

The judge looks at you shaking her head.
“And what’s your version of the story, “Rin.” She says in quotation marks. “I’m curious.”

You huff out a very large breath.
“It was an accident. I had no idea there was a resident dog in the facility until it was too late….”

Her brows knit together.
“What was wrong with the dog?”

The man interrupts.
“She doesn’t like dogs!”

“It’s not that I don’t like them, they just don’t like me!” You protest.

“You kicked charley across the room!” He argues.

“He was attached to my leg by his teeth, I couldn’t get him off!” You retort.

The man fumes at you.
“He is a small lap dog! The the size of a football!”

“And that’s why I punted him!”

Kakashi is in stitches right now behind you and you can’t help in your nervous state to smile as well.

“That kick sent our seniors into a frenzy! It was a war zone in there! We had to call in shinobi to settle everyone!”

By now Kakashi is almost crying from laughter, even Konohamaru and Shikamaru are laughing to themselves which catches the judges attention.
“Kakashi Hatake, could you please control yourself in this courtroom?”

You turn back to look at him as his laughter fades away, although he is still having trouble keeping it down.
“Sure thing.” He replies and solutes her.

Everyone’s attention turns back to Miss Mizukage.
“It sounds like this is just a miscommunication. Did the dog in fact attack Hana?” She asks Nori.

He scratches the back of his head.
“Well…yes…”

“Then the problem is your own. I dismiss this encounter as well. Please take your seat.”

Nori starts to protest but Miss Mizukage slams a mallet down, ending the conversation. He solemnly takes his seat next to Mr. Kon.

“This is going to take all day if we go at it the way we are. So, I would like everyone to hand me their list of accusations and crimes against our defendant and I will read over them.”

Everyone in the room begins shuffling papers and each group sends one person to hand them over.

She pulls glasses from her robe and places them on the bridge of her nose. Looking down she begins to read.

It was silent for quite some time before she spoke again. “Bribing a hokage, Hana?”

You scrunch your nose to that.
“It..it was an accident?”

She shakes her head and reads on.
A few seconds later she looks up at you with a serious expression.

“I call the village of rain to the stand.”

Three men approach the podium beside the judge. Three men you know well. For you had spent a few months with them running missions as a kunoichi. Each stare at you with so much hatred you could taste it. Your hands begin to shake again so you clasp them together and pray things go your way.

“Tell the courtroom about the D class mission please.” Miss Mizukage says.

Your previous superior steps up to speak.

“We had accepted a mission not far from Amegakure. It was supposed to be a simple D class mission. The platoon assigned was to take a valuable package to the next village. But Neko and her attitude got the better of my men. They had stopped at a lake to take a rest, and problems arose from there. She wasn’t getting along with any of the men in the group, even calling them names and talking back to her superiors.”

How dare he….

At that you interrupt his lies.
“That is not how it went and you know it!” You seeth.

Miss Mazikage hushes you.

He proceeds, keeping eye contact with you the entire time.
“After an argument with a few of the men she lost control over her power and killed the entire platoon of shinobi. Most were chunin level…so young….” He shakes his head at you and looks to the judge.

Listening to this man’s lies was like grinding salt into your wounds. Your stone starts to glow brightly catching everyone’s attention and that sharp pain pierces your heart once again. You gasp out loud and the man doesn’t hesitate to call you out for it.

“See! Just like that! That is when you know she is losing control! That is when you know she will start killing! She is a dangerous girl and should be locked away!” He explains.

The judge looks at you.
“Hana, I suggest you take contr…”

You stop her there.
“That is not what happened at all!”

She looks between you and the man and notices a slight smirk on his face. It is prominent enough that she gives you the opportunity to explain yourself.

“Please, Hana, explain your side, but be mindful of that stone.”
You nod.
“His platoon…” your eyes begin to water as you explain. “They did horrible things to me! They hazed me day and night for months! If they weren’t hazing me, they were sexually harassing me, to the point of making physical contact! Everytime I fought against those acts of indecency they would set me up for failure the next day! That stupid mission was a set up! It was all a ploy to get rid of me! They knew I couldn’t swim…..they held me under the water until the stone took over and my instinct killed them…”

You can hear Kakashi growl and Naruto shifts in his seat. She turns her attention back to your previous superior.
“Is this true?”

“None of it I swear.”

You shout loudly against his lies.
“It is true! He’s lying!”

The judge sits back in her chair examining the man.
“Did you know she couldn’t swim?” She asks.

“Well… yes, it was in her application. But what does that matter?.”

“And yet you stopped to rest at a lake with a girl who can’t swim? A girl who has no control over her power and can be triggered by intense emotional trauma?” She sets her attention back on you. “Have you drowned before, Hana?”

You stare at her, eyes now dripping with tears.
“Yes…” You barely choke out.

She looks back at the men from the land of rain.
“Were you present for this mission?”

“I…well no… I was on another mission at the time.” He begins to stutter.

“Hmmm. Was there any other witnesses?” She asks.

He shakes his head.
“No…there were no survivors…”

“If everyone had died, and there were no witnesses to say what actually happened other than Hana’s testimony, then what proof do you have of how the situation evolved?”

The man looks back to his peers for obvious help. They whisper amongst each other before he answers.
“We did a thorough investigation and all signs pointed to her. You have the investigation report in your hands.”

She hums again, unimpressed.
“I read it. And nowhere does it mention actual proof of anything aside from the deaths of those men by her hands.”

He nods.
“She killed them all. That is the point here and she deserves a severe punishment for that. I am down a platoon of very talented ninja!”

“It isn’t as simple as that.” She replies and turns her attention to Naruto. “Naruto approach the bench please.”

You watch Naruto rise to his feet and casually walk up to her.

“Thank you.”

He bows deeply to her.
“Of course, Miss Mizukage.”

“Naruto, you have been investigating Hana since she arrived at Hidden Leaf Village, have you not?”

“I have. Kakashi had brought her to my attention after she had lost control in my dojo demonstrating her abilities.” Naruto replies.

“Can you explain to us how she loses control?” She asks.

“Of course. Kakashi has taken her on as his student. He has reported to me over the last few weeks that she loses control when too much of the stone’s energy is gathered in one sitting. It could be during combat, in emotional situations, or in a state of survival. She loses control and her cohort instinct takes over all rational thinking.”

“In those times of uncontrolled power, how dangerous is she?” She asks.

Naruto sighs.
“It depends one the instinct. I believe, in all honesty, she can destroy a village with one massive burst of power.”

“And the body control?…I heard there was an incident at the Leaf gala.”

Naruto nods.
“Yes, there was an altercation with the land of iron. Arufa, set her off. Which I believe was on purpose.”

She rolls her eyes.

“What happened when she lost control?”

“She was able to stop everyone in the gala from moving, even forcing them to the ground unwillingly.”

She raises her brows.
“And after?”

“She transformed….and ran. We did what we had to do and if not for Kakashi, we wouldn’t have been able to administer the sedative to stop her.”

Miss Mizukage leans forward looking at Kakashi, she flicks her hand for him to approach. Lazily he complies.

“Please explain to the courtroom, Kakashi.” She asks him.

He stands before everyone, hands in his pockets.
“Hana and I have established trust. It is strong enough that I am able to control her, even when she has lost complete control over her mind I am able to stop her and bring her mind back to reality. Recently I had stopped her from attacking Naruto. She had taken on the form of the Sunaneko at that time.”

It was then the members of the land of wind began to whisper to your right. You can hear them speak in awe about Kakashi and your Sunaneko form.

“Sunaneko…” the judge says under her breath. “So you are truly the only person that can stop her when she loses control?”

Kakashi nods and Naruto agrees.

Suddenly the land of iron interrupts.
“Actually…There is one other.”

Everyone sets their attention on them in shock.

“I would like to call someone in for questioning if the judge agrees.”

She nods letting the land of iron proceed. All this time you have sat back listening to Naruto and Kakashi vouch for you. It was relieving up until this moment, now your heart pounds painfully and you can barely catch your breath. You hold your stomach feeling sick over their plan unfolding…

It was then a tall man cloaked in white robes from head to toe, pushed open the courtroom doors and entered. The room grows silent watching him. You recognize the clinking sounds of his boot buckles, the swagger in his step, and the way he clasps his gloved hands together as if he held a type of superiority. You flinch in fear as the land of iron says his name.

“I would like to call Shiro Hebi, brother to Hana Hoki, although not by blood, and the last survivor of her clan to the stand. He also bears his own stone and has gained absolute control.”

You watch him slowly approach, his robes fluttering as he walks by and the world around you stills. He pauses for a moment to look at you, eyes glowing under his hood. You whimper, mouth quivering in a fury of mixed emotions as all memories of him flood back into your mind until finally you can’t bear to look at him anymore. You tear your eyes away and look up to Kakashi who stares in utter shock at your brother.

“Naruto and Kakashi, please take your seats. And the land of rain, we will come back to you in a few minutes.”

Everyone complies and you notice the fear in Kakashi’s eyes as he walks by you. He sits down with Naruto very disturbed and they both fixate on your brother who now stands directly in front of you.

“Shiro, please tell us your story.”

He nods and unclasps his hands then lifts his hood off his head revealing himself to everyone. It was as if his looks punched you in the gut, you nearly keel over at the sight of him. His features are similar from when you last saw him as a teenager, yet he has aged beautifully. His eyes are a deeper set, glowing in a bright ice blue aura. A chiseled jawline he hadn’t had before brings out his more rugged looks. He was much taller, much broader than before….he was a man now and felt more like a stranger to you than ever before. Even his energy was different. It was more refined, more distinguished and controlled.
You chew your lip nervously and he begins to speak in a much lower masculine voice. His eyes never leave you.

“Just like Neko, I was sold to the Bloodclaw for the sole purpose of becoming a Gelel Soldier. At four weeks old we arrived in the camp at the same time, and had our stones placed into our bodies. Neko’s was placed in her heart, mine was placed at the base of my spine. As we grew, the stone grew with us. Transforming parts of our bodies, giving us powerful abilities. However, Neko was struggling with hers. Temujin had placed the largest piece of the stone in her body because of her rare Kekkei Genkai which has the ability to enhance the stone's power tenfold. She was bred for this.”
The room erupts in gasps and awes.

Miss Mizukage stops him there.
“Hana, were you not aware of your Kekkei Genkai?” She asks more sympathetically than before.

You shake your head in disbelief. So that is why your father pushed you so hard. That is why he made you suffer more than the rest.

Very concerned, Miss Mizukage lifts her hand for Shiro to proceed.

“Training was hard with Neko. I could barely keep up to her strength and as time went on she grew stronger. It wasn’t until she connected with her cohort instinct, a black panther in the land of jungles, where she started to lose control. Her Kekkei Genkai became over reactive to the stone. My guess is that her panther instinct is so primal and wild it urges to take over and delve in her power. That being said…I had made progress with her during intense training sessions. I found that by establishing a pact with trust, I was able to coax the panther into submission and calm the stones' power.”

Kakashi stands interrupting him.
“If I may speak, Miss Mizukage.”

She nods.

“I have established that trust myself. The pact is so strong I can stop her right before she goes for the kill, even after she has wounded her prey. Can you do this, Shiro?” He says with distaste.

Shiro blinks at him and replies in awe.
“No, I haven’t been that successful…How is it you have established that much trust?”

The judge questions it too.
“You have only been with her for a few weeks and you have surpassed this man? Someone who has grown up with her?”

Kakashi shrugs.
“We have connected on a different level I guess.”

“How many times have you stopped her?” Shiro asks him.

“Two times now. Once when she turned into her panther form. And just recently in her assassin hybrid form.” He replies.

Shiro gasps, very shook and looks back at the men of the land of iron. They curse under their breaths, then he looks back at Kakashi.

“I believe the land of iron has a contract they would like to present to us?” Miss Mizukage interrupts looking at the group of men.

The land of iron shuffles their papers quickly until they find the right one and walks it over to her.

She reads it through then summarizes it for the courtroom.
“So, you want to join the land of lightning under a new contract?”

The men agree.
“Yes, we have spoken with their hokage who has a very large interest in Neko’s abilities. The contract is as follows. Neko, will reside in both the land of lightning and land of iron, carrying out all missions that require her level of ability. We will work together with Neko exchanging her abilities as we see fit. Hidden Leaf Village will release her from their contract in compensation for Kakashi’s violent outburst towards our prince at the gala. As for the land of iron, Arufa would like to have her hand in marriage. This marriage will be the symbol that joins our lands together. As for the other lands that hold contracts with her, they will be paid out in full.” He scans his eyes over every sectioned land. “Name your price…”

The room erupts in whispers and the man clears his throat carrying on.

“And to gain control over that stone, Shiro will take over her training as he now resides in the land of iron and has worked with her before.”

It was then that Kakashi and Naruto threw their calm demeanors away and began to loudly protest the entire contract, arguing with the fact that you are still human and deserve the right to choose a partner to marry without being forced into it. Also arguing the fact that Kakashi holds a safer position with you than Shiro.

The word marriage stuck out to you in a very bad way. Your stomach drops at the thought of being with a man you don’t know who has already toyed with your mind. At this point in time, you are starting to lose control of your emotions and your stone. Your instinct is kicking in as you reluctantly push yourself into survival mode. Through heaving breaths you stare at your brother begging for him to stop this with your eyes. He stares back at you equally with no tell tale sign he will do anything to prevent this. It is obvious your brother still hates you for what you did to Temujin and it is still poisoning his mind. You should have finished him off, you had every opportunity to and you couldn’t…you just couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Now you’re kicking yourself for not following through.

Your entire world is falling apart. You try your best to hold back your stone’s power but small objects around you begin rise into the air, anything electrical in the room sparks wildly or bursts, everyone stops what they’re doing to look at you, and your emotions reach their peak. Your cohort instinct tells you to escape, to get out no matter what it takes. You take one last look at everyone in the room, who are now gathering chakra for a defense…and you turn towards Kakashi. His eyes fixate on yours. You tell him you’re sorry in your mind then let go, giving permission for your instinct to take you away from this place, to rid yourself of everyone around you so you can run…just like the many times before. You will crush walls to escape if you have to….

Chapter 27: Unity

He raises his head. Wild golden eyes watch you with precision. A rumble in his chest echoes through the jungle, he pants with a hungry fever accepting your request. You take a step forward towards the pool of water between you. He smiles bearing sharp fangs and a black spotted tongue. He welcomes you as he usually does, but just as you reach for the connection to your cohort instinct something pulls you out of your mind's eye and back into the reality you had tried to escape from.

It was his scent, that lovely cool smell mixed with spice, and his warm embrace, enveloping you perfectly, that draws you out from your salvation. You open your eyes to the world to find Kakashi standing directly in front of you holding you tightly. He is speaking to you in your native tongue. But how?

“Come back to me, Hana.” He says quietly into your ear while pressing you firmly against his body.

You rise off his chest and look up at him. He lowers his arms to your hips to give you room but keeps a solid grip in caution. In your language you speak back to him, ignoring the entire room of shinobi ready to take you on.

“How do you know my language?” You ask.

He smiles lovingly at you and replies back in your language.
“I study it every night.” He says in a simpler form. It was a raw version, but he knew the words and basic pronunciation. And here you thought you couldn’t be more in love with this man. Yet he has just melted your heart once again with how much effort he puts into your entire being. It was enough to make your eyes water.

The room stands silent watching as Kakashi takes control of the situation. Even Shiro is taken back by how quickly he is able to subdue your raging stone and wild instinct. Kakashi places a gentle hand on your cheek then whispers in your language one last time.

“Stay calm. This is all a part of the plan.” He grins and you clutch onto him burying your face into his black vest and everything levitating in the air floats back down to its original place. The energy in the room dissipates, and the tension slowly subsides.

Kakashi looks up to the judge.
“You can lower your guard, she is in a safe state of mind now. As you can see, I have absolute control.”

Miss Mizukage smiles at Kakashi and nods.
“Everyone take your seats.. except Kakashi. I want you to stay with Hana for the rest of this hearing.”

The room shuffles about as everyone gets back to their seats. You lift your head to search for your brother and find him sitting with the land of iron. He watches you and Kakashi inquisitively, carefully analyzing the way you react to each other. Quickly you push away from Kakashi hoping Shiro hasn’t figured things out. Kakashi releases you although more slowly than you wished. He keeps a hand on your lower back, tickling you with his thumb.

The Mizukage blows out a long breath, thinking hard and the room sits quietly waiting.
“I don’t like this…” she states more to herself.

She sighs.
“Hana.”

“Yes Miss Mizukage?”

You can tell she is feeling the exhaustion from this meeting and starts to speak far more casually than before.
“It would seem the whole world has gone crazy over you….you have caused everyone so many problems in your travels, but I think it isn’t all what it seems. However, that is just my opinion and doesn’t prove anything written down on paper.” She addresses the land of rain.
“To the land of rain, you have lost your entire platoon of men to this girl. My condolences to you and their families. Hana will be accountable for their lives, as there are no other witnesses present to counter your case. Your report was enough to contradict her statement.”

You begin to protest.
“But, Miss Mizukage! They tried to kill me!”

“There is no proof of that without another witness. Therefore…” she is suddenly interrupted by your brother of all people.

“Actually. There is another witness.” He says and stands.

The judge nods.
“Who?”

“Myself. I was there to witness the entire event unfold. I had even pulled her from the lake after words and revived her….” He states.

So it was your brother that had saved your life. After being thrown into the lake by the shock of your power he had pulled you from it and revived you. Has he been following you this whole time?

The land of rain protests.
“That can’t be true!”

He looks directly at them.
“It is. I saw everything! Including the five men who held her under the water, and it is exactly how she explained it. Every detail is true, although they did far worse things to her that day than she has come forward with.”

The room was silent after that. Miss Mizukage thinks on this for quite some time before coming to a conclusion..
“Thank you Shiro for your statement.”

He nods and takes his seat once again. You watch him curiously and notice a slight dusting of pink across his cheeks. He glances at you then quickly looks away. Is he seriously blushing right now?

“Well, with that being said, I am dropping all charges from the land of rain. However, there will be a full investigation of Amegakure’s shinobi academy and its leaders. Hana, you are not to step foot in that land unless escorted by at least two black op ninja. For your safety.”

You smile wide at that.
“Of course, miss Mizukage.”

The land of rain becomes very hostile.
“This is nonsense! I think everyone’s minds have been influenced by this girl! If she steps one foot in the land of rain we will kill her without hesitation!” The leader points his finger at you.

“Don’t worry, Amegakure is the last place I want to be.” You reply.

They hiss at you and make their leave but not without slamming the door shut on the way out.

Miss Mizukage sighs heavily.
“Alright, let’s talk about this new contract…..give it here.” She holds out her hand and a man from the land of iron quickly passes it over. Once it is in her hands she tears it in half shocking the entire room. She doesn’t stop tearing it until it is in pieces piled up in front of her.

“Miss Mizukage!” The land of iron protests.

“Quiet!” She snaps. “What makes you think the rest of the founding lands are going to sit by and let the land of iron and the land of lightning gain two of the most powerful assassins in the world?”

They stare at her, unable to come up with any words.

“Hana will stay in hidden leaf village…”

“Arufa will…..”

Miss Mizukage leans forward in her chair.
“Arufa is a spoiled brat and will NOT get his way this time! I am tired of heeding to his demands! Hana will stay where she is safe… as it is obvious she is safest in the care of Kakashi Hatake and hidden leaf village!”

“The royal family will be very displeased!”

“That isn’t my problem! We live in times where women get to choose their spouses, I suggest the royal family start getting up to speed with the world before it leaves them behind.”

You couldn’t be more happy and relieved by those words. She had said it perfectly, better than you could have even thought. Kakashi is over the moon about this too, you can tell from the grin under his mask and the squeeze on your hip.
She turns her focus on you.
“Hana, you are free to choose whoever you want to spend your life with, but you still owe everyone in this room something in return for the chaos you had created throughout the years.”

Your smile fades away.

She looks at you with sincerity.
“You and your brother are very valuable ninja….” She pauses and scans the room again. “It has been a long time since the lands were all in the same room together. I would like to come up with a contract that is useful for everyone here, not just the land of iron or lightning. Does everyone agree?”

Surprisingly the majority agrees.

“Good. Hana and Shiro, I want you to carry out high ranked missions in all allied lands as they need, except for the land of rain. Since they are now under investigation they will no longer be accepting missions until they have been cleared to do so. Does this please the audience?”

Everyone begins to talk amongst each other. Whispering mostly agreeable words, there is only a few lands who are hesitant but Miss Mizukage quickly changes their minds.

“This is the best option as I don’t believe giving up two very powerful ninja to the land of iron and lightning is a wise decision on anyone's part. We are all here to work together, to prosper together. Despite our lands being separated by borders and names we are still linked together in so many ways. May these two ninja be our spokes models for unity.”

Now that doesn’t sound as bad as you thought it had in the beginning. When she put it in terms of joining the lands together, you now feel it is your heroic duty to show everyone what has been slipping away for so many years….unity….

You catch your brother's eyes once more, and for the first time in a long time you see him smile. That same comforting smile he used to have when you outwitted him or bested him in a fight. It was so nostalgic it brought back many memories you had forgotten about. Memories of playing childhood games, sharing your dreams with each other under starlit skies, or playing your guitar for him when he was in a bitchy mood.

You smile back at him and notice that same pinking to his cheeks. He almost seems bashful right now which is something you have never seen before. It was sort of…cute…

Miss Mizukage speaks, wrapping up this intense meeting.
“As for her loss of control over that stone, Kakashi will work closely with her until that control is established. I will have the contract written up and sent out to everyone in a few days. This meeting is adjourned.” She slams her mallet down and the room begins to clear out.

You and Kakashi both sigh in relief at the same time.

“I think I can breathe now.” Kakashi says, almost laughing it off.

“Yeah…that was…the worst.” You reply.

“It was fucking hell.” He says in your language. So he knows some cuss words too.

“And who taught you cussing in my language?” You ask.

“The internet is full of things we shouldn’t know. Let’s go get some food, I bet you’re hungry.”

Your stomach begins to growl loudly and Kakashi comments.
“Right on time…”

It was then Naruto, Konohamaru, and Shikamaru approach you, huddling around in a group.

“So….you have a brother?” Konohamaru asks.

You sweep your hair from your face, getting the feeling like this may have been good information to provide everyone weeks ago.
“Uhhh…yeah…we’ll sort of…I grew up with him…but we aren’t officially related by blood.”

Shikamaru asks you a very serious question.
“Should we worry about him?”

You glance over his way and notice his gaze has never left you.
“Possibly. We didn’t end things on good terms.”

Everyone draws their attention towards him and he finally looks away focussing on the rest of the land of iron who are arguing amongst themselves.

“Well, if he tries anything he will regret it. Stone or not, all of us together can take him on.” Naruto says and slams his fist into his palm.

And because you feel this is the correct time to display his own trademark, you perform it perfectly. You lift your thumb and say the words.
“Believe it!”

Each shinobi laugh loudly at you, Naruto getting far too excited about it and Kakashi doesn’t hesitate to scold you for it.
“Don’t even start that shit.” He says and beckons you to come with him. “Let’s go get something to eat, I’m starving. We still have a lot to discuss. Every body in for some ramen? Our hokage is buying.”

“Hey! I never said that!” Naruto argues.

The others, including yourself, ignore him and begin to discuss the many expensive dishes to be ordered leaving Naruto scowling behind you.

Chapter 28: Seeing stars, and not the good kind…

“So, Neko…or should I say Rin? Or do you prefer Hana?” Shikamaru asks with a sly grin.

 

“Call me Hana, please.” You say, unimpressed. 

 

“How many names do you have?” Konohamaru asks. 

 

You huff back at him.

“Does it matter?” 

 

He shrugs.

“I guess not…so you punted a small dog across the room of a seniors facility and caused a riot?” 

 

Kakashi begins to laugh loudly and asks another stupid question.

“And which hokage did you try to bribe?” 

 

You curse out loud.

“Hey! It wasn’t a bribe per say..! I persuaded a hokage with something they needed in return for something I needed.” 

 

“That’s called a bribe, Hana.” Naruto says, raising a brow. 

 

“I call it a gift exchange… so…” you reply casually, while shoving a dumpling into your mouth. 

 

Kakashi chuckles.

“She had quite the list of evil doings. But our villain is now a hero!” He replies and ruffles your hair. 

 

You scowl at him through the strands of crimson hair covering your face. 

“Stop that….shouldn’t you be worshipping hero’s, Kakashi? Not messing up their hair?” 

“Ha! I do worship a hero…I love myself very much.” 

 

Everyone rolls their eyes then Naruto gets serious with the group.

“Jokes aside…we should talk about the land of iron and the land of lightning…” 

 

Everyone sighs.

 

“What a shit show…things are going to get pretty messy once Arufa finds out he can’t marry who he wants.” Shikamaru states. 

 

“Yeah….I doubt he will let Hana go easily.” Konohamaru replies.

 

Kakashi leans back in his chair, reminiscing about something. 

“I don’t mind beating his face in again.” 

 

You try to think back on that memory of Kakashi and Arufa, but aren’t able to recall much before you transformed. There are short visions of the chaos but nothing in detail.

 

“I wish I could remember. It is all such a blur.” You complain.

 

Konohamaru rests a hand on yours. 

“It’s probably better that you don’t remember.” 

 

You notice Kakashi in your peripheral vision begin to tap his leg anxiously at Konohamaru’s hand on yours. It isn’t fair for him to feel like this. Why you had to situate yourself between the two was beyond you. At first you thought it was the better idea to separate them, but now you wished you had placed them together to deal with their jealous hormones on their own. Maybe they can hold each other’s hand instead. You pretend to wipe your mouth with a napkin releasing your hand from Konohamaru. Then discreetly, as you place your napkin down, you slide your right hand under the table and over Kakashi’s left thigh to give him some comfort . He instantly straightens up, clearing his throat. You bite your lip holding back a mischievous smile that desperately wants to plaster itself onto your face, while Naruto decides to bring your brother into the conversation. 

 

“And maybe your brother isn’t so bad. I mean he did pull you out of a lake to save your life…” Naruto says while sucking back far too many noodles from his bowl of ramen. 

 

You think on his positive outlook. It could very well be that your brother has changed his ways. Maybe he has had some sort of realization as to who your “father” really was, and not the hero he initially thought. 

 

You shrug in response, a little too distracted by the shift in Kakashi’s legs. 

 

“Maybe he has changed…I guess we will find out.” You reply, and move your hand up his thigh letting your fingertips sink into the muscle just below his crotch. Kakashi hums nervously and leans forward placing his elbows over the table. Obviously paranoid that someone might see your inappropriate squeezes and touches. 

 

They continue to talk about your brother, asking you all kinds of questions, right down to his cohort instinct. Kakashi grows quiet as you rub the crease of his thigh and hip. 

 

“So what animal is he?” Naruto asks.

 

Your brothers seal flashes through your mind. 

“He had connected with a snake. But the connection had left him disfigured. That is why he always wears a cloak.” You reply and drift your last two fingers over his now bulging pants. You can feel how hard he is already. He shifts uncomfortably under your touch trying to block you with his thigh. 

 

This is too fun….

 

He continues to try and remove your hand with his thigh while keeping the conversation going. 

 

“I have a feeling your brother will…uhhh… be hanging around…” Kakashi says, making complete eye contact with you. His eyes hold a hint of disapproval in them, but the half curl of his lips tells you he’s enjoying this more than he should. So you do the Hana thing and tease him further. 

 

Thankfully Kakashi’s statement sparks a louder conversation between everyone. All eyes are on Naruto right now, as he is going through possible scenarios of what could happen and what to do. 

 

In the distraction you lean forward over the table with your left elbow and drift your hand over Kakashi’s crotch. Your fingers feel out his pants until they find exactly what they are looking for and you don’t hesitate to give it a good squeeze. Which he in turn curses quietly under his breath and instinctively thrusts into your grip. Thankfully everyone else is fixated on Naruto’s opinions and not on you two right now.

 

Kakashi glares at you and shakes his head still holding that sly smile. You lean over to whisper in his ear, giving him one more squeeze and skimming your thumb over the tip. 

“What are you doing later?…” you ask. 

 

He whispers back with obvious strain.

“Hmmm….You…” 

 

You smile picturing it. Picturing other ways to please him and new ways he can please you. Your stone begins to glow over it, catching Shikamaru’s attention. Quickly you remove your hand from Kakashi’s crotch and place your elbows on the table. 

 

“You ok, Hana?” He asks, looking at your chest. 

 

Flustered that he almost caught you and Kakashi, you flip the feeling back onto Shikamaru. 

“My eyes are up here…” you say pointing to them. 

 

He chokes and turns a lovely shade of red, glancing at all his comrades. You’re such an ass…

 

“That’s not…well…I…Sorry…your stone was glowing…I thought…”

 

You laugh and Kakashi nudges you, shaking his head again.

“I’m joking, Shikamaru. Here’s how I see it…Arufa will try to start a war over me, the land of lightning will most likely try to convince me to join them as they don’t really care about the land of iron now that they don’t have my brother overseeing my control. As for my brother he will definitely try to get me to side with him as he is still with the land of iron. There is a reason he wants me alive, I’m not sure what it is but I don’t think it is good.” 

 

Everyone blows out a heavy breath and leans back in their chairs thinking.

 

“I’m not done…None of this is my concern. What I’m concerned about is the missions I will be forced to join from the other lands. I have a feeling I will be sent on one soon despite having no control. And not all missions are going to be beneficial to Hidden Leaf, or to myself.” 

 

Kakashi places a hand on yours, just like Konohamaru, earning a sharp yet confused stare from Kono.

“I’ll be there with you the whole way…” Kakashi says. 

 

You can sense the uncomfortable shift of jealousy in Konohamaru. 

 

“I’m going to try and be there as much as possible too.” Konohamaru says, placing his hand over your other hand.

 

Naruto looks between the two and smiles.

“I think that’s a great idea having both of you follow, Hana.” 

 

You close your eyes envisioning the tension on your travels… this is going to be hell…literal hell….

 

“Right.” You reply, very unimpressed. 

 

At this point you are dying to get your mind off all of this and try to relax. Your stomach has not been happy with you today. You are also dying for a large glass of wine to drown your nerves and decide that it is time to get out between the testosterone building on both sides of you before something happens. You stand releasing yourself from their grasps and push your chair in.

“Well I have a ton of drinking to do before that call comes in. I should get going…” 

 

Naruto scoffs at you.

“Drinking? Should you be training?” 

 

And you shut him up there with no sugar coating this time as you have literally had enough of today.

“Look Naruto, I have had enough of your….”

 

…That is until Kakashi quickly slaps another hand over your mouth before you can lay into him. 

 

You growl into Kakashi’s hand while he replies for you. 

“What Hana was going to say is. You are right Naruto, I will head straight home and start planning my next training session.” 

 

He looks directly at you with a firm expression countering your furious glare. You are about ready to bite his hand off, then he winks at you and smiles slyly. He releases your mouth and waits for Naruto to respond, while you figure out what that smile means. 

 

“Great! Keep me posted on the progress. And if you need help send me a text.” Naruto replies, throwing down a wad of cash and everyone else stands getting ready to leave.

 

You blow out a short breath of frustration and pick up your bag. Konohamaru comes to your side and places a hand on your lower back leaning in far too close to your face.

 

“What are you doing later?” He asks. 

 

“I umm……” you look at Kakashi who is watching you two closely. Konohamaru glances at him. 

 

“She’s training with me, Kono.” Kakashi says in monotone. 

 

“Seriously? I don’t think Naruto meant getting back into it today. She’s gone through enough don’t you think?” He hisses.

 

“Our hokage would like her to continue her practices.” Kakashi argues and waves a hand over Naruto.

 

Naruto scratches the back of his head.

“I guess taking the day off to recover is the better idea.” He replies, agreeing with Konohamaru. 

 

“See?”

 

Kakashi looks at you defeated and shrugs. At this point everyone has their focus on you waiting for a reply. Each shinobi are situated on either side of you making it impossible for you to leave without answering unless you climb over the damn table….. so be it. 

 

Instead of answering you hop up onto the table and casually make your exit through the gauntlet of disapproval. You tiptoe between the dishes and cutlery then step off the table gracefully by-passing all of them. They protest your actions the entire time, except for Kakashi who is smiling wide and chuckling to himself . Then you finger them all before heading out the door. 

 

Faintly you hear Konohamaru still battling it out with Kakashi. 

“You’re always such a fucking cock block Kakashi!”

 

“Is that so?… Well I’d like to keep it that way! She doesn’t need anymore distractions” He replies back in that calm and cool voice he always has. 

 

“I have helped her far more than you have! You’re always hanging around, getting in the way…why can’t you just…”

 

Too tired to even care about what they’re saying anymore you shut the door to the restaurant behind you and get the hell out of there fast. Your destination is straight to your home with no stops as you have a lot of thinking to do…or drinking…you’re not entirely sure which will come first.

 

You still hope Kakashi will stop by later for some fun, you could really use some love tonight…

————————————-

 

Four hours later you find yourself leaned over your kitchen island, flipping through pages of your Theory on Chakra Balance text book like a good girl, trying to find the section that explains the process at the vibrational level.

 

You had originally planned to down half a bottle of wine and sit on your roof top playing your guitar into the evening, but your anxiety has gotten the better of you as Shiro and S class missions continuously take over your thoughts. 

 

You hum to yourself listening to pop goes rock in your head phones and finally find the chapter you are looking for. 

 

Chakra energy and vibration:

 

The world around us is interpreted by physical solidarity. But, as we look closer, we find every molecule and atom that make up the universe are vibrating faster than the eye can see. These vibrations hold a large source of energy and can be tapped into with practice and focus.

 

The vibrational current through our physical forms must match the vibrational current of the chakra for success in jutsu. Some types of jutsu require an absolute vibrational match, which is not easy to obtain. That is why we practice….

 

Then a text from Kakashi comes in distracting you from your studies. 

 

Hey 🐱, I am caught up in a meeting for another two hours at least. We need to talk about some things…

 

You reply a little worried. 

😕 So…I guess we won’t be having any fun while you’re here….

 

Not so fast…Don’t think I have forgotten about your little performance earlier….

 

You smile deviously and snicker out loud, remembering how much torment you have caused him. 

You reply simply with only an emoji.

😜

 

He replies.

😑

 

😂

 

You’re bad... He states.

 

Bad to the bone, Kakashi Hatake. 

 

You’re worse than me sometimes. Keep my side of the bed warm, I’ll be coming over to correct that bad behavior soon…😛

 

Oh goodie! 🤩

 

And he leaves you all over excited, wiggling in your seat. You can’t wait for your ninja to come over and play. It sparks enough excitement in you to dress up a little. He enjoyed it so much last time it would be rude if you didn’t. Off to your bedroom you go. 

 

Twenty minutes later you are dressed in a black lace up bralette, matching panties, thigh high socks, and cute cat ears you found while rummaging through the costume section of your closet. Yes you have a costume section as Halloween is one of your favorite times of the year. You thought cat ears would suit your ninja as that is what he keeps calling you all the time. Satisfied with that you throw on a silk robe and head downstairs for a snack. 

 

You place your ingredients into your blender and turn it on whipping up a blueberry shake. Then something catches your attention. The sliding door to your living room is partially open letting in the cool evening breeze. Strange….you don’t recall leaving it open, or going out onto your back porch at all. 

 

Suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, and a warning from your cohort instinct kicks in. Someone is in your house…

 

A shadow darts by….It stops in front the doorway leading up to your bedroom. In a fraction of a second you snatch a knife from your knife block and throw it at the shadow. By now you have named the shadow as your brother. It is no wonder your senses were going crazy. He steps aside dodging the blade easily, it stabs into the wall beside him and he moves forward revealing himself, his long white cloak fluttering in the breeze. 

 

“Neko.” He says and removes the hood covering his face. 

 

He watches you cautiously waiting for your next move. Before he can think about it you attack, grabbing another knife from the block in the process. He moves forward as you leap over your kitchen island crashing into him taking a wide stab at his chest. 

 

He pushes your weapon to the side and grabs your arm, using your momentum he pulls you forward spinning you around slamming your back hard into the wall, leaving a crack from the floor to the ceiling. Your landlord is going to be pissed about this. 

 

You regain yourself gasping for air from having the wind knocked out of you. He backs up releasing your arm and raises his fists ready for another attack. You charge your stone in a fury of hatred, abandonment, and betrayal. You come at him not holding back, still gripping the knife you slice at him with epic speed. 

 

Left, right, left…he dodges everything but not without taking the power filled punches and kicks you back your stabs with. He defends himself against you while you tear up your home using your bodies to smash anything that stands in your way. 

 

He dodges yet another stab and with a powerful stone charged kick to the stomach, he sends you flying right through the wall of your living room and into the empty storage room you were planning on turning into a gym. 

 

It has been a long time since you have felt strength and speed like this in a fight. The only one you can compare your brother to would be, Kakashi and possibly Naruto. You are not prepared for this fight.

 

You skid to a stop on the laminate floor and round your legs leaping onto your feet at the same time. Your body throbs with pain from several broken ribs and a possible fractured collar bone. However, he gives you no time to react to his next move as stone charged objects rise into the air. He pulls a substantial amount of energy and slams you back, tackling you to the ground knocking the air from your lungs again. You lose your knife in the process and take a heavy hit to the chest which harbors your brightly glowing stone. 

 

It is a grappling battle now and he has definitely refined his skills over the years. You flip over and over on top of each other trying to gain the upper hand. He hooks onto your leg while twisting your wrist. You I gasp out in pain letting go of your own grip on him and easing up your weight giving him the advantage. He throws you to the ground cracking your head on the floor. You lie there seeing stars, and not the good kind, as the room spins around you.

 

“Neko stop!” He shouts at you. But that only fuels your rage, snapping you out of your daze. 

 

You grunt up at him fighting against the weight of his body.

“Would you just give up and die already!” You snap back.

 

He bursts out laughing, easing up on you. That gives you enough strength to charge your stone and flip him over onto his back, in the process your hand taps against the knife you had lost and you snatch it up in your grasp. You quickly position yourself on top of him losing your robe in the process and hold the knife to his throat placing him in check mate. 

 

“Don’t fucking move Shiro!” You press the knife against his throat. 

 

Panting he drags wide eyes over your body. 

“Gods…Neko…” He whispers under his breath. 

 

You curse back at him and in your wild rage, your stone glowing dangerously, you raise the knife above your head. Your cohort is begging for a kill, and you almost follow through with it. That is until he speaks to you in your language and says something so hurtful it makes you want to tear the entire world apart.

 

“Neko….I’m sorry.” He says and closes his eyes, waiting for you to finish him off. 

 

You scream through your teeth at him and slam the knife down. But you miss the target terribly. That knife buries itself into the fleshy part of his shoulder just below anything fatal. 

 

He cries out in pain and his eyes snap open glancing at the knife. He breathes heavily as you both sit staring at each other. He looks pain stricken and scared right now. Yet his eyes hold a longing for you, as if he has been dying to catch your attention for some time. Then all at once he pushes your arm away from the knife and rises up to embrace you desperately before you can knock him unconscious. He envelopes you in thick muscular arms burying his face into the crook of your neck, pressing one hand against the back of your head deepening the connection between you. 

 

You sit frozen unable to move. Unsure of what to do. It has been years since you have felt his arms around you. It has been years since you have been this close to him… This is too much…it is all too much…

 

Beaten, you slump into him releasing your rage, softening the burn of your stone as thousands of memories spill into your mind. A tidal wave of mixed emotions washes over you. It was then the tears really came. Uncontrollable sobbing and crying out. You both missed him and hated him so much all you can do is cry. 

 

He shushes you, sweeping his hand down your back, fingers entangled into the strands of your hair. 

 

Through sobs you yell at him.

 

“You fucking asshole!” 

 

You push him away and he falls back on his elbows. 

“I’m sorry Neko, I…”

 

“I hate you…I hate you so much…” You say quietly through puffs of breath and lower your eyes to his chest replaying all of the torment he has put you through. 

 

“I know…” He replies shamefully. 

 

At that your anger returns with a vengeance, and you slam your fists into his chest. 

“You turned on me, like I was nothing!. And you…you just left me!….I needed you!…you said you would never leave me! You said we would be together forever! You were all I had left!” 

 

He catches your fists in his hands and looks into your eyes.

“I know…I’m sorry…”

 

Does he think he can just walk in here, apologize and everything will be ok? 

 

“Would you just shut up! You think an apology is going to fix anything?” 

 

He continues to search your eyes.

“No.”

 

You huff at him giving up on your anger.

“You’re just….the worst…” 

 

He blows out a breath.

“Yeah..I know…But Neko.” 

 

“It’s Hana! Call me Hana damnit!” 

 

He shakes his head.

“I can’t do that. You are Neko to me and always will be.” 

 

You glare at him.

 

“Neko, I…fuck…I really need you to put some clothes on.” 

 

You blink at him very confused with that comment, and look down at your attire, the way you’re sitting on him and how bad this looks. Your face turns a shade of red you can feel and you scold your brother for being such a creep. 

 

“Shiro! You’re my brother for god sake!” You snap and peel yourself off him to go fetch your robe. 

 

He lies back down sighing hard, looking up at the ceiling.

“I am still a man, you know. And I haven’t been your brother for a very long time! We’re not even blood related, remember?” He protests. 

 

Which you have to agree slightly. When you first saw him in the courtroom you admit his looks shocked you in many ways.

“Still!” You snap and put your robe on looking down at him. He doesn’t hesitate to grab one more glance at your body before you close it up. 

 

“Stop it!” You scold.

 

“Ok, ok!. What the hell are you doing wearing that outfit anyways?” 

 

And you choke, unable to tell him the exact reason why. 

“Well, ummm…” You whip up a quick excuse. Placing your hands on your hips you reply with a large amount of tone. 

 

“If you must know. My boyfriend is on his way over.” 

 

He rises to his feet, pulling the knife from his shoulder. 

“Fuck…you didn’t have to stab me!”

 

“Oh Stop whining…you completely deserved that.” 

 

He glances up at you and grins.

“Still got that fucking mouth on you Huh?.” 

 

“It’s my best weapon, Shiro! Why would I give it up?.” 

 

“Ain’t that the truth. So…that old guy is gonna to be here soon?” 

 

Your eyes widen. Is your relationship with Kakashi that obvious?

“Wh…what do you mean old guy?” You ask, trying to play it off like you have no idea what he is talking about.

 

“Kakashi Hatake. Isn’t he in his fifties or something?” 

 

Well doesn’t that remark set you off.

“He is not even close to Fifty! And he’s not my boyfriend!” 

 

“Oh he most definitely is. It’s very obvious.” He argues. 

 

You can feel your cheeks heating up again making it even more obvious. Shiro raises his brows.

 

You growl at your secret revealed.

“So what if he is?” You reply defeated. 

 

He tsks.

“Shouldn’t you be chasing guys your own age?” 

 

You roll your eyes and reply, embarrassing him further.

“You mean guys like you?” 

 

His own cheeks turn pink at that remark and he shrugs it off shaking his head. 

“You’re such a loud mouth.”

 

And things get quiet from there. Both of you are unsure what to say after that as neither of you want to even cross that boundary... Or at least you don’t.

 

“What are you doing here anyways?” You ask, changing the subject.

 

“I needed to talk to you. To explain everything.” He replies more sincerely this time. 

 

Then your phone begins to ring, startling you both. You recognize the ringtone as Kakashi’s and begin to panic. 

 

“Shit…That’s Kakashi, he’s on his way here, you need to leave or you and my house will be in a worse state than this!.” You start to shove him towards the door. 

 

He turns towards you placing his hands on your shoulders and looks you deep in the eyes.

“We really need to talk…Can I see you again?!” 

 

You hesitate to give him the answer he wants. But give into his desperation instead, not able to say no. You are way too soft these days…

 

“Maybe... I don’t know yet…I still want to stab you a few more times…then maybe we can talk….” 

 

And finally a genuine smile enters the room. One you didn’t know you missed so much. 

 

He bows to you, hands pressed into prayer.

“Thank you.” 

 

“Oh Fuck off! It’s not going to be a nice conversation. You have a shit ton of explaining to do, you're definitely not off the hook! Damnit…This is really messed up, Shiro!” You reply and continue to shove him out your balcony door.

 

“I know. I know…I am just happy you’re giving me any of your time, even if half of that time is stabbing me.” 

 

You pause and look at him confused.

“Six years ago you wanted to see my head on a post, as you said it, and now you’re just happy to be in my presence? How messed up is that? Did you smack your head on something?” 

 

He shakes his head.

“No…uhhh…well sort of. Father…I mean Temujin, took over my mind for a long time. I lost myself years ago and finally found my way back. All it took was…well… you”

 

You scowl at him.

“You’re being creepy again!” 

 

He rolls his eyes.

“Would you get your mind out of the trash can? I’m being serious here!”

 

You hold yourself feeling weird all of a sudden and another call comes in on your phone. You hum nervously, glancing back at it.

 

“I’ll get going. I don’t want to cause anymore problems right now. But I will be seeing you again soon. We have a lot to discuss.” He says and makes his way outside. 

 

“Fine!. You owe me some cash for the mess you made in my house anyways.” 

 

He turns back towards you smiling.

“I’ll buy you whatever you want. See you soon, Neko.” And salutes you.

 

You shake your head and watch him leave, still hating him for all he has done despite what has just told you. Tears swell in your eyes as he slips away into the night and the minute the sliding door shuts you fall to your knees in pain and confusion. What in the hell just happened?….

Chapter 29: M’Lord

Thirty minutes later you find yourself sitting leaned up against the cracked wall, beaten and bruised. You are holding a cloth covered ice pack over your lip which was cut open in the ruckus you and your brother had caused. You had managed to put on an oversized t-shirt to cover up your risqué outfit as you aren’t feeling so sexy anymore.

Your entire apartment is in shambles, the only thing untouched are the rooms upstairs. There is a human sized hole in the middle of your living room wall leading to the next room. And everything made of glass, aside from the sliding door, is in pieces. Your landlord is going to evict you for sure.

You cuss out loud. Things are going to get far more complicated for you now.
You close your eyes and lean your head back against the wall wishing someone was here to help you.

“Hana!…” You hear Kakashi’s voice call out to you from your front door. He rounds the corner to the living room and drops everything in his hands to the floor. You watch as he scans the living room, kitchen, and the hole to your spare room finally setting his eyes on you. Leaning against the wall, bleeding from different areas holding that cloth over your lip.

To embarrassed to look at him you stare at the broken end of your floral sofa. You really liked that sofa… Kakashi rushes to your side.

“What the hell happened, Hana?” He asks, his voice wavering slightly.

Your eyes finally meet his.
“My brother stopped by for a visit…it…” You adjust yourself painfully trying to sit up straighter. “It didn’t go so well… as you can see.”

“He did this?!” Kakashi growls, clenching his fist and tiny specks of electricity sizzle around his hands. Oh he's pissed.

You remove the cloth from your mouth to explain.
“It was more of a team effort. He wanted to talk, I wanted to kill. Things got out of hand…”

“Out of hand is an understatement...”

The fury in his eyes when he said that was a little frightening. You haven’t seen Kakashi this mad ever.

“I’m going to kill him…I’m going to fucking kill him!” He shouts while looking you over.

You place a hand on his cheek trying to calm him down.
“It’s ok. I’m ok.”

He lowers your hand and shakes his head.
“No it’s not ok... I’m taking you home with me. You’re staying at my place from now on.”

He lifts you up and you nestle into your favorite spot in his arms feeling much needed relief.

You’re safe

You’re loved

You’re secure

Three things your brother had offered you and threw away. But you know this man will never do the things your brother has done to you. You know this man is your everything. You wrap your arms around his neck trying not to get blood on his shirt and whisper in his ear.
“I love you.”

He squeezes you tightly reciprocating the affection his own way.

Yet you gasp at the pressure on your ribs.
“Ahh…That hurts.”

He loosens his grip and sighs at you.
“Hana, I am extremely pissed off right now. If I see that man I am going to crush him..”

As much as you want to see him go at it with your brother, this isn’t his fight. And besides, your brother isn’t what you thought he was. So you say the words with fear in your heart, hoping Kakashi doesn’t snap at this.
“I can’t let you do that.”

Kakashi stops at the door and looks down at you in disbelief.
Angrily he replies.
“You don’t have a say in the matter!”

He carries on walking you out of your home, slamming the front door with his foot.

“Kakashi, it was my fault. He just wanted to talk and I started a fight instead.”

You explain and he huffs at that.
“Let’s talk about this when we get home. I can’t hear anymore right now, or I’ll go mental.”

“Ok.” You reply meekly.

—————————————

“Let me see your lip.” He says and removes the cloth from your mouth.

“It’s not so bad... Could be worse.” You state.

“That is not the mentality you should be having right now. These lips are one of my favorite things..” He confesses and examines the gash.

Smiling inside you reassure him.
“It will be gone by tomorrow.”

“That’s not the goddamn point, Hana!.” He snaps.

Wow…He sure is mad right now. You’re starting to think he’s more angry at you than anything. He runs his hands along the bruised part of your collar bone.
“This is fractured for sure. And most of your ribs are broken...”

“I’ll be fine.” You reply.

His eyes flick up to yours.
“I’m not going to say this again. Nothing about this is ok or fine, Hana! Get it through your head!”

You stare at him surprised by his brash remark and harsh tone. At that you start to cry like a little baby. You didn’t mean to, but his anger towards you is hurting you more than it should. You know he is just pissed about Shiro and that it probably doesn’t have anything to do with you, but you can’t help but feel like the target here.

Immediately Kakashi starts to console you.
“Shit….Hana, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry…” He wipes the tears from your cheeks making you look at him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you so badly. I’m just…I’m having a hard time with this.”

Sniffling, you reply quietly.
“I know.”

He sighs hard.
“I’m mad at myself for not being there. For letting some asshole hurt my girl. No one gets to lay a finger on my girl. ..No one!.”

His last words were said more to himself. But the way he calls you his girl sweeps your tears away. You smile up at him madly in love and can’t help but kiss him. You lean towards him and press your lips over his mask-covered mouth then remember your lips probably need stitches.

You push him away, complaining about the sting of pain from his mask sticking to the wound.

“I think we should take you to the hospital.” He says, very concerned.

You shake your head.
“No way! I’ll be fine by tomorrow, it’s just a few broken bones and a cut lip.”

He studies you for a moment before speaking.
“Alright, I will go grab my first aid kit.” He says overly pronounced, reminding you that he has one and you don’t. You roll your eyes.

“When did you become a doctor?” You reply back.

He makes his way towards the bedroom door and turns to look at you.
“When I met you.” And he leaves the room heading towards the kitchen.

Ouch…Yeah he’s really upset. You have never seen him like this before. It would be wise not to test him right now as you are sure he has no patience for sarcasm or your typical banter.

He returns carrying a large plastic orange case with locks on each side.
“What is that?” You ask.

“It’s my first aid kit.” He says, and places it down beside your feet on the floor.

“It’s almost as big as my suitcase..”

“Yeah…well…I don’t know much medical-jutsu, this is the next best thing. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? Sakura is working tonight.”

You shake your head quickly and reply with a solid no. The hospital is last on your list of places to be. Right now all you want is to snuggle up to your favorite person in the world and maybe eat some snacks.
“They don't have chimichangas at the hospital.” You state.

And finally that comment breaks his anger. He chuckles.
“No they don’t. Should I warm some up for you?”

You smile at yourself for brightening his mood.
“Yes please…see? I’m in very good hands.” You reply and watch him pull a stitch kit out from the gigantic box.

“You’re not going to stitch these lips are you?” You ask nervously.

“No, the cut isn’t that bad. I have bandage strips that do almost the same thing.” He replies and pulls a bandage wrapper out of the stitch kit.

“Ok good.”

“Alright, now hold still.” He comes in close, tilting your head up to the light and pauses for a moment. You watch his eyes flit about your face and can’t help but ask.

“Is there something on my face?”

He smiles warmly through his mask.
“It’s amazing…even with a fat lip and a black eye, you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“I have a black eye?” You ask, although you can barely get the words out.
You’re about to cry like a little baby again at that comment. He notices you tearing up and gets straight to work on stitching up your wound.

“Only a slight black eye.” He replies.

You both grow quiet as he focuses on closing the wound, being extra careful not to cause you anymore pain.
“You’re too good to me.” You say, shyly.

He shakes his head.
“No, I’m not good enough. Now shhh and stop wiggling.”

You try your best not to smile through his bandage stitching, only earning a few looks of disapproval before he was finished.

“There. Let’s get you into bed.” He helps you into bed, making sure you don’t put any more weight onto your broken ribs. Then he leaves you with the remote while he goes to make you a snack. After that much use of your stone against your brother you are starving again. You had burned through that entire shake earlier in a matter of minutes.

Kakashi returns with a bottle of water and a plate of chimichangas with all the fixings. You wiggle excitedly in bed watching him lay out the spread beside you.

It was then your phone began to ring from who knows where. You look up at Kakashi and notice his pocket is lit up, buzzing away. This was confusing as you were pretty sure you had left your phone at your house and didn’t see him grab it. He pulls it from his pocket, hands it over and takes the words right out of your mouth.

“Wizard.” He says and winks.

You burst out laughing and look at your phone. Immediately you cringe.

Kakashi climbs in on his side of the bed and leans over peeking at your phone. He laughs hard at the flashing name on the top of the screen.
“Who the hell is M’Lord?”

“It’s my landlord…duh.”

He bursts out laughing again.
“That’s too funny.”

“Should I answer?” You ask him.

“Yes, M’lady.” He replies.

You take a deep nervous breath in. This is not going to be good….

“Hello?”

“Hana! Are you ok? The neighbors been complaining about loud bangs and things smashing. Did you…” She clears her throat. “Ummm…did you lose your temper again?”

Kakashi snickers at you listening intently to your conversation. You glare back at him and press a single finger to your lips motioning for him to shut up. Then you whip up a story.

“No, I didn't lose my temper. Someone broke into my house. I had to fight them off, thank god for my combative skills or I would have been done for.”

She grows quiet listening, and a silence takes over the conversation as you wait for her reply.

“Look, Hana. I…well…I have heard some of the problems you have caused in other lands. I know it’s not your fault. It’s because of your condition. But…I think it’s best that you move on and find another place to live as it is costing me more to have you stay than keeping the place empty.” She stops breathing all together waiting for you to respond.

You huff out a shaky breath. This was inevitable, you knew it, but it still stings you badly.

“Ok. How long do I have?”

“Ahhh..well…I can give you a week.”

That is barely enough time to fix up the place. You look over at Kakashi trying to hold back your tears. He returns the look sympathetically.

“Ok…I understand... Thank you.” And you sadly hang up, dropping your phone into your lap.

You both sit thinking about everything and how things have gotten even worse than before, until finally Kakashi breaks the silence.

“You can stay here as long as you want.” He says.

You sit up painfully and lean forward placing your head in your hands, entangling your fingers into your hair, very hurt and very frustrated. This isn’t the way you wanted things to go. You almost feel like you have forced Kakashi into this commitment somehow. It has been just over a month since you have met him and you’re already moving in?

“Thank you. But, I don’t want to force us into something we aren’t ready for.” You reply.

“You have been staying here more often than not. I think it will be fine.” He places a gentle hand on the back of your head, stroking your hair. “You’re always getting the short end of the stick, huh?”

And you couldn’t agree more.
“Always. I am beginning to think I’m cursed.”

“Well, I’m here. I will make sure you are taken care of….always.”

You sit up straight looking into his eyes.
“I owe you so much.”

“Nah, you’ve given me enough. Although I could use some saury. It’s been so long….” He pulls his mask down and pouts at you.

And you can’t help but smile a little.
“I will do whatever you want me to do. But I think I should still look for another place in the meantime. I don’t want to push you. It’s not fair.”

He gives you a warm smile and kisses your cheek.
“You can do as you wish, however for the next two weeks you are staying with me for your safety.”

“Ok. And thank you, Kakashi. Really, I mean that deeply.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He replies, brushing it off. “Let’s talk about your brother now.”

“Right…that was a weird encounter.”

He raises a brow.
“How so?”

“Well, he knows about us. He has somehow figured it out. He also told me our father had taken over his mind for years, and now he’s back to his old self. I’m guessing he woke up after haido and our father’s death.”

“Huh.. I don’t really care if he knows about us. In fact I think it’s good he does. But this would mean Naruto was right about his feelings towards you.” He replies.

That sparks a memory of your brother gawking at your half clad body.
“Yeah…” You reply almost shamefully.

“So what does he want with you?”

You shrug.
“I have no idea. We didn’t get that far into the conversation, but he assured me he will be visiting me again soon.”

Kakashi growls something under his breath.
“We need to get control over that stone. You know…he revealed to us some very good information at the hokage hearing.”

“What’s that?”

“You have a Kekkei Genkai. A rare one in fact.”

You blow out a breath thinking about it.
“I had no idea. And I still don’t quite understand it.”

“If what he says is true, which I believe it is just for the fact that you can’t control even a simple jutsu, then you have the ability to take chakra and multiply its strength by ten. You do the same with that gelel stone.”

“Gods…”

“Hey, it's a great thing! And now I know how to fix your stone control. We should practice tomorrow.”

You chew your lip nervously and are quickly reminded of your stitch bandages.
“Ow.”

“Don’t be nervous, I got you this time.”

“I know.” You reply and decide to push your fears away. It was true, Kakashi has your back this time, the likelihood of you losing control of your stone's power is down at least ten percent with him around.

“So there’s another thing I have to tell you. It’s about that meeting I was in while your brother was over visiting.” He replies.

“Great…”
You begin to pick at the plate of food as he explains.

“It looks like we will be sent on a mission much sooner than I thought.”

You place your chimichanga down.
“Fuck…”

“I know…but thankfully it’s only an A class mission. It won’t be so bad. However, Your brother will be joining us as it is a mission for the land of lightning. It would seem they are still working together…at least for now.”

“The only thing that would make this any worse is if Konohamaru is joining us.”

Kakashi hums nervously.
“Ahhh…well…He is joining us actually. After you left the restaurant, Naruto had placed him on every mission you and I are subject to. So there’s that too..”

You begin to spit out a plethora of profanities before settling down and asking.
“What is the mission?”

“It will take place halfway between the land of lightning and land of fire. There is a group of lower rated rogue shinobi terrorizing the area. We are to take them out.”

You scowl.
“Does anyone know the reason why they have gone rogue?”

Kakashi nods.
“Yeah, apparently they were exiled from surrounding lands for dealing and gambling. They have caused a lot of people a lot of trouble. I think this mission is legit. It was given to us by not only the hokage from the land of lightning but Mrs. Mizukage as well. She is vouching for them.”

You blow out another long breath.
“So, we go in, kill them and go home?”

He nods.
“Let’s hope it is that easy.”

“And how many rogues are there?”

“Last time they counted there were five. But that number could be more by now. We are taking a team of five shinobi.” He replies.

“Alright. But I thought Shiro and I were to be placed on higher classes missions?.” You say defeated as there is nothing you can do about it. You’re being voluntold right now.

“Well..they want to test you out with a lower class mission first. Something safer…but I’ll make sure it is a quick mission. We leave in two days.”

“Two days? I’m supposed to be moving out of my place, and I have a ton of repair work to do so I can get my damage deposit back. We are also training tomorrow.” You cover your face with your hands feeling the intense pressure.

“Hey it’s ok, I’ve already worked that part out. Naruto will fix up your place. He’s pretty good at that stuff and with his clone jutsu he can get it all done in no time. We can move all your stuff into storage for now….” He pauses for a moment searching the sheets for more words. “Look…I know you feel like things are moving fast between us…and I don’t want to scare you off or anything. But I have no problem with you living here…it is up to you how fast you want to go and I will be here no matter what decisions you make.”

Your heart flutters. He is just the greatest man you have ever met.
“Thank you. I appreciate it. I’ll ask around and see if I can get my stuff into storage.”

“Great.” He leans back against the headboard and picks up the remote, changing the channel to a documentary on previous wars.

You remove the plate from the bed and everything else he has set up so you can snuggle in beside him. There are so many things running rampant through your mind, so many terrifying scenarios that could take place. You have a lot to deal with over the next few days and have no idea how to get it all done. Life really sucks right now. You praise the gods for Kakashi, as you’re pretty sure you wouldn’t be able to handle it all without him. You curl your arm around his chest nuzzling into his shoulder.
“Things are going to get way more complicated, Kakashi.”

“I know. But remember I am five steps ahead…always…”

He was completely right, this man is always miles ahead of everyone else. You are beginning to think he is some sort of secret genius. It was then a thought crossed your mind. Before Kakashi, it was your brother who was by your side…although it has been many years. Shiro was the man Kakashi is to you now minus the attraction and affection. You wonder if Shiro and Kakashi are equals on a shinobi level, if Shiro out does Kakashi in strength. You have no idea as you still don’t know what Kakashi is capable of. What you do know is that he is strong, agile, and extremely smart from what he has shown you so far. If Kakashi doesn’t out due your brother in brute strength then he would most definitely out due him in combat tactics.

These thoughts spark some questions for Kakashi.
“Hey…are you still going to go after my brother?”

He sighs.
“Not if you don’t want me to. That being said, I am going to have a long chat with him though.”

You trace your fingers over his chest.
“If he gets mouthy or wants to fight, you have my permission to take him on.”

He chuckles and squeezes you.
“Thank you, kitten.”

You both quiet down after that and spend the next hour watching tv while your stone gets to work on your broken bones.

Chapter 30: Good morning

Morning came quickly for you. In fact you had spent most of the night wide awake staring up at the ceiling while your mind raced through every situation you have ever gotten yourself into. Including the handsome shinobi sleeping peacefully beside you, one arm tucked behind his head showing off his impossible muscle tone. It is almost painful how sexy he is. And as you indulge in every perfect aspect of him you begin to feel that warmth between your legs, stirring those lewd thoughts you had only recently started to think about. 

 

It was you who began the pleasurable fun this morning, not Kakashi this time. He was still sound asleep when you carefully placed yourself between his legs. 

 

It started out with an experimental drag of your palm over the already half bulging section of his boxer briefs. You glance up at him making sure not to wake him just yet, as you have this image of Kakashi rousing from his sleep to find you sucking on his sensitive tip. You marvel at yourself for coming up with something so dirty…

 

You feel him up, clothed and heavy, twitching as you reach the top. He moans sleepily, thighs tensing ever so slightly, his pelvis thrusting into your hand asking for more. Pleased by his pleasurable cry, you slip your fingers into his underwear to feel his smooth skin on your fingertips. You roll his boxers down his thighs slowly as your heart bangs loudly against your chest with excitement. 

 

Once his cock frees itself from the fabrics you take the opportunity to really look at it. You haven’t actually seen it up close like this and bite your lip at the size and how perfect it looks. Just like the rest of your ninja it is flawless. The skin is flushed and his tip is a pretty red color. There’s a rather thick vein that runs the underside of him. He is throbbing and heavy, waiting to be attended to. 

 

Then the feeling of stormy eyes on you catches your attention. You look up at your silver haired ninja, who now sits propped up on one elbow quietly watching you. His hair unkempt spilling over one eye, face still stoic yet evidently flustered. Your eyes grow wide and cheeks heat up at being caught gawking at his cock, you thought for sure he was still sleeping… This draws a mischievous grin from him. Then that  egotistic authoritative presence enters the room. The one you like to call daddy , 

 

“Having fun are we?” He raises a cheeky brow. 

 

You nod shyly and bite your lip, cheeks flushing further under his gaze. 

 

“Go on…Touch it...” He says in two octaves lower than usual backed with a touch of that authority. 

 

And your stomach starts to turn. His chastising tone seems to deflate that confident curiosity and lewd imagery you had, only because you have an expectation now and are being watched.

“I…I’ve never done this before…” You confess meekly.

 

He laughs at you.

“I know that…but those lips would look so lovely wrapped around me, Kitten.” 

 

He then scoots himself backwards, propping himself up against the headboard getting himself into a more comfortable position. With that unruly smirk still plastered to his face, he tucks his arms behind his head and continues to watch you, waiting for you to make a move. 

 

God he can be such an ass sometimes, acting as if he was some kind of king…and at other times he can be so loving and caring, groveling at your feet. Your head spins at the way he criticizes you while making you feel so beautiful all at the same time... jerk… if he wasn’t as kind as he is, you would probably slap him across the face. But instead you do as he says like the good girl he knows you will be. 

 

You are such a sucker…..

 

Slowly and unsurely, you reach a hesitant hand towards his length and wrap your hand around him. Kakashi sucks in a breath through his teeth. 

 

He’s so hard and so girthy, it’s absurd. You can’t even wrap your entire hand around him. 

 

Chewing on your lip, you give his girthy cock a squeeze at the base and he lets out a low hum that comes from deep in his throat. You pause and look up at him, to inspect how his brows knit together and how his eyes shut in pleasure. It is a beautiful sight. 

 

You watch the way his mouth falls open ever so slightly with the proceeding movements of your hand. There is enough pleasure in his expression to draw out your own. In the sensation building between your legs, your stone begins to glow with that euphoric aura. Instinctively, as you tug on his length to stand upright, you pour a small amount of that pleasure power into your hand and into Kakashi. 

 

His eyes snap open in surprise and a loving sound vibrates through his chest.

“ Ohhhhh…shit, Hana .” He says breathlessly, panting slightly. 

 

And that sly smirk he was wearing has worn off onto you. You now realize that you have the control, not him. The urge to make him beg for pleasure drives you to hover your plush rosey lips over his pulsing hot tip. 

 

With another slow, long stroke of his girthy cock, twisting the tip just right. You sweep the precum dribbling out, giving a wetter more slick friction to do your work. All the while sending small sparks of stone energy into him.

 

Kakashi lets out a long, guttural groan from your actions and the sound reaches your pussy. You shift in your kneeled position, feeling your own wetness pool below. You grind your inner thighs together, hoping to incite some friction. However, the only thing that seems to help is getting your ninja off and he is falling apart under your grasp right now…

 

You ask him in his own condescending tone while squeezing him periodically.

“Feels good doesn’t it?” 

 

You zap him with another burst of energy taking his breath away and making his toes curl. Snicker…

 

He hums as you release him and you come to a stop to make him answer you with words. 

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t quite hear you.” You say with a sly smile. 

 

He huffs.

“You… have no idea how good this feels…” 

 

You are smiling inside at your victory over his condescending behavior, then he quickly ruins it…

 

“But…it could be better.” He says, grinning from ear to ear. 

 

You glare at him.

“How so?” 

 

“Those lips, kitten…” Is all he says in return. 

 

You look down at his massive length and wonder if it will even fit inside your mouth. There’s only one way to find out, and you’re having far too much fun pulling pleasure from this man to stop things here. 

 

You open your mouth keeping an eye on his expression. Once your lips settled around the tip he gasps loudly. 

“ Yeah...just like that ...” He says and places a gentle hand on the back of your neck holding you in place. 

 

It is now a fight for control, as you have had a taste of it and aren’t about to give it up. Slowly…very very…slowly…you swirl your tongue around the puckered edge of his tip. He shudders under you, thighs tensing, pelvic muscles thrusting upwards. Then you back off holding out just to tease him further. He hums at you annoyed. 

 

“Teasing isn’t nice.” He says breathing out a shaky breath.

 

You smile up at him, giving your own cheeky brow, and open your mouth still holding him upright with your tongue. 

 

“Bad gir…uhhhhnnn” but before he can finish his sentence you take him back into your mouth, closing your lips tightly around his girth, swallowing him down. He fists your hair, groaning loudly, hanging his head back. As you bottom out on him, you send another wave of energy through him and brace yourself on his thighs. 

 

“Yeah, … fuck yeah…” He is literally melting under you and you can’t help but push him further. Despite your pussy aching for him, you are going to follow through with this until the end. You plan on making this the best blow job he has ever had in his entire life.

 

As you come up for air you send out two more bursts of energy making his toes curl once again. 

 

“God, Hana…” He says. “Slow up…I don’t wanna cum yet…” 

 

You rise off his length letting go with a pop and begin to laugh at him.

 

“I’ve barely done anything…” you shake your head and chastise him exactly the way he has done to you. “Jeez…You're acting like this is your first time…” 

 

His mouth drops open and he scowls. 

“Hey now! I... ffffuck…”

 

Before he finished his protest you have gulped him down again, this time flicking your tongue along the bottom of his shaft. He leans his head back hard against the headboard and squeezes his eyes shut as you suckle every inch you can handle. His puffs of strained breath and insatiable moans are so heavenly, you can picture yourself doing this more often than not. 

 

“Ahhh…Hana…I…!” He mewls, guiding your movements with that strong hand gripping the back of your head. “I’m…gonna…”

 

You can feel a large twitch from the base of his cock and up as you reach the tip once again. It is time to pour the rest of that lustful energy pooling inside your pussy into Kakashi. With one hand you grip the base feeding the rest of his length into your mouth in quick bobbing motions, you shock him with several bursts of energy all in sync. He watches you with his mouth agape and his pupils blown.

 

“ So good…s’fucking good… ” 

 

He unravels before you, gripping the sheets with his free hand. You watch every expression he makes in this moment, listening intently to all the throaty grunts and breathy groans until finally he releases inside your mouth and you drink him down as if he was a glass of water on a hot day. Sweet yet salty in flavor, it slides down your throat with ease. 

 

The sound he made when he came was something else. You have heard him cum before, but this time his heavy groan was backed with pleasure that you gave him yourself and it was entirely in your control. You give him two more loose strokes of your mouth before releasing him, a string of cum filled spit trailing behind as you back off. 

 

You sit up straight to look him over, noticing the shimmer of sweat slick across his chest and forehead. He whispers something under his breath and sweeps the hair from his beautiful face. 

 

“How was that you ask?” Which seems to snap him out of his daze. He looks at you shaking his head, smiling wide. Then he shocks you entirely.

 

“You are everything I have ever wanted…” 

 

He leans forward, taking your cheeks in his massive grasp then kisses you deeply. As he releases you, he sweeps his hands through your hair gazing over your features.

 

“Thank you, kitten.” 

 

You lick your lips and smile happily.

“No..thank you...” 

 

He chuckles and then checks his watch.

“Damn, it’s ten o’clock. We’ve got training to do.” He says reminding you of all the things you had pushed aside for a few minutes. You sigh and sit back on your knees. 

 

He watches you questionably.

“Oh come on! It will be fun.” 

 

Fun until you lose control and break something. You scoff at him, crossing your arms and glance towards the window bringing in the morning light. 

 

“No pouting!” He scolds, while adjusting his boxers. 

 

But you don’t move from your pouting position. Why did he have to ruin the moment? You were both having such a good time. 

 

Before you can register what is happening, Kakashi leaps towards you, tackling you to bed and begins to tickle your sides until you beg for him to stop. 

 

“Stooop, no more!” 

 

He rises off you still pinning you down with the weight of his body.

“Let’s start thinking positively ok? I won’t have you sulking around here like a grumpy cat. We have work to do. We can’t lay in bed all day making each other cum…” He chides, then runs his hands down your sides, over your breasts and stops to squeeze your hips. 

 

He was right, it is time to buck up and stop moping about the shit in your life. Although laying in bed with Kakashi all day sounds like a much better plan.

“Alright…you sure we can’t just lay in bed all day?” 

 

He rises off you and crawls over the bed then pauses. Blanket lifted, one leg hanging off the side he looks at you, definitely thinking about it. After a few seconds he shakes his head.

“As much as I want to, we have a list of things to get done.” 

 

Big sigh.

“Fine. I guess the first thing on the list would be arranging for someone to fix up my place?” 

 

“Yeah I’m sending Naruto a text right now.” He replies and picks up his phone. 

 

As he types away you decide to have a long hot shower and make your way towards the bathroom. 

 

“Naruto is in! He will fix everything for you. He’s also bringing Kono.” 

 

You curse loudly at that which earns a chuckle from Kakashi. 

 

“Not funny! What if he steals my underwear or something?” You holler from his ensuite bathroom. 

 

He laughs much louder this time. 

“Kono is the most respectable man I know when it comes to the ladies. He doesn’t cross lines like that….but I might…” 

 

“Psssshhh you would!” 

 

“I already have!” 

 

You gasp as you turn on the shower. 

“What do you mean you already have!” 

 

“Polka dots, kitten! I just had to have them, they went well with that bottle of Chateau Beaudette.” He snickers just outside the door. 

 

You shake your head and carry on with your shower. That man is such a closet perv. 

 

“I hope I don’t find some secret stash of panties in your dresser drawer one day.” You holler back. 

 

“Ha! I got rid of them when I met you.” 

 

It is obvious with his tone he is joking. However, you’re not sure if he is joking about your panties as you haven’t seen that pair in awhile. As creepy as it sounds, you can’t be more happy about his obsession with you. He really does love you. 

 

————————————————-

 

Hours later…

 

 

“Come on in, Naruto.” You wave him politely into your home. 

 

He steps in through the door, sniffs the air, and looks around for a few minutes stopping to examine some of your decor. 

 

“Smells nice in here.” Then he runs a finger along the top of your hallway mirror checking for dust. “Wow..and it’s clean!” He exclaims, utterly shocked.

 

You scowl at him.

“What do you mean it’s clean? You think would I live in a dirty home?” 

 

He glances at you as he walks by scratching the back of his head.

“Ahhh…well…no, but I don’t know. Maybe?” 

 

“That sentence didn’t even make sense, Naruto!” 

He raises his hands in surrender.

“I just thought your place would match you. You know, like all chaotic and unorganized…but it’s actually incredibly organized and smells really nice.” 

 

You can feel steam whistling out your ears. How dare he…

 

You storm towards him ready to knock him out. 

“Is that so! Well let me tell you som….” 

 

You are suddenly interrupted by Kakashi’s hand over your mouth once again and a strong arm around your waist. He leans in to whisper into your ear. 

“Alright, alright. Calm down..that’s enough….” 

 

You sigh letting it go. However, once Kakashi releases your mouth you give him a warning.

“You do that again and I’m going to bite off that hand and feed it to my cohort instinct.” 

 

He watches Naruto round the corner before whispering back.

“Any way I can get my hands on your pussy, I’m game.” 

 

You gasp loudly.

“Kakashi!” And elbow his side. 

 

He grunts at you laughing at the same time, then walks ahead to join Naruto in your living room, holding his side. You watch him stunned at his comment unable to find words. Then hear Naruto marveling at some of your furniture. 

 

“Hey! That’s a nice table stand. Oh! And look at the paintings! You’re actually pretty trendy, Hana!” 

 

What the hell does he mean by actually?

 

“You really tore this place apart Huh?…” He carries on criticizing your entire life. You growl out loud clenching your fists trying your best not to let them get the best of your emotions. Then a knock presents itself on your front door. You turn on your heel and storm towards it, opening it quite hard. 

 

“Hey beautiful!” Konohamaru says greeting you with his typical head over heels smile. 

 

You grin at the karma this is. 

Very loudly, so everyone in your home can hear you, you welcome him. 

“Good morning Konohamaru!! It is so nice to see you!” 

 

He beams at the volume of your voice.

“Wow, you’re really happy to see me!” 

 

Immediately Kakashi appears in the hallway. Snicker.

 

“Yes I sure am!” You reply glancing back at Kakashi. Who is very obviously on guard by his presence. His arms are crossed, chest puffed, chin held high with a slight squint to his eyes. 

 

Konohamaru peers around you to greet Kakashi.

“Morning, Kashi!”

 

“It’s Kakashi! You’re late!” He scolds.

 

Naruto appears beside Kakashi smiling wide.

“Kono! Glad you could make it. We have a ton of work to do. Hana really trashed the place..go figure.”

 

You whip around to meet Naruto.

“Excuse me! What the hell does that mean?” 

 

Naruto shrugs.

 

Then you feel a strong arm and sweep around your waist. Kono looks down at you lovingly.

“Don’t worry we will fix it all up for you. Thanks for inviting me to help, Naruto.” 

 

“Of course!”

 

You stare back at Kakashi who is watching his movements very closely. 

 

“We can start with patching the hole in the wall.” Naruto says beckoning Kono to follow. 

 

He releases you thankfully, and walks towards them both. Kakashi watches him the entire time and you’re cringing inside at this awkward situation. You could cut the tension between them with a knife. 

As Kono approaches Kakashi, he doesn’t move. He stands, much taller, and much stronger, in front of him not giving him an inch to get by. Kono looks up at him. 

“Kakashi.” 

 

“Konohamaru.” 

 

Konohamaru’s brows furrow in confusion. 

“Something wrong?” He asks.

 

“Nothing at all.” Kakashi replies. “I personally thank you for your help today. Now that we have an extra person here, Hana and I can get on with our training.” 

 

Both brooding men look up to you for some kind of back up to this conversation. Training is starting to sound really good right now. Far better than sitting here being the object of their tug o war. 

 

“That’s right! Today is training day, and I can’t wait.” You reply laughing nervously. “Thank you so much! You mean the world to me!”

 

You head towards the door feeling relieved.

“And Naruto!” 

 

“Yeah?!” 

 

“If you need anything please text me!” 

 

“K! You guys going out for training?” 

 

Kakashi answers for you.

“That’s right, we will be gone for the rest of the day.” Finally he moves out of Konohamaru’s way and approaches you. 

 

“Ready for some fun?” He winks very obviously. 

 

You glance back at Kono who is noticeably glaring at Kakashi.

“I’ll be here when you get back, Hana.” He says. And Kakashi stiffens at that. 

 

Your eyes subconsciously widen, you can’t take much more of this tension and make the executive decision to leave now. 

“Ok, see you then. Thanks again!” You hurry by Kakashi and out the door as quickly as possible with Kakashi grumbling behind you.

 

——————————————

 

Now you are jumping from tree to tree following Kakashi as he takes you back to the lake you had your first encounter in. 

 

Between leaps you scold Kakashi for making things so hard for you.

“You need to ease up on Konohamaru.” 

 

That comment catches his attention and he lands on a thick branch pausing. You leap onto it beside him and sit down to catch your breath. He joins you, sitting very close beside you, your legs dangling in the air. 

 

He sighs heavily.

“I wish he’d just give up already.” 

 

“He’s not going to…not until I tell him to fuck off. But you said not to.” 

 

“I know, I know…I can handle it to a point. But when he touches you…I lose my cool. I’m sorry.” 

 

“Then why don’t we just tell him what’s going on? This is very hard on both of us.” 

 

He looks up at the trees swaying in the breeze.

“Not yet.”

 

You are still unsure why you can’t reveal your relationship to the rest of the world. 

“Why not? It’s not like they can separate us again.” 

 

“That’s not true. There is a slight possibility that could happen again. And I don’t want to take that chance until I know for sure that it won’t. We are almost there…promise”

 

Still questioning it in your mind you breathe out letting it go for now. As you have to put your faith into him. He is always five steps ahead of everyone else and has proven that time and again. 

 

You lean onto his shoulder. He presses a sweet his to the top of the head. 

“You know I love you right?” He asks. 

 

That draws a laugh from you.

“Yes.” 

 

“Good..don’t forget it.” 

 

“Like I could.” 

 

He stands and offers you his hand.

“Come on, we’re almost there.” 

 

You take his hand and rise to your feet. But before you get back to your tree parkour he sweeps his arm around you and pulls you in for an unmasked kiss. You melt into him and kiss him back equally. 

 

You kiss each other for a long time before carrying on to the lake. 

 

———————

Chapter 31: Jutsu-Chi

The lake…your previous nemesis. However, you have now mastered this liquid portal of death and are actually excited for the opportunity to train with something you have feared so much over the years. 

 

Kakashi stands beside you as you both look out over the scenery. It is the first time you have actually looked at the landscape and found it to be as beautiful as everyone else says it is. It looks so magical sparkling away in the midday sunlight. The forest surrounding the area is lively with birds chirping and singing their songs.

 

“This is going to be fun!” Kakashi exclaims overly enthusiastic and removes his vest. He has been acting a bit strange since you stopped for a break in the forest. You have noticed on your trip here he had been reaching into his pocket more often than usual. Strange…very strange…

 

“I’m glad you wore pants today.” He says, eying you up. “Not sure about the shirt though…”

 

It was then you realized your clothing choice is not the best for water exercises. Why did you have to wear white?

 

“I didn’t dress appropriately…again….” 

 

“Hehehe…It’s not so bad... Aside from the white cheongsam, the outfit is actually perfect for this.”

 

Today you had picked out the white cheongsam shirt, with subtle slits up the sides for the sole purpose of movement. It was stretchy fabric and let your hips do what they wanted to do. As for your pants? They are black and slim fit at the top until they reach your knees where they become baggy and easy to move in. You have tied them with white fabric at your ankles and tucked the rest into your shoes. You had pulled your hair up in long dangling ribbons, which you thought was pretty and Kakashi agreed. In fact those were the exact words he said while he watched you tie up your hair. 

 

“You’re ready for this. I know it.” He says and takes your hand. Although you feel unsure about this whole venture. 

 

He had barely explained the training along the way and seemed lost in deep thought almost the entire time. But from what you had pieced together during your parkour, you are to learn water jutsu today as well as holding a steady balance of chakra pooling into your feet to stay above the water. 

 

He stops you at the edge of the lake and begins to remove his boots.

“You won’t need shoes for this. I want you to be able to feel the energy from the water and the way it repels your own chakra pools.” 

 

“Ok.” You reply and start to take off your shoes while he explains the rest.

 

“So, the plan is to use our chakra first, pooling it into your feet. Once you feel you have enough, step onto the water. After that we will go through the movements of the jutsu and how much to pull from your stone to balance the energy. We don’t want you going Berserk on us today.” 

 

Beserk ? Now that’s a new one….

 

You roll your eyes in response.

 

He claps his hands together and rubs them for friction. 

“Ok! let’s get that chakra draw started.” 

 

You follow suit and slap your hands together mimicking your ninja. Focussing on the draw, you picture the energy just like before, pooling in the lower chakras first before spilling into the higher chakras. Then you proceed back down the channel until you have pushed it all into your feet. 

 

“Ready?” He asks.

 

You nod.

“Ready.” 

 

He waves his hand for you to walk forward. You take careful steps towards the water, making sure to keep the energy steady. Once you reach the edge you lift your foot and step onto it. Naturally, you had expected your foot to plunge into the water, but instead you felt the cool liquid mold around your foot. It only sunk in about a half an inch then stopped, supporting you with chakra and a repelling energy. As if you were standing upon a magnetic surface overwashed with water. 

 

Kakashi marvels at you.

“Perfectly done.”

 

You lift another foot, feeling the ripples and waves pass by right under your feet. It tickled slightly making you giggle. 

 

He smiles at that and joins you up on the surface of the water.

“Very good. Now we walk into the middle.” He takes your hand in his. “I’ll hold onto you until you’re comfortable.” 

 

You nod and continue to feel the sensations. The cool tickle at your feet, the warm breeze in the air, the sounds of the birds, and your favorite person in the world beside you, making sure you feel safe in this moment. You could have never imagined something like this…something so tranquil and perfect. It brings tears to your eyes thinking about it. But you quickly choke them back as you don’t want Kakashi to feel like you’re scared or not having a good time. 

 

He leads you further into the middle of the lake. You keep watch of how the crystal clear waters grow deeper and deeper. You have never seen a lake so vibrant in blue, or so clear you can see right down to the bottom. 

 

Kakashi tugs on your hand, stopping you. Then instructs you to turn and face him. You look up at him and smile with excitement. 

 

“How is that?” He asks. 

 

You scan the landscape taking it all in.

“This is…amazing!!” 

 

He looks around at it all.

“Right? See why this is my favorite place for chakra pooling?” 

 

You giggle.

“Yes.” 

 

Then you notice a shift in his behavior. He becomes tense and nervous all of a sudden. He backs up a foot and stands unsure of himself.

“I…uhhhh…” He begins only to choke on his words, looking away from you. 

 

It sparks some worry in you.

“Something wrong?” 

 

His eyes flick up to you, almost surprised.

“What?…no..not at all…it’s just..I want to ask you something…” 

 

A small breeze picks up sweeping your hair, making it flutter behind you. He pauses for a moment to watch it ruffle your hair and press your thin fabrics tighter against your skin. 

 

“Kakashi, what is it?” You ask, dying from the anticipation. 

 

He clears his throat. 

“I should have done this a while ago…but time hasn’t been…well…in our favor…”He pauses for a moment before carrying on. “God…I’m not good at this stuff…” He nervously sweeps a hand through his hair blowing out a breath. 

 

“It’s ok…” You assure him. He is so nervous right now it is making you nervous. 

 

He sucks in a breath and reaches into his pocket. For a moment you start to piece things together and your heart begins to thump loudly in your chest. Is this a proposal?… Holy shit! No way!….

 

Your eyes widen as he removes a small velvet box from his pants pocket. 

“Hana, do you think…ahhh…” He stops and curses himself, then blurts it out so fast you can barely understand what it is he wants to say. 

 

“Would you want to be my girlfriend?” 

 

He reaches his hand out to yours. You follow his motion and place your own hand in his. 

 

You are about to cry, knees almost buckling at how beautiful this moment is. It is so sweet and so perfect you can barely hold the chakra at your feet.

 He places the box in your hand and quickly shoves his hands back into his pockets, shifting uncomfortably while he waits for you to answer. 

 

You hold out on him, not meaning to, but you need to see what is in this box first. It has captured all your attention. Pressing firmly on the edge with your thumbs, it springs open. 

 

There in it sits a gold pendant, flat, diamond shaped. With small squares cut out in the middle creating a checkerboard look to it. Attached to it is a long herringbone chain that sparkles like the water below you. You gasp at how beautiful it is. 

 

“That is the symbol of my clan…not Konohagakure. It was given to me by my father before his death. I want you to wear it. To me…” He clears his throat again, which draws your attention to look up at him. His eyes are glossy, he has a forlorn look to him. 

“Um…to me…you have a place in my clan...if you wish to accept that is…” 

 

He swallows hard at his last words. 

 

And you break down at that. Your heart is so full it hurts. Tears spill down your cheeks as you try desperately to hold onto the chakra so you don’t fall into the water ruining this surreal moment. 

 

You swallow down the lump in your throat and wipe a tear from your cheek. To ease your feelings you reply with some banter.

“My blow jobs are that good huh?”

 

He blinks twice, then bursts out laughing, his cheeks turning a shade of red you had yet to see.

 

Then you tell him honestly. 

“I’m all yours, Kakashi Hatake. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted..and I accept!”

 

Smiling wide, he blows out a long heavy breath he has been holding and grins from ear to ear. 

“Thank god…” He says breathlessly. 

 

And at that you close up the box, still holding it tightly you hold out your arms beckoning him to hug you for god sake. He sweeps you into a much needed embrace and holds you there for a long time. 

 

“When I say you’re everything to me, I mean it.” He reminds you. 

 

You tighten your grip around his neck, nearly choking him. 

“I love you too.” You whisper into his ear and he returns the affection equally. 

 

“Here...I’ll help you put it on.” He takes the box from you and comes around to your back. Carefully he secures the necklace around your neck then turns you to look at him. 

 

He smiles warmly.

“Fits you perfectly.” 

 

You wrap your fingers around the pendant feeling its weight and how smooth the gold is. 

 

“You’ll have to keep it tucked into your shirt for a while. Which means no more low cut tops.” He grins mischievously.

 

You laugh softly. 

“Was that part of your plan?” 

 

He nods and winks.

“Five steps ahead…always.” As he pockets the box he gets you into position for your training session.

 

“Alright, enough of the mushy stuff. Let’s get down to business. We are going to try a technique called, water style, water dragon jutsu.” 

 

This sparks a ton of excitement in you. 

 

“Dragons?” 

 

“Yup! Dragons!” 

 

You get all over excited about this. He chuckles at you and gets into stance. 

“Watch closely.” 

 

You watch his leg position as he moves into a forward weighted lunge stance, bringing up his hands, fingers tight together with open vertical palms. 

“Water release technique is the very essence of Chakra flow . As water is the nature of balance, serenity, and movement all at once.” He steps forward moving his hands along an invisible line, twisting his hands downwards then pauses. 

 

“This practice is called jutsu-chi…something I made up because I’m awesome like that.” 

 

You shake your head and listen carefully. 

 

“I have taken jutsu and combined it with Tai-chi, to help understand the movement of jutsu and chakra relative to the release we are trying to create.” He begins to move slowly through simple hand signs using his whole body. Just like Tai-chi, his movements become more of a slow balanced dance and the hand signs are incorporated in-between. 

 

“As you can see I have not drawn any chakra for this yet. I just want you to memorize the hand signs and steps between to make the flow of chakra energy smooth…like water.” He straightens up as he finishes his last hand sign and turns to you. 

 

“Understand?” 

 

You salute him.

“Sure do!” 

 

“Good! How is that stone?” 

 

You had barely noticed it until he had said something. There is only a slight irritation in your chest.

You shrug.

“I can feel it but it’s not bad at all.”

 

Kakashi approaches you, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Any normal chunin can do this jutsu with ease. But your stone and Kekkei genkai will be a problem. We must counter the stone's energy once your Kekkei Genkai kicks in. So if you feel a burst in energy either through your stone or chakra you counter it with the other.”

 

You chew your lip nervously. Wondering how the hell will you be able to tell the difference.

“I’m not sure if I can. I mean I haven’t quite figured out the difference between the two.” 

 

He laughs.

“That’s because you’re stubborn and don’t listen well.” 

 

Your eyes snap up to him.

“Hey! I listen.” 

 

“To your body? Not a chance! You’re always worried about what is going on around you instead of what is going on inside.” He taps on your chest. “Your body should tell you everything you need to know, it’s time to trust in yourself.” 

 

You blow out a breath. He really is a genius. 

“Ok, I’ll give it a shot.” 

 

“You don’t really have a choice. I didn’t come all the way out here to watch you stand there….” 

 

And there is that typical trashy attitude making itself known. But it only seems to motivate you to wow him. 

 

“Yeah, yeah…let’s do this.” 

 

“That a girl!” He waves for you to proceed. 

 

You strike your pose just the way Kakashi had shown you and he positions himself beside you in the same formation. At the same time you begin to move through the jutsu-chi sequence. 

 

You sweep through your lunge position shifting your weight as you do and point your palms downwards. Kakashi moves in line with you then stops.

 

“Ah ah ah. Watch the flex in your hands. You want your index fingers to align perfectly. Like this.” 

 

He comes in close drawing his hands along yours, guiding them into place. 

“Your arms are like spaghetti noodles too. You need to be strong.” 

 

You huff at him. 

 

He squeezes your wrists giving you an idea of the strength that is needed. 

“Ok.” 

You immediately flex your muscles and feel a big difference right down to your toes. 

 

“That’s right…you got it. All jutsu must be performed with strength. Think of your body as a chute of bamboo. Flexible, even bendable, yet strong at the same time.” 

 

You nod and try out the movement again, this time keeping your arms tensed but allowing enough movement for flow.

 

“Very good. Just like that.” He says and wraps an arm around your waist pulling you closer. His fingers trail down your shoulder, the length of your arm, where they lift your wrist up to eye level. 

 

“The next formation…One arm up, the other back slightly. Your index and middle finger should align on both hands. This formation is meant for focus and energy draw. At this point you should have half the chakra pooled.” 

 

His explanation is far better than Naruto’s, you have never had it so in-depth before. Even training as an assassin using your stone was basically trial and error, nothing like this.

 

“Next movement…”. He guides you through three more hand signs, giving each a thorough explanation of how and why. Yet you can’t help notice how close he is to you. At one point you swore he kissed your shoulder. Is he trying to distract you? … probably… it most likely some type of skill test for focus. So you ignore his subtle flirtatious gestures and more intimate guidance. You finish off your last hand sign and he backs up. 

 

“You have great focus today.” He says. 

 

You snicker at him.

“Distracting me with flirting won’t work this time.” 

 

He laughs.

“Picked up on my game Huh?” 

 

“You’re very obvious.” 

 

You watch him position himself ten feet away. 

“I’ll have to work on that…Now It’s time for us to use some chakra.” 

 

He slams his fist into his palm with determination. Which sparks your own determination. 

 

In unison you move into your stances although Kakashi is on the opposite foot this time. 

 

“Follow my lead, we will be doing this a little faster.” 

 

You nod, focusing directly on him. 

 

“Chakra.” He calls, just like Naruto had done with you before. 

 

You begin your pulls and follow Kakashi’s movements into the first hand sign. 

 

“You’ll need to pull more than that!” He calls as you circle around each other. 

 

Quickly you fill up another chakra pool and follow through with the next sequence of hand signs, noticing a shift in the wind around you.

 

Kakashi sweeps by you in the opposite direction, dipping low in his stance just as you do. You were in complete sync with him, nothing is out of line. Things seem to be going extremely well with no stone problems…yet.

 

The water around you begins to stir with riptides, thundering out from under your feet. As he passes you by once again he calls out another instruction. 

“Next hand sign…fill three chakra pools.” 

 

And you do it with ease, feeling that prickling sensation of chakra energy enlightening your body. The next two formations were a breeze, then you reached the last hand sign and sharp pain pierces your chest. 

 

You gasp loudly and stumble through your movement. Kakashi notices immediately.

 

“Stone or chakra?!” He calls from a fair distance away. 

 

You panic, as you have no idea which has your Kekkei Genkai triggered. 

 

“I…I don’t know.” Suddenly your left foot plunges into the water.

 

“Hold the chakra, Hana!” 

 

Quickly you correct the chakra balance letting some pool back in your feet and rebalance yourself over the water. But the pain in your chest is growing. You hold a hand over your stone and stumble sideways just catching yourself. 

 

“Which one is it, Hana?” He says in a more serious tone. 

 

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” You snap back. 

 

“Why don’t you ask?” 

 

You look up at him questionably and notice your surroundings have changed. Streams of water are rising into the air around you and large bubbles have formed floating towards the sky. 

 

“This.” He waves his hands to the strange phenomenon surrounding you both. “Is all your doing. I haven’t even tried pooling chakra yet. Now which is it?”

 

“What do you mean by ask?” You holler back through the pain. 

 

“Your cohort knows more than you think. Ask him!” 

 

Kakashi had struck you with a bolt of realization at this moment. You straighten yourself and focus on the stone just like you usually do to reach him. Then you close your eyes and picture your panther in your mind. 

 

There he stands before the pool of water watching you, his golden eyes waiting for you. He lowers his head to the pool and you look down to see it glowing blue aura, similar to the chakra you have seen gathered into Kakashi’s hands. You knew right then and there which energy had triggered your Kekkei Genkai and you pull yourself out of your minds eye.

 

Your eyes snap open and you draw stone energy as fast as ever. A blue light shines through your white shirt and a strong wave of power erupts out from you. 

 

Kakashi closes his arms shielding himself from the blast and skids to a stop on the water's surface twenty feet away.

 

“What is it?!” He shouts.

 

“Stone!” You shout back and tap into more energy. With each draw your pain seems to subside, however, with each draw a new feeling of power fills your body. 

 

“Keep drawing stone energy until your pain is gone. Then pull more chakra and try the water release again!” 

 

You can barely hear his instructions over the crashing waves around you and the streams of water whipping by.

 

Three more draws from your stone is all it took to level out your energy. By now a storm has gathered above you, striking blue streaks of lighting in different directions. Rain has begun to fall heavily above you both, but you don’t seem to notice it at all. Your mind is completely focussed on energy balance and movement. 

 

As you step into your lunge stance for your first hand sign, the world around you seems to slow. Drops of water fall gradually into the lake below, which is now billowing out large waves with the force of your energy. You pull a massive amount of chakra into your pools and follow through with the next hand sign. This one takes much more focus, so you close your eyes letting yourself run through your own tai-chi combinations.

 

“That’s right, Hana! Make it your own! Do what comes naturally!” Kakashi calls out to you. He has now positioned himself fifty feet away, almost at the shoreline. 

 

Eyes still closed you push through to the next hand sign. This triggers your Kekkei Genkai once again, but this time from the stones power. You can tell by the way your cohort roars at you in your mind. So you pull as much chakra as you can. 

 

Lightning strikes the sky and thunder rumbles the lake, shaking the water as you move into the next hand sign. You pull your right leg back into a lunge position and get ready for the next. By now your body has reached a level of energy you have never felt before. 

 

At the last hand sign a power unfolds from you. It shakes the ground and thunders into the sky. Your hands erupt in a bright blue light. You feel your feet leave the water, but are too focussed to open your eyes and look around.  You hold onto this feeling as long as you can, bouncing energies back and forth until finally you find absolute tranquillity. 

 

You check in with your cohort, and find him drinking from the pool of chakra. He is helping you somehow you know it, and can’t help but feel a newly formed connection between you. 

 

You bound out of thought and open your eyes to the world, smiling victoriously. However, the scenery around you is not what you had expected to see. Surrounding you and Kakashi are not just one water dragon…the entire lake was filled with dragons so tall their heads can barely be seen from below. You test your control over them. 

 

A twitch of your glowing hand to the right and the dragons all move in unison. A twitch to the left they do the same. You look down at your hands astonished. 

 

“I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Kakashi says, appearing in front of you scanning the lake. 

 

“There must be over one hundred.” He gasps. There is a look of Star struck awe washing over his expression but deep in his eyes you also see a touch of fear. 

 

What is the meaning behind that fear? It could be for any reason. So you decide to stop this chaos swirling around you before something happens. 

 

“How do I stop it?” 

 

He looks up at you, hovering a foot taller in the air.

“Stop it? I think you should hold it as long as possible. Until it dies out.” 

 

You shake your head starting to feel anxious. Kakashi seems to notice your own fear rising. 

 

“Ok, let it go slowly. Disperse the energy around you but very slowly. If you do it all at once you will create a bomb and destroy us all.” 

 

Well if that isn’t terrifying, you don’t know what is.

 

“Use your breath! Breathe in…one….two….three…” 

 

You do as he says and close your eyes focussing on your breath. 

 

“Breath out and release a small amount each second….three…two…one…”

 

Breathing out you release small portions of the energy, although you thought it was small. It was enough to slam into Kakashi pushing him back towards the shoreline again.

 

“I’m fine!” He shouts. “Keep going!” 

 

Three…two…one…. You continue counting down your breaths releasing the energy at the same time until finally, after thirty breaths, the world around you sinks back into its normal state of tranquility. The dragons burst into drops of rain fading away into the water. The lake stills, the storm above you disappears and you float back down the water holding enough chakra to keep you afloat. 

 

You search the area for Kakashi and find him off to your right, back on the shoreline you started from. He is grinning wildly, his chin held high with pride. 

 

Suddenly you hear a loud clapping noise followed by a voice praising you. Your eyes flick over to a white cloaked figure standing feet away from Kakashi.

 

“Well done, Neko! You’ve almost got control! I’m proud of you sister!” 

Your brother calls out to you. 

 

Your eyes widen in shock. Immediately you feel the intense friction between Kakashi and Shiro. So you hastily make your way to the shoreline to hopefully stop any thing that might arise in this messed up situation. 

 

Chapter 32: Brothers

You scold your brother.

“Shiro! What the hell are you doing here?” 

 

He shrugs and lifts his hood off his face. 

“I saw two shinobi sneaking off into the forest…I got curious.” 

 

Kakashi steps forward interrupting you.

“You are interfering with a sensei and his student. Get lost!”

 

He looks at Kakashi questionably.

“What do you mean, sensei  and student? This is more than just a training session is it not?” 

 

Kakashi retorts.

“It is no business of an iron ninja. Now, fuck off!” 

 

He scoffs at Kakashi, grinning wildly.

“Ahhh…I can’t do that. You see, we have some business to take care of you and I.” 

 

What on earth is he talking about?

 

“What business is that?” You ask. 

 

He smiles at you running his eyes down your wet body. Focussing on your almost see through white shirt for far too long. You cross your arms covering up your chest.

 

“Well. You see…” He turns to Kakashi undoing his cloak letting it fall in the breeze to the sandy shore. “Every clan has a type of initiation to become a member.” He waves his hand over you. “Neko, has proven herself to you and has accepted your clan name. However, you have not proven yourself to our clan. Sweeping in without passing initiation is well…just plain insulting. Don’t you agree, Kakashi Hatake?” 

 

Kakashi’s eye twitches at that and you project your outrage.

 

“Oh shut up Shiro! I have accepted Kakashi’s offer. It has nothing to do with you!” 

 

“Your acceptance is meaningless unless all clan members from the said female’s side agree. I won’t give you away to just anyone, Neko.”

 

Kakashi stares daggers at your brother considering his words. 

 

“Your approval doesn't matter Shiro! So go away!” You snap and begin to close the distance, ready to slap him in the face. Yet you are stopped by a very strong arm, Kakashi’s in fact. You stare up at Kakashi in shock. 

 

Shiro shakes his head.

“My approval is all that matters. Let’s remember…” He glances at you for a second before bringing his attention back to Kakashi. “She was mine first and if you want to take her from my clan you best prove your worth.” 

 

Your eyes widen and your jaw drops. What the hell does he mean by that? It was then you realized that your entire life with Shiro has been more than what you thought. That brotherly boundary you had set in place, he had removed years ago. The subtle remarks or gestures, the affection he gave and mercy through training. Your brother has loved you all his life and not the way you had originally thought. 

 

“If you’re going to take her from me.” He clenches his fists repeating himself. “Then you better show me something spectacular. I won’t accept anything less than myself!” You can see your brother gritting his teeth as he talks. 

 

“Shiro…” You start, only to be silenced by Kakashi. 

 

“Hana, stay right here. Do not interfere no matter what happens.” 

 

“But Kakashi!” You protest. 

 

“Do NOT interfere!” He replies. 

 

You grow quiet, swallowing down some fear. This was all happening so quickly and there is nothing you can do about it. It is inevitable, no matter what you do your brother and Kakashi would eventually take each other on. You knew it was going to happen the day you got your first message from him. It reminds you of something Shiro has said to you a long time ago. Something you didn’t understand at the time….

 

Family is the place where acceptance and validation are most needed, but hardest to find. 

 

Kakashi must prove himself to be either an equal to your brother, or better. Anything less and he will not let you go easily. But does it matter what he thinks? Does it matter at all? What makes him think he can just walk in here and call the shots on your life? 

 

Screw this shit!

 

You suck in a deep confident breath and position yourself right between the two. 

“This is NOT happening! In no way will I let you two battle things out over me. Grow up! None of this matters…you are both being stupid!” 

 

And Kakashi interrupts you.

“No, Hana…he’s right. It is the way of the clan. The way of the ninja, you know this….” He turns to your so-called brother. “And…it’s about time I fought someone at my level….” He says, baring a wide grin.

 

At that he removes his gloves and headband. But Shiro takes it even further by removing his shirt revealing a body you had no idea he had. You stand utterly shocked. 

 

The last time you saw Shiro his cohort had deformed his body from his chest to back and down his arm. But now the only thing you would find unusual is the snake scales trailing his torso and down his arm like a tattoo. The scales look so real and glisten in the sunlight, lifting as he removes his shirt. The only explanation you can think of for this phenomenon is that his cohort and Shiro have become one entity entirely. Molding themselves together and not just in his subconscious, it is physically too. 

 

“You know, Neko would be about your level too.” Shiro explains. 

 

“Possibly, but I won’t train with her that way.” Kakashi replies. 

 

Shiro laughs loudly.

“You mean like spar? You won’t spar with your student ?” He says student in quotation marks sparking your anger even more. 

 

“Never.” 

 

“And why is that?” 

 

“For the risk of hurting her….”

 

Shiro places a hand on his forehead and sighs.

“Ohhhh man, you have no idea what you’re doing then. Pain is what pushes her forward.” 

 

“That might be your way of doing things. But I think she’s had enough men in her life causing her harm…don’t you?” Kakashi catches Shiro’s eyes and holds them there making sure he has gotten the point of that remark. That he is one of those men who has caused you a whole lot of hurt in your life. 

 

Shiro looks away shamefully and grows silent. You watch them walk past you and can’t help but desperately grab onto Kakashi. You search his eyes but only see firm determination to prove his worth to your brother who hasn’t been in your life for many years. 

 

“You don’t have to do this!” You explain, pulling at him.

 

He pauses a moment to look at you.

“No… I really do…” He replies and pulls away from you, shaking one finger. “You stay here and don’t interfere!” 

 

“But, Kakashi!” 

 

He ignores you and continues on walking towards the lake with Shiro following shortly behind. And you lose your shit over it. 

“YOU ARE BOTH IDIOTS! ESPECIALLY YOU SHIRO!”

 

You can hear them both laugh to themselves at your comment. 

Fuckers….

 

They stop just at the water's edge to go over terms. 

 

“Rules are, no face shots. I still want to be able to kiss my girl after I beat your ass.” Kakashi says, grinning and watching Shiro's expression. He smiles back equally replying just the same. 

 

“So do I.”  

 

“That’s some fucked up brotherly love.” Kakashi states. 

 

Shiro shrugs it off.

“I haven’t been her brother for a very long time….come to think of it…I never really was…we were just clan members…” 

 

Kakashi shakes his head ignoring that comment. 

“Anyone who lands on the shore is out. Fighting stops after that.” 

 

Shiro nods.

“Alright. I hope you’re ready for this old man.” 

 

Kakashi removes his shirt before stepping up onto the water..

“I was born ready.” 

 

Shiro grunts in response and follows him out into the middle of the lake. 

 

“I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW SHIRO!” 

 

You shout out at him as you watch the two square off in the middle of the lake. He laughs loudly and salutes you as he positions himself. 

“I KNOW!” He hollers back. 

 

If not for the breeze drifting your way over the lake you wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation going on between the two. But thankfully it carries their words towards you. You listen intently.

 

“You sure you’re up for taking on a girl like that?” Shiro asks. “She’s also accident prone.”

 

“Ha! Probably not, but I sure as hell won’t let anyone else think they can.” He replies. 

 

Shiro whistles. 

“You got it that bad hey?…I mean I can see why….” They both set your attention on your disapproving scowl and smile to themselves. 

 

“…Looks that can kill, and a bangin body…if she would just hold that tongue more often….”

 

Kakashi shakes his head.

“That tongue is my favorite part.” 

 

Shiro whales his head back with laughter. 

“Hahaha…Now that’s some type of kink…” 

 

“She definitely knows what to do with that mouth.” Kakashi retorts, winking at the same time. Shiro’s smile fades at that. This banter is getting far too personal for you so you send out a threat in hopes to shut them both up.

 

“I can hear you both, you know! My sex life is not up for fucking discussion. Keep it up and you’ll both find a whole new meaning for the term blue balls!!”

 

Both men begin to laugh.

 

You growl and kick at the sand angrily only to find a solid rock underneath. You stub your toe quite hard which makes you stumble back onto your ass in front of the two. By now they are laughing hysterically at you making your cheeks burn with not only embarrassment but hot rage. 

 

“WOULD YOU TWO DUMBASSES FIGHT ALREADY?!” You shout while tossing a rock into the lake. 

Defeated by them and your clumsiness you sit and pout while you watch Shiro and Kakashi eye eachother up. 

 

They bring up their fists, sparking small bursts of chakra on one side and stone energy on the other. Contrasting colors of electric blue and smokey red spill from their hands. You could sense the power in their stance and energy draws from where you sit. This will be a fight you definitely don’t want to miss, despite you not wanting it at all. 

 

Then you notice something strange about Shiro. He holds an energy that you only recently became familiar with. When your stone and chakra are balanced they create a vibration of synchronicity. This very vibration is amping up in Shiro as he draws his power. This can only mean, he knows how to draw chakra alongside his stone's power, and most likely knows some jutsu. But can Kakashi sense it too? Or will he be caught off guard? The urge to warn him tugs at your mind. Yet he told you not to interfere…

 

Then a sudden flash of light followed by a loud thundering bang tears you from thoughts. Too late to say anything now as both boys have begun their battle. 

 

Fists slammed together at the knuckles holding each other’s strength at bay. They stand firm in a lunge stance, trying to overpower the other. Sparks from their energy sizzle and explode around their fists forcing small waves of energy past you whipping at your hair, drying your clothes instantly. 

 

You watch this power unfold, this struggle for dominance. In a fraction of a second Kakashi shoves Shirou’s fist to the side dodging his follow through, he spins around to his back and drives a thunder packed kick into his back mimicking your exact move on Sasuke. Has he copied your combat style? …. impossible…. He has only seen it once. There is just no way…

 

Then he does something to confirm all your suspicions. He lifts his foot high in the air, shifts his weight and brings his foot down then snaps his fists into place. The exact finishing technique you had done after sending Sasuke through the windows of Hidden Leaf Dojo. 

 

Shiro regains himself just before he hits the shore, shaking it off. They get into position once again squaring off. 

 

“Ahhh…did Neko teach you that one?” Shiro asks, bringing up his fists. 

 

Kakashi runs a hand through his hair. 

“I still hold the name copycat ninja .” 

 

Shiro smirks.

“Ha! With no Sharingan.” 

 

“If I possessed a Sharingan, this wouldn’t be a fair fight now would it?.” 

 

Shiro grunts back.

“Oh… I think it would make us even…” 

 

“We will see.” Kakashi replies and beckons him forward with his one hand. 

 

In a flash your brother is on the move again striking at your ninja with precise movements. His style has changed immensely since you last sparred with him. He is far more agile and strong. Every hit landed on Kakashi is definitely making its mark. 

 

Shiro shoots by Kakashi just as he counters with a back hand. He ducks low leaving Kakashi wide open and sends a powerful punch to his stomach which Kakashi manages to block. However, this was no ordinary punch. His fist held that same red dusty energy as before, but instead of making contact with Kakashi upon first impact, his stone energy hindered. It hit one second after the original punch, catching Kakashi by surprise and sending him careening towards the shore. 

 

“Damnit!” You curse, as you watch his body tumble towards the end zone. Luckily, in mid air, Kakashi is able to perform a small earth jutsu pulling up a barrier before he hits the sand. He stops only meters away, still maintaining the chakra in his feet. He rises from his kneeled position and begins to laugh. 

 

“Haha, a delayed strike! I haven’t seen that in a long time. Well done!” 

 

Shiro bows.

“A perk to my stone's power. I am able to manipulate when it will strike, part of my cohort instinct.” 

 

Kakashi walks towards Shiro, getting back into his position once again. 

 

“I have a few tricks of my own.” He replies.

 

You sigh in relief. That was a close one. 

 

“I’m still waiting to see those tricks.” Shiro says amused. 

 

Kakashi smiles deviously through his mask and in two fractions of a second he is gone. Using his white puffy cloud to disappear leaving Shiro scrambling to find him. The look in his eyes is priceless right now, he was not expecting Kakashi to be so quick…neither were you the first time he had played this trick on you. 

 

Shiro whips around honing in on the subtle shadow darting by. Suddenly Kakashi appears within inches of his face, standing an inch taller. Shiro looks up at him grinning from ear to ear and strikes at Kakashi. To his dismay he sends his fist right through another white puff of smoke. He stumbles forward, losing his footing. 

 

Kakashi played this game for quite some time before Shiro figured it out and finally you did too. It is a quick release of chakra to teleport to another place. From the looks of it, he uses one simple hand sign to draw the energy then forces it into a large burst to move swiftly. A fluffy cloud is thrown over top for distraction and there you have it. The disappearing act you’ve so badly wanted to learn is now just a hand sign away from you using it to your own benefit. 

 

Once Shiro had figured it out, he was able to predict Kakashi’s next move, although not without taking a substantial amount of beatings in the interim. He is now bleeding from the mouth and hunched over holding his side. He scans the area waiting for the opportunity to snatch Kakashi from the air, like a snake snapping at its prey. He grabs onto Kakashi’s arm just as he reappears. Then knees him in the stomach. Kakashi hunches over feeling the pain of broken ribs and is thrown ten feet away onto his back. He slides to a stop on the water. 

 

Wiping the blood from his mouth, Shiro praises him. 

“Now that is impressive Body Flicker. Your speed is admirable.” 

 

Kakashi whips his feets around and leaps to his feet. 

“Why thank you Shiro. I’ve had a lot of practice over the years.” He replies politely. 

 

Shiro nods his head.

“You’re welcome, shall we?” He positions himself in another lunge stance ready for more. 

 

Your ninja slams his fist into his palm beaming at your so-called brother.

“Carry on!” 

 

They both set off for each other closing the distance at epic speeds. This time gathering chakra and performing their own type of jutsu at the same time. It would seem you were right about Shiro’s jutsu skills. He is far more fluent than you as it is obvious by the speed formation of his hand signs. While they close the distance they both call out their techniques. You brace yourself for a large amount of energy release. 

 

“Wind release, Tempest Strike!” Shiro calls.

 

“Hydrification technique!” Kakashi shouts shortly after.

 

Both ninja tear the atmosphere apart, powers raging in full force. No one is holding back with this strike. Then something strange happens. Your brother's red flaming arrow forms just as Kakashi comes within range. But instead of hitting its target, kakashi dissolves into a mass of water dodging the blast completely. It hits the shoreline, gouging through the forest, creating a thick gully of destruction. 

 

You curse both men for being so careless to their surroundings and just have to scold your brother for it. 

 

“WATCH WHERE YOUR AIMING DUMBASS!”

 

But neither can hear you. As the water settles around them you see the two battling it out in hand to hand combat. Their movements barely visible to the naked eye, each diverse in training yet equal in timing and skill. Bouts of chakra and jutsu spill into the air around them. They pummel each other with skill you have only seen from yourself. It was then you realized how strong Kakashi actually is. To keep up with a gelel stone user, especially one who has mastered their cohort instinct and jutsu, is astonishing. You have never been so starstruck, so overcome with wonderment by this man. And the best part about it?…he is yours. Your one and only ninja. Your heart flutters at the thought of being so complete, never have you met someone so right for you…never…

 

Quickly the stars in your eyes fade as Kakashi is overpowered by Shiro’s strength. He is slammed back towards the shoreline tumbling to a stop just before the border. 

 

Both men stop their fight to gather themselves. Obviously running low on energy of all types. Blood seeps from open wounds decorating their unclothed torsos. They are winded and bruised bearing many broken bones as well. As the dust settles they carry on conversation. 

 

“Your…” Shiro pauses to catch his breath, placing a hand on his knee. “Your precision is…cough… remarkable..”

 

Kakashi spits blood from his mouth before responding. 

“And your jutsu… is…very accomplished. I’m impressed…for a stone user.” 

 

Both ninja grin and watch each other respectively for some time before closing the gap between each other. 

 

They bow, standing two feet apart facing one another. 

 

“You are almost a brother. This last attempt will determine if I accept you or not.” 

 

You growl at your brother. When did it become his decision ? 

 

“IT'S MY CLAN TOO ASSHOLE!” 

 

Both men glance your way almost as if they had just remembered you’re here too, watching the display of testosterone play out. 

 

Kakashi laughs.

 

“There’s that mouth again….are you sure about her? I mean…you can walk out now, I won’t hold it against you.” Shiro asks. 

 

Kakashi raises his brows.

“I'm in one hundred and twenty percent. There is no place I would rather be than feeling the sting of her sharp tongue everyday .” 

 

Shiro bursts out laughing.

“Now that , is exactly the response I would expect to hear from a brother. Let’s hope you win this brawl.” He bows once more to Kakashi, who returns his bow in newly formed respect. 

 

Kakashi leaps away and pulls something from the pocket of his pants. A scroll in fact, Shiro watches him curiously. Along with the scroll he draws a Kunai. In two swift moves he slices into his finger, unravels the scroll and paints a line across it in his own blood. 

 

“Tracking fang technique!”

 

The scroll explodes with power swirling around Kakashi. The air stills and the haunting howl of wolves echoes through the lake and into the forest. 

 

“ Wolves ?” You whisper in confusion. 

 

A mist of cloud surrounds him as the howls grow louder. Shiro readies himself for the impending attack. All of a sudden six hounds appear beside Kakashi who is now barreling towards your brother. 

 

For a moment you can see the look of surprise in Shiro’s expression, then a devious smile enters the battlefield. He begins to perform his own type of jutsu. 

 

Kakashi calls out something barely audible and in two puffs of white smoke two more dogs appear beside Shiro latching painfully to his arms. 

 

Shiro cries out trying to shake them off. But it is to no use as Kakashi and the rest of his pack are on him. With his hounds securing themselves to his legs and arms, Kakashi pummeling every exposed tender spot on his body, any upper hand he has in this fight has been torn away. The dogs drag him backwards towards the lakeshore as he tries desperately to shake them. 

 

Kakashi swings skillful punches and kicks, even slashing into his skin with his Kunai. None of the wounds inflicted were deadly, you could see it, nevertheless, they still overpower Shiro and slow him down. 

 

After several minutes of being dragged by rabid dogs and beaten down by your genius ninja. Kakashi taunts him. 

“Give it up, Shiro! No point in fighting this.” 

Kakashi winds up for a very hard hit to his ribs. Shiro grunts and responds painfully. 

“Not yet!… I’m…ahhh…not done yet!” 

Your brother screams, not willing to give you up just yet. 

 

And a power surge erupts from him. He calls out for his cohort instinct. 

“Desert Storm technique, wild snake!” 

 

A blast explodes from his chest along the lines of his snake tattoo. Hundreds of long slithering creatures form over it wiggling their bodies and lashing out at the dogs. With quick snaps of their heads they bite the dogs paralyzing them almost instantly with some type of venom. Kakashi barely dodges two bites from snakes slithering out of his chest. He handsprings backwards away from Shiro, stopping halfway in the center of the lake. 

 

This isn’t good, the energy pouring from your brother out does anything Kakashi has left it is obvious. Kakashi crouches in a kneeled position breathing heavily watching the terror that is your so-called brother right now. 

 

Snakes spill from his body in all directions snapping and hissing at their target. Shiro gathers the last bout of energy he has and tears after Kakashi. There is no dodging this, no disappearing. This was it for Kakashi. He has lost the battle and will forfeit his right to your clan. Into your family. Your heart aches, all you want to do is stop this. 

Just as you take a step forward to protect your ninja something strange happens. 

 

Kakashi lifts his hands and performs Jutsu at record speed. With Shiro closing the distance at this momentum, Kakashi barely had time to do this. Then another puff of white smoke engulfs Kakashi and a female’s giggle rings in your ears. 

 

“What the fuck?” You whisper to yourself. 

 

Shiro skids to a complete stop on the water gasping loud enough for you to hear it. Even his snakes have stopped moving. His mouth drops open, and another giggle echoes around them. 

 

As the clouds disappear there stands a woman, naked and giggling away. Silver hair spills down her back and shoulder. She has a small scar painted on her left eye and curves that make you incredibly jealous. You haven’t seen breasts like that before, and skin so smooth it almost makes you cry. 

 

She winks at your brother and blows him a kiss. Shiro stands stunned, a small drop of blood seeping from his nose. He is drooling shamefully at the mouth, his jaw nearly hitting the water below his feet. 

 

“Who…who are you?” He asks barely audible. It was then you noticed the bulging in his pants and all you can do is laugh. What the hell kind of technique is this? 

 

“Come here, baby. I have a secret for you…” She says and licks her lips. 

 

Shiro stumbles forward towards the hot naked female version of Kakashi in a daze of lust. In his disoriented state, female Kakashi takes this opportunity to send a blast of purple lightning, which he was hiding behind his back, at Shiro. However, Shiro catches wind of this just in time and in a quick defense he pulls stone energy, forcing a large amount of red dusty power at the blast. As they make contact the entire lake erupts in destruction. A force wave billows out from them and both ninja are shot backwards across the lake, skidding to a stop on the sandy shore. 

 

You shade your eyes from the blast and debris. As the dust settles you see both men lying on their backs groaning. A tie? 

 

The boys lay silently for quite some time before Shiro speaks up. He begins to laugh hysterically and so do you. Kakashi had just won a fight using sex appeal. 

 

You think back on how flustered Kakashi, Naruto and Jiraiya were at seeing you naked and you can’t help but laugh at it yourself. 

 

Both men rise to their feet.

 

“Now that was unexpected…a naked woman?.” Shiro says, still laughing. 

 

Kakashi dusts off his pants and shrugs.

“Every man loves a hot naked woman.” 

 

Shiro laughs again. 

“You’re even hotter than Neko!” 

 

“Ahhh…no…not even close.” He replies, making your heart skip a beat. “So...looks like we’re even, Shiro.” 

 

Shiro nods proudly.

“Looks like. And to be honest, I wouldn’t have anyone else by her side. You have earned my respect and a place in our clan.” 

 

Kakashi shrugs again. 

“Thanks.” 

 

Finally both men bring their attention to you. 

 

“You ok, Hana?” Kakashi asks.

 

Instinctively you start lecturing both boys.

“No!…no I’m not ok! I am extremely pissed at you both…and sexually confused thanks to you Kakashi! What the hell kind of jutsu was that? Don’t tell me you’ve used that on yourself! I swear to god…I will never look at you the same again!” You can’t help but feel a bit jealous over how beautiful his female self is. 

 

Kakashi bursts out laughing.

“That is not a jutsu I use, ever! I actually stole it from Naruto who used it to manipulate his sensei when he was a kid. Similar to the way you do it…” 

 

Your face turns a shameful shade of red. He has you there. You are one hundred percent guilty of using your looks to get what you want. You bite your lip smiling as both boys join you on your side of the lake shore. You are able to get a good look at them now and do they ever look beaten and exhausted. 

 

“You two look like shit by the way.” 

 

“That was a great fight.” Shiro says beaming at Kakashi. 

 

Kakashi picks up his shirt from the sand and pulls it on.

“It was. We should spar again sometime.” 

 

Shiro agrees as he pulls his own shirt on. Then something falls from the pocket. You gasp out loud at the sight of it and so does Kakashi. 

 

“Is..is that an Icha Icha?” Kakashi asks, reaching down for it. 

 

Low and behold, If it isn’t the same book of smut Kakashi carries around all the time. He hands it over to Shiro. 

 

“Thanks. You read these?” Shiro asks.

 

“Sure do!…well I did.” Kakashi glances back at you. 

 

“Haha.. I guess you don’t need this anymore hey?” 

 

“Not really. But I did hear there is a new book coming out.” 

 

Shiro’s voice becomes higher pitched with excitement .

“YES! Icha Icha violence! Have you read tactics?”

 

Kakashi is now beaming with giddiness.

“I love that one! Innocence was great too!” 

 

Shiro pauses, stroking his chin.

“It’s official, we are brothers now.” 

 

You roll your eyes.

“You know…you could have just exchanged books and called it a day. Instead of beating the crap out of each other.” 

 

Both boys burst out laughing and you join in this time. 

 

“Fuck I’m starving.” Shiro complains his stomach rumbling loudly. 

 

“Let’s go to my place, hana will cook us something good.” Kakashi says, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. 

 

“You two are idiots.” You reply, jokingly earning more laughter from the two.

 

———————————————

Chapter 33: The mission

It was an interesting trip home to say the least. Both boys, Shiro and Kakashi, have so much in common it is almost frightening. They had spent the majority of the journey talking about those strange Icha Icha books as well as making fun of your “wacky behaviors” as they call it. Shiro had told him all sorts of embarrassing stories about you when you were young. You were relieved they were finally getting along but also not impressed by their team up against you. 

 

You sigh defeated, as you walk up the steps to your home. They had decided for you to stop by your place and check out the progress. Although you just wanted to avoid any more conflict. You know for sure Konohamaru and Naruto will be livid over seeing your brother tagging along.

 

“Hey! Looks like Naruto and Kono are still at it.” Kakashi says as he opens the front door. 

 

Shiro glances at you.

“Sorry about the mess, Neko. Buuut it was kind of your fault.” 

 

“How was it my fault? You broke into my house!” You growl.

 

He shrugs.

“And you started throwing punches. If you would just learn to listen.” 

 

Kakashi chuckles to himself. He ushers Shiro in through the door then sweeps an arm around your neck pulling you in for a hug. 

“We’re just messin around, kitten.” He whispers. 

 

You pout your lips. 

“You two suck.” 

 

Kakashi ruffles your hair playfully and heads further into your house. You watch them both walk down your hallway marveling at the work Naruto and Kono have done. 

 

Deep sigh….

 

“What in the hell is HE doing here?!” You hear Konohamaru shout. 

 

Shit… you curse and hurry down the hallway to your living room. 

 

Both Naruto and Konohamaru stand ready for a fight while your brother nonchalantly looks around at the room. 

 

“You two have done a great job! This may be a new career for you.” He snickers. 

 

Ohhhh….whyyy….why does he have to stir the pot so much. He has always been like this, either starting fights or interjecting himself into them. Most of the time he would be the initiator and you would be there to pull him out of it. You start towards your brother and stop noticing Kakashi stepping in. 

 

He pats your brother on the shoulder and positions himself beside him. 

“He’s cool…he’s with me.” 

 

“What do you mean?” Both boys ask at the same time. They glance at each other then back at Kakashi and Shiro then look at you for confirmation. 

 

You run an annoyed hand through your hair.

“Yeah…they fought, exchanged Icha Icha, and are now best friends….I think its weird too…” 

 

Naruto and Konohamaru’s mouths drop open.

 

“Seriously?” Konohamaru asks Kakashi. 

 

“Seriously.” Kakashi confirms.

 

Shiro wraps a thick arm around Kakashi’s neck grinning wide.

“Yup, we’re brothers now!” 

 

“”I don’t believe this….” Naruto huffs.

 

“Neither do I, but Kakashi has proven himself to be the best man for…” Shiro begins. Quickly, so he doesn’t reveal you and Kakashi’s secret, you slap a hand over his mouth. And you do it hard making him look straight into your eyes. He glares at you as you hold him there, and you glare back equally, shaking your head slowly. 

 

His brows furrow and finally he understands. You release his mouth and he carefully finishes his explanation. 

 

“Kakashi is my equal and that makes him a brother….” 

 

Both boys are shocked. Naruto scratches the back of his head.

“I…I don't know what to say.” 

 

You turn towards the two.

“Let’s just not say anything. I’m just as shocked as you…anyways…the house looks great!” 

 

“Yeah, you’ll be getting that damage deposit back for sure!” Konohamaru replies. 

 

You chew your lip thinking about the time when you will receive the deposit back. After that, you are basically homeless aside from Kakashi’s offer, which you are still on the fence about. It is only due to the fact that you have always been independent and it is not something you can give up so easily. You haven’t had someone take care of you in years and freeloading off your new boyfriend is not the way you want to start a relationship. 

 

“I’ll need a place for my stuff…” you reply quietly to yourself, still thinking about it. 

 

Then Konohamaru says something both sweet yet cringing.

“I have a basement suite at my place you can move into. It’s a two bedroom, a little smaller than this but you can live there rent free.” He says. 

 

You glance at your brother and Kakashi. 

 

“That’s so thoughtful of you Kono!” Naruto pipes up overly excited for some reason. 

 

There is an inquisitive look on your brother's face as he stares down Konohamaru. Kakashi on the other hand looks expressionless. You are starting to realize that when he has this look he is either very upset and not willing to show it, or he is lost deep in thought. 

 

Shiro steps forward coming within inches of Konohamaru. 

“No rent hey? Why?” 

 

Konohamaru nervously swallows.

“Well…she’s been through so much. I can cover the cost until she is set up.” 

 

Shiro squints his eyes.

“Is that so…” He looks back at Kakashi who shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets looking away. 

 

It was obvious Shiro was picking up on the tension between Kakashi and Konohamaru. 

 

Shiro grabs the collar of his shirt, setting Konohamaru off.

“Hey let me go asshole!” 

 

He pulls him in close. 

“You’re not going to be creepy about it, are you?” 

 

Konohamaru gasps loudly.

“Creepy!? I’m not creepy!” 

 

Shiro analyzes him closely for quite sometime before releasing him, and Konohamaru doesn’t back down. He shoves Shiro away and straightens his shirt cursing under his breath. 

 

“Alright, alright, let’s all get along. No one is going to be a creep. I mean it’s Hana we’re talking about…” Naruto laughs. “Who would want to put themselves in a situation like that?” 

 

You gasp loudly.

 

At that comment you storm towards your hokage eyes burning with rage. Just as you are about to lay into Naruto your brother slaps a hand over your mouth. 

 

“Fuck off Shiro!.” You growl into his hand. You’re getting tired of being shut up so you bite into it hard. Shiro curses.

 

“Hana! That fucking hurts! Let go! Would someone get her something to eat before I lose an arm?” 

 

Kakashi begins to laugh, fueling your rage. You let go of Shiro’s hand and shove a fist into his stomach. He keels over laughing. 

 

“God damn it girl…you need to learn some respect…that is your hokage!”

 

“At least she used her mouth first this time….” Kakashi states and comes to your side. He sweeps an arm around your neck right in front of everyone, making you freeze in place

“How about we head to my place and you whip up some of that saury I like. We can talk about our next training session.”

 

Utterly embarrassed and frustrated, you scowl at everyone, remove Kakashi’s arm off your shoulder, and storm towards the front door fingering them all. But not without thanking Naruto and Konohamaru for their hard work first. 

 

“Thank you for fixing up my place! Although you can also go fuck yourselves!” You say and pout your way out the door slamming it behind you. 

 

Through the door you can faintly hear Konohamaru scolding Naruto for being so harsh and getting back into it with your brother. 

 

That is the last place you need to be right now, trying to defend yourself against your shockingly rude hokage, while Konohamaru offers you his life in exchange for nothing, and then there is the sarcastic brotherhood you’re trying to ignore.

What in the world is going on these days?

 

You thought for sure things couldn’t get any worse. 

 

You sigh and look up at the cloudless sky. A small flock of geese fly by overhead and you can’t help but wish your stone could provide you with the ability of flight. Then you could take off whenever you wanted and no one could do a damn thing about it. 

 

Suddenly your phone beeps in your pocket. You pull it out and read the message on the lock screen. 

 

Hana Hoki, deployed to the Land of Lightning. Mission class A. Debriefing Wednesday at 13:00HRS in the hokage-tei. 

 

Great…just fucking great….

You pocket your phone and sink your head into your hands feeling very discouraged over this mission. Maybe this is just your intuition talking but you have a very bad feeling about it, like something terrible is going to happen…and that gut feeling is usually right….

 

————————————————

 

You had spent the evening at Kakashi’s cooking your brother and him all the foods they love. Why you did this is beyond you as they haven’t treated you all that well since you had left the lake. Yet you still provided them with a fantastic meal, dessert and music entertainment. Your brother was eager to hear you sing and coaxed you into it with little to no effort. On the plus side they did appreciate you for it and showed it in very sweet ways. Kakashi rubbed your feet while Shiro cleaned up the kitchen. Near the end of the night an odd feeling washed over you. Something you had only felt in small doses, very small doses. It was the feeling of belonging to a family, and as wild as they are you could almost picture you three being one, all you were missing was Maito Gai to balance out the weirdness in the room….at least you would have some back up with him around…

 

Once you had tucked yourself into Kakashi's bed enjoying the feel of his soft blankets, you decided to bring up his new relationship with Shiro. 

 

“So you’re best friends now?” You asked, sourly.

 

He looked at you and sighed, a small smile warming his face.

“Ahhhh, to be honest. We do have a lot in common and get along great, however, I have a plan for him and will execute that said plan despite him being a pretty cool guy….” 

 

And there it was, the whole reasoning for his comradery. You don’t even bother asking about his plan, he won’t tell you anyways. 

 

“Five steps ahead?” You replied, to which he confirmed with the same usual response.

 

“Always….”

 

Fast forward to your one o'clock debriefing at the hokage-tei. You sit quietly in front of Naruto and his council discussing the mission you will be deployed on tomorrow. 

 

Naruto leans forward in his chair, looking as serious as ever with his hands clasped together resting on his orange colored desk.

“So, I would like to start off by thanking everyone in this room.” He begins to name off all the ninja in the room including yourself, Shikamaru, Sakura, Kakashi, Konohamaru, and Shiro. “Thank you all for accepting this mission.” He says.

 

Mumbles and nods circle the room before Naruto speaks again. 

“Now, this has grown into something more than an A class mission. As the number of rogue ninja has almost doubled we are considering this a special class category.” 

 

Looks like your intuition was right…

 

“We have gotten word from our sources that the group is traveling south west towards the land of fire, recruiting ninja along the way. They want to gather enough for an army to overpower other lands and are in the process of conquering the land of frost.” He slams a fist onto the table. “We can’t let that happen.” 

 

Sakura comes forward with even more frightening information.

“There are a lot of younger shinobi in the land of frost that can be easily influenced.” 

 

Naruto nods.

“Correct, which means stopping them is our priority and we will do whatever it takes. So bring your onesies and snuggies, it’s going to get real cold out there.” 

 

You scowl at him and sit quietly, listening to all of the banter between everyone. Then Naruto puts you on the spot. 

 

“Is there a problem, Hana? You’ve got that look again.” He asks in a condescending tone. 

 

“What look?” You argue, taken back by his remark.

 

“That look you always have when you don’t like the situation. So what is the problem now?” 

 

Is he serious right now? What the hell is up his ass these days?…. and your temper starts to take control. 

 

“What is my problem?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“My problem is…” you stop yourself to look around at Shiro and Kakashi who are ready to intervene again. You stand in your seat slowly, but this time you hold everyone in their seats using a large amount of your stone energy. With one simple trigger the entire room is unable to move including your brother. Everyone sits stunned and paralyzed as you start his well earned reprimand. 

 

“Naruto, I am going to say this once and you better get this through that thick pineapple head of yours. In this room, in front of these shinobi and kunoichi, you are my hokage.” Your stone begins to glow brightly but you carry on. “Outside of this establishment you are my friend, albeit a really shitty one, but you are still a friend.” 

You lean over the desk bringing your face close to his. “If you cannot be respectful to me inside and outside of this establishment, I will resort to harassing you every minute of every day as I have just learned how to body flicker and I won’t hesitate to use it in the worst way possible, so help me god!.” 

 

You reach a hand out to flick the metal plating on his head band. 

 

“Do you understand?” You ask. 

 

Naruto blinks twice, his face turning white, and in a whisper he replies.

“Y-yeah…sorry.” 

 

You sit back down and release everyone. They breathe out a long sigh in relief before settling back down. You can’t help but feel Kakashi’s eyes on you and hear a faint chuckle from him. Yet you ignore him, too pissed off to care what anyone is thinking about your outburst. 

 

Naruto clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably under your stern gaze. You lean back in your chair, wave your hand for him to proceed and cross your arms. 

 

“Alright…uhhh…I’m going to have Kakashi lead this one as he is the senior here and is more than able to lead a team of this caliber. Second in command is Sakura, she will be the platoon medic as well as communication between the lead and the rest of the team. Shikamaru is on stealth tactics and strategies, Konohamaru you will be on watch duty as well as flank defense. I want Shiro and Hana to be first in line for attack. We are here for a quick mission, in and out. Keep it simple, keep it safe….any questions?” 

 

Konohamaru steps forward.

“Do we know of their abilities?” 

 

Naruto shakes his head.

“Anyone who has come within direct contact has either died, is being held captive, or has joined forces. We are going based on rumors and wide ranged observations.” 

 

You shake your head.

“How was this ever an A class mission?” 

 

“Since we have not only you but Shiro with us for the time being, this mission is presumably a piece of cake. However, things have changed drastically in the last twenty four hours as their latest attempts for recruitment have been extremely successful.” Naruto explains.

 

“Why not send the black ops with us then?” You argue.

 

“We have no proof that these ninja are anything special.” 

 

“But what if they are?” 

 

“Then I guess we will be ready. This group I have put together practically outdoes any black ops out there, especially with you two on board. Don’t worry, it will go smoothly. Kakashi will make sure of it.” Naruto nods his head towards Kakashi, who acknowledges his confidence. 

 

You chew your lip lost in deep thought, thinking of all the possibilities that could go wrong. What if he is underestimating these rogue ninja? What if they are more powerful than expected?

 

 Yet everyone in the room seems so confident and eager to get out there and fight. Your stomach is turning over this. Then you feel a large hand rest on your shoulder and that lovely smell brings you back to reality. 

 

Kakashi stands to your right looking down at you. 

 

“You ok?” He asks. 

 

You then realize the room has cleared aside from Naruto and Kakashi. Who look very concerned. 

 

“It’s going to be ok, Hana.” Naruto assures. “A quick in and out.” 

 

“I…just have this bad feeling.” You reply and look up at Naruto. 

 

“I used to get nervous just before a mission…it will get easier.” He smiles wide and gives you a thumbs up. 

 

But all you can do is look away. This is the last thing you want to be doing. 

 

“Come on, let’s go for a walk.” Kakashi says and offers his hand to you. You look up at him feeling comfort in his sympathetic smile and take his hand. 

 

You rise out of your chair. 

 

“Pack light ok?. I’ll make sure your house is back to normal by the time your mission is over.” Naruto says. 

 

That has got you wondering how long this mission will actually take.

“When are we expected back?” 

 

He shrugs.

“A week or so. Depending on how things go.” 

 

“But…I’m supposed to be moving out of my place in a week.”

 

“Kakashi will fill you in on all of that. Safe travels, Hana.” Naruto salutes you. 

 

You thank Naruto and whisper to Kakashi. 

“You told Naruto I’m moving in?” 

 

“Shhhh…” He glances behind his shoulder as you both make it through the door. “Let’s talk about it when we’re outside. There’s too many ears in this building.” 

 

“Oh..ok.” 

 

He leads you outside of the hokage administration building and into the gardens. You follow him through the winding stone pathways until he stops in a park area where he has you sit down on a wooden bench. You slump down onto it, rest your wrists on your knees and subconsciously tap your fingers together nervously. Kakashi watches you closely, you can feel his stormy eyes on you analyzing your mood. 

 

“I hope this doesn’t upset you, as it can come across as a little invasive. But, I took it upon myself to have a conversation with your landlord.” 

 

You blow out a frustrated breath. 

 

“She has agreed to let you stay another few months until you find another place.” 

He pauses to let that sink in. 

 

Confused, you just have to ask.

“And how the hell did you pull that off? Or do I even want to know?” You raise your brows.

 

He nudges you. 

“Hey! I know what you’re trying to say. There is only one person who I use my super good looks on and that person is you.” 

 

You can’t help but laugh at that remark. 

“Works every time…” 

 

He chuckles.

“Yeah it does. Anyways, you have a few months now. I was getting the feeling you needed more time to figure shit out.” 

 

You nudge him back.

“Thanks, Kakashi.” 

 

“Anything for you…Now about this mission…I also know what you’re thinking. And every good ninja should think exactly the way you are right now. Running through possible scenarios is a sign of intellect, someone who knows strategy and prepares for the worst. I myself think there may be more to this group of rogue ninjas than we have been told. Something just doesn’t sit right.”

 

That gets your mind spiraling in other possibilities. Like maybe you are being lead astray here in hidden leaf.

“I know Naruto hates me…but…”

 

Kakashi bursts out laughing. 

“Hates you? That’s not true!.” 

 

You scowl.

“Have you heard the shit he says to me or about me?” 

 

“Ahhh yeah, he is one who speaks his mind. He likes you or he wouldn't have helped you out at all.”

 

“So he’s just socially awkward or something?” 

 

Kakashi laughs.

“Extremely. It's so bad sometimes I even feel embarrassed for him. I don’t doubt that your words to him today will change his behavior. I don’t think he knew he was acting like that. And good for you for using your words instead of your fists.” 

 

You huff out a breath.

“Oh shut up.” 

 

He chuckles then grows silent for a few minutes.

“Look…Whatever happens from this point on is going to be a fucking mess. But…after this mission is over I’m going to end it all so you can get back to living a normal life. No more fighting for something you don’t believe in, no more skimming by on nothing. I will make sure you have everything you want or need.” 

 

His words strike a chord in your heart. You try desperately not to ruin this moment with tears. If this man ever asks you to marry him you won’t hesitate to do it. You would carry his children if he asked you to. 

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Kakashi.” 

 

He sweeps a hand through your hair letting his fingers drift down your back. 

“I sure am…..Let’s get through this next week. I’m eager to actually take you out on a date and not just to my bedroom for chimichangas.” 

 

That pulls a small laugh from you. 

“I do enjoy bedtime chimichangas though…” 

 

He smiles looking up at the sky.

“Yeah you do…” 

 

You join him, looking over the scenery for a few minutes, noticing the warmer style of clothing everyone is wearing these days. And here you are heading deep into the depths of winter.

 

“It’s getting warm out.” Kakashi states. “Summer is almost here…I love summer.” 

 

“Summer reminds me of the jungle…and back home….” You reply feeling nostalgic.

 

He looks at you bearing a cheeky grin.

“It’s bikini weather.” And winks.

 

You roll your eyes and shove him gently.

“You’re bad…”

 

“Bad to the bone…we will go shopping when we get back.” 

 

“Pshhhh….” 

 

At that he stands and offers you his hand.

“Come kitten, we have a lot of packing to do for this mission. I’d like to get a head start on it.” 

 

“Oh alright.” 

You link your arm with his and walk beside him as he begins to describe the many outfits he wants to dress you in….

 

—————————————————

 

Mission day 1

 

You’re late…very late…you had spent the night at Kakashi’s binge watching a very action packed television series that got you all worked up and unable to sleep. Why Kakashi let you sleep in was beyond you, he knew you still had to stop by your house for a few things before meeting up with him and the rest of the group. 

 

You were to meet at hidden leaf bridge at sunrise, so the text message stated. Now here you are rushing through the streets in a panic all because you couldn’t decide on pants or shorts. The end result of your indecisive stupidity was having forgotten to put any pants or shorts on at all, but only because you had done a load of laundry and put it all in the dryer. While you waited for your clothes you lost track of time then in a panic you grabbed your stuff and left. Thank god you wore a cheongsam long enough to cover your goods coming down to your upper thigh level. You're such an idiot sometimes ….so you keep telling yourself. 

 

The rest of your attire was black, stretchy, tight and filled with weapons of all kinds. Infact, if someone were to bump into you by accident they would probably get stabbed by a Kunai or dagger. Ok maybe you went a little overboard on weaponry, but you were sure, as you tucked them into every possible place that didn’t cause you harm, each piece had its purpose. 

 

In all honesty you looked like a girl who brought her entire armory with her on date night…. Baka…

 

Finally you scale the lengthy hill leading up to the bridge to find your friends grouped together patiently waiting for your slow ass to make an appearance. As you approach your fellow ninja, Sakura covers her mouth with her hand analyzing your entire outfit from the toes up. Meanwhile half the boys are falling apart…you knew this wasn’t going to be good. You knew you weren't dressed appropriately…..again… 

 

You slow your pace, noticing how Konohamaru and Shikamaru’s eyes are wide and locked onto the shake in your breasts as you run. Kakashi and Shiro, are unaware of your presence at this time, reading from a book Shiro is sharing with him, most likely another Icha Icha special. The minute Kakashi looks up at you his expression freezes in place. Shiro drops his book to the ground and Shikamaru whistles very loudly. 

 

Shyly you stride up to your comrades feeling very out of place. 

 

You clear your throat and swallow back some nerves before greeting them.

“Uh…hey.” 

 

Sakura looks at the boys and begins to giggle, making things much worse.

“Good morning Hana!” She says. “I have to say…I wish I looked that good this early in the morning. What do you guys think?” 

 

She nudges Kakashi who is still not able to move. You flush with embarrassment.

“Ahh…yeah…I woke up late and didn’t have much time…I forgot the whole pants thing, but on the plus side I was still able to equip all of my weapons.” 

 

Shiro bursts out laughing and picks up his book.

“Fuck Neko, you’re supposed to blend in, not be the damn target…. But hey I guess we could always use you as bait, am I right Kakashi?” He elbows him quite hard, knocking him out of his daze.

 

He blinks twice and glances at Shiro. Then his stunned expression turns into a dark disapproval.

“No, she will be wearing pants as I have brought an extra pair just in case.” 

 

“Hey now, I think she looks like a beautiful assassin ready to steal someone's heart.” Konohamaru says as sweetly as can be. That causes Shiro to laugh even harder. 

 

“Are you kidding me? Seriously…haha…you’re going to make me puke.” 

 

Shikamaru smiles deviously and approaches you staring at your breasts noticing the tiny handle of a Switchblade nestled in between the cut out section of the dress. 

“You got weapons in all the right places Huh?” Finally his eyes meet yours and he winks. 

 

You glare at him. Just before you can slap him in the face with a witty response Kakashi grabs him by the back of his shirt and tosses him to the ground effortlessly. He tumbles to a stop and looks up at him in shock. 

“Respect! Shikamaru. You are not the single man you wish you were.” 

 

Kakashi then hands you a pair of black pants. 

“Clothes on now!” 

 

“Yes sir..”

You take the pants shamefully and try to explain.

“I had a rough morning…sorry sensei.”

 

“I bet…” He replies then turns around motioning for everyone to do the same. 

 

You whip on the pants as fast as you can, securing the drawstring and tapering the shin area with your thigh high socks. Although this outfit is hotter and heavier, it is much more appropriate. 

 

“Ok I’m dressed appropriately.” 

 

Kakashi’s shoulders relax and his daddy attitude instantly disappears.

 

“Alright, we have a few things to discuss before we leave.” Kakashi gets right down to business, most likely to avoid any more conversation around you forgetting pants this morning. 

 

“We are headed to the Land of Lightning. My old stomping grounds so to speak. I know the roads well. I also know the terrain and predators we may encounter along the way. So listen closely, follow my orders and we won’t have too many problems.” He pauses for a moment to let that sink in with everyone before continuing on. 

 

“I have been doing my own little investigation on this group of rogue ninja. My sources tell me they are pushing twenty members, and each has a decent level of training. The majority being chunin. There are four jonin in the group we need to take out first as they will be our hardest targets. I was told those jonin are from the land of earth and have advanced jutsu. We need to be careful and execute them with precision. Stealth will be on our side, now that Hana is dressed appropriately that is…” He smirks at you, making your cheeks burn. 

 

You roll your eyes in response and look away while everyone laughs.

 

“Our targets are now in the land of frost but are caught up at the border. I am hoping we can intercept them in the Shimogakure valley just before Shimogakure village. We will blend into the snow as much as possible. Has everyone brought their white ninja Gi?”. Everyone nods, including yourself. Although you had to borrow one from Ino, you’re still not sure how it will fit. Winter attire is not something you have ever had to buy. 

 

“Good. We will stay in allied villages along the way but will camp out if necessary. Any questions?” 

 

Konohamaru speaks up.

“Yeah. What is holding them up at the border?” 

 

“Good question. I believe it is the strength of the frost-nin. They are some of the strongest in the lands. I think they may have run into some trouble. However, that is just one theory. The other theory is they are bargaining with Shimogakure and it is taking longer than expected.” 

 

“Looks like time isn’t on our side right now. We should get going.” Shiro says and throws his pack over his shoulder.

 

“No it is not. Alright everyone, let’s head out. We can talk more along the way.”

 

Everyone picks up their packs except for you. Kakashi had taken over packing your bag as you had no idea what to bring for trekking through snow and cold weather. It is just not something you have ever had to worry about in the land of wind. He hands over the pack and you are surprised at how light it is. Then you sense eyes on you, Konohamaru’s in fact, watching you two questionably. 

 

“I packed you some warmer clothes.” He says ignoring those suspicious eyes.

 

“Thanks sensei.”

 

“I don’t know what you would do without me.” He says jokingly. 

 

You giggle.

“Me either.” 

 

“Kakashi! Come walk with me! Let’s chat!” Shiro calls. 

 

Kakashi waves his hand to give him a moment.

“Hana, are you ok?” 

 

You furrow your brows, unsure of why he would ask that. Ok maybe you are a little off the last few days but that is reasonable considering your entire world has been falling apart.

“Yeah…I’m ok. Why?” 

 

“You weren’t yesterday. I need your mind on the target not running through possible scenarios right now, ok? By now you should have a solution for everything and be feeling confident in your abilities.” 

 

Shamefully you reply.

“My abilities could kill us all. So…I’m doing the best I can and trying to keep a level head.” 

 

“I know you are. I just asked because I need you to be open about how you’re feeling so I can help you through it. This isn’t going to be easy, but we are all here for you. If you feel like your stone is getting the best of you I want you to come get me right away.” 

 

You nod, feeling a slight bit of relief but also feeling like the problem in the group. 

 

“Hey! Let’s go!” Shikamaru shouts. 

 

Kakashi turns back towards them.

“We will catch up to you guys.” And he waves them away. Konohamaru scowls but the rest of the group shrugs and begins their journey. You brace yourself for some type of lecture.

 

Kakashi brings his attention back to you and places both hands on your shoulders looking into your eyes. Quietly he says.

“No pants huh?…That outfit is going to drive me crazy you know….near the top of my list of things I want to dress you in…not fair…”

 

Your cheeks flush, and here you thought he was going to get into a more serious talk with you. 

“Sorry about the pants.” You reply snickering.

 

“No you’re not. You did that on purpose. Now I have to fight off a hard on while leading a group on an S class mission.” He grins.

 

“Well…maybe I can sneak into your room later and give you a hand .” You reply and notice his own cheeks pink up. 

 

“Nah, I’m sneaking through your window this time.” He replies equally and comes to your side wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Let’s get going, kitten. It’s going to be a long journey.” 

 

You sigh.

“Very long….you know I could probably fit in your pack if you want to carry me.” 

 

He laughs.

“Not a chance…..well maybe….I’m sure if you pout those beautiful lips of yours I won’t be able to say no….” 

 

And you can’t help but tease him.

“Sucker….” 

 

“You shush…” 

 

As you and Kakashi catch up to the group you notice your brother tormenting Konohamaru again and so does Kakashi. 

 

“This is a tough group.” Kakashi states.

 

“Tough is an understatement. You’re lucky you’re not me.” You reply honestly. 

 

Kakashi lowers his arm to his side as you get closer. 

“Yeah…I’m thankful your brother is keeping an eye on Konohamaru.” 

 

You’re not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but what you are sure about is how awkward this trip is going to be with the love triangle you’re stuck in the middle of.

“When did he decide that?” You ask.

 

“After he offered you a place to stay without rent.” Kakashi says bitterly. 

 

You hum in response thinking about that offer.

 

“Are you going to take him up on it?” Kakashi asks.

 

You shake your head.

“It is really nice of him, but I feel like he would harass me a lot…or steal my underwear…”

 

“Yeah…harassing you and stealing your underwear is my job….” 

 

You snicker back at him. “Yes it is.” 

 

“I have to say, I am extremely relieved to hear that…however, it’s not just Konohamaru who has their eyes on you. Your brother seems to have some weird thing for you too. Come to think of it, everyone has their eyes on you…” He blows out a long breath. “I really have my work cut out for me.” 

 

You sigh as well.

“I am sorry about that.” 

 

“Hey, don’t be sorry for being ridiculously hot. It’s not your fault. I just hope I can keep up with the younger men hounding you.” 

 

Listening to Kakashi talk openly about his insecurities was astonishing. He has always seemed overly confident and egotistical. Maybe he is feeling more vulnerable now after giving you his clan name. 

“You say men…and all I see are boys. They couldn’t handle me like you do.” 

 

“No they couldn’t. You would literally eat them, especially if you’re hungry…”

 

You nudge him playfully.

“Oh probably…” 

 

You both laugh at each other as you join the group who are bickering amongst themselves about how annoying Konohamaru was as a kid. 

 

“Yeah Kono! You kept harassing Naruto to be your sensei.” Sakura laughs. 

 

“I remember that, and I heard you mastered his sexy jutsu, can I see it?” Shikamaru asks Konohamaru. 

 

“I know what that is!” Shiro shouts.

 

“You do?” Sakura asks very curiously. 

 

“Sure do! Kakashi used it on me during our spar. Worked like a charm. He makes a pretty hot lady.” 

 

Everyone bursts out laughing. 

“I’m a silver fox in every shape and form.” Kakashi says brushing a hand through his hair. 

 

“Right, I bet my sexy jutsu out does yours any day.” Konohamaru replies sourly. 

 

Kakashi rolls his eyes and diverts the conversation to the rest of the group. 

“We should all have a contest sometime and see. Whoever gets the most nosebleeds from the audience wins.” 

 

Sakura laughs at the boy's ridiculous ideas and hangs back a bit to chat with you. 

 

“So, back with Kakashi hey?” She asks in a way that is both suspicious but respectful. 

 

“Yeah. It all worked out in the end.” You reply, glancing at her. She raises a brow. 

 

 “I think it’s a perfect student-teacher match to be honest. You test his patience, which he could definitely use more of. And he seems to be able to tame that beast inside you somehow.” 

 

You laugh.

“Yeah we are the perfect pair.” 

 

She blows out a breath as you two walk side by side looking over the forest trees.

“Things got really bad for awhile there hey?” 

 

You look over to her and feel your eyes begin to water as you remember everything that has happened since you arrived here. 

“Yeah…yeah it did.” 

 

She smiles at you sympathetically.

“Well…stay close to Kakashi, no matter what, ok? He will keep you safe. He will make sure everything is alright. It’s what he’s always done for us.” 

 

You wipe a reluctant tear from your cheek and reply. 

“That’s the plan.” 

 

“Good…And for god sake would you suck it up and come see me at the hospital when you’re injured?” 

 

You laugh. 

“My stone can hea….” 

 

“I know! But still, I can ease the pain so you don’t have to suffer through it.” 

 

Thankful to have such a good friend you wrap an arm around her waist and hug her tightly .

“I’m so glad I have a friend like you. Thank you.” 

 

She does the same.

“Me too.” 

 

Then Konohamaru sneaks up beside you and quickly ruins the sentimental moment.

“So uhhh, Hana….” He says shyly scratching the back of his head and looking at the ground blushing profusely. “Would you wanna go out again sometime?” 

 

You look at Sakura who is cringing. 

 

“I ummm….” 

 

Thankfully your brother interferes.

“Not a chance! My sister doesn’t date anyone without my permission, and I don’t think you’re a good match for her, so beat it!” Shiro says. 

 

Konohamaru scowls at your brother then looks to you for help. 

“Hana?” 

 

And you can’t bring yourself to say no…again. 

“Sure, maybe Shikamaru and Udon can come with us again. That was super fun!” 

 

He smiles, although hesitantly, and agrees.

“Yeah, sure, let's do that. As long as I’m spending time with you I’m happy.” 

 

“Great! When we get back, let's go do something fun.” You reply. 

 

Shiro eyes you up suspiciously.

 

“Cool.” Konohamaru says.

 

“Alright, both of you go away, I need to have a chat with my sister.” Shiro says, shooing them with his hand.

 

“No you don’t!” You argue. 

 

“Yes I do!” He persists and pushes his way between you and Sakura. He is being so awkward neither Konohamaru or Sakura want to even bother with him so they join the rest of the crowd up ahead while your brother pulls on your arm to slow your pace. 

 

“That guy won’t leave you alone hey?” He whispers.

 

You huff at him.

“He’s a nice guy Shiro, and has helped me out a lot.” 

 

“In what way?” He asks even more suspiciously.

 

“Not in the way you’re thinking. He’s my friend”. 

 

Shiro bursts out laughing.

“Noooo, that man is no friend . He is in love with you. If you want me to get rid of him I will.” 

 

And you start to grow impatient with all of this. It feels like everyone has been at your throat lately making your chest throb in pain.

“Stop it! He’s fine, I’m fine! I got it handled.” 

 

“Pssshhh, right…. How many other guys are on your heels?” 

 

You glare back at him and he matches you equally.

 

“I have no men at my heels , Shiro. Stop worrying so much. Gods! I made it this far haven’t I?” You pick up your pace trying to leave him behind but he grabs you by the wrist and pulls you back.

 

“That is not true. Remember who has been watching your back for the last two years. You wouldn’t be alive right now if not for me.” 

 

“Two years?!” You gasp.

 

Shiro begins to choke, his face turning red.

“Well…yeah….” 

 

“Let me get this straight, you have been watching over me for two years and I had no idea you were even alive? Do you know how awful that is?” 

 

Shiro curses himself under his breath.

 

You stop walking all together, unable to comprehend that he has been there through so much suffering, watched it all, and has never come forward to comfort you the way you needed. You have been so alone for so long….

 

“It was the second worst thing I have ever done and I’m sorry.” 

 

“You’re right…you’ve done far worse than that….” 

 

“I’m sorry for that too.” 

 

Before your heated conversation can get any hotter, Kakashi intervenes. 

“I know you two have a lot of catching up to do but now is not the time.” He points to your brother.

 

“Shiro, I will make sure to set aside some time for you and Hana. But for now we have a mission to focus on.” He points to Konohamaru. “And you , this is not a place to pick up women, so put your date game on the back burner until the mission is over! Everyone else, drop the personal shit we have more concerning problems at hand.” 

 

This is the worst mission ever. You cross your arms over yourself feeling very stupid right now. 

 

Kakashi seems to notice your dissatisfaction.

“Hana, come walk beside me from now on.” 

 

You hustle over to Kakashi, very relieved at your way out of this conversation. Yes, this is a tough group and it is only going to get worse from here….

 

———————————————-

 

Twelve hours later….

 

You are sitting alone on a dock in Tanzaku Town, watching the stars sparkle over the ocean. You had just finished dinner and asked to take some time for yourself to reflect on things. It has been years since you have seen an ocean. You had almost forgotten what it was like. The salty air, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Now that your fear of water is gone you find yourself around it more often than not. Funny how that worked out…Then a voice interrupts you. 

 

“Hey, Neko. Can we talk?” Your brother asks, as he settles down beside you looking out over the landscape. 

 

You sigh as you have no choice in the matter. He has already taken a place beside you and won’t leave you alone until he has said his piece. It is just the way he is.

“I guess…” 

 

He looks at you with a shameful expression.

“Thanks….” Then he takes a deep breath in. 

“You know I’m not all that great with words and emotions. So if I’m being a dick just stop me, ok?” 

 

You chuckle at that.

“No problem.” 

 

“Didn’t think there would be….” He clears his throat. “You know…I wish I could go back in time and change everything. Dammit…..I lost the only thing I have ever cared about. I should have listened to you. I should have followed through with our plan to run away, to leave it all behind. Instead I let him get in my head…I let him take over.” 

 

You sit silently listening to the replay of your past trauma. Trying not to picture the worst parts.

 

“I hate the stone we have, I hate how we are used for it. I hate how we are feared for it and worst of all, I hate what it has done to us. It has destroyed us in so many ways it’s almost unbearable to think about.” 

 

Those are thoughts you have repeated many many times before. Yet it sounds so unfamiliar coming from your brother.

“I thought you loved the power, the feeling of superiority. You always wanted to be better than everyone else.” 

 

He laughs and shakes his head.

“You got it all wrong, Neko…I just wanted to keep you safe. I had to be better than everyone else. If the others knew about your Kekkei Genkai, they would have killed you before you could get control. I needed to be strong for you.” 

 

You replay all the times he outmatched you in spars. All the times he overpowered you, and here you thought he belittled you for personal gain. But instead, he was protecting you. 

 

“I lost myself so many years ago,  after what Temujin did I wasn’t able to find my way back. Not until he was dead.” 

 

You look over to your brother who sits resting a hand on his knee, eyes glossy and sparkling in the reflection of the crescent moon. 

 

“What did he do to you?” You ask. 

 

He sighs heavily. 

“After we made that pact to leave the clan and start our own lives, I found out Temujin can track us easily using our stones…so…I tried to remove it. Which almost cost me my life. My cohort took over my body. It was Temujin who saved me at that time, but it didn’t come without a cost. He had used powerful jutsu to control my mind and my cohort. Then he repaired the damage done to my body. Although, that didn’t come without its own cost either.” 

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“I cracked part of my stone in the whole process which makes the connection to my cohort unstable, unless I use chakra to strengthen the channel. By the time the incident happened I was using jutsu daily so chakra balance came easy. But maintaining the connection was difficult.” He explains. 

 

You think on that for a minute. There was a time when you had thought about removing the stone yourself. But couldn’t bring yourself to take a knife to your chest. Now you are thankful you didn’t make the attempt.

“So what happens if you run out of chakra?” 

 

“Well…my cohort and I will die.” 

 

Those words hits you hard. Here you are sitting with someone you had loved so much, who is hanging on by a thread every single minute of everyday. You could lose him at any moment….

 

“So chakra is keeping you alive right now?” 

 

“Yeah. I have studied jutsu for a long time now, and have mastered some techniques. So…as for not being there for you, I wasn’t for quite some time until I came to my senses and got my mind right. After that I had to figure out how to keep myself alive and get my strength back. That was my priority. But it was all so I could get back to you and keep you safe..just like I’ve always done.” 

 

You can’t believe what you’re hearing. How blind could you have been? How selfish are you? You have spent the last six years blaming your brother for abandoning you when none of it was his fault. In fact everything he has ever done was for you. 

 

And as you think about all of the reasons you should hate yourself he says something that shocks you. 

 

“I have always loved you. It took me a while to realize that, but when I saw you in that sage colored sundress at the fair, your hair brushed out and curled from being in a braid for so long.” He closes his eyes, picturing it deeply. “You looked at me with those big cat-eyes and smiled so beautifully. I knew right then how badly I had fallen for you. I have never gotten that image out of my head and I honestly don’t want to.” 

 

He leaves you speechless, unable to say anything back as the tears stream down your cheeks. 

 

“And look at you now…even more beautiful than before….it’s mind blowing actually. Kakashi is the luckiest man in the world.” He says looking up at the sky.

 

There was a point in your life where you had similar thoughts. Maybe not to his extreme but you did think of having a life with him. Hell, it was you who had devised the plan to run away together in the first place. But now things are different. Now you two are barely friends, only recently have you accepted him back into your life. And although he has similarities to who he was before, he has changed so much over the years and so have you. Nothing is the same anymore.

 

And he just has to ask you.

“Have you ever thought we could have been something?” 

 

You sweep small strands of hair from your face. Ones that have stuck to your cheeks from your tears while you think of the right words to say.

“Once yes, but that was a long time ago. We have both changed so much and I’m in love with someone.” 

 

He blows out a shaky breath and begins to fiddle with a strap on his boot.

“Yeah…I actually like him too. He’s good for you, and surprisingly you listen to him when he says no.” 

 

You manage to laugh a little.

“He is the only one who can stop me when I lose control.” 

 

“Ahhh…about that. We need to talk about your cohort.” 

 

“What about him?” 

 

He huffs.

“Well first of all, it is a she not a he .” 

 

Your eyes widen.

“No way! How do you know?” 

 

“Yes way! All cohorts must be the same sex as their host. The cross between male and female would never work as the connections are different. So it is a she and you should address her as so.” 

 

Well don’t you feel stupid ….

 

“Damn…this whole time…” you whisper. 

 

Shiro chuckles.

“Also, Kakashi has it right with what you need to do to gain control. Except for one thing.” 

 

“What’s that?” You ask, looking over at him. 

 

“Does he know about the visions?” 

 

You shake your head.

“Not really.” 

 

“Maybe that is for the best as it is hard to explain to someone who has never experienced it. The visions are the catalyst for the connection. Can you tell me what you see?” 

 

You think hard on it and begin to explain. 

 

“I always appear in the jungle, before a small pool of crystal clear water. Across from me is my cohort. She watches me, and gives me power when I need it.” 

 

Shiro stops you there.

“No, she doesn’t give you any power. What she is doing is connecting with the stone. I’ll explain the process. It is not you or the animal that chooses each other, the stone chooses for you. Once chosen it establishes a connection with the minds of the two hosts. Every time the stone is triggered by one or the other, the last vision you have had of each other passes through the connection. In your mind's eye you meet and make contact. Your cohort uses your connection more often than you realize. And when she gets the chance she will try to take over to obtain dominance in both worlds. You were paired with one of the most challenging and most dangerous cohort instincts out there. She will try to take you over, and if she does you may never come back.” 

 

That explains how easily it is to lose control. Your cohort must know more about your connection than you do. Fearfully you ask.

“What happens to my mind if she takes over?” 

 

Shiro looks you in the eyes.

“You will be lost in your vision forever. Your body will take the form of your cohort and you will become that panther.” 

 

You hum nervously holding yourself. 

 

“But I won’t let that happen and neither will Kakashi.” He states. “Chakra will balance out your Kekkei Genkai and create peace between you and your cohort. Picture it this way.” He holds up his arms parallel to each other. “This arm.” He shakes his left arm. “Represents the stone energy. And this one.” He shakes the right. “Represents chakra. As you can see right now they are aligned. But once the stone is triggered, a current of energy passes through setting off your vibration. It begins to waver just like electricity. That vibration, uncontrolled, can cause you harm in many ways. That is why we tap into the chakra to stabilize the vibration as each are polar opposites. One grounds you, the other gives you power. Just like with electricity you need to be grounded. Chakra will do that for you. However, you have a natural power surge that happens when your Kekkei Genkai thinks you’re being attacked. It multiplies the strength in both chakra and stone depending on which is triggered first. Almost like an over reactive immune system. Your energy surges and you lose control almost instantly. Kakashi has figured it all out. He is the first one outside of our clan to do so, he is a fucking genius.” 

 

You smile at that.

“He sure is.” 

 

“For someone to know nothing of what a gelel stone is or how it is used. He has figured it out in a matter of weeks with little experimentation. I’m actually star struck by him. I may outdo him in strength but he is at a whole other level for strategy, intellect, and skill. I would never win a fight against him…there aren’t many ninja in this world that could beat him.” 

 

You smile wide, picturing how perfect your ninja is. 

“I know that already.” 

 

“I’m actually jealous. I wish I had a sensei like you do.”

You laugh. 

“He’s the best…really…” 

 

“He is. Still not as good as you, though.” He nudges you playfully. 

 

You nudge him back and rest your head on his shoulder. 

“You’re one of a kind, sis.” He says.

 

“No…I'm just like the rest of you idiots. Don’t kid yourself.” You reply.

 

He laughs and ruffles your hair. 

 

You rise off him and fix your hair. Then a thought crosses your mind as you think back on how you had both gotten to this moment. Sitting on a dock watching the ocean lick the shores while resolving your childhood problems. But there is still one problem you haven’t addressed, and depending on his answer, it could destroy any trust he has just built with you over the last two days. You are too easily influenced these days…

 

“Shiro?” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“What is your connection with the Land of Lightning and Arufa?” 

 

He sighs hard and leans his elbows over his knees entangling his hands into his hair. 

“Temujin sold me to the Land of Iron. Arufa and the Land of iron taught me jutsu and chakra control. They saved my life.” 

You scowl.

“So what does all that have to do with me? Why drag me into your mess?”

 

“I was supposed to bring you back with me…Arufa is mad over you. obsessed even..”

 

That reminds you of Arufa’s marriage proposal.

“I’m not marrying that asshole.” 

 

“Yeah…About that…it was the only way to get you back by my side again.”

 

“That’s a pretty shitty way to do it!” You snap.

 

He blows out a breath.

“Ahhhh….yeah…I was desperate…ok?”

 

You shake your head.

“So now what’s the plan now? Are you going to try and follow through with it?” 

 

He looks over to you.

“I don’t know. Everything’s changed now and I don’t know what the hell to do.” 

 

“Don’t do anything… stay here with us.” 

 

He shakes his head.

“They will come for you…and me.” 

 

You growl angrily.

“Then let them come, we will kick their asses and send them right back to that shit hole they came from.” 

 

“No Neko, it’s not that easy. There’s politics behind it. They have the ability to cut off major resources to the land of fire. The land of lightning supplies this continent with ninety percent of its electricity. As for the land of iron? Their name says it all. They would also go to war over us.” 

 

You lie down on the old wooden dock feeling defeated. Shiro watches you for a moment before joining you. 

“Who would have thought we could cause such a rift in the world…this is so fucked to...” You reply.

 

He huffs at you.

“You’re kidding right? We have always caused waves. There are very few of us out there.” 

 

Stunned by that comment you turn your head to look at him.

“What do you mean very few ?” 

He pauses for quite some time before answering you. 

 

“Shiro…” you press him further for an answer. 

 

He sighs and finally replies.

“Tori is alive….”

 

Your eyes widen in shock. You sit up and hover over your brother making him look at you. He can’t be serious.

 

“Are you sure?” 

 

He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, eyes fluttering about your facial features.

“Very sure. We fought each other in the land of claw.” 

 

You lower your head to his chest clutching onto his shirt feeling all sorts of mixed emotions. 

“Is she…the same?” 

 

He rests his hand on the back of your head petting you gently.

“No, she’s not well…and won’t let me get close enough to help her. Her cohort has taken over half her mind. She’s…gone crazy.” 

 

You breath out a shaky breath.

 

“Without guidance or training at such a young age she lost control. She recognized me and knows who I am to her, but she is out of her mind…. I retreated from our fight. If I didn’t I would have had to kill her. She’s not that cute little girl we used to know.” 

 

“Fuck.” You curse and rise up off his chest. “I have to go get her.” 

 

“I know you do…but we have a game to play out first. Once this shit is settled we will go get her and bring her back. I promise you that.”

 

Your mind spirals around everything, how in the hell are you supposed to figure all this out? It’s almost impossible. 

 

“I feel hopeless…” you reply sadly. “I feel like there is just so much weighing down on us…how are we supposed to fix this?” 

 

Shiro sits up and pulls you in for a heavy hug.

“We need help…we can’t do this alone…But with the right help we may have a chance at beating this.” 

 

You pull away from him.

“Look at you all grown up. That whole fuck the world mentally is completely gone now, hey?.” 

 

He grins wide and sticks his tongue out at you. 

“That has never gotten us anywhere good…Let’s see what that boyfriend of yours can come up with.” 

 

You reach out your hand for a fist bump.

“Deal.” 

 

He bumps you back.

“We will sleep on it tonight and talk with him about it after the mission.” 

 

“Alright.” You reply. 

 

Yet you are still doubtful that either of you can get out of this in one piece. You push it aside for the time being and try to spark up more positive conversations with your brother. Despite your dark pasts, you both did have some good times together, so you spend the next hour retelling all of the hilarious things you two have done together to keep your minds off the problems…

 

—————————————————

 

Midnight in Tanzaku Town.

 

You had finally gotten settled into bed although not without pacing the room for an hour reviewing all of the information your brother had told you. There is a small part that tugs at your conscience, telling you he may be lying about it all. But the way he spoke, the watering eyes, and how sincere he was tugs at the more trusting part of your conscience. You come to the conclusion that Shiro is telling the truth, and that you should trust him….for now at least. 

 

You pull the covers up over your chest, and turn out the light. You stare up at the dark ceiling thinking of what chaos tomorrow brings. God knows how awful it has been already with Kono hounding you and Shiro on the defense about everything. Then you hear a faint shuffle in the darkness. The floor boards to your left creak and you have a sudden realization that you aren’t alone in the room. You quietly try to reach for the lamp to bring light back into the room and pause at a shadow darting by the foot of your bed. Your stone begins to glow under your blankets, instinctively charging up for a fight. Then you feel movement on the mattress to your left. 

 

You lift the sheets off your stone to expose the shadow now at your bedside. The outline of a man appears. Quickly you snatch up a Kunai from under your pillow, leap out of bed and take him down with little effort. He hits the ground with a thud and you jump on top of him. You hold your blade it at his throat, stone glowing brightly revealing his face to you.

 

“Ah…jeez Hana! What’s got you so worked up?” Kakashi says, pinned to the ground raising his hands in the air. 

 

Your eyes widen and you puff out a breath you’ve been holding. You throw your Kunai to the side and sit down in his lap confused and shaken. He grunts at the pressure on his crotch and rises up onto his elbows looking at you strangely. 

 

“You didn’t know it was me?” He asks, completely taken back. 

 

You shake your head. No you did not know it was him, which is disturbing all on its own. You have been so worked up about everything you couldn’t even tell who it was sneaking into your room and it’s not like you weren’t expecting him. Lost so deep down your rabbit hole of childhood trauma you had forgotten Kakashi’s plan to sneak into your room. You hadn’t even noticed your open window or his lovely scent filling the air.

 

You clutch onto his shirt with both hands and pull him into your body hard. You wrap your arms around his neck, nearly choking him trying to calm yourself. 

 

“Woah, woah. What’s gotten into you? You’re shaking!” He curls his thick arms around you, coaxing you back to a normal state of mind. “I’m sorry I scared you. I thought for sure you would have known it was me…I mean…I did say I was going to sneak in and you are a kunoichi and all.” 

 

You bury your face into the crook of his neck. Feeling embarrassed over it.

“I knoooow.” You whine into his shoulder.

 

“What’s wrong, kitten?”

 

You push yourself upright and sit back in his lap. His hands drift down your sides stopping at your hips where he squeezes, holding you in place. 

 

“I’m having a hard time processing everything Shiro has told me.” You reply just as your stone’s glow fades away leaving you two in the dark. 

 

He sighs and curses him.

“Let’s get you into bed.” Then picks you up and lays you down on the sheets but not without bumping his shin on the bed frame. “Shit…can’t see a fucking thing.” He complains and feels around for the lamp closest to him. 

 

He flicks on the light and looks down at you sprawled out on the bed in just a white t-shirt. Desperate for his affection you reach out to him with both hands and beg for him to cuddle you. 

 

“I need hugs and pets.” You pout overly dramatic and he melts all over your puckered lips. 

 

“Would that calm you down?.” He asks running his hands over your knees and down your thighs. 

 

You nod and bite your lip just aching for his comfort. You watch him remove his shirt and pants and you scoot over to let him tuck in beside you, but barely give him time to get settled in before you curl up into his chest purring. 

 

He laughs softly and kisses the top of your head.

“Feel better now?” 

 

“Mmhmm…much better.” 

 

“Good. Do you want to talk?” 

 

In all honesty you are tired. It has been a long day of traveling and you’ve done enough talking. Nestled into his arms with his delicious smell floating around you, all your worries seem to wash away. You had also agreed with Shiro not to talk about this until after the mission.

“Not really. It’s late and I’m tired. I’m trying to focus on the mission. Now that you’re here I feel a lot better.” 

 

He hums nervously.

“You sure?” 

 

“Very sure.” 

 

He breathes out a long breath. 

“Alright, but I’m taking you aside tomorrow to talk about a few things. I’m worried about you. You haven’t been quite yourself since your brother showed up.” 

 

And you can’t argue with that. It’s true, you haven’t been yourself lately. 

“Alright.” 

 

You lift his hand off your hip and drag it up and down your back. He looks at you questionably.

 

“Pets please.” You demand. 

 

He rolls his eyes.

“Yes, your highness.” And he begins his gentle perfected touches. The ones that put you to sleep instantly. 

 

Chapter 34: Mission Day 2

Summary:

This chapter is a short one, Hana is getting closer to the target but still needs to hash things out with some of the others.

It was morning before you knew it. Kakashi had woken you before the sunrise to have one last round of mind blowing sex before he sneaks back to his room. 

 

After that you had gotten yourself changed and packed, ready for another day of travel. The rest of the morning was spent with your band of ninjas reviewing combat strategy. Despite their clash of personalities everyone was onboard this time and each contributed their own type of skill to the group. When it came down to business this group out ranks most. However, the minute things get personal it all falls apart. Let’s just hope everyone can keep a level head during the battles to come.

 

The day was spent tracking through washed out trails and roads. There were points in which the roads were too treacherous to cross over by foot; everyone had to resort to tree jumping just to make it to the next village. There was no time to sit and have that chat Kakashi wanted to have. And by the time you got to Yugakure in the land of hot water you were exhausted. 

 

Kakashi had suggested taking a dip in the hot springs would be a good idea to rest everyone’s muscles. As the land of hot water is famous for their perfectly mineralized steaming springs and expensive spa treatments. 

 

Secretly kakashi had paid for you and Sakura to have facials and massages before entering the pools. Which Sakura thought was a bit strange at first, but once she settled down in the massage chair her suspicions melted away. 

 

Meanwhile the boys are sitting in the hot springs on their side of the resort chatting amongst themselves, getting more acquainted. 

 

“Alright, I wanna know, who is the hottest kunoichi in hidden leaf and what is her name?” Shiro asks, he is leaned up agains a mineral rock, arms stretched out showing off his snake like scales wrapped around his rippling torso. 

 

“Ahhh, that would be Hana.” Konohamaru replies, scoffing at that ridiculous question. 

 

Shiro rolls his eyes. 

“Aside from my sister . I need a girl, I get into waaay too much trouble these days...” 

 

Konohamaru laughs.

 

Kakashi smiles, reflecting on how Hana has changed that part of his life.

“You wanna girl that keeps you in check Huh?”

 

“Yeah…but she also needs to be hot…and sassy.” Shiro replies. 

 

Kakashi knows exactly who he’s talking about. It was obvious…

 

“Is that your type , Shiro?” Shikamaru asks.

 

He smiles thinking about it.

“Yeah….a girl with a sharp tongue is a girl who is smart. I can’t stand a woman who just follows along quietly. You might as well buy a dog, it would be the same thing.” 

 

Kakashi huffs at his brash analogy. 

 

Shiro shrugs at him.

“It’s true!” 

 

“Well with that attitude good luck finding any woman.” Konohamaru scowls. “All women are beautiful, Shiro.”

 

“Psssshhh. Spoken like a true virgin.” He replies.

 

And Kakashi interjects.

“Actually I would have to agree with Konohamaru on that. All women have their own beauty. Even the wild ones.” 

 

Shiro bursts out laughing.

“The wild ones are the hottest.” 

 

Kakashi thinks on it, comparing Hana to a wild cat….incomparable to any other woman out there…definitely the hottest…. 

 

“I try to stay away from the wild ones.” Konohamaru states.

 

And Shiro just has to push things further with Konohamaru, laughing all the way he replies.

“You know Neko is as wild as they come, right?…I mean once she changes form that is.” 

 

Konohamaru glares at him.

“That’s not her fault! And she isn’t as crazy as you make her seem.” 

 

“Oh yes she is. You haven’t seen her in full Sunaneko form.” Shiro leans his head back replaying the time he had witnessed it. He was the only one that survived that day but only because he had buried himself into the ground using earth jutsu. She had lost his scent and carried on with her killing spree and if not for Temujin finding her days later and restoring her mind, she would still be the Sunaneko on a killing rampage. 

 

“What do you mean full form? I believe I have witnessed it once and stopped her.” Kakashi questions.

 

Shiro shakes his head.

“Yeah you said that before, but I don’t believe it. There is no way you could have stopped her. No one but Temujin was able to bring her mind back to this reality. Once she has a taste of blood in that form she is gone.” 

 

That reminds him of the time she turned into a panther. 

“Have you seen her panther form?” 

 

Shiro pauses and looks over at Kakashi confused.

“Panther form?” 

 

Kakashi nods.

“She had taken the form of a panther at one of our galas. At the time she was completely herself, aside from changing form. With the use of chakra balance and energy draws we were able to bring her body back to normal.” 

 

“Shit…” Shiro curses. 

 

“Is that bad?…I mean it is obviously bad… how bad would be the right question…” Shikamaru asks.

 

Shiro sighs.

“There is only one other gelel soldier who has changed form like that. She goes by the name “little bird” or Chisai Tori. And now, she’s gone batshit crazy.” 

 

Kakashi becomes slightly defensive over that. 

“Hana is of very sound mind, Shiro. Even in that form she knew exactly what was going on.” 

 

“I know, but could you imagine if the Sunaneko and her panther form became one? Turning animal form heightens everything by ten, then add in her Kekkei Genkai…she may be as strong as Jigen was.” 

 

Konohamaru gasps.

“There’s no way she would let herself lose control like that…she’s the sweetest girl in the world..” 

 

Shiro shakes his head.

“You don’t know her like I do. Her cohort is too strong for her, even with a Kekkei genkai like that she can be overpowered.” 

 

Kakashi grows quiet listening, taking all of this information in. Something he will need to analyze later and come up with a way to stop her from losing control before it gets to that point. 

 

“Man that’s heavy.” Shikamaru huffs. He runs a wet hand through his hair slicking it back. “The only thing we can do is stop Hana from getting to that point before it happens.”

 

“You’re right, Shikamaru .” Kakashi replies. “Although I still believe I can help her control it when it happens….” 

 

“I like the commitment, Kakashi. But I don’t think it’s possible. There is no real guide to a gelel stone. We know nothing about changing forms like that. I mean…we have only scratched the surface on what our stones are capable of. We barely have an understanding of it.” Shiro replies. 

 

“Then that is proof that beliefs can be changed and new discoveries can be made. From what I have seen, your theories are correct but they aren’t as restricted as you think.” Kakashi says. 

 

Shiro sits for a minute pondering over his beliefs.

“You may be right, brother. But for now Shikamaru’s solution would be the best. Preventing Neko from getting to the point of losing control would be in everyone’s best interest.” 

 

“And here we are wandering into an S class mission. Good thing you can stop her, Kakashi.” Konohamaru says sadly. 

 

“Well…only to a point, Kono. But I have a plan for the mission.” Kakashi says. “She is not going to engage in any combat.” 

 

Everyone’s eyes flick up to Kakashi.

 

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Shiro asks doubtfully.

 

“We will use black op stealth techniques, no one will know what hit them until it is too late…so, once we arrive at our destination we will utilize the terrain to take them out from a distance.” Kakashi explains. 

 

“Rubble and Ruin protocol?” Shikamaru asks. 

 

Kakashi nods. 

“That would be the best protocol option. Especially for the terrain. It is essentially a team of five shinobi spread out, north, south, east, and west. The fifth shinobi takes a distraction role, rotating around the target. Hana will stay by my side for this one and basically sit it out. It has a ninety percent success rate. With a ten percent chance of engaging in close combat.” 

 

Shiro strokes his chin envisioning it.

“Sounds like a good plan. If all else fails we ambush them while they’re distracted.” 

 

“That is the last resort.” Kakashi says. 

 

“Right.” 

 

Everyone seems content with the plan as they ponder over it. 

 

…on the other side of the spring resort, Hana and Sakura have finished their facials and are settled into a deep spring soaking up the relaxation. 

“This is great.” Sakura says and sighs, sinking deeper into the water. 

 

“Sure is.” You reply, closing your eyes at the feeling of the hot water prickling your skin. 

 

“You know, I really didn’t want to come on this mission. But now I’m sort of glad I did.” Sakura confesses.

 

You glance over to her.

“I didn’t either…What made you not want to come?” 

 

“I’m tired of running missions. I just want to be with my family. But, I know this mission is crucial and being the highest ranking medical-nin, it would be a mistake not to come.” 

 

“You think these rogue ninja are stronger than we’re assuming?” You ask.

 

She looks over at you with a pain stricken look and shakes her head.

“No, Hana. I’m not worried about them.” 

 

You furrow your brows.

“Then who are you worried about?” 

 

Her expression turns cold at this moment.

“You.” She replies, making your heart hurt. 

 

Your eyes begin to water as you explain.

“I’m not going to hurt anyone, Sakura.” 

 

She swallows sadly.

“I know you don’t want to, but if you lose control…we don’t know what could happen. I’m just thankful Kakashi is here with us. And don’t take what I just said as a jab at our friendship. I just love who you are…but what you are scares me…” 

 

Doesn’t that comment stab you in the gut. Is this how everyone thinks of you? Does Kakashi feel the same way? Gods…there is so much you hate about yourself….

“I’m sorry, Sakura.” 

 

“It’s not your fault. It is just what has been done to you….can I ask you something personal?” She comes to sit closer to you.

 

You barely respond with a nod. 

 

She takes a deep breath.

“I’m a little nervous to bring this up…but it is getting more and more obvious….Are you in love with Kakashi?” 

 

And your face goes white. Is it really that obvious? Your mind begins to spiral at whether you should answer that question honestly or not. You look at Sakura, noticing an all knowing glint in her eyes. She knows the truth already, yet she wants confirmation. 

 

“What made it obvious?” You ask. 

 

Her eyes flick down to the gold pendant dangling around your neck.

“That.” She says and points to it. 

 

You then realize you had forgotten to take it off and hide it in your pocket before getting into the pools.

 

You curse out loud and clutch onto it.

 

“Not only that, but Kakashi’s behavior. He hasn’t been himself since your personal swimming lesson. I guess my bikini did the trick.” She laughs. 

 

You manage to smile back at her but it quickly fades. 

“Are you going to tell everyone?” 

 

Her eyes widen.

“No! I would never do that. Kakashi means a lot to me. I would never interfere with his heart like that. He’s never been so happy, so generous, and caring. You’ve changed him.” 

 

That part of this conversation makes you happy, however you still feel like a burden to everyone. The last thing you have ever wanted is to be feared by your friends. 

 

“I have never met a man like him before….I’m not that easy to be around, I know that. But he seems to manage me just fine.” You reply.

 

She laughs.

“That’s because he is exactly like you. You two are pretty much the same person. I have even heard you finish each other’s sentences….but Hana.” She places a gentle hand on yours. “Promise me you’ll take care of him. He really needs someone these days….” 

 

“Of course. He is everything to me.” You assure her. 

 

“I know you’re young…and you still have so much of your life ahead of you…It would be a shame if….” She begins and you stop her right there. 

 

“Look, I don’t want to start thinking too far ahead and worrying about whether or not Kakashi and I are a good fit. Or if things will work out. We have enough to worry about right now. My control is the issue…I know that. And I am trying…god I am trying…” tears begin to swell in your eyes as you think of all the shit you have to fix before you can be anything more to Kakashi. 

 

“It’s ok, Hana. I get it. Your power is…..” She replies, sympathetically. But you are beyond sympathy now. You interrupt her again. 

 

“No you don’t get it! You have no idea what it is like to be terrified of yourself. I have never been able to trust myself around anyone! I know how serious this is. It is taking all of me to try and figure it out and I just happened to find happiness through my fucked up chaos and I will not give it up for anything!…” You both grow quiet at that. 

 

“….Let’s just focus on the mission and getting this stone under control. Kakashi and I are none of anyone else’s business.” 

 

Sakura nods and looks away.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. Just know that we are all on board with figuring this shit out. I won’t give up on you ok?” 

 

You sigh. Accepting her apology. 

“Thank you. Can we relax now? I doubt we will be sitting in hot springs like this again, so let’s try to enjoy it.” 

 

She smiles and leans her head back against the side of the pool. 

“Deal.” 

 

And you follow her, letting the water wash away all the turmoil you are feeling.

 

—————————————-

Chapter 35: Sweet talking discounts

Summary:

Ughhhh….I have been thinking of this mission for so long! And finally we are here! Stay tuned shit is going to get real!

You slept alone last night. Kakashi wasn’t able to sneak in like he usually does. It wasn’t his choice, but there was a mix up with rooms at the resort which left him sharing one with Konohamaru. If only he had been there for you during your horrific dreams, you probably would have spared everyone the hindrance that came after.

 

Instead you had nightmare after nightmare. The ones that paralyze you or make you unable to run or speak. 

 

One particular dream stood out to you. 

 

You stood in the middle of an ice covered valley with animals surrounding you. At first they looked deceased, their heads hanging low unmoving with gouged out eyes. Their backs hunched over, mouths puffing with cold air. But their legs did not match the creatures hovering over them. They were a half breed of animal and human watching you. Waiting for you to make a move. 

 

Instinct kicks in, you scream but nothing comes out. The only sound is a feline's growl that shakes the frozen cliffs surrounding you. You were a cat in a wolf's den, alone, scared, and losing control of yourself. You switch between cohort form and human form, battling the two as they close in. 

 

Resisting the urge to let your cohort take over, you fight her with everything you have. In your mind you repeat, who you are. Hana Hoki, kunoichi of hidden leaf, member of the Hatake clan. 

 

You scream at her “NO!” She growls back. “IT IS THE ONLY WAY!” She says in a two toned voice. 

 

The nightmare is so real and so terrifying you wake up screaming and let go of energy building in your stone. It tears apart the room around you and everything made of glass bursts into particles of dust and sharp shards. The lamps beside you crush instantly making you jump out of bed on the defense. You tumble to the floor, slicing yourself open broken glass and splintered wood. Unable to move, you sit as the dust settles into your hair, sticking to your skin from the sweat and tears dripping down your nighttime attire. 

 

“Hana!” Kakashi calls you through the closed door. 

 

“Hana! Are you ok?” Konohamaru pounds on the door. 

 

“Open the door!” Shiro shouts.

 

But you can’t do anything except sit in your mess of broken nightmares. 

 

“I can’t get up!.” You reply, and begin to sob quietly while trying to lift your kneeled down body off the glass that is stabbing into your feet and legs from your weight. 

 

Through the door you hear the others joining the group outside. 

 

“What the hell happened? I heard an explosion!” Shikamaru asks in a panic. 

 

Sakura knocks on the door.

“Hana! Can you hear me? Are you hurt?” 

 

“Yes.” You reply painfully as you try to get to your feet. Yet the glass shards buried into your soles bring you back down to your knees forcing more into your legs. Through the pain you keep replaying the nightmare, lifeless animals surrounding you in a wasteland of ice and cold. There is a feeling of dejavu coming with the vision, as if you have been there before somehow. 

 

A slam on the door interrupts your thoughts. 

 

“Ufff..” Shiro grunts.

 

“There’s something blocking it!” Konohamaru shouts.

 

“Alright everyone, step back, I’m going in!” Kakashi says. And the feeling of electricity buzzes through the air. 

 

“Stay away from the door Hana.” He warns.

 

Luckily you are far away from the door shielded by the now broken bed you were sleeping on. Kakashi unleashes a fair amount of lightning, disintegrating the door and everything blocking it and steps through looking around at the disarray. 

 

“Gods…Hana…”  

 

You whimper, knowing that comment means you have completely destroyed the room. 

 

“I’m sorry.” You cry. 

 

Which perks his ears. He comes around the bed stepping over shards of glass from the windows and lamps and peers down at you. You sit in your mess of blood and destruction unable to meet his eyes. 

 

“Hana.” He says in a soothing voice. 

 

Suddenly Konohamaru rounds the corner of the bed and gasps.

 

“Well don’t just fucking stand there!” He scolds Kakashi and rushes to your side.

 

He picks you up in his arms, cuddling you and consoling you. Yet all you can do is stare at Kakashi. You plead him with your eyes to take you away from this man, all you want is Kakashi right now and Kakashi knows it. He glances at Shikamaru who approaches his left then looks back at you, sitting uncomfortably in someone else’s arms.

 

And all he can do at this moment is manage the situation with delegations. 

 

“Sakura, can you look at Hana’s wounds once Konohamaru has found a safe place to set her down?” He rips his eyes from you, trying to keep himself busy while Konohamaru takes care of you like Kakashi should. 

 

“Jeez Hana, you’re all cut up.” Kono says looking at your feet and legs.

 

Reluctantly you lower your head onto his shoulder wishing this wasn’t happening right now.

 

“Let’s go to my room.” He suggests and before anyone can protest he walks you out the door and down the hallway. 

 

He pushes his half ajar door open and walks into his room, laying you down on the bed. 

 

Sakura rushes in behind.

“What happened, Hana?” She asks frantically, pushing Kono out of the way. 

 

You hesitate to answer, searching the room for Kakashi, but he is yet to appear through the doorway. 

 

So you call for him. 

“Kakashi!” 

 

No answer…

 

He must not be able to hear you from where you are now. So you call him even louder.

“KAKASHI!”

 

Konohamaru begins to argue about having him here just as Shikamaru enters the room. 

“I’m here, Hana. You don’t need Kakashi. He’s not much help anyways…” 

 

You scowl at him and call for your sensei once again.

“KAKASHI HATAKE, I NEED YOU HERE NOW!” 

 

He suddenly appears beside you with a puff of white smoke looking down at you with a mask covered smile. 

“I was gathering some of your things. Are you ok?” He sits down beside you and Konohamaru huffs loudly. “Tell me what happened?” 

 

Now that your comforting person is beside you once again, you can finally calm down your nerves enough to explain. 

 

“I had a nightmare. I…well…I think I was fighting for control with my cohort while I was asleep. It was terrifying…” you begin to work yourself up again thinking about it. At this point Shiro enters the room leaning up against the wall listening.

 

Kakashi’s brows furrow with concern.

“Hmmm….well you’re safe now. Do you remember destroying the room?” 

 

You nod and feel the tears swell in your eyes.

“I woke up and…I had to release the energy or it would have pushed me over the edge.” Unable to keep your tears from spilling down your cheeks, you hide your face with your hands and breath through your breakdown. 

 

Kakashi looks around at everyone.

“Alright, everyone out! Except for Sakura.” 

 

And Konohamaru loses it.

“I’m not going anywhere! Not while she’s hurt like this.” 

 

Shiro growls and approaches him.

“Listen here, when your superior tells you to do something you fucking do it. Or you might as well pack your shit up and head home!” 

 

Konohamaru glares at him clenching his teeth.

“Don’t come at me with that shit! It’s not like you’re following orders these days either. So piss off!” 

 

“Move or be moved!” Shiro challenges him. 

 

Konohamaru puffs his chest taking an offensive stance and surprisingly Sakura steps in.

 

“As of right now you are all very distracting, and I’m having trouble focusing on healing Hana. Could you all please leave the room and take your bullshit with you, that would be great….” 

 

“I got no problem here.” Shikamaru states, eying up Konohamaru and Shiro as he walks by them, heading out the door.

 

The other two finally back down, but not without cursing at each other and leave the room angrily. 

 

Once the door is shut you sit up and latch desperately onto Kakashi who does the same. He curls his big arms around you hugging you tightly making everything go away. Even the pain in your legs seems to ease up. 

 

Sakura watches you both closely, admiring the affection. It is not something she is used to, as Sasuke doesn’t like being touched much. However, when he does show her affection, it is beyond anything she can ever imagine. 

 

“There, that’s exactly the medicine we needed to start the healing process.” She giggles and Kakashi tenses up remembering she is in the room too. 

 

Immediately he releases you. His cheeks turn red and he tries to change the subject with sarcasm.

“You know Hana, if you wanted a break from tree hopping, you could have just asked. You didn’t have to go and injure yourself.” 

 

You gasp at him and Sakura laughs.

 

“I did not, do this on purpose!” 

 

He rolls his eyes playfully.

“Right, right…”

 

Sakura comes to his side.

“Mind if I take over here?” 

 

“Sure thing boss.” He salutes her and rises to his feet. 

 

“You’re lucky to get hugs from Kakashi. He doesn’t give them out to just anyone….” Sakura winks as she says that. 

 

Kakashi clears his throat trying to brush it off like it was nothing. 

“Uhhh…well…comforting her before she goes berserk, seemed like the best thing to do.”

 

“Hey! That is not what was happening!” You argue and begin to pout. 

 

“We can’t take any chances, Hana. Now…before you get all worked up over a hug from a handsome shinobi and blow up this room, I’m going to go settle things with the front desk. I have a feeling I’ll be leaving them a larger tip than anticipated.” 

 

You curse under your breath imagining the bill Kakashi will be receiving for the damage you have caused. 

 

“I leave you in Sakura's capable hands.” He says and leaves the room. 

 

You look over to Sakura who is beaming at you. 

 

“What?” You ask. 

 

“You two are just so cute!” 

 

You blush as she comes to your side to start healing the cuts on your feet.

“This won’t take long. It’s not as bad as it looks. Tell me about this dream.” 

 

You begin to explain the nightmare in detail. 

 

————————————————-

 

Four hours later you are standing at the front doors of the resort with your crew of misfits. You are no longer welcome at the resort and we’re told to wait outside until Kakashi settles the bill….again? 

 

“Great job on healing my sister.” Shiro says, patting her shoulder. 

 

“It’s what I do.” She replies.

 

He comes around to your side and wraps a thick arm around your shoulder.

“You ok, sis?” 

 

“Yeah…just a bad dream” 

 

You are still embarrassed by the whole event, although you have this strange feeling about it all. “Sucks that I trashed the room.” 

 

“Ehh…it happens. I’ve done it once or twice. Not in the same context but we completely destroyed the room.” 

 

You roll your eyes, knowing that his room demolishing most likely involved a random woman and some heated sex.

“Of course you have.” You reply.

 

The large double doors to the resort opens and out walks Kakashi with your bag and his swung over his shoulder, along with some souvenirs from the gift shop. Shiro lowers his arm off you as Kakashi hands you your bag. You take it and notice how much more organized it feels. Kakashi took some time to make things easier for you.

 

“They gave us some souvenirs! And a discount on our rooms!.” He says with excitement.

 

Everyone’s jaw drops open.

 

“How the hell did you manage that?” Shikamaru asks in disbelief.

 

“Yeah….I’m very shocked by this. Did you use genjutsu or something?”.” Konohamaru asks. 

 

Kakashi hands over the bag of goodies to Sakura and explains with a triumphant grin.

“Nothing like that. It was my undeniable charm and good looks…I can sweet talk anyone, you know….” 

 

He looks directly at you and winks. Boy is he right about that…you blush and bite your lip feeling special that he is yours and nobody else’s . 

 

Shiro taps his arm with his tiny plush koi fish souvenir.

“You have to be my wingman! Or at least my sweet talk sensei!.” 

 

Kakashi chuckles.

“I’m sorry but that super power cannot be passed on to another.” 

 

“Oh come on! I need a lady Kakashi!” 

 

Kakashi walks by him, chuckling.

“It is a watch and learn process. So pay attention.” 

 

It was then you realized what his sweet talking actually entailed…..flirting with other women…also that lovely mouth of his, and quite possibly that scent which is a little stronger right now….He is taking this way too far….

 

“Alright! I will be right beside you, every step you take…sensei.” He says catching up to him. 

 

In monotone he replies.

“You sound like Hana….” And everyone laughs.

You scowl at everyone and watch as Kakashi pulls something from his pocket.

“I am just lucky the majority of the front desk were ladies. Here you can have this.” He hands a small piece of paper over to Shiro and one to Konohamaru.

 

That makes your stomach turn.

 

Shiro gasps.

“They gave you their number?!” 

 

“Yup and a discount on our rooms.” He replies smugly. 

 

You become very self conscious as you watch Shiro snatch up the small piece of paper. 

 

Then Konohamaru says the words that Kakashi should have been thinking while swooning ladies into getting a fucking discount. 

“I don’t need any numbers from spa women. I have my eyes on someone already and they don’t compare.” Konohamaru takes the piece of paper and tears it up and throws it into the air, sprinkling it over Kakashi’s head. You watch the backside of Kakashi unaware of the sudden guilt written all over his face.

 

Sadly you lower your eyes to the ground trying your best not to picture Kakashi sweet talking ladies your age. Quickly that sadness turns into jealousy and you can’t help but take a jab at him. 

 

“So which number did you keep, Kakashi?” You ask Kakashi bitterly. 

 

His shoulders very noticeably tense up and immediately he responds.

“None. I’m not interested in spa girls…they’re way too high maintenance..” 

 

Shiro glances at you, noticing your stone glowing slightly and things finally click in for him….. idiot….

 

You continue to scold Kakashi using indirect sarcasm.

“Is that so…you must have some pretty high standards then. Although, I assume they were in the right age group for you . ” 

 

He chokes on air at your comment and  his ears turn a bright shade of red. 

 

Konohamaru laughs loudly and doesn’t hesitate to exploit his lady game.

“Kakashi is a player and always will be.” 

 

“I’m not a player, Kono.” Kakashi argues.

 

“Oh yes you are! I saw you buying flowers for some girl a couple weeks back. I doubt they were for Hanare. Not only that, you got those on discount for complimenting the store owner on her blonde hair.” He states. “So I heard….”

 

Blonde hair? He likes blonde hair? You catch a strand of your red colored hair and feel absolutely heart hurt over it. 

 

And you come at him with a substantial amount of jealousy. You just can’t help it…

“ So to summarize…Kakashi likes young blondes and flirts with women for discounts.” You reply to Konohamaru in disgust. 

 

“Exactly.” Kono confirms. 

 

This is painful to think about. You now feel as if you are just another flavor of the month for Kakashi and this month is strawberry… ouch… then again, he wouldn’t have given you his clan name if you were nothing more than a fling….right? This just leaves you extremely confused and hurt by his behavior towards women.

 

Kakashi is starting to lose his patience with this conversation.

“None of that is true. You both have no idea what you’re talking about so I suggest you stop making assumptions.” 

 

You grow quiet and listen as Konohamaru stirs the pot even further. 

 

“It’s not an assumption, it is literally who you are. You’ve always been like that.” 

 

You continue to watch Kakashi’s backside as he walks ahead of you and Konohamaru. Shiro glances back at you shaking his head. But you’re unsure what he is shaking his head about. Then he taps on his chest and points to you. 

 

You look down and see your stone glowing faintly through your shirt. You need to calm down before you blow up something else today….although you  half hope it will be Kakashi…

 

“Well, Konohamaru. I believe it is time for a change in my behavior. It is obvious my reputation can leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouths, you’re welcome for the discount though….” 

 

And Konohamaru couldn’t agree more.

“You got that right. Although I highly doubt you can change. It would take a miracle. And I already planned on covering the cost of my room and Hana’s. You know I’m making six figures now...” 

 

And that was shocking all on its own. Konohamaru is rich?….

 

“Miracles happen all the time.” Kakashi says and looks back at you. But all you can do is shake your head and look away. You are extremely angry with Kakashi right now. 

 

Despite the circumstances at the resort, Kakashi has no right to be hitting on women when he is with you. He is right about changing his behavior. You sure as hell won’t stand beside a man like that. 

 

Kakashi continues walking ahead through the thick of the rainforest and everyone in the group follows silently unsure of what to say next. 

 

“We are behind schedule in our mission by a few hours. We won’t be making it to the next village in time for check in.” Kakashi says breaking the eternal silence. 

 

“So we’re sleeping outside?” Sakura asks. 

 

“Yes. We will find a place to camp. There is another problem we will be facing. The terrain is getting steeper, and we will soon be walking into colder weather.” 

 

“I take it we’re setting up camp at the border?” Shikamaru asks.

 

“Correct.” 

 

“Well, I call dibs on Hana, for a cuddle buddy.” Shikamaru jokes, trying to lighten the tension. 

 

Sakura laughs.

“You get the left side, I’ll take the right.” 

 

Shikamaru fist bumps her.

“Deal.” 

 

“I’m ok with that.” You reply.

 

Kakashi scowls.

“I’ll take first watch then.” 

 

“I got second.” Konohamaru replies competitively.

 

“I have third.” Sakura volunteers. “Shikamaru can take fourth.” 

 

“I guess that leaves me as the fifth watch.” You state.

 

Kakashi shakes his head.

“No, I want you to rest, Hana. You’ve been through a lot today.”

 

Oh good…now he’s being extra with you most likely because he feels like a complete dick about his shitty behavior. 

 

“I can handle a watch, Kakashi.” You snap.

 

“Not tonight.” He argues.

 

“I will do my duty as a ninja just like everyone else. Thank you very much..” 

 

Kakashi stops mid step and turns around to meet you with a very serious look on his face. 

“You will listen to me on this. I need you well rested and ready for the next step in our mission.” He points an authoritative finger at you. 

 

You look around at everyone’s surprised expressions. Sakura is cringing at you. You sigh backing down. Even though all you want to do is tear a strip off him.

“Fine.” You say with tone. 

 

His expression softens.

“Thank you.” 

 

But you keep your stern glare on him and for a few seconds you both stare at each other trying to read one another until Kakashi lowers his eyes shamefully. 

 

“Let’s pick up our pace, and no more conversation. I don’t want to hear anymore shit from anyone today.” Kakashi turns from you and walks away. 

 

His behavior really sucks ass right now. You follow behind everyone re-thinking what you’ve gotten yourself into with Kakashi. If you could only pull him aside and question him properly, maybe you could come to a resolve with him. But only two out of the four shinobi know about your relationship and with Konohamaru here, there is no doubt he won’t try to pull you and Kakashi apart using his reputation and shinobi rank.

 

This is the worst……

 

You spend the next six hours silently walking along the rocky road towards the land of frost trying not to come up with hurtful scenarios involving Kakashi and young blondes. 

 

———————————————

 

“Hey! Do you see that?” Sakura asks, pointing up ahead. 

 

Kakashi squints his eyes through the dimming light.

 

The sun has almost set at the border of the land of frost. A thick cloud cover has rolled in and a dusting of snow has come along with it. It was cold…damn cold… thankfully Kakashi had packed you a white fur lined jacket which you didn’t hesitate to throw on top of your cheongsam once it started getting nippy. 

 

You and the others were about to set up camp once Kakashi had found a good spot, until Sakura stumbled upon a village up ahead.

 

You clutch onto your hood, holding it upright against the wind while looking out over a small valley.

 

“Is that a village?” Shikamaru asks. 

 

“It is.” Kakashi replies, sounding slightly suspicious.

 

Which Shiro picks up on.

“Is there not supposed to be a village here?” 

 

“It’s been a few years since I have been out this way. It could be that a settlement has started here.” Kakashi replies. 

 

“Well, I don’t know about you guys. But I’m ready for a nice hot bowl of ramen and some warm sake.” Shiro says, rubbing his hands together. 

 

And you couldn’t agree more. Infact, you had planned on sitting by a hot fire, drinking tea and eating something warm once camp was set up. But this is even better.

 

“I’m in for all of that, Shiro.” You say and march onwards towards the village. 

 

Kakashi hesitates for a moment examining the small village. There must be about ten homes and a few larger buildings. Something tugs at his intuition…he has a bad feeling about this. He was strict on his rule to only stay in allied villages so as not to blow their cover or run into any enemies along the way and here he is following the love of his life into unknown territory…..Baka…

 

“Hold up!” Kakashi says and everyone stops. 

 

“What now? I’m hungry and cold, Kakashi.” Shikamaru complains.

 

“I don’t care. And I was very specific about staying in villages outside of our allies. I don’t know this village, so…”

 

Everyone groans annoyed and Kakashi continues on.

 

“So…we will rest for a short time, eat and warm up. Then we will be on our way. We camp at the edge of that cliffside beyond the village.” 

 

“Alright. But I’m stealing some blankets if I see any.” Shiro snickers. “Cold is not my friend. How are you holding up Neko?” 

 

In all honesty you aren’t doing very well. You’re still pissed at Kakashi for his behavior at the spa…and any other times he has flirted with women without your knowledge. You feel played in so many ways and Kakashi is fully aware. It’s not like you were hiding it. To the others your one word answers were normal considering the environment you are in and what had happened to your room earlier. But to Kakashi it was really starting to bother him. You could tell by the way he would hang back every chance he got just to walk beside you. Or his consistent glances back at you, sometimes playing it off like he is making sure you’re keeping up with the group. In those moments you either ignored him or would find someone else to walk beside. Kakashi would curse under his breath and walk on ahead. 

 

So as of right now, are you ok? …no not really. You are dying for a break and something warm to eat and sake is starting to sound pretty good right now too. 

 

“I could use a pint of hot sake.” You reply in a sour tone.

 

Shiro laughs.

“A whole pint?” 

 

“Yes a fucking pint!” 

 

“How about we start with some food and a small glass first.” Kakashi suggests.

 

You roll your eyes at him.

“Sure….whatever you say sensei.” 

 

He squints his eyes watching you walk by to join your brother up ahead. 

 

…….

 

It took thirty minutes to get to the village and the sun had set completely. The only visible light was either inside the homes parallel to the street or hanging on outside lanterns burning with orange flames. 

 

The streets were now blanketed in crystal clear snow with a subtle icy breeze that carried it across the main street. 

 

“Almost there! Can you smell that?” Shiro asks, stretching his arms over his head and resting his hands on the back of his neck. 

 

You suck in a deep breath.

“Smells like freshly baked bread and something roasting over a fire!” 

 

It smelled so good you had to wipe the drool from your mouth several times already. 

 

You approach a large building on your right with a sign hanging from a flag pole reading.

 

“ The broken barrel inn .” 

 

“Check out the sign!” Sakura points to it giggling with excitement.

 

The only ones who don’t seem all that excited are Konohamaru and Kakashi. They cautiously scan the area, stopping occasionally to listen to sounds coming from the homes and down the alley ways. 

 

You faintly hear a whisper from Konohamaru in Kakashi’s direction.

“I don’t like this place.” 

 

“Me either.” Kakashi agrees. 

 

“Keep an eye on the girls.” They both whisper at the same time. 

 

But you haven’t gotten any strange feelings other than something nostalgic. Aside from the cold and snow, it was common to find small villages like this in the land of wind. Which you and Shiro would stop at each and every one of them.

 

“Oh stop it you two. Let’s try to have some fun here, god knows we need it.” You scold and brush by both of them heading towards the door. 

 

You stop beside Shiro. Live music and laughter fills your ears. This place is packed full of people dancing and singing, sharing drinks together. This may be the fun you’ve been missing for quite some time. The last place you had enjoyed live music was the gala, and you wish you could erase that entire week. This time around it is going to be fun, whether anyone disagrees or not. 

 

Shiro grins at you and nods, setting the tone. Exactly what you used to do before entering a bar in a random village with random people. Almost every time you would enter a place like this with Shiro you had a blast. With him by your side you were safe, and with your power he was safe. No need to worry. 

 

Shiro rips the door open and walks in. His heavy boots hitting the hard wood floor. Before you can go any further Kakashi grabs your arm and pulls you back. 

 

You gasp at him and how aggressive his grip is. 

 

“Hey! That hurts!” You complain, scowling at him. He loosens his grip immediately and Sakura pauses.

 

“Everything ok Kakashi?” She asks.

 

“Everything is fine. I just need to talk to Hana about her stone for a minute.” He replies.

 

“Ohhhh right. Pep talk. I get it.” And she walks right in leaving you alone with him. 

 

Shikamaru and Konohamaru enter the inn and shut the door behind them. 

 

It is now you and Kakashi outside in the dim light staring at each other. 

 

“Hana, I’m..” but you stop him there.

 

“Look, I don’t want to hear this right now. If I wanted to talk I would have pulled you aside and right now all I want to do is go inside, eat, drink, have fun and be me for once. Can you put your shitty behaviors aside and let me do that?” 

 

He loosens his grip slowly until his hand falls away from yours. He searches your eyes before responding simply. 

 

“Ok.” 

 

You furrow your brows in confusion.

“That’s it? Just ok?” 

 

“Yeah. Go have fun.” He skirts by you, opens the door and waves you through. But something isn’t right about this. His tone makes it seem like he has an ulterior plan or is devising one as he watches you enter the door. But what does it matter? You’re not going to let him ruin this. 

 

You storm in through the door and look around. Your crew has found themselves a table and are being greeted by a cute blonde waitress….oh good…just what you were hoping for…..

 

Burying your jealousy you unzip your coat, pull off your hood, and take your jacket off swinging it over your arm. 

 

It was then the room went silent. All eyes are on you, especially the young men hovering around the bar. But you are far too focussed on the blonde flirting with Shiro at your table than anyone else. Let’s hope Kakashi doesn’t decide to get another discount here. 

 

You make your way to the table and sit down in the chair beside Sakura placing your pack down beside hers. The room seems to go back to normal and you are greeted by goldy locks and her green eyes. 

 

“Hi there traveler! What can I get you!” 

 

Boy does she sound rehearsed. 

 

In a tone similar to her high pitch you reply.

“Hi! I would like a pint of sake please.” 

 

She double takes at the words pint and sake put together.

“Like a whole pint?” She asks, her voice fluctuating in that annoying high pitched I’m pretty but dumb tone. Ok maybe you’re taking your jealousy a little too far. 

 

Then Kakashi walks over to your table and the blonde blushes instantly. She ignores you and begins talking him up. 

 

“Hello, my name is Alli, can I get you something?” 

 

He scowls at her shaking his head.

“A menu, please.” And sits down in the chair beside Shikamaru, across from you. He rests his hands on the table not taking his eyes off you. With a straight face of authority and seemingly  unimpressed.

 

Nervously you tap your thigh trying to ignore him. 

“I’ll take that pint, Alli.” 

 

She barely glances at you before settling her focus back on Shiro, Shikamaru and Kakashi. 

 

“A pint…right…I’ll go grab you a menu, sweetheart.” She places a gentle hand on his bicep, squeezing it slightly making you want to set her on fire.

 

In your mind you roll your eyes and as she walks away Konohamaru just has to say something stupid.

 

“Hey Kakashi! Alli’s got a thing for you, why don’t you try sweet talking her and get us some drinks on the house?” 

 

He shoots him a death glare before responding.

“Why don’t you use that six figure paycheck to buy us all a round?” 

 

Konohamaru laughs and shakes his head.

“I can do that. I was going to grab the ladies a drink anyway.” 

 

“Perfect.” 

 

The waitress returns with a menu and not your pint of sake. She hands it over to Kakashi bending over showing off her pushed up breasts to him. 

“Here you go.” She says and winks. “Let me know if there is anything else you would like.” 

 

He takes it from her hands and places it on the table leafing through it. 

“Did you not hear my friend when she asked for a drink?” His tone was strange, very impatient and condescending. It was making you nervous. 

 

“Uh…umm…” she begins to stutter. “I-I’m sorry. I must have forgotten what she said.” 

 

She tries to laugh it off but Kakashi, who is nose deep in the menu, responds, shocking everyone.

“Maybe you should listen to your customers when you ask them a question. She asked for a pint of hot sake…do you remember now?” 

 

Finally he looks up at her with an unreadable expression. 

 

Her face turns a deep shade of red you can feel and she stares at him. 

 

“Y-yes I remember. I’m sorry I will go get that right away.” 

 

“I believe the rest of my friends are waiting for their drinks as well. You know, being a waitress really isn’t that hard of a job. Unless you have a disability, I would assume that whatever they are paying you… it is too much.” 

 

And Shiro bursts out laughing. The girl becomes completely embarrassed and storms away towards the bar to get the drinks. 

 

Now this….this…. is a side of Kakashi you have yet to see. A cynical, overly critical, I can end you with words, side of Kakashi. Not only can he sweet talk anyone he can also traumatize them with words…frightening…

 

“Oh man….I think you made her cry, Kash.” Shiro says.

 

Sakura agrees.

“Yeah…that was a little harsh.” 

 

Kakashi doesn’t respond, he continues to read from the menu ignoring everyone. 

“They have ramen. And pan fried saury.” 

 

Shikamaru gasps.

“They do? Which page are you on!” 

 

Kakashi leans over and flips a page of his menu and points to the section. 

“Right here.” 

 

Shikamaru smiles with delight.

“That’s what I’m getting.” 

 

Alli returns hastily with the drinks and sets them down in front of everyone. Surprisingly she gets the orders right. 

 

With a fake smile she asks everyone if they would like to place an order for food. Each of you say the same thing, except for Kakashi who adds saury to his order. 

 

With your order in and everyone talking amongst themselves. You decide to go freshen up in the bathroom. 

 

“I’ll be back.” You say and get to your feet, hooking your coat into the back of your chair. 

 

Kakashi immediately asks where you’re going.  

 

“To the bathroom.” You reply and walk away before he can say anything else. 

 

You pause for a moment scanning the room for a bathroom sign and finally find it to the left of the bar. Onwards you go, passing by a group of young men dressed in strange clothing. Some were quite handsome and didn't hesitate to run their eyes over you as you walked by. You hear one whistle behind you.

 

Internally you’re smiling at that and hope Kakashi saw every bit of their obvious gawking. 

 

You push open the door to the bathroom and pause to look in the mirror. Your hair is tousled and has loosened from its braid, your upper half looks pretty decent in your cheongsam, but your lower half is clothed in baggy unmatching pants. They gotta go….it was time to show Kakashi how hot you can be. You may not be blonde but you know you have curves far better than Alli out there. 

 

You strip off your pants and adjust your thigh high socks under your boots, straightening things out. But something has to be done about your hair. You untie it from your braid and marvel at how wavy it is. It flows down to your lower back with that thick black streak in the front. You sweep it over to one side, letting it hang over your eye then tousle it further to give it volume. 

 

One more once over and you are ready. With the right tools you could look much better, but this will still cause some ripples in the pond. You smile deviously, pick up your pants and walk out of the bathroom. 

 

The group of men who were previously swooning over you haven’t taken their attention off the bathroom you were in….. snicker… and the minute you exited the door they fell apart. 

 

One drops their drink on the floor, another leans back in his chair to get a better look. You can hear two others comment.

 

“God damn.”

 

You make your way back over to the table and find your ramen steaming in a bowl just waiting to be devoured. Kakashi looks you up and down. 

 

“Where’s your pants?” He asks in that authoritative tone.

 

“Right here!” You hold them up for him to see. Then hook them behind your chair with your jacket. 

 

Kakashi chews on his cheek, his mind spiraling over you right now. But he deserves this for flirting with other women. He needs a good reminder of who you are and what you are to him. 

 

You dive into your ramen, savoring every warm delicious hug it gives you. Then Shiro suggests something intriguing while you slurp up the rest of your noodles.

 

“Hana! They have a band playing here. Maybe you can convince them to let you play a song?” Shiro suggests.

 

You look around at the makeshift stage to your right and smile. Off to the side is a guitar resting against the wall. That gets you all over excited. 

 

“I don’t know if they will let you play.” Konohamaru replies, nervously.

 

And you take this opportunity to jab at Kakashi. With the band being all men it shouldn’t be a problem convincing them to let you play. 

 

You look directly at Kakashi and reply.

“Oh, but I can sweet talk anyone.” Then wink mimicking him. 

 

Kakashi leans back in his chair as if your words had slapped him across the face he scoffs and finally looks away, eying up the band. It was a group of three men, two your age playing a drum and Guzheng and one Kakashi’s age who is singing. They had an authentic feel to them, like bard music with a twang and a low baritone voice. A female voice would be a good balance. So push your ramen aside and rise to your feet, drawing Kakashi’s attention again. He shakes his head at you. You ruffle your hair again and simply ignore his stare as you walk by towards the stage. As their song fades and the room erupts in applause you approach them. Their eyes catch yours and they smile. 

 

“Hi.” You say as cute as can be. 

 

A younger man with amber eyes looks up at you. Black smooth hair pulled back in a ponytail drapes over his broad shoulders. He places his drum down and approaches you. He was well built and a handsome man, wearing a simple long sleeve white shirt with crystals carved in arrow heads draped around his neck on herringbone chains. Then something catches your eye on the stage. There are three chairs placed together most likely for the band to sit and take a break on. Swung over the back of those chairs are animal pelts similar to the ones in your dream. Eyeless, hanging just the way they were over the bodies that hovered around you. 

 

“What can I do for you, lovely lady?” The young man asks, pulling you from your thoughts.

 

Your eyes flick back towards him.

“Uhhh…” You smile sweetly. “I see you have a guitar over there that needs to be played.” 

 

He looks back at the guitar resting against the wall.

“You play?” 

 

You clasp your hands behind your back acting as sweet as possible. 

“I do, and I sing.” 

 

There is a noticeable glint in his eyes.

“Well lovely, let’s see what you can do.” He comes around to your side, placing a hand on your lower back, guiding you over to the guitar. He picks it up, spinning it in his hands before placing it in yours. You gasp.

 

“Is this a Luna Flora?” 

 

He nods.

“So you do play. It’s all yours for the next hour….go ahead and play something.” 

 

By now the rest of the band has gathered around you coaxing you to the stage. You can’t help but drool over this guitar. It was something you had always wanted to play, but could never afford to buy. You position yourself at the center of the stage and the room grows quiet. 

 

Looking out at everyone, you start to notice more of those animal pelts draped over chairs or being worn by others. But shake it off as just coincidence and begin to play. You strum loudly and the crowd whistles or applauds making you smile. 

 

“Show’em what the land of wind is all about!” Shiro calls to you. He is now standing near the stage beaming at you. However, stormy disapproving eyes draw your attention. You look at Kakashi who is still chewing his cheek watching you and the rest of the men at the bar who are going wild over you. 

 

“I’m taking you home tonight!” One yells. 

 

You shake your head and laugh…. over my dead body….

 

You strum the chords again and choose your song. A very fast paced Norento that comes from your hometown and was the first song you have ever mastered. 

 

You strum several more chords amping up the audience, while singing in a higher voice, wide open matching the tone of your guitar. Excitement breaks out all over the bar and the dancing begins. Shiro does what he’s always done. He grabs the most beautiful woman closest to him and dances with her, guiding her through his movements. That is another thing about Shiro you loved, he was always the first one on the dance floor. He always knew how to have a good time too. 

 

The rest of your group stand up to join in except for Kakashi and Konohamaru who have suspicious looking expressions. They constantly watch the men fall all over you and whisper amongst each other about it. You wish Kakashi would try to have some fun. Yet he is too deep into your quarrel to feel anything lively and fun. 

 

You take your guitar out into the audience playing for random people, pumping up the room. By now everyone has joined in either clapping to the beat or hollering for you. Gods you missed this and with Shiro here it was even better. Just the way it used to be when it was you and him against the world. 

 

He catches your attention and a wild grin grows on his face. He is having the time of his life right now. Even Sakura and Shikamaru are having a blast.

 

You pick up your pace ramping up for a guitar solo. Hopping up on top of a table you play your heart out to everyone. Swishing and swaying your hips, singing until your heart's content. The entire room is stomping to the beat singing along, or dancing.

 

 And as the song fades you slow down your pace and let your voice sing out the last chords. The room erupts in cheers and applauds. You raise a fist into the air and the crowd follows cheering with you. 

 

Finally you make your way back to the stage and bow respectfully then hand over the guitar to the long haired man who had given it to you. He doesn’t hesitate to sweep an arm around your waste, pulling you in close to whisper into your ear. 

 

“I haven’t seen talent like that in a long time. Why don’t you ditch your shinobi over there and come traveling with us. We could move mountains together.” 

 

He looks you deep into your eyes. You shake your head and laugh.

“I’m sorry but I am fully committed to them.” You push him away. “Until we meet again, sir.” 

 

You wave your hand and bow. He grins and bows just the same. 

 

“I have a feeling we will be meeting sooner rather than later.” 

 

Giggling, you say your goodbyes.

“Well, until then. I bid you farewell.” 

 

“Farewell, lovely lady.” 

 

With a confident smile you leave the stage feeling like a million bucks and make your way back to your table where the two grumpy ninjas sit scowling at you. 

 

Kakashi leans back in his chair, hanging an arm over the back of it watching you approach. 

“You look pleased with yourself. Everyone in the room has succumbed to your overpowering sweet talk . Especially the men. Are you enjoying the attention you’ve brought to yourself?” He asks in that condescending tone he voiced to Alli.

 

You stand directly in front of him with your hands on your hips. 

“Of course I am! I can see why you sweet talk women all the time.” 

 

His scowl fades into shame and you immediately regret saying that. 

 

In a gruff voice he replies.

“It’s time to go. We still have a camp to set up.” 

He stands and flicks his hand at Sakura, Shiro and Shikamaru who are chatting amongst themselves not too far away. 

 

Konohamaru approaches you. 

“Why did you go and do that? Now you’ve gotten everyone’s attention. You don’t even know if these people are our enemies or not!” 

 

He clenches his fists.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, but I’m not liking the Hana I’m seeing.” 

 

And for the first time ever Konohamaru was right. Being a jealous freak isn’t all that cool. Now you feel embarrassed for getting up onstage, for fixing yourself up for these people. Let’s hope you haven’t made a huge mistake and karma doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass. 

 

“Flaunting yourself is shameful. I don’t like it. Could you please put your appropriate clothing back on so we can get going?” 

 

Jeez Konohamaru is pissed at you. Although he is being very respectful the way he talks to you he is also making you feel like a complete tool. 

 

“Alright, Kono. I’m sorry. I was just having some fun.” 

 

His eyes seem to soften.

“I know…Though I don’t think you’ve noticed something very disturbing here.” 

 

He comes in closer to whisper into your ear making sure no one is listening. His paranoia is wracking at your nerves. 

 

“I don’t think the people in this place live here. They are travelers just like us…” 

 

And a realization takes over. 

“Is it them?” 

 

“I don’t know. But I think we should leave…like now….” 

 

You glance at Kakashi and share a moment together. He nods and tilts his head towards the door. Everyone quickly picks up their things. Konohamaru throws a pile of bills and coins onto the table and you leave the Inn. But not without the men from the bar cat calling you. 

 

“Hey baby! Where you going?” One calls.

 

“Don’t leave!” Another says. 

 

You are quickly ushered out the door by not only Kakashi but Konohamaru as well. 

 

Shiro was the last one to leave, as he was trying to get a number from Alli. Which he failed miserably. He storms out the door and slams it closed.

 

“That was fun! But why did we leave so quickly?” He asks.

 

“Shhh…. We talk when we are clear from here. I want silence until then.” Daddy Kakashi says. 

 

Shiro glances at you with a questionable expression. You give him a signal, the same one you have used in the past when you were in trouble and needed his help. He understands right away and approaches you doing exactly what he’s always done. His muscular arm wraps around your shoulder, a dagger appears in the other hand, and he walks with you until he feels it is safe to leave your side.

 

The rest of the group join you and Shiro quietly. Only the crunching of snow can be heard in the empty streets. Kakashi and Konohamaru were right, something is terribly wrong with this village. You put two and two together. Ten homes sit nestled into a freezing valley, yet the number of people in that bar does not match up. There were at least twenty and only a few looked as if they were related to each other. Not only that, the homes lit by candle are vacant. The curtains are wide open with no visible movement inside. It was a ghost town aside from that bar. 

 

Your mind runs wild through so many scenarios as you walk away from it all. Thankfully, Kakashi and Konohamaru were on their guard. If not for them…who knows what would have happened. You look over to Kakashi, he walks alone to your left analyzing the disappearing clouds up ahead. You feel all kinds of guilt for your own shitty behavior. 

 

“Something’s wrong with the sky.” He states. 

 

“Yeah I see it too.” Shikamaru replies. 

 

Suddenly a gust of cold wind whips around everyone. You curse loudly and pull up your hood. 

 

“Two more minutes.” Kakashi says randomly. 

 

Two minutes for what?

 

Just as you begin to contemplate over that thought the cold breeze lifts and the chill subsides. The clouds in the sky clear, revealing a sparkling starlit landscape lit by a large blue moon. It was so bright you could see everything in the valley as far as cliffs in the distance reflecting off the blanket of fresh snow. 

 

“Wow.” You gasp. 

 

“Yeah….” Kakashi points off in the distance. “Another hour we will be at those cliffs. We have a choice. Camp here in the open or find coverage in the cliffs.” 

“The cliff side is ideal.” Says Shikamaru. 

 

Konohamaru shakes his head.

“The temperature is dropping fast. Starting a fire and getting into our sleeping bags would be a better idea.”

 

“I’m with Konohamaru on this one. If we stay in the open no one can sneak up on us.” Sakura says jumping in. 

 

“Yeah but if we are out in the open we have a worse chance of being surrounded.” Says Shiro. 

 

You look out in the distance trying to come to your own conclusion. If it weren’t so damn cold out here. 

 

“We should change into our white ninja gi. Keep your regular gear underneath and fur coats on top.” Kakashi suggests. 

 

Everyone seems to agree on that and drops their bags pulling out their clothing. 

 

“Be mindful of where you place your weapons, preferably where you usually have them.” Kakashi says and comes to stand in front of you. 

 

You look up at him. 

“I can help you find your gi…if you like.” 

 

Sheepishly you reply.

“I would appreciate that.” 

 

He holds out his hand as you pass him your bag. Then crouches down, opening it up. 

“While Hana was distracting everyone I managed to swipe a couple wallets from two men at the bar.” 

 

“The ones who kept cat calling her….” Kono explains further. 

 

You crouch down meeting Kakashi and he hands you your white shirt first..

“Did you find anything?” You ask. 

 

“Not enough to prove they are our targets.” 

 

You curse. 

 

“But it is enough to cause suspicion. Both IDs show they are highly ranked jonin from the land of earth.”

 

You take off your jacket feeling the cold instantly and quickly pull on your shirt. He hands you your pants next, then your white balaclava. 

 

However you don’t get as far as lifting it up over your head before you hear the sound of a woman screaming in the distance.  

 

“What the hell was that?” Shiro asks while scanning the valley.

 

“Nothing good.” Konohamaru replies. 

 

Another scream echoes around you but this time it sounded more like a child’s scream. 

Sakura points to her left. 

“Look! Over there!” 

 

More sounds join the screaming, however these sounds were more like growls and yips. You search the valley to your left and see a figure in the moonlight running. Behind them is a pack of wolves tearing after the person. 

 

“It’s a child.” Shikamaru says. 

 

Kakashi strokes his chin watching the child run for their life. 

“Strange….” 

 

“Don’t just stand there!” You snap in your panic. 

Kakashi lifts a hand to you and the group.

“Wait! Nobody moves until I say.”

 

The child screams in fear again. You watch her trip over a deeper section of snow tumbling to a stop. The wolves slow their pace and circle her. She covers herself as best she can and calls for anyone to help. 

 

“We have to do something!” You shout. 

 

Kakashi holds firm. 

“Not yet.” 

 

A wolf lunges at the child latching onto her arm. You can hear the fabric of her jacket ripping apart as she is yanked about. 

 

“Kakashi!” You plead. 

 

He looks up at you and a small hint of panic flashes in his eyes.

 

Another scream pierces the air and Kakashi finally gives an order to do something.

“Everyone stay together, do not split up. Understood?” 

 

Everyone nods and in a fraction of a second you are on the move, barreling towards the child. 

 

By now three wolves are on top of her tearing through her clothes. Her strangled screams push you forward to save her. 

 

“Hana, get the child. We will take care of the wolves.” Kakashi says. 

 

You nod and set your target on her. But before you can reach her your cohort instinct growls loudly in your mind warning you of something else. It was enough to bring you to your knees. 

 

“Hana, are you ok?” Kakashi asks, skidding to a stop in the snow a fair distance away. 

 

But you can barely hear him through the roars in your mind. Visions flash before your eyes, but not your visions. It is her visions. 

 

The same hooded creatures as your nightmare. The same valley of ice. A cold breeze picks up and you are exactly where you were in that dream. 

 

You scream. “STOP! IT'S A TRAP!” 

 

Everyone skids to a halt and the child disappears along with the wolves. Suddenly a violet circular grid opens up below you and the rest of your group. It glows with an unnatural aura as symbols appear in the middle rotating clockwise inside. Instantly your team becomes frozen, unable to move.

 

“Shit!” Kakashi curses. 

 

“What the hell is this?” Konohamaru asks.

 

“I don’t know but I can’t move my legs.” Sakura complains. 

 

“It’s a grounding jutsu. Earth style.” Kakashi reveals.

 

For some strange reason you seem to be unaffected by this. You can move just fine and rush over to your team. 

 

You latch onto Kakashi.

“It’s a trap. We need to get out of here!” 

 

And for the first time ever Kakashi looks terrified. 

 

“Hana, I….I want you to get out of here. Stay hidden until this is settled.” 

 

You shake your head in disbelief.

“What? No! I’m not going anywhere!” 

 

“If you lose control….” Kakashi begins to say only to be interrupted by a males voice.

 

“She’s right, she’s not going anywhere.” 

 

Kakashi’s eyes flick up to the voice behind you, they grow wide with fear.

 

You turn on your heel to meet the voice and see your exact nightmare unfolding before your eyes. Dead looking animals, their heads hanging low, even the puffs of air seeping out their mouths. They stand on human legs surrounding you. But now you understand what they really are. Shinobi cloaked in animal pelts, each carrying weapons of all sorts. Each powering up with chakra ready to attack. 

 

The man approaches you and stops only feet away. You can see a faint smile peeking through the hood of his pelt. 

“That was quite the performance, lovely. It is too bad you refused my offer. We could have moved mountains together.” 

 

Kakashi growls at him behind you. 

 

He lifts off his hood and so do the rest revealing themselves as the same group you had just shared drinks and sang with. 

 

“Fuck.” You curse. 

 

Behind you Kakashi tells you to run.

“Use your body flicker to get out of here.” 

 

You clench your fists.

“I’m not leaving you, so stop saying that!” 

 

The man smiles. 

“There’s that devotion I need.” 

 

He walks towards you, but instead of taking a defensive stance you play their game until you can figure out how to get everyone out of this ambush. You pretend their jutsu circle is holding you in place just like the others. 

 

The man stops in front of you, his long hair fluttering behind him in the wind. 

“You have some resistance to our jutsu. I guess I’ll have to up the strength.” An arrow head crystal dangling from his necklace begins to glow brightly and a rush of heaviness falls over everyone. 

 

Kakashi grunts at the feeling trying with all his might to keep himself upright. The minutes falls to his knees is the minute he loses in this standoff. 

 

You fake your own struggle in front of the man.

“Ahhh…much better.” He reaches out to you. You flinch as his hand rests on your cheek. “Such a beauty.” He sweeps his thumb over your lips. “The land of wind is home to beautiful women it would seem. It is too bad you won’t join us. The offer still stands though.” 

 

You glare at him. 

“Over my dead body.” 

 

You turn your head from him and he lowers his hand analyzing you.

 

He laughs at you as if you were all some type of joke. 

“Strip them of their chakra. I want it all. But keep the women alive, they may be of use to me.” 

 

———————————————-

Chapter 36: The Attack

A sudden rush of power emanates from four shinobi surrounding the circle below your feet. A mixture of hand signs and guttural voices naming signs completes the ritual. Although you feel nothing but a small energy depletion it doesn’t compare to what is happening to your team…to your love…

It started with Shiro gasping and crying out in pain. He immediately falls to his knees cursing the shinobi.

“Shiro!” You call him.

“They…are…ahhhh…taking our….chakra.” Kakashi manages to say through gasps of pain.

He hunches over holding his head. Frantically you turn back towards the man.

“Please stop this!” You cry out.

He laughs.
“Sorry, love…I can’t do that.”

Sakura screams suddenly, catching your attention and falls to her knees holding her stomach. Shiro begins to vomit and blood spills over the snow.

He is dying. It was then you remembered what he had said about his cohort. Without Chakra he will die.

“Stop it, please!” You beg the man.

He tilts his head towards his fellow shinobi.
“This one’s strong…She might take longer to knock out.”

Kakashi grunts and stumbles forward into you. You catch him, trying to bear his weight but he is just too damn heavy and you both fall to your knees in the snow. Konohamaru and Shikamaru follow behind, dropping to their knees, keeling over in pain.

Through your sobbing and tears which have frozen to your cheeks you hold Kakashi up by his chest.
“Tell me what to do! Tell me!” You beg.

“Your cohort, Neko!” Shiro shouts in your language,while coughing up more blood.

You shake your head not understanding. Your heart is pounding with fear of losing them all.

“He…fuck…he’s right.” Kakashi whispers, you can barely hear him over the screams.

You lift Kakashi’s low hanging head. Your eyes meet and a small tear falls from his beautiful eyes.

“Let her take over. It’s the only way.” He says and rips down his mask gasping for air.

Your eyes widen in realization.
“But Kakashi….everyone will die…and I….”

He gasps again holding his chest.
“It’s… the only way. You’re …you’re the only one.” You can barely hear his words.

He is right, you are the only one who can save everyone. But it won’t come without a cost to you and Kakashi. It won’t come without its own price…your own consciousness. You will lose everything….

Tears flood your cheeks and you sob into his shoulder. He rests a gentle hand on the back of your head and says in your language…
“It’s ok…just let go….”

Shaking you reply.
“Bring me back.”

You hold his cheeks and look into his eyes making sure he answers you.
“Bring me back ok?!”

He nods, his eyes glossy and wet. He cringes in pain holding his stomach. “Hurry.” He says breathlessly.

You sob while sweeping the frozen tears from his face and say your last words to him before you leave everything you have ever loved behind.
“Kakashi Hatake, I love you. You have my heart and soul. Promise you will bring me back.”

He shudders underneath you.
“Promise.” He replies, his voice cracking.

And you give him one last loving kiss. You press your forehead against his lingering there for far too long.

“Neko, hurry!” Shiro calls gasping for air.

That snaps you out of your despair and quickly you scurry back positioning yourself on your knees. You take one last look at Kakashi and think of how beautiful he is in the moonlight. You etch him into your mind praying to the gods you don’t forget him. Praying that your cohort spares his life and everyone else you love.

You close your eyes and connect with your cohort. Instantly you are pulled into your jungle vision….

You can feel the moist heat of the rainforest, the sound of the birds rustling the leaves of the palms. And there she sits beyond the pool of glowing water, watching you…waiting for you to say the words. You kneel down before the pool of water and hover your hand over it. She follows your movement drooling at the mouth…she is eager…she is ready…

In your language you say the words.

“Take me, save them, bring me back.”

A low growl shakes the water and she smiles baring her fangs. Her eyes glow in a golden aura. She lets out a throaty laugh and shakes her head, then suddenly she leaps over the pool tackling you to the ground. …

————————————-

The second you closed your eyes he felt it. A power surge not only from you Kekkei Genkai, but your Gelel stone. It was so strong it shook the ground shifting the snow and shaking the cliffs beyond the group of enemies that surrounded them.

Each shinobi gasp and fixate their ominous gazes on you.

“What the hell was that?” One asks the other. Confusion circles the group as they try to tap into the energy building before them.

Kakashi’s chakras are over half depleted at this point. If you don't let go and summon the Sunaneko they won’t be alive much longer. Shiro is barely holding himself upright, still coughing up blood. He will be the first to die if this carries on.

Kakashi places both palms on the ground forcing himself upright to watch you.

In your language he pushes you on.
“Hurry, Hana! We are almost out of time.”

As the last words fall from his mouth another wave of energy erupts from you, forcing everyone to the ground. It was enough of a push to halt their chakra drain but not stop it completely.

The shinobi leading the group scurries to his feet along with the others barking orders to hold their positions.

Then a low growl rumbles through everyone’s chest. The sound of a large feline laughing draws everyone’s attention back to you.

There you sit with your head hanging low, hair covering your face, shadowed by the moonlight. Your palms are held out to your sides, stone glowing in a blue aura through your jacket. You growl again and slowly lift your chin towards the sky. As the light hits your face, Kakashi notices something strange. Glowing azure lines decorating the sides of your forehead and cheeks. They engrave themselves into your skin, steaming in the cold air, pulsing with power.

In a two toned voice not of your own you begin to chant in your language. But these words he can barely understand. These words he has not learned yet. He listens intently trying to make it out while the enemy whispers in fear.

There was a sickening feeling to it all, as Kakashi waited for someone to make the first move so he could watch his beautiful girl tear each and everyone of them apart. He hopes he can bring you back. He hopes he can stop you before it is too late, before you lose yourself completely.

The lead shinobi becomes nervous watching your power unfold.
“What the fuck is going on? Why isn’t she on the ground like the rest of them?”
He turns his attention to another member of his group.

He shrugs nervously.
“I-I don’t know. I’ve never felt energy like this before….”

He sets his sight on you again and sneers.
“Just fucking kill her….” But no one makes a move. They stand unsure of you, which frustrates their leader. “Fine! I’ll do it myself!…”

At those words you lower her head and your eyes snap open. It was then Kakashi knew you were no longer human. That your cohort had taken over your mind and body completely. The gold glowing eyes with small black slits are the tell tale sign, along with the tattoos seared into your cheeks.

The minute the ninja took a step forward those eyes flicked over to his direction, although you didn't turn your head. You are listening to the sound of his steps, the fear in his heart beat, and the smell of his blood. A wicked grin, bearing sharp feline-like teeth creeps over your face. Kakashi shudders at the sight of you.

As he marches closer he unsheathes a katana hanging from his hip. He approaches you from behind gripping his sword tightly. You growl in warning and lower your head further waiting for him to get close enough. Yet he pays no attention to that warning. He instead, lifts his blade for an attack and brings it down swiftly with jonin-like speed. In a panic Kakashi calls out to you.

“Hana move!” 

Just before the blade hits your temple your hand appears in front of it and you stop the attack effortlessly. Only a small trickle of blood seeps down your palm from the sharp end slicing into your skin. You do not flinch or cry out, instead you laugh, grip the sword and snap the blade in half with a flick of your wrist.

The man gasps in shock and stumbles backwards away from you. Still holding the tip of the sword, you stand slowly. You clutch onto your jacket and tear it right off revealing blue searing tattoos that have formed over your shoulders and down your arms. They have burned through your cheongsam completely and it disintegrates the sleeves into the air in smoldering bits. You roar loudly, shaking the earth again.

“What the fuck…” The man whispers in fear.
“She’s not human!” Another cries out.

He throws his broken sword to the side and pulls two daggers from his belt.
“Kill her...now!” He commands.

The ringing of weapons being drawn fills the air. Five approach you, leaping into the air raining those weapons down upon you. You block the closest strike and dodge the next easily. With each movement you slice through arteries or veins, even drawing your broken blade down the arm of the second attacker cutting it open from elbow to wrist. The other three are quickly subdued and thrown back clutching onto fatal wounds.

You leap over another attacker and drag your blade across their neck at the same time. They choke trying to hold the wound closed but there is no healing from this cut. Blood spurts out through her severed artery and the ninja drops to their knees. Their hood falls back revealing the same waitress he had embarrassed at the inn. She stares in shock at Kakashi before collapsing to the snow gasping for air she can’t find until her body is lifeless.

And you were on the move again, although Kakashi could barely see you. You outmatch this entire group of shinobi in almost every way. Another sudden rush of power erupts from you as you take down three more shinobi. It slams everyone back once again, giving Kakashi and his team a much needed release from the grips of the earth jutsu.

“We can’t keep this up!” One earth ninja shouts.

The black haired man shouts back angrily.
“Hold them! If we lose our control we are done for! KILL THAT FUCKING GIRL NOW!”

All ninja scramble to their feet and attack you all at once. You stand in the middle of it all, arms dripping with blood not of your own, waiting for your attackers to get close enough to strike.

And the fight is on. You take on ten ninja at once with ethereal speed. Your fighting style has changed completely. You no longer move with grace and poise. Your attacks are raw and primal with no set of combinations. Yet each time you tear at flesh the wounds are fatal. It was as if you could see through their bodies honing in on the spots that caused the most damage and strikes desperately at those points.

Suddenly you are caught off guard by three ninja flanking you including the lead ninja. You are slashed in the arm with a Kunai and slammed in the temple with a heavy fist. There was enough force in that punch to spin you around to face the black haired ninja. You stumble on your feet shaking your head. But before you can regain yourself he lunges forward, dropping a dagger and pulling another long sword from the hilt of a fellow ninja close by. He shoves the blade into your stomach at the same time.

No…this can’t be….there is no way the Sunaneko can lose this quickly…..

You grip the blade stopping it from going any further and stare at the man growling loudly, bearing fanged teeth.

He grins wildly.
“It’s over.”

Panic stricken, Kakashi calls for you. All he wants to do is run to you. But with the earth jutsu back draining them in full force he is losing his own battle. Tears rain down his cheeks, freezing in the cold air. He can barely breathe as he watches the ninja shove the sword further until the blade protrudes out your back.

“You bleed just like a human. See?” The ninja says, and attempts to pull the sword from you to finish the job. You hiss back at the man and take a hold of the sword in your gut, preventing the blade from being removed. He gasps at your strength.

“What the fuck…” He whispers, you drop the half broken blade you carry and grab onto his sword with both hands. You growl with laughter and speak in your native tongue.

“You’re weak.” You say in a two toned voice and begin to inch the sword deeper into your stomach bringing the man closer and closer. Try as he might to pull the sword from you, he fails in his strength and attempts to run. In a quick motion you snatches his arm and pull him close to your mouth.

Kakashi watches in horror at what you do next.

“Let me go, you bitch!” He spits at you.

Then you pull him into you, open your mouth wide and sink your teeth into his neck, tearing out a chunk of veiny flesh. He cries out in pain as you swallow it down, licking the dribbles of blood off your chin with a long tongue. You grin at the man looking him square in his terrified eyes then twist his wrist and break it. He falls to his knees screaming for mercy. But there is no mercy here. The Sunaneko only knows the kill, and that is just what you does. His body slumps into the snow lifeless.The other ninja have stopped all together, watching you with wide eyes.

It was then he felt the earth jutsu lift off him and his team. He sighs in relief coming back up onto his knees. The ninja have now begun to gather chakra for an attack against you. With their leader bleeding to death and no one to heal him they panic and draw energy for a large group attack.

But you already know what is coming, you turn towards Kakashi and slowly pull the sword from your stomach without flinching. Instantly your wound heals upon itself, shocking Kakashi in a new way. You throw the sword to the ground and eye up the ninja surrounding you. As jutsu fills their hands, you pool her own energy ready to counter.

Kakashi can sense your Kekkei Genkai kicking in again and it sucks the air in towards you. Some ninja falter in their jutsu. Others grunt and gasp trying to maintain their footing but you are far too strong. If they don’t release their jutsu soon at its peak of energy you will destroy them all.

Kakashi and his team watch the horror unfold. It was then he noticed the spiraling black clouds above them created by your power. You lift her hands, raising your palms to the stormy sky and begin to levitate into the air. Your tattoos glow brightly spiraling down your torso, over your hips, and down your calves. They burn the rest of your clothing off until there is nothing left but your naked form hovering above them.

“Now!” One shinobi cries out to the others.

Just before the jutsu is released their chakra suddenly dies out.

Kakashi questions it in his mind. How is that possible?…

Then he watches as every shinobi except for the four that held him and his team in place lift into the sky. They clutch at their throats unable to breathe, choking from an invisible entity that you control. You have taken over their bodies…

Is this what the platoon of shinobi in the land of rain went through?…

In the midst of your power you twist your wrist, flexing the control you has and their bodies begin to break. Bones snap and crack. Blood pours from their mouths. But s you don’t stop there. You take it much further than just the simple breaking of their bones.

Kakashi gulps fearfully knowing what is coming.

Annihilation.

One last growl echoes through the valley and you clench her fists…..

Bits of body matter and blood spill over you, drenching your body, turning it as red as your crimson hair. Gore and blood splatter across the snow, dappling him and his team. It was a gruesome sight, so gut wrenching Kakashi had to look away despite the horrible things he had seen in his life. This was beyond those things…

Sakura vomits behind him at the sight of so much body material covering everything.

“Gods…” Shikamaru whispers.

“We…have to…run….” Shiro manages to say through his pain. “Or were…next…”

He takes the advice into consideration noticing the only ninja out of his team he hasn’t heard from his Konohamaru.
“You ok, Kono?” Kakashi asks turning towards him slightly.

Before Konohamaru can answer, you float back down to the ground, fixing your instinct onto the shinobi still standing in shock. Once they realize you have your eyes set on them they scramble away.

“Run!” One shouts and takes off through the valley heading towards the cliff side. The rest follow suit, running as fast as they can. Kakashi rests his eyes back on you and notices a strange grin on your face, a wild look in your eyes. You’re not done yet.

You draw stone energy in and a burst of black sand engulfs your body, twisting upon itself. Through the thick cloud a black paw creeps, and then another, until your panther form reveals itself. Azure tattoos covering your feline body, glowing brightly in the night.

“She's gone…Kakashi….we need to go…” Shiro says in agony.

He was right. You are no longer human at all. There is nothing about this animal before him that holds part of the woman he loves. He weeps quietly for you, for losing the best thing that has ever happened to him. It is all his fault….

A cry in the distance sparks your interest and like lightning you take off into the valley after your prey, tearing up snow in your wake.

Kakashi screams out into the air, hating himself for what he has done. If he had just left you alone. If he had refused to take you on as his student in the end, maybe he could have spared you this. Maybe it could have changed things. He’s so fucking selfish. He slams his fists into the snow sending out sparks of chakra, despite having so little of it left.

“What do we do Kakashi?” Sakura asks, her voice barely audible.

And his own instincts kick in. He is going after you. There is no way he can leave you. Not until he knows for sure you are gone…and can’t come back…

He rises to his feet although not without extreme effort.
“I'm going after her. You can come with me or go home…I don’t care…”

“That’s suicide!” Shiro exclaims. By now Shikamaru and Sakura have gained back enough strength to rise to their feet and help Shiro. They tuck themselves under his arms holding him upright.

“I have no other choice…she means everything to me…”
Kakashi takes three steps forward only to be stopped mid step by a fist to the side of his temple. He stumbles, losing his footing and falls back down on his knees holding his head.

“What the fuck?” He growls.

“You son of a bitch!” Konohamaru shouts and tears after him again. He throws another punch at Kakashi, who blocks it easily this time, now that he knows who his attacker is.

“What are you doing Kono?!” Shikamaru snaps.

But Konohamaru ignores him completely. He is only seeing red right now.

“This whole fucking time!” He growls, and sends three more haymakers Kakashi’s way.

Kakashi blocks them despite his strength being half of what it should be.
“Stop it!” He snaps back, taking another hit.

“You fucking asshole! She was mine first and you took her away from me!” Kono shouts while expending the rest of his strength pummeling Kakashi.

Kakashi snatches one of his wrists and flips him over his back slamming him to the ground.

“We don’t have time for this! Hana….”

Before he can finish Kono has sent a weak blast of fire towards him. Thankfully Kakashi had enough chakra to body flicker out of the way.

Konohamaru forces himself to stand despite his chakra almost depleted. He screams at Kakashi with tears streaming down his face.

“This whole fucking time!” He shouts in rage. “You lied to me this whole fucking time!”

The look in his eyes shows devastating heartbreak, and it weakens Kakashi’s defense. He deserves this beating one hundred percent.

“We need to get out of here!” Shikamaru replies.

Konohamaru sneers at him and replies angrily through his teeth.
“Stay the fuck out of this!”

He turns his attention back to Kakashi and takes a threatening step forward.
Clenching his fists he asks.
“When were you going to tell me?” Huh? WHEN?”

Kakashi lowers his eyes to the ground.
“When the time was suitable.”

He growls at that.
“You know I love her right? You know I’m mad for her…She is the first girl I have ever fallen in love with and you TOOK her from me!”

An explosion in the distance catches everyone’s attention and a tidal wave of dust and debris follow behind it. They all shield themselves from the blast and watch as the cliffs crumble into the valley completely destroyed.

“We don’t have time for this.” Kakashi repeats.

“Oh, I’m not done with you. You’re going to feel as much pain as I do right now.” And Konohamaru leaps towards him, tackling Kakashi to the ground. They tumble over on top of each other trying to gain dominance over the other. Luckily Kakashi is a master at grappling and doesn’t hesitate to flip Konohamaru off of himself, sending him a fair distance away.

Kakashi rises to his feet only to be brought down by another explosion. It shakes the ground, cracking the earth beneath them.

All ninja stumble to the ground.
“We’re running out of time!” Shiro snaps.

And Kakashi makes a painful decision.
“Alright, let’s go!”

He starts towards his group only to be stopped by the sound of a feline approaching.

Shiro’s eyes widen in fear.
“Too late…” He whispers.

Kakashi turns around slowly to meet your primal eyes. You are carrying the arm of your prey in your jaws, chewing on it as you slinks towards them. Small fires burn in the distance from your own destruction and a thick layer of blood covers your body from head to toe.

“Everyone get behind me.” Kakashi commands. But only three listen. Konohamaru doesn’t move from his right side. He stays planted where he is watching you in your terrifying form.

Kakashi kneels down, lifting his hands in surrender just as he’s done before. In your language he tries to coax you back.

“Hana, come back to me.” He says with a shaky voice.

Chapter 37: The land of jungles

Summary:

With Hana lost in her cohorts realm, Kakashi and his team are left to figure out what the next step is. Kakashi reveals some important information and his plan this entire time. Five steps ahead…always….

The feline spits the arm aside and hisses back at him. Slinking in closer. 

 

“Hana, please!” He begs, his voice breaking. Then a silence takes over everyone as she closes in the distance. She stops within inches from his terrified face towering over. It was at this moment his fear took over completely. There had only been a select few times he had ever been this scared before. With her hot breath wafting over his skin, smelling of blood, chunks of flesh stuck to her mouth, she is the raw version of horror. 

 

He swallows the lump in his throat and sits still waiting for her to devour him. 

 

She takes a deep breath, sucking in his scent, closing her eyes to taste it. Her mouth opens bearing those red stained fangs. And just when he thought it was all over, just when he thought she was going to eat him. She presses her nose against his cheek and groans. That wet nose runs along his neck and down into his shoulder leaving a crimson residue behind. She nuzzles him, circling around his body just like a cat would, only stopping once to hiss at his fellow nin huddled together behind him. 

 

Shiro gasps at the sight.

“She’s not attacking.” 

 

Kakashi breathes out heavily.

“No…no she isn’t.” 

 

And Konohamaru starts towards them.

“Hana…”

 

But he is quickly stopped by her growls and hisses, even swatting at him with claws bared. Hana positions herself overtop of Kakashi pushing him to the ground, standing guard over him in protection. She hovers over his lap watching the others cautiously. 

 

“Everyone get back. She’s protecting me and will attack you.” Kakashi informs.

 

He takes an experimental hand and draws it along her back, feeling the soft fur. The feline arches her back and shudders at his touch. She nuzzles her nose into his shoulder appreciatively. 

 

Shiro straightens up, finally able to stand now that his stone isn’t destroying his body. 

“Looks like she’s found her mate.” He says and laughs, although not without feeling the heart ache from this. It wasn’t the first time he’s seen her rip bodies apart, yet it still makes him sick to his stomach over it. She is too good for this and deserves so much better. 

 

Kakashi shares a somber look with him.

“I guess she has..” he replies sadly. 

 

“What now?” Sakura asks. 

 

He thinks on it. With the shinobi targets taken care of, it was time to go home. 

“Let’s go home, I’ve had enough…” 

 

Everyone agrees to that except for Konohamaru who voices a very strong opinion.

“And how the hell do you plan on bringing that home with you? I doubt kage guards would even let her through the gates!” 

 

That just angers Kakashi. For someone who loves Hana so much, he easily pushes her aside when shit gets real.

“Would you like me to abandon her? Is that what you would do?” 

 

Konohamaru immediately chokes.

“Well… no! I’m just stating the obvious.” 

 

By now feline Hana has slumped down into Kakashi’s lap pawing at him for more pets. This sparks more jealousy from Konohamaru. He scoffs at their affection. 

 

“At least she’s friendly to someone .” Shikamaru states. 

 

“Ahhh…to a point. I have a feeling if I piss her off she may rip my head off…literally…” Kakashi replies. 

 

“So what are you going to do with your new pet?” Konohamaru asks very bitterly. 

 

Kakashi leans over, running his fingers along her belly. She begins to purr loudly just like Hana used to do. 

“Well…there’s not much I can do but take her home and wait.” 

 

“You don’t sound worried at all.” 

Sakura replies.

 

Kakashi looks up at her. 

“I don’t know what else to do…and worrying isn’t going to help. So let’s stay positive. I’m sure our superiors will help us figure something out. On the plus side, I doubt Hana will be going on anymore missions for awhile….right kitty kitty?” He continues to scratch her side waning happy groans and pants. 

 

“I have a bad feeling about this, Kakashi.” Sakura says, rubbing her arms nervously. 

 

He too doesn’t feel this is a good idea. Bringing a wild stray feline the size of himself home with him to terrorize the neighborhood. He can only hope they don’t throw her in that cage again as he doubts they will be able to contain her unless a sedative is onboard. Even then…getting one into her now, would cost some lives and maybe an arm or two off himself. 

 

“This is my problem. I will take care of it.” Kakashi says while trying to remove the large lazy cat off his lap. She hisses and groans stubbornly as he nudges around her side until finally she saunters to her feet and gives her fur a shake. Bits of blood and gore fly about them pattering their white gi making Sakura gag. 

 

“She needs a bath.” 

 

Shikamaru curses.

“Yeah she does…” 

 

“I’ll handle it.” Kakashi says, rising to his feet. 

 

“Let’s hope so.” Konohamaru replies bitterly. 

 

And they make their way back towards the town they had just left. Now that their enemy has been terminated and their mission is complete there is no need to avoid the village any longer. They can rest in the buildings safely without any problems……

 

———————————————-

 

They approach the town, which is now completely abandoned. It would seem their assumptions were right. This small village had been vacant for quite some time prior to their enemies' settlement. 

 

“The broken barrel inn.” Sakura says with a foul taste in her mouth. She is sick to her stomach over the fact she couldn’t see through their deceit. If not for Kakashi and Konohamaru who knows if they would be alive right now. She couldn’t imagine blindly spending the night here in the enemy lair. 

 

Stupid…

 

“I now hate this place.” Shikamaru states while reaching for the door handle. 

 

Konohamaru pauses behind everyone.

“Are we really going to sleep here tonight?” 

 

Kakashi turns towards him, getting tired of his back-talk and whiny attitude.

“Yes, now stop whining. I’m getting sick of it.” 

 

Shirou coughs again, spitting up fluid that had pooled in his lungs from his cohort instinct nearly destroying his body. He is healing rapidly, however there is still a substantial amount of damage and his chakra has only regenerated fifty percent of its strength. “I need rest, and can’t regulate my body temperature outside. I will freeze to death if we sleep outside. So, we sleep in here. If you don’t like it Konohamaru then sleep outside with the rats, I don’t fucking care.” 

 

He stumbles over to the door just as Shikamaru opens it. Immediately they are hit with a gust of warmer air and the after smell of booz and cooked food. Shirou stops just inside the door to look around. The fire is still ablaze with a roasting pot hung overtop. Glasses and plates of food are still lingering on the tables. It was obvious once they had left this inn, the entire room had followed right after. Which means they knew who they were once they had entered the inn. 

 

“They knew we were coming.” Kakashi states as he and his feline walk through the door behind Shirou. The rest of the group skirt by him fanning out, searching the room for any clues as to how they would know of their existence. 

 

Kakashi walks over to the fire to warm his hands, with Hana nearly at his heels. He looks down at her questionably. Her black velvet head swivels around the room, her nostrils flaring, and ears twitching as she uses all her senses to scan for threats. He crouches down beside her catching her attention. Those golden eyes snap over to him, making his heart skip a bit. He calms his nerves before resting a careful hand on her head, patting it.

 

“Picking up on anything, kitten?” 

 

She snorts and begins to pant, pleased with something. But no tell tale sign she knows anything about what he is asking. Another confirmation that Hana is no longer with them in this world. His chest tightens at the thought, he begins to pray to the gods for her salvation as small tears swell in his eyes. 

 

“Kakashi?” Sakura calls to him, startling him. 

 

He flinches slightly and clears his throat, gaining back his composure. Hana growls in warning at Sakura, making sure she doesn’t get too close. 

 

“Keep your distance from me ok? Everyone will need to earn her trust before you can get any closer.” He warns.

 

Sakura hugs herself feeling strange, scared and helpless. She buries her face into her hands sobbing. The men in the room stop everything they are doing and turn their attention to her. 

 

“We fucked up so bad.” She cries. “We fucked it all up…”

 

Tears begin to patter against the wood floor below her.

“This should have never happened..” Her voice level escalating. She growls angrily through her tears and rips off her pack sending it soaring across the room into a table. It knocks over a few chairs, smashing the legs of one before it skids to a stop by the bar. Everyone watches her breakdown silently, not saying a word, feeling the same way. 

 

“She deserves so much better than this. How could we be so blind? How did we not see what was happening?!” She shouts and collapses to her knees. 

 

Kakashi swallows hard. 

“It’s not our fault.” 

 

Konohamaru snarls.

“How is it not our fault?…actually it isn’t! ….Personally I blame you!” 

 

Kakashi rolls his eyes.

“Of course you do!…Although I should let all of you know the real reason why I have been doing this my own research in this whole fucked up mission. It is because I believe we were sent out as aids in a plot to get rid of Hana once and for all.” 

 

Gasps and shocked expressions circle the room.

Kakashi looks over to Shirou who has settled into a chair still panting and holding his chest.

 

“The land of lightning had no intention to ally with the land of iron…” He pauses a moment to let that sink in with everyone. “After Hana’s hearing, I kept an eye on the judge and the land of lightning. I noticed they had shared far too many glances at each other. So I followed them that night and found the land of water, rain and lightning holding a secret meeting outside the gates of hidden leaf village. The only lands not present were ours, the land of iron, and the smaller lands that don’t hold much of a significance.” 

 

Sakura scans the floor attempting to come up with a reason for their coalition. Then Kakashi comes forward with it.

 

“I believe they have been plotting to get rid of her for quite some time. The first attempt was in the land of rain, which they had underestimated her power and failed resulting in seeking help from other lands. Her power had caught the attention of the most wealthy and dominant lands in the world, which had started a war between them.” 

 

Everyone stands shocked, quietly listening to his explanation. Shirou in particular is very obviously disturbed by this stark reveal. 

 

“The only resolve they could come up with was to get rid of her for good. Next on the list would be you , Shirou.” Kakashi says, nodding his way.

 

Shirou huffs and curses under his breath.

 

“Once they had gotten word from hidden leaf village that Hana was being held captive in our facility. They had set a new plan in motion, collaborating together to carry out their original goal. Every ninja in this room was hired as assassins to kill her and us if need be. These ninja had been carefully selected to meet the requirements. However, I had picked up on this much sooner than they had anticipated. They had demanded a full report on her progress, including anything personal about Hana. I found that the personal aspects requested were a little strange. They were looking for something and I caught on too quickly…..so I gave them a false report.” 

 

Shikamaru and Konohamaru gasp.

 

“False reports are basically illegal and can deem oneself exiled from the land of fire Kakashi.” Shikamaru states.

 

“I know. I took a risk…I had to.” He sits down with Hana on the floor, stroking her head and scratching behind her ears. “She is worth it.” 

 

Konohamaru huffs at him and looks away, feeling the sting everytime he says that. She was his first damnit!…

 

Kakashi continues his story.

“The false report stated only chakra could control her and that she solely relies on it as well as relying on a trusted individual, like myself. I left out a very important fact, that Hana does not need chakra to use her stone to its full potential. Unlike Shirou, she does not rely on it, in fact the first time she has ever drawn chakra was with me.” 

 

“Or maybe it was with me up on top of that mountain overlooking the sunset!” Konohamaru says bitterly as he replays his first kiss with her. 

 

Kakashi glares at him and lashes back unintentionally.

“I believe I have gotten all her most important firsts, Konohamaru, don’t kid yourself.” 

 

His eyes widen and his mouth drops open. 

“You fucker…” 

 

He starts towards Kakashi, but his sudden aggressive movement is quickly put in its place by Hana. She leaps to her feet in a second crouching down low, hissing and growling, warning him not to come any further. 

 

“Gods Konohamaru! Would you stop?… Just stop it! I need to hear this!” Shirou snaps.

 

Kakashi sighs and Kono storms over to a chair to sit down facing away from the group, easing Hana’s defense. Kakashi easily coaxes her back into his lap for more scratches. 

 

With the silence growing between them Shirou demands For Kakashi to finish.

 

He clears his throat.

“So, with the tension growing between the lands at war over Hana, it was their priority to establish themselves in hidden leaf and devise a plan to kill her. However, by then I had already had a conversation with Naruto about it and we had come up with our own plan to counter theirs. With Naruto interfering in everything they had set in place they chose a last resort. To send us out on a mission and hopes we don’t return. Naruto chose us for our abilities and strength. Although, Shirou, you were chosen by our enemy….that brings my full attention to you now.” 

 

Shirou sits up straight, eyeing him up, building a defense in his mind.

 

“It seems like the land of iron has backed down. All of a sudden your name stopped coming up in conversation. Did you know about all of this?” 

 

He shakes his head.

“No, I had no idea.” 

 

“Then what is your purpose here?” Kakashi’s expression turns dark. “And I will remind you that in your physical state right now, you are no match for me. I can end you, depending on the answer you give me.” 

 

Shirou leans his arms over his knees staring at the grooves in the floor planks.

 

“Alright, I’ll tell you. At first we were in league with the land of lightning. But not by choice…we are not ally’s. You see…the land of iron is…well…broke. I know it’s hard to believe, as we don’t look like we are in a billion dollar deficit. But we are. With the land of lightning now being the capitol for wealth due to the increase in electricity consumption in the world, we have been forgotten. Our profits have plummeted, we are on the brink of a recession.” 

 

Now that was a shock to Kakashi. The facade they put on is astonishing. 

 

“We still spend like we’re rich, but we have no money. It’s a fucking joke…anyways….we owed the land of lightning a lot of money. We had…well I had..promised them a ninja that could carry out any mission possible. I offered my sister in return for wealth and prosperity to our land. She was to marry Arufa and become the land of Lightning’s highest ranking assassin with me fighting by her side. But that wasn’t enough, they wanted more. They had one more condition to keep us afloat. We had to sign over the deed to our land, giving up our ownership. They own us now, every part.” 

 

Kakashi blows out a breath.

“So that explains things. We have been watching the land of iron, wondering how a land can dip so low in the stocks and still maintain a high steady income.”

 

“We borrowed a lot of money….as for Hana, I used her to get her back so I could protect her, just like I’ve always done….but when I arrived in hidden leaf village. I found out she already had someone to protect her and I was too late.” His expression saddens. “That being said, I know she is in good hands.” 

 

Shirou looks up at Kakashi and they share a sympathetic moment together. While Konohamaru huffs sarcastically in the corner. 

 

“As for the alliance between the land of water, rain and lightning. We have been deceived just as much as you have…then again what voice do we have? We just sold it! So informing us of any new plans is not necessary.” Shirou states. 

 

Sakura, who now sits comfortably on the floor listening intently, asks.

“Why send us? It can’t possibly be just for our strength and skill. There are other ninja in our arsenal just as good as us.” 

 

Shikamaru surprisingly speaks up.

“I can answer that. We are the closest to Hana making us the first ninja to say yes to the mission. The rest of our clan either fear her or hate her and would probably turn it down. That is another reason why you’re here Shirou, because of how close you are to Hana.” 

 

He hums in understanding. 

 

“So thanks to your false report and intuition, Kakashi. You may have saved us all. But…how did you know Hana would be able to take on the shinobi like she did.” Shirou asks.

 

Kakashi shrugs.

“Honestly I took a risk. My true intention was our first plan. Rubble and ruin protocol. But letting Hana handle the situation if things went sideways was the last option.” 

 

“And how did you know they had been tailing us?” Sakura asks. 

 

He smiles proudly. 

“Well…remember when Hana was calling for me from the resort room Konohamaru had carried her into after the explosion?” 

 

She nods confused.

 

“I was searching the room for something. I had felt a strange energy source coming from under the bed, Shirou felt it too. I found a crystal under her bed with a rune symbol engraved on it. The same rune was engraved on the shinobi leader's necklace. They used a trinket that stores chakra inside of it, an energy  similar to genjutsu. Once activated it releases it onto its target. That is why she had those terrible dreams and blew up her room in her sleep. After comforting her, I went down to talk to the front desk as they were the only ones around in the whole resort when we got there. It seemed strange to only have three staff members working a resort that big. Sure enough after the second conversation I picked up on one of the girls' distant behavior. I used my sweet talking ability to persuade them into giving me their numbers. Only one out of the three refused to give me their number, nailing her as the culprit who had placed the rune under Hana’s bed. Instead the girl gave me souvenirs and a discount on our rooms to divert my attention, which I played along with.” 

 

Shirou begins to laugh.

“So that’s why! You really put Hana through some torture there.” 

 

Kakashi scratches the back of his head feeling entirely ashamed for putting her through all of that. But it was necessary. 

 

“I know…man…she sure can dish out the backlash when she needs to.” Kakashi replies.

 

Sakura laughs quietly to herself.

 

“I hope this clears things up for everyone, sorry I couldn’t keep you all in the loop. But I couldn’t risk our plans being exposed, especially since we were being watched. We have always been one step ahead, although I personally like being five steps ahead, we still did ok. I mean…we’re alive aren’t we?” 

 

“Except for Hana.” Konohamaru pipes up. 

 

Kakashi sighs.

“I’ll get her back, Kono. It’s just going to take some time.” 

 

“I know you will. But I won’t.” He replies sadly while resting his head into his palms.

 

“I’m sorry, Kono. It just happened…It wasn’t my plan to fall for her….”

 

“Whatever….” 

 

Kakashi sighs, defeated by him. He is far too hurt by this to convince him of any remorse and he would be too. He would be devastated if Hana had chosen Konohamaru over himself. 

 

“They’re going to be pretty surprised when we show up in hidden leaf with a fully intact team, and a death panther…” Shikamaru states. 

 

“Yeah….” Sakura agrees. She draws her attention to the big black panther now fast asleep in Kakashi’s lap. “She’s like a kitten around you Kakashi. Did you also know she would react this way to you in this form?” 

 

Kakashi hesitates to answer.

“I….well in all honesty I had no idea.” 

 

Sakura scowls.

“You mean you had no idea if she would eat us or not?” 

 

He sighs and shakes his head.

“It was a fifty-fifty chance. After stopping her in Sunaneko form I knew that there may be a slight chance she wouldn’t harm me in other forms….but yeah I rolled the dice on that one….”

 

Everyone whispers profanities under their breath. 

 

“And she chose not to eat us…” Shikamaru states. 

 

“That’s because they are mates.” Shirou says.

 

“What do you mean by that?” 

 

He laughs.

“Think about it, Kakashi and Hana must have…” Shirou is quickly interrupted by Konohamaru as Kakashi’s cheeks begin to burn.

 

“I don’t want to hear it! So shut up!” He leaps to his feet pushing over his chair and storms out of the inn into the cold air before anyone can say anything else. 

 

The room grows silent as each ninja shares uncomfortable glances. 

 

“He’s really pissed at you.” Shikamaru says to Kakashi.

 

“I know.” He focuses on the purring cat in his lap thinking of all the mistakes he’s made up until now. If he refused Hana and found her another sensei, what would have happened? Where would she be now? 

 

“I have to admit, Kakashi. I’m a little surprised by your relationship…I mean she is half your age. If she wasn’t as hot as she is I would really be confused.” Shikamaru says, making him feel even worse. 

 

Thankfully Sakura speaks up.

“Age doesn’t matter, Shikamaru. They are a perfect match. She keeps him on his toes, and Kakashi grounds her.” 

 

He hums to himself thinking that theory over.

 

“I guess you’re right. Does Naruto know?” Shikamaru asks.

 

Kakashi shakes his head. This is very hard for him to talk about and he fidgets nervously as things get a little too personal for him.

“He knows I have an attraction to her. But has no idea how close we have gotten to each other.” 

 

“Damn this is messy…” he replies.

 

“Look, it doesn’t matter anyways. Hana isn’t here right now and until she is back to her normal human self we should focus on what’s in front of us right now. A wild oversized panther and three angry lands plotting against us….although with Hana’s track record there could be more.” Kakashi ponders the thought further. 

 

Finally Konohamaru returns from his cool off outside. He glances at everyone before heading towards his pack he has set down by the door. 

“Let’s get some sleep, it’s really late and I’d like to get home as soon as possible.” 

 

He crouches down beside his pack and begins to unload his sleeping bag. 

 

“Sleep sounds good to me.” Shirou agrees. 

 

“Alright. I don’t feel it is necessary to check the entire village for any ninja that may be lurking around. Our big cat can most likely hear and smell everything within a mile from here.” Kakashi gently removes the cat off his lap. She grunts half coherent opening one eye to make sure it is still him and slumps her head back down onto the floor. Kakashi pulls his pack towards him, unpacking his own sleeping bag. 

 

“I’m sort of glad she’s here just for that reason. We are heavily protected.” Sakura says as she tucks herself into her sleeping bag. 

 

“Yeah…” Shikamaru agrees. 

 

“Sweet dreams…I guess…” Shirou says quietly. 

 

————————————————

 

Morning came far to quickly…

 

Kakashi wakes to a thick tongue lapping at his hair. He groans.

 

“Stooop.” And pushes the wet toothy mouth away. 

 

She purrs loudly at him and continues her motherly licks, rousing him enough for him to sit up. 

 

“Alright, alright. I’m up.” He runs a hand through his hair smoothing it back, which it easily sets into place from the saliva. Her stomach groans wildly as she sits up looking around the room fixating on Konohamaru who is snoring loudly. 

 

“You’re hungry huh?…” another rumble emanates from her stomach. “Although I would love for you to eat Konohamaru, I don’t think he would taste very good.” 

 

“I heard that!” Konohamaru says, sitting up rubbing his neck. “No one’s eating me today.” 

 

Kakashi chuckles and scratches behind her ears. Wondering what the hell he is going to feed this giant feline. 

 

“How about an arm or a leg, Kono?” 

 

“Pshhh. You wish.” He snarls. 

 

The others begin to rouse from their sleep feeling the pain of sleeping on a floor. Kakashi gathers himself and Hana to take her outside for a pee and maybe to figure out something to eat. It wasn’t what she eats that puzzles him, it is how much she needs to keep her satisfied. 

 

He opens the door to the bright white world outside and squints at the sun's reflection in the snow. He is hit with the cold immediately, stinging any exposed skin. He cringes at the feeling wishing he was home more than ever. 

 

“Alright, kitten. Go do your thing, I'll be over here.” He watches as she bounds through the snow playfully kicking it around. If he hadn’t watched her eat a few humans last night he would almost say she is cute right now. However, the constant flashbacks of her tearing flesh from the neck of a shinobi and swallowing it down whole continues to haunt him. The things she did last night were inhumane on so many levels. He had no idea she could reach that level of brutality. Even though he had heard the rumors, they didn’t quite set in until bodies began to explode all around her. She is…something else…not of this world….something from the deepest parts of the jungle you don’t ever want to find yourself encountering…not alone anyways….

 

———————————————

 

Meanwhile In the land of jungles…

 

You have been running for what seems like an eternity. You had managed to escape the clutch of your cohort instinct and took off into the jungle, losing sight of the pool of water you had met your cohort at. 

 

Huffing and puffing you stumble to a stop to catch your breath. Hands on your knees you swallow some spit to wet your throat, your lungs are burning and so are your legs. Rest is needed right now and you’re pretty sure your cohort had stopped following you some time ago. 

 

You slump onto the jungle floor wishing you had some water close by to quench your thirst. Looking around, you see nothing close by other than thick foliage and tall tropical trees. This place brings back so many memories. Ones you had tried to forget. 

 

At six years old you were dropped off here in this exact jungle to find your instinct. It took you seven months and you were one year older when you finally found your way out. To your benefit it looks like nothing has changed. Even the small clearing you sit in looks familiar. If that is the case then the makeshift home you had built should still be intact and luckily you remember just where to find it. 

 

Follow the sound of the song birds, across the forest of tall trees until you get to the bamboo grove. In the middle of that grove you had built your home. If you can get there you’ll be much safer when nightfall comes. As sleeping on the jungle floor is a bad idea, and who knows if your cohort is still on your tail. As far as you can tell she has backed off, but panthers can be very stealthy. You will have to be on your toes from now on…just like before..

 

You still can’t wrap your head around the fact she had attacked you. Then again, she has wanted to take over your body and mind for quite some time. She now controls you and your stone in the outside world leaving you powerless here. Gods…if only you had mastered some jutsu you may be able to defend yourself if she tries to attack again. 

 

You wonder how it is possible for her to switch in and out between this reality and your own. It must have to do with the mind and the subconscious. The same way you would tap into her using a thought connection. You remember the pool and how it reacted to your chakra when using that said connection.

 

It was then you had an epiphany. The only way out of this is jutsu and chakra. If you can master your wind technique, backed with your Kekkei Genkai you may be able to fight your way out. Or at least get your cohorts attention enough to appear in this world. From there you will use jutsu to beat her and gain dominance over your minds. She will have no choice but to back down. All you need to do is make sure you show her who is the stronger one. She must bow down to you. You know killing her would kill you, so this is the only option you have.

 

With new determination you rise to your feet and begin to draw chakra, just how Kakashi and Naruto have taught you. This time …there will be no more mistakes. Without your stone interfering you can now draw chakra with ease and so you do as you make your way through the thick of the forest….

Chapter 38: Establishing trust

It is almost dusk,

 

Kakashi and his team have made it to the next village in record time using their tree jumping technique. Even panther Hana was able to partake in this, in fact her skills were far more refined than anyone else’s on the team. Her claws make for good traction, and with her nimbleness as a cat she could scale anything faster than any ninja around. She would only go so far ahead, keeping a good distance with Kakashi, following him in closer quarters making sure no one else could. Occasionally snapping at the others if they got too close. This was an issue, a very dangerous issue. If only she could understand him, it would make things so much easier. 

 

Now his team sits around a table sharing dinner and talking amongst each other while Kakashi takes the opportunity to give Hana a bath. Finally washing their enemy off her velvet fur. 

 

“Would you stop squirming and get in! This is exactly what Hana used to do!” Kakashi complains. 

 

He stands soaked from head to toe, fully clothed, trying with all his might to pull her into the bath. This tub is round, inset into the floor, and big enough for ten people. The perfect size for her, yet she refuses to go in. 

 

At first he had waved his hand simply motioning her to step into the bath, once he had finished filling it. She stood fixated on the water, her oversized paws curled over the edge exactly how Hana was positioned when he first brought her to the spring to teach her how to swim. He now knows where she gains her fear of water and it is directly from her cohort. After several minutes of this struggle, with her not budging, he decides to give her a little push. 

 

Well that one push turned into a few pushes and a few more, and more, each growing with more frustration until finally Kakashi picks her up—although not without some difficulty due to her size—and attempts to throw her in. 

 

But that attempt had failed too. Somehow she had managed to slip from his grasp, rear her head, dropping one shoulder at the same time and flip him right into the middle of the steaming water. He stood for quite some time watching her snicker at him through her sharp teeth. It never occurred to him that panthers had the ability to snicker, but it was very obvious they did. That only sparked more determination to get her in the damn bath. 

 

Which brings him to this exact moment. His arms hooked around her in a headlock trying to drag her in while she uses her claws to cling to the wood floor resisting him entirely. 

 

“Damnit…arrrgh….would….you…just…ahh…get…in!” He says, tugging at her, with each word he pulls harder and harder. 

 

Her tail flicks this way and that, occasionally slapping his face if it comes close enough. Until he can’t take it anymore. At his limit, he grabs the tail just before it slaps his cheek and pulls on it hard, earning a loud roar from her. He then rears her around to her backside and drags her in by the tail. She had no time to react, and maybe he will get eaten for this, but goddamn it she is getting in this fucking bath no matter what the cost. 

 

She plunges into the water ass first, flailing her claws in all directions. He thanks his combat skills and reflexes for this part, as he is able to dodge and parry any thrashing limb that comes his way. Finally after five minutes of growling and throwing herself around in the water she calms down. She plunks her ass down into the middle of the tub, and begins to sulk. 

 

Kakashi sighs in relief and sweeps the water from his face with one hand praising the gods for settling her. 

 

“You are a bad kitty!” He scolds, shaking a finger at her. 

 

She grumbles at him, scrunching her nose and shaking her head. 

 

“Now…it is bath time. You are covered in blood and guts! I am going to wash you and brush you and you’re going to like it damn it!” 

 

She fixes her golden eyes on him, watching every move he makes. Grabbing the shampoo and brush from the side of the tub, he returns to her holding them up for her to see. 

 

She looks between the two and grumbles, lowering her head. Her ears flattening out in submission. 

 

“That’s a good girl.” He pulls down his mask with one finger, still hanging onto the brush. He rips the top off the shampoo bottle with his teeth and spits it to the side then pours the contents over her head and body. 

 

She huffs at him, groaning and complaining, that is until he begins to brush out her fur. Those groans quickly turn into purrs and appreciative licks here and there. Making Kakashi chuckle. 

 

“I knew you’d like it. We could have done without the fight you know…” 

 

The more he brushes out her fur the more tinged red the water becomes. With each stroke Kakashi is reminded of a body bursting, or a limb being torn from its socket. All of which he can barely fathom. But that wasn’t what bothers him the most. What bothers him now, is how he has to care for the very thing that took her away from him. A large part of him wants to hold this beast underwater until she stops moving. But that would only result in both their deaths, so he pushes that thought out of his mind and ponders over a solution instead.

 

He finishes her bath by cleaning her teeth. Ridding them of old flesh still stuck in its crevices. It is probably the most disgusting thing he has ever done and Hana better thank him dearly when she gets back. 

 

The panther seems very pleased with her grooming. Her eyes are closed, mouth wide open letting him do whatever he needs to do to clean her up. After this it will be dinner for both of them. He had purchased a lamb from a local. A whole lamb in fact, which wasn’t cheap, and will serve it to her outside while eating his own dinner. There is one plus to this, and that is this death cat’s devotion to him. There is no way she would leave his side, so taking off into the woods at night is not something he has to worry about.

 

He rinses the last bit of soap from her head and pats it gently. 

“There…all done…” He says. 

 

She looks up at him with those golden eyes. Black slits nearly cutting them in half. He searches those eyes for quite some time, looking for any part of Hana left in them. But finds nothing…

 

He’s not sure why he keeps checking for glimpses of her. It is useless and he is only torturing himself. Yet he can’t help it…

“Let’s go get some food, huh?” He says sadly. 

 

She groans at him again and nuzzles into his stomach. He pats her head once more before leaving her to go dry off. He trudges out of the tub, stepping up onto the soaking wood floor with her slinking behind him. 

 

———————————

 

“Hey! She looks and smells a lot better.” Shikamaru says as Kakashi and his beast enter the room. 

 

Laughter follows them once his team sets their eyes on his soggy clothes and dripping strands of hair.

 

“Wow, looks like it was a struggle.” Sakura giggles.

 

Kakashi points a finger at her.

“You shush. I need to get these clothes dried before we leave tomorrow. Anyone got any spares?…I gave mine to Hana…and well…” He shrugs, barely able to finish that sentence. And a quiet moment of sadness circles the room.

 

“I got another pair of pants you can borrow.” Shirou suggests.

 

“Thanks brother.” Kakashi looks around the room settling on the table of empty plates. “Anything left for me?” 

 

Sakura immediately springs to her feet.

“Of course! I saved you two plates.” She hurries over to the kitchenette where two plates sit covered in towels. 

 

“Thanks, Sakura.” 

 

“I’ll get you set up, go put some dry clothes on.” 

 

He nods and makes his way over to Shirou who hands him his pants. His panther, at his heels the entire time. 

 

Shirou watches the big feline approach, noticing her curious gaze fixated on their exchange. She has come quite close to him, which seems a little unusual. Maybe she is gaining trust? She inches forward sniffing the pants as Kakashi takes them up in his hands. 

 

…interesting…

 

Shirou takes a chance at her curiosity and very cautiously reaches a hand out to her. With his palm faced down and hovers it infront of her nose just to see what she will do. Her fierce eyes flick up to him then back down to his hand. She sniffs it, comparing the scents to the pants in Kakashi’s hands, then looks up at Kakashi for something. 

 

Kakashi crouches down beside her and takes Shirou’s hand. Then something clicks with her, she reaches her snout towards them and bumps her nose against Shirou’s hand. The first time she has gotten close to anyone else but Kakashi…

 

Kakashi looks up at Shirou. 

“She’s establishing trust. We should work on this. If she can witness trust between all of us she might accept more people into her pride so to speak.” 

 

“A pride?…kind of like wolves in a pack?” Sakura asks. 

 

“Yes, but for felines of her size it is called a pride. Although panthers are more solitary beasts, we may be able to establish some kind of trust…” kakashi replies. 

 

“Well, that’s promising. It will make things easier for us once we get back to hidden leaf.” Shikamaru states. 

 

“I think we should keep our distance. We don’t want this animal getting used to body snatching and feeling comfortable here. We should make it feel like it isn’t wanted and maybe she will realize her worth and give us Hana back.” Konohamaru says, crossing his arms and scowling at the big feline. 

 

Kakashi considers that theory, however it is far too risky. With her ability to completely destroy a swarm of elite jonin, chewing on their remains, it is in hidden leafs best interest to keep her happy and satisfied. Whatever that may look like. 

 

“That’s too much of a risk, Kono. We need to keep her happy until we can figure out how to get Hana back.”

 

Konohamaru snorts, shaking his head in disgust. 

“She’s a fucking monster….don’t expect me to treat her with any dignity. She deserves a slow and painful death…” 

 

Kakashi sighs and pats the panthers head.

“If she dies, so does Hana.” 

 

Konohamaru doesn’t respond, he only shakes his head cursing every part of this animal. Despite Kakashi and Hana’s relationship, he will do anything to get her back to this reality. Just to see her beautiful face once more, even if he can’t have her the way he wants. 

 

“Go get dressed, Kakashi. Your dinner is getting cold.” Shirou says. “I’ll keep an eye on her.” He places a gentle hand on the side of the feline's cheek. Reluctant at first, the cat finally sinks into his hand letting him scratch behind her ears. 

 

Kakashi watches them for a moment to make sure she isn’t going to pounce on him. Then slips away while she is distracted to get some dry clothes on. 

 

—————————————————

 

He had barely gotten to eat dinner the night before, as panther Hana decided to test his theory of dependence and go on her own hunting trip. Apparently one whole sheep is not enough for a cat her size. She had taken off into the forest to find a pack of wolves which she had devoured seven of before he had reached her. 

 

Her speed was something to remember. If not for his body flicker he would have lost her and would be forced to wait for her return. Who knows what could happen if she is let loose to roam the forest unattended. 

 

Once he had caught up to her, her primal instinct was in full force. He took caution approaching the wild animal as she feasted on canine bodies. Hands held out as usual, stepping forward slowly with no sudden movements. She paused, flicking her ears towards him watching him with golden eyes. A low growl erupting from her throat which he could barely hear through the pounding in his chest. To his surprise, despite her taste for blood, she stood and picked up a body in her jowls, dragging it over to him. She lay it down infront of him as an offer to her mate. 

 

He shook his head and replied with a solid no. But this feline was not about to let him go without eating something. She growled at him and nudged the body closer using her nose. To please her, he knelt before the half eaten carcass and pretended to eat. All the while thinking. 

 

This is going to be a problem….

 

Upon their return, he had forced her into the bath again. This time stripping down as much as possible first. Thankfully she complied to his encouragement and he didn’t have to fight with her too much. After that it was bedtime, and he couldn’t have been more happy to lay his head against a pillow. It was exhausting taking care of a wild beast and once his head rested against the soft cotton he fell asleep. However, he was abruptly woken by Hana pouncing onto the bed, claiming three quarters of it her own. She nestled into his side, just as Hana used to do, and draped her claw ridden paws over his chest and leg. Too tired to shove her off, he accepted it for what it was. 

 

Cuddling with a death panther….

 

And fell asleep.

 

Morning came quickly. Kakashi and his team were on the move bright and early thanks to Konohamaru and his eagerness to get home. They had spent the majority of the day traveling along the beaten path. Familiarizing themselves with the scenery they had passed through days ago…

 

By now they have reached the hot spring resort they had stayed at on the journey to the land of frost. He was advised by Sakura and Shikamaru not to stay the night there as the employees were their enemy. But Kakashi knew trouble would not follow them there and besides he couldn’t wait to see the look on the ladies faces when he walked through the double doors with a man-eating panther beside him. 

 

As he enters the doors to the front desk, every girl at the counter stops to stare at the group of weathered ninja approaching. Kakashi immediately fixates on the girl who had tipped them off days ago. Her face goes pale as his stormy eyes set on hers and she drops an entire basket of towels onto the floor. He grins with satisfaction over her frightened expression and fumble. Just another confirmation of what he already knows. 

 

“Good evening.” He says confidently. 

 

The girls share worried looks then focus in on the black velvet predator slinking in, baring its fangs. It was as if his pet knew what had happened to Hana during their stay and it would make sense. She was attacked in her sleep, in her subconscious mind, just where the panther lay dormant waiting for the opportunity to take control. 

 

“You…you can’t bring p-pets…in here…s-sir…” The girl stutters.

 

Konohamaru begins to tear her a new strip.

“Oh really?! Well this feline doesn’t take no for an answer.” He waves his hand over the panther who hisses and bears her teeth. 

 

All girls back up into the wall of hanging keys and spa products whimpering to themselves. 

 

“And…I thought I would return this to you…” Konohamaru continues, he pulls something from his pocket then throws it onto the counter revealing the rune carved necklace their enemy leader had worn. The same rune that was found on the crystal under Hana’s bed. She stares at it, her hand instinctively covering her mouth. 

 

Kakashi steps forward.

“From the look on your face, you know exactly what that is. You also weren’t expecting to see us again we’re you?” 

 

“I…I don’t know…” She begins.

 

And Kakashi pretends to lose it, knowing that she will fall apart the minute he raises his voice.

“BULLSHIT!…you know exactly what that is!!” 

 

The anger in his tone sparks a fire in his panther and she leaps up onto the counter roaring loudly.

 

And just like that, she comes undone.

“Please!!…I’m sorry…I was just doing as I was told….please don’t eat me!” She shrieks. 

 

Kakashi approaches the counter and places a gentle hand on Hana. She settles down from his touch but doesn’t lower her defense. At a moment's notice she could devour her if he gave her the go ahead. He takes note of that, it would seem she is waiting for that command. Maybe he has more control than he thought….  

 

“What was the purpose of the rune under my teammate's bed?…and don’t give me that I don’t know what you’re talking about bullshit , or I’ll have my new pet here, take over the conversation…”

 

Tears begin to stream down her face as she stares at Hana’s fangs dripping with saliva. Kakashi can tell right away how hungry she is and is surprised by her own control right now. 

 

“It was to mark her….” She replies barely audible.

 

Kakashi holds a hand up to his ear.

“I’m sorry, what was that? Speak up!”

 

She blows out a shaky breath and sucks one back in then replies much louder.

“It was a mark.” 

 

“I see…” Kakashi turns to his fellow nin. “That’s why the necklace was glowing whenever he got close to Hana.” 

 

The girl nods.

“Yes…I’m sorry…if I didn’t mark her they would have…killed me! I had to do it!” 

 

Kakashi turns his attention back to the frightened girls. He points at the two beside his target and flicks his hand.

“You two, go find us rooms to stay in.” 

 

Both girls eagerly comply and hustle out of the room. Kakashi leans an elbow over the counter establishing a comfortable demeanor. He looks her straight in the eyes.

“Lies will not spare your life…” 

 

At that moment Hana lets out a terrifying growl, one that rumbles through your chest giving you shivers down your spine. 

 

The girl whimpers and tries to back up further, but only knocks over everything on shelves behind her. 

“Please don’t hurt me….”

 

“I won’t…” He replies and she sighs in a slight relief. 

 

“But I can’t guarantee my pet won’t have you for dinner.” 

 

Her terrified eyes flick between the two of them and Kakashi smiles.

“Here’s how I see it. You were hired to track us by the land of water…am I correct?” 

 

Her eyes widen in shock. 

 

“Ahhh see? You can lie through your teeth but your eyes tell it all. No need to explain any further.” 

 

“Please! I’m so sorry…” She sobs, her cheeks glistening from her tears. 

 

Kakashi hasn’t always been merciful and he knows it. In fact there was a time in his life where he would have killed the girl and everyone else in this resort without a single thought of it. But times have changed for him, and killing her wont benefit them. She can be useful if he is smart about it. 

 

Before he can say anything else, Sakura places a hand on his wrist. He looks down at her and she shakes her head begging for mercy here. 

 

“Don’t worry Sakura, we are not going to kill her….” 

 

“Thank you, Kakashi.” Sakura says and the girl relaxes.

 

“We are going to use her. People like you can be easily manipulated into almost anything.” Kakashi smiles and throws out a playful wink in a sadistic way.

 

“Whatever you want I’ll do it!…just keep that thing away from me!” She begs.

 

“You’re going to go back to the land of water and tell them their plan has been executed. That the Sunaneko is dead alongside her brother.” Kakashi says.

 

“But the other girls here know…” Shikamaru begins to say.

 

Kakashi holds up a hand.

“That doesn’t matter. You will do this or I will find you and feed you to my pet.” 

 

“Of course! Whatever you want.” She replies. 

 

“Good. I want you to return the necklace to the land of water as well. Tell them Kakashi sends his regards…” 

 

“Kakashi?” Her eyes widen at his name. 

 

“Yes….” 

 

At that, the two girls return, drawing everyone’s attention except for Kakashi’s who remains fixated on his target.

“Excuse me, your rooms are ready.” 

 

Kakashi flicks his hand again flexing his authority.

“Good. Give my team their keys.” 

 

Both girls bow and hurry over to the mess of keys littered across the counter behind the terrified girl. She turns to face them to help find the keys but Kakshi stops her immediately.

 

“Hold on!” 

 

Every girl freezes in place.

 

“I didn’t ask you to move, did i?” 

 

She cringes at her stupidity and turns back around to meet him and his panther. 

“I’m sorry.” 

 

“I’m not done with you yet. Stay put. And you two get those damn keys!” At this point Kakashi is just flexing his control, letting his ego get away with him and Sakura doesn’t hesitate to call him out for it. 

 

“Ok, Kakashi. I think they understand the circumstances here. It is obvious they are not ninjas like us. Just girls who were taken advantage of.” 

 

Kakashi rolls his eyes and the girls hastily agree with Sakura.

 

“Fine. You’re lucky Sakura is so nice. I’ll take my key now…” All girls begin to frantically look for his key, even bumping heads with each other in the process which earns a chuckle from Kakashi. 

 

“Got it!” One girl says and holds it up as if it were the holy grail. She carefully skirts by Hana and hands it over to Kakashi avoiding eye contact. Just as he takes it he reminds them all of who they are and what they are capable of. 

 

“Just so you know…that group of assassins who were pursuing us…were no match for us.” Kakashi smiles kindly. “So no more surprises ok?” 

 

“Of course. Mr, Kakashi..sir…” 

 

Kakashi whistles at his panther to come down off the counter and takes his key heading towards the entrance to the room corridors. His team gathers their bags and takes their keys following him closely.

 

As they enter the hallway leading to their rooms Shikamaru begins to voice his concerns.

“I’m not sure if it is safe to stay here. What if they try to assassinate us in our sleep?” 

 

Kakashi and Shirou laugh loudly.

“Are you kidding? With Hana around?” Shirou asks. 

 

“Shikamaru is right tho…I mean. Kakashi is safe, but what about the rest of us?” Sakura agrees.

 

Kakashi shakes his head.

“I have a plan for this. We are all staying in the same room to keep an eye on each other. The other rooms will be left vacant. We can move mattresses into the main room so everyone is comfortable. No need to be sleeping on the floor in a luxury resort.”

 

And for the first time ever, no one disagrees with that.

 

“I see what you did there. They will have to figure out which room we are staying in.” Shikamaru replies. 

 

“Exactly. But I highly doubt they will make a move.” Kakashi states. “Ahhh, here’s my room.” 

 

He swipes the card over the panel and waits for it to flash green then he pushes the door open. Inside is a large room with a lounge area and kitchen. There is more than enough space to fit everyone once the furniture is moved around. It also comes with two Queen sized beds.

 

“That’s a nice room.” Shirou says, peeking his head in. 

 

“It’s big enough for all of us. I’ll sleep on the floor with Hana.” Kakashi says and walks in. 

 

Shirou pats him on the back.

“That’s mighty nice of you, brother. I’ll take a queen sized bed as I’m still recovering. ” 

 

Sakura giggles.

“Riiight.” 

 

Shirou glances her way smiling slyly.

“I don’t mind sharing either, little lady.” 

 

She blushes and shakes her head ignoring his comment.

 

“She’s a married woman, Shirou!” Konohamaru snaps.

 

“I know, I know, I’m just playin! I’m sure she gets hit on all the time…she can handle herself, Kono.” Shirou lashes back. 

 

“I can handle myself. Thank you for the offer Shirou, although I will take the other bed as I am the lady in the group.” Sakura replies and pushes her way through.

 

“I guess Shikamaru and Kono, are on the floor with me. Let’s get the bed situation settled then order room service. I’m sure everyone here is starving.” Kakashi says and throws down his pack onto the floor by the kitchen. 

 

Everyone agrees to that and gets to work on settling down for the evening.

Chapter 39: Lost connection

Nestled on the floor beside his death panther, Kakashi had fallen asleep almost immediately. He had no other worries except for one. Is Hana ok?  

 

What he would give to see her alive right now. What he would give to touch her, to feel her once more. To smell that scent of lavender and vanilla washing over him as he kisses her soft plush lips. Running his hand through her crimson strands of hair. But that can’t happen…not anytime soon….

 

He isn't one to show his emotions, and has been keeping them at bay for quite some time, but there are moments in his day where he can barely keep a level head. He is on the verge of a breakdown but can’t let it go yet. Not until he is safe in his home out of the watchful eyes of his peers. Kakashi is angry, more so at himself rather than the big asshole cat that took her place beside him. He blames himself for everything. It is his fault, if he had just denied her….then again how could he? 

 

She would have begged for him relentlessly until he cracked, and she did. Too beautiful to turn down, and with that playful tongue she has, he was hooked from the moment she outwitted him the first time. 

 

Now he lies on the floor, with her replacement curled around him. Her large toothy head wafting hot air over his forehead. He looks between her shoulders at the spiraling stone protruding from her chest and places a hand on it. Just to feel the familiar energy Hana used to have. He replays everytime they made love in his head while he slips into his dreams…..

 

The air feels heavy, thick with moisture that bears a viscous warmth to it. A smell of damp earth and decomposing plants fill his nostrils. He breathes in deeply before opening his eyes to a world he has never seen before. 

 

The jungle…

 

He gasps in shock as he sits up to look around. Vibrant green palm trees and foliage surround him, home to fauna he has never seen before. Birds that sing in sweet voices, chirping Melodie’s that are foreign to him. To his right is a deep pool of water, glowing with a bright blue ring on its outer rim. 

 

More confusion sets in as he comes to his feet. 

 

Is he dreaming??….

 

This place seems so real….

 

Hana suddenly comes to mind.

 

Is this where her connection with her cohort resides?…in the land of jungles?

 

His heart picks up its pace as he thinks on this. If this is the vision Hana and the panther have together then how in the hell did he get here?

 

The only thing he can come up with is that he has somehow been influenced by the stone inside the panthers chest, maybe it has connected to his subconscious? If he is truly in the land of jungles then there may be a possibility Hana is here too. 

 

He approaches the pool staring at his reflection rippling in its waters, trying to piece it all together. As he contemplates the thought of Hana being in the same place as he is right this very minute, something in the pool catches his eye. Something gold…

 

He stares at it, watching it flicker in the hot sun that peeks through the breadth of the trees. Quickly he realizes it isn’t just an anomaly created by the water, it is in fact an object. He draws closer to the edge of the pool and crouches down squinting his eyes to see past the transverse waves. Another flicker of light reveals the object. 

 

His heart leaps into his throat and he throws himself into the water tearing after it. Waist deep he reaches down into the water snatching it up in his grasp. 

 

He knows exactly what this is…and it confirms his theories. In his palm, dripping with water and algae, rests the very pendant he had given Hana. He breathes out a shaky breath, sighing in relief that it wasn’t lost in the land of frost. 

 

“Thank you…” He whispers to the gods and secures the necklace around his neck then climbs out of the pool. 

 

Looking around he begins to wonder what to do next. With his newfound hope that Hana is here, what is the next step? 

 

The obvious one is to look for her, but where to start? 

 

He scans the area once again, this time honing in on sounds in the distance. But hears nothing out of the ordinary, although he is not entirely sure what ordinary is in this land. It was time to think back to his Anbu days and training in tracking ninja outside of his own land. 

 

The first step would be to find foot tracks or partial foot tracks. If Hana had started here in this very spot, then he would most likely find something if he looked to the jungle floor. As he scans the area he finds more than just human tracks. Close to the pool there are scrapes and gouges carved into the grassy mud. He looks closer, analyzing what looks like some sort of scuffle amongst two individuals. One being an animal, a large cat, and the other being human, which he assumes to be Hana. 

 

The animal tracks do not seem to leave this area. Yet the human feet fade into the bushes just north of his location. He looks up at the sky to determine the sun's position and where he is according to it. She did in fact run northeast further into the thick of the jungle. 

 

He curses his luck. Why can’t things just be easy…

 

Onwards into the thick of the jungle…

 

Meanwhile….

 

You have found your place of refuge nestled into the middle of the bamboo grove. It took much longer than you had expected and wasn’t an easy journey there as you had encountered more thorny shrubs that scraped at your naked body than you were used to. It must be due to your age and size. When you were here last, you were only six years old. Just a tiny little human. Overly confident and fearless. 

 

Now, you are twice the size and feeling far less confident than before. Being naked doesn’t help any of that. So you decide to make your own clothes to feel more protected in this land. 

 

From what you remember, wild cotton, strips of bark, and a sharp split rock are the tools you would need. It took you quite some time to gather those materials. Luckily you had found enough cotton to make a long loin cloth and halter top. You begin the process of spinning wild cotton. 

 

With your shard of lava rock you had discovered you construct a stand to dread the cotton in long strands. Next is creating twine from the bark you had gathered. 

 

You had successfully made a long loin cloth that covers your front and back. With the leftover strands you had woven a halter top that ties on the neck and around your back. You secured leaves over any holes and painted lines on your face, arms and legs in dark clay for camouflage. In the jungle, it is wise to stay hidden. Especially when hunting food or staying out of any predator's way. 

 

Your stomach begins to rumble as you think of hunting for food. It has been two days since you have eaten something other than ground up insects and berries. You cringe at the thought of eating another squirming six legged beetle. It was time to visit the emerald falls you had stumbled across so many years ago. 

 

A tranquil place of flowing falls, staggered across platforms of emerald stone. You had spent a lot of time there, feeling the energy resonating from its large pool. It wouldn’t be a bad place to practice the use of your chakra either and from what you remember the fish there are large and easy to catch. 

 

Pleased with your next plan you clean up your workshop and grab your makeshift spear. You had found it resting inside your bamboo hutch, leaning up against the wall just where you left it. It was obvious no one else had ventured this far into the jungle since you were here last and who would? 

 

There is nothing here but deadly predators and loneliness. 

 

You grip your spear in your hand reminiscing on the feeling of its weathered shaft and weight. You can’t help but praise your six year old self for constructing such a sturdy weapon. 

 

As you walk out into the grove, you pick up on a strange sound in the distance and swear you hear someone call your name. Then a parrot sweeps by, ruffling a palm to your left and you brush it off as just another bird singing its song. 

 

You highly doubt anyone would be out here, especially someone who knows your name. You step into the wild and are hit with loneliness you had forgotten a long time ago with only one person set in mind….

 

What you would give to be wrapped up in his arms again. To be surrounded by his lovely scent and soothed by his calm and cool voice. You wished he was here with you more than words can explain. 

 

As confident as you are to get out of this place and back to Kakashi, there is a small piece of doubt that festers in the back of your mind. For it was your cohort who got you out of this jungle and back into civilization the first time. Without her, you have no idea where you are in this land and with her taking control, the odds are against you in so many ways.

 

Sadly you sweep the tears from your cheeks and carry on into the thick of the bamboo grove. 

 

—————————————-

 

He had been tracking her footsteps for quite some time. Praising the jungle floor for being so damp and preserving the soles of her feet perfectly. At this point it was obvious she was on the run. Her steps are dug into the soil spread apart in leaps and bounds. He couldn’t imagine what was happening at that time. He is thankful he hasn’t come across any blood, or he may have that breakdown that has been trying so hard to keep buried. 

 

The palm trees seem to be thinning out in the distance which means terrain will change soon and the possibility of more challenges ahead. He pauses for a moment to gather in his surroundings making predictions and analyzing his situation. Just like he always does. That is how he stays five steps ahead, always making those predictions, always thinking of the best and worst situations then coming to a resolve in the middle. He has always been ready for what is to come… that is until he met Hana. 

 

A crimson cat who threw him off his game so badly he nearly knocked himself out with a bottle of shampoo…Baka….

 

He laughs at himself as he replays that event. Kneeled down in prayer, begging the gods to give him some self control and to keep his raging hard on a secret . Her naked body does wild things to him and turns his brain to mush almost instantly. Not only does he turn to mush over the sight of her, that tight little pussy of hers and shocks of stone energy make him dizzy. He is addicted to that high she gives him and can’t get enough. But if he doesn’t stop working himself up like he is, he may have to do something about the restriction growing in his pants….and this isn’t exactly the ideal place to do that in. 

 

So he shifts his focus back to the task at hand. Finding the love of his life lost deep in the land of jungles. If he could find a tree big enough to scale, he could sit atop of it and figure out his location much better than scouring the forest floor. 

 

And just as that thought crosses his mine he notices a large palm shooting up into the sky, much larger than all the rest. Using his chakra and pooling it into his feet, he scales the tree with ease and perches himself at the very top. He looks around at the vast landscape and gasps at its beauty. He has never seen such a mixture of colors in nature before. It is a beautiful land that is for certain. He realizes now that he is near the peak of a cliff side and the terrain slopes down from here. Which isn’t a bad thing. Going up is much harder. 

 

Off in the distance, northeast, he hears the sound of waterfalls echoing into the valley and a heavy mist wafting up above a cliff side. He spends some time watching that mist as he figures out where he is to go next. Then something brings him out of thought instantly. A crack of Thunder absent from lightning, a blast of blue chakra flashes inside the mist. 

 

“Hana….” He whispers and takes off down the cliffs and into the valley in the direction of the falls….

 

————————————————

 

You had made it to your destination, stopping at the edge of the water to bask in its energy and beauty. Several waterfalls spill from staggered sections of emerald rock, giving the illusion of green glitter flashing in the mist like tinsel. You had already taken a dip in the pristine waters. Getting your fill of it and washing out your hair. 

 

Using your water walking technique Kakashi had taught you, fishing came much more easily. You were able to walk into the deeper area of the large pool and spot the much bigger fish. Unlike your prior attempts when you were a child which limited you to the shoreline mostly due to your fear of falling in and drowning….oh how you’ve grown….

 

You had staked your arm sized fish onto your spear and left it standing straight up on the side of the pool in the softer soil. With two of your tasks taken care of you are left with one. 

 

Jutsu practice…..

 

And what better jutsu to practice in this pool than with water release. 

 

Now you stand in the center of the pool, above the water drawing in chakra. It was far more challenging without the use of your stone. Your stone would take some of the power surge from your Kekkei Genkai so your chakra wouldn’t go haywire when triggered. But now, your surges are much worse. Without the split between the two your Kekkei Genkai is only focussed on one energy and once you triggered your chakra, filling up your chakra pools, it exploded from you. Sending out a wave of energy that shook the valley and blinded the area in a blue light. 

 

You kneel down before the falls catching your breath, sweeping the now dry hair from your face. That energy hurt… but nothing like your stone. It was like being zapped by one thousand volts of electricity….and quite honestly you sort of liked the feeling. It made you feel…alive…like the very essence of life had just coarsed through your body…

 

You grin wildly, thinking of how fucking crazy you are. You really are some kind of wild animal…an animal with some messed up kinks…

 

You wonder what Kakashi would think of you if he found out this new secret. Maybe he would play along with it…or maybe that kink would just push things too far… .

 

A rustling in the bushes behind you perks your ears. Although you can barely hear it over the rushing waters it is still distinct. Your ears twitch at the sound and your eyes dart back and forth following the shifts left and right. Something was coming towards you fast. You sit still in your position as you have the upper hand situated in the middle of the pool. Not all predators here can swim well, and the ones that can aren’t as fast as what is coming towards you. 

 

You hear the cracking of footsteps approaching the pool's edge then silence….

 

You wait for the entity to make the first move and you draw in chakra preparing for an attack. But that attack never comes. 

 

Only that same silence lingers on. Then you hear his voice. 

 

“Hana?…” He says. 

 

You lose your breath completely. Slowly you rise to your feet, fearful of what you may see. Fearful that you may just be hallucinating. There is no possible way Kakashi can be here with you in this world….there is just no way…

 

“Hana!” He says much louder, and you tense at the sound. You turn towards him, and set your eyes on his handsome self.

He stands at the edge of the pool staring at you with the same disbelief you have. 

 

Then his eyes sadden, they begin to glisten in the sunlight. He stumbles forward sloshing into the shallow edge of the pool. Before you both can register your movements you are barreling towards each other in desperation. 

 

You beg for this moment to be real and not just a figment of your imagination. You haven’t lost your mind yet…have you? 

 

As you both close the distance he reaches a hand out to you calling your name one more time. 

 

The tips of your fingers touch, washing away your doubts. He is real. He is here. 

 

You push off the water and leap into his arms. Just as his arms wrap around your waist a roar shatters your connection and Kakashi disappears…. just like that…he is gone….

 

And you plunge into the water screaming for him……

Chapter 40: The Crown Rules

He wakes screaming out for you and wrestling against the large feline pinning him to the ground. She has him caged underneath her, teeth bared and claws drawn. 

“Take me back!” He shouts into her face, glaring back at her. 

“Take me back NOW!” He demands.

And she hisses at him not moving. In a rage he slams his palm onto her stone and connects to the energy. She rises off him and lifts a paw, her long black claws unsheathing themselves, then brings it down onto his shoulder digging into his skin. He seeths in pain through his teeth and tries desperately to hang onto the connection. 

But it is to no use. The connection isn’t strong enough to place him back in the land of jungles. Even if he did make it there, that black fucking cat would only pull him out. 

“Kakashi, don’t fight her!” Sakura shouts.

He comes back to reality in that moment, realizing where he is and who is in the room with him. His muscles relax and he lets go of his rage feeling utterly defeated and heart broken. Through huffs of breath he stares at the beast, small tears swelling in his eyes. 

She groans at him, releasing his shoulder, retracting the claws from the tissue. Then she nuzzles her cheek into his neck showing that affection he is growing to hate as each day passes. 

He looks around at his comrades, their eyes are wide and confused. 

“You saw her didn’t you?” Shirou asks, he hovers over him eager for an answer. 

Kakashi shoves the beast off him and comes up onto his knees. He is on the verge of losing control over himself. He wants to destroy everything in this room, he wants to rip it all apart including the panther beside him. But he can’t….he can’t even show an ounce of revenge or hate. Not in front of them….

“Kakashi! Did you see her?” Shirou presses, he places a gentle hand on his back. But Kakashi nudges it off. 

With suppressed anger he replies sharply.
“Yes.” 

Shikamaru’s mouth drops open.
“How is that possible?” He whispers.

“Is she…ok?” Shirou asks.

Kakashi runs his hands through his hair trying to calm himself. 
“She is…surviving…” 

Konohamaru bursts in as frantically as ever.
“We need to get her back!” 

“Obviously!” He replies.

“Then go back in there and get her!” He demands. 

Kakashi suddenly feels that rage again and turns towards Konohamaru clenching his fists, small sparks of electricity sputter out from his grip.
“IF I COULD, THEN I WOULD!” He shouts and everyone takes a step back away from him, including his death panther. 

She hisses at him very obviously in tune with the way he is feeling right now. And everyone pauses feeling the weight of it all. 

They sit in silence waiting for Kakashi to gather himself enough to explain what had just happened. During his sleep objects began to levitate or explode, the energy filled the room which woke everyone up. His team watched him tossing and turning, how he muttered her name at first, then woke up screaming it. 

Shikamaru was the only one to notice the faint glow radiating off the chest of the panther. How Kakashi had placed his hand over the stone and drew its energy in. That stone is somehow reactive to Kakashi. Which isn’t at all common. From what he has read about gelel stones is that the energy can only be harnessed and used by someone who is able to bear its power, and not everyone has that ability. Shikamaru is now putting two and two together, realizing that Kakashi had connected on a far deeper level with the stone than normal. He truly is a unique ninja and always has been. 

“We will get her back, Kashi.” Shikamaru says, trying to comfort him. 

Finally Kakashi speaks up and begins to explain.
“I had connected with the stone. I guess in my subconscious I tapped into it and it took me to the land of jungles. Hana is there….I saw her…” 

Konohamaru scowls.
“Then let’s go there and get her! It can’t be too far from where we are right now!” 

“It’s very far from here…also I don’t think that Hana is even on the same plane as we are.” Shikamaru replies. 

“What do you mean plane?” Sakura asks. If anyone were to figure this out it would be Shikamaru. 

“We’re taking dimensions here. That stone vibrates on a whole other level than this world. With Hana’s Kekkei Genkai combined, she can most definitely skip dimensions. Am I right Shirou?” 

“I have no idea…no one has ever been taken over completely. This must be the outcome of a cohort taking over. But that is also confusing on its own. How is it she had connected with a panther in the land of jungles in the first place if she wasn’t already in that dimension?” He scratches the back of his head thinking deeply. 

And Shikamaru replies.
“It would be the same for you would it not? Weren’t you dropped off somewhere?” 

He shakes his head. 
“No, my cohort was bought for me and Tori’s was her pet already. The others died from their cohorts or didn’t connect with one at all. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t use their stone, just not to its full potential.” 

“So Hana was the only one sent off into a foreign land on her own at the age of six?” Kakashi asks.

“Yeah, it seemed strange to me too.” 
Shirou replies and slumps down on the bed.

“Like I said, that Kekkei Genkai can cause rifts. She probably warped the land of jungles while she was there. She may have even fabricated that existence on her own, dragging her cohort with her.” Shikamaru says, turning a whole new light onto the situation.

“This is all so confusing.” Sakura complains and slumps down on the bed beside Shirou. 

“It doesn’t matter, at least not right now. What matters is that Hana is alive.” Kakashi replies. 

Konohamaru sighs deeply.
“I miss her…. I wish I could have seen her.” 

That brings tears to Kakashi’s eyes. He misses her too, more than anything.
“I’ll get her back!” 

Sakura wipes a tear from her cheek.
“I wish we could help.”

Shirou glances at her and wraps a thick arm around her shoulder for comfort.
“We should get back to Hidden Leaf. I’d like to hear what your hokage says about all of this.” 

“Yeah, Naruto will know something. He’s been dimension jumping for a while now and with Kurama inside him, he may know what to do with this death panther..” Shikamaru replies. 

Sakura removes Shirou’s arm off her shoulders and stands with determination. 
“Let’s get going. We’re almost home. I don't want to waste anymore time. For Hana’s sale, we need to figure this out quickly….” 

Everyone agrees to that and begins to gather their things. 

————————————————-

The next day….

They had traveled all day and into the next morning without stopping. It was exhausting and everyone in the group was starting to feel it. 

Except for Kakashi. He was still spiraling over Hana. The minute he saw the chakra exploding from the water falls as he sat atop of that palm he knew it was her. As he fled towards her, through the thick of the trees and down the rocky cliffs her cohort caught wind of the connection strengthening between them. The closer he got to her, the more aware the panther became of his presents in the land of jungles. Once he had reached the turquoise waterfalls a low growl released into the air, shaking the ground below him. 

He knew he was running out of time….

But time floated away when he set his eyes on her. She stood out in the midsts of the falls with her glistening crimson hair flowing behind her in ribbons. She turned towards him, those aurelian eyes piercing through his heart. He had nothing else to say except to utter her name repeatedly, just to make sure she was real. 

At that point his connection was beginning to falter. He had to reach her to deepen their connection and establish a resistance to the panther. So he sprung towards her as fast as possible. He reached out, grabbing onto her hand and pulling her into him. And just when he thought he had her, he was ripped out of the land of jungles and placed back into his own world with that angry beast pinning him to the ground. 

It was obvious her cohort was angry at their connection and hadn’t expected that to happen….neither did Kakashi. For he knows what it takes to trigger a Gelel Stone, and it isn’t usual for someone to use one so easily. At least not without damaging something in his body. 

It can only mean that he is able to bare a stone himself….He shakes his head in disbelief at the thought of having that much power inside himself. What he could do with it and how he could protect Hana. It is unfortunate there aren’t any more shards of ore left in this world. At least not any that can be found…or he would take one himself just to get her back…

He sighs deeply as he sits, sprawled out on a tree limb with the panther nestled into his lap, thinking hard while taking small bites of his apple. He is trying his best to ignore Konohamaru’s lengthy story of Hana of his surprise date he had taken her on…

He replays the way Hana looked in his mind. The epitome of a wild savage, surviving in the jungle. Clothed by nature, although barely…A freshly caught fish stood to her left speared by a makeshift harpoon. She is not out of her element in that land, she knows exactly what to do to survive there and he couldn’t be more proud of her. He doesn’t worry for her as much as the others…He knows what she is capable of and how adaptable she really is. 

Her survival skills will gain them more time to figure this all out. That is, if this death panther doesn’t destroy too much along the way. 

“And then Kakashi called and wrecked it all…” Konohamaru says bitterly. 

Kakashi rolls his eyes and continues to eat his apple only glancing down at him once. Konohamaru sits leaned up against the adjacent tree mostly talking to himself. The others are barely listening, it is obvious. He feels sorry for him. It is one thing to love someone you have lost, it is another to love someone you never had in the first place. 

Kakashi cherishes his moments with Hana, those moments are what Konohamaru will never experience with her no matter how badly he wants to. 

“Ok, Kono. We get it.” Sakura says, trying to stop the conversation.

It is time to get going, they are almost at hidden leaf gates. They had stopped for a break at the lake where he had first taken Hana, and had sparred with Shirou. Another hour and they will be home….

Kakashi swallows his nerves, and takes the last bite of his apple before tossing it all away into the bushes. He dusts off his hands and stands.
“Storytime is over, let’s get going.”

“Thank god…” Shirou whispers. He can tell Konohamaru rubs him the wrong way. For every time he opens his mouth Shirou either rolls his eyes or cringes. 

“Where are we headed first?” Shikamaru asks kakashi. 

He leaps down from the tree with Panther Hana following behind.
“You are all going home. Shirou and I will talk with Naruto and figure out what to do with our kitty cat. We will regroup tomorrow.” 

Konohamaru begins to protest that immediately.
“Nice try… but I’ll be coming with you. I have a report to write up…” 

As much as Kakashi wants to tell him to piss off, he can’t. He holds a high rank and must finish his reporting, considering the mission class they were sent on….it was worth a shot though….

“Alright.” Kakashi replies and walks by him. He hears a faint huff of satisfaction from Konohamaru but chooses to ignore it for now. The ego with this guy is ridiculous.

—————————————————-

You wake to the sound of the jungle. Everyday you open your eyes to this morning light wishing you were somewhere else. You hate this place…you are also feeling the weight of loneliness bearing down on you with no way to fix it. As a child you would find an animal to play with for a while to keep your sanity. But now you can barely muster up enough effort to eat. 

Depression has hit you hard…

And after watching Kakashi disappear into nothing, you had given up on it all. You are losing your will to survive. Your hope for getting out of here is dwindling…

You stare at the sun peeking through the gaps in the fronds of your hut roof in despair. 

You should get up…

You should look for food….

You should at least drink some water…

But what is the point? 

There is no way out of here. Not unless your cohort willingly gives you back your life. But it would take a miracle for her to do that... 

You turn on your side to let the tears fall over your face, pattering onto the bamboo mattress you had spent hours making. 

This is the first time in your life you have felt so lost and alone you want to curl up and die. At least when you were a child you had your cohort to rely on. There was always someone there to rely on…come to think of it…you haven’t done much of anything on your own. 

You are pathetic….useless even…

Kakashi would be much better without you and the chaos that walks in your shadow. Maybe this is where you belong….

You continuously replay his tight grip around your waist, and the desperation in his voice as he called your name. He loves you so much….and you have no idea why…

Then a vision suddenly hits you like a ton of bricks. 

A vision of his hand glowing in that aura your stone gives off when in use. As his hand reached out to you, you saw it glowing with gelel light and a small spiral imprinted into his palm. You sit up straight forcing your mind to remember the exact formation of the symbol. As it manifests into your thoughts, it reveals the same spiral engraved onto your stone. 

Had he used the stone himself?

If so… then….Kakashi can bare a Gelel stone….

Your eyes widen at that thought. Kakashi, harboring his own stone, being an equal to you in power. The perfect mister and misses, taking on the world together. You begin to wonder if he could connect with his own cohort and what type of animal it would be. 

As a flashback memory of Kakashi using his scroll against Shirou shoots by. The first animal that comes to mind would be something canine. 

Interesting…

The more you think about this the more motivated you become. You begin to wonder if there are any Gelel stones left on the surface of the earth. You highly doubt it. Your father had made sure no one else could get their hands on any more fragments and with Haido dead there is no one else who knows the location of the Gelel ore that was buried deep into the earth so many years ago. 

The only option to gain a stone would be to take it from someone….

Your brother is first to come to mind. But you quickly push that thought away. There is no way you’re going to take his life, let’s face it…you’ve never been able to follow through with killing him in the first place. That brings you to the last Gelel stone survivor….Tori….

If she is half insane already, then it may be a blessing to relieve her from that stone buried into her forehead….although…the chance of her surviving the extraction is not good. If it wasn’t so close to her brain she may have been able to spare a limb or organ. Then again separation from a cohort as well, may have its own price. It has never been done before and only someone with the ability to implant stones could successfully remove one without it causing harm. If only there was a book written still intact…

You do recall the library your father had in his chambers. It held extensive floor to ceiling bookshelves, full of experimental notes. Most written by Haido himself. For those notes are what made the Book of Gelel that was lost upon his death. However…there was one other book your father carried on him at all times. It was placed in his shirt pocket inside a metal container that looked like a cigarette holder. You have only seen that book once, and you were so young it barely stuck in your mind. But you do remember the orange dust colored leather backing and tattered edges. What lies within that book is a mystery, but the way he guarded it is questionable. There must be secrets in that book, secrets that need to be revealed. 

At that moment you snap out of thought and look around at your surroundings and sigh. 

Here you are stuck in this place. And at that you deflate and spiral back down into your depression. Criticizing yourself for your idiotic thoughts.

What makes you think Kakashi would even want to bare a stone….?

What makes you think you could take on Tori so easily? She is still just a child, twelve years old to be exact and you still love her like a sister…she is also a strong stone user. 

“Fuck…” you curse out loud at your situation. 

Now that you have added a plethora of unreachable tasks to your list, you feel even worse. 

Your stomach begins to rumble loudly…almost painfully…if only you could escape this place. You lie there for a few minutes longer until that rumbling in your stomach begins to grow to a point to which you can’t ignore. It was enough to muster up some effort to get something to eat. 

What the hell….you might as well do something instead of lying here feeling sick to your stomach. And maybe..just maybe another idea will come to mind. 

Off to the waterfalls you go….

—————————————-

Hours later Kakashi finds himself in that familiar vibrant colored office, staring at Naruto in not only shock but overwhelming relief…which doesn’t last as long as he wishes… 

They had made it back to Hidden Leaf in record time. However their walk through the streets with their death panther following behind not only brought fear back to the village it also caught the attention of Naruto and the rest of the jonin leaders in no time. 

Immediately he was summoned to Naruto’s office to discuss, in front of the entire group, what to do with panther Hana. 

“So, Hana is lost? And that panther took her place?” Jiraiya asks bitterly. 

Tsunade runs a hand through her hair whispering something under her breath. Most likely something to do with the argument over whether or not they should cage the beast for safety. 

“That’s right.” Kakashi shrugs and replies nonchalantly. 

“You don’t seem concerned.” Iruka says with a fixated glare. 

Shirou huffs.
“Kakashi has her under control.” 

Jiraiya waves his hand over towards the panther who instinctively hisses at him and bares her fangs. 
“That is NOT control! She needs to be locked up. We also need another meeting with the hokage leaders from the other lands. It is their right to know Hana is back here in hidden village and not herself.” 

Everyone seems to agree at that except for Naruto, who sits watching panther Hana with what looks like curiosity. She growls and slumps down onto the floor seemingly bored out of her mind at the argument growing.

Konohamaru steps into the conversation. 
“I agree, this beast should be put into confinement until we can figure out what to do….she is wild. I have seen her tear apart elite jonin with ease.” 

Kakashi cringes at his so-called comrade, for treating the love of his life like this despite the situation. 

“I don’t know if we can cage her. If she is as strong as you say she is in this form then locking her up would only put us in danger.” Tsunade replies. 

“It’s worth a shot. I’m sure if a few jonin used jutsu on her we could get some sedation into her and…” Konohamaru begins only to be stopped by Naruto.

He raises his hand to speak, then says the word Kakashi was hoping someone with authority would say.
“No.” 

Then the room erupts in shocked protest and angry scolding. Voices grow louder and louder until finally Naruto stands.

“ENOUGH!” He shouts quieting the room. 
It has been a long time since he has seen Naruto shout and it doesn’t hesitate to put everyone back in their places.

Once the room has settled, Naruto begins his explanation.
“No cages….i don’t want anymore cages you hear me?….She is not a monster, she is still Hana Hoki to me…damn it! It was hard enough to cage her up the first time, and I won’t do it again! I know what it’s like to be in her situation…I know what it’s like to be an outcast….I won’t put her through that anymore and neither will any of you!” 

He could sense the shame building in the room. The eye opening realization of how they had treated her and everyone in this room, including himself, was guilty of it. For even Kakashi had treated Hana poorly when they had first met. He treated her as if she was a nuisance, a pain in his ass and there were times when he had actually thought that. 

He instinctively grips his vest, holding his aching heart. That breakdown, still lingering on a dangerous level….

Not here….he tells himself. 

Not in front of everyone...

Naruto turns his attention to Konohamaru.
“For someone who is so fond of Hana, you think you would be more sensitive in this situation…” 

Konohamaru scowls.
“There’s more to this situation than you know of, Naruto…”

Naruto raises a brow and Kakashi’s chest begins to throb painfully. He knows what is coming, the great reveal of Hana and his relationship….fuck…

Konohamaru lifts his hand towards Kakashi.
“If Kakashi hadn’t banged his own student, maybe I would be a little softer in this damn situation…” 

All stunned eyes are on him now and he can do nothing but stand there, red faced, heart beating painfully, with lungs that can’t seem to catch enough air. Is this his breakdown? 

No…it couldn't be….

He thought for sure he would be on his knees sobbing like a loser. This…is not what he had expected….

He stares at Naruto who stares right back at him and all of his secrets silently reveal themselves to the room. 

Naruto sighs heavily. 

“So that is how you have earned your trust?” He asks Kakashi.

Kakashi lowers his eyes to the floor unable to look at all of the disapproving eyes suffocating him. 

“I see…” Naruto sits back in his chair and turns towards the window. 

“What the fuck, Kakashi…” Jiraiya whispers. 

Tsunade shakes her head.
“She’s half your age, what the hell is wrong with you!” 

Kakashi blows out a shaky breath feeling the weight of it all. He didn’t intend on falling in love. Hell…that is the last thing he wanted. His life was finally in a perfect balance of contentment with no surprises…and he was getting used to it.

Now, his whole world has been flipped upside down and he has no idea what he did to manifest this….

….but in all honesty…he would do this over and over again despite the pain and embarrassment he feels right now, if it meant spending the rest of his life with her…. The love in his heart for her outweighs the torment he is being put through ten fold. 

It was then Naruto asked everyone to leave the room. Kakashi had barely noticed his company stammering out the door as his thoughts were lost in the why. 

It wasn’t until he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and the concern in his voice where he snapped out of thought. 

“You ok, Kakashi?” Naruto asks, his eyes stiff with worry.

He cringes at the pain in his chest, noticing his blood pressure reaching a dangerous level. Still holding his chest and breathing in hard he replies with effort. 

“Not really…”

Naruto lets out a long sigh and walks back around his desk, slumping down in that canary colored chair. 
“You should probably sit down before you pass out.” 
He waves his hand over the chair situated to Kakashi’s left. 

Kakashi doesn't hesitate to take that seat and try to relax before his heart gives out entirely. He blows out his own breath leaning back in the chair. 

“So…” Naruto begins, but Kakashi stops him before he can finish.

“I know what you’re going to say….and quite frankly I don’t care about her age, or if she’s dangerous or not. So let’s bypass that conversation because it doesn’t matter…” 

Naruto raises his brows before nodding his head in compliance.
“You’re right, it doesn’t matter. I knew all along what was going on. And I’m not here to judge you on your relationships. You do you…”

And finally that pain in his chest eases off and that strange emotional breakdown he was having buries itself back down into the pit of his stomach where it belongs. 

“Thank you.” He replies. 

Naruto leans forward in his chair and flicks his hand in a motion Kakashi assumes to be a motion to come closer. So he does. He scoots his chair so he is sitting directly in front of Naruto and leans forward. 

Naruto lowers his voice to almost a whisper and glances at the door.
“They are listening outside.” 

Kakashi glances at that door and hears a small shuffle against it. 
“Are they not supposed to hear?” 

“Not this part…” 

He held a hint of mischief in his expression, something Kakashi hasn’t seen in a long time and boy did he miss it. 

“While you were gone I had an interesting conversation with the land of iron.” Naruto says.

Now that is intriguing. 

“So you know about their debt and how it was paid off? 

He nods.
“Yeah…how did you find out?” 

Kakashi smirks at that question for if there is anyone who can dig up dirt on a land it is him. Not like he is a gossip king, he just knows how to ask the right questions in the right way to get the information needed. 

“I put Shirou on the spot. He had no other choice but to tell me everything he knows.” Kakashi replies feeling smug.

“Well played…did he tell you about the girl with the Gelel stone they found?” 

Kakashi double takes at that question. 
“They found Tori?” He says far too loudly. 

“Shhhhh…” 

Kakashi curses himself and apologizes.

“So you do know….They are holding her in cells under sedation for now. Apparently she’s a pretty strong stone user. I mean…not as strong as Hana. But could hold her own if you know what I mean…” Naruto turns his focus to the Panther lying on her side snoring beside him. 

“Is it Tori?” Kakashi asks, remembering what Shirou and Hana had told him about her…and it wasn’t much.

“That is her name, yes….” 

Kakashi hums over it. 
“What do they have planned for her?” 

Naruto sighs….this can’t be good.

“Well…Arufa will use her to win over Hana.” 

Kakashi curses loudly.

“I am not happy with it either. But we must join forces with them. It is the only way to stop this. We have the strongest ninja in all the lands and combining that strength with gelel stone users…we would be invincible. The land of lighting and their Allie’s plotting against us will have no choice but to back down and if they don’t they will fall…”
Naruto replies with intensity. 

“And what if they want war?” Kakashi asks, as this is a huge probability.

Naruto nods.
“They won’t…to save face…they will back down. With the land of iron joined together by the hands of Arufa and Hana, their contract with the land of lightning becomes void. The deed for the land of iron goes back to its original owner as this is the code of royal unity. A communion through marriage between two lands will override the contract they had set in place as the crown still rules in some aspects. This will save the land of iron and also bring them out of debt…it will also join our lands together.” 

Kakashi’s scowls at the thought of Arufa and Hana marrying….it makes his stomach turn. It is supposed to be him. He is the one to make her his….why are the odds so against him? 

He clenched his fists as that breakdown begins to make its appearance again. 

“I’m sorry Kakashi.”

“You think something as simple as a reputation will prevent a war?” Kakashi asks, barely holding back his anger.

Naruto nods.
“The wedding will be the most widespread story in their history…as no royal in the land of iron has ever married an orphaned assassin. It has always been a bond through royal blood lines. This will be a shock to the world. As long as we play it right and make it look like the most beautiful love story anyone has ever seen, people will support their marriage and the land of lightning will be judged by the world if they try anything…we just need Hana to be on board with it.”

Kakashi huffs at that. He doubts Hana will accept any of this. It will be hard to convince her to play a game this detrimental to their relationship. All he can do is try…

This is the second worst thing that has ever happened to him. The first was losing Hana to her cohort, now he is about to lose her to another man…fuck…the thought of his girl standing beside a man who tried to take her away thr first time using genjutsu and drugs brings tears to his eyes.

There is a long silence between the two shinobi before Naruto explains further.
“I….I tried to spare your feelings Kakashi…I really did….I warned you to not get attached…”

He looks up at Naruto.
“You knew about this all along and didn’t tell me?” 

He shakes his head pain stricken.
“Not exactly. I had a hunch…But Kakashi… I have had to do things lately that go against my own morals just to save this village from political destruction….I hate the politics so much! I hate having to put this stupid facade on when certain people are around…I’m sorry if it has hurt you or anyone else. But I have done what was needed to get us to this point.”

Kakashi growls at him. It was then a tear hit the wooden table and he realizes he is crying. 
“She’s a part of my clan now…” He barely chokes out those words, reminiscing on the way she looked, standing on the lake with ribbons in her hair holding his clan pendant. 

Naruto’s brows furrow and he pauses for a moment to watch Kakashi. 
“You know….I can see why you fell for her so quickly…she really is beautiful….tell me, would you give up everything for her?” 

Kakashi wipes the wet from his cheek and thinks on this. It was the first time he has actually put thought into it rather than acting on instinct. He would in fact give up this life for a life with her. There is no doubt about it…not anymore.

He looks up at Naruto and with intensity he replies.
“Yes.” 

And a loving smile grows on Naruto. 
“Alright….it’s going to make things more complicated but I think we can devise a plan to get her out of this once the game has been played. “

And that sparks a bit of hope for Kakashi. He blows out a shaky breath in relief. Thankful that Naruto didn’t ask him to give her up again. 

“Thank you…”

“Hey, you deserve this. For all you’ve done, you deserve to be happy. Are you sure you can play this out though?” 

He huffs with determination.
“I will do whatever it takes. Even if it means watching her with someone else for a while….” 

“It won’t be for too long. But we will be saving an entire land. We are also gaining an army of samurai…how cool is that!” Naruto replies optimistically.

Kakashi nods sadly, not feeling his enthusiasm at all. This is going to be one of the hardest things he has ever had to go through. You think with his traumatic past he would be able to handle something like this without a problem…then again…he has never been in love like this before.

“We are running out of time though…” Naruto states and looks over at panther Hana who is grotesquely licking herself. “Let’s talk about what happened to Hana on the mission…”

Kakashi looks down at her and begins his gruesome explanation….

——————————————-

 

 

 

Chapter 41: Body flicker

Three days later in the land of jungles…

You had spent the last few days grumbling over your sad situation and today is no different. You had still managed to feed yourself some hearty meals of fish on a stick which resembled nothing like the freezer packed fish sticks you find at the grocery store. You would give almost anything for one of those petite breaded fishies, oven cooked and covered in ketchup…and you hate ketchup…come to think of it a burrito would be even better….

Today, after filling up on fish and berries, you went for a swim then mustered up the motivation to practice more jutsu. You thought back on everything Kakashi had taught you and the techniques you have read about. There were some pretty interesting combinations you could possibly perform… if “Kekkei Karen” doesn’t decide to make an ugly appearance. Yet the only jutsu you could think of at that moment was body flicker. The other option was that sexy jutsu Kakashi has used on Shirou, which for some stupid reason your mind had subconsciously memorized. 

You really are wacky sometimes….

So you try out the white puffy cloud thing where you appear in different places in hope that maybe you’ll appear in Kakashi’s living room….you’ll even take Naruto’s blindingly colorful office right now…you don’t care. Anywhere but here.

Well your first attempt at body flicker landed you in the middle of a snake pit. You stood looking down at hundreds of poisonous slithering pit vipers who were not impressed at your appearance. But before they could make a move you quickly drew chakra, and performed your hand sign to get the hell out of there. 

However without putting forth the intent of location you were literally throwing yourself anywhere and any place. For the next body flicker had you falling from the sky. Without use of your stone and its power to soften landings, you hit the trees hard…. There is now a tree out there in the jungle with no limbs attached, and that is your fault….

After you woke from your concussion you stumbled back to your hut. Thankfully it wasn’t far and you didn’t jostle your memory too much in that fall. 

Now you lie on your bamboo mat, beaten and torn. Bleeding from many cuts and gashes…

“Stupid Kekkei Genkai…” you mutter to yourself. 

If it weren’t for the power surges you probably wouldn’t body flicker so far out of range. You were lucky to only come out with a few cuts and bruises and a sprained shoulder. It would seem you have gotten good at falling over the years. Clumsiness has got you trained, the only advantage to being a walking disaster. 

It was then something pulled you from your thoughts. In the fading light you notice a rustle in the bamboo fronds in the distance. It is familiar to you in some way but you can’t place what it is. 

You tear your eyes away from the slats of bamboo on your hut roof and turn your head towards the sound. It is hard to see in this light and something always knew to pay you a visit at this time. 

“What now?” You complain as you cautiously come to your feet, grabbing for your spear at the same time. It was then you realized you left it at the waterfalls. It was your only weapon to defend yourself aside from explosive jutsu…which only seems to affect you….

Baka….

How could you be so stupid…maybe you hit your head harder than you thought…?

The rustling grows much louder and more join it, circling you. You are surrounded….perfect….

A small yip and whine to your left and a low growl to your right. You crouch down feeling cornered and begin to gather chakra. This isn’t good…

Listening to the sounds of the creatures lurking behind the thick bamboo trunks in the shadows, you have come to the conclusion that a pack of black hyenas are circling you. They have claimed you as prey and won’t hesitate to tear you apart. If only you didn’t just suffer a bad fall, if only you had your stone’s power with you. It was most likely the scent of your blood that caught their attention. 

This may be it for you….

Reflective orbs pierce through the breadth of the trees, flickering as they blink. If not for the cracking of dried leaves beneath their feet and the heavy panting you wouldn’t be able to know where they are. And as the sun sets below the horizon the canines become invisible.

You back up further into your hut creating less chance of a flank from behind you. With survival instinct kicking in you devise your plan of escape. It would be too risky to fight them all off and from the sound of their footsteps you are outnumbered by at least twenty. With your shoulder sprain and your body healing from your wounds you are an easy target for them. Even if you run they will follow your scent. The only place you will find salvation in is water. From what you’ve witnessed when you were here last, Hyenas don’t swim, at least not very well and with your water jutsu you may have a chance at fending them off…

Suddenly your thoughts are cut short by the shriek of a hyena. Reflective eyes appear ahead of you closing in fast. You curse the sunlight and the canine's charcoal fur. 

Fists up…

And the fight is on. 

It lunges at you with speed you can barely keep up with. Without your stone you are just an ordinary girl taking on a pack of wild animals. You dodge its snapping jaws and push it to the side with effort. It smashes into the back wall of your hut breaking a few of the bamboo slats. In the motion you stumble backwards and fall onto your ass scrambling to get back up as that first beast is rearing its head towards you ready for another attack. Three others join it, leaping at you. 

You need to get out of here now…but how? 

The only thing that comes to mind in the few seconds you have is body flicker. However there is not enough time in your rough state to perform it without the four hyena reaching you. So you analyze your situation, pinpoint any escape routes and scenarios. Just as you were taught, and find a gap between them. The three bound towards you just as the first hyena takes a bite at your leg. You leap to your feet and slam a hard fist into its nose. It yelps and cowers, backing up while shaking its head. You take this opportunity to run forward in two long strides. Leaning back, you slide on the tops of your feet, ignoring the forest floor scraping at your flesh, and duck under the three dodging them completely. They crash into each other in a mess, nipping and biting at one another while destroying half of your hut.

There is no time to regain yourself as the rest are closing in. Instinctively you look back at your hut realizing you need height. The only way out is up. But you still need more time to perform body flicker. 

Just when that thought crosses your mind two hyena lunge towards your legs barking and snapping their jaws. One successfully sinking its teeth into your calf while you pummel the other with heavy fists. You pull your leg away ripping the muscle but freeing it from its jaws. Clenching your teeth through the pain, you round house kick the beast knocking it unconscious….

With that free moment you make your get away. In swift movements you jump up onto the remains of your hut gaining the higher ground. The Hyena stop in their tracks watching you, unable to reach you. They circle your hut snarling and growling, most likely devising their own plan to get you down from there. It is time for some jutsu. Ignoring the slow snapping of bamboo below your feet, you slam your palms together and begin to draw chakra. As quickly as possible you perform your body flicker in record time, this time focussing on your intention. 
The waterfalls…

However, “Kekkei Karen” kicks in hard. Your Kekkei Genkai explodes from your body absorbing the entire area ten feet wide. 

“Shit!” You curse loudly. 

As you not only body flickered yourself, but you had taken every single life form that was surrounding you with you. 

Everything hovering in the air plunged into the water. The Hyena shrieked and whined as they tried desperately to make it to shore before drowning. Anything else either sunk to the pool floor or slithered away through the water leaving you alone to breach the surface. 

You come up for air just as Kakashi had taught you and begin to draw chakra….however…that last body flicker had taken a substantial amount of energy to produce thanks to your power surges. At this point the only chakra you can muster is enough to pool into your feet to keep you standing above water. So you do just that. You pool it into your feet and hands then climb out of the water. As you come to your feet you really take in your situation. 

Looking around at the now moonlit falls. You count the flashing eyes staring wildly at you on the shoreline. 

One…two…three…four…five…six…

You curse out loud at the number seventeen…a number that you cannot handle by yourself. But there is no one else out here to help you. No one else is around to hear your screams. You have never felt so alone, just a single person in this deadly jungle. 

 In this stand off of Hunter and prey, the only sounds are shallow breaths and subtle whines. You feel trickles of blood seep down your forehead coating half your face in crimson red. Every open wound pours blood tantalizing your predators. Each growing more confident as the seconds go by. Some draw closer, coming up to their chests in the water, while the others hype themselves up with yips and shivering cackles. 

They know they have won, and once your chakra runs out, they will have you. You will be forced to the shore, or drown. 

You begin to plead for your salvation…

“Please! Let me live, please!” You ask. 

“I’m not ready to die yet!” 

“Please…” your last word is just a whisper. 

Your cries only seem to stir their hunger and they grow louder and louder.

You drop your arms to your sides in defeat and prepare yourself for your last hours of life. You will start with giving thanks to your gods first...seems like the proper thing to do before you die…right?…

To my god Izanagi, the creator. You sir….are a real big asshole, and need to re-evaluate your mental health. As this life you made for me is really fucked up….god bless…

To my goddess Izanami, I don’t know what you were thinking either….you have some nerve creating someone as accident prone as me. I’m pretty sure you did this on purpose…I don’t know what kind of game you are playing but you need help….god bless….

You stop yourself there, even though you have a ton of gods to scold, this probably isn’t good karma. It is not like anything good will happen in this situation, but you would rather not make your death worse than what you know is already coming. You have little time left in this world. Each and every cackling hyena is fully aware….

It was then the pain in your calf became excruciating. You struggle to maintain your balance on the water but end up pooling chakra into your bottom half so you can sit down. You hold a hand over the wound cursing everyone and everything. 

You wonder if you’ll make it to see the sunlight one more time. Or if your chakra will give out before then. All you can do is hold out until the morning, maybe they will lose interest….

——————————————————

Naruto bursts through the front door calling out.

“Kakashi! I did it!” 

He stomps his dirt covered boots over the floors on a direct route to his bedroom. 

“Kakashi! Did you hear me?” 

But Kakashi did not. Currently is passed out cold after wrestling with panther all night to keep her from devouring the cat outside. All it took was one white fluffy tail flickering by the window for that damned panther to destroy his room trying to get outside to eat it. 

Well that stupid cat kept walking by the window teasing her consistently, which almost sent her tearing through the damn wall. Then something strange happened…. Wounds began appearing over her body, she would groan and pant, walking around sluggishly. Something was seriously wrong and all signs point to Hana. For if her cohort is injured that means she is. 

With fear in his heart he had spent the rest of the evening trying to fix every new forming wound until she collapsed in his arms. They lied on the floor together while he caressed her head pretending he was consoling Hana until he fell asleep utterly exhausted.

Naruto rounds the corner to his room and whips open the door to find his disarray. He lies propped up against a cracked wall with the panther resting in his lap. His room is in ruins, with nearly everything knocked over or broken. But that isn’t what shocked him the most, it was the blood. 

“Kakashi!” 

He rushes to his side and begins to shake him awake not caring if the panther takes offense and decides to attack.

“Hey! Wake up! No sleeping on the job!” He says with panic in his voice. 

Kakashi groans and opens one eye to look up at him.
“Oh hey, Naruto.” 

Naruto blows out a breath in relief.
“Hey buddy. You alright?” 

He nods as he looks around the room, remembering the exhausting night. 

“I am…making it….I guess…” He replies.

Naruto’s brows furrow.
“Barely…did you end up having that heart attack?” 

Finally a small chuckle lightens the room.
“Nah, man….well…maybe…but probably not. I think I’m just tired.” 

Naruto pats his shoulder.
“It’s been a long three days.” 

“You mean two months…” Kakashi finally brings his attention back to Naruto after analyzing the damage in the room. 

Naruto doesn’t respond, but he completely understands. 

“What are you doing here so early? Is it morning already?” Kakashi asks.

Naruto glances down at the panther, noticing bandages and blood seeping from them.
“I found her, Kakashi.” 

His eyes widen, he instinctively latches onto his jacket and pulls him closer.
“Where?!” He asks with intensity. 

“I found her deep in the jungles….well…sort of… but, Kakashi. What’s wrong with the panther?” 

He blinks twice, registering his question and looks down at her. 
“I don’t know. Something isn't right, I think it has to do with Hana.” 

And a daunting realization hits Naruto. He pulls away from Kakashi and slumps down beside him. 
“That would explain the broken refuge I found and the blood on the forest floor.” 

Kakashi stares at him, in shock over the word blood.
“So... you didn’t find her?” He can barely ask, unsure if he can handle what is coming next.

“Not exactly. I stumbled across what I assume are her footsteps. I mean who else would they belong to? They stopped in the middle of a bamboo forest, and that’s where I found a small broken hut…there was an attack, but nothing left the area. It was like everything just…disappeared…” 

“Are you sure it’s her?” 

“Yeah.” 

“How do you know?” Kakashi presses. 

“Well…this….” He pulls from his pocket several strands of crimson hair…her hair. 

Kakashi snatches it from his hand and holds it up just to see it again. Just to feel it one more time. 

“It’s her….But where she is now?…I have no idea.” 

Kakashi leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes thinking. 
“She’s hurt, Naruto…”

“I can go back in….” He replies.

“When?” 

“Now…I mean…” He checks his watch. “It’s barely morning. When I left the land of jungles it was dark out. If our times are in sync, then I haven’t been gone for very long….what I’m trying to say is I think we still have time to find her. Before anything else happens...”

“We don’t even know what happened.” Kakashi replies skeptically.

“I know…”

“Then again, our Panther wouldn’t be alive right now if Hana wasn’t.” He looks over at his friend and shares a sympathetic moment together.

“I’ll find her, Kakashi. But you know I can’t bring her back unless this cat comes with me.” 

Kakashi curses out loud.

“Then I’m going with you!” 

Naruto looks him up and down then shakes his head.
“Like that?…I don’t think so. You won’t be able to maintain the connection as tired as you are. This shit takes a lot out of you, and besides that cat may just boot you out anyways. But she can’t touch me…I have my own way in.” He replies with a confident smirk.

Kakashi sighs heavily, he has a point. With his energy levels the way they are right now, making the trip to the land of jungles using the stone could do more harm than good. He needs to be in top shape for when she gets back. He needs to be his best…for her…

“Alright…do what you need to do to get the Panther there. Even if you have to blow up the place to get her attention… I don’t care.” Kakashi replies. 

“I’m going in then. This may take a while…so uhhh….maybe have another nap or something.” 

Kakashi rolls his eyes.
“Pshhhh….”

He watches Naruto position himself in a criss-cross fashion, pressing his hands together. A small surge of chakra erupts around him and his spirit combines with the spirit of kurama in an explosion of transparent orange light. Then Naruto slips into a deep meditative state. 

—————————————————

 

 

Chapter 42: Castling

He lands in the exact spot he left hours before. The broken hut has now fallen over completely making his heart sink even further. 

 

This is a complicated situation then again…jumping dimensions always is. There is always danger in wandering through unknown territory. But he will find her, no matter what it takes. 

 

He crouches down at a set of paw prints perfectly outlined by the fading moonlight. As he examines them he hears high pitched howls and cackles in the distance. Now…he has never encountered a hyena before, but thanks to the discovery channel, he is able to distinguish their barks and howls from anything else out here. He is also able to hone in on their direction. He listens carefully to the sounds….

 

Then suddenly her voice echoes through the trees, picked up by a small breeze. He can’t quite make out what she is saying but can recognize her voice anywhere. 

 

She has a smoothness to her voice that most likely comes from practiced vocals and her accent. He begins to think about that tongue of hers and how brash she can be.

 

He wishes Kakashi had chosen someone else. It would have made this whole mess so much easier. Now he has to devise a larger plan over top of his original plan just to save his friend's heart. And he will do it, because that is how much Kakashi means to him. He will betray the crown despite the consequences, he just needs to be smart about it. Then again…he may not have to do anything, as Kakashi is just as strategic as he is…in fact he is even better. He will most likely have a secondary option for Hana by the time he gets her back into the real world. Because that is just who he is…he is also not one to reveal anything unless he needs to and as of right now, he has no obligations.

 

In time he will be tasked with a duty by Naruto himself. But it won’t be until Hana is back in hidden leaf and committed to joining with the land of iron. Only then will Kakashi be given his own contract. Something Naruto is terrified to ask of him. 

 

Another cackle rings through the air, snapping Naruto out of his fears and in seconds he is leaping through trees following the sounds of her chaos in the distance.

 

————————————————

 

It is almost dawn…You sit in the same position losing chakra every minute. 

 

By now your cuts and wounds have dried, but some still need stitches. It is too bad you don’t know any healing jutsu to help you out and curse yourself for not getting to that chapter before this mess. But…you don’t really have the chakra for it anyways. 

 

Another hyena takes a step forward into the water and you roll your eyes wondering why it even bothers. It’s not like it will take a chance at a swim. 

 

With the sun rising, creating a velvety blue sky in the distance you can’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. That you in fact did hold your chakra long enough to see the sun one last time. It brings tears to your eyes thinking of how far you have come. To think you knew nothing about jutsu and chakra development only months ago, to know how to hold onto it for hours and hours is…well…pretty badass if you say so yourself. 

 

You thank Kakashi in your mind for everything he has ever done for you. You also thank your polka dot panties for sealing the deal with your sexy sensei. 

 

That thought makes you laugh out loud. 

 

He probably has a drawer full of your panties….

 

In your thoughts you hadn’t noticed the orange reflection, flickering off the water behind you. Or how anxious the hyenas have become. Then a voice startles you enough to leap to your feet. 

 

A voice you wished was someone else’s but are so relieved to hear all at the same time. 

 

“Hey Hana! How you doing?” 

 

Barely standing you turn around to meet his insufferable toothy grin, in shock, as this is the last person you thought who would show up to rescue you. You in fact thought no one was going to show up, you had even picked out a new reincarnation for your poor soul. You had a plan to become a rock in your new life. Nothing happens to rocks, they sit on the ground with no expectations, no special abilities, and no chaos. It sounded so peaceful….

 

His toothy grin quickly fades as he looks upon your bloody and beaten body in the brightening light. 

 

“Naruto?” You ask in disbelief and stumble forward almost losing part of your stability on the water.

 

He proudly places his hands on his hips and performs his trademark perfectly.

“Believe it!” He says, then follows up with a wink.

 

Instinctively you begin to scold him, because that is just what you do.

“Oh don’t start that shit! And did you just ask me how I’m doing?” You ask with a substantial amount of tone.

 

He scratches the back of his head.

“Well not real…”

 

You wave your hands over your bloody body interrupting him.

“How does it look like I’m doing, Naruto?” 

 

“Ahhh..well….not so good…”

Then he says the words you have been so desperate to grasp yourself. 

“Let’s get you out of here ok?!”

 

He opens his arms wide and closes the distance. Once he comes within arms length you latch onto his shoulders and he lifts you up off the water, sweeping you off your feet… literally . With one last look at the mess you put yourself into, he leaps into the trees above, gliding through them as if they weren’t even there. Like some sort of an orange colored angel….

 

He bounds through the trees babbling on about how he had gotten into your world along with the complexities of dimension jumping. You can’t help but gaze up at him with an overwhelming ache in your heart. You have never appreciated Naruto so much. Just the thought of his generosity and how he had just saved your life brings tears to your eyes. You hook your arm tighter around his neck making him pause his story. He feels so nice, so familiar, and he doesn’t smell half bad. This is nothing compared to Kakashi, but it is the first full human contact you have had since arriving here in this hell hole. You need this….you just need to feel someone….anyone…

 

You run your thumb over his cheek praising him quietly. That affection stops him completely. He lands on a plateau overlooking the jungle, staring down at you questionably. 

 

“Hana….” He says quietly, noticeably unsure of your strange affection. 

 

As you gaze upon your savior, with sopping wet eyes you come to realize that Naruto really is a good man, with a huge heart. That almost everything he has done in the last few months was for you or for Kakashi. You run your fingers through his hair making his cheeks burn red hot, causing his whisker-like markings to deepen in color. You can feel his heart racing against you. 

He swallows hard as your hand makes it to the back of his neck. You pet him like you have done with Kakashi, but with an entirely different meaning. He hums nervously, his skin shivering at your touches.

“Hana…I’m….not sure about this….” He begins.

 

And you pull him closer for a crushing hug before he can say anything more about it. You lock your arms around his neck and sob into his shoulder thanking him over and over. Telling him you're sorry for everything you have ever done to cause him problems. 

 

“Forgive me…” You beg. 

 

He sighs into you.

“Jeez, Hana…I thought for a second…, you may have fallen in love with me.” 

 

And that comment makes you burst out laughing.

 

He smiles against your cheek chuckling to himself.

“I mean, it’s happened before. I have that effect on women you know…it’s one of my flaws.” 

 

You push him away laughing hysterically while hanging onto his biceps. 

“You mean a lot to me, Naruto, but my love is for Kakashi and Kakashi only.” 

 

His eyes sweep over your features.

“I know that…I’m just messin around….let’s get you healed up, you’re way too pretty to look this savage.” 

 

Your eyes grow wide at that remark. That is the first time he has actually complimented you and it makes you fall apart all over again. 

 

He sighs again. 

“….you’re such a mess right now, Hana.” 

 

He removes you from his arms and takes off his hokage coat then lays it out on the ground. 

“You’ll want to be lying down for this. It’s much more comfortable.” 

 

You happily scurry your tired ass over and lay back. It is not as comfortable as you like but it does bring you a ton of relief. Once you are in position Naruto appears over you, grinning from cheek to cheek. He claps his hands together and begins to rub them for friction. 

“You’re going to feel one hundred percent.” 

 

“Good…I thought for sure I was going to die out there.” You laugh. 

 

But Naruto doesn’t share your humor in that comment.

“You will not die today. There is so much more in store for Hana Hoki than getting eaten alive by hyenas. People are counting on you…a lot of people.” 

 

You scowl up at him questionably.

 

“What do you mean by that?” 

 

He shakes his head and shushes you, ignoring your question completely.

“No more talking. I need to focus.”

 

You take note of his comment about the amount of people counting on you. How many people are we talking about? And for what? What could anyone possibly need you for?….

 

This just brings up a ton more questions and confusion to your encounter with Naruto. Then his soothing energy washes over you as he places his hands on your heart chakra and solar plexus. It was so relaxing you fell asleep almost immediately. 

 

————————————————-

 

You wake hours later to the smell of something barbecuing. It was so delicious you sat upright, drooling from the mouth, asking for a plate. 

 

“Good evening, Hana.” Naruto says happily. 

 

Your eyes flick over to his more relaxed figure, leaned up against a tree. His one knee is propping up an arm, in his other hand he has the drumstick from what looks like a chicken. Gnawing on the remnants, he asks. 

 

“How are you feeling?” 

 

You sweep your hair to the side, feeling the crusted blood and dirt caked into it. 

“I need a shower.” 

 

Naruto laughs.

“Yeah you do….here have something to eat, it will help with your strength.” He hands you a large drum stick to chew on.

 

You take a bite and savor it.

“Mmmm….where did you find chicken?.” You ask with a mouthful.

 

He shrugs.

“There’s a bunch of quail running around here. It was fun catching them.” 

 

You raise your brows and shake your head, picturing Naruto running around the jungle on all fours catching quail. 

“Not as fun as fishing though.” You reply to which he agrees completely. 

 

“I have a question.” He says as he throws the bones into the blazing fire.

 

“What’s that?” 

 

“I know this is typical of you…but I’m still curious…” 

 

You roll your eyes at his presumptiveness.

Here we go….

 

“The hyenas….what were you thinking?” 

 

And he’s back to being that dumb pineapple head in no time.

You finish your chicken and throw the bones into the fire then brush off your hands, preparing to explain.

 

“First of all…I did not instigate that encounter. Second of all, why do you always think I’m the cause of every problem?” 

 

He shrugs again.

“Chaos seems to follow you everywhere, that's all.” 

 

You roll your eyes.

“Well…it’s not like I ask it to. I would rather be living a peaceful life, on a small acreage with a family….”

 

He tsks.

“Don’t be so sure about that. It can get pretty boring…” 

 

You scoff back at him and reply jokingly. 

“You’re starting to sound jealous of my chaos.” 

 

“Maybe I am…” 

 

Curious…..

 

“Really?” 

 

He huffs out a breath and looks up at the sky. 

“You know…there were times when chaos used to follow me around. Kurama made sure of that…. It was team seven against the world and Kakashi leading us…man those were the days. Now the most adventure I get is wiping the crayon off the walls….or catching wild chickens…since you arrived my whole world has become…..Far more interesting.”  He taps his fingers together with a strange grin on his face.

 

You shake your head.

“You are seriously jealous of this shit…well at least someone is having fun…” 

 

He laughs loudly.

“Oh come on, Hana….Who wouldn’t want to be sought after by a prince? Who wouldn’t want to be the most valuable ninja in the world? Who wouldn’t want to have the power you have and be able to use it in the best way?…you’re crazy if you don’t appreciate what is going on here. Could you imagine if nothing happened to you? If you just sat around getting fat, while you are forced to do mountains of paperwork and sit through grueling meetings about nothing ?” He sits up straight, pointing his chicken wing at you. 

 

“Four days ago I spent three hours in a meeting talking about our feelings and how to apply the appropriate feelings in the workplace.” He explains using his fingers as quotation marks while still holding the chicken wing. “Who fucking cares about feelings right now? There is way more shit to worry about, and I’m sick of biting my tongue. I’m also sick of being locked up in that damn office, with those damn assistants, watching my every damn move!…don’t get me wrong…I wanted this. Badly. But no one told me it would come with all the other bullshit.” 

 

He throws the chicken into the fire and entangles his hands into his hair in frustration.

“I think…..I think I’m going crazy!…well…I was anyway. Until you came along bringing the chaos I so desired. I wouldn’t trade being hokage for the world! But sometimes…I mean just once in a while I’d like to use some jutsu with purpose, not just as a teaching method. I’m getting rusty…and fat….and old…and…well….fuck….”

 

Now that was not a conversation you thought you would ever have with this man. It is very obvious this man needs a little fight here and there…or even a little more effort in the bedroom with his wife…But he does have a point about the chaos….

“I guess, when you put it that way, it’s sort of flattering to be the center of chaos…so..thank you?”

 

“No thank you! I now have more to do than wiping asses and signing papers…” 

 

He throws you another half of the quail which you don’t hesitate to finish off. 

“Well, Naruto. It sounds to me like you either need to change up your routine in the bedroom….or come along with me for the ride…”

 

He sighs heavily.

“I wish…but Hinata doesn’t like being on top and unfortunately I am stuck in hidden leaf, or I would come with you to the land of iron.” 

 

You pause for a moment mid bite, trying to register that comment. Slowly you turn your head towards him. And something clicks in your brain. All this time you have been lost in the land of jungles, Naruto has been playing a game of chess with your enemies and you are the pawn. How many moves has he made for you so far?…. Damnit!…..

 

Through clenched teeth you ask.

 

“What did you do, Naruto?” 

 

He turns his head away from you, a tell tale sign that you are exactly right. 

 

“Naruto?!” 

 

He hums and haws over the answer, drawing it out which feels like torture. Then he drops the rest of the chicken carcass in the fire and stands. 

 

“Let’s get you cleaned up first. I saw a hot spring not too far from here. I’ll explain everything when we get there.” 

 

You leap to your feet, clenching your fists and storm right over to him. There is no way we’re going anywhere without an answer.

“Not so fast! I’m not going any….Eeeee!..”

 

Before you can protest any further Naruto has picked you up in his arms and swung you over his shoulder. In this position all you can do is smack his back, which does absolutely nothing considering how much muscle this man has. 

“Put me down you idiot!”

 

“I’m sorry, Hana. But I can’t explain any further until you have had a bath….it’s the smell…” He plugs his nose with his free hand. 

 

“Oh shut up! It’s not that bad”

 

“Bad enough.” And he leaps up into the trees again while you scold him the entire way. 

 

…………

 

Now you stand at the edge of a hot spring, your toes curled over the stone slate refusing to go in until he starts his damn explanation…. sounds familiar….

 

“Get in, Hana!” He commands, pointing an authoritative finger at you then the steaming pool of water. Just like Kakashi has done in the past…

 

You shake your head repeatedly.

 

“I could push you in…” He says coming around to your backside. 

 

“I would like to see you try. You will lose something if you do…now tell me everything Damnit!” 

 

“Not until you get in and we’re relaxed..and not so… scary right now.” 

 

You gasp.

“I’m not scary!” 

 

He laughs hard at that.

“You are terrifying! Now get in!” 

 

You growl back at him…and cross your arms not moving. Then you feel his fingers trickle down your shoulder, smoothing the lines of your back. His hand rests against the smallest part of your waist and he leans down to whisper into your ear. 

 

“You get to see me with my shirt off…” He whispers in a “ lucky you” tone of voice. 

 

You elbow him in the stomach.

“Naruto! What the hell! You think I want to see you like that?” 

 

Grunting, he comes around to your side.

“Well yeah! I mean the way you looked at me before was…you know.” He shrugs the last words away. 

 

You raise a hand and flick the metal plating on his headband, you know exactly what he is trying to do.

“That was a fucking hug! Nothing more than that.” 

 

He begins to laugh again.

“No way!” He replies and clasps his hands together bringing them to his cheek. 

“You are head over heels! I’m like a knight in shining armor, sweeping you off your savage little feet…!” 

 

You swear you can see hearts forming in his eyes as he ridicules you.

 

You growl loudly back at him.

“It’s not like that!” 

 

“Oh it was…you are so in love…I know… I’m a pretty good looking guy. It must be so hard for y….”

 

And you’ve had enough of this embarrassing conversation. His attempt to get you into the water has definitely worked. You dive in feeling all sorts of strange mixed up feelings. It was just a hug…damnit….

 

You swim your way over to a rock to settle down on and begin the pouting process, while Naruto strips down to nearly nothing and makes fun of you for looking in his general direction. 

 

Finally…. finally he dives in. He surfaces and swims by you finding his own spot to get comfortable on. Although he takes his time with it, obviously trying to figure out how to put things into words. 

 

A silence falls over you two as you wait patiently, until finally Naruto blurts out what he’s been hiding.

 

“I need you to marry Arufa…” He says quietly. 

 

“No.” You reply sharply, as you half knew that was coming. Why else would you be going to the land of iron?. 

 

“Come on, Hana. If you do this, you save an entire land from amalgamating with an enemy.”  

 

You lean your head back against the rocks and look up at the dimming sky. 

“Would you do it?” 

 

Naruto pauses for quite some time. 

“If I knew there was a way out of it…yeah….I know you want to be with Kakashi, so…I’m devising a plan to get you out of there. But we need to wipe the land of irons’ slate clean so they can start new. Marriage will do that.” 

 

“How?” 

 

“Royal contracts are far more concrete. They actually override the majority of regular contracts. You will have signing rights to everything that happens to that land. The land of lightning is planning on conquering other lands if we don’t establish our own unity we will lose.” 

 

This was a lot to take in, and a lot of pressure on you. It is hard to believe that marriage can stop all of this.

“And what makes you think they won’t try for a war if we destroy their original contract, despite royalty overriding the situation? Let’s remember, the land of lightning had helped them out of debt.” 

 

Naruto nods.

“They did…but if they go to war over the worlds favorite couple. They will lose. The people of the world won’t stand for it. Stocks for the land of lightning will plummet, trust will be broken, and everyone will side with us. They would lose everything…” 

 

You roll your eyes skeptically.

“You’re going based on assumptions and publicity?.”

 

He shakes his head.

“No, I'm going based on your performance.” 

 

You curse loudly at that…he is just unbelievable and here you thought he was a good guy. He just threw that thought out the window in seconds.

 

He looks at you sympathetically.

“I promise to get you out of there once the contract has been revoked.” 

 

You roll your eyes.

“What does Kakashi think?” 

 

He looks away.

“Ahhh…he agrees… although knowing him….he will find another way. He’s hiding something.” 

 

That brings a smile to your face.

“Of course he is. Kakashi is always five steps ahead of everyone else.” 

 

“Yeah he is…he’s the smartest man I know.” Naruto agrees.

 

You blow out a long breath thinking about it all. Currently you are to marry a prince, but have two people with ulterior plans to either prevent that from happening or get you out afterwards. All of which are not guarantees of anything. It may save the land of iron from losing itself in the land of lightning, but it may also cause a war and for you, it would mean giving yourself up to someone you don’t love.

 

“This is heavy, Naruto…” you comment. 

 

He nods.

“Yeah…it is….and I hate what you have to do to fix everyone’s problems.” 

 

“I don’t have to do anything, you know.” 

 

“I know that. But would you be able to live with yourself knowing you could have prevented something worse?”

 

You blow out a long breath and reply quietly. 

“No…”

 

He looks over to you with a half smile.

“Me either….so what do you say? Want to be a princess for a while?” 

 

You huff at the thought.

“Could you imagine me as one?” 

 

“If you weren’t as pretty as you are…probably not. With that mouth of yours and your clumsiness…Arufa has his work cut out for him.” 

 

You send a small splash of water his way, playfully denying all of that.

“You’re such a shit, Naruto.” 

 

He laughs.

“I can be….But I’m just playin. Honestly I think you would make a fantastic princess for a while. You would also make a great wife to Kakashi too. So let’s make both of those things happen, so we can put this all behind us.” 

 

That is a little surprising coming from Naruto.

“Kakashi wants to get married?” 

 

He sits up straight raising his hands, his face turning white.

“Uhhh! No…I mean…I don’t know…I just assumed.”

And you can’t help but tease him.

“What do you mean? Has he talked about it?” 

 

He shakes his head.

“No…he hasn’t said anything. I just assumed that was the case considering he’s never been this attached to someone. I think he’d pretty much do anything for you. Even getting married.” 

 

Well that is a nice thing to say. You sigh and move on from the subject as thoughts of him fill your mind. 

“I miss him…” 

 

“He misses you, I assure you. But if we don’t get you back soon he may have a heart attack or something. He’s not coping well with your cohort.” Naruto confesses.

 

“I’m not sure how to do that. I have no control over my stone and my jutsu goes haywire once my Kekkei Genkai kicks in. That’s how my hyena situation landed me at the waterfalls. I used body flicker and transported every life form within ten feet surrounding me with me.” You reply.

 

His brows knit together in confusion.

“That's interesting. We have a select few who can use a certain type of jutsu to transport others on the astral plane. It is a rare ability to transport an entire group of life forms all at once. I can transport people as well…”

 

That stirs some excitement in you. 

“So…you’re taking me back with you?” 

 

He shakes his head sadly.

“I can’t…if I bring you back with me, the connection between your cohort becomes unstable. Especially with that Kekkei Genkai, you need to be careful.”

 

“I actually understand what you’re saying. She needs to come back here before we can swap places. But I have no idea how to get her here.” You explain.

 

“Kakashi thinks destroying the place would work. But I disagree. There has to be a place of connection here. If you can find the connection you can pull her back in. The same way she does to you when you lose control….do you know of any place like that?” 

 

That jogs your memory. A vision of your pool of water you had shared together. The same place you learned the difference between stone energy and chakra. 

“There is a place like that. It is where we met the first time. A pool of water surrounded by palm trees and thick bushes. Everytime I connected with the stone it would take me there, and my cohort would be at the other end waiting for me.” 

 

“That’s it!” 

 

“Can you take me there?” 

 

He smiles.

“Of course. However…I do need to get back to my family. It’s getting late and I’ve been gone for quite some time. I also need to check on Kakashi.” 

 

You huff out a frustrated breath in response. It’s not like you can hold the man hostage here. 

 

“I’ll be back in the morning. We will search for the connection point and work on control over your Kekkei Genkai.” 

 

With a new plan set in motion, Naruto swims by you towards the edge of the spring. 

“Let’s get you dried off, I’ll light a fire. You should stay here tonight, it seems like a safe place. You won’t have to worry about too many predators this high up the mountains.” 

 

You watch him climb out of the spring before getting the motivation to do so yourself. He finds a handful of kindling and wood, then gathers it all up into a bundle. 

 

As he does you climb out of the pool feeling ten times better, and much cleaner. You stand beside him and watch him perform a simple flame jutsu.

 

“Watch closely, Hana. This is an easy and effective flame jutsu. It can be used with a small amount of energy to light a fire. Or if you so wish, you can fire it at an enemy using that Kekkei Genkai, and blow them to bits.” 

 

You hum nervously at that thought. If only you had control over Kekkei Karen….

 

“Yeah..if I had control it would be great.” You reply and watch him closely. It was a combination of four hand signs. Which you etched into your mind and will try out later when there is no one else around to blow up. 

 

He smiles up at you. 

“I’ll help you with that control. We just need to understand it better. But we can’t do that without using it…let’s practice tomorrow.”  

 

With the fire blazing away he stands and dresses himself. He turns towards you, obviously unsure of how to say goodbye. Your heart is aching over this. You don’t want him to leave you alone in this place. You wish he could stay with you, and maybe keep the fire going tonight. 

 

Instinctively you begin to rub your arms as if the cold was already setting in. He approaches you and places his hands on your arms rubbing them for reassurance. 

 

“It’s one more night. Then we get you out of here. I promise.” 

 

You stare at the flames trying to not to come up with terrifying situations that may happen once he leaves. 

 

“Here.” He says and removes his hokage coat. “Take this for warmth ok? I’ll try to bring you some clothes tomorrow…although I’m impressed with what you’ve made for yourself. I half expected to find you out here naked or something….that would have been awkward.” 

 

You burst out laughing. 

“Yeah…it would have.” 

 

With watering eyes you reach up to give him a hug. Then something strange happens. A loud growl from your cohort shakes the world around you both and Naruto clutches onto his shoulder stumbling backwards. Puncture wounds appear, dripping with blood and he backs away cursing loudly. 

 

“What’s wrong?” You ask in a panic. 

 

You take a step forward and Naruto stops you. Another growl shakes the ground and Naruto cries out again. Claw marks form along his chest soaking his shirt in blood.

 

“Naruto!” You call and rush over to him but the minute your hand makes contact he disappears. 

 

You call out his name over and over into the distance, but nothing comes in return aside from your echoes. And that emptiness creeps in again bringing you to your knees….

 

——————————————-

Chapter 43: Surrender

A loud roar snaps him out of his deep sleep. 

 

Kakashi leaps to his feet in a disoriented state, trying to understand what is going on in front of him. She has Naruto pinned under her, claws holding him down, pressing deep into his skin. He has already been cut wide open across his shoulder. Deep gashes spilling with blood over the floor. 

 

“GET HER OFF ME!” Naruto shouts as he uses his other hand to fend off her open fanged mouth. 

 

That shakes him right out of his daze and he immediately shoves her off his hokage. She tumbles to the floor hissing and baring her teeth. Warning them both that they had crossed a line with her. But she doesn’t stop there; she lunges at Naruto as he gathers himself to stand, which brings him back down to the ground. She latches on with her sharp claws and bites into his neck drawing more blood. 

 

Kakashi screams at her to stop. But she ignores him and twists her head still hanging onto Naruto, throwing him across the room and through the door wall into the kitchen. 

 

“Fuck!” Kakashi shouts and tears after him, racing his panther before she can go in for another attack. 

 

But she is too fast, with her stone activated she is able to get to him in seconds and doesn’t hesitate to send a blast of stone energy into his stomach as he comes to his feet. Naruto doubles over writhing in pain, hitting another wall and cracking it up the middle. 

 

“You need to get out of here! As fast as possible!” Kakashi shouts. 

 

Naruto dodges another attack which lands the panther on his kitchen island. Pots and pans fly off the metal hanger and every dish below her paws hit the floor. He backs away charging himself up with chakra, getting ready to unleash his Rasengen. If he does this he will surely destroy everything in the room. Kakashi has to stop him. If Naruto hurts her he will hurt Hana too…

 

Before anyone can make another move he leaps towards the feline tackling her to the floor behind the island. They hit the vinyl plank hard and slam against the cupboard doors. Kakashi grunts as he quickly scrambles to his feet, shaking it off. But he is suddenly taken down by the panther, with one swipe of her thick paw. He lands on his ass just as she takes another swipe at his chest. It was obvious she is seeing red right now as it is not like her to go after him. 

 

Then something horrific happens…a claw hooks onto the chain of the clan necklace he had fixed up for Hana when she returns, and that chain shatters into pieces. The pendant detaches itself and in mid air Kakashi watches it float away from him, soaring directly into the feline's mouth where she bites down on it hard, crushing it to pieces. 

 

He sits there in absolute despair unable to move. All he can do is watch as she crushes it into bits of metal and swallows it whole….It was the last piece he had of his father. The last piece of himself he had given to Hana. There is nothing else left. This beast has taken it all from him. She had destroyed everything he has ever cherished. 

 

The panther hisses at him baring her teeth, preparing for another attack. All at once his emotions take over, he can no longer hold it in. He screams at the feline, charging chakra. It buzzes in his hands, like a thousand birds singing all at once it shakes the room breaking glasses and light bulbs all around them. 

 

It was enough energy to stop the panther in her tracks. She groans at him and cautiously watches him rise to his feet ready to unleash a powerful lightning release. 

 

Tears stream down his face. He grits his teeth stepping forward showing his dominance. Showing her who is the one to fear in the room. She backs up skiddishly, swiping claw ridden paws at him in warning. 

 

“GIVE HER BACK!” He demands. 

 

She hisses at him in response. 

 

In her language he speaks, as maybe she will understand his demand. 

“GIVE….HER…BACK…DAMNIT!!”

 

He prepares his jutsu with the intent on demolishing her if she doesn’t comply. His mind is so far gone with rage, his heart is torn in two, he isn’t able to think straight. That is… until Naruto steps in front of the Panther. 

 

“Kakashi! What about Hana?!” He shouts. “Don’t forget about her!” 

 

And those words implant a memory of Hana into his mind. Her roof top one moonlit night. His heart pounding though his chest as he delivers the daisies he had spent hours trying to find. 

“Don’t forget about me….”  She said. 

 

And he replied. “Like I could….”

 

He stumbles backwards staring at his hands. The same hands stained with the blood of ones he had loved. How could he? …. has he truly lost his mind?…

 

As the chakra fades it leaves the three in a dark silence. The only light in the room is coming from the half shattered TV in his bedroom. Naruto glances at the light taking in the damage done. Then brings his attention back to Kakashi who is staring at the shake in his own hands. 

 

“Kakashi.” He begins, then clutches his shoulder from the pain. 

 

The feline behind Naruto slinks away into his bedroom to hide. It is obvious to Naruto she knows she has done something wrong. 

 

“Kakashi…I…” 

 

“Go home, Naruto…just…go home…” Kakashi says, letting his hands drop to his sides. He is truly defeated. A man so broken his entire being has left him. 

 

“Are.. you ok?” Naruto catches his eyes, but sees nothing inside them. Only a vacancy, a blank stare despite the downpour of tears, soaking his cheeks and mask. 

 

“Go home…heal yourself…” He repeats, and walks into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. 

 

In the room the panther lay sprawled out on his bed as usual. Taking over Hana’s spot as if nothing had happened. As if she hadn’t just destroyed the last bit of his heart in two bites. This just angers him again. He wants nothing more to do with this fucking beast. So, he comes around to her backside and grips the loose skin by her neck and mid back. Before she can register the motion he throws her to the floor cursing her in Hana’s language. Telling this fucking animal exactly what he thinks of her.

 

“ You are nothing to me! I hate every part of you. You will never replace Hana in this house, in this land, in this entire world! I will never love you. YOU ARE NOTHING.” His last word he says overly pronounced, with a deep glare she dare not challenge. 

 

And as if she understood everything he had said she sulks out of the room with her head hung low. 

 

By now Kakashi is really feeling weight of it all. As his adrenaline abandons him, he comes down from that raging high into a deep state of depression and despair. He has nothing left. 

 

He slumps down onto his bed, laying his head back onto his pillow. He tears his wet mask off and throws it to the floor then stares up at the ceiling thinking all the things he shouldn’t. 

 

This is his karma….

 

He deserves this….

 

For what he’s done in his past…he deserves the suffering…

 

It is all his fault…if he was a better man, then…

 

Then maybe others wouldn’t have to suffer because of him…

 

If he disappeared….

 

If he left then maybe she would come back….maybe that damn Panther would have nothing here and bring her back…

 

He decides right then and there, that he will pack his things and leave in the morning, before the Panther wakes. Before anyone notices. He will disappear and possibly never return. 

 

This is for the best…for everyone….

 

He sets an alarm on his phone to wake himself up before dawn. Then spends the rest of the evening spiraling down into his depression until his eyes get heavy and he falls into a nightmarish sleep. 

………..

 

But what Kakashi doesn’t know is that the Panther understands Hana’s language. As they share the same mind quite frequently and if she had the vocals she could speak it. She now knows Kakashi will never belong to her. He will never be her mate for life, that the girl he dreams of is Hana and always will be. 

It hurts thinking about what she needs to do next. There is nothing here for the feline, and she must find another. But she will not leave him like this. The last thing she wants is to cause him this much pain. She is sorry for destroying his home, and the things he loves. She is sorry for taking Hana away from him. 

 

It was all done because she loves him too….but she must give him up. There is no sense in trying to force him to submit to her. He will never do it and she knows this now…..

 

Once she senses he is in a deep sleep, the feline slinks back into Kakashi’s room as quietly as possible. Skirting by broken glass and objects thrown about. She carefully crawls up onto the bed, making sure not to wake him, and lays down beside him. She watches the way his chest rises and falls in the flickering light, the way he looks. Strange to her, yet beautiful all at the same time. Then she says her goodbyes in her mind and activates the stone sitting in her chest. 

 

————————————-

 

You sit up straight feeling a strange sensation in the air. Like a shift of energy in the midnight sky. Listening carefully, you search the area around you. 

 

The only sounds heard are the splashing of water on the edges of the spring pool. The usual nocturnal animals calling out in the distance and the crackling fire, still lit beside you. You curl up in Naruto’s coat getting a good whiff of his scent to remind you that yes you still have a home outside of this place….

 

Then a familiar roar cries out over the valley. It shakes the earth in exactly the same way when Naruto was attacked. This can only come from your cohort as you could recognize that roar anywhere. You stop everything you’re doing and hone in on that sound, praying to the gods it comes again. If your cohort is here, you’re going after her. 

 

You will force her to step down and send you back to the land of fire. Whatever it takes. 

 

Another roar pierces the air. You stand, searching the valley listening intently. It echoes across the planes making it difficult to pinpoint. 

 

A spark of azure light begins to flicker to your left. You know exactly how to get there. With your strength reborn you gather chakra pooling it into your feet for tree jumping. You leap onto the first tree down the cliff side, scaling the next easily. All the while thinking of how you will confront your cohort. 

 

Are you equipped enough?.. not at all…

 

Is your jutsu ready to be used?… not even close….

 

But what choice do you have? You need to try, if there is a chance back to your world, then you’ll take it. No matter what it will cost. 

 

You take off into the night jumping from tree to tree just as Kakashi had taught you. Although this time your Kekkei Genkai has a turn and sends you soaring thousands of feet at a time. It was difficult to pinpoint the next tree but you managed to clumsily find the next and the next. Until finally, you arrive at the bright blue light, at the same pool of water and thick palm trees. 

 

Just as your feet hit the ground the light suddenly dies out and all you can see is darkness, aside from the moon flickering off the surface of the water. You scan the area for your cohort and call her out. 

 

“Where are you?!” 

 

Cautiously you begin to draw chakra, as she stalks the outskirts of the forest edge line. A small snap of a twig to your left and you hone in on her presence immediately.

 

“Found you!” You shout, pulling more chakra, it begins to pulse in your hands like electricity. 

 

And a low growl rumbles out from the bushes. She is warning you, but you couldn’t care less right now. In fact you welcome anything she has planned. You are very sure your new fire jutsu will have her in submission in no time. Even if you both take damage together she will fall first. You will make sure of it. 

 

You hear quick footsteps coming towards you and a slight outline of the panther in the light. She opens her eyes, golden orbs glowing through the foliage. You take the opportunity to perform the fire jutsu quickly. Like clockwork your Kekkei Genkai kicks in right on time and your hands erupt in flames creating a wave of heat that ripples through the trees, turning their leaves brown instantly. 

 

That heat wave reaches the incoming panther forcing her to stop in her tracks. She roars at you and your power, without hesitation you unleash it, before the energy becomes too much and you can’t control it. A fireball the size of a house shoots across the landscape burning everything in its path. Your cohort barely dodges it, as it singes her shoulder and hip creating the same burns on your own body. 

 

You cry out in pain and watch your skin melting into bubbling wounds. 

 

“Fuck…” you curse and look to your cohort who is now rolling on the ground. Then your stone kicks in and begins the healing process, taking most of the pain away. At this close proximity you can feel the stones' power pushing through each of you. 

 

Your cohort rises to her feet and sets her eyes back on you. Instinctively you get into position and gather more chakra, ready for an attack, expecting her to lunge at you with stone triggered speed. But that doesn’t happen. 

 

Instead, she sits down maintaining her golden stare and groans at you. 

 

You lower your hands unsure of what the hell she’s doing. Then streams of visions flood your mind. Visions of Kakashi and Naruto battling it out with your cohort. Broken walls and furniture, shattered glass everywhere, she forces them into your mind making you fall to your knees at what she has done. 

 

The visions continue for quite some time, recapping the entire time you had spent absent in your own world. Right up to the moment you arrived here in the land of jungles. She had caused so much trouble for your ninja….she had broken his heart. 

 

Suddenly a vision passes by, one that breaks your own heart. Kakashi is speaking angrily to your cohort in your language. Demanding she give you back to him, that your cohort will never replace you. And as quickly as that vision came it was gone leaving your both sitting quietly. She watches you expressionless, seemingly waiting for your response.

 

“Please, send me back. He needs me..” You finally say, but in your language. “Please, he doesn’t deserve this..”

 

The Panther lowers her head sadly and rises to her own feet. She looks over at the pool of water sparkling away and wanders over to it. Then she simply sits down and looks off into the distance. You watch her curiously. It would seem she has finally realized her place and it is here in the land of jungles. Not causing chaos for Kakashi in the land of fire. 

 

You wander over and slump down beside her. Shoulder to shoulder you sit looking at the pool of water. She glances at you and groans, if you had to guess what that meant, it would be that she is feeling ashamed. It was then you realized how much she cares for Kakashi. And it would make sense, as she has never felt a bond like what you have with him before. You hadn’t even thought about how your feelings towards a man would affect your Panther. She must feel the exact same things as you do. 

 

You sigh and reach out an arm to her. Carefully, you run your hand down her back, trying to comfort her. She leans her head down, dropping it onto your shoulder. It was at this moment you knew you were going home. That she is giving up her spot beside Kakashi…. for good…

 

Another vision crosses your mind. One belonging to your cohort, guiding you through the jungle as a little girl. You, tugging on her tail to keep up and not lose sight of her. She had kept you close and safe in those times. It was enough nostalgia to bring tears to your eyes and a new appreciation for her. With her now realizing her place, working together may come more easily. You will no longer have to fight her, which means the only thing working against you is your Kekkei Genkai. 

 

You sigh out loud. Things may be looking up for you… then you remember you are supposed to become a princess once you leave this place…. damn…

 

She lifts her head and groans out loud. You wonder what she is thinking, if she can see your thoughts or is catching wind of it. She must know something about what is going on. You test the theory and send her a thought of Arufa and a cringing vision of you marrying him. 

 

Immediately she growls and huffs at the thought…. oh she knows exactly what is going on. 

 

She then sends back an interesting vision of Tori, although it is the last vision she had of her before you two went your separate ways. It intrigues you as she has placed Arufa and Tori beside each other, which your interpretation becomes clear that Arufa and Tori have either joined forces or she is being held captive. The most likely situation is the latter, that in her manic state, she is being held against her will by the land of iron. 

 

You pat the panthers back in understanding and she pants at you. Her golden eyes fixate in your direction drawing your attention away from the pool of water. Another vision appears, one of Kakashi lying in his bed sleeping soundly…

 

She groans and presses her head against your cheek in a way that makes you feel as if she is saying sorry and…it’s time to go. 

 

Then all at once your stone activates in your chest, glowing in that beautiful light you have missed so much. It engulfs you both, until your auras become one, brighter than the moon in the sky. A dizzy feeling comes next followed by blurred sight and then darkness…..

Chapter 44: Anbu

Summary:

Sorry for not posting sooner, lots of changes in my life. But it’s all setting out. Enjoy the next chapter!

 

A soft light spills over him, gentle at first, then gradually stronger as the morning quietly claims the night. With it comes a familiar energy—a warmth he can’t quite place, yet it stirs something deep within his slumbering mind. It’s enough to nudge him toward waking, though not enough to fully break the hold of his dreams. That is, until the mattress shifts beside him—a subtle weight, a presence he hasn’t felt in what seems like a lifetime.

His heart stirs before his mind catches up. Slowly, hesitantly, he peels open one eye to a world he’s not ready to face.

The light is blinding, stabbing through his vision like a blade. With a groan, he shuts it tight again, the sting of brightness making him curse under his breath.

Is it morning already…?

A moment’s pause. He tries again, squinting against the glare, willing the light to soften. And when his eyes finally adjust, he sees where it begins—where it fades—and there, framed in its glow, is the silhouette of a woman. No, not just any woman. You.

He freezes, breath stolen from his chest.

He must be dreaming…

Rubbing his eyes, he dares a second look, heart pounding, throat dry. He half expects to see the usual black-furred nuisance curled up at his side—but no. The familiar shape of that damn panther is nowhere to be seen. Instead, the light reveals long, crimson hair, spilling like liquid fire across his sheets. His pulse skips, stutters, and surges in his veins.

His gaze trails down the contours of you—soft, yet strong, those curves he has longed for, a body seared into his memory, into his very soul. The sight of you fills him with a desperation so raw it almost hurts. How had he let himself forget the staggering beauty of you?

He lies motionless, terrified that one move will shatter this fragile reality, that you’ll vanish into mist like so many cruel dreams before. But then—you sigh. A soft, sleepy sound, so real, so heartbreakingly human. You shift, turning your head toward him, and in that moment, he sees you anew. The fullness of your lips, parted slightly. The slant of your cat-like eyes, even now closed in peaceful rest. And the depth of his love crashes over him—powerful, undeniable. He always knew he loved you. But this? This is something more. Something absolute. Irrevocable.

With trembling fingers, he reaches out, his breath caught on the edge of a plea. Just let this be real. Let her be here. His hand lands on the warm, solid curve of your shoulder—and the rush of relief nearly undoes him. A gasp escapes him, unbidden, as tears prick his lashes. He rises on instinct, propping himself up to drink you in.

You stir, and he yanks his hand back as if burned, torn between aching to gather you into his arms and fearing he’ll break this fragile moment. His mind races—he wants to hold you, taste you, lose himself in you. He wants to hear the music of your voice, feel the heat of you pressed against him, drown in the sound of you crying out his name. And beneath it all, that raw, fractured part of him wants to weep for every agonizing second he thought you lost.

Emotion swirls inside him, dangerous and overwhelming—a storm barely contained. But before he can act, you groan softly, rolling onto your back, one hand draping across your brow. And then, in that sleepy murmur that melts him:

“Hmmm… smells good…”

His heart clenches. You always did love his cologne—sneaking sprays when you thought he wasn’t looking, leaving traces of him on your skin. He’d offered it freely, but your secret indulgence had always charmed him.

The dam inside him breaks. He lowers himself over you, bracing one arm beside your head, the other hand feathering down your cheek, memorizing the feel of you, the warmth, the softness. He captures your lips in a kiss so tender, so reverent it makes his chest ache. As your lashes flutter open, golden eyes slowly adjusting, he pulls back, waiting, breathless.

Your gaze meets his. Your lips part, wonder and hope mingling in your expression.

“This better not be a fucking dream…” you whisper.

A laugh escapes him—soft, choked with relief. “Shall I pinch you just to make sure?” he teases, savoring the return of your banter.

You laugh too, that sound he’d missed more than air. “Hi.”

He swallows hard, heart thudding. “Hi, kitten…”

His hand drifts, instinctively seeking the proof of you, but stops at the rough, makeshift top binding your chest. His brow furrows as he examines it—the bark, the leaves, the knots.

“You brought the jungle home with you,” he says, tugging lightly.

“Take this shit off me and burn it!” you demand, making him laugh again, harder this time.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Then his eyes catch on something beneath you—Naruto’s vibrant orange Kage robe. The sight of it tugs at something sharp inside him.

“I think we should return this,” he murmurs, tugging on the fabric.

Your eyes widen. “Naruto!” you gasp.

Jealousy flares, hot and irrational. “He’s fine. Now pay attention to me,” he says, sticking out his tongue in mock petulance, desperate to reclaim the moment.

He lifts your hand, pressing a kiss to your palm. And when you crumble into him, pulling him close with a broken whimper, he holds you as if anchoring both of you to this fragile reality.

Your body is changed—slimmer, weaker, the weight of your ordeal etched into your form. Tattoos trace your skin, marks of survival, of transformation. And those eyes… those brilliant, golden eyes that hold him captive. He breathes you in, earthy and familiar, and squeezes you tight—too tight, drawing a groan from your lips.

“You’re hurt.”

“No, just sore… I body flickered into a tree.”

His head jerks up, concern mingling with amazement. “Body flicker? I don’t remember teaching you that.”

A shy nod, a blush painting your cheeks. “I… picked it up watching you with Shirou…”

Pride floods him, chasing back the dark. “Smart girl. Aside from hitting a tree… that poor tree…”

“Smart isn’t the word. I body flickered a pack of hyenas too. Nearly got eaten.”

His laugh bursts out, pure and unrestrained. “Those poor hyenas. They must have been terrified.”

Your scowl is beautiful, and your flick to his forehead earns a grin.

“If Naruto hadn’t shown up…”

“I’m glad he was there,” he says softly, regret lacing his voice. “Though I wish it had been me.”

You smirk. “Yeah, me too. His ego’s unbearable now.”

He can’t help himself—his gaze darkens with need. His fingers snap the ties of your top, his clever wordplay tumbling out. “Let’s get you into something more comfortable. Maybe something nude in color…”

You tear off the top before he can finish, baring yourself to him. His breath catches, his hunger laid bare.

“Do you still need that pinch?” he rasps.

Your sly smile undoes him. “We should probably make sure.”

The rest unfolds in a fevered haze of need and confessions, of his hands learning you all over again, of his whispered regrets spilling out until he’s trembling, tears falling, your touch grounding him, your kiss forgiving him.

And then—boots. A bold voice. The world intrudes and Gai very loudly claims his presence in his home.

“Kash! Where r u? What the hell happened to your house?!” His stomps approach the bedroom door. 

Gai knocks again. 

“Go away, Gai! I’m busy!” He replies very annoyed.

“No way! We need to talk buddy.” 

And just as the door handle jiggles and it opens, Kakashi body flickers appearing beside it. He slams it shut right on Gai’s face earning a few loud swears through the door.

 

“What? you not decent or something?…come on Kash don’t be shy…” He says sarcastically in a voice two octaves higher. 

 

“Gimme a sec.” He growls.

Kakashi points at Naruto’s robe still lying beneath you.

You snatch it, giggling quietly and cover yourself up. 

Gai slams a fist on the door.

“Hey! You better not have a girl in there! I won’t cover your ass when Hana finds out!” 

 

Kakashi smiles, appreciating his allegiance to you. Once you are covered up he swings the door open and welcomes this obnoxious interruption. 

 

But Gai bypasses him completely once his eyes fall onto you, sitting on your knees, hair flipped to one side looking ever so gorgeous. 

 

“Hana?!” Gai gasps. 

 

You nod and open your arms up to him, beckoning him for a hug. Which he doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into your grasp. He cups the back of your head praising the gods you’re alive and well. This is the only man Kakashi feels comfortable putting his hands on you. Gai is respectful and honest, a true friend and would never cross any lines. So this right now, is ok for him.

 

Gai holds you out in front of himself to get a good look at you. 

“You’re looking a little thin…princess. You need a cheeseburger or two…”

 

“A burrito would be better.” You reply just as your stomach rumbles loudly. 

 

Kakashi chuckles.

“I’ll go heat up some chimichangas…it’s the one thing your cohort despised strangely enough.” 

 

He makes it out to the hallway then hears you throw out a number. 

 

“Six.” You say. 

 

He pauses.

“Six?” 

 

“Yes, six please. With salsa and sour cream and a soda if you have one.” 

 

He laughs to himself, shaking his head and makes his way into the kitchen while you two play catch up. 

Six it is…

———————————————

As Kakashi leaves you to cater to your needs Gai gets right down to business, reminding you of all the things you would rather not discuss right now…

 

“A lot has happened since your Panther self took over…like you don’t have enough going on, did you know that the land of iron is holding one of your Bloodclaw clan members?” 

 

You nod sadly.

 

He shares a sympathetic look with you before his expression turns dark.

“And..there’s something else. Arufa…”

 

You pause him there, knowing exactly what he is going to say.

“I know….Naruto has filled me in with everything. I have agreed to it.” 

 

He suddenly grips yours shoulders and shakes you.

“You agreed?!” 

 

You stare into his beady eyes.

“Yes. It’s the only way, Gai.” 

 

His unibrow tightens and his eyes grow sad, he sighs heavily.

“But what about Kakashi?” 

 

It was then that Kakashi walked into the room with no tell-tale signs of any worry, interrupting the conversation. 

“I have a plan in the works.” He places a tray of goodies you’re already drooling over beside the bed which you don’t hesitate to dive into. 

 

“Don't tell me you’re planning on overthrowing an entire dynasty.” Gai states with a skeptical look.

 

Kakashi shrugs.

“Maybe….There’s something I know that can throw this entire charade into the trash. I plan on using it when necessary, you won’t be in that wedding dress for long….” He walks away as confident as ever and stops at the door way. “Hana, coke or Pepsi.” 

 

You smile at him. He is just so cute when he plays house with you.

“Pepsi, thank you.” 

 

He winks and leaves you two again to discuss this new information. You pick up a burrito and take a gigantic bite, savoring it as if it was your first time eating a burrito. 

 

“I wish he would tell us what his plan is.” Gai complains.

 

You swallow it down and reply.

“I do too, but I also know that he is holding back for a reason.” 

 

Gai sighs. 

“I believe that. Things always work out when Kakashi is around, don’t they?.”

 

“They sure do. So, I’ll go along with whatever needs to be done, knowing that Kakashi will get me out of there.”

 

Kakashi returns with the drinks and offers one to Gai.

“My plan is solid. All we need is your good looks and excellent persuasion skills, Hana.” 

 

You down another burrito thinking about it. Yes you have a knack for getting your way, but under pressure like this you’re nervous about it. Kakashi notices your anxiety and comes around to sit down beside you opposite to Gai. 

“Hey, you’ll be fine. If there is anyone who can persuade the world into believing something it is you. Everyone will fall in love with Hana Hoki once they see you all dolled up and talking sweetly.” 

 

You huff at that, reminding yourself that you have a dirty mind and a mouth not much cleaner. 

“I’m going to miss swearing and making threats…” 

 

Kakashi and Gai chuckle, sharing grins with each other. 

“You can still do that, just don’t get caught on camera.” 

 

You finish another burrito wiping your hands clean on a napkin. 

 

Gai begins to pout.

“I wish I could come with you. But I’m teaching for another month or so.”

 

“I wish you could too.” You reply sadly. 

 

“I’ll be there, Naruto wants to talk about that sometime today. He has some plans of his own.” Kakashi states as he checks his watch for the time.

 

Gai stands and pats your head.

“It’s going to be ok, we will get through this. But I should go and leave you two to catch up.” He looks over to Kakashi. “Let me know if you need me.” 

 

“Sure.”

 

Once Gai had left and the front door shut Kakashi was back to caressing you in his bed in no time. With half a burrito still in hand and a Pepsi in the other he positions himself between your legs again, dragging his hands up and down the back of your thighs in anticipation. He is like a dog hounding for some attention, which pleases you in so many ways. 

 

You watch him smugly as he tries to inch his way closer to his favorite spot. He looks up at you begging with oversized eyes. 

 

With a mouthful you giggle and chastise him.

“You’re just like a puppy.” 

 

He scowls at you and begins to whine just like one.

 

“I should call you puppy.” You pat his head. 

 

He Immediately stops whining and glares at you.

“Don’t you dare.” 

 

You snicker and swallow your mouthful then take a sip of Pepsi with Kakashi watching you patiently.

 

“Can we play now” He asks with another wiggle of anticipation.

 

And you just have to tease him further.

“Mmmaybe…have you been a good boy while I was gone?”

 

He grins wildly.

“I’m always a good boy for you.”

 

It was then Kakashi's cell phone began to ring beside you on the nightstand. He growls at it (just like a puppy), taking a short glance at the name on the screen. 

 

“Naruto always has the worst timing….” Ignoring the phone, he takes the Pepsi can from your hand and finds a secure place for it. He comes back to you, still positioned between your legs and begins to grind against you. He locks his lips with yours letting the ring on his phone fade away. However, that ring comes back again and again despite the arousement building between you two. 

 

He reluctantly pulls away at the third ring and curses. 

“Fuck sake…” 

 

“You should probably get that, I think it’s important.” 

 

He rolls his eyes.

“Alright…..” 

 

He grabs the phone and brings it up to his ear. Naruto, being as loud as he is, can be heard through the speaker. 

 

“ Hey! I was getting worried that Panther ate you in your sleep or something…”

 

“Nah, I’m fine…” Kakashi replies in monotone, while stroking the back of your thigh impatiently.

 

“ Good! But Kakashi, we need to have that talk.”

 

Kakashi sighs and looks down at you sadly. 

“Yeah….ok…I got something to tell you too.” 

 

“ Great! I’ll see you in an hour.” Naruto replies and hangs up before Kakashi can protest. 

 

He throws the phone onto his bed and runs a hand through his hair in frustration, flexing his body. God you missed him….

 

You try to comfort him as best you can, but you’re feeling torn as well. All you want to do is spend the day lying in his bed loving him. But there are more serious matters at hand. It is starting to feel like there always is. He slumps his head down onto your stomach complaining. 

 

“You haven’t even been back an hour and I’m being taken from you…” He slides his hands up to your sides where he rests them on your waist, occasionally squeezing you just to feel how small you are in his grasp.

 

You blow out a breath just as frustrated and entangle your fingers into his soft silver hair.

“I’m sure once everyone knows I’m here they will respect our time together.” You reply, trying to stay as positive as possible. But the more you think about being apart from him again, the more you spiral into anxieties of things to come. Your eyes start to water, your heart starts to ache.

 

You listen to his complaints and his own spiral of anxieties.

“Why can’t we just be left alone…it seems like everytime I am with you something is pulling us apart.” 

 

The hitch in your breath catches his attention and he rises up off you just as the tears begin to fall.

 

With wide eyes he tries to console you.

“Please don’t cry. I hate to see that….I’m sorry I shouldn't upset you like this.”

 

“It’s ok…it will be ok.” You whisper, but you know it isn’t. None of this is ok. What is coming for you is beyond both you and Kakashi and it may end what you have together. Even with this plan he has, you can sense the fear behind it. The fear of it failing is weighing on you both. It is something you are both realizing for he says the words you are thinking.

 

“I just…don’t want to lose you again…” He wipes the tears from your cheeks. 

 

Yet you continue to whisper hopeful mantras to him, just to save his feelings. You don’t want him to feel so lost, so powerless. 

“It’s going to be ok, I promise. You always make sure of that.” You reply and force out a smile.

 

He stares at you in disbelief.

“How are you so strong?…you’re always so strong. Even in the worst situations, you’re always fighting through them….” He presses his forehead against yours. “You really are something Hana. I will do whatever it takes to save us.” 

 

You sweep a hand through his hair, memorizing his handsome features. And a tiny spark of hope filters through the despair. Which quickly festers into a feeling of self empowerment. He is right…you are strong . You have gone through hell and back and are still fighting just to live. You are something, a very big something.

“I know you will. But Kakashi….” You search his eyes trying to come up with the right words. “I need you to start trusting in me too. Maybe I have my own plans, ones that are just as good. I can’t always be cared for, and I can’t always rely on everyone to fix my problems for me.”

 

He stares at you stunned for a moment before rising up off you. You can see the wheels turning in his head, as if you had dislodged his ego from the cogs of his brain. 

Then shame hits him hard. He grows quiet and removes himself from between your legs, slumping down on his back beside you.

 

You consider your words for a moment before letting them out. As this part may be hard for him to hear.

“I’m not going to sit by and have everyone tell me what to do. Let’s work on this together. I know you have your solution and maybe it’s time to share it.” 

 

He suddenly sighs and covers his eyes with his forearm. 

“Hana…I want to…I really do. But I can’t tell you yet. It would change far too much, it has to be done at a precise time or the entire plan will fall apart. There is more than one person involved. And I promised them not to reveal things just yet.”

 

Your heart sinks. This is so frustrating. But if there is someone else involved and they have asked not to tell you just yet, then it is most likely someone you care for who also cares about you. Which makes it a situation to be respected. 

 

Both of you blow out a long breath at the same time. 

“Alright.” You reply. “But after this….no more secrets.” 

 

He removes his arm from his eyes and looks over to you. 

“If it makes things easier, these secrets are only in place to save us. And after this is over I will never keep anything from you again.” 

 

You look over at him. 

“I hope so. I won’t hide anything from you either.”

 

He smiles warmly.

“I know….I guess I should get my ass out the door soon.” 

 

He kisses your forehead before getting up out of bed. And you reluctantly let him. But not without reminding him to set aside some time for you both.

 

“You’re mine tonight though.” 

 

“Damn right. And no one will interfere.”

You watch him walk into his bathroom and begin his shower routine.

——————————

 

Fast forward to his meeting with Naruto….

 

They met in a more secluded part of the hokage Tei. A small garden area in the middle of the building that only the 

current hokage has access to. 

 

Kakashi watches as the last cherry blossoms fall from the trees surrounding them. He snatches a petal in his grasp, feeling its velvety texture in his fingers, reminding him of how soft Hana is. He hasn’t been able to pay much attention to Naruto. His thoughts of Hana have run rampant through his mind. He can’t wait to get back home to her….

 

“I have something to ask of you.” Naruto says, finally coming to the point of this discussion. 

 

It catches just enough of Kakashi's attention for his ears to twitch and his mind to push away the lewd thoughts of her naked body beneath him. 

 

“What is it?” He asks.

 

A heaviness grows between them. He notices the grave look on Naruto’s face as he shifts uncomfortably beside him.

 

“Hana has agreed to marry Arufa. Once she gets out of the land of jungles and back into this world she will have to leave almost immediately.” 

 

He huffs at that and replies sourly.

“I know that. But that’s not what you’re asking about, is it.” 

 

Naruto shakes his head.

“No it’s not….I know you will want to go with her…” 

 

As the tension builds between them, Kakashi's mind begins to make assumptions before Naruto has even finished.

 

“You’re asking me not to go….” He says with far too much tone.

 

Naruto pauses for a moment, sharing a concerned glance.

“No that’s not it… I know you will go no matter what orders are in place.”

 

Kakashi leans back resting his hands on his palms while sighing. 

“Yup, I can’t say I won’t..” 

 

“To avoid the risk of someone seeing you out there, especially someone who you’ve run into on your last mission with Hana, you must stay hidden.”

 

Kakashi's brows knit together in confusion. 

“What do you mean, stay hidden?” 

 

And he responds with a daunting reply.

“Well…There was a time when you wore a mask to hide your identity.” 

 

Flash backs of his time with the black ops run through his mind. Subconsciously, Kakashi rubs the tattoo on his left arm.

 

“I know it’s a lot to ask of you. But Hana will be escorted by the Anbu to the land of iron. This must be a formal representation of Hidden Leaf Village, as our reputation is on the line. Do you understand?” 

 

He pauses for a moment trying not to dive too deep into the trauma of his past

“That mask….damn it… thought I left that shit behind….”

 

“I know…and I’m sorry. But It’s the only way. You’ll want to wear anything else that disguises you. Your hair color is an issue.” 

 

Kakashi rolls his eyes. This is a lot to ask of him. But if it means tagging along with Hana and being able to protect her then he will do it.

“Alright…I’ll do it, and I have a solution for my hair….” He smiles, fondly remembering the time he dressed up as a photographer to fool Naruto and the rest of team seven. 

 

Naruto grins happily. 

“Thanks Buddy. I know this isn’t easy for you.” 

 

“Anything for her…” 

 

Naruto huffs at that.

“You know, she is still considered a danger. When she returns, she will be under supervision. As of right now, with her track record, she could still lose control of herself….” He replies.

 

“You don’t trust her? After all that she has done? She has proven…” and Naruto stops him there.

 

“She has proven that she is still vulnerable to her cohort, especially the Sunaneko form.” He pulls on the collar of his hokage robe revealing a small scar from one of Hana’s bite wounds. “That is also why I am sending you with her. To stop her from losing control and ruining everything we have set in place.” 

 

Kakashi drops his head low.

“She won’t lose control anymore, I’ll make sure of it.” 

 

“We will see. I’m counting on you to keep this together.” He places a hand on his shoulder, which Kakashi instinctively shrugs off. 

 

With what kakashi has in store, there is no doubt Naruto will gain confidence in her. 

“She will earn your trust eventually. I promise you.” 

 

At that Kakashi rises to his feet, more angry than anything. He will make damn sure she finds her control. She’s almost there……as he makes it to the glass door of the solarium Naruto stops him.

 

“Hey! I’ll see you tonight, it’s time to bring her back..” He says with a weak smile.

 

Kakashi laughs at him and shakes his head. He opens the sliding door and steps through then says one more thing before he slams it shut cutting off the conversation. 

 

“She’s already here, Naruto.” 

 

And he body flickers out of sight, leaving him scrambling to find him.

 

———

Chapter 45: Curse of the clan

You slept a few more hours while Kakashi was gone. Sharing vivid dreams with your cohort. Ones mostly of your past and your father. 

It was his smile that stuck on your mind. He would show it when you did “good things”. Like destroying a body effortlessly in his mind control practices. Or giving your clan members concussions during training. Yes, when you were a “good girl” he would show that smile and reward you with something you so desired. And if you were “really good” he would let you and your brother have free reign in the evenings. To which your brother and you took full advantage of, when you returned he would be there waiting for you with contempt, as if he had just won the father of the year award.

You remember it clearly, your father, sitting smugly in his weathered rocking chair on the back porch watching the stars appear over the desert. Writing in his small paperback notebook while smoking his cigars. You still wonder what is in that book and if it is still intact. But there is no way to find out, now that the book is lost. You try hard to remember the times you had gotten close to that book, but your mind seems to have blocked out any text you had seen. 

You ponder over the vision as you smother your body in your favorite body wash Kakashi had bought for you to make his home feel like your own. 
As you finish up and step out of the shower you are hit with a strange feeling. An energy lingering in the air like the sparks of electricity after a heavy lightning storm. You shake it off as nothing to worry about and carry on getting all over dolled up for Kakashi.

You want that man to stumble over you the next time he sees you. He had just texted you to meet him for ramen at the restaurant close by for an early dinner. 

“The earlier we eat, the earlier I get you back home and in my arms again….” 

Is what he said and you couldn’t agree more. Kakashi was kind enough to have Sakura drop a few bags of clothing off for you while you slept which would mean Kakashi plans to have you stay over for the next few days. 

You pull a black pleated skirt, thigh high socks and ankle cut boots for your bottom half and an off the shoulder navy colored shirt for the top. For your hair? You have left it down, letting its natural deep waves spill over your shoulders and down to your mid waist. With a last touch of light makeup you are ready. 

It is almost time to leave and you are hit again with that same prickling energy, this time much stronger. But with nothing around to explain it, you carry on, taking note of its strange feeling. 

Once out the door you immediately notice the colder drier weather, something you aren’t used to as you had just spent a week in the damp heat of the jungles. You shiver at the feeling and rub your arms for friction. Looking around at the scenery was strange as well, it was nostalgic as if you have stepped back into your memories and you basically have. You blow out an anxious breath and hop down the steps onwards to your destination.

 It wasn’t thirty minutes down the unusually quiet streets that you catch sight of an odd looking shadow leaping across the rooftops. Then that same prickling sensation makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and your cohort triggers its instincts. Something is wrong here in hidden leaf village, and the more you sense it out using not just your chakra, but your sight, sound and smell, the more you pick up on these alarming sensations.

 To your cohort the smell is defined as a male, yet it has an underlying scent of a female. Muffled sounds of a higher pitched voice and low grunting permeate your ears. This doesn’t feel right, so you make a quick decision to follow that shadow as discreetly as possible, completely forgetting about Kakashi and dinner. It could be hidden leaf has an assassin in their midst and in broad daylight…

Another half hour goes by as you tail this so-called assassin in the direction of the kage mountain. Following the shadow wasn’t easy, and it seemed as if it is struggling to keep hold of something in its grasp the entire way, which you are coming to the conclusion is a hostage. As you leap to the next adjacent building staying out of sight, the “package” the man is carrying suddenly breaks free and shrieks. But is swiftly quieted by a sharp cuff to their head. 

Your eyes grow wide and you gasp involuntarily catching the shadows' attention. Quickly you duck behind a large metal vent to avoid blowing your cover. You listen intently for those footsteps to continue, and if not for your cohort's senses you wouldn’t be able to hear a thing. Once the first footstep begins you peer around the corner using your cohort's exquisite site, you catch a glimpse of a half masked face with eyes filled in black and tiny irises made of gold. Those eyes…you have seen them before but can’t remember where. They are definitely something to take note of. Along with his tall muscular stature and brandless ninja garb. There was something vaguely familiar about this man…

Just as the man leaps to the next building over your phone chimes notifying you of a text message and your heart nearly explodes. It startles you so much you fall straight on your ass cursing the universe. You snatch it out of your pocket as a plethora of obnoxious chimes fill the breezy air. 

“Fucking one sentence texters….just write it all in one text and send it you asshole!” You complain and bring the phone to your face to read. It was then you remembered you were supposed to be meeting Kakashi a half hour ago. Concerned texts fill your screen, the last one catching you off guard completely. 

Stay home! 
Don’t go anywhere it is not safe, Himawari is missing! 

You put two and two together and realize the little shriek you heard came from Himawari herself. From what you have heard, that little girl is none other than Naruto’s daughter and she is a feisty one. It is no wonder this man is struggling to keep her quiet.

With your suspicions confirmed it is time to devise a plan of action. One to intercept this intruder before he gets too far away. You’re surprised you haven’t come across any other ninja in pursuit. Which was another strange happenstance. Come to think of it…you haven’t seen anyone since you left Kakashi’s. That on its own is alarming. It could be this intruder was able to divert everyone else’s attention away. Which leaves just you and him alone to fight over Himawari.

He is in for one hell of a surprise….

With your strength back and your new found connection between your cohort, you are a whole new kind of animal. It’s time to show everyone what you can really do, without all the carnage and destruction.

You quickly tuck your phone into your pocket without responding to KaKashi. If he finds out you’re out here on your own he will come find you and to avoid directly lying to him about your whereabouts, you throw your phone on silent and leave it at that. You sight out your target and hone in on its direction. He is definitely heading towards Kage mountain. You scan the rough cliff line using your prestige vision and catch a glimpse of four more ninja nestled into crevices or tucked behind boulders. 

Now you are outnumbered…..

But does it matter? You can explode bodies with a simple thought, remember?

You carry on following this shadow devising your plan of action….

—————————————————-

“Damn it…” Kakashi curses out loud as he tucks his phone back into his pocket. 

Naruto glances at him but only slightly. He doesn’t want to take his eyes off hidden leaf village for a second. 
“What now?” He asks.

Kakashi sighs.
“Hana isn’t answering me. She read the message but is probably avoiding me. Most likely because she has already left my place and is out there looking for Himawari.” 

Naruto shakes his head.
“She should at least answer you back.”

Kakashi sighs.
“She doesn’t want to lie to me. And she doesn’t want to go home to wait this out. Better to keep quiet than confess or lie.” 

Naruto shakes his head.
“Damnit, I hope she doesn’t cause a disaster.” 

“She’s not out there to cause trouble. Hey, maybe she will be more help than anything. Hana is a pretty smart girl.” 

Naruto sighs.
“She is. But, it’s her control that’s the problem, remember.” 

He has him at that. If she only had control over that cat, things would be different.
“Yeah…” Kakashi decides to focus back on their task. Finding Himawari instead of worrying about Hana. He knows what she is capable of, and if any intruder were to come across her path they won’t survive. He is almost relieved she is out there, although he can’t say the same for Naruto. He wonders if Naruto will ever respect her the way he should.

“I think we should head ov….” Naruto is suddenly cut short by Genma leaping up onto the same building. 

“We found her! Five nameless ninja on Kage mountain. They are holding her hostage and demanding to speak with you.” 

Naruto hisses under his breath.
“How in the hell did they get this close!” 

“Advanced genjutsu mixed with new technology. There are beacons placed around hidden leaf village. We have taken most of them out. But we weren’t quick enough.” 

Naruto clenches his fists and rises to his feet. At this time every jonin not out on mission joins them on top of the roof. Each watching the mountain with hawk eyes. 

“We took out the last beacon. They are in plain sight now.” Hinata says, joining her husband by his side. 

Naruto nods and scans the mountain. Sure enough, five shinobi stand tall at the edge of his fathers carved stone head with Himawari in hand. Kakashi can see Naruto’s chest heaving and his chakra sparking all around him. 

“Let’s play it cool, Naruto.” Kakashi reminds him. 

Naruto huffs and sets furious fox eyes on him.
“That’s the plan! I wanna know what makes them so bold as to take my daughter from me. After that, I will crush them.” 

Kakashi returns his attention to the mountain ahead, reflecting on his words. He is glad Naruto is holding it together so well, for if it were him…he isn’t sure if he could. 

Suddenly a gust of wind picks up the air around them, spiraling towards the mountain. Alongside it, an energy similar to lightning jutsu. 

“You feel that?” Shikamaru asks. He had joined them in their search not too long after the first wave of ninja were sent out. 

“Yeah.” Kakashi replies. 

“It’s strange, it feels like lightning chakra but has a sting of something else. Something darker…”

“Too bad Sasuke wasn’t here. He would know what it is.” Hinata says. 

It was too bad Sasuke wasn’t present for this. He knows this type of jutsu well and anyone else who does is on mission with him. To be honest, as Kakashi thinks about it, this is the perfect time for an abduction and or assassination. Over half the number of ninja have been dispatched to other lands, to deal with the damage caused by Hana, or the Kage plotting against her. Their defense is lower than usual, although not dwindling in strength. But with the hostage situation sitting so casually in front of them, hidden leaf may have their hands tied. All they can do is comply with their demands and hope they release Himawari unharmed. 

“They're pooling energy….but to where?” Naruto says more to himself. 

“Let’s go find out.” Kakashi replies. And at that they leap into the sky with Naruto leading the way. 

They stop for nothing until they arrive on top of Kage mountain. Everyone stands still watching each other silently. Five shinobi draped in black, circles Himawari, who sits kneeled with her hands bound and a gag in her mouth tied tightly. Blood drips from her forehead where a small gash can be seen. Making Kakashi's stomach turn and his muscles tense in rage. 

Naruto steps forward as cool and calm as ever. Although Kakashi is well aware of the chakra burning inside him. 
“Beating a child? Is that necessary?” Naruto remarks. 

The shinobi standing before her glances at Himawari but shows no tale tell sign of any remorse. 
“We do what is necessary.” 

Naruto grits his teeth.
“You do know who you’re up against right?” He waves his hand over the group of leaf ninja ready to turn them into dust. 

But neither of their intruders seem to care. They show no signs of fear or regret, only a set expression of determination and purpose. 
“We are here to make a trade. If you comply we will release the girl unharmed.” 

Kakashi snarls.
“Unharmed?” 

The ninja glances back at her, his eyes running along the thin lines of blood now dried to her skin. 
And he repeats.
“Like I said…we will do what is necessary….” He takes a step forward towards Naruto and begins his negotiations.
“We are here for the two stone vessels. The Sunaneko, and the Mamushi.”

Stone vessels?… 

Now that is an interesting way of wording it. Not once has kakashi heard anyone call them vessels before, that being said, it is exactly what they are. Vessels for a Gelel Stone…the other names peak his interest as well. Could these intruders be from the land of wind? It is obvious they know their Bloodclaw names and use them before their real names. 
And Naruto takes the words right out of his mouth.
“So you’re from the land of wind.” 

The ninja shakes his head.
“We are from no land. We are the nameless, nothing more. Now…release the vessels so we can be on our way and you can get your kin back.” 

Himawari whimpers behind him, triggering Naruto to snap back at him.
“I need some answers first! What is your intention with the stone users?” 

But the ninja say nothing, they stand still silently as Naruto drills them with question after question.

“What do you want with them damnit!?” He pulls a long thin metal tube from his pocket and throws it down at their enemies feet. “And what the hell is this?” 

All ninja glance at the metal object.
“Something beyond your mental capacity.” He replies then lifts his hand and flicks his wrist revealing a watch. “Time is running out. If you do not bring us the vessels I will be forced to withdrawal. And we will take the girl with us.” 

Naruto hisses back at him.
“I’d like to see you try! The stone users aren’t here. You’re wasting your time. Now give me my daughter back and we may let you live!.” 

The ninja shakes his head.
“I can feel them. They are here. Bring them to me and we will release the girl.” He walks back to Himawari and grips the hair on the top of her head then unsheathes a dagger from his sleeve placing it at her throat. 

Naruto jumps at the motion immediately surrendering his hands in the air.
“Alright…alright…but it will take time to find them.”

Naruto turns to Kakashi, whispering as he asks.
“Where the fuck is Shirou?” 

Kakashi curses under his breath. He knows exactly where Shirou is. In bed with two women he had sweet talked into sleeping with him.
“He is uhhh…preoccupied at the moment. I doubt he will even answer his phone right now.” 

Naruto rolls his eyes.
“Where?” 

Kakshi sighs.
“At Hana’s, he’s staying there for now. But he’s not alone…” 

“I don’t fucking care.” Naruto replies and turns to Shikamaru. “He’s at Hana’s, go get him.” 

Shikamaru scratches the back of head nervously. “Ahhh, I doubt he will listen to me. He’s not a leaf ninja, remember?” 

“Tell him Hana is in trouble and he will be at your heels.” Naruto replies.

“Alright. I’ll do my best.” And Shikamaru takes off over the rooftops of hidden leaf village. 

The ninja looks at his watch again.
“You don’t have much time.” He presses a button on his watch activating a light on the beacon before him. 

Hinata whispers behind them.
“I thought we destroyed them?” 

The ninja looks over to her.
“Some of them, but there are still some with their core intact. All you’ve done is shorten the time you have to provide us with the vessels.” 

Kakashi analyzes his words, coming up with the right questions they may be willing to answer. 
“How long do we have?” 

“Fifteen minutes”. He replies. 

That’s not enough time to find both Hana and Shirou.
“And then what?” 

“The portal opens and we leave. We can reopen the portal and make the exchange at a later time. We are willing to wait for you to get your shit together.” He replies smugly. 

Kakashi can hear his fellow ninja riling up. 

“Are they really that valuable?” Kakashi asks knowing full well Hana and Shirou are worth more than anything else in this world right now. 

He huffs.
“More than you will ever understand. Time is wasting. You now have ten minutes left, I do hope we get this done in time.” 

“What makes you think we will let you get through that portal?” Naruto aks.

“This little girl's life depends on it. She is sealed by the vex portal. Just like us.” He replies and slowly releases his grip on Himawari's hair. He begins to pat the top of her head drawing tears from her eyes. 

It was then Shikamaru returned but with a solemn look on his face. Which means he was not successful with his persuasion. 

“He’s coming, but he’s taking his damn time.” 

Naruto curses him loudly.
“Doesn’t he care about his own sister?” 

“His exact words were, Hana can castrate a man with a single thought. I’m sure she’s fine.” Shikamaru replies. 

Kakashi can’t help but cringe under his mask at the thought. Yes she can, but that isn’t the point Shirou….

“What an idiot….” Hinata whispers.

Genma curses Shirou under his breath.
“Is he coming or not?” 

“He’s coming, but it might be awhile.” Shikamaru replies. 

The ninja holding Himawari interrupts. 
“It sounds to me like you need more time. I’ll call the portal now. We can meet in four hours at this spot. If you do not have both vessels then you will never see this little girl again.” 

With nothing else he can do, Naruto surrenders. 
“Four hours?” 

“Yes. That is the required time to reopen a portal.” He raises his wrist again and begins to press buttons on its digital panel. It beeps a few times then triggers beacons all around hidden leaf, including the one lying in front of them. Suddenly the air picks up again and energy begins to build behind them. Within seconds a violet rimmed portal opens up revealing a desert wasteland in its center. Confirming Kakashi’s suspicions that they are in fact from the land of wind. 

“Stop! Please don’t take her!” Hinata pleads, stepping forward. 

“I wouldn’t move any closer, without a seal or gelel stone you will be stripped of your chakra.” He says.

Another interesting piece of information for Kakashi. It reminds him of the earth jutsu used in their last mission to drain them of chakra. There could be some sort of link between the two. So he files that away for another time when more information can reveal itself. As for now, he was right again, their hands are tied and there is nothing they can do except present Hana and Shirou to them. But what makes them think those two don't annihilate them once Himawari is released? He just has to ask.

“The Sunaneko and Mamushi are extremely dangerous. What makes you think they won’t kill you once the girl is released.” 

That question sparks something even more sinister in these ninja. They begin to laugh amongst each other sharing sly looks and the lead ninja stares directly at Kakashi with strange darkened eyes. Then he says a word that Kakashi has used many times since Hana had claimed his heart. 
“Trust.” The ninja says. At that the ninja take their leave, throwing Himawari over one of their shoulders with her muffled screams stinging each of their hearts. Hinata falls to her knees begging them to stop. 

Kakashi stares at the portal trying to pick it apart, trying his best to analyze the situation, attempting to unravel their plot and stop this. But with the little time provided all he can do is replay what had just happened. As the portal closes behind them a flash of light brightens the sky behind the portal followed by a deafening explosion. He braces himself along with his fellow ninja for the blasts recoil wondering if it is another attack or some kind of diversion….

———————————————

Minutes prior...

You have placed yourself in a precarious spot in the shrubs behind the intruders to watch the larceny unravel. Thanks to your keen hearing you are able to listen to every conversation and word said between the intruders. Finding out how they had tricked everyone into destroying beacons which were placed as a diversion. You had also picked up on their chakra and a certain vibration of energy. One that you have encountered many times in the land of wind during the last few weeks of your life as Neko. 

It is cursed energy, something that a platoon from your Bloodclaw clan had come across while scouring the land of wind’s desolate runes. You have never seen it this strong before and never once has it changed someone’s appearance so much. This stirs up some disturbing past memories and new questions that must be answered. But first you need to deal with the hostage situation. 

As you peer around the shrubbery you notice a flash of silver hair in the distance, joined by Naruto’s big pineapple head and the rest of hidden leaf village. Your new clan has arrived and you couldn’t be happier, that is until you listen to the conversation between the two groups. 

You hear your brother's Bloodclaw name being mentioned alongside yours and realize this hostage problem is all your fault….again….if it weren’t for you none of this would be happening right now. Your stomach turns the more you self criticize until you hear the words vex portal. You know exactly what that is and how it works and with their explanation, you know what they plan to do….

A vex portal uses a lower vibration of negative chakra to move through darker astral planes, appearing anywhere in the world the user wishes. At the time you encountered it many years ago, it was only being practiced and not put into use. Not successfully anyway. Lessons were taught from your father directly and notes were written by himself in that little leather book you keep thinking about. If they have continued to practice it they have succeeded in using its power, even modifying your fathers instructions with new technology. 

With your Gelel Stone activated you are able to lower your Chakra to mimic the negative energy being produced by the cursed chakra. You can slip in and out of the portal with ease. But how to do that without making your presence known? 

As if a light switches on in your head, you get a vision from your cohort regarding your last body flicker. 

You cringe at the memory of hitting a tree and taking half the jungle with you to the waterfall. It’s risky…but if you work with your cohort this time, you might be able to pull this one off without messing it up too badly. 

Watching closely you wait for the opportune time to pull chakra without being noticed. Once the portal is open you should be able to do so and just before it closes you will match the vibration to the world beyond the portal. In theory it should teleport you right to them, after that you’ll work with your cohort to take them on, save Himawari and earn the much needed respect from your pineapple head Kage. 

You watch them closely, disgusted by the intruders for frightening the little girl so badly. Oh they are going to pay for this, even if they are part of your previous clan. Then you see Shikamaru returning without your brother and are beyond pissed at him too. How dare he ignore everyone, especially when it comes to your faked well being. He is going to get a major mouthful after this.

As the portal opens you see a familiar world in the center, one you have avoided going back to for years. Once the last words are said between the groups and the shinobi enter the portal you quickly draw chakra matching the vibration using your stone and body flicker out of hidden leaf village. However your Kekkei Genkai kicks in at the worst time and creates an explosion of excess chakra in your wake.  

You suddenly appear in the sky again falling towards the earth. Your cohort is sending you visions of how stupid you are in the meantime. With the wind whipping at your hair you look down trying to figure out if you had body flickered to your destination. Sure enough you have, which was relieving, but this fall is really going to hurt. That is until you catch sight of the ninja carrying Himawari directly below you. 

“Shit!” You shout, which catches their attention all too late. 

With a hard smack you land right on top of the largest shinobi in the group knocking him flat on his back. Both you and the ninja lie there dazed while the others scramble to figure out what just happened. 

As you come to your senses so does the body beneath you and you both groan. You rise up stabilizing yourself on a thick puffed up chest. Your legs instinctively curl around his waist straddling his lap and your eyes open to the world around you. 

“What the hell?…” He groans underneath you. Once his vision adjusts to your figure sitting atop his lap, sweeping the hair from your face, your skirt hiked up way too far and your off the shoulder shirt pulled down showing far too much cleavage he chokes, freezing in place. Why is it you always end up in positions like this?…

You glare down at him and his wandering eyes. 

“Neko?” He asks in disbelief.  

“Not anymore!” You scowl and snatch his half mask, tearing it off his face. Underneath is a man you haven’t seen in years. “Jun?” You gasp.

He nods slowly still fixated on your private parts, switching between the two with cheeks turning redder and redder by the minute. 

“Having fun?” You ask with tone and flick his forehead, snapping him out of his lewdy thoughts.

And surprisingly enough his hands find their way to your thighs and that shocked expression turns into love at first sight. 
“Gods Neko, you got hot over the years…I mean you were always really pretty…I mean I always thought you were, but gods..” He gives you another once over. “…I think I’m in love!” He babbles on as you roll your eyes and peel yourself off of him. Which wasn't easy as he kept his grip on your thighs quite tight. You rise to your feet and adjust your clothes.

“You know she could eat you, right?” Another shinobi says, pulling down his mask, revealing another familiar face. Akashi….

But you ignore them both and set your stern glare on the shinobi holding Himawari. With an authoritative finger you point at him then point down to the ground and make your demands.
“Put that girl down right now! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” 

Immediately he gasps and places her down onto the dusty ground. She whimpers and falls to her knees.
“You care about this girl?” Taro asks very surprised. 

That comment just makes you even more angry.
“Of course I do! She is a child! I care about all children.” At that everyone bursts out laughing. 

“The Neko I knew only cared about blood and her next cohort meal…” Akashi says. 

You set a hard glare on him making him shift uncomfortably, then he too drags his eyes down your body and back up, although not as full of desire as Jun.
“But…it looks like you’ve changed.” 

“I could say the same for you assholes! Now hand her over, we’re heading back to Hidden Leaf Village!” 
You demand and step forward but you are stopped by Akashi who positions himself in front of her. 

“We can’t let you do that…not yet.” He says.

“Oh really? You think it’s wise to push a stone user who has bonded with their cohort and has the ability to use jutsu?” 

Each ninja grows quiet glancing at each other nervously and you begin to tap your foot impatiently while crossing your arms waiting for him to move.

Akashi clears his throat and walks towards you with determination. Maybe your threats won’t work this time. You prepare yourself for a spar, gathering chakra and stone energy, making the ground shake below you and the wind whip your hair. Just when you thought he was going to take a swing at you, he opens his arms and drops to his knees. His hands find the end of your skirt and latch on, then he begins to beg desperately.

“Please Hana! We need your help. The curse is so painful, we need your help to remove it!” He then pulls something from his pocket, a small leather back book, and presents it to you. “Please!….You know this book don’t you?”

Your eyes grow wide at the sight of it. For it is the very book you have been fixating on in your dreams. You release your energy calming the air around you and ask in a whisper of disbelief.

“Where did you get that?” 

He offers it again to you.
“Take it! It belongs to you and Shirou, we can’t read it!.” 

You snatch it from his hands and run your hands along its soft leather, feeling the memories stored inside. 
“Where did you get this?” You ask again.

Akashi stands, brushing off his knees.
“We searched for years to find it. It was buried in the rubble after the battle ...we don’t know how to read it..it’s not written in any language we’ve ever seen.”

You suck in a breath and open it. Inside the first page it reads in a language only you and Shirou know. 

The Kesseki Experiment:

Written by Temujin Kensu.

The stone of Gelel: It was first discovered long ago as a vein of ore by my ancestors. Only the royal blood of my clan could forge stones from the ore, a process performed with flesh and blood of the body. The same forgers are also the only ones capable of implanting the stones into bodies, as well as destroying them.

The entire deposit of Gelel is said to be capable of destroying half a continent. For this reason a long and costly war was fought over it, resulting in the ore being sealed away by my ancestors. 

Years after its sealing, Haido found remnants of the stone by destroying my village, he obtained the book of gelel and chaos broke loose. I was forced to destroy the vein by summoning my space time hole. It was said I had saved the world that day and at that time I was a hero to many. But all that changed the day I came across the largest piece of Gelel Stone left in the land of wind. 

Here is where I will begin my research. To combine the stone with the human body to create the most powerful shinobi the world had yet to see…..

You pause a moment to let that sink in. A reluctant tear slipping down your cheek, as you realize your father was not the man you thought he was. At least not in the beginning….

Then a small cry interrupts your thoughts drawing your attention to Himawari who sits quietly still bound and bloody. You snap the book shut and tuck it under your arm, this is not the time for a recap. You look down at Akashi.

“I will help you if you let the girl go.” 

He rises to his feet, looking you over again but differently this time. 
“I will release her bonds but not the seal. Not until you have helped us..” 

He holds out a hand for you to shake. You glance at it then back up at him and sigh.
“Alright.” You shake his hand hard. 

“Thank you, Neko.” 

 You rolls your eyes and remind him of who you are now. 
“It’s Hana…Hana Hoki of Hidden Leaf village.” You say and walk over to
Himawari. You flick your hand to Jun to come closer. 

“Release her and bring me some water.” You demand, and he doesn’t hesitate to please you. You’re pretty sure this man would do anything for you right now.

Once her gag is released she starts one heavy scolding, reminding you of yourself at her age.

“All of you are dumb! You think you can just walk into Konoha and kidnap someone without paying for it? My dad is going to kick your asses! He is the strongest ninja in the world and once he finds us he will kill you!” She points a tiny finger at each and every ninja in the group including yourself. 

You are a bit taken back by that, you just have to ask.
“Me? What did I do?”

She frowns and purses her lips together. 
“YOU, tried to eat my dad twice!” 

You can feel the blood leaving your face and you sit shocked, because you in fact did try to eat him. 
“Ahhh…well…you see Himawari…I wasn’t quite myself at the time.” You try to explain only to be quieted by her high pitched berating.

“Oh shut up! It’s all your fault!” 

Shamefully you agree.
“It always is….” 

Jun hands you a canteen which is quickly snatched from you by the little girl. You watch her chug back the entire container before throwing it back at the ninja's head…damn she’s sassy…

He barely catches it with the astonishing force of speed she used to throw it and she chuckles as he cringes at the pain of it slamming into his hand. 

“Now take me back home!” She demands.

But she is in no place to be demanding anything right now. Still sealed by the vex portal, still placed in the middle of nowhere surrounded by ninja who could easily take her out. So you try your best to explain the situation.

You kneel down before her and place a hand on her shoulder, which she shoves away and snarls. 

“Calm down Himawari. These men won’t let you go just yet, and you aren’t exactly in the position to be telling them what to do. Your father may be the strongest ninja alive, but he isn’t here right now. It’s just me, you, and them. So let’s play their game.” 

She chews her lip exactly the way you do and eyes you up the same way Naruto does. And in her anger she decides to throw more verbal punches at you.
“Dad said you did a lot of bad things. He said you are dangerous and to stay away.”

That stabs you right in the heart. Because never once did you mean to do those bad things. But then again…it is the truth. You sigh and try your best to hold back your watering eyes. However Himawari seems to notice as she stares you down. Then surprisingly her eyes soften and that sassy attitude seems to dim a little. 

“I mean, dad says a lot of things. Sometimes he says things to keep me safe…so…” she scratches her arm and looks away. “Is it really true you tried to eat him?” 

And the rest of your ex clan begin to laugh while you try to explain.
“Your dad is right. Just a week ago I wasn’t able to control this stone inside me and I did try to eat him…..” You pat the glowing spiral on your chest. “But I have control now. I promise.” 

She looks up at you skeptically.
“So you don’t want to eat my dad?” 

“Of course not! He tastes terrible!” 

And she can’t help but giggle at that.
“It’s the ramen…he eats too much of it and it makes him salty.” 

You share a laugh with her.. 
“It sure does.” You pat her head. “Are we cool now?” 

She huffs out a breath.
“Sort of…I guess we're cool, as long as you don’t try to eat anyone else and you’re the only one who is trying to help me so….” 

Suddenly your stomach rumbles and she looks up at you with raised brows. You both burst out laughing. 
“I promise not to eat anyone, unless it’s these jerks behind us.” 

Akashi begins to protest.
“Hey now, there’s no need for any of that. Once this curse is lifted we will release you and leave Konoha for good.” 

That brings you to your purpose here and the book sitting snug in under your arm. You stand and turn to your ex clan with determination. 

“Alright, let’s get this done….” Looking upon all of them, slowly analyzing the changes in their appearances, it brings back memories of the last time you had seen them. 

You can’t count the years anymore, as that number is lost in the many mistakes you have made since then. However, you remember the explosion and your loss of control, anything after that is dark and hazy. 

Then Jun speaks up, taking you back to that day. 
“After the explosion at the warehouse….we confirmed the children were gone. We thought you had died with them, but there you were standing in the middle of it all with blood on your hands. You were unrecognizable…your cohort had taken your mind completely. So…to save ourselves..we fled before you realized we had survived the blast too.” He lowers his eyes to the ground. “We hid in ruins close by for quite some time after that. Until we couldn’t take anymore of the pain from this curse, that is when we went looking for the book. We followed along your path of carnage, hoping you would give us a lead.” He pauses for a moment to let that really sink in. 

And you begin to feel the weight of it. You don’t remember much of the destruction and pain you caused, but you know it was horrible. 
“I lost control…” You agree.

“You did…but it wasn’t until just recently that we discovered it was all a set up by the other clan members. We found evidence back at the warehouse confirming everything….after Haido fell we found father’s book buried underground below the collapsing castle in the rubble. It wasn’t an easy find to say the least…anyways…one of the pages mentions the curse, I can’t read much else from it but I know it has the cure…it just has to.” 
Everyone around you seems to hum in agreement. 

You hold the book in both hands and flip it open, leafing through a few pages.
“If I do this you’ll let her go?” 

“Yes, we will let her go. There’s a slight problem though…”

Your eyes flick up to Akashi who swallows nervously at your stern glare, like you need anymore problems... 
“What is that?” You ask sharply.

“We need Shirou.”
Instinctively you roll your eyes.
“Why?” 

“He is the only one who can heal others with stone power.” Akashi replies. 

How is that possible?, you can’t heal anyone with your stone power, you can only heal yourself and your cohort. So how is it your brother is able to?

“Stone users can’t heal others unless they use jutsu, and jutsu won’t lift that curse.” You argue. 

Jun shakes his head and explains, shocking you even further. 
“Why do you think father favored him so much? Shirou is his nephew. He is of the same clan, the royal bloodline! The only one who can manipulate a gelel stone outside of their own body. He favored you for your Kekkei Genkai, and Shirou for his family bloodline and paired you together to create the perfect combination of power and clan superiority.”

You nearly drop the book listening to him. This whole time Shirou has been the one who could change everything. Then why is it he couldn’t remove his own stone? He would have the ability would he not? 

Akashi continues on.
“We need him to heal our bodies and remove the curse. Only a Gelel stone can match the energy and remove it.” 

“Are you sure of this? How do you know?” 

Everyone shares concerned looks with each other.
“We are going based on information we have gathered around the land of wind and we know there is information in that book. A step by step instruction I can only assume Temujin had written.” 

This was not something you were ready to hear. You wonder if Shirou even knows he is of royal blood and what his abilities are. You must get back to Hidden leaf and figure this out. 

You close the book and storm up to Akashi. He backs away slowly raising his hands in surrender. 
“Hey, I’m sorry! This is the truth…it’s not my fault.” 

“No, but stealing a child and holding her hostage over us is. Now release her and take us back, I will bring Shirou to you after that.” 

He backs up another few feet before nervously replying. 
“I…I can’t do that, Neko. The minute I let her go in Konoha, Naruto and his ninja will kill us all. This has to be done the right way. Here in the desert with no one else around but us. This trade needs to happen.” 

“Damnit Akashi! Why didn’t you just ask us nicely?” 

“We thought you were being held hostage. I mean, word on the street is you attacked your Kage, you had fought all Konoha ninja and were called to trial by every other village miles from here. A hostage for a hostage is the only way….and we know Shirou will follow you…” 

“So you don’t actually need me…” You reply sourly crossing your arms. 

“To help decipher the book we do. Shirou can speak the language but I don’t think he can read it much..from what I remember.” Jun states. 

At a loss for solutions you turn your attention back to Himawari. 
“Alright sweetheart, we are gonna get you home ok?” 

“So you’ll make the exchange?” Jun asks. 

“Yeah…but what makes you think we won’t just kill you once Himawari is safe?” You reply. 

“Because you are family.” Akashi says so sincerely it punches you right in the gut. 

You shake your head. There is no way these men thought of you as family. You were just another adversary to them.
“You have never once thought of me as family. No one did!”

“That’s not true! We had your back many times, you just didn’t know it. Why do you think the pool father used to punish you with always had a leak?” Jun replies.

“Why was there always a plate of leftovers when he decided you didn’t deserve a meal? The rest of us here have helped you out in some way or not. We have always been on your side. Just in secrecy.” Akashi confirms.

You remember back to those times where you suffered the most. It was all true and you had always wondered who was taking care of you. You had just assumed it was Shirou. 

A silence grows over everyone until you come to the conclusion that you will help them. That they deserve it, for all they had done for you in the past. 

In that moment Jun approaches you and wraps his arms around your shoulders, tucking your head into his chest. It was a strange motion for him, as this kind of affection is not his typical behavior. 
“What do you say Neko?” He asks quietly into your ear. 

You sigh heavily.
“I will make sure that curse is lifted.”

He pushes your shoulder back and takes both big hands, placing them on your cheeks aligning your eyes with his darkened ones. A smile grows on him and if not for the curse slowly destroying his body, you might say he is rather handsome right now. Then he does something stupid, albeit typical but stupid, he kisses you…tongue and all. Then walks away leaving you stunned and violated. 

“Ew!” Himawari says behind you. 

You spit the remnants of his kiss to the ground. 
“Jun! You don’t just grab someone’s face and shove your tongue down their throat! I am a taken woman damnit!” 

That seems to come as a surprise to everyone except Akashi.

“I find that hard to believe…no offense, Neko.” Jun says.

“Nah, she’s telling the truth.” Akashi confirms, setting Jun off. 

“No way! Wait…did Shirou finally come to his senses?” 

You gasp out loud.
“What?! No! He’s my brother!” 

Jun strokes his chin.
“If that’s the case then I guess I just kissed my sister….” 

“The copy ninja. Kakashi of the Sharingan. Isn’t it?” Akashi asks, ignoring Jun’s remark.

Hands on your hips and full of pride you reply.
“That’s right!”

“I knew it!” Himawari shouts, while giggling with excitement. 

“Isn’t he like three times your age?” Jun asks, outraged.

You run your hand through your hair in frustration. This is not a discussion you want to have with these guys. 
“Can we get back to the point here? Aren’t you guys in pain or something? Shouldn’t we be curing a curse?” 

Akashi looks at his watch.
“We have another three hours before we can open the portal again. Should be enough time to figure out what exactly is in that book.” 

Jun slaps his hands together and takes a seat on the dusty ground. 
“Story time!” 

Everyone else follows, situating themselves in a semi circle around you as if you were ready to teach a class kindergarten class. Even Himawari finds a spot close to you to listen. 
“I’ll read it out loud, but everyone must be quiet and don’t ask any stupid questions!”

Each nod their heads with excitement and you settle your own self down then open the book……

 

Chapter 46: One Hot Mess

Meanwhile back in Hidden Leaf…

 

“They have her! I know it! I can feel it!..my messages aren’t even reaching her anymore….” Kakashi says as he paces the right side of Naruto's office. 

 

“I want my daughter back! Where the hell is Shirou?” Naruto shouts in frustration while pacing the left side of his office. 

 

“Would you two just sit down? I don’t know what you’re freaking out about, those two can handle themselves. I actually feel bad for their kidnappers…those girls scare me more than my mother….”

Shikamaru says. 

 

Both Kakashi and Naruto blow out a breath and stop pacing.

 

At this point in time Konohamaru walks into the room and doesn’t hesitate to take a jab at Kakashi.

“Lost her again Huh? You think you would be able to keep her safe by now, but you just keep fucking things up..it’s only a matter of time before your relationship starts to crumble... And I’ll be right there to pick up the pieces when it all falls apart.” 

 

Kakashi closes his eyes to let those words sink in. It is true, he hasn’t been able to keep her safe at all. He hasn’t been able to keep all his promises to her either. He doesn’t deserve her…he never has…He looks over to Konohamaru and calmly replies.

“Until that day comes, I’ll be by her side.” Then he slumps down into a chair and stares out through the window looking over the village in despair. Still replaying everything, still analyzing the situation and how he can fix this. 

 

Konohamaru huffs triumphantly, grinning inside over his victory. Kakashi is giving up , he thinks. But he most definitely is not, this is the one promise he can keep. He will never give up on her…not until she has given up on him.

 

The others watch the emotions spiral around the office while they wait for the portal to open. 

 

“I would never leave her side, you know not for a second...” Konohamaru says, carrying on with his berating.

 

At that last comment the unexpected happens. Naruto turns to face Konohamaru, fists clenched gritting his teeth. 

“Would you shut up?!” He snaps. “I’m sick of hearing this shit!”

 

“That man over there.” He points a finger to Kakashi and everyone’s attention turns to him. Kakashi tilts his head towards the crowd but keeps his eyes glued on Kage mountain. “That man has made us all who we are today, including you Kono! Making comments like that during a time like this is out of line! He is your superior, he is your leader! Someone you should look up to! In no way do you compare to this man. He has given up so much for us, he is a man you will never be. THAT is why Hana chose him. Now suck it up princess, pull up your panties and get a grip. She is way out of your damn league with an attitude like that!”

 

At those last words Kakashi turns his chair around to see the look on Konohamaru’s face. And boy does it please him. He stands, red faced, scowling with pure hatred for himself. The room becomes silent, only shallow breaths can be heard. 

 

They all share glances at each other unable to find words until Hinata comes through with some sensibility.

 

“Let’s calm down and really look at the situation here, there is a child out there who is scared and injured and that child is mine. Can we put the infamous Hana Hoki and her relationships aside for a few hours and focus on Himawari? Only the gods know what is happening to her right now.” 

 

And shame fills the room. Even Kakashi is feeling stupid for focussing so much of his emotions on Hana who is far more capable of taking care of these men than Himawari.

 

Hinata hugs herself looking down at the ground, streams of glistening tears sliding down her cheeks. Naruto comes to her side and sweeps his arms around her to console her.

 

“Our apologies, Hinata.” Kakashi says and everyone else in the room mumbles the same. 

 

Shikamaru steps forward and asks a very good question. 

“What the hell were those beacons anyways? And that portal didn’t feel right at all!”

 

Kakashi begins to think. That portal has some bad energy to it. It is similar to Sasuke’s black flames technique. Which would mean it is possibly a mixture of negative chakra and genjutsu. Then again…it had a dusty feel to it too, like some kind of cursed energy. If that is the case, their hands are tied. Any type of curse he has come across usually needs a certain type of catalyst to control it or get rid of it…..Kakashi ponders over the thought further while the others discuss their own theories and plans of what to do once the shinobi returns with Himawari in hand. 

 

——————————————

 

Three hours later in the land of wind.

 

“You don’t have to sit THAT close to me Jun!” You complain, while shoving him with your shoulder. 

 

He ignores your protest and wraps a thick arm around your shoulders.

“This is the only way I can listen to the story without getting distracted. And you smell so good I can’t help it….” 

 

You roll your eyes.

“Fine! But keep that mouth closed. I’m almost finished.” 

 

He wiggles with excitement as you clear your throat and carry on. Two more pages and you are done, that is… if he would just stop asking stupid questions.

 

You read on…

 

“ The stone is essentially the basic energetic makeup of life. The complete opposite of the curse.”

 

“So you’re like the light to my shadow” Jun asks with a smug look on his face and his hand held over his heart. He is being annoying on purpose.

 

You stare daggers at him and his grin widens. 

“That doesn’t even make sense!…now shut it! We’re almost done….” 

 

“Thus, if a stone vessel with royal blood were to master the use of chakra and perform a simple healing jutsu combined with gelel power, we assume the curse can be lifted and the body left in its original state. But only the three powers working together can do this. 

 

You see, the royal blood holds its own frequency of vibrational current. It can also fluctuate on any other vibrational level for long periods of time.”

 

“I can fluctuate on any level too for long periods of time. I have great vibration.” Jun claims, while running his fingers through your hair. 

 

Instinctively you elbow him in the side quite hard taking the breath right out from him. 

 

“Ahhh…haha…fuck that hurts…” He complains. 

 

“You’re worse than Shirou!” You snap. 

 

“Oh no…I am much better…so I’ve heard.” He follows up that comment with a wink. You shake your head and dive back into the book reading it as fast as possible to get this over with.

 

“This is how we are able to implant and remove stones without disrupting or destroying the natural energy flow of one’s body. With this frequency and the stone’s energy as well as chakra working together as one, the possibilities are endless. The same process can be used for cursed energy, once the curse is removed, another energy source must be put in its place to balance the loss. That is where mastering the ability of chakra transfer (healing jutsu) is so important. 

 

The chakra frequency will be set to match the frequency taken out and the body should carry on as nothing had happened. Shirou will be the first to test this once his development in jutsu has reached its potential. He truly is a rare stone vessel. One who has completely combined with their cohort. Not just subconsciously but physically. Not even Neko has that connection. 

 

Yet, as she stands beside him, she is just as valuable. Her Kekkei Genkai is enough to cause rifts in this world. These two will shake the walls of government corruption. I can only hope one day they come together and produce offspring of their own…”

 

You cringe at that thought. Shirou and you getting it on, it just doesn’t seem right…

 

 “For I have set aside a few small stones just for that cause. Shirou has already shown positive signs of attraction to her, which I will continue to nourish as time goes on….”

 

Now that is interesting…you wonder where those stones could be now…

 

“See! I told you Shirou had it bad for Neko.” Jun comments. The other ninja agree and you very loudly shush them…again.

 

“In conclusion I will continue to monitor their behaviors together as well as their jutsu and stone development. The curse will be tested on as well to see if there is a possibility of harnessing that power through the gelel stone. However, if it becomes too destructive, the curse will be destroyed by Shirou and myself. 

 

The seals below are to help guide all of the energetic anomalies towards the correct path for extraction or implantation of any curse or stone.” 

 

Following those written words are five seals in a light blue color you assume is the same color your gelel stone gives off. You run your hand over them picturing your father drawing them. 

 

“Well, it doesn’t seem all that hard to do. We just need Shirou.” Akashi states. 

 

“Yeah…” you reply and snap the book shut. “Let’s go get him. He needs a good ear full from me too.” 

 

Akashi smirks. 

“Alright, it’s a little early but I think we can spark up a charge if you give us a hand Neko. If we go in early, maybe you can find Shirou without any leaf ninja escorts. Might make the exchange easier….” 

 

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

You stand and brush off your skirt, which Jun doesn’t hesitate to help you with. 

“I got it Jun! Thank you!” You swat his hands away and he chuckles happily to himself for cupping a feel of your ass. He’s gotten much worse than before. This is exactly where Shirou got his lady game from, and it is just terrible. You have tried to correct that for years.

 

Akashi turns to his fellow nin and begins to bark orders. Everyone proceeds with their jobs while you and Himawari have a little side talk. 

 

She looks up at you with cute wide eyes.

“Alright sweetheart, we are almost out of here. I will make sure you get home safely.” 

 

She glances back at the men.

“And what about you? I think that big guy wants to…” She begins to make a circle with her index finger and thumb then slowly pokes her other index finger through the hole over and over again making you shudder at the thought. 

 

You clutch onto her hands wondering where the hell she learned that gesture.

“He’s just a big dumbass, don’t worry about him. I will be fine. But what I need you to do is stay calm, once we meet with your dad I need you to make sure he knows you’re safe and ok. The minute he sets his eyes on you again he will be on edge.”

 

She nods barely listening as she watches Akashi scold Jun for being such a creep. 

 

You place a hand on her shoulder catching her attention again.

“You got this?” 

 

She smiles brightly and performs her fathers trademark perfectly.

“Believe it!” She says and you can’t help but return that gesture as it is now growing on you and far less cringy.

 

After several minutes of preparations Jun comes to your side again. He hands you a beacon much larger than the rest.

“Here, hold onto this with both hands like this.” 

 

He grips the cylinder, one fist around the middle and the other at the base then hands it over to you. Mimicking his grasp you look up at him for approval and notice a strange smile growing on his face. 

 

“Yeah, just like that….it's about the same size…just incase you were wondering…” 

 

You stand unsure of what he means by that until the sexual implication reveals itself in your oblivious mind. You gasp loudly, whip the beacon into one hand and smack him over the head with it. 

 

“Ow! Fuck…” he laughs, holding the back of his head. “I’m sorry, Neko…it was just a joke…” 

 

You continue to scold him and punch at exposed organs until he scurries behind the others. 

“You are disgusting Jun! It’s no wonder you’re still single. What woman would want a man with a mind like that?” 

 

His laugh fades away.

“I’m just playin around, Neko. Lighten up a bit.”

 

Thankfully Akashi interrupts and directs your attention elsewhere.

“It’s ready Neko. I’ll need you to press that red button on the front to open the beacon. You’ll need to force some stone energy into it at the same time we activate the rest. Once there is enough power the portal will open.” 

 

“These ones have half charges.” Tarot says, while handing the smaller beacons out to the others. 

Akashi sighs.

“You’ll have to top them up, Neko.” 

 

“Alright.” You agree. 

 

Everyone gathers around you, except for Himawari who is placed in the middle as the portal summoner. 

 

“Her seal is what opens the portal.” Akashi states.

 

That is concerning….

 

“Will it hurt her?” You ask.

 

Himawari replies for him.

“No, it just tickles a bit.” 

 

You sigh with relief. They really aren’t here to hurt the poor girl. 

 

“When you’re ready.” Jun says. 

 

You trigger your stone and in an instant the beacon picks up on the energy, blinking and flashing different colored lights. Once you feel the energy has pooled enough in your hands you press the red button and the beacon opens to reveal a thin clear bulb in the middle.

 

“It’s ready for energy extraction.” Akashi says. 

 

Then you pour your energy into it. Instantly it lights up with that azure aura and the others activate their beacons. Electricity begins to buzz all around you, the wind picks up whipping your hair around and Himawari closes her eyes as the seal triggers. In an instant she is giggling with laughter.

 

“Hold that energy, Neko.” Akashi encourages.

 

You hold onto it easily and feel your cohort working with you this time. She is feeding you an equal amount of power to keep your levels from going haywire. And suddenly a portal opens up. Hidden Leaf Village becomes visible in the distance. 

 

“Alright, we can go through. Take the beacons with you and place them on the ground once we’re through.” 

He instructs.

 

“You first.” Jun says ushering you through. 

 

You leap through the portal and are immediately hit with that cooler, damper air your skin has been dying for. You breathe it in as much as you can. 

 

“Any idea where he might be right now?” Akashi asks, coming to your side.

 

You have no idea where Shirou is right now as you hadn’t talked to him since you arrived back in Konoha. But you can only assume he is staying at your place as there really isn’t any other place for him. He is quite cheap when it comes to accommodation and will take a freebie whenever he can get one. 

 

“I have a hunch…I can sense him out with my stone too. This won’t take long.” You salute your ex-clan members and take off leaving them behind. Leaping from building top to building top trying your best to avoid being seen. Using your cohorts covert abilities this should be easy. 

 

It is only ten minutes to your house from here. So you keep your pace steady. 

 

When you arrive at your doorstep you hear voices of women giggling and moaning from the upstairs spare room. That jerk is fornicating in your house and it doesn’t fail to rile you up. On top of that he still hasn’t come to your aid despite him being summoned hours ago. 

 

Asshole…

 

Now that your anger has reached its peak you decide to surprise the shit out of all of them. With the front door half ajar already, (that’s right he didn’t even bother to shut it properly), you kick it open and make sure it hits the door stopper hard. Then you storm in with heavy footsteps.

 

The house grows quiet. You can hear Shirou commenting on the sound of your clamor. 

You begin to shout in your language.

“Shirou Hebi! You dumb shit!”

 

He curses loudly in your language and begins to scuffle around the room yelling at the girls to get dressed.

 

“Shirou!” You shout again as you make your way down the hallway and past the kitchen towards the stairs.

 

“I’ll be right there Neko! J-just…hang on!” He replies back in your language. 

 

“Hurry! Get in the closet!” He whispers. But your cohort ears can hear that, he should know this by now.

 

You trudge up the stairs as he scrambles to collect himself swearing and cursing, banging around. Even smacking his head on something. 

 

Finally you reach the door to the spare room and kick it open. You stand burning with rage to see the room in complete disarray. Although nothing is broken , it is flipped upside down and smells like hours and hours of sex. 

 

Hands on your hips you walk in to find him leaned up against the closet door, bare chested, wearing his boxers at least. He is shifting uncomfortably, noticeably hiding the women behind the doors. It was then you realized he is heavily intoxicated. Swaying back and forth, eyes barely fixating on you. 

 

“Neko! You’re… home! I was ssooo worried!.” He begins. 

 

You say nothing to him. No words need to be said at this moment. With the look on his face he knows he fucked up big time. You storm up to him, lifting your hand, you flick your wrist and pause for a moment letting this motion sink in. 

 

“Neko! I’m sorry…please don’t!” He begs, raising his hands in surrender. 

 

You trigger your stone and Shirou is thrown to the side effortlessly leaving his closet clowns huddling behind the doors to your mercy. In a graceful sweeping motion you lift both hands and flick your wrists. The closet doors snap open and the girls scream at the sight of you. By now your glowing tattoos have burned through the sleeves of your shirt sending bits of ash into the air. Your eyes are glowing brightly and your instincts are maxed. To add to this fuckery you decide to bear some fangs and smile wildly at the girls. 

 

They huddle together, burying themselves further into his clothes. 

 

“Come on Neko! Don’t torture them like that!” Shirou complains as he stumbles to his feet. 

 

But you just have to take it further than this, just to get back at him for not showing up to your fake demise.

You point an authoritative finger at the girls.

“Get out!” You shout and let out one loud roar, bearing your teeth. 

 

They shriek in fear, dropping the rest of their clothes to the floor and barrel out the bedroom door, down the stairs, and out the front door faster than you can blink. You stand there glaring at Shirou as you both listen to the girls hysterically screaming down the streets of hidden leaf until they can’t be heard anymore. 

 

And Shirou begins to break down.

“Fuck Neko. I’m sorry. I got a little carried away. Please don’t be mad! They don’t mean anything to me…you mean everything to me! I promise! You have to understand…i am a man too, I have needs!” 

 

He rushes over to you and falls to his knees tugging at your skirt. Instantly your anger fades as you try to understand what he is going on about. This isn’t the first time you’ve seen him with other women. Does he really think this bothers you? Like you have some kind of ownership over him? 

 

“Pleasth, forgive me.” He looks up at you with watering eyes. 

 

“Damnit Shirou! You’re plastered right now aren’t you?” 

 

He huffs out a breath.

“A little yeah….”

 

You sigh in disappointment.

“I can’t leave you alone for a second can I?” 

 

“Apparently not.” He replies.

 

You place a very frustrated hand on the top of his head gripping his hair tightly, ready to tear it out. This is not the time to be drunk! Then you settle on patting his head gently as he makes his own compromise.

 

“I won’t ever let another woman into this house again I promise….”

 

“I’m not here because you’re sleeping with other women. You can do as you please, I don’t really care.” 

 

“Huh?…” He blinks up at you. “Oh…Right…” He releases your skirt and comes to his feet looking down at you shamefully. 

 

“Now listen closely, just because I can castrate a man with one simple thought doesn’t mean you don’t come to me when you’re called. I need your help god dammit!” 

 

His sulky look quickly turns into concern.

“What happened?” 

 

“I’ll explain along the way. But next time someone tells you I’m in trouble you better come running or I’m going to castrate YOU with that one thought! I haven’t seen you since I turned Sunaneko and lost myself to my cohort..” Your last words are said with a little more tone and threat. 

 

His eyes begin to water again as he looks over your facial features. Then he suddenly embraces you in a heavy crushing hug. 

“I’m so sorry. I haven’t heard anything about you in so long. I was so consumed with what I was doing I didn’t actually take what Shikamaru said seriously. I also didn’t clue in to what was happening…all I knew was that Kakashi and Naruto were working on getting you back…”

 

You sigh into him letting go of your anger completely and he tightens his grip around you if that is even posssible. 

 

“How did you get back?” He asks, his voice muffled by your shoulder.

 

“My cohort surrendered to me. Once she realized Kakashi won’t be her mate.” 

 

“Huh…so is she working with you now?” 

 

You nod into his chest. 

 

“It’s about time.”

 

Suddenly a buzzing sound interrupts you both as millions of text messages pour into your phone now that you have cell reception. You both separate from each other and you grab your phone from your pocket. Ten messages from Kakashi fill your screen, the last few are messages begging you to answer him. 

 

“You really are in trouble aren’t you?” Shirou asks. 

 

“Yeah. Speaking of that…we need your help.” 

He looks at you suspiciously.

“We?” 

 

“Like I said…I’ll explain on the way we don’t have much time.” 

With drunken determination he quickly snatches his shirt off the lampshade on the side table and pulls it over his head then finds his pants hanging from the ceiling fan and slides those on, but not without stumbling into the adjacent wall. 

 

You place a hand on your forehead. This is going to be challenging….

 

“You’re just one hot mess right now hey?” 

 

He gathers himself and grins.

“Emphasis on the word hot.” 

 

“You mean mess.” 

 

He chuckles to himself and walks by to get the door for you. You take one look around at the room and scold him again.

“You’re cleaning up this room when we get back!”

 

“Yeah, yeah….” 

 

You usher him out the door and make your way to Kage mountain…..

 

Chapter 47: What lies beneath

By the time you and Shirou had returned to kage mountain the face off had begun. 

 

Five of your ex-clan members and Himawari on one side and the entire hidden leaf shinobi guard on the other. This can only mean they won’t be willing to let you or Shirou go without a fight. 

 

“Holy shit.” Shirou comments on the vast majority of ninja littered across the mountain and roof tops. 

 

“Yeah…it’s not going to be easy….” You reply, stopping on a roof top out of sight. 

 

You tuck yourself behind a vent just like before to get a plan of action. Shirou follows you although clumsily and very slowly. 

 

“Can you try to be a little more ninja-like? You’re just the worst right now!” 

 

He growls at himself.

“I’m really trying. It’s hard using ninja skills when you see everything in twos…” He lifts his hand to examine it. 

 

You slap it down and pull him behind the vent with you slamming him against it. 

 

“I want to be as close to the portal as we can for the exchange. I don’t want anyone interfering with it.” 

 

“You sure about helping them? I mean they did kidnap a little girl aaaand sealed her in a vex portal….” Shirou says, making a good point. 

 

“I know…but…they used to help me out back in the day. When father was too harsh. I owe them.” 

 

Shirou hums to himself trying to remember those situations.

“I don’t remember any of that. I was pretty sure it was just me who did all the helping.” 

 

That catches you off guard slightly. You replay what they had said and how detailed those stories were. It is hard to believe Akashi and the others didn’t help you. No one else knew you were starving during most of your disciplines, no one else knew you couldn’t swim..Aside from Shirou. All discipline was done behind closed doors. For if any other clan members found out your weaknesses they would use it to their advantage. Father knew that and he liked to see a challenge not exploitation of weakness.

 

“I’m pretty sure they did. They also knew I was set up back at the warehouse.” 

 

Shirou scowls very confused. 

“Well I don’t know…if you say so I guess.” 

 

“I do.”  You Reply with tone.

 

“Ok then!”  He says back equally.

 

Peering around the corner you see an undetected pathway towards the same shrubbery you hid in the first time the portal opened. 

You point to it.

“You see that bush over there?” 

 

Shirou peers around the corner beside you squinting hard.

“I see many bushes over there.” 

 

You huff at him and point your finger at it again.

“There! It’s right there!” 

 

Shirou looks off to the left, focusing in on a tree.

“That’s a tree, Neko.” He says in monotone.

 

Growling you snatch his head in both hands then force his face towards the direction of the shrubs.

 

“Ohhhhhh thooooose bushes….” He replies.

 

“Yes dumb dumb. Those bushes. Are you going to be able to make it there? Or do I have to throw a leash on you and drag you?” 

 

“Should have brought my leash…” He mumbles.

 

You then remember one of his booty calls sporting a collar and leash. Instantly you cringe at how tacky that is.

“There’s something wrong with you…” 

 

He looks at you with raised brows.

“We know this already. I’ll be fine. Have faith in your intoxicated brother from another mother…” 

 

That comment brings a small smile to your face. 

“You’re such an idiot….Alright… on the count of three we body flicker over there ok?” 

 

“Uhhhh….you can do that?” 

 

“Yes Shirou, I have learned to body flicker.” 

 

He blinks at you.

“And what does your Kekkei Genkai think about that?” 

 

Your face goes noticeably red.

“She’s fine with it ok?!” 

 

His eyes widen.

“I’ll put up a shield just in case you decide to get all explosive and stuff.” 

 

“You sound exactly like Kakashi!” You reply. He just said the exact words Kakashi said to you on your first training lesson. Jerk...

 

“He is my brother and all…” 

 

You sigh defeated.

“Ok! On the count of three…”

 

“One” 

 

Shirou gets into position.

 

“Two” 

 

“Three!” 

 

Both of you perform your jutsu in record speed however Kekkei Karen decides to mess with you both and takes your bodies far beyond your point of destination. You both appear in the air above the treeline fifty feet away from the portal and thankfully no one has even noticed. Even after you hit the trees and take out a substantial amount of branches and limbs, grunting and crying out in pain until you finally land on top of each other in a more swampy area of the forest. 

 

He shoves you off himself and you both lie back in the mud trying to catch your breath. Huffing and puffing, feeling every hit you took from every branch.. you curse yourself so much. Your cohort is now sending you thoughts of how stupid you are…again…

 

“You’re out of control..” Shirou states. 

 

You slap a slimy mud covered hand to your forehead in frustration.

“I knoooow. It was much worse the last three times. Consider yourself lucky.” 

 

“I don’t feel lucky….at all…” He grunts and removes himself from the suction cup of the mud formed around his body then stands shaking thick black chunks off his hands and arms. 

 

“You going to just lie there?” He asks. 

 

In all honesty that sounds a lot better than getting up and trying to live again. 

 

“You know what, Shirou? I think I’m done…I really think I’m done this time…the gods can take me from here. Or leave me be all together, maybe I’ll become one with the earth. Maybe the forest creatures will accept me as one of their own and I can live here for the rest of my life as a peaceful swamp creature.” 

 

Shirou begins to laugh hard, holding his sides. 

“Yeah right. Although I don’t doubt you can survive for long periods of time in the wilderness, I know you like your luxuries. Like showers, makeup, perfume, and what about all your cute little skirts and outfits? I would give you a month or two then you’d be crawling back to hidden leaf all filthy and wild for some pampering. Now get up!.” 

 

You blow out a breath. He’s not entirely wrong. You do love to play dress up, and on shampoo days your hair shines like ribbons and is just as soft. 

 

“You have a point.” And reluctantly you reach out a hand to him. He grabs it then plucks you from the mud, examining the hot mess you are.

“Well, we will definitely be making an entrance like this.” 

 

At that you begin to laugh at how ridiculous this looks. You will bush wack your way through the forest and return to kage mountain from the opposite side of hidden leaf village covered head to toe in black mud and blood from various wounds. This will send Kakashi into a hysterical laughing fit or it will bring out his daddy tone. You just know it.

 

“Let’s go sis.” He says and wraps a muddy arm around your shoulders stabilizing his drunk self as he stumbles through the mud with you. 

 

…………..

 

Ten minutes later….

 

“So it wasn’t really my fault. Those girls basically followed me home and forced me to…” 

 

You stop him there and slap a hand over his mouth, before something you don’t want to picture slips out..

“Hold it! What you do in the bedroom from what I saw is far beyond anyone’s normal imagination. Especially mine. It’s none of my business so you don’t need to explain yourself.” 

 

You’re not sure why Shirou feels the need to explain himself to you so much. Maybe it has to do with his feelings for you…who are you kidding it most definitely does. 

 

“I know. I just don’t want you to think less of me I guess.” He replies while running a hand through his hair.

 

And now you feel bad for his shame. To save his own feelings you give him a small confidence boost.

“I don’t think less of you at all. Those women were lucky to have had you.” 

 

He looks over to you as he ducks under a tree branch. 

“You’re just sayin that.” 

 

You shake your head and duck under the same branch.

“No, I know you’re a catch. You have a lot to offer a woman. If you would just let go of your Jun game . You would probably have better luck keeping a girl.” 

 

You reply, putting emphasis on the words Jun and game.

 

“Jun game? You think I get my lady skills from him?” He asks very taken back by that assumption. 

 

“Oh I know it is! You spent far too much time as his third wheel back in the day.” 

 

He ponders over that thought as he hops over a log and holds out his hand to help you. How chivalrous…

 

“See that? Holding out a hand to a lady. You need to do more of that. And maybe stop making sexualized comments like it’s about that size ….if you were wondering…. Or…. you’re like the light to my shadow….. ” 

 

He scoffs back at you.

“What the hell…I have never once said those things to a woman!” Then something clicks in his head and his jaw tightens. “Was Jun hitting on you?!” 

 

“Oh yes…it was relentless. He also got gropy.” As you say that you watch his expression turn dark and his fists clench. 

 

“That fucker! I told him you were off limits!…He knew you weren’t to be touched!….” He growls.

 

“Well he did…you should probably do something about it.” You say, fueling him even further. 

 

“Oh I will! Don’t you worry!” 

 

You snicker to yourself.. isn’t this the karma Jun needs…

 

Finally the tree line begins to thin out and you can see the cliff edge in the distance. 

 

“Looks like we’re here. How should we present ourselves?” You ask.

 

Shirou blows out a long breath. 

“I don’t fucking know. Let’s just do this. I’m tired and hungry and want a damn shower now.” 

 

“Truth be told….” You reply and walk forward through the treeline then out into the open cliff side. 

 

Immediately the entire entourage of ninja stop their bickering and turn to look at you both. Your eyes catch Kakashi's wide ones and he doesn’t hesitate to burst out laughing. You now wonder if his daddy tone will follow…

 

“What in the?”  Naruto asks without even finishing his question.

 

Everyone else stands shocked and silent watching you two approach completely filthy and disheveled. 

 

Shirou stumbles to a stop examining everyone then sets a stern glare on your ex-clan members. His eyes instantly fall on the tallest half masked shinobi and he doesn’t hesitate to tear him a new one.

 

Puffing and flexing he points a finger at him and marches forward.

 

“JUN! You son of a bitch!” 

 

Jun raises his hands in surrender and begins to back away towards the portal.

“Uhhh…hey Buddy! Long time no see!”

 

As much as you want to see this go down, now is not the time. So you quickly snatch the back of his pants and stop him before he gets any further and remind him with a great amount of tone.

 

“Not right now Shirou! You’ll have plenty of time to smack him around in a few minutes. We have an exchange to make!” 

 

He growls back at you.

“Fine, let’s get this over with.” 

 

You release his pants and step forward gathering everyone’s attention again then slam your fist into your palm taking the lead.

“Alright! Everyone listen up. This is going to be a smooth transition. In no way is anyone to interfere with this exchange. Shirou and I have agreed to join these shinobi for the time being.” You wave your hand over them. “In exchange for the child.” Then you wave your other hand over Himawari. 

 

Kakashi begins to protest this immediately and steps forward.

“That is not going to happen, Hana!” 

 

“It is going to happen, Kakashi, and no one is to interfere or I will personally throw you off this cliff side. So whatever plans you all have, throw them over the side please. Shirou and I will take care of this.” 

 

Kakashi crosses his arms with a disapproving look on his face and the others don’t look much different. It stirs some nerves inside you making you falter in your confidence.

 

Then Naruto steps in with fury in his eyes making you feel even smaller.

“You are NOT the kage here, Hana. Step aside and let us handle the situation, we don’t need anymore problems!.”

 

You can feel Shirou watching you, analyzing your attitude, just like he always has done. He must have noticed your nerves acting up for he whispers to you some motivation. 

“Keep it up, don’t let anyone take control. They know they don’t have it so carry on with your plan. We are the targets therefore we control the situation.” 

 

And for the first time, Shirou has not stood up for a high ranking senior. He is in fact standing up for you. Boy does this feel good.

 

“I’m sorry Naruto. But we are the ones who have control here. So we will be handling the situation as we see fit.” You turn your attention to Akashi and the others. 

 

“We will enter the portal all together except for the girl. Once we have entered, the portal will close and you will release her seal. Do I make myself clear?” 

 

Akashi nods and so do the others.

 

You look back at Naruto and his fellow ninja.

“What happens after that is our business and does not include Konoha in any way shape or form. If anyone decides to get curious and dimension jump I will send them back the way they came.” 

 

Despite your orders not many seem to listen and you are abruptly interrupted.

“Or we could hold these shinobi hostage instead. I’m sure we can get that seal off in no time.” Shikamaru suggests while cracking his knuckles. His words seem to rile up the leaf ninja and everyone on their side begins to cheer. 

 

“They’re not listening well are they.” Shirou whispers. 

 

That just angers you. What are you chop liver?…again? It is time these ninja learn to respect you. 

 

You walk over to Akashi and stand in front of him. You take two of his Kunai and flip them around in your hands then presume a fighting stance in their defense. 

“Make one move and you will have to fight me. This exchange will happen. For the sake of that child! I give up my freedom for her, and so does Shirou.” At this point Shirou saunters over to your side to stand by you. 

 

Jun chuckles behind you, very pleased with your efforts and informs Naruto of another secret.

“If you’re thinking about torturing us into getting your way, good luck. Our bodies don’t feel pain like that anymore…we don’t feel much of anything. You’d be wasting your time.” 

 

Now that is interesting and sad all at the same time. To think these men can only feel cursed pain and nothing else. 

 

You look over at Kakashi who is doing that thing where he stands still like a scarecrow, watching you with emotionless eyes. If not for the slump in his shoulders and the glistening corners of those eyes you would have no idea if any of this is affecting him or not. 

 

Shirou begins to speak, backing you up further.

“If anyone moves, Neko will stop you. So please keep your distance.” At that he turns around to meet Akashi and the others then nods and proceeds to the portal opening with no one saying a damn thing.

 

Looks like you have hidden leaf at checkmate and no one is protesting about it. Not even Kakashi.

 

Akashi checks his tablet on his wrist.

“Time to go.” 

 

You lower your Kunai and back towards the portal keeping your eyes on Kakashi. It was then you noticed the heaving in his chest, and a flash of fear and panic in his eyes. He is terrified, and only now do you see the shake in his hands.

 

In your mind you apologize for making him feel like this. But you won’t be gone long and once you return, you will have gained respect from hidden leaf village and more knowledge over your stone.

 

As you back up towards the portal Akashi positions Himawari in a safe place between the two clans. He forces her to her knees and gives her final instructions.

“Stay here and don’t move.” He says. Then he walks towards the portal with Jun and the others following and together everyone slips into the portal leaving hidden leaf behind once again. 

 

Just as the portal closes you hear Kakashi call your name making your heart ache. You turn back to see him running as fast as he can towards you but he is too late. The portal closes before he can even reach it. 

 

Once again your eyes focus on the vast desolate scenery of the land of wind. You cuss loudly at it, hating this so much. But are suddenly pulled out of thought by a fight. 

“Did you release the seal?” Shirou asks as he holds Akashi up above him by his shirt with sparks of red dusty stone energy and chakra fill the air.

 

“Y-yes…it’s been removed! I swear!” 

 

Shirou throws him to the ground cursing his name.

“Fuck you assholes! Who the hell do you think you are!” 

 

Akashi slides to a stop on his ass and pulls his mask down to reveal his cursed self.

“We are your clan members….” He grunts.

 

Shirou looks around at them taking in their decrepit appearances and focuses on Jun.

“You fucking creep!” 

 

Here we go again….

 

“I told you years ago she was off limits! The minute you get her alone you’re all over her like a fly on honey!” He storms over to him fists blazing with rage. 

 

“I’m sorry bro, I couldn’t help myself. I mean look at her! Even covered in mud….she’s just…. so damn hot…” 

 

Shirou pauses a minute to look back at you and your face heats up at all the ogling going on right now. 

 

“You have a point…However! If you touch her again I’ll cut your arms off!” 

 

Jun nods vigorously.

“I won’t even go near her, you have my word.” 

 

It was sort of sweet seeing your brother stand up for you like this. He is a true gentleman under all of that trashy behavior…he is more like Kakashi than you ever knew…. 

 

“Alright, we have a curse to cure don’t we?” 

 

Akashi approaches him, removing his mask at the same time.

 

“The sooner we do this the sooner you get back to Konoha.” He then removes his vest and shirt, dropping them to the dusty ground. 

 

“What happened to you two anyways?” Jun asks as he removes his shirt as well. 

 

“We had a jutsu issue, that’s all.” Shirou replies in a don’t ask me any more questions tone. 

 

The shinobi glance at you confused but thankfully no one asks any more questions. It wouldn’t be wise to tell these ninja that you’re hopeless at jutsu and have an explosive bodily disorder.

 

“So are we all removing our shirts now? Neko won’t be participating in that.” He says and stands beside you very defensive. 

 

Something is up with him. You’re not sure what he is sensing but he is being extra cautious and extra defensive right now. You can feel his cohort instincts kicking in as he triggers a constant pull of energy from his stone. Maybe you should be more on edge. Maybe there is something you can’t see that they are plotting. Maybe they aren’t telling the truth…Paranoia fills your mind of different possibilities and you can’t seem to find a resolve. 

 

You probably should have read more from the book. It may disclose something you’re missing here. But time isn’t in your favor right now….damn…

 

“Neko?” Akashi calls you. Your eyes flick over to him. “The book.” 

 

“Right.” You scramble to find it tucked into your shirt and pluck it from your breasts half expecting Jun to say something about it. But he doesn’t, it is very real right now, no jokes or casual talk. Which means everyone is picking up on Shirou’s edginess and preparing themselves for this curse extraction. 

 

You begin to read the instructions below the seals you read earlier…

 

“We need to form a circle around the first body that was infected.” 

 

You search the desert floor for a nice level spot and point to it. “Here.” 

 

Akashi nods and takes his seat cross legged getting into position.

 

“This is sort of like a seance. Five seals will be placed on each cursed body following the chakras. You will start with the seal of Yokai.” 

 

“Yokai? Like as in the demon?” Shirou asks. His expression growing more and more suspicious. 

 

You shrug.

“I guess so? This is what father had written to remove the curse and or stone.” 

 

“Let me see that!”

Shirou grabs the book from you skimming through the pages. After several moments he hands the book back to you.

“I can’t read this shit.” 

 

You roll your eyes.

“We already knew that! Let’s just give it a shot. If it all fails then we kill them.” You say half jokingly. 

 

Each shinobi begins to protest.

“It won’t fail!” Akashi replies. “I have trust in you both. We just need you to place the seals Shirou.” 

 

Shirou glances at him skeptically. 

“What makes you think I know how to do that?” 

 

Akashi scoffs at him.

“Of course you do! You have an affinity for it, do you not?“

 

Shirou scowls. 

“You seem to know a lot about me. More than a blood fang should know about another clan member. Why is that?”

 

And Akashi makes a good point. 

“We need to know how to remove the curse. This is all relevant to that cause is it not?” 

 

Shirou huffs and pauses for a moment to think. He is definitely sensing something isn’t right. 

 

“Has this ever been performed before?” He asks.

 

The shinobi shrug in unison.

“We have no idea as the elements needed for extraction have never been available until now. If temujin was successful I don’t believe it is written anywhere.”

 

That seems a little irrational for father not to test this out first before writing it down. How else would he know? Unless he was going based on assumptions….

 

You carry on ignoring the paranoia as you just want to get this over with.

“The next four seals are 

 

Akuma

 

Tengu

 

Obake

 

And Yama…” ok this does sound a little on the satanic side….

 

Shirou tugs on your sleeve and whispers his concerns into your ear.

“I don’t like this. Those are all demons. What if this book you have is some type of fake? Father wasn’t into all of that demon shit was he? He had always said to stay in the higher vibrations. This is negative chakra use. Dark jutsu is not something to toy with.” 

 

Jutsu? Who ever said it was Jutsu?…maybe this is what he is sending…And he is right…completely. Something is strange about all of this. But what can be done about it now? 

 

By now all cursed shinobi are in position waiting for you to finish your instructions.

 

“Is There a problem?” Akashi asks. 

 

You glance up from the book.

“Slightly….give us a minute to discuss this.” 

 

And suddenly Jun’s behavior grows dark, his eyes dim further and his voice drops several octaves sounding more inhumane.

“We don’t have time for a review. Carry on with the process!” 

 

“Give us one minute, we want to make sure this isn’t going to send us all to the underworld!” Shirou snaps back.

 

Each shinobi shares suspicious glances towards each other but nod in agreement.

 

Shirou hooks a heavy arm around your shoulder and guides you further away from the group for a more private conversation. 

 

“Are you sure this is fathers writing?” 

 

You blink dumbfounded at that thought. Instantly you begin to analyze the writing. It looks the same as it always has been until you get to the seals. That is where you notice a change in the ink pressure. There is more of a curve to the symbols and something embedded into the seals….you trigger your cohorts eyes to see heat signatures and sure enough these seals have chakra infused into them. 

 

“Father didn’t write this. I mean the previous chapters he had written but anything from the start of these seals is not him. There is dark chakra in these pages.” You whisper. 

 

Shirou lifts his chin, clenching his teeth.  

“Isn’t it strange how the other two shinobi here never talk? They haven’t even removed their masks. I don’t think they are human anymore. The only three who seem somewhat normal are Akashi, Jun, and Tarot. Although I don’t really recognize Tarot at all. And you know what? I bet they haven’t released the little girl either…” 

 

Your eyes widen at the realization. You’ve been set up once again by your ex-clan and doesn’t that boil your blood. 

 

“Let’s kill them.” You hiss.

 

“I think that’s a very good idea, if we don’t they will come for us and who knows who will be stuck in the crossfire next time.” 

 

“Are you finished yet? The sun is setting, it would be much more difficult to do this in the dark.” Akashi says impatiently. 

 

Shirou holds up a finger indicating you need one more minute. 

“We need to get them at their own game. I’ve studied seals for a long time now. This ceremony is exactly the same as a summoning ceremony. They are trying to summon these demons most likely into themselves…. But it can be reversed. Flip the seals and they should be sent to the dimension those demons come from.” 

 

You suck in a deep breath as you know this could backfire on your both and there is a possibility you will get sucked in too. 

“We will need a way out once the summoning circle has been established.” You reply. 

 

“You’re right, I haven’t even thought about that yet. What about activating the beacons? You said you did it once already.” 

 

You nod.

“Yeah but it needs someone pressing each trigger button of each beacon all at once. It also needs Himawari.” 

 

He looks up at the sky for a moment thinking hard.

“My snakes can do it, they can help activate the beacons. Himawari is definitely still under the vex seal..I can sense it…that is our escape.”

 

And a sense of relief washes over you both. 

“Perfect.” 

 

You snap the book shut as you have already memorized each seal and their placement. Shirou just needs to reverse the order. And you both join your enemy clan members. 

 

Akashi sits centered in the middle with the rest surrounding him in a perfect circle. Each eye you up suspiciously. 

 

“Ready?” Jun asks.

 

“We are ready. Shirou will now place the seals. Thank you for being so patient. It took some time to memorize them.” You lie.

 

That lie seems to place smiles on their faces except for the mute shinobi who sit emotionless staring at you. 

 

You watch as Shirou does his work, marveling at his talent and what he has learned over the years. His skillset outdoes yours in so many ways. He is so diverse, and has mastered so much. It is hard to believe Kakashi can outdo him in a fight…then again Kakashi is the smartest man you have ever met. You are actually surprised he hasn’t found a way to interfere with this whole endeavor by now..or maybe he has. 

 

As Shirou continues placing the seals you begin to carry out your escape plan in your head. Analyzing the pros and cons, predicting different possibilities just like Kakashi has taught you

Chapter 48: The Escape

Back in Konoha…

Naruto has gathered everyone at his house to discuss what to do about Himawari. Currently they are all scattered about his open concept dining room that joins to his living room trying to come up with a reasoning to all of this. Himawari is still sealed from what they can see as the back of her neck holds a dark symbol upon it. 

“This is bad.”
Konohamaru says as he lifts the hair off Himawari’s neck revealing the seal. 

They had finally settled her down in a chair at the end of the dining room table a fair distance away from everyone. For once she entered their home she began to get agitated, even lashing out at her brother. It took five jonin to subdue her and strap her down. She now sits with a blank look on her face, eyes bearing the same darkened glaze and pale looking skin as the cursed shinobi. 

“That seal is making her sick.” Naruto cries out. He slams his hands onto the table, cracking one of the legs. “We shouldn’t have let Hana go. We should have fought against her! This is all her fault!” 

And that just tips the barrel for Kakashi. He lets out a substantial amount of chakra in anger catching everyone’s attention. He is growing so tired of everyone blaming her for their own mistakes.
“It is not her damn fault and you know it, Naruto! She gave her life in exchange for Himawari’s. Who knows what is happening to her now! And here you sit with the odacity to blame her for our enemies attacks! This is not only their fault but yours!” 

“MY FAULT?!” Naruto lashes back.” How is any of this my fault?” 

“As our Kage, you have failed to keep Konoha safe. You have left us with half our defenses trying to manipulate the situation between the land of iron and lightning. I never would have dispatched as many shinobi out as you did. You focus far too much on what is going on around us in other lands when you should be focussing on what is in front of you!”

He growls loudly at Kakashi.
“I doing my fucking job, Kakashi! It’s my job to protect us from harm outside of this land.”

Kakashi stops him there.
“And what about what is inside lurking about? You failed to recognize our safety first! With this many people under your care you must be selfish and not give ourselves out to other the lands before securing our own. Stop blaming Hana! She’s out there right now doing what you should have already been prepared for!”

Naruto stands stunned unable to speak. In fact the entire room has gone silent without any protest. Everyone knows Kakashi is right. He stumbles back, slumping down onto one of his dining chairs, his ass kicked with Kakashi's truth. He stares at his sick daughter across the table wishing he had made better decisions. Wishing that he had been a better man…

Then suddenly something goes terribly wrong. Himawari begins to growl loudly in a two toned voice. Her eyes seem to explode with black and purple negative chakra. The seal on her neck glows brightly and she rises from her chair snapping the restraints effortlessly. 

All ninja stand in defense.

“Take Hinata and Boruto out of here. I don’t want them to see this!” Naruto says. 

Hinata desperately grabs onto her husband.
“What are you going to do?!” 

“Just get Boruto out of here ok?” He replies sincerely. 

They share a moment of understanding together. 
“Save her, Naruto.” 

Naruto nods.
“I plan on it.” 

Hinata and Boruto are ushered out of the room just in time for Himawari to climb up onto the table. Her tiny feet patter against the table top until she has placed herself directly in the middle. 

Naruto watches her closely not moving from his position even though she is only feet away. Everyone in the room is gathering chakra ready to take her down if the time comes. 

“Something is triggering the seal.” Kakashi states.

“It must be Hana and Shirou!” ShiKamaru says.

Kakashi knows it is too. He can get a sense of it for small sparks of azure blue seems to float around Himawari. The same sparks he sees when Hana triggers her stone. That can only mean she is fighting for them…he positions himself beside Naruto trying to predict Himawari’s next move. He knows that if she is still here and sealed, there is a likelihood that the portal will reopen soon. But who will step out of that portal? That is the question. He is thankful Hana has Shirou by her side right now. They are one hell of a force to reckon with. 

It was then Himawari began to recite words in an unknown language. Some type of ritualistic speech. She falls to her knees, arms spread wide and lifts her head to the sky. A gust of wind spirals out from her tearing the room apart. Glasses shatter, the chandelier above her rips completely from its chain and is flown across the room.

“What is happening?!” Konohamaru shouts.

Kakashi shields himself from the debris.
“I’m not sure, but Hana and Shirou are fighting for us right now.” 

Thunder strikes the sky above shaking the walls and every window shatters around them. 
“Himawari! Stop this!” Naruto calls to her. 

But she can’t hear him right now, for she is bound by her soul to something dark, something not of this world. All they can do right now is hold out for Hana and Shirou….

———————————-

“This wasn’t what I was expecting!” Shirou shouts as he ducks just in time to dodge a large piece of earth whipping his way. 

“What the hell do you mean?!” You shout back. 

You thought for sure Shirou knew exactly what he was doing. But as the seals were placed and the scripture was read in reverse out loud by yours truly, a new portal had opened. A portal to a hellish world…
“I had expected them to be sucked in, not sacrifices for something else!.” 

You stare at Shirou trying to understand all of this. What in the hell does he mean by sacrifices?

“Sacrifices?!” 

He waves his hand over what used to be cursed shinobi.
“Their entire souls are being sucked from their bodies! Don’t tell me you can’t see this!” 

And now that you look at them, they do look like the life is being ripped from their bodies. 
“It looks that way doesn’t it?!” 

“Let’s open that portal and get the hell out of here!” Shirou scrambles to pick up the rest of the beacons in his hands. 

That sounds like a great idea, except for the fact that you have opened up a portal to a world that could possibly cause a lot of damage in your own. 
“We can’t just leave! We need to close that portal!” 

Shirou turns towards you fumbling with the amount of beacons in his hands.
“Are you kidding me?!” 

“If we don’t close this portal it could cause some damage, or it could follow us home!!” 

He scowls then whispers something under his breath and looks back at the suffering shinobi. .
“Fuck sake!…fine! We will need to save at least one!”

Save one?….that is the last thing you wanted to do. However, now that you think about it, saving one would disrupt the entire summoning and sever the connection to the portal. But who do you want to save? 

You begin to analyze each individual. 

Akashi, a level headed jonin who has always been on the more quiet side. He has never really caused you problems growing up. He is much older than you and far less creepy than Jun. Yet he is the one leading the group through this whole devilish escapade. The one to fool you first…

And then there is Jun, a loud mouthed pervert who is terrible with the ladies. He lacks a lot of respect for most but can be put in his place easily with the flex of your power, especially Shirou’s. He knows his place amongst you and you have had far more positive experiences in your past with him than anyone else in their group. But he is also a big nasty perv….

Then there is tarot, he is young and bold. Not afraid of anything. You have watched him go up against foes with no fear or caution. How he made it this far is beyond you. But now that you look at him, like really look at him, you can tell he is far too gone. The curse has taken over most of his body. As he screams in pain he shows inhuman fangs. His eyes are just like the mute ninja and his personality has been stripped of him. 

There is only one ninja you can save….the pervy one….

As if Shirou has read your mind completely you both call out the name of the ninja you will save. 
“Jun!”

At that you two leap into action drawing stone energy and chakra. 
“Shield and arrow!” Shirou calls to you. 

You know exactly what to do, he will create the barrier around the subject, blocking the soul sucking portal from your path and you will snatch him using your cohort speed. Except this time you will transform into her Panther form to harness her full potential backed with the stone. 

“You have a fraction of a second to get him out!” He shouts through the sounds of screams, wind, and buzzing energy. 

That is not a whole lot of time. Good thing you and your cohort are working together now. You get into position with determination. 

“Be quick!” He reminds you. 

“I plan on it!” You snap back. 

“Ready?!” He asks, powering up chakra and stone energy. 

In your mind you make your connection with your cohort. She sits waiting for you as always, her reflection glistening in the pool of water below her. She opens her mouth panting, and lowers her head to the pool. You reach out to touch it and just as you both make contact power erupts from inside you. 

It was a soft comforting feeling without pain this time. It envelopes you in a blue light, transforming your body in just a few seconds. You open your eyes to the chaos unraveling, getting a sense of it all through your now hybrid eyes. All of your senses are at their peak, your speed and agility are well known and you realize how powerful you really are in this form. You know you can do this with less time he has given you. 

Wasn’t it Naruto who asked if you have ever stopped time completely. Well no you haven’t. But what you can do is move faster than the speed of time. To Naruto it may look like you’ve stopped it completely as everything around you slows to a near stop. You can now see the dark energy floating around the shinobi in light and airy wisps. You take off towards your target, cracking the earth below you.

Shirou has already placed his barrier which you can clearly see. A capsule of dusty red smoke repelling the dark energy. In no time you have reached Jun, you pounce on him with such speed and force he is blown entirely out of the summoning ring. To save his bear skin from scraping against the desert floor you curl yourself around his body protecting him as best you can while you skid across the desert away from the portal.

It was quite sometime before you two slowed your momentum. In the meantime Shirou has taken it upon himself to gather up the beacons and follow you. Getting as far away as possible from the portal is your only chance of survival. For once you had forced Jun to break the circle an explosion of dark chakra bursts from it and every ninja there was torn to dust. 

Screams of entities beyond the portal rim can be heard. They are approaching the opening fast. But not fast enough. 

Shirou flies by you as you come to a stop and he tosses the largest beacon into the air towards you. Just as your paws grip into the soil you snatch up the beacon in your mouth, spit it out onto the ground and stomp on the red button with your paw engaging the core. 

“Ready?!” Shirou shouts.

You growl back in response and pour your energy into the beacon, at the same time Shirou activates the rest of the beacons using the snakes slithering out from his torso. With precise synchronicity you both manage to open a new portal. However, as it spirals open in front of you a massive explosion erupts behind you sending a wave of dark energy towards you. 

Time slows once again, but only due to shock waves and the fact that your mind hasn’t quite caught up with your body as you are soaring through the air towards the now fully open portal. Your mind still hasn’t registered that you are now barreling towards Himawari who sits kneeled on a table with her back turned away. Only instincts are available right now, no thoughts can be processed. Not even the image of Shirou screaming fuuuuuuck as loud as he can as he soars by your right side while Jun soars by your left, clipping your jaw with an unconscious flailing arm. No…you don’t even notice them…you have hit a white puffy cloud in your mind and aren’t quite ready to come back to reality just yet…

You are so very thankful for your cohort, for she has taken over all thought processes. Your paws wrap gracefully around the child, your body turns onto its backside and you hit the table with a thud sliding across it until you reach the very edge where you come to a relieving halt. 

Around you is chaos. But you can’t even comprehend it. The only thing you know is the feeling of a child in your panther arms, curled up into your fur. There is a bad ringing in your ears, most likely from the explosion and or concussion and all parts of you are aching in pain. 

You close your eyes instinctively whispering thank you’s into the air….

And you black out right then and there. Not because of the stone this time, but because your body has truly had enough. It is time for some much needed rest…..you’ve earned it….

—————————————-

As you slide to a stop in front of Kakashi, all shinobi in the room panic. For you are not in your regular form, you are in Panther form and no one can tell if you are yourself or if your cohort has completely taken over. 

Yet Kakashi can tell right away. He knows it’s you this time by the way you hold Himawari, shielding her from a blast pouring out of a portal opening that had suddenly appeared above Naruto’s dining room table. You wouldn’t have protected the girl if it wasn’t really you. He knows this. It brings him so much relief, that is until he watches you fall unconscious on the table. 

“Hana!” He calls to you, but is interrupted by Shirou shouting at him.

“Smash the beacons!” He says and tosses him two. 

Kakashi catches them easily and tears them in two effortlessly. Shirou hands out the rest of the beacons to the others and frantically searches the room for another.

“Where is it?!” He shouts in a panic. 

“Where is what?!” Naruto shouts back. 

“The last beacon! Hana had it…I can’t find it!” 

By now Kakashi has caught sight of it in the distance through the portal they had just come out of. He doesn’t hesitate despite the warnings from Shirou and Naruto to body flicker over it. He grabs it in both hands and prepares for another body flicker but another explosion erupts behind him forcing him to the ground. 

“Hurry Kakashi!” Shirou calls to him, reaching out a hand. 

There is no time for another body flicker now as another shock wave from the blast is now tearing up the ground in his direction. He scrambles to his feet running as fast as he can. Noticing the portal is now faltering and growing smaller. Just as he reaches the opening he dives through catching Shirou’s hand. 

Shirou pulls him back through the opening and Kakashi crushes the beacon all at the same time. They both fall onto the table and all its legs give out dropping Hana, Himawari, Kakashi and Shirou to the floor. 

The portal disappears and all calamity subsides as the room grows eerily silent. Naruto comes to his feet and the others follow. It would seem that the last eruption had managed to force everyone in the room to the ground. It has also destroyed the rest of his home creating a large pile of debris and dust. 

Coughing and sputtering, Kakashi comes to his feet. His head begins to pound as the blood settles back into his limbs. It is quite possible he has suffered a small concussion from that last blast. But he shakes it off and desperately makes his way over to Hana.

There she lies unconscious with Himawari in her arms. Her body no longer clothed due to her transformation into Panther and back to her human form. She is beaten, bruised, bloody, and covered in mud. His heart drops at the sight of her as he kneels down to place a hand on her neck, checking if she has a pulse. He knows she will never be that far gone, but it comforts him enough to feel the blood pumping through her veins. Just to make sure she is still a living and breathing being. It doesn’t hesitate to bring tears to his eyes. But this isn’t the saddest part of it all….no…the saddest part is that he is growing used to seeing her like this…even though he promised it wouldn’t ever happen again….

He runs his fingers through her hair.

“She’s not a Panther anymore…” Naruto states solemnly. “Get me a blanket or something to cover her up.” 

Quickly Konohamaru hurries to find something in the living room and returns with a torn up curtain which Naruto takes dismally. For she deserves something better than a ripped up curtain to cover herself up with. He drapes it over her with care then scoops his little girl up into his arms. 

She whines into his shoulder as she rouses from her sleep.
“Dad?” She asks in a hoarse whisper.

“It’s me sweetheart.” He replies, and tightens his embrace, soothing her whines. 

“Where’s…Hana?” She asks.

Kakashi wraps Hana up in the curtain and picks her up gently. 
“She’s ok. I’ll get her home for some rest.” 

By now Shirou has joined Kakashi by his side, pressing a dusty hand to her back. 
“This was all too much for her.” He says, shaking his head. “She’s been through so much, I think she’s just done with it all….”

Kakashi looks at him, analyzing his expression and energy. It was very concerning to hear that. To hear that Hana may have given up.
“She will be ok….” He replies, unsure of his own words.

Shirou shakes his head.
“Take her home, I’ll deal with that asshole over there.” He points to the lifeless body of Jun who is crumpled up against one of the very walls left in Naruto’s home.

 Kakashi nods and leaves the room with Hana in his arms... 

Naruto begins to bark orders at his ninja...

———————————————

 

 

Chapter 49: Dirty cat

Summary:

I would like to apologize for not posting sooner. We had a huge forest fire where I live and it cut off the only road out of my town which means we have been living off of basics for food, and gas. I’m thankful I live on a farm and grow my own.

On the plus side they have opened the road finally, however any winds or rain cause rock slides and damage. I have never felt so isolated. Kind of wish I grew up omish not going to lie. At least I would be fully self sustainable.

Anyways, I have finally found my need to write again now that I’m not in survival mode lol. Although chapters will be coming slowly as I now have more responsibilities. Thanks everyone for your patience.

Two days later….

 

You have been asleep for a long time and Kakashi has been right beside you. He has wiped the blood and mud from your beautiful face, made sure you were as comfortable as possible in your bed and stocked up your fridge with chimichangas just in case you wake up hungry for six at a time. There isn’t much else he can do. He fumbles around your house in an anxious spiral waiting for you to wake up. 

Occasionally you would stir and purr softly in your sleep. At those times he would sit beside you, stroking your hair, his heart thumping with anticipation that you might open your golden eyes to him. But countless times you would settle back down into your deep sleep without any signs of consciousness. 

 

He had called upon many healers including Sakura to try and wake you. But no one seems to understand why you continue to stay asleep. 

 

“She just needs rest… ” Sakura kept saying as she analyzed your body for the seventh time upon his request. “All her vitals are stable, her body has completely healed. We just need to wait…”

 

But Kakashi is aching for you…..

 

The longer he waits the more anxious he feels. He replays the events leading up to this point over and over. And if he isn’t replaying the past he is analyzing the future. You have been through so much and it isn’t over yet. 

 

As he places his hand over your forehead to routinely check your temperature a knock sounds on the front door. 

 

A voice calls through it.

“It’s me! Naruto!” 

 

  Kakashi sighs deeply and follows the voice downstairs. He swings open the door and is met with a very concerned expression.

“What happened?” He asks, assuming something the worst.

 

Naruto’s eyes drop to the cement porch, they flit about as he tries to come up with words.

“We have a problem…”

 

Kakashi runs both hands through his hair cursing loudly. 

“Fuck sake!…She’s not even conscious!.” 

 

“I know.” Naruto replies sincerely.

 

Kakahi waves him inside, shutting the door behind them. He follows Naruto into the kitchen where he offers him something to drink.

“Coffee?” 

 

Naruto takes his seat.

“You know how to make coffee?” 

 

He begins to take out the coffee grinder and beans, pouring a measured amount into its bladed top.

“I’ve learned a few things from Hana..” He replies. 

 

Naruto shrugs.

“I’ll give it a shot then.”

 

Kakashi continues to prepare a pot of coffee while Naruto explains.

“There’s been an assassination attempt on the land of iron.” 

 

At that bout of information, Kakashi fumbles with the scoop of coffee grounds he was just about to pour into the machine. 

“Shit…” He says and scrambles to clean up the mess off the counter, settling on gathering it all up in his hands then pouring it into the coffee machine. He adds one more scoop before taking the pot to the sink. He fills it with water, a ratio of two scoops to four cups, just as he has watched Hana do in the past. Then he switches the machine on and focusses back on Naruto. He leans over the counter, flexing his muscles with tension thought of this new information. 

 

“He survived?” 

 

Naruto nods.

“Barely, Arufa is now permanently paralyzed from the hips down. He no longer has use of his legs.” 

 

Kakashi smiles to himself very satisfied with that part of the story.

“Do we know who did it?” 

 

He nods.

“Yes, they were able to capture one assassin. With extensive interrogation they found out the assassins were from the…” 

 

And Kakashi finishes his sentence. 

“Land of rain…” 

 

Naruto raises his brows.

“Hmm….You suspected correctly. Everyone else thought it was the land of lightning.” 

 

Kakashi shrugs it off.

“It just makes sense. The land of lightning has specific jutsu abilities with not much diversity. It would be easy to pick them out once they started their attack, especially if they used lightning jutsu. Amekagure shinobi have much more diversity in their jutsu making it harder to tell where they are from. I would send the land of rain too if it were me attempting an assassination.” 

 

Naruto shakes his head.

“Well…I’m glad you’re on our side.” 

 

He shrugs it off. It’s just common sense…really…

 

The coffee machine chimes, catching Kakashi's attention.

“What do you want in your coffee?” 

 

“I’ll take it as it is.” Naruto replies. 

 

A few seconds later they are sitting across from each other taking their first sips of coffee.

 

“Not bad.” Naruto says holding up his cup. 

 

“I may be old…but I can still learn a thing or two.” Kakashi replies swallowing down a big gulp. 

“So, tell me….was it the samurai who saved his weak ass? Or someone else?” 

 

Naruto tilts his head.

“From the way you asked that question I can assume you already know. But I’ll humor you. It was the Gelel stone user they had been holding captive. In their last attempt to save Arufa they had unleashed her on the assassins. How they got her back in that iron cage is beyond me.” He strokes his chin thoughtfully.

 

“Arufa may be a useless ninja, but he is not stupid. In fact he is a very intelligent man. He must have gained her trust somehow, possibly using his genjutsu techniques.” Kakashi replies.

 

“Well fuck…doesn’t place another hinderence in our plan.” 

 

Kakashi shrugs. 

“Actually, it’s sort of perfect. Their failure in assassinating the Prince is our leverage. The land of rain can now be brought to proper trial which means any ninja leaving that land will be escorted by trackers or black ops. All clan members of Amegakure will be summoned back to the land of rain and held under proper investigation in the public eye this time, not just their allies.” 

 

Naruto nods thinking about that.

“That’s true, so there’s one positive. But what about our crippled prince? We need to show strength between Hana and Arufa to swoon the audience.”

 

Kakashi shakes his head.

“This is probably the best part of this whole mess.”

 

Naruto cocks a doubtful brow.

“How?” 

 

“Who wouldn’t want to see love blossom towards a crippled man. Hana will show pity on him, and admire his strength though all that has happened. If anything it will show the world Hana’s kind nature and her true love towards him. And it works out even better for me. He has no ability to use his dick…therefore attempting to sleep with my woman is out of the question. He isn’t even at eye level anymore so kissing is barely an option…either.” 

 

Naruto laughs.

“True. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I’m glad I came to talk to you about it”

 

His generosity sparks some anger in Kakashi. As it reminds him of how much of an asshole he has been to you since you arrived here in Konoha.

“You’re lucky we are even discussing this at all.”

 

And Naruto’s smile fades quickly.

“Yeah…look Kakashi. I’m sorry for treating Hana the way I have. I should have been more respectful to her. I know this now. Once she is awake and you two have had your time together I would like to award her with a Leaf headband and uniform as well as her own parcel of land as a thank you for saving Himawari. She deserves it.” 

 

“Yes she does….” A silence grows over them as they sip the last mouthfuls of their coffee. Kakashi reflects on his own behavior, for not giving Naruto enough credit for his efforts. Maybe he was a little too hard on him back at his house. 

“I apologize for being so harsh earlier. I know you’re doing what is best for Konoha.”

 

They both share a moment of sympathy and acknowledgement with each other. For they had both gone too far with their emotions but with the best intentions in mind.

 

“Thank you….although you were right in some aspects…anyways…The land of lightning is building defenses. However not all clans are on board. There is fighting amongst their leaders. Which is also good news as it buys us more time.” 

 

Kakashi rolls his eyes.

“They are all a bunch of fuck-tards. I’m honestly not too concerned.” 

 

“Really? And why is that?” 

 

“There are other forces at work here. It’s only a matter of time before this all falls apart on them. And besides we have our beautiful stone user reinforcing that.” 

 

Naruto searches Kakashi trying to figure out just what he is planning. He always has something up his sleeve and isn’t always willing to share it. He tests that theory.

“What do you know that I don’t know?” 

 

Kakashi looks him square in the eyes, with a dull expression and shrugs.

“Nothing.” He lies. 

 

Naruto shakes his head.

“You know, one day you’ll have to start trusting the world.” 

 

He leans forward and tilts his head.

“There is only one person I trust completely right now. And she is everything to me….don’t get me wrong Naruto, I trust you with my life. But there are things that aren’t my responsibility to enclose. These things will come to light soon.”

 

Naruto sighs.

“Alright….look, there’s something I need to inform you about….this was an executive decision by not only me but our allied leaders.” 

 

“What now?!” Kakashi growls.

 

“You have been granted permission to accompany Hana to the land of iron. But it will have to be without her knowledge. She must not be aware of your presence. Your appearance cannot resemble you at all. I have arranged for someone to help you recreate yourself to look unrecognizable under your Anbu uniform.”

 

Kakashi leans back in his chair thinking of how wrong this is. To lie straight to your face may cause a huge rift in your relationship. You had both sworn honesty to each other and now he is being forced to hide himself from you. He knows exactly why Naruto and the others have made this decision as they can’t have any interference between you and Arufa. If you know he is there watching your interactions you may not be as believable as they want you to be. 

 

“The artist is great! She can make you look like you’re in your thirties.” 

 

In a condescending tone Kakashi replies.

“I am in my thirties!.” 

 

Naruto laughs and smiles slyly.

“Hey, all I’m saying is she’s good at what she does.” 

 

“No thanks, I’ll do it myself.” 

 

“Oh come on Kakashi. We need this to be as believable as possible.” 

 

“What makes you think I’m not capable of doing it?” 

 

Naruto shrugs.

“Well for one, you never take off that mask. Do you even remember what you look like underneath it? There’s also the aspect of wearing makeup to cover up that scar…do you even know how to apply makeup?” 

 

A devilish grins enters the room. Kakashi lifts his chin high and reveals a life long secret he has been holding in for a good portion of Naruto’s life. “Do you remember years ago when you hired that photographer to spy on me?…Sukea was his name…”

 

“Well yeah, he was super helpful. But I haven’t seen him since that day…come to think of it he….wait….”

 

Naruto stops all breathing at that point. His jaw drops and his eyes nearly bulge from their sockets.

“No way!” 

 

Kakashi nods defiantly. 

“Yes way.” 

 

“No!”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Nooooo!” 

 

“Yes, times infinity, Naruto!” 

 

“What the hell man?” He whispers to himself. “This whole time?” 

 

“This whole time.” Kakashi confirms. He crosses his arms smiling with victory.

 

“Well shit…I guess you got what it takes.”

 

“I do…” 

 

“Alright, I’ll tell her she is not needed. It’s up to you to make it convincing. If it isn’t then you won’t be going. I’m sorry but that is just the way it is, I don’t have any more say in the matter. It took a lot just to get you on the black ops list.” 

 

“I understand. You won’t be disappointed. Although I can’t say the same for Hana.” 

 

Naruto blows out a breath.

“I’m scared to have that conversation. Her words can cut like a knife sometimes.” 

 

“Yes they can, and I wouldn’t have that any other way. I’ll talk to her about it….Now, is there anything else we need to talk about?” 

 

“One more thing…what did Sakura say about her health?” 

 

Kakashi sighs.

“Overall she’s fine. She just needs a good rest.” 

 

“Well she can take her time as plans to move forward with the land of iron are on hold for another week.” 

 

“Great! Maybe it will give me time to actually take her out for a proper date. I believe I owe her three dinners now.” 

 

Naruto chuckles.

“Let’s hope she wakes up soon then.” He lifts a fist towards Kakashi for a fist bump. Which he returns the favor feeling much better after their talk. 

 

“Right. I should go check on her.” Kakashi replies and gathers their coffee cups. 

 

“I should get going too, I’m almost finished getting your house back together and next is mine. Take it easy ok? And let me know when she’s awake I’ll start preparations for the honoring ceremony.” 

 

Kakashi throws the cups into the sink and salutes Naruto who sees himself out the door. 

 

He approaches the bedroom and hears an unusual shuffling noise in the bedroom. It can only mean one thing…you’re awake and he couldn’t be more excited about it. He hurries into the room and sits down beside you just as he’s done so many times before. 

 

He watches the way your brows knit together as you come to your senses, with melodic hums of confusion. 

 

Then you start to panic and open your eyes springing up from your pillows.

“Himawari!” You shout. 

 

He gently places his hands on your shoulders catching your attention.

“Hey…shhhh…it’s ok. Everything is ok..”

 

Your eyes search his, and in an instant your panic subsides.

“Kakashi?” 

 

“In the flesh.” 

 

You groan and place a hand on your forehead still feeling the confusion.

“I feel like I’ve been asleep for days.” 

 

He chuckles.

“You have.” 

 

You look at your hands and body, examining all of the blood and grime caked onto it. 

“Gross….I need a shower.” 

 

He laughs harder.

“You do.” 

 

Then you look up at him with those loving eyes, golden, shining brightly and smile with warmth.

“Aren’t you full of honesty right now.” You playfully state.

 

He places a hand over his heart. 

“It’s just who I am, Hana.” 

 

You laugh sweetly and with watering eyes you embrace him desperately. Your small arms wrap around his neck pulling him deeper. He can hear you breathe deeply into his shoulder, capturing as much of his scent as you can. It makes him smile from the inside out as he indulges in how perfectly you fit and despite the mud and dust, you still feel so soft somehow. 

 

“I am disgusting.” You whisper into his shoulder. 

 

He sighs into you not even caring at all about the dirt and grime, or blood for that matter. But to ease your discomfort he will take you into the shower and wash you down. 

“You’re still beautiful even as a dirt kitten.” He replies and picks you up by your thighs, wrapping your legs around his waist. 

 

You hoist yourself up further and begin to protest.

“Dirt kitten?!” You reply, scowling beautifully.  

 

“Yes, a very dirty kitten that needs a bath. And in this form you won’t be able to toss me in first this time..” 

 

You place your hands on his shoulders looking into his eyes again and begins to laugh.

“My cohort threw you into a bath?” 

 

“She sure did. But you won’t be as successful as she was I promise, so no point in resisting.” He walks you into the bathroom with you questioning many other things he hadn’t told you your cohort has done while you were gone. 

 

“There’s more…I even brushed the guts from her teeth.” Kakashi says as he places you on the vanity counter. He walks over to the shower and turns it on, testing the temperature.  

 

“That’s even worse…I’m sorry Kakashi.” 

 

He shrugs.

“It was fine, it had to be done.” 

 

“Still….”

 

Once the temperature is just right he comes back to you removing every bit of clothing he has on. You sit obviously gawking at his body as he comes to retrieve you, making him smile inside. He begins to think of all the things he wants to do with you during your shower. It has been so long since he had your sweet pussy clenched around him, he is desperate for it. As much as he wants to ease into this he just can’t. He needs you badly. So badly he doesn’t even give you the chance to remove your own clothing. He instead hooks his hands around your thighs and hoists you back up, wrapping those meaty thighs around his waist once again. 

 

You don’t hesitate to whine about showering in your clothes. But he ignores your sassy tone and carries you straight in anyways. You hum at the sharp patter of heat from the drops of water soaking your back side. He gives you time to adjust to the feeling while watching your smooth skin wash clean, listening to the way you moan about it. You lift yourself off his chest leaning your head back to wash some of the dirt from your hair. 

 

You smile sweetly and confess.

“This is almost as good as an orgasm.”  

 

He laughs and takes that as a challenge, for you won’t be leaving this shower without a mind blowing orgasm…

 

You run your hands through your hair whipping it about in the water, tainting it brown. Soaking your shirt which has now stuck to your skin revealing the outline of a lacy bralette he is entirely jealous of. He wants nothing to do with either the shirt or bra, or any clothing for that matter. It’s almost a crime to wear clothes in front of him at all.

 

“Take off your shirt.” He demands with more tone than expected. But only due to the irritating throb of his rock solid cock. He is having a hard time containing himself and swears every time you are this close to him he is suffocated with your beauty. You are just so fucking sexy it hurts…

 

And you smile deviously back at him, which only means you will be toying with him for this entire shower. You innocently point to your shirt.

“You want this off?” 

 

He huffs at you and replies impatiently.

“Yes.” 

 

“So impatient.” You tsk.

 

Damn right he is …he is desperate for some release, so desperate to make your pussy explode with pleasure. So very desperate to feel that blissful buzz of energy you shock him with. He grips your thighs and grinds against your pussy, earning a small gasp from you. 

“Very impatient, now do as your told.” He says with authority. 

 

Your eyes become wild, your expression untamed. Then you say the words that both shame his age yet make him feel empowered for some fucked up reason.

 

“Yes daddy.”  Escapes your glistening  lips and you slowly remove your shirt. He watches as your full breasts jiggle as they settle back into place, nestled into that sheer sage colored bralette. That alone sends him diving into your cleavage to get his fill of supple flesh before you can even throw your shirt to the stall floor. He licks at the drops of water spilling into the crevice, noticing the taste of blood still lingering on your skin. 

 

You need a good clean, and it will be a lot more fun this time. He steps away from the streaming water until his back hits the shower stall then lowers you both to the floor. You adjust yourself over his crotch, wiggling your hips to nestle back in. He helps you by running his hands up your skirt and squeezing the most fleshy parts of your hips. 

 

“Take this off too…” He says as he lifts up your skirt revealing your tight little pussy covered up by a matching set of Kakashi teasing panties. 

 

Slowly you raise your skirt higher and higher drawing it out as long as you can. Then you stop for a moment and lock eyes with him just to tease him further. 

 

He cocks a brow at you.

“Anytime….”

 

You snicker and bite your lip then finally begin to actually remove it. 

 

“Good girl.” He mumbles.

 

Unzipping the zipper on the side and lifting the skirt over your head you throw it to the floor. Flawless skin glistens in the light from the shower stall window. He pushes you back by your shoulder to get a good look at your wet body. You are heavenly in every light, but this one in particular….with everything wet and slippery, steam billowing around you and a sun kissed golden glaze sparkling over curves. You are something to worship. 

 

He breathes out through his nose as he looks you over. You are watching him run his eyes over your body. Stopping at your most precious areas to give an experimental touch. Just to see your reaction. You are purposely taking your time with him, not helping him out at all. It’s as if you want him to do the work while you resist him as much as you can….

 

He runs a full hand down your front, smoothing the lines of your abs before curling it around to your ass. He squeezes hard, making sure to watch your expression. Your brows knit together and you shut your eyes, biting your lip to hold back a small squeak. In that painful grip he feels a wave of heat over his crotch and a small clench of your pussy. It coaxes him to grind into you harder, making his breath falter. It was then you released a small spark of that energy he is so addicted to. He closes his eyes and leans his head back against the tile wall feeling dizzy over it already. You are absolute bliss.

 

You hover over him, place your hands on his cheeks, aligning your mouth with his. He sighs again and opens his eyes to yours then lifts his chin to press a soft wet kiss to your lips. He now has a new fetish, and that is everything wet and slippery. The way your lips slide over his with such ease reminds him of your wet pussy when he’s pounding into you. It is such a fucking turn on. As you plunge your tongue into his mouth catching his own he groans against your lips. Feeling how real you are and not just those agonizing daydreams he has tortured himself with for days.

 

You are now rocking your hips, dragging those Kakashi teasers up and down his length making him grunt as your squishy folds brush up against his tip. With each rock you zap him with energy dizzying him—-.if you don’t slow down soon he may cum shamefully from the friction alone. So he stops you. Holding your hips in place, shuddering as you try to resist him. 

“I…want these…off.” He says, flicking a thumb over the string of your panties..

And with little effort he snaps one of the thin straps holding those sage colored Kakashi teasers in place. All it took was a quick tug from two fingers and the ensemble covering your pussy fell apart. 

 

It makes him laugh at how easy that was. Which you question immediately.

“What’s so funny?” You ask, pouting your lips. 

 

Then he blurts out something stupid, although he thinks it’s amusing.

“A string and a napkin is about the same effort…” He replies, making sure to capture your unimpressed expression. 

 

At that you cover his mouth and begin your scolding.

“Maybe I should wear nothing at all!” 

 

He nods into your hand with a half covered smirk.

 

“Ohhh…I’m sure everyone else would love it too, especially while I’m wearing a skirt.” You reply and release his mouth to flick his forehead. 

 

You have him at that, now his stupid remark has got him thinking of how many men would die to see that. But those thoughts are quickly washed away by the removal of your bralette and the drops of water slipping down your breasts and over your nipples. 

 

He watches you rise up and reach out for his bar of soap then nestle back into his lap.

“Now….I need a good wash and would like you to do it.” You take his hand and shove the soap into it. “I want you to get all the places I can’t.” 

 

And he opens his big mouth again, this time retorting over your daddy comment.

“Yes master .” He replies condescendingly and grins. 

 

He begins his wash down with your shoulders, sweeping over clay that has darkened parts of your skin in streaks. His hands spread over your chest, keeping the soap secured in the dip of his right palm. He caresses your breasts making sure to get an equal amount of soap on each. You whisper I like that , quietly to yourself making it even more painful being outside of you.

 

 He can’t wait to be inside you. To feel you pulsing around him as he fills you up. He hopes this time he can claim that womb of yours. It’s been a dream of his for a few days now. What set that dream in place was taking care of you for so long. He has wiped blood from your mouth, closed up wounds, fed you, clothed you, taught you, even bathed you—-from the start he has been by your side to love you and help care for you no matter what form you take on and that will never change. Now, he is sure he can care for a child just the same. It will be this way for the rest of his life…

 

As his thoughts drift off into dreams of marriage, children and spending the rest of his life with you— he continues to caress your body, making it as slippery as possible feeding his new fetish. His hands make their way down to your hips where he sweeps the soap around to your back making sure not to miss any part of you. 

 

“Hmmm….yes…” You sigh, shivering with goosebumps. 

 

Once he feels you are lathered up enough he throws the soap to the corner of the shower stall and leans you back into the spray of water still glistening in the misty light. You lift your head back to catch it in your hair again and let the rest of it trickle down your front, infatuating him at how sleekly designed your body is. You lean back a touch further, exposing your pussy to him. In this position you are just asking to be touched. 

 

So he does… he rests his hand over the top of your womb and drops his thumb, aligning it with your sweet little clit—-a small tap and you twitch while humming about it. 

 

He pauses for a moment, just to tease you. 

 

“Is that it?” You ask with tone.

 

He chuckles and taps you twice more, drawing a short whine from you. 

“Come ooon, Kakashi…”

 

He laughs again and removes his hand, reversing it into a cupping position. His finger drops lower, just barely breaching your entrance, but it’s enough to make you latch onto his forearm tightly to brace yourself. He leans over, letting his head hang next to yours, and his mouth stops right beside your ear.

“So impatient.” He whispers into your ear, earning a short growl back. 

 

You had expected him to finger fuck you, he knows it, but he doesn’t want to risk cumming outside of you as he watches you explode with pleasure. He is extremely sensitive already, so he removes his hand and grabs himself, running his length along your folds, pushing against your entrance the tiniest bit before sliding back up to your stomach. His one hand is gripping your thigh, his thumb caressing it in a circular motion. The teasing turns you on even more and he knows it. And God, the visceral need that oozes off of you  —the way you look down at him with wide, pleading eyes, the way you emit the cutest whimpers without even realizing it, the way your muscles twitch instinctively every time he nudges his dick against you— it’s enough to drive him insane.

 

He squeezes the tip of his cock testing its stamina before removing it from your stomach and guiding it down through your folds again, perfectly hitting your clit on its journey as it presses against your hole. His mouth distracts you as he adjusts himself, and he never falters his movements. His controlling lips slot between yours forcefully, slipping his tongue past your teeth at the same time he enters you easily.

 

You cry out against his mouth as he forces your hips down to the hilt. He stops all movement for a moment to let you adjust to his size and looks into your eyes.

 

He doesn’t even bother to ask if you're ok, for the wild look of determination and lust quivering over your lips shows him all he needs to know. With a simple drawn out rise and fall of your hips backed with a substantial shock has him groaning loudly, praising you for feeling so tight and so good. He has never been this hard before—never this wound up. It is taking all of his might to not cum right now. You bounce deeper onto his cock as he pulls you down, and you both gasp sharply at how deep he is inside you. Your weight makes you sit fully on him, and it’s almost too much. —-Almost.

 

He starts thrusting upwards softly when he feels your body relax, and he consumes your startled moans with his lips and tongue. You whine continuously deep in your throat, feeling overwhelmed by him. His hands kneading your ass harshly, his lips sucking on your bottom lip caught by his teeth, his cock piercing your throbbing core. He releases your mouth unintentionally as another wave of energy blasts through him. You are close already, he can tell and so is he. He just needs to hold out a little longer, to distract himself from the intense pleasure, he presses wet kisses down your cheek and neck, stopping to nip at your shoulder. That sends yet another blast of energy into the shower stall, this time causing your shampoo bottle to explode. 

 

“Feels so fucking good,” he murmurs, licking over the new mark on your shoulder and collecting tiny water droplets that have landed across your skin from above.

 

You whimper in response, pussy clenching as another wave of pleasure rips through your core and down your thighs forcing itself into him. The warmth of your body is dizzying, and he presses you tighter against his crotch with each precise and deft bounce of your hips.

 

His body aches with a desperation that grows stronger with each second that passes, and he fucks himself deeper into your dripping pussy when he feels your thighs squeezing him tighter. His shoulders start to quiver. Another sign that he’s close.

 

The heavy breaths you exhale fall into earshot, and he hears the short, tight whines that quietly follow each time he fully sheathes himself in your heat. 

 

“Kakashi please.” You plead, pulling away from his shoulder and pulling his face from your neck.

 

You nudge your forehead against his, letting him rest against you as he slowly loses himself within your burning, wet pussy.

 

His eyes are clamped shut, brows drawn together as he focuses on the mounting pleasure. You cup his jaw gently, pulling his lips to yours in one final, messy kiss. Your tongue glides over his confidently, tracing his bottom lip when you pull back and seal your mouth against his.

 

The fire in your core has reached its peak, he feels your pussy pulsing uncontrollably as your rhythms become uneven.

 

“I’m close— fuck, I’m close,” He hisses against your lips, breath stuttering with a moan when you clench around him again.

 

“Cum inside me. Please,” you hush, crying out a string of curses as your body tenses and a massive shock is sent through you both, taking out the rest of your shower bottles, stopping the rainfall of water completely.

 

You slip a hand down between your bodies, rubbing your clit harshly to give you that final push over the edge.

 

“Yes. kakashi—l” You cum before you can put together a coherent sentence.

 

A shudder racks your body as an airy wheeze is ripped from your lungs, tightening everything up. Your hips snap his crotch violently a few more times before he pushes a white hot-mess into you, stilling with a broken groan.

 

“Mm, perfect.” He whispers, and kisses your jaw tenderly, nuzzling his face into yours as his ears slowly stop ringing. Your legs relax around him, and he carefully lets you collapse into him. His cock slips out of you easily as it softens, his cum dripping from you immediately when you lean forward. And the world that had suddenly stopped moving spills over you both sending a small capsizing wave out of the shower stall. 

 

As he comes out of his high he realizes the water has turned cold. He questions the time in his mind…

 

“The water’s cold,” You observe with a tight-lipped smile, letting the frigid water cover you anyway. He laughs lightly. 

 

“And you haven’t even washed my hair yet." 

 

He looks around at the mess of hair products sprayed about the tile walls and stall floor, half of which have already gone down the drain. 

“You may need more shampoo.” 

 

You scan over the mess, giggling. 

“I guess I do…..”

 

Chapter 50: Welcome Home

After your blissful shower, Kakashi and you had spent hours talking things over. From the demonic summoning, to how you got covered in mud in the first place. He was beyond concerned over it all. In Fact he hasn’t let you lift a finger around your house. 

 

He is now in the kitchen attempting to make something to eat as you lie in your bed, fluffed with pillows, his favorite book, which you are very intrigued to read, and a cup of coffee which looks normal enough. He has also been planning something…

 

“Yeah…I want it all…” Kakashi says from the kitchen. You can tell he is on the phone, but have no idea who he is talking to. Not only has he been waiting on you hand and foot he has been on the phone most of the time, either texting or making descreet calls. You’re starting to feel left out… 

 

You hear him pause for a minute. 

“Hana?” He calls out from the kitchen, then curses as he drops a pot lid onto the floor. 

 

“Yeah?” You reply. 

 

“What’s your favorite color?” He asks, grunting as he picks up the pot lid. 

 

This is the fourth question he has asked you. 

“Teal.” 

 

You reply and hear him whisper 

“What the hell is that?…”

 

Then he quietly repeats your color of choice a few times as if he was trying to memorize it. He continues his conversation with the mystery person along with a string of yeahs and mmhmms before securing a time. 

 

“Yeah…six thirty sounds great.” 

 

Another pause then a confirmation and he finally hangs up the phone. A few moments later he enters the room with eggs, bacon, and an assortment of fruits. 

 

—not too shabby for someone who barely eats anything other than ramen and saury…

 

“Here you are.” He says with poise and places the tray onto your lap. 

 

You smile up at him and can’t help but tease him.

“You even cooked the eggs!” 

 

He places his hands on his hips proudly.

“Only the best for my girl.” 

 

You laugh and dive in. It was simply made but cooked just right and you devour it until it is gone while Kakashi putters around the house whispering things and occasionally counting things on his hands. 

 

Meanwhile, you are one chapter into his sexy book and are utterly addicted to it. 

The beginning is catchy with an action packed love at first sight. You flip the page over to the second chapter and hear the doorbell ring. 

 

“That was fast.” He says under his breath before answering it. You hear Kakashi talking to someone you don’t recognize.

“In record time.” He says as he whips open the door.

 

An older sounding man answers.

“It wasn’t hard, I already had something similar….the d…” 

 

Kakashi shushes him and you hear footsteps out the door then he shuts it. Oh he’s definitely planning something. Now all you can hear are their faint voices but no words….damn. 

 

You’re really starting to wonder what the hell he is doing. What is at six thirty? What does he want all of? And who is the man at the door? 

 

Time to find out.

 

As he shuts the door behind himself, he looks up to see you, arms crossed, with a suspicious look. He jumps at the sight of you and quickly pockets something.

 

“What are you planning?” 

 

He shrugs it off and skirts by you.

“A lot of things..” 

 

You barely give him enough room between the wall and you to get by.

“Excuse me.” He quietly says as he makes his way into the kitchen.

 

You follow him in complaining that you don’t like surprises and that he is full of shit. 

 

“Just tell me what it is you’re planning!” 

 

 He comes around the kitchen island ignoring you while he cleans up the havoc he created. You glare at him, watching as he picks up a pot and places it into the sink to wash along with several other culinary items. 

 

“Kakashiiiii! Tell meeeee!” 

You whine. 

 

He chuckles to himself.

“It’s nothing to worry about. We have a meeting later with our Pineapple head Kage. That’s all.”

 

And your shoulders drop at that. You were hoping it was something fun. 

“What does the Pineapple head want?” You ask unimpressed.

 

“Oh you know…the usual…” 

 

You curse loudly earning another chuckle. 

 

“Let me guess…he wants to scold me on my bad behavior and attitude.” 

 

He shrugs again.

“Oh probably.” 

 

You growl.

“Well that’s not going to happen! I’ve had enough of his crap, if anything he has the attitude! He treats me like shit you know? You think saving his daughters life would earn some kind of respect…” 

 

Your eyes begin to water at the thought of Naruto hanging onto his accusations about you. 

 

“Stop, Hana. None of what you’re thinking is what Naruto is thinking. He just wants to talk…and maybe…he wants to say thank you for saving Himawari.” 

 

You roll your eyes skeptically.

“Yea right…I highly doubt that.” 

 

“He may surprise you.” 

 

“I hate surprises.” You mutter. 

 

“I know…but I’ve got some running around to do today. Why don’t you take some time for yourself.” He turns to you, with wet dishwater hands, and pulls a wad of cash from his pocket then throws it on the counter. “There’s a salon and spa a few blocks from here, go pamper yourself, you deserve it.” 

 

Now you’re suspicious all over again.

“Why? What running around do you have to do today?” You ask while replaying the painful encounter you had at that very spa before you had shown up at the gala.

 

He comes around to you and places both hands on your shoulders.

“Relax, Kitten. I have a few things to pick up at the store for my place especially a new TV. You know I can’t live without HBO.” 

 

You begin to ease up, picturing the gigantic TV Kakashi will leave the store with. You’re still unsure how he got the last one home by himself, but can only imagine it strapped to his back. 

“This is true.” You giggle. 

 

He ruffles your hair and kisses your forehead then shoves the cash into your hand. 

 

“There is enough there for hours of spa fun. And I’m sure Sakura will be down to join you too.” 

 

Suddenly his new knock off rollex alarm chimes. He checks the time and hums.

“Time for me to go. I’ll text you when I’m finished.” 

 

You follow him into his room complaining the whole time. 

“But …. I want to spend more time with you! I just woke up from a three day coma and you’re sending me away?” 

 

He stops at the foot of his bed. His shoulders noticeably drop and he sighs deeply. 

“That’s not what I’m trying to do.” He turns to you and bekons you in with arms wide open. You don’t hesitate to embrace him, trying with all your might to latch onto him as firmly as possible.

 

“I won’t be long…promise.” 

 

You nuzzle into his chest groaning.

“Fiiiine….” You say with an enormous amount of tone.

 

He pats your head gently and thanks you.

“I will text you in a bit to check in.”

 

You pout your bottom lip as he leaves you to go put his shoes on. You stare at him sulking while biting your lip, thinking of all the things you hate about the spa.

 

Finally he kisses you on the cheek before leaving you alone in your house to worry and fret about your surprise meeting and the spa. 

 

——————————————-

 

 

Now you are in the locker rooms at the spa getting dressed…when a text message comes in from kakashi. You pull your phone from your bag in your locker and slide open the text screen.

 

 

Hey 😻, can you make sure Shirou is around for this meeting?

 

You puff out an annoyed breath.

 

I guess so….

 

😅 thanks. Also…we will meet at the hidden leaf bridge at 630pm. 

 

Ok….

 

Remember…no sassy kittens aloud. 🐱 

 

You shake your head and finish dressing so you can get home to get ready for your meeting…

Two hours later…

You toss your phone back into your bag with a groan, rolling your eyes at Kakashi’s last text. No sassy kittens aloud? The nerve. As if you had any other setting.

You finish pulling on your clothes, combing damp fingers through your hair as you try to shake off the lingering warmth of the spa. Outside, the sun’s dipped low, casting a honeyed glow over the Hidden Leaf Village. You grab your things, adjust your boots, and head out, not entirely sure what Kakashi’s up to—but knowing him, it’s either something infuriatingly mysterious or stupidly heart-melting. Probably both.

 

 

 

The walk to the bridge is peaceful at first. The cicadas hum their lazy evening song, and the breeze teases loose strands of your hair. But the closer you get, the more you notice…

There’s a buzz in the air.

Villagers are out—too many for an ordinary evening stroll. You catch snippets of whispers.

“Is that her?”

“She doesn’t even know, does she?”

“About time Kakashi did this…”

Your brow furrows as you quicken your pace. The bridge comes into view—and so does the crowd.

The ENTIRE village seems to have gathered. Villagers, shopkeepers, shinobi, kids sitting on their parents’ shoulders. Lanterns hang from the trees like fireflies frozen mid-flight. And standing in the center of it all, as cool and casual as ever, is Kakashi.

He’s leaned back against the railing, hands in his pockets, like this is just another Tuesday. When he spots you, his visible eye crinkles in amusement.

“You made it. And without claws unsheathed. I’m impressed.”

You glare at him, heart thudding now because—what is this?

“What is going on, Kakashi? Why is everyone—”

Before you can finish, he pushes off the railing and strides toward you. The crowd parts like water. And right behind him, you spot Tsunade herself, holding something in her hands.

Oh no.

What is this??.

“Relax,” Kakashi says, low enough for only you to hear. “For once, this isn’t a trap or a prank. Well… not entirely.”

You blink at him, speechless for maybe the first time in your life. And that’s when Tsunade steps forward, her voice strong but warm.

“Hana, you came to us as an outsider. You’ve trained, bled, and fought alongside our shinobi. You’ve proven your loyalty by rescuing Himawari—though with a lot more trouble than we’re used to.”

The crowd chuckles. Even Kakashi smirks.

Tsunade holds up a Hidden Leaf headband, the metal plate catching the last rays of sunset. In her other hand is a flak vest—your vest.

You don’t know whether to cry or combust on the spot.

“Hana,” she continues, “it’s time. Welcome to the Hidden Leaf.”

Your breath catches. Your knees feel a little weak. And then, of course, Kakashi leans in with that insufferable grin.

“Told you no sassy kittens allowed. But we’ll make an exception… just this once.”

You elbow him hard in the ribs as the headband is tied around your forehead, the weight of it both strange and perfect. The crowd erupts into cheers, clapping, whistling, even extremely vibrant confetti from somewhere (probably Naruto’s doing—you spot him grinning wildly nearby).

Someone hands you the vest, and as you slip it on, Kakashi raises a brow and mutters, “Looks good on you. But don’t get cocky. You’re still in training.”

You flash him a grin that’s half tears, half triumph.

“Oh, I’m gonna be the sassiest cat this village has ever seen.” You reply.

And as the sun sets over the Hidden Leaf, you stand on that bridge surrounded by your new family, feeling—for the first time in forever—like you’ve come home.

Kakashi clears his throat, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other lazily lifting a small sake cup someone’s already shoved into it (probably Genma—he looks far too pleased with himself). The crowd quiets, all eyes on your silver-haired sensei as he gives you a sidelong glance that’s equal parts pride and mischief.

“Ahem. Alright, everyone… I don’t usually do speeches—mostly because they cut into my precious nap time. But tonight calls for it.”

A few chuckles ripple through the crowd. Tsunade smirks behind her sake cup.

He gestures toward you with the tiniest tilt of his cup.

“To Hana. She came to us as a stranger, probably hoping to stay low, keep quiet, and avoid drawing attention—” he says, loaded with sarcasm.

You snort. The entire bridge laughs.

“—but instead, she brought enough trouble to keep even me on my toes. And that’s saying something.”

The villagers cheer, some raising their cups in unison.

“She’s survived my training, which, frankly, should earn her a medal and free ramen for life.”

(Naruto whoops loudly. “I second that!”)

Kakashi’s eye crinkles in that way that means he’s actually feeling something, though he’d never admit it.

“To Hana—the wildest ninja the Hidden Leaf has ever adopted. May your claws stay sharp, your aim stay true, and your sensei stay patient. Because heaven knows… they’re going to need it.”

The crowd bursts into cheers, sake cups clink, and confetti flies again (definitely Naruto). Kakashi clinks his cup gently against yours and murmurs just for you to hear—

“Welcome home, Hana.”

And as the last light fades behind the trees, you raise your own cup high, surrounded by laughter, warmth, and the unmistakable feeling that this—this is exactly where you’re meant to be.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 51: A date worth the wait

The days after your initiation pass in a golden blur. The village feels different now—warmer somehow. You walk the streets and shopkeepers greet you by name. Kids wave as they dart past, and even the grumpy old man who runs the dumpling stand tosses you a free skewer now and then.

But something else feels… off.

Not in a bad way—no, this is Kakashi we’re talking about. It’s the kind of off that makes your skin tingle with curiosity.

Your phone buzzes just as you’re eyeing the dumpling stand, contemplating if your training schedule justifies “second breakfast.” It’s Kakashi, of course.

💬 Kakashi:

So… hypothetically, if a certain extremely handsome jonin were to finally ask you out on a real date and follow through… what would you say? 😏

You smirk, thumbs already flying over the screen.

💬 Hana:

Depends. Is he always late? 🤔

💬 Kakashi:

Rude. This hypothetical guy is fashionably late. Big difference.

💬 Hana:

Would this guy actually SHOW UP this time or just ghost me for training missions?

💬 Kakashi:

Low blow. 😑 But accurate.

💬 Hana:

Fine. I’d say yes. But if he stands me up again, I’m telling everyone about the time he got stuck in a tree for 20 minutes. 🌳🙃

💬 Kakashi:

ONE TIME. And that branch was defective…Naruto’s been telling you all the secrets….

💬 Hana:

It’s the best part of my training with him.

💬 Kakashi:

Alright, sass kitten. No backing out now. Tonight. Sunset. I’m sweeping you off your feet. Prepare to be impressed.

💬 Hana:

If I’m not impressed, I’m stealing your mask.

💬 Kakashi:

Bold of you to assume you could catch me.

💬 Hana:

Bold of YOU to assume I wouldn’t try.

💬 Kakashi:

Fine. Deal. But bring that appetite—you’re going to need it.

💬 Hana:

👀 Now I’m suspicious.

💬 Kakashi:

Good. You should be. 😏 See you tonight, 😻

You slip your phone back into your pocket, cheeks warm despite yourself. The afternoon drifts by in a haze of anticipation, your mind replaying his words, his playful tone, that ridiculous kitten emoji.

You pass by Kakashi’s place on your walk and can’t help but sneak a peek..through his window of course. Gone is the wreckage left behind by your, ahem, cohort self. The broken bookshelf—replaced. The TV— brand new and even larger than before. The torn up curtains and cracked walls—new, billowing softly in the breeze. There’s even a suspiciously healthy plant on the windowsill.

“Kakashi’s up to something…” you mutter, lips quirking as you turn back toward your own home.

——————————————-

The Date

He shows up at your door just as the sky begins to blush with sunset. No mask (a rarity), no books, no excuses—just Kakashi, looking as handsome as ever in a white collard shirt, yet almost nervous beneath that signature lazy grin.

You blink, stunned for a second. Then you cross your arms, leaning against the doorframe, eyeing him up and down with exaggerated scrutiny.

“Well, well, well… who are you and what have you done with Kakashi Hatake?”

He smirks, but there’s a flicker of real uncertainty in his eyes.

“Funny. I thought I’d try something new tonight—like breathing without fabric glued to my face.”

You narrow your eyes, suspicious but amused.

“Seriously. Where’s the mask? What happened? Did a wild cat steal it? Did Gai finally beat you at something and win it as a prize?”

“Ha ha,” he deadpans, though his grin tugs wider.

“No cats. No Gai. Just me… trying not to hide from you for once.”

That stops you. Your teasing softens as your gaze lingers on him—his jawline in the golden light, the curve of his lips, the way his silver hair falls just so.

“I thought you never took it off. Especially not out in the open. You told me that.”

He shrugs, but the gesture is more vulnerable than careless.

“I don’t. But tonight’s different.”

Your heart stumbles over itself at the quiet honesty in his voice.

“Different how?” you ask, voice gentler now.

“Because,” he says, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear, fingers brushing your cheek, “tonight’s the first night I’m finally doing this right. And I wanted you to see all of me.”

You can’t help it—you smile, eyes bright with affection and maybe a little awe.

“Damn it, Kakashi. You’re gonna make me all mushy before the date even starts.”

He grins, finally relaxed.

“Good. That’s the plan.”

He offers his hand, palm open, gaze steady.

“Come with me?”

And without hesitation you do.

———————————-

The hidden path opens onto a quiet, secret stretch of beach where the sea whispers against the shore. And there, waiting in the sand, is a table draped in white, surrounded by hundreds of daisies glowing gold in the fading light. Team colored candles flicker like stars come down to earth.

Kakashi watches your reaction like it’s the most important thing in the world.

“I outdid myself, didn’t I?” he asks, half-gloating, half-hoping.

You’re too breathless to answer at first.

“You really did,” you finally manage, awed.

He holds your hand guiding you to the table as you’re too starstruck to get there on your own. Which he chuckles at.

You take a seat across from him, toes buried in the cool sand, candlelight casting soft shadows on his face. The breeze lifts his hair just enough to make him look even more unfairly handsome. He smiles and pulls a basket from under the table revealing a heavenly smell. 

“What is that?!” You ask drooling.

He winks. “You’ll see.” 

He sets you both up with plates, cutlery, a glass of rose, and an entire three course meal. The food is insanely good. Like… suspiciously good.

You narrow your eyes at the delicate plate of seared fish with citrus glaze.

“Alright, Kakashi. Confess. Which poor villager did you bribe for this food? Because there is no way you cooked this.”

Kakashi leans back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, eyes crinkling in pure amusement.

“You wound me. You really think I’d bring you out here and cater it? Have a little faith, kitten.”

You point your fork at him.

“The last time you cooked for me, you tried to convince me that runny eggs were a delicacy.’”

He laughs, the sound warm, genuine, the kind of laugh that makes your chest ache in the best way.

“That was before I was trying to impress you.”

“Oh? And this—” you gesture to the perfect setup, the daisies, the sea, the starlight, “—this is you trying?”

His grin softens into something quieter, his gaze steady on yours.

“This is me trying very hard.”

Your heart does a ridiculous flip. You glance down, cheeks warm.

“Damn. It’s working.”

He smirks, but there’s a flush along the bridge of his nose too.

“Good. Because I’ve been sitting on a secret for a while now…”

You raise a brow.

“Oh no. Is this the part where you tell me you’re secretly married to Gai or something?”

He snorts.

“Worse. I’m actually… a top chef. Used to help with official village banquets. Tsunade still tries to rope me into it when she can.”

You stare at him, mouth open.

“Wait a hot minute!! You let me cook for you all this time—burning my fingers, slaving over dinners—when you could have done it yourself?!”

“I could have…,” he admits, laughing, “but then you might’ve stopped. And your food tastes better when I don’t have to lift a finger.”

You shake your head, but you can’t help but laugh.

“You’re a menace, Kakashi Hatake.”

“And yet here you are,” he teases, “letting me feed you under the stars.”

“Because I’m an hopeless.”

“Because you’re hopelessly in love with me,” he corrects softly, and for once, there’s no smirk, no mask, no game. Just honesty.

You meet his gaze, and the rest of the world melts away.

“Yeah,” you say quietly. “I am.”

As dinner finishes with more banter and witty loving remarks fades you both fall into silence, the kind that’s full and easy. The waves murmur along the shore. Kakashi clears his throat once. Twice. Rubs the back of his neck like he’s trying to work up courage.

You tilt your head questionably.

“Kakashi?”

“Okay. So.” He stands, then immediately sits back down. Stands again. His hands go to his pockets, come back out, go back in.

“What’s up?” You ask as his behavior is making you nervous.

“Right. This was supposed to be smooth. I had a whole plan. But then you sat there looking like… you, and I forgot all of it.”

You blink at him, heart hammering.

“Kakashi, what are you—”

“Just—let me finish. Please.” He exhales hard, pulling something from beneath his vest—a fine chain, and on it, a simple but beautiful ring that glints in the candlelight.

“I, uh… I know you’re going to the Land of Iron soon. I know there’s… Arufa, and politics, and danger, and about a thousand reasons to wait. But I don’t want to. I don’t want to wait.”

He takes a shaky breath, kneeling in the sand in front of you, the waves whispering at his back.

“I’ve wasted enough time being too careful. I love you. I want you. Not later. Not if everything goes right. Now. And I want everyone—Arufa, the whole damn Land of Iron, the world—to know that I married you first.”

His words tumble out in that perfect, awkward, beautiful way that’s so him it makes your eyes sting.

“This—” he lifts the chain, the ring catching the light—“this is so you can wear it under your vest. Hide it if you have to. But know it’s there. Know I’m there. And when you come back… we’ll make it official with the world watching if you want. But this—this is for us.”

He’s rambling now, visibly sweating, heart on his sleeve, and it’s possibly the most precious thing you’ve ever seen.

“So, um… marry me?” he finishes, voice cracking just slightly. “Please?”

You don’t even realize you’re crying until you’re laughing through it, dropping into the sand in front of him and taking his face in your hands.

“Yes,” you whisper. “Yes, Kakashi. A thousand times yes.”

Relief floods his features—he pulls you close, foreheads pressed together, the ring between you, the daisies swaying, the stars bearing witness to the most perfectly imperfect proposal the world’s ever seen.

You stay there in the sand for a while, arms tangled around him, listening to the hush of the waves. The breeze carries the scent of salt and night-blooming flowers, and for once—for once—everything feels still.

Kakashi shifts, settling beside you, his arm warm around your shoulders as you both stare out at the moon’s reflection dancing on the water. His thumb absently brushes over your arm in slow, soothing circles.

Neither of you speaks at first. You’re too wrapped up in the sheer peace of it all—the weight of the ring resting against your collarbone, the feel of him beside you, the sound of the sea.

Finally, Kakashi breaks the silence, voice low, gentle.

“You know… for all my planning, I didn’t account for the part where you’d say yes.”

You glance at him, half-laughing.

“Oh really? So what was the plan if I said no?”

His eye crinkles with mischief.

“I was going to fake my own death and move to a land no one has heard of.”

You snort.

“Very noble of you.”

He shrugs.

“I try.”

You lean your head against his shoulder, sighing.

“This is perfect, Kakashi. All of it. You. This place. Tonight. Even your adorable proposal.”

He groans dramatically.

“Adorable? That’s what you’re calling it? I was going for rugged and endearing.”

“Oh, you nailed endearing,” you say sweetly. “Rugged? Mmm… maybe next time.”

His eyes narrow in mock offense.

“You’re lucky I’m in love with you, Hana.”

You grin, knowing exactly what’s coming.

“Or what?”

Without another word, Kakashi moves fast—too fast. You yelp as he scoops you up effortlessly, tossing you over his shoulder like you weigh nothing.

“Kakashi! Put me down!” you protest, half-laughing, pounding your fists lightly against his back.

“Oh no,” he says, strolling toward the water’s edge, his voice rich with amusement. “You get sassy, you get the ocean. It’s the law.”

“The law? Since when?!”

“Since right now.”

The water glints under the moonlight, and the waves lap at his boots as he wades in just enough to make you shriek.

“Kakashi Hatake!”

He pauses dramatically, the surf curling around his ankles, letting the suspense stretch.

“Hmm… tempting.”

“Kakashi, no!”

But instead of tossing you in, he spins you down into his arms, holding you close, forehead pressed to yours, laughter still in his breath.

“Nah. I’ve got better plans for you than soaking your shoes tonight.”

Your heart thunders, caught somewhere between breathless and blissfully exasperated.

“Better plans, huh?”

He smirks.

“Maybe I’ll cook you breakfast. Maybe.”

You shake your head, grinning as you kiss him softly, the sea whispering around you both.

“Best. Date. Ever….

——————————-

You start the slow walk back along the shore, your hand laced with his, the ring on its chain tucked beneath your shirt, its weight against your skin both comforting and heavy with meaning. The moonlight guides your steps, the sand cool beneath your feet, and for a little while, it feels like it’s just you, him, and the sea.

But reality waits at the edge of every perfect moment between you two.

Kakashi is the one who breaks the quiet first, his voice softer than usual, like he hates saying the words.

“You’ll have to keep it hidden. The ring, I mean. Once you leave.”

You glance at him, brow furrowed.

“I figured. The last thing I need is Arufa’s people spotting it.”

He nods, but there’s something else. Something heavy.

“Kakashi? What is it?”

He exhales through his nose, gaze fixed ahead as if the right words might appear in the path before him.

“I-I’m not going with you.”

You stop walking.

“What?”

He slows too, turning toward you, hands sliding to your shoulders as if to steady both of you.

“I wanted to. I fought to. But Naruto… the council… they think it’s too risky. They think my presence would make it harder for you to play your part. If anyone sees us together—if anyone suspects—the alliance with the Land of Iron could fall apart before we have a chance to stop it all.”

Your heart sinks.

“But… who’s going to keep me in check? Who’s going to stop me from murdering Arufa in his sleep or punching some ambassador in the face when he calls me a prize?”

Kakashi actually smiles at that, brushing his knuckles along your jaw.

“Shirou will be there. And a few others. Black Ops you won’t even know are there. Watching. Waiting. Ready to act if things go wrong.”

You shake your head, frustration bubbling up beneath your skin.

“That’s not the same. I don’t trust anyone the way I trust you. No one.”

“I know.” His voice is quiet, full of regret.

“But you can trust me in this: I have a plan. A good one. I’m not letting you marry that bastard. This is just the first step.”

You search his face, wanting so badly to believe.

“And I’m supposed to play pretend? Stand next to him in front of cameras and act like I’m in love with him while I’m wearing your ring under my clothes?”

His thumb brushes the corner of your mouth, a silent promise in the touch.

“Yes. Because we need them to believe it. Just for a little while. And then I’ll be there. I swear it, Hana. I’ll stop it before it gets that far.”

You let out a shaky breath, your forehead resting against his chest as the sea wind tugs at your hair.

“This is going to kill me, Kakashi.”

His arms close around you, strong and steady.

“Not if I can help it.”

For a long moment you stay like that, holding onto him like you can stop time, like you can change the path ahead by sheer will. But when he pulls back, his eye is clear, determined.

“We’ve come this far, kitten. Now we finish it. Together.”

And as the village lights come into view, you nod—because there’s no choice. Because his plan is the only hope you have.

Because no matter what the world sees… your heart already belongs to him….

“Let’s get home, we can talk more about it there if you want.” 

You quietly agree, however you’re honestly not in the mood to talk about it anymore this evening. He takes your hand in his and you continue the moonlit walk back to his house.

By the time you reach Kakashi’s place, the last traces of the moon’s glow have softened behind passing clouds, and the village streets are quiet. Kakashi unlocks the door with a small flourish, glancing at you over his shoulder.

“Prepare to be amazed.”

You arch a brow and pretend to be amazed as you have already snooped his home earlier and don’t really want to ruin the moment for him.

“If you replaced that bookshelf with another one held together by duct tape, I’m leaving.”

He laughs quietly and steps aside, letting you in first.

And you marvel in surprise… it’s actually nice you say. The curtains are new, a soft blue that matches the cushions on the low couch. The bookshelf—yes, a new one—stands straight, solid, and stocked with his usual mix of Icha Icha novels, military manuals, and—adorably—cookbooks.

You trail your fingers along the fresh wood, glancing at him with a smirk.

“Wow. Who knew Kakashi Hatake could adult when he wanted to?”

He leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching you with that lazy affection that always makes your heart flutter.

“Desperate times. Hana.”

You toe off your shoes, moving further inside, and he follows, shutting the door behind him.

“And let me guess… there’s actual food in your fridge now too?”

“Oh, absolutely. All four food groups: takeout, leftover takeout, condiments, and questionable milk.”

You snort, shaking your head.

“Hopeless.”

“Hey, I did say I’d cook breakfast.”

You shoot him a playful look.

“You’d better.”

Soon you’re both sprawled on his bed, blankets tangled around you, Kakashi’s arm draped over your shoulders, your legs tangled with his. The soft glow of the screen paints your faces as you flip through the options on HBO.

“Horror?” you offer.

“Too predictable,” he murmurs, nose brushing your temple.

“Romance?”

“Already got that.”

You laugh, heart swelling.

“Alright, what’s it gonna be, then?”

He shrugs, lips brushing your hair.

“Whatever lets me stay here like this the longest.”

You settle on some mindless drama—neither of you paying much attention as the comfort of being together takes over.

Somewhere between the second and third episode, the kisses start—slow, lingering, unhurried. The kind that says I love you a hundred times without a single word.

The world outside fades away as his hands find yours, as he learns you all over again beneath soft blankets and softer moonlight. There’s no rush, no tension—just the sweetness of this night they’ve earned, of love finally given space to breathe.

And when it’s over, when you’re both tangled together in the quiet after, breath slowing, skin warm against skin, Kakashi presses a kiss to your shoulder and murmurs,

“Best date ever.”

You smile, eyelids heavy, fingers tracing idle patterns on his chest.

“Told you so.”

“And you managed not to destroy anything with your electric orgasms.” He smiles mischievously at that. 

You roll your eyes.

“There’s always next time.” You smile back equally. 

Sleep finds you both like that—wrapped in each other, the faint flicker of the screen forgotten, the promise of tomorrow waiting on the other side of dawn.

Chapter 52: Role play

---

You spend the next two days as an inseparable unit. Every breath, every fleeting touch, every shared glance with Kakashi feels heavier now—weighted by the knowledge that soon, you’ll have to leave him behind. He clings to the moments, staying close, as if his presence could somehow anchor you here. But no matter how hard he tries, the tension in the air only thickens. It hangs between you, heavy and suffocating. And it’s always worse when Naruto shows up, cheerful as ever, with that maddening grin and those bright reminders of duty, marriage, and the future you never asked for.

Today is no different. The two of you are seated beneath a towering oak, shaded from the afternoon sun. Kakashi lounges beside you, one knee bent, pretending to read his history book about the land of iron. But his gaze drifts more often to you than to the pages of his book. You sit cross-legged, aimlessly poking at the grass, trying not to think about what’s coming. Trying—and failing. Then a text comes into your phone. 

Kakashi perks up.

“Who’s that?” 

You check your phone and sigh hard. 

“It’s pineapple head.” 

Kakashi chuckles. 

“You gonna open it?” 

You curse out loud and sweep open the text it reads

Naruto:

Hey! I finally found you! It’s almost like you’re trying to hide or something. 🤣 I’m on my way over. Get your role play game ready!” 

And before you can respond to that with a hard fuck off he appears in the distance.

“Yo!” Naruto’s voice cracks the calm like a thrown kunai. He saunters up, hands behind his head, grin wide enough to rival the horizon. “Interrupting anything? Nah, you two wouldn’t be doing anything romantic, would you?”

You groan, dragging your hand down your face. “Naruto. Seriously?”

“Oh, I’m serious alright,” he says, dropping dramatically to one knee in front of you. “It’s time for more practice, Hana-chan! We can’t have you freezing up in front of Lord Arufa, can we?”

“I’ll take my chances,” you deadpan, leaning back on your hands.

But Naruto is undeterred. He grabs a fallen leaf and tucks it behind his ear like a ridiculous flower. “Behold your fiancé!” he declares, puffing out his chest. “Lord Arufa, at your service. Now, give me your most adoring look.”

You stare at him flatly. “You’re a menace.”

“Hana,” Kakashi murmurs. His tone is soft, coaxing. You glance at him, and in his eyes is that same quiet plea. Please. Just play along.

You sigh. “Fine.” You turn back to Naruto. “Oh, great lord of… whatever. How your beauty blinds me. How your voice—like a thousand frogs—makes my heart flutter.”

Naruto bursts out laughing. “No, no, no! Hana, you gotta mean it! Like this.” He strikes another pose, this one even more ridiculous. “Say, ‘My heart is yours, forever and always.’”

You cross your arms. “Naruto, my heart is mine, forever and always. And no warlord’s getting near it.”

“Hana…” Kakashi’s voice again, a touch firmer this time. You glance at him and catch it—the flicker of pain he can’t quite mask. The tight set of his jaw, the way his fingers curl slightly in the grass. His eyes won’t meet yours right now. Not while you’re pretending to love someone else. Not while this farce is tearing him apart inside.

Your chest tightens. Damn it. For him—you’ll do it.

You stand slowly, brushing off your hands. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

Naruto perks up. “That’s the spirit!”

He reaches for your hands, and you let him take them, though your fingers twitch with restraint.

“Oh noble lord,” you begin, your voice dripping with reluctant melodrama. “How I dream of the day I may stand by your side and—”

“And what?” Naruto prompts eagerly.

“—and, uh, embroider your socks, or whatever it is wives do.”

Naruto groans. “Hana, you’re killing me here. Again!”

You huff. “Fine. My heart is yours, forever and always. There. Happy?”

“Not even close!” Naruto tugs you a step closer. “You’ve gotta swoon a little. Look at me like I’m the greatest man alive!”

You glance at Kakashi instinctively. His gaze flickers to meet yours, just for a heartbeat, and the sadness there makes you want to scream.

But Naruto doesn’t notice. He’s too busy playing lord and master.

“Oh, Lord Arufa, I swoon mightily at your feet. Please, take me to your castle of… tax documents and dust,” you say, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“No sarcasm!” Naruto protests. “Say it like you mean it! Try blushing, or giggling, or something!”

“I don’t giggle.”

“You do now! Come on—again!”

And so it goes. Naruto pushes relentlessly. He has you clasp your hands, tilt your head, bat your lashes, and simper like the worst kind of lovesick fool. Every time you glance at Kakashi, you see it: the subtle tightening of his lips, the slight twitch in his eyes, the way he keeps adjusting his posture like he can’t quite get comfortable in his own skin. He hides it well—but not from you. You see the quiet ache, the disgust he tries to bury as you play-act your affections for someone else.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity of declarations, swoons, and imaginary castle tours, Naruto throws up his hands. “That’s it! You’re ready. Arufa won’t know what hit him! I’m impressed, Hana. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“I didn’t either,” you mutter.

Naruto gives you a thumbs-up. “You’re gonna do great. Alright, I’ll leave you two to your… uh… tree sitting or whatever. Don’t let me catch you slacking on your love game, okay?”

You salute him half-heartedly. “Yes, your majesty.”

And with that, Naruto bounds off, leaving blessed silence in his wake.

The second he’s out of earshot, you collapse back onto the grass with a groan. “If I ever have to do that again, just kill me.”

Kakashi leans over you, shadow falling across your face, a lopsided smile tugging at his lips. “You were radiant.”

You glare up at him. “Don’t you start.”

“Truly. The way you described his tax documents… I almost proposed myself….again.”

Despite yourself, you laugh. The tension breaks, just a little. He lies down beside you, propping his head on one arm.

“You’re amazing, you know,” he says quietly.

You turn your head toward him. “Hardly.”

“Really.” His fingers brush yours, just for a second. “I don’t think I could’ve done that with half as much grace.”

You smirk. “Grace? You mean sarcasm and muttered death threats?”

“Exactly,” he says, grinning. “Pure poetry.”

The weight of it all is still there—and the words hang between you, simple and honest. You both hate this—hate the act, the distance it’s about to put between you, the duty forcing your hand. But it doesn’t matter. It still has to be done.

After a moment, he squeezes your hand gently and stands, pulling you up with him. “Let’s get this over with.” he murmurs.

And together, you start walking back to your house this time, both of you carrying the weight of what’s ahead.

———————————————

Kakashi pov

By the time evening settles over the village, painting the sky in shades of indigo and gold, Kakashi has made up his mind. You aren’t going to leave for the Land of Iron looking like you’ve packed for a festival—or worse, a date. He isn’t about to let that happen… again. Not on his watch.

You stand in your room, surrounded by the chaos of your own packing: a folded kimono, a skirt far too impractical for travel, a pair of sandals you once called “lucky,” a hair ribbon—and, to his mounting horror, a frilly blouse you must have grabbed without thinking, and a pair of leggings that wouldn’t survive a half-mile of rocky terrain.

“Hana,” he says, deadpan. “Is your plan to defeat Lord Arufa by blinding him with fashion, or trip over your own skirt and fall on your face before you get to him?”

You huff, hands on your hips. “Excuse me for wanting to look decent while I’m being auctioned off like some prize cow.”

He pushes off the doorframe, crossing the room in a few lazy steps. “Decent’s fine. Alive is better.” He crouches, sifting through your choices, holding up the blouse like it’s a cursed scroll, and shaking his head at half of them. “Where’s the gear I left you from our last mission together?”

You try to protest, but he’s already moving—pulling out sturdy boots, the warm cloak you always forget you own, the dark trousers you claim are too plain, your new vest and headband. His hands close around a pair of fingerless gloves you’d shoved to the bottom of your bag.

“I was going to wear those…” you mutter, folding your arms.

“Sure you were.” His tone is teasing, but there’s no real smugness to it—just affection laced with the ache of knowing this is goodbye. He holds out the trousers. “Put these on.”

You raise a brow. “What, you’re dressing me again?”

“If I don’t, you’ll show up in lace, ribbon, possibly no pants, and a blouse that belongs at a tea party…,” he shoots back. “And I’m not letting the Land of Iron think we send our shinobi out in party clothes.”

You snatch the trousers from him, but there’s no heat in it. If anything, you’re grateful. His calm, steady presence helps settle the knot in your chest.

By the time he finishes fussing over your cloak’s fastening, adjusting the gloves on your hands, and tightening the straps on your pack, night has fully fallen. The room is quiet except for the soft rustle of fabric and the occasional brush of his fingers against yours.

When he steps back at last, he looks at you—really looks. And for a second, he says nothing.

“See?” he says, voice low with absolutely no enthusiasm. “Ready for anything.”

You manage a small smile, though your heart feels too heavy to lift. “Thanks to you.”

He reaches up, brushing a loose lock of hair from your face, his touch lingering a heartbeat too long. But then—the soft buzz of his phone breaks the stillness. Kakashi tenses, pulling it from his pocket. You see his eye flick over the message, his features unreadable in the dim light.

“Naruto,” he mutters, sliding the phone away. “Of course.”

“What does he want now?” you ask, half dreading the answer.

Kakashi hesitates, then forces a small smile. “Duty calls. He’s… insisting I check in about tomorrow’s details. I need to go.”

You frown, not wanting this moment to end. “Can’t it wait?”

“I wish it could.” His gaze softens, but there’s something else there too—something he isn’t saying. Because this isn’t just Naruto pulling him away. He knows he has things to prepare as well. Things you can never know about. And it tears him apart having to lie to you like this.

In a few hours, he will be gone from your side as Kakashi, but hidden behind the mask of an ANBU once more. A silent shadow on your trail. Disguised so thoroughly that not even you will recognize him. His last way to protect you, unseen.

He leans in, pressing his forehead briefly to yours. “Get some rest,” he whispers. “Tomorrow’s going to be hell.”

You nod, your heart heavy. “Yeah. It is.”

He leaves you with a kiss that makes you both breathless, then he pulls back, slipping out the door, leaving you alone with the quiet—and the knowledge that, somehow, he’ll be watching. Even if you can’t see him

Chapter 53: Torn by Duty

The dawn comes too soon. The golden light spills across the village rooftops as if trying to soften the edges of the day. But the weight in your chest is too heavy, too real, for even the sun to ease.

You were supposed to have time. One more morning with him. At least that’s what you wanted. But he went silent after he left your house.

 Kakashi is nowhere to be found.

You pace at the gates of the village, heart thudding with each step, scanning every path, every rooftop, every shadow. Your fingers toy with the chain hidden beneath your vest—the ring warm against your skin, as if it remembers him too.

Finally, Naruto approaches, his expression a mixture of regret and urgency.

“Hana… I’m sorry.”

Your breath catches.

“Where is he?”

Naruto rubs the back of his neck, looking genuinely pained.

“I sent him out early this morning. The Land of Lightning’s moving pieces we don’t like—. I needed Kakashi on it. I’m sorry there’s no cell service where he is. I didn’t want to, but… it couldn’t wait.”

You stare at him, the words sinking in like stones. 

“You didn’t even let me say goodbye…”

“I had to choose, Hana. I’m sorry.” His voice is soft, sincere.

You close your eyes, swallowing the lump rising in your throat. Of course Kakashi would go. That’s who he is. That’s why you love him. And that’s why this hurts so damn much.

When you open your eyes again, the gates are framed by five masked Black Ops ninjas—silent, watchful, their presence as heavy as their tactical armor.

And then there’s Shirou stumbling in behind them.

You stare.

“Shirou, what are you carrying?”

He’s hunched under what looks like three bags, two bedrolls, a small cooking pot tied to his belt, and is that… a fishing rod?

“I like to be prepared!” he protests, grinning like this is a camping trip.

You cross your arms.

“Prepared for what? An invasion or a picnic?”

He starts trying to hand you a spare pack.

“Here, you can take—”

You cut him off with a glare.

“Nope. That’s all you. If I have to act like a lovesick bride, you can carry your own fishing gear.”

The Black Ops don’t say a word, but you’re certain one of them snorts quietly behind their mask.

“Fine, I’ll carry it. But you’ll be begging me for supplies when I have everything you need.” He retorts. 

You roll your eyes and brush him off then glance back at the village one last time, hoping against hope to see silver hair on the breeze, that familiar lazy posture….but there’s nothing.

You square your shoulders, tightening the grip on the reins of your composure.

He promised. He’ll find a way.

Naruto gives your shoulder a squeeze.

“We’ll be watching on the side lines. And we’ll have your back. Trust him.”

You nod, turning toward the road ahead. The Land of Iron awaits. And somewhere beyond it… Kakashi’s plan.

You’re just about to give the signal to move out—already dreading the first awkward “future-bride” introduction to Arufa—when you hear footsteps approaching at a jog.

You turn, expecting Kakashi to appear in a desperate run towards you.

What you get instead is… well… something else entirely.

The figure is clad head-to-toe in standard ANBU gear—tight-fitting, weapons strapped with precision, blades gleaming at his thigh, a slim combat pack slung across his back. What stands out in his ensemble is the white fox mask tied loosely to the side of his head, its painted features grinning mischievously at the world.

But it’s not just the outfit that is throwing you off…no…it’s him….

The man’s exposed face beneath messy black hair (dyed, you’re sure of it) looks almost normal at first glance—until you catch the details. His skin is a touch pale, as if he hadn’t seen sunlight in months. There’s a faint shadow under his eyes, lips set in a straight line that gives him this broody, almost gothic vibe.

You don’t even try to stop the snark that forms in your head.

Wow. Did we pick up a runaway from some edgy underground band? What’s next, is he gonna read me poetry about the void?

Before you can say anything out loud, the man stops beside your group, posture relaxed but alert.

And then—he speaks.

“Sorry I’m late,” he says in a voice that does not match his appearance at all.

There’s this lazy southern drawl to it—like someone who should be whittling wood on a porch complaining about the heat, not wearing a fox mask and carrying enough steel to arm a small militia. But layered beneath is… something else. A faint lilt you can’t quite place, like he’s spent too long wandering places most ninja never set foot in.

You blink at him, thrown off.

“Uh… right. And you are?”

The man gives a nod that’s both respectful and completely nonchalant.

“Name’s not important. Just here to help. Hokage’s orders.”

You stare at him a beat too long, trying to process the impossible contrast: emo prince of darkness meets down-home southern drifter.

Right. So this guy is an enigma wrapped in a riddle… wrapped in black eyeliner.

The thought that hits you almost makes you snort aloud. A nickname. One that feels perfect.

Grimothy.

A gothic ninja who sounds like he should be out there, serenading a field of sad scarecrows with tragic country ballads about heartbreak and existential dread.

You smirk, tucking the name safely away for now. Oh, it’s sticking. No way you’re letting that one go.

“Right…” you finally reply to him. “Let’s get going. We have ground to cover.” 

The rest of everyone gathers their things with Shirou dropping some along the way. You don’t hesitate to scold him over the amount of packing he did which draws out a long bickering conversation as everyone moves forward into the forest. 

————————

Your small group weaves deeper into the forest, the soft glow of the village fades, leaving only trees, sky, and the crunch of boots on soil.

You glance back at him again—Grimothy, as you’ve dubbed him. The late-arriving Black Ops mystery man with that dyed midnight-black hair, the too-pale skin, the white fox mask tied at a cocky angle off his head like some broody fashion statement.

And that voice.

It still throws you off every time—that low, easy drawl, southern with just a strange touch of… something else. Like a wandering cowboy who somehow got recruited by an elite assassin squad between tragic campfire songs.

But here’s the thing.

Every time he moves, there’s something about the way his shoulders shift, the way he scans the trees before you do, the way he falls into rhythm with your steps without trying. Unlike the other ninja around you. 

It tugs at your memory, like an itch you can’t quite scratch. 

Why does this feel familiar?

You catch yourself watching him more than once, narrowing your eyes when he’s not looking—or maybe when he is looking, hard to tell with that mask half-hiding his face.

His voice might be different, but there’s a tilt of the head, a silent check over his shoulder, a subtle brush of his hand near the hilt of a blade that sets off a thousand little bells in your head.

You grit your teeth trying to figure it out…

He keeps his distance, stays professional—but you swear sometimes you feel his gaze linger longer than it should. Protective. Familiar.

And every time he fades into the shadows or reappears behind you like some moody forest spirit, your heart does a little leap—not fear, not really. Just this sense of comfort you don’t want to admit you feel.

You keep subtle notes of this man in the back of your mind as the journey goes on hoping you can piece it all together at some point.

—————————

A few days into the journey, your body begins to feel strange. Nausea creeps in slowly at first, then slams into you like a bad punch after breakfast. The cool morning air feels thick and heavy, each breath sticking in your throat. Sweat beads along your hairline as your stomach coils tight, like something inside you is staging a revolt.

You keep walking, forcing one foot in front of the other, hoping no one notices how your pace has faltered. But inside, where the panther waits, you feel her stir just as badly as you are. What is going on?

At first, you blame it on Shirou’s cooking (because honestly, anyone would). But when even the plain rice starts turning your stomach and the smell of campfire smoke makes your head spin, you start to suspect it’s something more.

You try to hide it. Really, you do.

But of course he notices.

You’re crouched behind a tree that morning, trying to collect yourself as the world tilts ever so slightly, when you hear the softest shuffle of boots.

“Y’alright, ma’am?” comes that smooth southern drawl—lazy and polite, but edged with concern.

You look up, trying not to glare at Grimothy, who’s standing there like some dark guardian spirit, his pale face tilted just enough that you can’t read his eyes under the shadow of his hair and that damn mask tied at his head.

“I’m fine,” you manage, wiping your mouth. “Just—Shirou’s cooking. You know.”

Grimothy tilts his head.

“Y’didn’t touch Shirou’s stew this morning. Just had the rice.”

You freeze for a beat, cursing his attention to detail.

“Maybe I’m just tired.”

He nods slowly, clearly not convinced but willing to let it slide and he leaves you with a napkin to wipe your face with.

By midday, you realize something is really up with your body when you find yourself eyeing Shirou’s emergency trail mix with unsettling focus—not for the nuts or berries, but for the pickled plums he keeps stashed in it.

You’ve never liked pickled plums. Now? You’re practically salivating.

Later, as the group pauses for rest, you scavenge through your own pack and somehow end up eating a bizarre combination of rice crackers and dried seaweed wrapped around a chunk of sweet bread.

Grimothy watches you from a short distance, subtly keeping guard. But when you start dunking the combo into leftover miso broth like it’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted, he approaches—cautious, like he’s worried you’ve gone feral.

“Uh… no offense, but… that’s the most unholy thing I’ve ever seen someone eat.”

You glance up, rice cracker crumbs on your lips, and shrug.

“Tastes good.”

He just stares at you for a moment, then—softly, uncertainly—

“Ma’am… are you… sick?”

You blink, realizing he doesn’t mean poisoned. He means—sick sick.

And that’s when it hits you.

Your hands go still on the strange meal, your heart thudding against your ribs.

Are you really sick? Something is definitely off about your health right now….

And Grimothy? For all his calm exterior, there’s a flicker of something beneath that voice—an edge of panic trying (and failing) to stay hidden.

“You want me to—uh—should I get you a medic? I mean, no shame in stoppin’ for a healer. I can carry you if you need—”

You wave him off, flustered now, cheeks burning.

“No! No, I’m fine. Just—tired. Hungry. Tired and hungry.”

He hesitates, then gives that slow nod again, though the tension in his posture doesn’t ease.

As you pack up and prepare to move out, you catch him sneaking subtle glances your way more often, his protective aura ramped up, as if somehow he knows this mission just got a whole lot more complicated—even if he doesn’t know how yet.

Chapter 54: Shadows, Cravings, and Silent Guardians

The forest deepens as you travel, the trees growing taller, the light thinner. The path winds through moss-covered roots and narrow gullies, every step taking you farther from home and farther away from Kakashi—

And through it all, Grimothy hovers like a silent stormcloud.

He’s gotten even more protective since your sickness has escalated. Where before he kept a polite distance, now he’s always just a few steps away. His sharp eyes scan the treetops, the underbrush, every twist of the trail. He checks the terrain ahead more often, disappearing into the shadows only to reappear just as you start to wonder where he’s gone.

And then there are the little things.

He starts offering you water before you even ask, holding it out without a word. He adjusts your pack straps while you’re too tired to argue. At one point, he quietly slides an extra blanket your way as camp is set—silent, efficient, like it’s nothing at all.

And every time, it grates at your pride.

Why are you acting like I’m going to fall apart?

But the worst part?

You’re starting to understand why…..

It hits you slowly, in pieces.

The nausea that won’t leave.

The strange cravings that come and go—sweet with salty, soft with sour.

The way your body feels different, heavier, more exhausted than it should after a few days of travel.

You try to dismiss it, try to chalk it up as stress. But deep down, the truth blooms, undeniable and terrifying.

Oh gods. …could it be?

You glance at Grimothy as he checks the trail ahead again, white fox mask swinging from his face like some silent spectator.

Not now. Not here. It can’t be…but…then again…there’s a good chance it is.

You press a hand to your stomach as you walk, heart racing, mind spinning.

You have to keep it together. However things are getting worse as the days go on….

You finally stop for a break, sinking down against a fallen log. The world tilts slightly as you catch your breath, nausea still gnawing at the edges. Before you can even blink, he’s there—silent as a shadow—crouched beside you with a canteen in hand.

“Water, ma’am?”

You blink up at him, caught off guard by the softness in his voice. “I’m good,” you manage.

He hesitates, studying you like he doesn’t quite believe it. Then, without a word, he sets the canteen down beside you anyway and rises, shoulders stiff ready for your recoil, and leaves you to check the perimeters again before you can protest about the canteen you had already denied.

You sigh as you watch him leave and rest a moment longer, grateful for the break. The quiet lets your mind drift—finally—to him. Kakashi. You haven’t had the time or the clarity to really think about him much since the journey began. But now, leaning against the rough bark of the fallen log, his face flickers behind your eyes: the way his mask crinkled when he smirked at you, the warmth in his gaze when he thought you weren’t looking, that maddening, infuriating calm he carried like armor.

What’s he doing right now? The thought sneaks in, uninvited but impossible to shake. Is he out tracking shadows? Or maybe—just maybe—he’s leaned up against the bark of a tree thinking of you too.

You exhale, pushing yourself to your feet before you sink too far into the memory. 

The group moves on, the trail narrowing as roots twist across your path like traps set just for you. You’re careful, watching each step, but when your boot catches—barely a stumble at all—he’s suddenly there, at your elbow. Steady. Solid. His touch gentle but sure, grounding you before you even realize you’ve faltered.

“Careful now. These woods are tricky.” Grimothy says.

You narrow your eyes. “I noticed, thanks.”

And when Shirou tries to hand you a chunk of dried meat and you make the mistake of looking queasy at the smell, Grimothy practically materializes between you and the offending snack.

“I think she’s fine without that, partner.”

Shirou just stares, confused.

“I was just—”

“She’s fine,” He repeats, as if that settles it.

“Alright, if you need something Neko let me know.” Shirou replies with concern written all over his face.

You glare at his back as he steps ahead again, that damn mask of his bobbing with each stride—like it’s mocking you. Taunting you. Is he trying to drive you insane? you wonder, teeth clenched. None of the other ninja are like this…

You push on in silence, the rhythm of his steps somehow more irritating with each passing hour.

By the time night falls, the world has gone cold and sharp. The wind snakes between the ancient trees where you’ve made camp, threading through your layers, carrying the clean bite of pine and the promise of distant snow. The brutal incline that punished your legs all day has finally leveled out, offering some small mercy—but your body is heavy now, worn thin by exhaustion, and—if you’re honest—strangely, annoyingly hungry.

The fire crackles low, casting flickering shadows on the faces around it. The Black Ops stay at the edges, silent sentries in the dark. Shirou sits cross-legged nearby, nursing a cup of tea, while you… you’re doing your best to satisfy what can only be described as unholy cravings.

You’ve got a stale rice ball sliced open, stuffed with bits of dried plum and a smear of that weird sweet paste Shirou packed “for emergencies.” You’re wrapping the whole mess in seaweed and dunking it in lukewarm miso broth like it’s the finest dish the Land of Fire has ever produced.

Shirou stares at you in horror and fascination.

“…Neko. What are you doing?”

You chew defiantly.

“It’s good. Don’t judge me.”

Shirou chuckles, shaking his head.

“I’m not judging. I’m concerned. I’ve seen some weird field rations, but that? That’s a war crime.”

Before you can retort, his grin turns sly and his gaze flicks toward the edge of camp.

“You know…” he starts, voice dropping to that conspiratorial tone that always means trouble, “I’ve been watching that guy. Your guy.”

You raise a brow, following his glance to where Grimothy paces the perimeter, white fox mask now covering his face.

“Shirou…” you warn, already dreading where this is going.

But he’s grinning now, warmed by tea and gossip.

“I’ve been on missions with Black Ops before. They’re like shadows—here, gone, no attachments. But him? He’s acting like his entire mission is keeping you from so much as tripping over a pebble.”

You roll your eyes, taking another bite of your monstrous creation.

“Maybe he’s just good at his job.”

Shirou laughs softly.

“Good? Neko, he offered you water three times today before you asked. Adjusted your pack twice. Nearly took the head off that poor courier who rode too close as he passed by.”

You shift, trying to play it cool, but feeling the heat rise in your cheeks.

“I didn’t ask him to.”

“No. But he’s doing it anyway.” Shirou leans closer, dropping his voice.

“Come on. Do you know him?”

You glance again at Grimothy. The way he moves—fluid, silent, always watching. Always aware of where you are.

And for a second, you feel that nagging familiarity again. But you shove it down.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” you mutter, tearing off another bite of plum-sweet paste-seaweed rice ball.

“Maybe he’s just… thorough.”

Shirou snorts.

“Thorough. Sure. That man’s one step away from cutting your food for you.”

You smirk, glancing at your creation.

“If he does, maybe he can improve this mess.”

Shirou nearly spits out his tea, trying not to laugh too loud.

And from the edge of camp, you catch it—just for a heartbeat—the way Grimothy glances back, and the edge of his mouth twitches beneath the shadow of his mask.

——————-

Later, as the fire burns low and Shirou starts to nod off, you see movement out of the corner of your eye.

Grimothy approaches, quiet as mist. Without a word, he sets a neatly folded blanket beside you, nods once, and starts to retreat.

But he hesitates.

And in that strange, soft drawl of his, he murmurs,

“Not spoon-feedin you. But it’s colder tonight. You should use that.”

You blink, caught off guard, heart skipping despite yourself.

By the time you think of a retort, he’s already melted back into the night, leaving only the soft sound of his boots on pine needles and the ghost of that half-smile in your mind

Chapter 55: The weight of the climb

The dawn rises pale and cold, filtering weak light through the canopy of pines. Frost clings stubbornly to roots and stones. The air is thin here—each breath feels like it comes through a narrow straw, leaving your lungs raw.

The trail is merciless. It coils up the mountainside in a cruel climb, tangled with roots and loose stone, forcing your every step to be deliberate.

But you press on. Because stopping feels like failure.

The first time today your boot snags on a root, it’s nothing—just a stumble. You catch yourself fast, willing your heart to slow, hoping no one noticed.

But he did.

Grimothy is there before you even steady your breath, his hand ghosting near your arm, close enough to catch you if you so much as sway.

“I’m fine,” you snap, shaking him off—more from frustration at yourself than at him.

He only nods, falling back a respectful step. But his gaze lingers, watchful, steady, and somehow that burns more than his touch.

 

————————-

The trail grows meaner. A loose stone betrays you, rolling underfoot. You drop to one knee, catching yourself with a hand on the frozen ground.

Before you can rise, his hand is there—steady, patient, wordless.

You glare at him, heat flaring in your chest, frustration simmering just beneath your skin.

“I said—”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he cuts in softly, lifting you to your feet like it costs him nothing at all.

You huff, brushing him off. Anger at yourself boils beneath the surface—anger at the way your strength keeps slipping, your balance keeps betraying you. And at him—always him—and his relentless, quiet protection that makes you feel even smaller.

You barely have a moment to catch your breath before the path steepens again. The climb turns cruel, the trail narrowing as jagged stone walls rise on either side. The wind funnels through the pass, sharp and biting, cutting through your clothes like they’re nothing.

Your legs feel heavy now—like they belong to someone else. Someone slower. Someone weaker. The cold sinks in deep, and with every step, the air thins, leaving your chest tight, your breath short.

You are stopping more often now. First for water. Then just to catch your breath.

At one point, you drop onto a fallen log, heart pounding, vision swimming.

Grimothy crouches nearby, canteen in hand, offering it without a word.

You wave him off, stubborn to the end. “I’m not dying.”

He tilts his head, the white fox mask catching the light just so, making it impossible to read him.

“No, ma’am,” he replies, voice quiet—no judgment, no challenge—but somehow it lands harder than any scolding could have. “But you’re not winning this fight either.”

Your pride bristles. You grit your teeth, snatch the canteen from his hand, and take a long drink. The water is cold, but it tastes like ash in your mouth.

Shirou steps in closer, his worry no longer hidden behind duty. His brows draw together, and his voice drops low, trying to meet you halfway. “Neko, this isn’t like you. You’re pale. You’re stumbling. We should stop for longer—let you rest properly.”

You shake your head, forcing yourself upright even as your legs protest. “I said I’m fine.”

Shirou doesn’t move. His eyes search yours, and for a moment it looks like he might argue. But then he just exhales, glancing toward Grimothy, who still watches you like he’s waiting for you to fall apart.

“You’re stubborn,” Shirou mutters.

“And you’re annoying,” you shoot back, adjusting your pack. But even you hear how thin your voice sounds.

Without waiting for more protest, you set off again. The path rises sharply ahead, the climb turning cruel. The wind funnels through the narrowing pass, biting and cold. Every step leaves your legs heavier, your breath shorter, your body fighting you at every turn.

Then….It happens on a narrow stretch of trail where the path skirts a sheer drop. Your boot slips on loose shale, and you lurch sideways, breath hitching, legs almost throwing you off the edge—

—but his arm is around your waist before fear can even take a breath in. Steady. Sure.

“That’s it,” he murmurs. “You’re done walking like this.”

You try to push him off, angry tears stinging your eyes. “I can keep going!”

“No, ma’am. You can’t.” His voice leaves no room for argument—not harsh, just certain.

Shirou catches up, taking in the scene: you sagging against Grimothy, barely holding yourself upright.

“We’re detouring to that village I saw marked on the map,” Shirou says, his tone brooking no refusal. “We’ll find a horse. This isn’t up for debate.”

Your pride burns hot, fighting to the surface. “I don’t need a horse.”

Shirou’s voice softens, but steel stays beneath. “You do. And we’re not going to break you just to prove a point.”

If not for what may be growing inside you right now, you would argue. You nod tightly, swallowing the bitter lump in your throat.

Grimothy helps you down to the gentler trail leading to the village, his hand near your elbow—not gripping, just there, ready. And as much as you hate needing it… you’re relieved. Even though you wished it was someone else taking care of you. Someone you still haven’t heard from…

———————-

Dusk bleeds pink and silver across the sky when rooftops appear between the trunks—small homes with thatched roofs, smoke curling from chimneys, windows glowing faintly in the cold light.

Villagers stare as you approach, wary of outsiders. Children peer from behind doorframes.

Shirou steps forward, voice calm and respectful as he speaks to the first elder who meets him. The price for a horse is steep—outsiders aren’t welcomed easily here—but gold smooths the way where words can’t. At last, they bring out a small, sturdy mare—dark-eyed, gentle, sure-footed.

Grimothy helps you into the saddle with quiet efficiency, adjusting the stirrups, checking the cinch.

Shirou shoots you a grin, trying to lighten the heavy mood. “See? Now you get to ride like a princess while we slog through the mud.”

You try to match his smile, but inside your pride knots with gratitude and shame in equal measure.

———————-

 

That night, you camp just outside the village, the mare picketed nearby, contentedly chewing dry grass. The fire burns low.

You sit close to the fire, too tired to do more than stare into the flames, letting their warmth soak into your bones. Finally still. Finally not fighting to stay upright.

Your thoughts drift, heavy and sluggish. Will this sickness pass? Or is this just how it’ll be from now on—this nausea, the dizziness, the ache spreading through your chest that’s starting to burn and tingle? Gods, you’re tired. So tired.

Shirou stirs the tea, casting glances your way every few moments. “You’ll feel better soon,” he says gently, as if saying it enough will make it true.

You nod faintly, not trusting your voice.

Across the fire, he sits—silent as ever—blade balanced in one hand, whetstone in the other. The white fox mask lies beside him, catching the flicker of the flames. He works steadily, the soft rasp of the stone the only sound between you all.

His eyes lift, just for a breath, flicking to you before returning to the blade. Always watching. Always there. And for the first time all day… you let yourself breathe.

Shirou clears his throat, trying to cut the tension. “So,” he begins, tone casual but hopeful, “are you going to tell us your name? Or do we just keep calling you ‘hey you’?”

Grimothy doesn’t look up. The stone whispers along the blade. “No, sir,” he says evenly, almost kindly. “I don’t think I will.”

Shirou blinks. “You don’t think you will?” he echoes, half laughing. “You’ve got to have a name.”

The man’s lips twitch at the corner—just barely—but his eyes stay on the steel in his hand. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Shirou leans forward, squinting through the firelight like the name might be written somewhere on his face. “You’re really not going to tell us?”

Grimothy slides the whetstone into his pack and lifts the mask, fitting it back over his face like armor. “Not tonight.”

Shirou exhales, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Fine. But you’re not getting out of it forever.”

You say nothing, but inside, you smirk to yourself. Grimothy suits him just fine.

Shirou stands, dusting off his hands. “Alright. We should rest. We’ve got another brutal climb ahead of us tomorrow.”

Grimothy nods, already settling in. You pull your cloak tighter, the chill sinking deeper now that you’re still. And as your eyes grow heavy, your thoughts drift where they always do when you’re too tired to stop them—they drift to him.

Kakashi Hatake.

The name rises to your lips, unbidden, aching for air. You almost whisper it—almost let it escape into the night like a prayer—but at the last moment, you bite it back, swallowing hard against the sting in your throat.

Where are you, Kakashi?

You breathe his name silently instead, and with that, the weight of exhaustion pulls you under, into restless dreams where his face lingers at the edges of the dark.

Chapter 56: Across the frost line

Morning comes harsh and unkind. The cold bites deeper than it did the night before, and the first pale light of dawn feels like it burns rather than warms.

You wake feeling like something inside you has turned against itself. Your blood—thick, heavy—seems to crawl sluggishly through your veins, as if your body can’t quite keep up with the simple task of staying alive. Every breath feels too shallow; every heartbeat thunders in your ears. You try to connect to your cohort to see how she is doing, only to be thrown out with a warning from her to keep your symptoms to yourself. You huff at that feeling lonely now…

When you try to stand, the world tilts. The ground sways beneath your boots, and just reaching your horse feels like crossing a battlefield. Your fingers fumble at the reins, and it takes everything you have to get a foot into the stirrup.

You manage to pull yourself into the saddle—but barely. The moment you settle, you feel yourself tipping, sliding sideways, your body refusing to obey. You catch yourself on the pommel, arms trembling, breath coming too fast.

Shirou steps forward, his face drawn tight with worry.

“Neko—stop. You can’t ride like this.”

You shake your head, trying to wave him off, but the motion only makes the world blur, black spots dancing at the edges of your vision.

The disturbance halts the group. They pause packing up camp to watch you. Grimothy stands nearby, silent and watchful, his mask turned toward you.

“We’re not going to get far like this,” he says quietly, but there’s no room for argument in his tone. “Someone should ride with you.”

Your pride claws at you. You open your mouth to protest, but the words come out thin, barely a breath.

“I can manage.”

Grimothy tilts his head slightly, the white mask catching the cold morning light.

“With respect, ma’am, you can’t.”

Shirou glances at him, then at you, and whatever fight he had drains from his eyes until…

“I’ll ride with her,” Grimothy says, already stepping forward. His voice is calm, steady. “

You want to argue, you want to tell him no—but the truth presses heavy against your ribs. You can’t. Not this time. 

You barely register him stepping closer until his hands are at your waist—gentle, steady, like he’s done this a hundred times before. He swings into the saddle behind you with practiced ease, settling in without jostling you.

You tense at first, instinct fighting the closeness, but then… you feel it.

Warmth.

Solid and sure, his presence melts into yours, the chill of the morning edged out by the heat of him at your back. His arm slips lightly around you, just enough to steady you, and the world doesn’t feel like it’s spinning quite so fast anymore.

And gods… it feels familiar.

The way he moves, his size compared, the way he holds you—like he knows every line of your body, every unspoken fear. Like he’s done this before, somewhere in a life you can’t quite remember.

Why does this feel like him?

Your heart aches with it—this ghost of comfort that shouldn’t be there, can’t be there. But it is. He’s warm. Comforting. And without meaning to, you lean back into him, just a little.

The horse starts forward, his hand steadying yours at the reins, guiding without taking control.

Who are you? the question hums in your mind, but you’re too tired, too hollowed out to speak it aloud.

For now, you let him carry the weight. Just for a little while.

————————-

The hours pass in a haze, the world reduced to the steady rhythm of the horse beneath you and the solid warmth at your back. The wind bites less with him shielding you. The path blurs, the endless trees blending together. You barely notice where one hour ends and the next begins.

And through it all, he stays silent—but not cold. His arm remains there, steady as the horizon, keeping you upright without caging you. Each time the horse stumbles on a hidden root, his grip tightens just enough to steady you, and something inside you loosens in response.

Why does this feel like safety?

You close your eyes against the question, against the ache in your chest that has nothing to do with nausea. The way he moves, the way his presence fills the space around you—it tugs at something deep, something you’ve tried not to miss so fiercely.

Kakashi.

It shouldn’t feel like him. But it does. And that both comforts and terrifies you. Leaving a sting in your eyes.

As the sun dips lower, shadows stretching long and thin. The air cools further, carrying the promise of another bitter night. Finally, his voice breaks the long silence—low and quiet, like he’s afraid to disturb the peace between you.

“We should stop soon. Let the horse rest. Let you rest.”

You swallow, your throat dry.

“I’m fine,” you say, but the words don’t have the strength behind them anymore. Even you can hear it.

A beat of silence. Then, with quiet conviction:

“No. You’re not.”

You feel his gaze, though his face is hidden. The mask gives nothing away, but somehow you know. He’s watching you. Not with judgment. With… care.

Shirou calls from ahead, his voice carried on the wind.

“There’s a clearing up ahead! We can camp there!”

Grimothy doesn’t answer him right away. His voice stays close, meant only for you.

“Just a little further. Hold on.”

You nod, too tired to argue, too worn to do anything but trust him. And as the last of the light bleeds from the sky, you let yourself lean back into him, just enough to feel the steady rise and fall of his breath.

Who are you? the question hums again in your mind, but the words won’t come. Not yet.

———————————————-

It is now the final night before the Land of Iron’s border. Which Shirou had made clear how close you are. It hums with a strange kind of quiet. The forest seems to hold its breath. No breeze stirs the ancient pines. The stars above feel cold, sharp as needles against the black sky.

The group sets camp in a small hollow, ringed by those towering trees. The mare grazes quietly near the picket line, tail flicking lazily at nothing. The Black Ops stand silent, melted into the edges of shadow barely visible. Shirou lies not far from the fire, snoring softly, lost to the world.

And you…

You sit hunched near the fire, elbows on your knees, turning a piece of dried wood over and over in your hands. The heat does little to touch the chill that’s settled deep in your chest. Your stomach coils tighter with each crackle of the flames. Your mind won’t stop racing—thoughts spinning in endless circles.

What if you can’t pull this off?

What if they see through you?

What if you slip up, and the whole plan unravels?

What if you puke all over your husband to be….which isn’t such a bad thing….

The weight of the role you’re about to play feels like it might crush you before you ever set foot across the border.

You squeeze the piece of wood in your hand so tightly it creaks.

And then you sense him.

Before you see him.

That familiar quiet presence.

Grimothy steps from the dark like he’s always been part of it, like the night let him go just long enough to join you. His movements are slower tonight. More deliberate. And this time, he doesn’t pace the perimeter. Doesn’t melt back into the trees.

He sinks down across from you, folding long legs with the ease of someone used to sleeping on the ground. The firelight paints him in soft gold and deep shadow. The edge of his white fox mask catches the glow.

For a long moment, neither of you speaks.

The crackle of the fire fills the space between. The night leans in, listening.

Finally, he breaks the silence—his voice lower, quieter, stripped down to something closer to him.

“You’re worried about tomorrow.”

It’s not a question.

Your throat tightens.

“I’m worried about everything.” Your voice is smaller than you want it to be. “About playing a part I hate. About what happens if I fail. About what happens if I don’t.”

He watches you—still, steady, as if he can hear the storm in your chest.

“You won’t fail.”

You bark a soft, humorless laugh, eyes dropping to the wood you’re still turning in your hands.

“You sound so sure.”

“I am.”

The certainty in his tone—gentle, firm, protective—cuts through your fear in a way that hurts and heals at the same time.

You look up at him, heart beating too fast.

“You always sound like you know me. Like you’ve always known me. Why is that?”

The fire pops sharply, sending sparks into the air. The night waits, as if holding its breath.

For a heartbeat, you think he might answer. Might let the mask slip.

His posture softens—there’s a warmth there that feels too familiar, too close to something you thought you had left behind in hidden leaf. His gloved hand shifts, fingers curling slightly, like he’s fighting the urge to reach for yours.

For some terrible comforting reason you want him to. 

But instead, his voice comes quieter still—threaded through with something that sounds almost like regret.

“Because I see you. That’s all.”

It isn’t enough. And yet somehow… it is.

You swallow hard, blinking against the burn in your eyes.

“And what do you see?”

He hesitates. You see it in the way his shoulders tense, in the flicker of something raw behind through the eye slits in his mask.

“I see someone stronger than she thinks. Braver than she knows. Someone who doesn’t have to carry it all alone.”

The words wrap around you like the ghost of an embrace.

For the first time tonight, your chest loosens enough to breathe.

And just as the space between you feels on the edge of breaking wide open, a branch snaps in the dark. A deer, maybe. Or the world reminding you that this can’t happen. 

He straightens slightly, walls rising again like a tide you can’t hold back.

“Get some rest, ma’am. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

He stands, his shadow long in the firelight, and before you can speak—before you can stop him—he’s gone.

Back into the night, leaving you with the fire’s soft crackle, the weight of unsaid things, and a heart that beats steadier than it did before.

——————————-

You wake to a strange stillness. A numbness clings to your fingertips. The fire is nothing more than a dull glow now, licking faintly at the last of the logs Grimothy had placed before you drifted off. The air bites.

You don’t move at first. Just stare into the faded embers, trying to remember what it felt like to be warm. Your breath is a ghost in front of you. Even the blanket wrapped around your body — the one Grimothy had so gently tucked over you — feels like a thin veil of frost.

It hasn’t been long. A couple hours at most. But it feels like a lifetime.

You scan the camp slowly. Shirou’s snoring cuts through the silence like a saw. You grimace — definitely not sleeping next to that. The others… they’ve melted into the shadows. You know they’re there, circling wide to keep you safe, but tonight the distance feels too vast, too lonely.

Your gaze shifts — and there he is. Grimothy.

Leaning against a tree, legs outstretched, arms behind his head. Completely still, his chest rising and falling in slow rhythm. He looks peaceful, almost careless, as if the cold doesn’t dare touch him. It makes your shiver worse.

Another gust slithers through your hair like a whisper, making you curl deeper into the blanket. It’s not enough. You know it’s not. And the thought you’ve been resisting now becomes impossible to ignore.

You need warmth. Real warmth. And there’s only one option.

Your eyes flick back to Grimothy. Everything inside you twists.

Kakashi…

Your hand drifts to the ring around your neck without thinking, fingers brushing it like it’s a lifeline. Would he understand? Would he think less of you?

You hate that you even have to ask the question.

But then again — how many times have you nearly died already on this journey? And what good are romantic principles if you freeze to death clinging to them?

Still, your feet hesitate. Every step toward that man feels like a betrayal.

You finally rise. Your knees ache. You clutch the blanket tighter, dragging it with you. But the moment you move, the tilt of Grimothy’s mask catches you off guard. He’s looking at you. Awake.

You stop. Frozen.

Had he been sleeping at all?

Your breath catches, suddenly embarrassed — ashamed even. What are you doing? What are you thinking?

But then, softly, from that dark mask:

“What’s wrong?”

The voice is gentle. No judgement. Just quiet concern. Almost sleepy. You can’t tell if it’s his southern drawl or the firelight playing tricks on you, but something in his tone makes your walls tremble.

You say nothing. Just sink down beside the fire again, blanketed in a shame you can’t explain. You try to focus on the flames. They give off no comfort.

You feel his eyes linger. Watching. Understanding. Then he says it — the thing you couldn’t admit.

“You’re cold.”

Your eyes meet his.

You nod, barely. Lips part, but the words don’t come. Instead, they slip out in the form of tears.

You hate it. How soft you’ve become. How fragile.

The tears run freely now, silent and reluctant. You’re exhausted. The kind of exhaustion that eats through bone and soul alike. Your body aches from the inside out, your stomach still can’t keep food down, and your spirit is stretched thin — threadbare. This journey has chipped away every strong piece of you.

And without thinking, you stumble toward him.

He moves quickly, instinctively — about to rise — but your hand lands on his shoulder, grounding him. He freezes under your touch, just long enough for you to kneel beside him in your tangled blanket of shame and need.

You don’t speak. You can’t. You just look at him.

He doesn’t ask questions. Doesn’t even flinch. He simply lets you. Like he knows.

You gently shift him against the tree — silently telling him how you need him to be. He obliges without resistance, eyes barely visible in the shadow of his mask. Watching. Waiting.

Then you tug at his arm, seeking permission with your eyes.

A pause.

You feel him inhale sharply. A decision forming. Tension thick between you.

“Please,” you whisper. Your voice cracks. “I-it’s so cold. I won’t make it through the night.”

And that’s all it takes.

In one smooth motion, his arm is around you, and you’re tucked into his side. His blanket folds over you both, sealing you in. His warmth hits you like a wave — strong and alive — and suddenly the forest doesn’t feel so endless anymore.

You don’t even realize you’ve started shaking until he says softly:

“Better?”

You nod into his chest. “Yes.”

But the relief isn’t just from the cold. It’s from being seen. Protected. From not having to explain anymore.

He smells faintly like cedar and something worn — something earthy. His body is solid beside you, like an anchor keeping you from drifting too far into yourself. You curl tighter into him and feel his breath flutter against the top of your head. It makes your heart ache.

You miss Kakashi. Gods, do you miss him.

Your hand grips the ring beneath your blanket like a talisman, a prayer. You picture his silver hair. His sleepy eye. The way his voice wraps around your name.

And when your heart begins to tremble again, another tear spills down your cheek.

It doesn’t hit the ground.

Grimothy’s gloved finger catches it — slow, deliberate.

His voice murmurs just above your head. “The… the ninja who gave you that ring…”

He stops. You stiffen. Panic pulses under your skin.

You thought it was hidden. You were so careful.

Your grip on the necklace tightens. Fear. Not of him — but of what this means. The line. The boundary. The truth you have to speak before anything else is said.

“He is everything to me.” Your voice is raw now. Open. Vulnerable. “The only man who makes me feel safe in this world…”

You brace yourself.

But he… he sighs.

Not bitterly. Not angrily. Not even sadly.

Just a quiet breath of something that feels… like understanding.

Like relief.

And then, without hesitation:

“Then I will make sure you get home to him… no matter what.”

Your heart cracks. In the best way.

You don’t say thank you right away. You can’t. You just breathe. Let the trust settle. Let the safety wrap around you like his arm already has. And then finally:

“Thank you,” you whisper. Voice breaking again, but this time with gratitude.

And as you sink back against him — just for tonight — you know you’ve made peace with it. With him. With yourself.

This isn’t betrayal. This is survival.

This is trust.

And just maybe, the start of a bond that will keep you alive long enough to make it back into the arms of the man you love.

 

——————————-

Morning — The Border

Morning arrives sharp and unforgiving. The sun creeps low over the snow-dusted peaks, its light pale and silver-gold as it spills across the frostbitten terrain. Every breath you draw cuts cold and clean, the kind of air that feels ancient, untouched by the soot and murmur of cities.

The Land of Iron stretches before you like a painting wrought from cold steel and stone. Below, the border river winds like a sliver of glass, catching the early light and throwing it back like a blade. Beyond it, the mountain kingdom rises — beautiful, barren, and utterly indifferent to your presence.

The Black Ops fan outward, their silent watch unbroken. Their eyes never still. You try to match their calm, but the pressure of being seen — protected, shadowed — presses in like a second skin.

Grimothy walks just beside your stirrup.

Closer than usual.

He doesn’t speak. But you feel him.

His presence is steady, grounding, but there’s something subtle in his posture today — a stiffness in his shoulders, the occasional flick of his gaze to your face, your hands, your breath. Like he’s counting the ways you’re still alive.

And then—movement.

The entire formation tenses. Eyes lock forward.

Figures step out from the treeline near the riverbank, mist curling around them like ghost-wind. Their lacquered armor gleams in the low light — Iron samurai, every step deliberate. A banner flutters faintly behind them, marked with the white crest of the mountain clans.

At their head is a man with a thick beard, squared shoulders, and sharp, searching eyes. He raises a hand in silent greeting.

Shirou breaks the stillness first.

Grinning wide, he strides ahead with theatrical ease, arms outstretched. “About time you lot showed up!”

The tension in the samurai visibly loosens. The captain meets Shirou with a clasp of arms, the sound solid and familiar.

“Shirou,” the man says with a short laugh. “I wasn’t sure you were going to make it back alive.”

“Please.” Shirou barks a theatrical laugh. “I’m practically immortal.”

And then he turns, with all the flair of a showman, and gestures toward you in your saddle. “And look what I’m escorting. The pride of Konoha herself.”

You stiffen.

You feel every layer of travel dust clinging to your skin. The way your hair tangles at the ends. The dull ache behind your eyes from too little sleep and too many miles.

But the attention you draw is different from what you expect.

One of the younger samurai falters mid-step. His eyes go wide — not in scorn or judgment, but open awe. Another glances to the captain, clearly shaken. The older man’s eyes narrow slightly as he takes you in. His expression shifts, surprise not quite hidden before it smooths again.

“You’re Hana,” he says, more observation than question.

You meet his gaze evenly.
.

“I suppose I am,” you answer.

There’s a pause. No one breathes too loudly.

Then the captain huffs a quiet sound, almost a laugh. “We weren’t sure what to expect. The storm-girl herself at our border.” He readjusts his scarf, glancing back to his men with a wry glint. “Not as fearsome as the tales make you out.”

You let your lips twitch into something dry. “Give it time.”

A few of the samurai chuckle under their breath, the tension cracking gently like early thawed ice.

“I’m Captain Riku,” the leader says, stepping slightly closer — but still careful of the horse. “Under Lord Arufa’s command. We’ve been waiting for you.”

Shirou gives you a smug sidelong glance. “Told you they wouldn’t just let us waltz in.”

“Last ‘waltzing traveler’ we let in tried to poison the local lord,” Riku mutters. “He left on a pine sled. Face down.”

You blink. “Grim.”

Riku shrugs. “Iron doesn’t waste time.”

He nods to one of his men, who approaches and offers you a reinsman’s gesture — half bow, half signal — inviting you to ride ahead. You feel the weight of their deference again. This is their land, and yet you’re being treated like something… sacred. Or dangerous.

Riku moves to walk beside your mount as the company begins to shift into motion, the river behind you, and the narrow mountain path stretching forward into snow-crusted cliffs and pines.

“You’ll be riding at the front with me,” he says, voice pitched for only you to hear. “Lord Arufa sent word the moment your crossing was confirmed. He expects you by sundown.”

You nod, though your eyes flick automatically toward Grimothy.

He’s already near — shadowing the right side of your mount, eyes flicking between you and the samurai like he expects a blade to appear from nowhere. He hasn’t said a word since the samurai arrived.

Riku follows your glance. “Your guard’s got the look of a man who doesn’t trust easy.”

You exhale slowly. “He hasn’t had much reason to.”

Riku doesn’t argue. “Then he’s doing his job.”

He gestures subtly, and the column begins to move. The group reorganizes, their formation flowing naturally around you like a river around stone. The wind stirs the trees above, and the pine scent is sharp and clean.

As the horses’ hooves and the soldiers’ boots crunch into the mountain pass, you glance toward Grimothy again — his gloved hand never far from the hilt at his side, his expression unreadable behind the mask.

You don’t speak.

But you feel him there — close and quiet, guarding every step.

One of the younger samurai strolls up beside Riku, eager-eyed. “Is it true you crossed the valley of ghosts without a guide?”

It would seem rumors and faked stories have already whipped themselves into fury around here… 

Before you can answer, Shirou cuts in with a low chuckle stroking your ego even though he knows full well that never happened. “She didn’t cross it. The ghosts crossed themselves off her path.”

That earns more laughter—quiet, but genuine—and the cold doesn’t seem quite so biting now.

“We’ll see you safely to the castle, Lady Hana,” Riku says, his voice steadying. “It’s not far, if the weather holds. Our lord would have our heads if any harm comes to you.”

You incline your head, accepting the promise. “Your lord is wise. I’m grateful for the escort.”

“And we’re honored,” the leader replies simply. “Stories or not, it’s a rare thing to guide a storm.”

The patrol rides on, voices low but warmer now, the crunch of snow and the creak of saddles mingling with the steady rhythm of hooves. The castle waits ahead, its towers just beginning to rise beyond the ridge, pale against the winter sky.

“Tell me you boys finally learned how to hold your liquor since I left,” Shirou teases, his voice warm with familiarity. “Or am I still the only one standing after a proper drinking contest?”

The samurai chuckle, good-natured, their tension eased by his easy banter. One of them fires back, “If we’re drinking with you, it’s only fair we get a head start. You’ve got hollow legs.”

Shirou’s laugh carries across the cold morning.

“Flattery’ll get you everywhere.”

But closer, nearer to your other side, Grimothy moves with silent focus. He walks just a fraction too close, his masked face tilted now and then toward you, his attention split between watching you and watching the terrain.

When he speaks, it’s low, meant only for you. 

“Don’t let them bother you.”

You glance down, caught off guard by the softness in his tone.

“They weren’t bothering me.”

His head shakes—small, almost imperceptible.

“They don’t have to say anything. I saw how they looked at you. If any of them tries to get too close…” His voice dips darker, like steel drawn in shadow. “…I’ll tear them apart.”

The words land heavier than they should, and you know—this isn’t duty speaking. This isn’t just caution. There’s something else there, simmering beneath his mask, something fierce and personal.

Your heart beats a little faster, and you curse it for doing so.

No. He’s just overdoing his job. That’s all.

But the weight of his promise lingers, and the truth you don’t want to see hums beneath it—jealousy, quiet and sharp.

You fight it, fight what it stirs in you. Because there’s only one man your heart reaches for.

Kakashi.

Where is he now? Is he Thinking of you? Gods, how you need him here—need his steadiness, his hand, his voice.

You draw a slow breath, the cold air biting at your throat, and speak softly.

“I can handle myself.”

But even to your ears, it sounds like a plea to keep things simple, to keep that fragile balance from tipping.

Grimothy says nothing more, but his presence stays close, the silent weight of his words wrapped around you like a second cloak.

Behind you, Shirou’s laughter rolls on, weaving lightness into the heavy morning.

“And don’t think I’ve forgotten, lads. You still owe me a rematch at cards!” He boasts while the samurai cackle.

And so you ride, caught between the comfort of Shirou’s old friends, the protection you didn’t ask for, and the ache for the one man not by your side.

—————————-

Not long after your escorts arrived the sickness creeps up on you again—slow at first, then stronger, like a tide pulling you under. Your limbs feel heavy, your grip on the reins slackens. Each breath feels too shallow, the cold air cutting at your lungs without relief. The world blurs at the edges, and your body sways in the saddle, barely able to hold upright. You just want to be warm and comfortable in a bed somewhere.

Grimothy notices first. His masked face tilts up toward you, his voice low but urgent.

“Ma’am… you’re swaying.”

You try to sit straighter, but the effort drains what little strength you have left. Your horse plods forward, the only sound is the soft clop of hooves on frozen ground while the others’ boots crunch in the snow behind.

One of the samurai on foot glances up at you with concern noticing your skin tone.

“She’s too pale,” he mutters, falling back a step to speak closer to Shirou. “She shouldn’t be riding.” You can hear him whisper.

Another nods, worry in his eyes as he looks at you.

“She needs rest. We should stop before she falls off the horse and injures herself.”

Shirou’s easy grin fades as he glances at you, taking in your pallor, the way you slump forward with each step. His voice loses its usual humor.

“She’s right at the edge, we need to stop.”

Grimothy lifts a hand, signaling the group to slow.

“There’s a village ahead,” he says, his voice calm but firm. “We’ll stop there. If we push further, she'll fall.”

No one argues. The pace drops. The tension rises.

The village appears like a promise—a cluster of cottages beyond the outer gates, windows glowing softly in the dusk. By the time you reach it, you can hardly feel the reins in your hands.

Your horse stops on command, but you’re slipping from the saddle before you can think to dismount. Strong arms catch you. Grimothy’s. He lifts you down with surprising gentleness, cradling you like you might break apart.

Your head lolls against him.

“I’m fine,” you try to insist, but even you don’t believe it.

“You don’t have to be fine right now,” he murmurs, his voice low and steady, as if willing your trembling form to ease.

His arms feel solid and warm as he carries you, each careful step measured so as not to jostle you more than necessary. The others follow, the weight of their concern thick in the cold air.

At the edge of the village, your group pauses, lantern light flickering in the windows of quiet cottages, the scent of smoke on the wind. The samurai captain steps up beside Shirou, glancing between the darkened homes.

“There's no proper inn here,” he says, voice pitched low out of respect for the hour. “But I know a place—a family I trust. They rent their home to travelers. It’s meant for dignitaries. Clean. Private. And quiet.”

Shirou looks at you, then at Grimothy, gauging your condition, his easy charm muted now by worry.

“Fine by me. No sense dragging her further when we can put her by a fire and let her rest.”

One of the younger samurai adds, “The lady shouldn’t be out in this cold any longer. The mountain air will only make it harder on her.”

Grimothy nods once, decisive.

“Lead the way.”

The samurai captain wastes no time, motioning the group toward a house at the far end of the village—a two-story stone cottage with a wide porch and shuttered windows glowing warm from within. A lantern swings gently by the door, casting soft light over the snow-dusted steps.

The owner, already familiar with the samurai, opens without question, bowing them inside. The air within wraps around you like a balm—wood smoke, pine, and the faint sweetness of something baking earlier in the evening. A hearth crackles in the main room, casting long shadows across sturdy furniture polished with age and care.

Grimothy doesn’t hesitate. He carries you through the threshold and into that warmth, his stride sure as he follows the owner’s quiet directions upstairs.

By the time he reaches the guest room with you in his arms, the firelight from below has chased off the worst of the chill. He lowers you gently onto the soft bed, pulling a heavy quilt up over you as if afraid even the cold air might harm you and removes your boots.

Your eyelids droop, your body surrendering to the warmth, the steadiness of his presence, the relief of finally stopping.

Then his still hand lingers at your temple, smoothing your hair back from your damp brow.

“I’m fine,” you whisper again, voice faint, knowing how thin the words sound.

His answer is soft, but resolute.

“You don’t have to be.”

And he stays, seated at your bedside, his gloved hand gently stroking your hair as your breath slows and sleep takes you at last.

——————————-

POV kakashi (Grimothy)

Your breath is shallow, your skin too pale.

Shirou lingers in the doorway, his easy grin long gone, replaced by furrowed brows and tight worry. He steps closer, watching the rise and fall of your chest, the tremor in your hands even at rest.

“She’s worse than I thought,” he mutters under his breath.

Kakashi glances at him but says nothing, his focus still on you.

Shirou straightens, the weight of command settling into his voice.

“I’m calling for a medic. I’m not letting this get any worse.”

Kakashi hesitates for only a heartbeat, then nods once.

“Good. Do it.” He replies maintaining his disguise….barely…

One of the samurai outside is summoned with a sharp gesture and sent off to find the village healer, the sound of his boots fading into the night.

For a few minutes, they stand together, the silence heavy, broken only by the pop of the fire downstairs and the faint creak of old wood.

Finally, Shirou exhales, scrubbing a hand through his hair. His need to do something has him pacing toward the door.

“Alright. I’m going to grab food. There’s a place at the town square that stays open late for travelers. I’ll bring something back for her too.”

He pauses, glancing at you, then at Kakashi.

“Any idea what she might want?”

He opens his mouth, instinct on his tongue—he almost answers for you, the words something light, something with broth hovering unspoken. But he stops himself short, catching it, before he reveals too much known about you. 

Whatever you think, Shirou,” he says instead, voice even.

Shirou eyes him a second longer than usual but lets it go, nodding.

“Alright. I’ll get a few things she can pick from. We’ll be back soon.”

He slips out, his voice calling softly to the Black Ops and samurai waiting outside, gathering the group for the errand. The door clicks shut behind him, the house falling into quiet once more.

And he stays, seated at your side, watching the faint color of your cheeks, listening to the rhythm of your breath.

Hang on, he thinks. Just hang on….

The house is silent now, save for the low crackle of the hearth downstairs and the soft, steady sound of your breathing. Kakashi remains seated at your side, his gloved hand still brushing your hair back from your damp brow, as if the motion might anchor you—and him—to something steady in the storm.

His mind churns, quieter now that Shirou and the others are gone.

The pallor. The dizziness. The weakness. The nausea. The fainting.

He’s seen these signs before. Where? His thoughts sift through memories—missions, medic reports, nights spent tending injured comrades. His fingers still at your temple, his gaze searching your face as if the answer might be written there.

It’s not poison. Not fever. Not exhaustion alone. There’s something beneath it. Something he should see.

It’s on the tip of his mind—a connection he can almost place. Almost.

But before the answer can settle, the front door creaks open, soft footsteps rising the stairs. A gentle knock at the doorframe announces the village medic, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and a satchel worn from use.

He rises at once, stepping back to give her space, his voice low.

“She’s in and out. Weak. Pale. Nausea, trembling. We didn’t want to wait.”

The medic nods, her expression all focus and quiet reassurance.

“You did the right thing.”

The medic works quietly, her hands steady, her movements practiced and precise. She checks your pulse at your wrist, then at your throat, the frown between her brows deepening as she notes the faint, thready rhythm. Gently, she presses at your abdomen, watching as your eyelids flutter, your body shifting restlessly even in sleep.

Kakashi stands nearby, still as stone, his heart pounding in his ears. He watches every motion, every subtle change in the medic’s face as she works.

Her frown isn’t one of alarm—but of dawning understanding.

She reaches into her satchel, pulling out a small, well-worn device: a compact blood sugar meter. With a practiced motion, she pricks your finger, collecting a small bead of blood and sliding it onto the strip.

They both wait—Kakashi holding his breath—as the machine hums softly and then beeps its result.

The medic exhales, glancing at the screen, then at Kakashi.

“Her blood sugar’s dangerously low. The cold, the exertion… it’s drained her faster than she could recover. She needs warmth, rest, food—something sweet, if you have it. That will help steady her for now.”

Kakashi nods, already mentally cataloging what’s on hand, what he can procure. But the medic isn’t done.

Her gaze flicks back to you, thoughtful, her mind clearly still piecing something together. She lifts your wrist again, feeling the pulse, eyes narrowing as she reads the subtle signs.

And then—softly, with a kind of quiet reverence—she leans back on her heels, looking at Kakashi as the final truth clicks into place.

“She’s not ill,” the medic says, her voice low.

Kakashi’s masked head tilts, tension tightening his chest.

“Then what is it?”

The medic hesitates just a breath, glancing from you to him, as if weighing whether to speak the words aloud.

“She’s with child.”

The words hit like a strike. Kakashi stands frozen, the truth slamming into him, all the signs he’d tried to rationalize—your pallor, your weakness, the nausea, the trembling—falling into place.

His gaze lingers on your face, pale and peaceful now in sleep, and his chest tightens until he can hardly breathe.

Pregnant.

The word echoes through him, filling the hollow spaces he’d tried so hard to keep empty. And for a long moment, he can’t move—can’t think—only feel the weight of what this means.

The medic’s voice stays gentle, her gaze soft with understanding.

“The strain of travel, the cold, the hunger—it’s hit her harder because of the pregnancy. She’ll need careful tending now, more than ever.”

Kakashi forces a nod, though inside his thoughts race, spiraling faster than he can catch them.

“I’ll see to it.”

The medic leaves the herbs and simple instructions, promising to check in at dawn, and slips out quietly.

And then Kakashi is alone, the house silent but for the soft crackle of the hearth.

He sinks into the chair at your bedside, staring at you, his mind turning over the truth again and again.

His vision blurs, the heat in his eyes spilling over before he can stop it. A tear slides down beneath the edge of his mask, then another. He swipes at them once with his glove, but it’s no use. The tears come anyway—hot and aching, a mix of joy and sorrow so tangled he can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.

You’re carrying his child.

And the memory comes, as vivid as if it were happening now. Not that night beneath the rush of water, not the frenzied, mindless claiming of your womb where he’d whispered promises against your skin. No—it was before.

The first night.

The night you’d come to him, nervous, furious, but determined, dressed in that delicate teal lace that still haunts his dreams. The way you’d looked at him—shy but certain, trembling but brave. The way you’d touched him, guided his hands, whispered his name like a prayer.

He’d tried to go slow, tried to savor every heartbeat, tried to make it perfect for you. And you—gods, you’d undone him completely.

That was the night. That was when this began.

The first time. The night you gave yourself to him. The night he let himself believe he could have you.

The tears come again, quiet and unchecked.

Joy—because the child growing inside you is his, a piece of both of you, a living promise of what you are together.

And pain—because the world will demand you hide it, because you’ll have to stand beside another man, because he’ll have to stand back and watch, bound by duty and secrecy.

How will you endure this? How will he?

Kakashi leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his masked face in his hands, drawing in slow, shaking breaths.

But even as his heart breaks, it steadies with resolve.

He will protect you. He will protect everything. He will find a way.

And when he finally looks up again, his tears have dried, but their mark remains—etched deep in his heart, where his promise lives.

Chapter 57: The new plan—hiding in plain sight

The night stretches long and silent until the sound of boots crunching outside breaks the stillness. The door creaks open, letting in a rush of cold air and the comforting scent of food—warm rice, broth, something sweet with a hint of spice.

Shirou steps inside, cheeks pink from the cold, balancing a cloth-wrapped bundle. His easy grin is gone now, replaced by quiet concern. His eyes go straight to you, then to the silent, masked figure seated at your bedside—

“She’s still asleep?” Shirou asks, his voice low, setting the food carefully on the table.

Kakashi nods, not looking up from you. For a long moment, he says nothing, torn between the instinct to guard the secret and the knowledge that hiding it now risks more than revealing it.

Shirou steps closer, searching his  hidden face for answers, noticing his posture is tense and his fingers are nervously tapping the chair he sits on.

“You alright? What’s going on?”

Finally, Kakashi speaks, his voice quiet but steady. He blows out a surrendering breath.

“There’s something you need to know. I didn’t want to say it—not unless I had to—but I can’t keep it from you. Not now..she needs your help….”

Shirou frowns, straightening.

“What is it?”

Kakashi draws a breath, the words heavy.

“It’s not just the cold. Not just the travel. She’s been struggling due to…” He chokes slightly. “She’s….pregnant.”

The air in the room seems to still, even the fire’s crackle fading beneath the weight of those words.

Shirou blinks, his jaw working as he tries to grasp it.

“Pregnant?” He repeats, almost disbelieving. His gaze flicks between you and Kakashi, the pieces beginning to fall into place.

“The medic confirmed it tonight,” Kakashi says, voice low, almost a confession. “That’s why she’s struggling so much. The cold, the hunger—it’s taken more from her because of that. And it must stay secret. No one else can know.”

Shirou drags a hand through his hair, staring at the floor, then back at you sound asleep.

“Gods above. How’s she supposed to keep that hidden? She’s walking into a den of politics. Everyone’s watching. Everyone’s waiting for a weakness.”

“She’ll hide it because she has no choice, until she doesn’t have a choice..” Kakashi replies, a quiet steel in his tone. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to help her. But she needs you. She can’t do this alone.”

Shirou looks at him for a long moment—this masked protector he barely knows—you barely know, this man who somehow cares too deeply for a mere bodyguard. But Shirou reads the truth in his weird southern voice, the raw need, the loyalty that can’t be faked. It only comes from one man. The only other man that is not himself…

“You have my word… Kakashi,” Shirou says finally, voice rough with resolve, the weight of it sealing a pact between them.

Kakashi noticeably freezes. Just for a breath.

The name lands heavy, though he knew it was inevitable. His shoulders lower, the tension easing just enough to let him exhale.

A soft sigh escapes him as he sinks further into the chair by the fire. He reaches up and removes the mask, dragging it off his face with slow fingers and dropping it onto the floor like it personally betrayed him.

“Maybe I didn’t do as good a job with the disguise as I thought,” he murmurs, half to himself, half to the crackling flames.

Shirou lets out a quiet snort, folding his arms. “You think?”

Kakashi lifts an eyebrow, not quite turning to face him. “Was it the voice?”

“Oh, it was all of it,” Shirou replies, dry. “The tragic ensemble. The hair. The thick eyeliner. The fact that you looked like a gothic assassin going through a cowboy phase.”

Kakashi tilts his head slightly, like he’s pretending to consider it. “I was going for rugged but mysterious.”

“You landed somewhere between bounty hunter and haunted scarecrow,” Shirou says.

Kakashi chuckles, low in his chest. 

“And your voice,” Shirou continues, undeterred. “Kakashi, you introduced yourself in a southern accent so thick I thought you were choking.”

Kakashi leans back in the chair, stretching one arm behind his head. “I was trying to commit to the bit.”

“You threatened a merchant with the words, ‘I reckon you don’t want to see what’s under this cloak, partner.’” Shirou gives him a flat look. “You reckon?”

Kakashi groans and drops his head back. “To be fair, that guy was asking for it.”

“Even your posture changed,” Shirou says. “You started walking like you’d been riding a horse for a decade straight.”

“I had to sell it!” Kakashi says, voice muffled as he drapes his sleeve over his face.

Shirou smirks and shakes his head, the fondness creeping in despite himself. “You know what really gave you away though…?”

Kakashi peeks out with one eye. 

His voice softened. “It was the way you looked at her. Like you couldn’t help it. Like protecting her was the only real part of the whole act.”

Kakashi goes still for a moment. The quiet stretches, the fire crackling between them.

He nods, slowly. “That part wasn’t a disguise…I couldn’t not be there for her.”

And now, with the truth laid bare and the mask off, there’s nothing left but the mission ahead of them.

And the quiet promise between two men who understand exactly what’s at stake.

Kakashi and Shirou sit in heavy thought, the fire crackling low between them. The weight of what lies ahead presses down, thick as the mountain air.

“So… what’s the plan now?” he asks quietly, tension lacing his voice. “Are we still carrying on with the original idea? That one felt like checkmate—for Arufa and everyone else…”

Kakashi leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees, eyes fixed on the dancing flames as he turns it over in his mind.

“It would be wise to follow through,” he says at last. “It holds more impact—and fewer chances of failing. Even now.”

Shirou exhales slowly, pulling a chair closer, careful not to disturb your sleep. He slumps into it, elbows on his knees, hands steepled at his lips, gaze lingering on the fire.

“You got any more disguises up your sleeve? We will both need to be closer to her than we had originally thought. She can’t hold her own anymore.” 

Kakashi doesn’t answer immediately. He’s already thinking ahead, shaping the next move in silence. When he speaks, his voice is low and deliberate.

“Yeah… I’ve got something. Not a servant. Not a steward. That keeps me too close to the kitchens—too easy to ignore or control. I need to be visible enough to move freely. Respected enough to avoid suspicion. But still unknown enough that no one looks too closely.”

Shirou frowns, following the thread. “And?”

“A healer,” Kakashi says, the idea locking into place. “And advisor from a lesser noble house. A distant bloodline from beyond these lands—wealthy, legitimate, but remote enough that the Land of Iron won’t recognize the face. Just the seal. The name. And I have the documents ready. You still have pull around the castle don’t you?”

Shirou lets out a low whistle, eyebrows lifting. “A little…You had this lined up already?”

“Always have a second door,” Kakashi murmurs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Especially when everything that matters is behind the first.”

Shirou huffs a soft laugh. “You’re impossible.” Then, with a glance toward the sleeping figure on the bed, his expression sobers. “But we’ve got another issue, and it’s coming fast.”

Kakashi looks up, already knowing.

“She’s at least four weeks.”

“Not showing yet,” Shirou confirms, “but symptoms will come again. Nausea. Fatigue. Lightheadedness. One stumble in front of the wrong eyes, and we’ll have more than suspicion on our hands.”

Kakashi exhales through his nose. “So we stay ahead of it. We plant the story now. Something subtle. Something that explains the symptoms before they even show.”

“How about a blood condition,” Shirou suggests. “Inherited. Rare. Not dangerous, but draining. Sensitive to climate changes. Stress-related flare-ups.”

Kakashi nods slowly. “Too much of a story to convince. We can use the Gelel stone. She’s already shown to struggle with it. We can add in symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, even nausea. And no one wants to question an illness they already know about. Especially not one that’s been named and shrouded in chaos for years.”

“We claim she’s under strict care from homeland physicians,” Shirou adds. “That she’s following a prescribed ritual of healing—limited appearances, special diet, silence before sunrise. We spin it into cultural privacy. And you would be there by her side the entire time. Interfering with everything” he grins.

Kakashi folds his hands together, thinking aloud. “The garments can change too. Layered silks. Looser cuts. Nothing dramatic, just enough to allow for changes if we need them. If it gets worse.”

“I’ll get a forged record sent to the palace medical archive,” Shirou says. “Say she traveled with an healer—who has since returned home for ‘rare components’ and will be returning shortly.”

Kakashi lifts an eyebrow. “We need a convincing name for this healer.”

Shirou smirks faintly. “Lunarin Scunder. Sounds elegant. Mysterious. Possibly made up.”

“Because it is.”

“Exactly.”

Kakashi chuckles quietly, then exhales, his voice dipping low. “She won’t like hiding.”

“No,” Shirou agrees. “But she’ll see the necessity. This is short-term. Just long enough to get her through the palace doors, past Arufa’s eyes, and into position. She stays strong. We keep the attention off her body, and on her title.”

Kakashi’s expression hardens. “If Arufa suspects, he’ll act. And not just politically.”

“Then we give him nothing to suspect,” Shirou says. “Nothing he can question that doesn’t have an answer already.”

Kakashi nods slowly. “I’ll write the healers medical brief tonight. It’ll match every detail. If someone tries to verify it, they’ll find exactly what they’re meant to.”

“I’ll work on the palace circuit,” Shirou adds. “A few quiet words among the ladies-in-waiting. Another physician who’ll swear by the story if needed.”

They sit in silence for a long moment, the fire crackling between them.

Kakashi’s eyes drift once more toward her, still sleeping, untouched by the storm around her.

“She doesn’t even know what’s coming,” he says quietly.

Shirou follows his gaze. “Then it’s on us to make sure it doesn’t reach her. Not like this.”

Kakashi holds out his fist, and Shirou bumps it without hesitation.

“Then we move at dawn,” Shirou says. “I’ll handle my end. You focus on yours.”

And in the hush of that room, the plan is set—dangerous, bold, but the best chance they have to protect what matters most… while there’s still time to keep it secret.

Shirou pushes back from his chair with a low grunt, the legs scraping softly against the stone floor. He pauses for a moment, his gaze lingering on Kakashi—then on you, still asleep, your breathing steady under the dim glow of firelight.

“I’ll head to downstairs," he says, voice low. “Start putting pieces in place. Make sure the records clerk’s ready. I’ll let you know the moment it’s clear.”

Kakashi nods without looking up. “Be careful.”

Shirou offers a faint smirk. “Always am. And Kakashi—” his voice dips, eyes sharp now “—make the healer believable. No mistakes.”

Kakashi finally lifts his gaze. “There won’t be.”

With a nod and a last glance toward the fire, Shirou slips out into the hallway. His footsteps fade down the stairs, and the door clicks softly shut behind him.

Silence settles.

Kakashi exhales and leans back in the chair, the weight of the moment pressing against his spine. 

This will be hard. For both of them.

For her—because hiding this kind of truth is a quiet kind of violence. She’ll have to smile while her body changes, pretend she’s only tired, only stressed, when every instinct in him knows she’d rather be proud. Brave. Open. She always is.

And for him—because he’ll have to watch. From a distance. As someone else. Play a role, speak with a stranger’s voice, and keep his hands tied when everything in him wants to fight for her, openly.

But that’s not the world they live in.

And so the disguise must be perfect.

He rises from the chair, crossing to the desk in the corner. A rolled scroll, bound in gold thread. Sealed papers, blank crests waiting for identity. He opens a lacquered case and lifts a small ring—slim, silver, bearing the sigil of a forgotten coastal house that once held influence and now exists only on paper and in memory. That will be his mask now.

He studies it a moment, turning it between his fingers.

Lunarin of House Scunder. Distant cousin to a fallen noble line. A quiet medic of trade routes and court customs. Invited to witness the union, but never expected to make waves.

Invisible—but never unimportant.

He’ll carry the right tone. A cultured dialect. No trace of the southern twang Shirou hated. Every word measured. The clothing, curated. Robes of muted silk and weighty formality—enough to signal legitimacy, yet remain forgettable.

Everything he’s never been, until now.

And behind it all—the truth will burn in silence.

Kakashi flexes his hands, then sits once more, pulling the scrolls toward him. No sleep tonight. Just ink and lies. Strategy and memory. And the cold fire of resolve that will carry him through.

Whatever it takes—he will protect her.

Even if it means hiding in plain sight.

Chapter 58: Secrets to hide

The scent is the first thing that reaches you.

Warm, herbal, grounding. A mix of ashbark, sage root, and something faintly sweet—like honey left too long in the sun. It seeps into your chest before your eyes open, cutting through the lingering fog.

You feel better. Not good. Not whole. But better.

The fever’s edge has dulled. The pounding behind your eyes has faded to a slow throb. You’re weak, yes—but it’s the kind of weakness that follows survival. 

You look at your surroundings and barely remember anything past falling off the horse. 

“You’re awake! Thank the gods.” He rushes over to you and embraces you in a strong hug. You shift against the blanket, the fabric rasping softly against your skin. For some reason, you thought—no, expected—you’d wake to Grimothy’s voice, that dry, gruff reassurance that has somehow wormed its way into being… necessary.

But instead, you get Shirou. Which isn’t t so bad. A beat passes before you speak, your voice still hoarse.

“What… happened?” It comes out softer than you intended, almost hesitant.

He rises off you and looks you in the eyes.

“You passed out. Your ANBU protector carried you here.” 

“Grimothy did?” you ask, leaning back into the pillow.

Shirou actually laughs—loud, sudden, and entirely too amused for the situation.

“Grimothy? Is that what you call him?”

You blink at him, unbothered. “Yeah. Why?”

He shakes his head, still grinning like he’s just stumbled on the best joke he’s heard all week. “Where in the seven hells did you even get that name? Sounds like a moody kid who lives in a swamp.”

You can’t help the faint curl of your mouth. “Exactly. He’s dark. He’s broody. Always lurking in corners with that ‘I’ve-seen-things’ expression. The name just… stuck.”

Shirou laughs, leaning back in his chair. “You realize if I ever call him that to his face, I’ll probably wake up in the next life, right?”

“Then don’t,” you say simply, tucking the blanket higher over your shoulders. “It’s my name for him. You’d ruin it anyway.”

Shirou’s still chuckling under his breath, like he’s picturing Grimothy hearing it and combusting on the spot.

Shirou’s laughter fades, though a faint smirk still lingers at the corner of his mouth. His eyes sweep over you in that way older brothers do—half concern, half suspicion—like he’s quietly counting all the ways you look weaker than you should.

“You’ve been sick a while now,” he says, voice casual on the surface, but there’s a weight beneath it.

You glance away, focusing on a knot in the wood of the wall. “It’s nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.”

“I said it’s fine,” you repeat, sharper than you mean to. The word hangs in the air between you. You can feel him watching you, the way he always does when he thinks you’re hiding something.

But you’re not ready to say it—not the thought that’s been circling your mind in the quiet hours, the one you’ve shoved so deep into denial it barely has air to breathe.

Instead, you let him shift the subject.

Instead, you let him shift the subject.

“I brought you something,” he says, reaching for a small plate on the table. He sets it in your lap like he’s presenting treasure: a wedge of bread, a few slices of pale cheese.

Your stomach tightens at the sight, not from nausea but from a strange, aching gratitude. It’s plain, yes, but right now it may as well be a feast.

You tear off a piece of bread, chew slowly, the warmth filling more than just your mouth. “This is… perfect,” you admit between bites.

Shirou watches you for a moment longer, then says, “Once we get to the castle, I’m assigning you a healer.”

That makes you pause mid-bite. “Absolutely not. I’m not some fragile girl who needs—”

“It’s not up for argument,” he cuts in, his tone soft but immovable. “And before you start glaring at me, consider this—Arufa won’t be able to get too close if there’s a healer always around. You can even fake a faint if you need to.”

You narrow your eyes at him, torn between irritation and reluctant amusement. “You’ve thought this through, haven’t you?”

“Of course I have,” he says simply, leaning back in his chair. “You’re everything to me. I don’t care if you hate me for it—you’re getting the healer. And you can grumble like a pissed off cat all you want. Won’t change anything.” 

You mutter something into the bread about overprotective ninja, but you don’t tell him no again.

A knock presents itself at the door. Grimothy steps inside, shadow spilling with him, his mask casting half his face in darkness. He doesn’t glance at Shirou—his gaze is fixed entirely on you.

 “You are exactly like a cat.”

You blink at him, as this sounds exactly like what Kakashi has said to you before. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Independent until you’re not,” he replies, not breaking stride as he crosses the room. “You don’t like being told what to do, but you’ll still curl up somewhere safe when you need to.”

Shirou smirks like he’s just won something, but Grimothy doesn’t linger on it. His words stay minimal, precise.

“Your illness will be a problem. Keeping it maintained is key until the healer arrives.”

You frown, clutching the last bit of bread in your hand. “And why exactly are you involved in this?”

His eyes, amber in the dim light, meet yours without hesitation.

“I have made an oath to protect you,” he says, tone calm but carrying the weight of iron. “And that is what I’m doing. Don’t question it.”

The firmness in his voice leaves no room for argument. It’s not loud. It doesn’t need to be.

You look away first.

The conversation dwindles, tension settling into the quiet like dust.

Then—another knock at the door. A man’s voice calls through, deep and formal.

“Shirou. Arufa is wondering what is going on. We need to get moving soon.”

At that, you finish the last bite of bread, brushing the crumbs from your fingers. With a quiet sigh, you swing your legs over the side of the bed and push yourself up. The motion feels heavier than it should.

Your knees give a little, and before you can catch yourself, both Shirou and Grimothy are there—one on each side—steadying you.

You freeze, deadpanning an even glare at the two of them.

They drop your arms in unison, palms lifting like they’ve been caught stealing.

“Just helping,” Shirou says.

“Only helping,” Grimothy echoes.

“I need a shower,” you announce flatly. “I want to feel clean again. Not like dirt, vomit, and fire smoke.”

They both nod, as if that’s the most reasonable request in the world.

Grimothy steps forward. “I’ll run a bath.” Without waiting for a reply, he turns and strides to the door, his movements brisk and efficient.

The samurai leader is waiting in the hall. Grimothy’s voice is low as he informs them you are fine and will get ready shortly. Their conversation drifts away down the corridor.

You look up at Shirou. The room feels smaller. Your chest feels heavier—not from the illness, but from the thought you’ve been refusing to say aloud.

You don’t tell him what you think it is. Not yet. But you do confess, your voice quiet:

“My illness… it’s not going away anytime soon. It makes me vulnerable. I have to be careful.”

Something shifts in his eyes, and for the first time in years, you see it—fear. Not worry, not irritation—fear. The same raw look he had the day he first lost you to the world.

“I understand,” he says, his voice softer than you expect.

The look on his face tells you he might already know. But you keep the thought buried deep, clinging to the fragile hope that not speaking it makes it less real.

Then, after a pause, Shirou adds, “I’ll take care of you, but… Neko—you have to let me. You have to let the healer help too.”

For a long moment, you just look at him, pride prickling like a thorn you’ve carried too long. But the truth sits heavy in your chest, undeniable now.

You nod. Slowly. And this time, it’s not for show. “Alright. I’ll let you. I… do need help.” The admission tastes strange on your tongue, but not bitter. More like relief.

It’s time to set your pride down—just for a while.

—————————-

Shirou leaves with the promise of an actual breakfast, the door closing softly behind him. The room feels different without his. presence—quieter, heavier.

Grimothy stands near the door, gloved hands loosely at his sides. “Bath’s ready,” he says, voice even as ever.

Something in your stomach flutters. Not the bad kind—the kind that makes you suddenly aware you’re still pale, still shaky, still too weak to manage the walk on your own.

You try anyway. Three steps toward the door, the floor tilting under you like it wants you back in bed. Your limbs feel hollow, the ache behind your eyes pulsing with every movement.

Grimothy doesn’t ask if you’re alright. He just knows.

Before you can protest, his arms are around you—strong, steady, inevitable. The faint scent of smoke and leather clings to him, cutting through the softer scents of the room.

“Wait—” you start, but the words fade before you can find the rest. Fighting him feels pointless right now. So you lean into his shoulder instead, letting the warmth of his body take some of the strain your own can’t hold.

His stride is smooth, unhurried, as he carries you down the hall. You catch the faint rhythm of his heartbeat where your cheek rests against him.

The bathroom opens up around you in a waft of steam. The tub is massive—polished stone, full to the brim with water that sends curls of heat into the air. The surface glistens, ripples catching the light from the high window.

The air smells of flowers and clean soap, delicate but rich, and you can already feel your muscles aching to sink beneath the water.

Grimothy notices your expression and lets out a soft chuckle. “Smells good, doesn’t it?” That southern drawl wraps around the words like velvet.

You nod, still caught in the warmth of the steam. He sets you down gently, his hands lingering for a second longer than they need to—steadying you, or maybe making sure you won’t sway again.

And he’s close. Too close. The kind of close where you can see the faint shadows under his eyes, the smooth line of his jaw.

In that moment, your mind slips sideways into a strange thought—you could almost swear he looks like Kakashi if you just… shifted the details. If his hair wasn’t so inky black and gothic, if he had that careless silver instead. If his eyes were steel blue instead of amber shadow. If there was a scar running over one of them, pulling his face into something older, rougher.

But Grimothy isn’t Kakashi.

Still… the way he moves, the calm weight of his presence, the quiet way he fills the space—there’s something there that makes your chest tighten.

And you’re not sure if that makes you comforted… or nervous.

You stand there for a moment, both hands gripping the edge of the counter, staring at the steam curling off the water.

“I can manage from here,” you say, with a confidence that’s already cracking.

“You can barely make it across a room,” Grimothy replies, not unkindly, but with the bluntness of someone who’s not here to play along.

You glance back at him, narrowing your eyes. “You planning on tossing me in fully clothed?”

His mouth twitches—almost a smile. “If that’s the only way to get you in without you face-planting, maybe.”

A laugh slips out before you can stop it, and it comes with a rush of nerves you try to smother. “Fine. But you’re turning around.” 

He inclines his head, obedient enough, and turns his back to you.

You complain quietly to yourself.

“Why couldn’t he have been a girl?” 

He chuckles to himself. His posture stays perfectly straight, arms folded behind him, as if he’s guarding a doorway instead of giving you privacy.

You peel off the outer layers with careful movements, leaving only your underclothes. Which you ar quickly reminded of your matching black ensemble. Semi practical and but still seductive. Now you know why Kakashi has pushed you to dress like a ninja. Dam it.

The cool air prickles against your skin, the heat from the bath reaching for you like an invitation.

“Ready?” he asks without turning.

You hesitate. “…Maybe.”

He exhales, low and slow. “That’s a yes.”

“I didn’t say—”

“You didn’t have to.”

Before you can argue, he turns just enough to meet your eyes. You expect him to look, you would if you were him. But he respectfully keeps his eyes on yours. Then he steps closer, sliding an arm under your knees and another around your back in one smooth motion.

“Hey!”

“Relax,” he says, and there’s that faint southern drawl again, like it’s meant to ground you. “Just making sure you don’t crack your head open before you enjoy the bath you’re so excited about.”

You can’t fight him—not with your heart thumping like it is, not when your body’s already leaning into the stability he offers.

He lowers you slowly into the steaming water, his hands steady until you’re sure of your balance. The heat wraps around you instantly, drawing a sigh from your lips you can’t hold back.

For a second, you forget the nerves. Forget the weight in your chest. All you feel is the water, the scent of flowers, and the faint memory of his arms letting go.

Grimothy doesn’t leave right away.

You expect him to, but instead he leans a shoulder against the doorframe, arms folded, watching the steam curl up from the water like he’s making sure it’s not about to attack you.

You glance over your shoulder. “You’re still here.”

“Making sure you don’t faint,” he says simply.

“I’m sitting in a giant tub of hot water, not climbing a mountain.”

He tilts his head just slightly, his mask half shadowing his expression. “And if your sugars drop again and you slide under, who’s pulling you back up? The soap?”

You roll your eyes, sinking lower until the water kisses your chin. “You make it sound like I’m seconds away from drowning in two feet of water.”

His lips twitch, like he’s biting back a smile. “You are …exactly like a cat. Even in danger, you’d glare at the hand trying to save you.”

You huff, turning your face away so he can’t see the tiny smile threatening to betray you. The steam curls around you, floral and clean, and for the first time in days you feel almost human again.

Almost.

You can still feel his presence there in the room—the quiet, solid weight of him—like an anchor you didn’t ask for but can’t quite resent.

Eventually, Grimothy shifts away from the door when he feels you aren’t going to drown yourself, the soft tread of his boots fading down the hall. The click of the latch leaves you with nothing but the gentle lap of water against stone and the drifting perfume of flowers.

You sink deeper, letting the heat seep into your bones. It eases the ache in your muscles, loosens the knot between your shoulders. For a moment, you pretend that’s all this is—simple exhaustion. Something a bath can wash away.

But it’s not.

Your hands rest over your stomach beneath the water, the surface trembling slightly with your breath. You tell yourself it’s just weakness. Just recovery. That the heaviness inside you is only the aftershock of illness.

Yet the thought lingers, stubborn as a shadow—you know what it could be.

You shove it down. Hard. As if not naming it makes it smaller. As if denial can make it unreal. Even though part of you wants it to be.

Shirou’s voice from earlier drifts back to you, low and certain: You have to let me. You have to let the healer help too.

You’ve agreed, yes, but the idea of a healer poking and prodding until the truth surfaces makes your stomach twist tighter than it already is.

Steam curls around your face, dampening your lashes. You close your eyes and let yourself float for a while, pretending you’re somewhere else—somewhere no one is watching you, worrying over you, trying to read what you won’t say.

But even in the quiet, the weight remains.

Your eyes stay shut, but your mind refuses the stillness.

It skips ahead, past the healer, past the recovery, past the quiet halls of the castle—straight to the wedding.

Your wedding.

In front of the entire Land of Iron. Arufa beside you, the eyes of the court and the clans fixed on every breath you take, every step you make.

And beneath all of it… this secret.

Your hands press harder against your stomach under the water, as if you could hide it from yourself first. How will you keep it hidden from them? From him?

You picture the ceremony: layers of silk, heavy embroidery, a veil that shimmers like frost. You could disappear under all that finery, maybe. You could keep your distance, pretend the illness still makes you delicate, untouchable.

But Arufa is not a man who ignores what is his.

The thought of his hands on you, the possessive weight of his gaze—your stomach clenches, and not from sickness. How long before someone notices? Before whispers twist into knives?

You breathe in the steam, the floral scent turning almost cloying now. You can’t let them know. Not Arufa. Not the court. Not the Land of Iron.

You’re supposed to stand before them as the perfect bride. Unblemished. Loyal.

And yet…

You swallow hard, forcing the thought deeper, into the same locked place you’ve been shoving it since it first took root.

For now, you still have time.

Or so you tell yourself.

But it’s only a matter of time until you’ll need more help. Not just from a healer. 

The door opens softly, steam curling toward him like it knows him. Grimothy steps inside, a folded towel in one hand, his expression unreadable beneath the shadow of his hood.

“You’re going to turn into soup if you stay in too long,” he says, setting the towel on the nearby bench.

You should laugh at that. You don’t. Instead, you just sit there silently crumbling over your thoughts. 

“Did you hear me?” He presses. 

“Yes.” You reply distantly. 

He sighs hard behind you. 

“You’re thinking again.” 

“It’s hard not to.” You reply. “Look… I need to tell you something. I need to say something to someone before my brain splits in two. And you’re the only one standing here right now.”

He pauses, straightening slightly, his attention locking on you in that still, deliberate way.

“It’s my illness,” you say quietly. “I need to manage it—make it look normal—especially when we’re in front of the world. I can’t let anyone see weakness, not Arufa, not the Land of Iron. But I don’t know how to do that. This isn’t going away..it could possibly get worse.”

He’s silent for a moment, then—

“I understand. Shirou will arrange support, I'm sure of it.” 

You shake your head. 

“Shirou has no idea what to do with me.” 

He laughs and steps closer, positioning himself by the sink, arms crossed. 

“The only one who knows how to handle me is…” tears swell in your eyes. 

You draw in a shaky breath. “And I… I miss Kakashi.” The name alone feels like it pulls something tight in your chest. “It’s tearing me apart inside.”

The words keep coming, unspooling faster than you mean them to. “I haven’t heard from him in days… maybe weeks. I can’t tell anymore. I stopped counting because it hurts too much. All I want to do is call him, tell him what’s happening. Tell him everything. But I can’t. I don’t have him here. I only have… you.”

The steam swirls between you, the scent of flowers suddenly heavier.

Grimothy’s gaze doesn’t waver, but there’s a flicker in it—something that could almost be understanding, or maybe a shadow of his own unspoken thoughts. He doesn’t speak right away. The steam drifts between you, curling and breaking in the quiet.

When he does answer, it’s not what you expect. Not the promise you want.

“You’ll manage it,” he says, tone as dry as old parchment. “Keep your head up, play the part, and no one will see more than you want them to. That’s all there is to it.”

It’s not warm, not exactly reassuring—but there’s something in the flat steadiness of his voice that still grounds you. Like he’s handing you a simple, unshakable truth to hold onto.

You wait for more. A promise. An I’ll be there.

It never comes.

He just straightens, his shadow falling across the rippling surface of the water. “Don’t waste energy on what you can’t control. You’ll need it for the rest.”

It’s comfort in the way only Grimothy can give—spare, sharp-edged, leaving you to fill in the spaces yourself. And it leaves you still questioning everything, including him.

But for now… it’s all you’re going to get.

He reaches for the towel on the bench and holds it out to you, his gloved hand steady in the drifting steam.

“Be strong,” he says, the words clipped, almost businesslike. “. You’ve got battles to win.”

You take the towel, the heat of the bath still clinging to your skin, and watch him turn toward the door. No lingering glance, no softened expression—just the quiet, deliberate tread of his boots as he leaves.

The latch clicks shut behind him, and you’re left with the scent of flowers, the faint echo of his voice, and the weight of everything you’re still not saying.

Chapter 59: The Black Stone Bearer

Summary:

I will try to keep posting chapters. However we have an evacuation warning over my town due to a forest fire nearby. If you all could pray for some rain. Right now it’s snowing ash all over.

The sun hasn’t fully risen, but you’re already on the road.

Your coat is heavier than you’d like, but the mountain air bites through thinner fabric, and there’s no point risking a chill—not again. The path underfoot is packed with frost and crunching soil, winding upward toward the edge of the valley.

Grimothy steadies the stirrup with one hand and offers his other to you. Expecting you to argue with him.

“You’re still recovering,” he says, not quite meeting your eyes. “No point pretending otherwise.”

But you surprise him and take his hand without a word, letting him help you swing into the saddle. The leather creaks softly under your weight, and for the first time in days you feel the faint comfort of being above the ground rather than dragging your feet through it.

You’re the only one riding. The others walk—Shirou ahead, Grimothy flanking your left and the rest scattered around you in their own tactical formations. You’re feeling stronger after an actual meal, though the memory of hunger still lingers at the edge of your mind. You just hope your nausea doesn’t return with vengeance.

As you move forward no one speaks much. The air here encourages silence. The road narrows as it winds toward the mountain pass. Frost sparkles across the jagged grass, and the air carries that faint metallic tang that warns of more snow to come. The silence is heavy—until one of the samurai at Shirou’s side speaks in a low voice.

“So, she is still in the highest tower. That other stone user.”

Shirou’s pace falters almost imperceptibly. “Tori?”

The samurai glances back, gauging who’s listening, then leans in. “They keep her there for a reason. The others say she doesn’t sleep anymore. Always watching. Always… twitching.”

Shirou’s voice hardens. “How bad?”

“Bad enough,” another samurai answers from behind, his tone clipped. “Her cohort instinct has consumed her. She doesn’t think like she used to. No… she moves like something else now. Half woman. Half bird. Feathers in her hair, talons in her hands. Eyes sharp enough to cut.”

Your reins tighten in your fingers without meaning to. It’s worse than you had thought….

Shirou exhales slowly, a cloud of frost hanging between him and the men. “And her mind?”

A pause, then the first samurai says, “Deranged. She speaks in fragments. Sometimes old tongues, sometimes in screams. We’ve been told she’s too dangerous to approach without an order.”

The second samurai adds, almost reluctantly, “But I’ve seen her strength firsthand. She could tear the bars from her window if she wished. The only reason she hasn’t… is because she wants to be there. Or wants something inside.”

You know deep down that can’t be true. Something is keeping her there, or someone is. She would never choose confinement on her own. Burds are meant to fly, to be free.

“We’re closer now.” The captain says pointing at the mountain ridge.

Hōzuki Castle looms in the distance—barely in sight, but its presence is like a weight on the horizon. Tucked between the Three Wolves Mountains, it’s a fortress of political ceremony, cold stone, and careful games. You’ll need to be perfect by the time you reach it.

But first, you have to cross the bridge.

Samurai Bridge as they call it. It’s as big as the ego in this place.

A relic of older wars. Broad, pale, and silent except for the wind that sings through its stonework. The gorge below hums with ice-fed rivers, unseen but ever-present.

You guide your horse forward, hooves striking sharp echoes on the frozen flagstones. Each step feels heavier as the conversation lingers in your mind.

And that’s when you see them—

Figures at the far end of the bridge, waiting.

Captain Riku lifts his hand to halt everyone. You slow to a stop pulling slightly on the reigns. 

“They don’t look right” He states, drawing his eyes over the horizon. “Something’s…off.” 

“Yeah I feel it too.” Shirou states placing his hands on his hips. “You picking up on anything Neko?” 

You tap into your cohort, heightening your senses. And feel a strange yet familiar presence. An energy—something exactly like your Gelel stone that burns inside your chest. 

“Yeah, it feels like…” and you pause, making sure it is what you feel. Another scan and it is certain. “Gelel.” 

Shirou’s breath hitches. Even grimothy’s stance shifts. 

“Impossible.” Shirou whispers. 

You think back on your fathers notes. There are shards in other places. Although extremely rare and hard to find, it is possible one could have turned up. 

“No—it is possible. Father said there are other shards out there.” You reply, keeping your eyes on the bridge. “It’s only a matter of time.” 

“Is there another route?” Grimothy asks as he signals the other Anbu to begin a protective formation around you alongside the younger samurai. 

 “None that are short. I’m pretty sure these ninja are here for you, they won’t let us go easily.” Riku glances back at you. 

Grimothy curses under his breath.

“Keep a close formation. I want eyes on her at all times.” The two Anbu nod in his direction and shift positions closer to you. 

It was then you realized who the leader is in your platoon. Not Shirou, not yourself, but Grimothy. Your own personal protector. You begin to wonder what his abilities are. What he can do with his chakra and jutsu. And from the tidal pull of energy wafting through him you know it is devastating. 

“Move out.” Riku says lowering his hand. 

The wind shifts across the bridge, peeling the mist just enough to show their shapes more clearly. Five figures. All in darkened lamellar and wide-brimmed jingasa hats, their stillness more deliberate than any guard detail you’ve ever seen.

Your horse slows beneath you, muscles tight under the saddle. The others sense it too — Shirou’s hand is already brushing the hilt of his dagger, Grimothy’s gaze flicking across each figure in turn. It’s making your stomach turn again and that dizziness is setting in. You curse yourself for it, at the worst possible time your body decides to nearly upchuck breakfast. You swallow hard breathing heavily through it. 

Then the one in the center moves.

Not far — just a step into the clearing light. And that’s when you see it.

A pendant hangs from his neck, resting against blackened armor.

The chain is ordinary, unremarkable — but the stone at its end is not.

It doesn’t glow, and it doesn’t blaze with the familiar blue fire of the Gelel in your own veins.

Instead, it is black. Black so deep it seems to swallow the light, a perfect sphere of shadow with flecks of dull blue moving inside like trapped embers in a spiral. Around it, the air feels thin — as if the world is being drawn inward, sucked toward that impossible darkness.

Your breath catches. The sensation blooms in your chest — not a flare of recognition like with Shirou’s stone, but an emptiness. A hollow pull, as if some part of you is being invited in. It makes you light headed looking at it. And just when you thought you could hold it together. Just when you thought your stomach was starting to settle with your breathing techniques, your breakfast makes an appearance all over the ground beside you. 

grimothy grips your leg making sure you don’t fall off the other side of your horse. One of the other anbu backs up avoiding the splatter. 

How embarrassing…

Shirou notices your reaction to the stone or whatever is inside you that is stirring. Although it seems like every time you’re highly stressed or your nerves act up this happens.   

His voice is low, almost sharp. “It’s not right—What is it?” Shirou asks, still focused on the stone.

After wiping your mouth clean you straighten and look over at Shirou. “It’s… wrong… It’s like… the stone wants—” you can barely get the words out. 

Grimothy passes you his canteen telling you to drink half of it. 

“Stay hydrated.” He says, in an all serious tone. And something deep surfaces inside you. A fear of not being able to help fight. You quiver quietly in your saddle and drink back the metallic tasting water barely keeping that down. 

The mercenary tilts his head, as if he hears you from across the bridge. The black Gelel sways faintly on its chain, and the blue flecks inside begin to stir faster.

Shirou murmurs under his breath, “I’ve never seen one that color.”

The man with the pendant finally speaks, voice smooth but carrying an edge. “The bride of Prince Arufa. The Gelel bearer. We’ve been expecting you.” His gaze sweeps to Shirou. “And your brother, the other stone carrier.”

The black Gelel pulses once, and the pull in your chest deepens — like gravity, like the opening of a gate. You feel the hum of your own stone stagger in response. Your cohort growls in your mind warning you.

Shirou shifts his stance. “He’s using it already.”

Grimothy’s tone is suitably grim. More suitable than his southern drawl. “And that’s before he’s even called its full power.” He says.

The man with the black Gelel pendant lets it sway between his fingers, the chain catching a dull glint of light.

“Tell me,” he says, voice smooth as oiled steel, “how many years have you carried it?”

You keep your expression still although your lips are quivering. “Long enough.”

A faint smile curves his lips. “Not an answer. And yet… it tells me more than you think.”

Shirou steps forward, the cold morning air puffing from his breath.

“We’re not here for questions.”

“Of course you are,” the man replies lightly. “You just don’t know it yet.” His eyes narrow, the black stone pulsing once, flecks inside shifting like stirred ash. “Two bearers of Gelel in one procession… not something the Land of Iron sees every century. This will be a good test for me.”

Your horse shifts beneath you, a restless shiver running through its frame. The pendant feels heavier now, like it’s tugging on invisible threads inside your chest, as if daring you to lean forward and take hold. 

“You’re pretty stupid,” you say, your voice flat, “to be testing two Gelel stone users. And a platoon of samurai and Anbu.”

He tilts his head, considering you with a faint smirk.

“Stupid is such a strong word, curious is better…You want to know where I got mine, don’t you?”

No one answers, but the silence is enough. He taps the pendant with one gloved finger, the black crystal giving off a faint, unnatural hum.

“From a merchant in the Land of Lightning. He didn’t know what it was worth. But I did. And I’ve had it for years now… long enough to see what it can do. To modify it into something that doesn’t need to be absorbed.”

His gaze sharpens, his voice lowering almost to a purr. “You ever see a man come apart from the inside out? I have. Split him like overripe fruit. One thought… one push.” He grins faintly. “Messy work. But beautiful.”

The wind claws at the edges of your coat.

Shirou’s jaw tightens, his stance shifting like he’s about to launch forward. Grimothy’s hand rises slightly — not to stop him, but to warn.

“We don’t have to do this,” Grimothy says, voice low but cutting through the frost-laden air. “Step aside, and you’ll walk away intact. We’ll forget your face.”

The man chuckles — an easy, unhurried sound that doesn’t match the growing hum of the black Gelel. “Forget mine? No. I want you to remember it. I want you to think about it every time you reach for your stone. Because after today, you’ll know there’s someone out there who can use it better than you.”

“You don’t know what you’re getting into,” Shirou warns, his voice edged in steel.

“I know exactly what I’m getting into,” the man says, stepping forward. The others behind him shift in unison, closing the ring, boots grinding frost to powder.

He rolls his shoulders, the chain of the pendant swinging once. “And I’ve waited years for someone like you to test it on.”

The hum becomes a thrum. The space between your ribs tightens. Shirou’s Gelel spark sputters once like static.

The decision is already made.

There will be no talking him down and walking away from this without someone dead.

The hum from the pendant deepens into a low vibration you feel in your bones. You let out a shaky breath, swallowing down the rest of your breakfast.

The man with the black Gelel doesn’t lunge, doesn’t rush. He just watches — eyes flicking between you, Shirou, and Grimothy — as if memorizing the way each of you stands, breathes, blinks.

Then, with no warning, the air around you drops in pressure. The frost on the flagstones cracks in a thin spiderweb pattern beneath his boots.

You feel it in your chest — your stone’s hum stuttering again.

Shirou flexes his fingers, testing his own flow. The spark of his Gelel flares briefly… then sputters like a candle under a cold draft.

The man tilts his head, smiling faintly. “Interesting. Your rhythm’s faster than mine. But brittle against mine.”

He takes a slow step forward, the pendant swinging.

Grimothy shifts to intercept, but the man doesn’t strike — instead, the space between them bends slightly, a distortion like heat shimmer. Grimothy jerks back instinctively, recognizing the pull before it tightens.

“You see?” the man says calmly. “It’s not about brute force. It’s about influence.” He lets the pull fade, then gestures lazily toward you. “Your turn.”

Your fingers tighten on the reins. “You want me to attack you?”

“I want to see how your stone reacts to mine. Push it.” His tone is almost casual, but the way the others behind him spread out tells you this is no friendly spar.

Shirou moves first — a sudden burst of red fire through his veins as he tries to close the gap. The black Gelel hums once, and Shirou’s momentum falters mid-step, like the weight of the air has doubled. He still lands the strike, but the man deflects it with a twist of his wrist, letting the force bleed harmlessly into the bridge’s stonework.

“Not bad,” he says, as if Shirou’s effort was a move on a chessboard. “But not enough.”

Grimothy comes in from the side, Kunai flashing, but the man pivots, using the gravitational tug from his stone to unbalance him mid-swing. The blow misses by inches.

He steps back, giving you all space again — deliberately, like he’s keeping the fight from breaking open too quickly.

“You see? I’m not here to win in a single blow.” His eyes glint, and the black stone pulses like a heartbeat. “I’m here to see what this can do when I push it to its edge. And to see what you do when yours is threatened.”

The pull on your chest deepens again, sharper this time, like a hook dragging inward.

You realize suddenly — he’s not just watching your abilities. He’s studying the relationship between the stones. Testing resonance points. Finding where the hums misalign.

Shirou exhales through his teeth. “He’s trying to map us.”

“Then break the pattern,” Grimothy snaps.

The man smiles faintly, like he’s already heard you say it. “Go on. Surprise me.”

The next pulse from the black Gelel doesn’t fade — it builds, each beat heavier than the last, until you feel the edge of your own control start to slip.

The testing is over.

The real fight is about to begin.

The pull from the black Gelel tightens again, sharper this time — like invisible fingers curling into your ribs.

Your horse snorts and shifts under you, hooves scraping on the frost-glazed stone. Instinct drives you backward, step by step, until the cold, carved edge of the bridge presses against your spine.

“Easy—” you mutter, patting the animal’s neck.

Before you can steady it, two of your Anbu are suddenly there, hands firm on your arms.

“Off,” one murmurs, not giving you the chance to argue.

You’re hauled from the saddle in a swift, practiced motion, boots hitting the bridge harder than you mean them to. Your balance falters — just for a second — and you stumble.

You hope no one notices.

But someone does.

A sharp voice cuts through the wind.

“Already falling back?”

It’s not the black Gelel bearer — it’s one of the others, a lean man with a long blade resting casually against his shoulder. He grins, a wolfish slice of teeth under the brim of his hat.

“Didn’t even draw steel yet, and the lady’s retreating. Guess the stories about the ‘Gelel bride’ were… exaggerated.”

The words hang heavy in the air, echoing over the gorge.

You straighten, heat prickling your neck despite the cold. “Careful what you assume.”

“Assume?” He chuckles, shifting the blade into both hands. “I’m looking right at it.”

The black Gelel bearer doesn’t stop him — if anything, the faint curve of his mouth says he’s content to let the taunting work its way under your skin.

Shirou’s stance tightens, a red flicker running along his arms.

Grimothy’s voice is low, dangerous. “That’s enough.”

The longblade-wielder rolls his shoulders. “Prove me wrong.”

The hum from the black pendant deepens — slow, heavy, pulling at all three of you.

The longblade-wielder’s smirk still lingers when Grimothy moves.

Not toward the enemy — toward you.

“Form up, Body Shield,” he calls, sharp and decisive. The Anbu closest to you snap into motion without question, stepping in tight to your left and right. Two of the samurai escorts shift forward, their lacquered armor blocking your view of the black Gelel bearer entirely. And the rest close in around you.

“Hey—” you start, but Grimothy is already adjusting them, nudging one Anbu three steps forward, pulling another samurai back just enough to close an opening. It’s a neat little barricade — and it pins you in place like you’re some fragile VIP who shouldn’t be breathing the same air as the fight.

You bristle instantly. If you tried to throw a kunai from here, you’d hit armor before enemy. If you tried to rush in, you’d have to shove one of your own people out of the way first.

“What do you think you’re doing!” 

His head turns toward you, the mask shadowing his face, and his voice drops low — quieter, but with a steel in it you’ve never heard from him before.

“Don’t interfere. Not once!”

It isn’t just the words. It’s how he says them. The exact inflection, the clipped weight on the last syllable — it’s so close to Kakashi’s warning tone that it hits you like a strike to the ribs.

For half a heartbeat, you’re too shocked to speak. Then the heat surges up your throat.

You’re not the type to be pushed aside in a fight. Never have been. And this fight? This one’s not some ordinary street brawl. This is an enemy wearing a Gelel stone, a field you understand better than anyone here — and Grimothy is acting like it’s out of your league.

You take a step forward, but the wall of bodies closes again, a body shield locking you in place.

The black Gelel bearer is watching the whole thing, the faintest curl of amusement at the corner of his mouth, as if the internal friction is part of his test.

Grimothy doesn’t look back at you. His focus is on the enemy now, his voice cold as he speaks to Shirou.

“On my mark.”

And you stand there behind the line, fists clenched, feeling every pulse of that void-like pendant pulling at you — and knowing you’re not going to stay back for long.

The air between the two lines feels brittle now — one wrong twitch and it’ll shatter.

Through it all, Captain Riku has been silent, posted just behind Shirou’s right shoulder. His eyes have been moving constantly, flicking from hat brims to armor plates, from boot treads to the way the enemy grips their weapons. He’s not looking for intimidation — he’s cataloguing every tell.

Finally, he speaks.

“Your boots aren’t from the Land of Iron,” he says evenly. “Your armor’s lacquer is dull — not the ceremonial gloss worn by any official escort. And your sword grips…” his gaze drops briefly to the longblade-wielder’s hands “…are worn for draw speed, not endurance. You’ve been hired to end this before it reaches the castle.”

The longblade-wielder grins like Riku just told a good joke. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Riku doesn’t smile. “This is your last chance to turn and walk away. I won’t warn you again.”

The black Gelel bearer rolls the pendant between his fingers, the flecks inside stirring faster. “And if we don’t?”

“Then you don’t leave this bridge.”

The hum from the pendant deepens, pressing in against your ribs. The enemy’s formation shifts a fraction tighter. Shirou’s stance lowers. Grimothy’s fingers flex on his weapon.

You realize Riku isn’t bluffing — and neither is the man with the black Gelel.

The man with the black Gelel pendant lets it swing once on its chain, catching a glint of cold morning light. His gaze slides to Captain Riku, the faintest hint of amusement curling his mouth.

“You think this bridge belongs to you,” he says, voice smooth as glass. “But today? It belongs to me.”

The pendant pulses, and the air seems to bow inward, frost crackling beneath his boots.

“I came here to see what my stone can do,” he continues, tone still maddeningly calm. “And now I’ve decided…” his eyes flick between you, Shirou, and Grimothy “…I want to see what it can do against all of you, you three especially.”

He steps forward, and the pull in your chest deepens until it’s hard to breathe.

“Your warning.” he says to Riku, “is refused.”

The longblade-wielder behind him chuckles low. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way.”

Shirou’s Gelel flares in his veins, blue fire sparking against the cold. Grimothy shifts his stance forward, voice a whip-crack.

“Mark.”

The bridge explodes into motion.

Shirou moves first.

No warning, no shift in stance — just a sudden, violent surge forward. The frost beneath his boots fractures in a starburst pattern, and the red energy of his Gelel stone erupts around him like a cloud of burning sand. It swirls in violent arcs as he barrels into the line, forcing three of them back in a heartbeat.

Steel clashes against steel. One enemy blade glances off Shirou’s shoulder guard; he doesn’t even flinch. Every strike he throws is heavy, deliberate — meant to drive them toward the center, toward the man with the black Gelel pendant.

The black stone pulses once, and the pendant’s pull thickens. Shirou’s next blow lands, but the weight of it is dulled — absorbed somehow, as if the force has been swallowed.

Then the counter comes. A gravitational twist rolls through the air, dragging Shirou a step off-balance, just enough for a black-cloaked mercenary to slam a boot into his side. The impact rattles the bridge, forcing him to stagger back.

Before you can move, Grimothy is already in motion.

He slides past Shirou in a blur, cutting into the gap with perfect precision — every step placed between the arcs of incoming blades. His own weapon sings through the cold air, deflecting two strikes in the same breath.

A flash of chakra ignites in his palm — white-blue lightning snapping outward in a whip-like strike that coils around an enemy’s wrist, forcing the blade away. Another jolt, and the man stumbles back, armor smoking where the lightning bit deep.

It’s not just a defense. Grimothy’s pace is measured, his strikes landing at angles that force the black Gelel bearer to adjust. He’s not trying to finish him yet — he’s testing him.

The bearer tilts his head slightly, almost intrigued, letting one of Grimothy’s slashes glance off the void-like aura around the pendant before answering with a sudden gravitational shove that nearly knocks him off his feet. Grimothy recovers instantly, flipping his grip and countering with another lightning strike that forces the man to shift his pendant hand behind him for a moment.

You can see it — they’re both probing, looking for each other’s limits. And the longer they circle, the tighter the pull of that black Gelel becomes, seeping into your own bones.

The man with the black Gelel pendant narrows his eyes, tracking Grimothy’s movement through the shifting chaos.

He sidesteps a red-sand burst from Shirou without looking, his focus locked on the lightning slicing between the arcs of steel.

A faint smile tugs at his mouth.

“You’re not like the others,” he says over the clash, his tone more observation than insult.

The pendant pulses once, drawing a swirl of frost toward his boots. “Precision. Control. You waste nothing.”

Grimothy doesn’t answer — his blade is already moving, deflecting a low slash before snapping upward in a perfect vertical line that nearly takes the pendant’s chain. The black stone flares, bending space just enough to keep the edge from connecting.

The man lets out a low, almost appreciative chuckle. “A chakra user who doesn’t bleed power all over the field… rare.” His gaze flicks briefly to you over Grimothy’s shoulder. “I can see why they keep you close.”

Grimothy answers with a flash of lightning that forces him to step back — a strike so quick the air cracks.

For a moment, the void-like pull from the pendant falters, just slightly, as if even its bearer is recalculating.

Then the man’s smile hardens. “Let’s see how long that control lasts when I turn the field against you.”

The black Gelel hums deep, and the air between them starts to twist, pulling every stray spark of Grimothy’s lightning inward like filings to a magnet.

The black Gelel hum deepens, and then the field snaps like a whip.

A burst of force slams into Grimothy, catching him mid-strike and hurling him backward. His boots scrape hard against the frost-slick stone as he’s dragged across the bridge — past Shirou, past the clash of steel — straight toward you.

He hits the ground in a crouch but skids another yard before planting his blade to stop. The sharp scent of scorched ice hangs in the air.

“Grim—!” you start, stepping forward.

“Don’t move a damn muscle!” His voice cuts like a command you’ve never heard from him before —sharp, unyielding, and far too close to Kakashi’s tone for comfort.

He pushes to his feet, turning his head just enough to snap at the Anbu, “Tighten the body shield! Shift back in retreat formation!”

The soldiers react instantly — Anbu closing ranks around you, the samurai stepping in to reinforce. Their movements are precise, practiced, their armored shoulders locking together until you can barely see the fight over the line of lacquered plates.

“Wait—no, I can—” you try, but the wall is already moving, forcing you backward in small, controlled steps.

There’s barely an inch of space between their bodies and yours, just enough for you to feel the steady vibration of their armor with each impact from the fight ahead. You strain to see past them, but every time you shift to one side, a shoulder or shield edge closes the gap.

Somewhere beyond that wall of bodies, you hear the black Gelel bearer’s low laugh.

And Grimothy’s voice, colder than you’ve ever heard it: “Stay on me. No gaps.”

The bridge explodes into motion.

Shirou twists mid-recoil, his Gelel stone flaring so bright it throws red light across the frost.

“Sandstone strike!” he calls, voice like a war horn, and the air around him thickens with power. The red-sand aura whips outward in jagged arcs, shredding the first mercenary to step into range.

Another charges, sword raised — but Shirou meets him with a downward strike so heavy it splits the man clean through the chestplate, cutting the breath from his lungs before his body even hits the bridge.

Two down in the space of a heartbeat.

The victory lasts only seconds.

The black Gelel bearer doesn’t slow — he pivots, using the gravitational pull of his pendant to drag Shirou sideways mid-step. The sudden shift yanks him off balance just as another mercenary dives in low.

The impact slams Shirou onto the cold stone hard enough that the sound echoes across the gorge.

Before he can rise, the attacker drives a blade deep into his shoulder — the steel sliding through leather and flesh until the hilt hits home.

Shirou’s cry is short, choked, his Gelel light flaring wild around him.

“Shirou!” you shout, trying to push through the wall of armor in front of you.

But the Anbu close tighter, their formation shifting with every movement ahead. Grimothy’s voice carries back through the chaos, steady and commanding despite the roar of combat.

“Hold the line! Keep her moving!” They shift you backward again, against your will. You will have to injure one to get out of this hold. But you don’t want to do that.

The black Gelel bearer’s gaze flicks toward you just long enough for you to feel the pull in your chest deepen again — as if he’s already decided you’re next.

The clash is everywhere at once now — steel ringing, ice cracking under boot and blade.

Shirou is still on one knee, blood spilling hot and dark down his arm, his red aura flaring in broken surges.

Then Captain Riku moves.

He doesn’t have a Gelel stone. No special aura, no void-like hum. Just the lean efficiency of a man who’s been fighting for longer than most of these mercenaries have been breathing.

He wades into the knot of remaining enemies with a two-handed blade that carves clean arcs through the cold air. His strikes are sharp and heavy, built to end a fight in one or two moves — but these mercenaries don’t fall easily.

One catches his wrist with a hooked blade. Another drives a knee toward his ribs. Riku takes the hit, turns with it, and drives his elbow into the attacker’s throat before spinning to meet the next swing. Every movement costs him, his breathing getting harsher by the second.

Still, he keeps them busy — all of them but one.

The man with the black Gelel pendant stands back from the chaos, chain wrapped once around his hand, the stone cradled in his palm like something sacred. The air around him thickens visibly, frost forming delicate, radiating patterns at his feet.

Grimothy sees it instantly. He breaks from the shifting melee with a burst of speed, sliding past a sword swipe and planting himself directly between the stone bearer and the rest of your group.

The hum from the pendant rises to a deep, resonant throb. The flecks inside swirl faster, like ash caught in a cyclone. The space around him seems to bend — not just pull, but warp, as if the bridge itself is straining toward him.

Grimothy’s voice is flat, controlled. “You’re charging for something big.”

The man’s smile is small, knowing. “And you’re just in time to see it.”

The hum from the black Gelel deepens to a bone-shaking pulse, but Grimothy is already moving.

He closes the distance with the kind of precision that makes the pendant’s wielder pause — blade deflecting a strike just enough to open a path for his free hand, lightning sparking off his knuckles as it rakes across the man’s shoulder guard.

The black Gelel’s gravity pull snaps in response, dragging Grimothy’s stance an inch too far left — but he rolls with it, letting the momentum carry him into a low sweep that forces the stone bearer to backpedal.

Then, from the corner of your vision, you see Shirou rise.

His cohort is there already healing the wound. 

The blood flow slows, then stops entirely, the torn flesh knitting beneath flickers of crimson light.

Shirou flexes his fingers, eyes locking on the black Gelel. “I’m not done.”

He moves in without hesitation, stepping in beside Grimothy like they’ve done it a thousand times. There’s no discussion, no strategy spoken aloud — just an immediate, seamless exchange of space and timing.

Grimothy lunges high, blade aiming for the pendant chain. The bearer twists to guard, leaving his left flank open — and Shirou is there, red energy flaring, his strike forcing the man into a stagger.

The next beat, Shirou draws the bearer’s guard wide, letting Grimothy cut in with a lightning-wrapped slash that bites across the black Gelel’s aura.

They move like two parts of the same weapon — one covering when the other overextends, one distracting when the other strikes.

Every attempt the stone bearer makes to pull them off balance is met with a shift, a pivot, a counter so clean it leaves him turning into empty space.

You can see the first glimmer of frustration in his eyes. The void-like hum of his pendant pulses faster now, not with calm control, but with the strain of someone who’s being forced to work harder than he expected.

For the first time since stepping onto the bridge, you think — They might have him.

It happens fast—too fast for the mind to catch up.

The black Gelel bearer reels back, his guard open for the first time. Grimothy is already there, blade coming down in a vicious arc. The impact lands with a wet, splintering crack — the man’s ribs bowing under the blow.

Before he can recover, Shirou drives in low, his red-sand aura flaring bright enough to burn the frost from the bridge. His strike hits square in the gut, forcing the air from the man’s lungs in a raw, choked gasp.

The pendant swings wildly on its chain as the bearer doubles back, staggering. His boots skid against the stone, scraping for purchase as he pushes to his feet. His hand tightens around the pendant, his breathing ragged.

And then you see it.

The telltale shimmer of the void swirling faster inside the black stone, the flecks moving like a whirlpool about to collapse inward.

“No—” you breathe, realizing just a heartbeat before it happens.

His hand lifts, pendant clenched, and Grimothy is already leaping — blade raised to end it.

Shirou lunges at the same instant, red aura snapping like a banner in the wind.

The world ripples.

It’s not a visible blast — more like the air itself folds once, hard, in every direction. The sound is low, guttural, like the groan of a storm-tossed ship.

And then both of them are frozen.

Grimothy hangs mid-arc above the bridge, lightning still licking from his blade.

Shirou is locked mid-stride, one foot just above the frost, sand suspended in the air around him like blood-colored glass.

The black Gelel’s hum deepens into a steady, crushing note, and the space around the two men trembles as if reality itself is holding its breath.

Your chest feels hollow, your own stone stuttering against the overwhelming pull — and all you can do is watch as the bearer’s eyes narrow in slow, deliberate triumph.

The black Gelel’s hum climbs to a piercing resonance, the flecks inside whirling faster until the stone is almost pure darkness.

The air trembles.

Then it happens.

A pulse — silent, but so heavy it crushes the breath from your lungs.

Grimothy jerks mid-air, his body arching unnaturally. For an instant, lightning still crackles along his blade — then his form begins to fracture. Not tear, not burn… disintegrate.

From the point where the pendant’s pull hits him, his body breaks into motes of pale ash, glowing faintly before the wind takes them. His mask, his armor, even the steel in his hand — all collapsing into dust.

It happens in seconds. By the time the last of him fades, there’s nothing left but a swirl of fine grey powder drifting down over the frost.

Shirou is ripped backward by the same blast, his red aura splintering apart as though shards of glass are flying from him. He hits the bridge in a terrible slow-motion sprawl, the sound dulled under the roar in your ears.

The devastation doesn’t stop there.

Riku is closest to the blast’s edge — and the moment it touches him, his body bursts into fragments, torn between ash and wet, red ruin. The mercenaries fighting alongside him are erased just as quickly, their remains scattering across the bridge’s pale stone.

The smell of it hits next — iron and char and something older, wrong, that clings to the back of your throat.

Around you, every Anbu, every samurai still in formation, gasps in unison.

Some take an involuntary step back.

You can’t move at all.

Your breath comes shallow, frozen. Your fingers trembling with disbelief.

Across the bridge, the black Gelel bearer lowers his hand slowly, the faintest smirk tugging at his mouth.

Shirou’s body rolls limply onto its side. You hear the scrape of his armor against stone — a sound that feels impossibly loud in the stillness

The silence after the blast is a living thing — heavy, smothering, as if the world itself is holding its breath.

Then you scream.

Not Grimothy’s name.

Not Shirou’s.

“KAKASHI!” As if simply calling for him will make him appear in front of you.

The sound rips out of you before you even understand it — sharp, ragged, tearing at your throat. You don’t know why that name comes, why it forces itself from somewhere deep in your chest, but it does, and once it’s out, the echo rolls across the bridge like a living thing.

Shirou staggers to his feet, swaying. His shoulder is bleeding again, his breathing labored, but his eyes are locked on you. “Stay—”

You don’t hear him.

Your cohort stirs inside you, begging — no, demanding — to be released. The pressure behind your ribs builds until you can barely stand it.

Let me out. Let me out.

The first ripple of chakra shakes loose at your feet, rising like smoke. Then the Sunanake erupts — a torrent of blue flames swirling in wild, vicious patterns, whipping the frost into a screaming spiral around you.

A growl tears from your throat — deeper, rawer than anything human — and it carries through the roar of the panther inside you.

Shirou’s voice cuts through the chaos, desperate now. “Stop! You can’t—!”

But his words are lost to you.

All you can hear is the power surging inside you — that relentless hum that drowns out fear, reason, even exhaustion. It’s a living drumbeat, driving the energy higher, sharper, faster.

Something inside you locks onto the black Gelel bearer like a predator spotting prey. You’re no longer thinking about retreat, or control, or the danger to yourself. You’re thinking only about protecting what’s inside you — the life, the spark, the secret that cannot be taken. What is yours and Kakashi’s. 

And in that moment, even through the bone-deep fatigue, adrenaline roars through your veins in a brilliant, burning wave.

The gelel energy whips faster, sharper — and then something deep inside you snaps open.

You don’t call for chakra. You don’t even think about it.

It just comes.

Your kekkei genkai flares to life in an instant, pulling on every thread of energy in reach. The surge is violent, unfiltered — your reserves doubling in the space of a heartbeat. The sudden weight of it in your veins makes your skin feel too tight, your vision sharpening until every movement on the bridge is painfully clear.

The Sunanake reacts like it’s been waiting for this. The flames ignite in a furious dance, streaks of blue and gold whipping outward with a sound like tearing cloth.

The Anbu around you try to hold the formation — but the force rips through their stance like paper. One by one they’re flung aside, boots scraping over frost, armor slamming hard against the bridge stone. The samurai aren’t spared either; two go sliding across the flagstones, their hands grabbing for their weapons as they struggle to recover.

The wall is gone.

And now nothing stands between you and the black Gelel bearer.

The air between you is raw and electric, your power clawing at his void-like pull, your doubled chakra flaring so hard it distorts the edges of your vision. His eyes narrow, the faint smirk fading for the first time since you stepped onto the bridge.

For the first time, you have a full, unobstructed view of him — the black pendant still cradled in his hand, the swirling flecks inside moving in tight, frantic spirals.

It feels like the whole bridge is holding its breath for whichever of you moves first.

Shirou steps in beside you without a word.

His own snake cohort bursts into being in a shimmer of red-sand scales, curling through the frost with lethal grace. The air between you vibrates — two Gelel stones resonating in unison, their power thrumming like war drums in your bones.

You can feel it — the sheer weight of what the two of you are unleashing. And so can he.

And now? the black Gelel bearer’s composure slips. His stance shifts just a fraction, enough to tell you he’s reassessing the odds.

Chapter 60: Dust

The pendant flares black-green, the flecks inside collapsing into a pinpoint void. Space itself twists — the lines of the bridge bending like heat haze. You feel the floor tilt beneath you, your balance skewed as if the world is folding in two directions at once.

It doesn’t matter. You and Shirou move as one, weaving through each other’s attacks, each covering the other’s openings, each pressing harder. The Sunanake lashes forward, driving him back step by step. Shirou’s strikes slam into him with bone-breaking force, the red aura spitting off in violent arcs.

Your power peaks — the pull in your chest snapping into a single point of focus. You inhale once, feel the chakra swell past what should be possible, and then exhale it all at once.

The flame erupts from your palm in a solid beam of blinding light — so hot the frost evaporates in a hiss, so focused it punches straight through his chestplate and out the other side. The smell of scorched flesh fills the air.

He staggers, choking, the black Gelel still clutched in his weakening hand.

Shirou doesn’t hesitate. He surges forward, his snake cohort striking in the same motion, and his hand clamps around the man’s wrist. With a vicious twist, he tears the arm clean from the shoulder, blood spraying across the frost.

The black Gelel falls into Shirou’s grip.

The man collapses to his knees, eyes wide in shock, the void-light dying in the stone as his life drains away.

Shirou steps back, breathing hard, the stolen pendant clutched tight in his fist.

The man is already dead when his knees hit the bridge.

The black Gelel hangs useless from Shirou’s grip, its void-light gone, its pull silenced.

But you don’t care.

The rage is still roaring through you, so loud it drowns everything else. You see him — the one who turned Grimothy into nothing, who erased Riku and the others in an instant — and you don’t think, you just act.

The Sunanake surges outward in a violent wave. Your chakra spikes, twisting into that lethal, focused current, and you let it loose.

The man’s body bursts apart — not in fire, not in ash, but in fragments of raw matter. A spray of dust and unrecognizable remains hangs for a heartbeat in the cold air before the wind sweeps it toward the gorge.

It is exactly what he did to Grimothy.

Exactly what left you standing on this bridge with nothing but dust in the wind where he should have been.

The power rips through you like a blade through cloth, and when it’s gone, you drop.

Your knees hit the cold stone. The chakra falls away in exhausted drifts. And you sob — wrenching, unsteady, breaking apart under the weight in your chest.

“Kakashi!” The name rips from your throat again, raw and desperate. You call for Grimothy. For someone who’s gone. For anyone. For the world to just stop hurting you.

The bridge feels empty now, too quiet, too big.

Shirou is suddenly there, dropping to one knee beside you. His arms wrap around your shaking shoulders, pulling you against him as the sound leaves you in ragged gasps.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs against your hair. “I’m so sorry. I should have—” His voice catches. “I should’ve been faster. Should’ve—”

You grip his coat, burying your face in it, and he just holds you, rocking gently. “It should’ve been different,” he says softly. “Instead… instead we’re here.”

The cold presses in, the smell of blood and dust clinging to the air. And for a long moment, you let yourself stay there in his arms, because there’s nothing else left to do.

———————-

Hours later, you’re back in the saddle.

The horse’s hooves crunch against the frozen earth, each step slow, deliberate, as if even it feels the weight in the air. The wind has shifted colder, knifing through the valley, but you hardly notice.

Hōzuki Castle sits on the horizon now — a jagged shape cut into the pale sky. Its towers rise out of the mountain like the teeth of some ancient predator, the highest one catching the last dull glint of daylight. It’s closer than it was this morning, yet it feels impossibly far.

You’re drained. Not just tired — emptied out. Every motion feels mechanical, like your body’s moving without you in it. The numbness is a shield you can’t tell if you built or if it just… happened.

Around you, no one speaks.

The Anbu ride in silence. The surviving samurai keep their eyes forward. The wind fills the spaces where voices should be.

Once or twice,

Shirou shifts closer. His voice is low, careful. “You warm enough?” Or, “We’ll rest soon.”

You don’t answer. You can’t. Words feel like they’d splinter you open again.

All you can do is stare ahead, your gaze locked on the castle’s distant silhouette.

But the image that keeps replaying isn’t the castle. It’s the bridge.

The moment Grimothy was there — alive, moving, fighting — and then wasn’t. Just dust, gone to the wind. It happened too fast for the mind to hold.

If only he’d let you fight in the first place. You tell yourself you could’ve helped, could’ve changed the outcome. Then again… would you have been able to keep up?

You remember the way your own power had nearly torn you apart — the kekkei genkai snapping open without warning, the surge of chakra that burned through you like wildfire. You barely held it together then, even with every ounce of strength you had.

And the jutsu Naruto had taught you…

You hadn’t thought it would hit that hard, cost that much. But your body still feels the echo of it in every muscle, in the trembling deep in your bones.

The horse’s head bobs under you, the motion slow, steady. The castle creeps closer. And you keep staring forward, because looking back might be the thing that finally breaks you.

The wind stings your cheeks, but it’s the hollow ache in your stomach that has your attention now.

It’s been building quietly since you left the bridge — not sharp, not unbearable, but there’s a tension there. A faint cramping, deep and insistent, like a warning your body’s trying to whisper through the numbness.

You shift slightly in the saddle, but the ache follows.

Maybe it’s from the strain — the way you’d pulled on your kekkei genkai without restraint, the surge that doubled your chakra in an instant. You can still feel the faint tremor in your hands if you look closely, the aftershock of pushing past your own limits.

But this feels different.

This feels like something you shouldn’t ignore.

If Grimothy were here…

You bite back the thought before it can finish, but it’s too late. You can see it perfectly: him rummaging through that weathered satchel, pulling out dried herbs with quick, practiced fingers. Muttering something dry and almost dismissive while handing you a bitter tea that would work within the hour.

Now there’s only empty space where he should be, and the memory is a knife you can’t pull out.

The ache flutters again, sharper this time, and you press a hand lightly against your coat. You tell yourself it’s just exhaustion. Just backlash from too much power, too fast. But the unease in your chest says otherwise.

You worry for your body. You worry for what you’ve put it through — not just today, but over the past weeks. How many times have you asked it to endure something it shouldn’t have to?

The castle is closer now, its highest tower sharp against the dull sky. Somewhere in there, Shirou has arranged a healer to meet you. You don’t know their name, their skill, or their loyalty. But right now, you can only hope they’ll be able to help.

All you can do is keep riding.

And pray you’ll be okay.

————————

The sun is sinking now, throwing the Three Wolves Mountains into long, icy shadows that creep across the road ahead.

Shirou hasn’t let you stop. Not once.

No water breaks, no time to stretch or breathe — just the steady, relentless march toward the gates. His voice has been clipped all day, his eyes fixed forward.

You understand why.

Losing Grimothy… it’s wrecked him. The loud, careful Shirou you know has been replaced with someone brittle, someone whose jaw is clenched so tight it looks painful.

What you don’t understand is how deeply it’s cut him. He barely knew Grimothy — not the way you did — and yet he’s acting as though the man was the world to him. As though he’s carrying your grief too.

It’s confusing, unsettling. You don’t know whether to feel grateful for the weight he’s taking on or suspicious of why he’s carrying it at all.

You just have to ask. As he walks beside you, one hand resting lightly on your calf. 

“Is there something I need to know about, Grim?” 

Shirou stares ahead avoiding your eyes. You can tell by the widening of his eyes, and his expression that your question is causing his heart to stutter. He visibly swallows.

“No, there’s nothing I need to tell you right now.” He replies, firmly. As if there is no room for anymore words. But you press on.

“You’re lying! Tell me, damnit!” You push his hand off your calf and he looks up at you, eyes glistening. And you’re anger instantly disappears.

“It’s nothing I can talk to you about right now. So stop asking! Let me grieve, for gods sake.” And he storms forward fists clenched. You can feel his stone's energy pulsing. So you decide not to push him further despite your own emotions. 

You notice an ANBU close by and decide to question him instead. 

“Hey! You!” 

He only glances at you then looks away.

“What do you know about our fallen black op ninja?” 

In a low voice he replies.

“Nothing. We are not given information about each other.” 

You glare at him.

“Bullshit!”

And he too leaves your side. You huff out a frustrated breath. This is all so confusing. 

“We’re almost there!” Shirou points ahead. “Once you’re settled we can talk. But until then I have nothing to say.” 

“Fine.” You say bitterly. And focus on what’s lying ahead. 

The castle’s lower gates come into view, iron-banded and bristling with guards. Before you can reach them, another platoon of samurai appears on the road ahead, their armor gleaming even in the dull light.

They close the distance quickly, boots striking in unison. The lead samurai raises a hand, his eyes sweeping over the group — lingering on the blood at Shirou’s shoulder, the exhausted slouch of the Anbu, the missing faces in your escort.

When Shirou gives a clipped account of Captain Riku’s fate, the reaction is immediate.

The lead samurai’s expression hardens. He barks something to his men, and suddenly they’re moving with urgent precision — half peeling away to flank you, the other half surging ahead toward the gates.

“Move quickly,” the leader says, his voice sharp. “The Regent will want to hear this at once.”

Before you can react, they’re already guiding your horse forward, the air around you tightening with the press of armored bodies. You feel the pace quicken, the drawbridge ahead lowering in a slow, groaning arc.

The shadow of the castle swallows you whole.

—————————

Meanwhile. 

A shadow breaks from the treeline at the far end of Samurai Bridge. The figure lands lightly on the frost-bitten stone, eyes narrowing as they sweep over the scene.

The air still smells of it — the metallic tang of blood, the faint, scorched edge left behind by the Gelel stone’s unleashed energy. Even with the battle over, the weight of it lingers, thick in the silence.

He walks the length of the bridge slowly, boots crunching against grit and debris. His gaze picks over the shattered flagstones, the burned scoring from Shirou’s sand strikes, the faint, lingering distortion where the black Gelel had warped space itself.

He still can’t quite fathom the power it holds — especially in the hands of an experienced vessel. And what it could do in the wrong ones.

His steps stop where the blood is thickest. He can see it — the last moment he’d been here, just before the

 man triggered that body-exploding technique. The wave of power had turned the air inside out, the pressure so heavy it felt like his ribs would crack.

He’d had seconds.

And in those seconds, he’d done what years of instinct demanded — swapped himself out in perfect timing with a transport illusion, leaving only a convincing shell to take the blast.

The “body” that Hana saw vanish into dust had never been him at all.

For hours before the fight, he’d been laying his preparations — small, quiet traps and subtle illusion markers at intervals along the road. A safety net he could trigger if things turned, and they had turned fast.

The only flaw: he hadn’t anticipated this maneuver would take him so far off the path. Nearly four hours behind by the time he could safely rejoin their trail.

Still, it was perfect.

He knew Hana. If he’d stayed alive in her sight, she would have demanded he remain by her side for comfort’s sake. And he would have — even at the cost of his greater plan.

No. This way was better.

Now he had the opportunity to reappear on his own terms — not as her protector, but as her healer. It would put him close. Close enough to monitor her, close enough to stop any move Prince Arufa or his court might attempt.

The wind rises across the bridge, sweeping away the last faint traces of ash. He turns toward the road that leads to Hōzuki Castle, his decision already made.

He looks around the bridge one more time, scanning every scorched mark, every splash of blood.

No sign of Hana’s.

Good.

Then he sees a hint of dust and a half disintegrated piece of samurai armor. Captain Riku’s. He stares at it with a heavy heart and says a quick prayer in his mind. He was a good man and a respectful warrior.

He looks around further, no other casualties beyond the black Gelel user’s men — at least, none that mattered to the court or none that he can see. Then he rounds to the bridge but catches the boot prints of Shirou himself… still alive. Wounded, but alive.

A slow breath escapes him, the tension in his chest loosening by a fraction. For all his planning, some things could never be guaranteed, and seeing both of them survive the blast — even without knowing exactly how — eases the tight coil in his gut.

But something’s missing.

His gaze sweeps the bridge again, narrowing.

Where is the stone?

The black Gelel pendant should be here, somewhere among the shattered stone and charred debris. But there’s no trace — not even a shard. Which means only one thing: Shirou has it.

And if Shirou has it… he’s holding it now, somewhere within the castle walls, likely already considering what it’s worth — to him, to Hana, to the games the Land of Iron is about to play.

He straightens, the corners of his mouth curling into the faintest shadow of a smile.

It will be a great surprise to them both when he walks through those gates alive and well.

Especially Shirou