Chapter Text
Kakashi approached the memorial stone. He didn't spend much time here these days, but today he had an important message for his friend. The grass, covered in frost, crunched under his feet, and the cold autumn air nipped at his exposed ears. The rising sun's rays landed on the stone, the dim light catching on Obito's engraved name. The same as always, but decidedly different since the war.
"Well, it's official, Obito. I'll be the sixth Hokage, just like you wanted. The council is meeting this morning for a vote, but we all know it's just a formality at this point. I wish you were here. You've always guided my life in one way or another whether you meant to or not. But somehow without your eye… your death just feels different this time, I guess. For all these years, it's been your voice in my head encouraging me to press forward and be less of a condescending asshole."
'You think you're so great Bakashi, but I'm going to be Hokage one day, you'll see! Then you'll regret acting so high and mighty all the time.'
"Maa, younger you would be so jealous of me right now."
Kakashi smiled briefly, imagining his childhood comrade's petulant face as he forced himself to congratulate him, but his smile quickly fell away.
"This job was never supposed to be mine, Obito, but somehow I've been entrusted with it."
Kakashi felt an familiar unease creeping along his skin—he was being watched. He turned toward the tree line where a figure shrouded in darkness waited for him. A set of inhuman eyes glowed an eerie yellow as they bored into him, clearly the eyes of a predator. He directed his chakra to his eyes, enhancing his vision in hopes of identifying his pursuer. Before he could determine what had been spying on him, the training field began to melt away leaving a vast, black void in its place.
Perhaps making eye contact with the thing was a bad idea.
Kakashi looked around, his eyes drawn to a soft glow in the distance, its warmth beckoning him closer. It was so reminiscent of his time with his father, he could almost believe that he'd died and returned to that place.
As he neared the light, he found that it was indeed that same campfire, but the seats were empty, save for a single red rose where his father had been.
Strange.
"Wake up, Kakashi-sensei."
A cool, soothing sensation flowed through Kakashi as his surroundings faded away once again and he blinked his eyes open to Sakura's concerned gaze. Her hand cradled his face as she used her medical ninjutsu to rouse him from whatever dream he had entered.
"Sakura? What are you doing here? Did you… did you bring me back?"
"Bring you back? From where? You were passed out in this abandoned estate with your guard completely down. Honestly, I know you enjoy taking naps in strange places, but you have to be more careful."
"Abandoned? What are you talking about?" Kakashi groaned as he sat up, causing Sakura to sit back and pull her hand from his face.
His stomach sank as he took in their surroundings, still familiar despite all his efforts to forget.
His father's bedroom was covered in dust and cobwebs, the furniture weathered by age, but otherwise frozen in time. His eyes roamed the space, noting the wolves carved into the bedposts, the portrait of his parents on the wall, his father's old uniform still draped over the chair where he'd left it, and… the strategically placed rug in the center of the room.
Exactly as he remembered it from his childhood.
His eyes remained glued to the innocent looking rug and his fingers itched to cleanse what was hidden underneath.
For months after his father's death he'd spent hours scrubbing at the stain daily until his hands became raw and bloodied. Childishly, he believed that if he could just erase the physical reminder, he could also erase the memory of finding his father's lifeless body. It was the best he could do to process his grief and shame, having been left alone to deal with the tragedy at such a tender age. The rug was a gift from Lord Third after he'd received reports that Kakashi was showing up to his training and missions with bandaged hands. It was a rare mercy from the man who sent children like Kakashi to war.
"Kakashi-sensei, are you okay? You don't look well." Sakura placed her hand on his forehead, her medical chakra calming his racing heart and bringing his thoughts back to the present.
"I'm fine." He said, batting her hand away as he tore his eyes from the floor to look at her. "How did you find me here, Sakura?"
"Actually, it was the strangest thing, there was this black cat on my way home. It was like he wanted me to follow him. I don't normally chase after street cats, but for some reason I went after this one, and he led me here. It's a good thing too. After all, we can't have our future Hokage lying around so vulnerable to attack."
The glowing eyes from that morning flashed in Kakashi's mind, filling him with a sense of foreboding. It couldn't be a coincidence. He had long since learned to trust his gut— and his gut was saying that they were in danger.
"We need to leave, now."
He grabbed Sakura's hand and began dragging her toward the front door, ignoring her questions and protests. Time was of the essence, and it might already be too late.
As they navigated his childhood home, he began running simulations in his mind, reviewing possible escape routes, cataloguing his and Sakura's skill sets, trying to determine who would've lured them there together.
His unease increased as they neared the door. There had been no obstacles, no enemy ninja, or even summons, to block their path. The most likely explanation? The door hid a trap of some kind.
Kakashi stopped abruptly. He needed a plan. There could be any number of traps set for the point of entry, but a simple explosive tag was the most likely. They would need to get to the other side of the door to disarm it…
Somewhere behind him Sakura huffed, exasperated by his apparent theatrics, and walked past him toward the door. Too late, he realized he hadn't told her of the danger. His body moved on its own as she reached for the handle. He grabbed Sakura from behind, pulling her to the ground and throwing himself over her small frame to shield her from the impending blast. He braced himself above her just in time for…
Nothing.
Nothing happened.
"Kakashi-sensei, what is going on? You're acting really strangely today." Sakura asked as she pushed him off of her and stood up.
Kakashi looked around, confused, as he also got to his feet. How could he have misread the situation so badly? "But… the cat, and this place. I was so sure…"
Sakura sighed as her shoulders relaxed. "It's okay, we all make mistakes. You probably just accidentally ate some of Genma's edibles again. Still, I'd like to take a closer look at you once we get to the hospital, just to make sure something else isn't going on." She said, making her way to the door again.
"The hospital?" Kakashi whined. "I'm fine, really, Sakura, there's no need to—"
Sakura's piercing scream cut him off as she recoiled from the door, a grimace of pain on her face as she clutched her hand. "What the hell was that?" She cried, her hand glowing with healing chakra. "I take it back, Sensei. You're acting totally rationally. Now, do you mind telling me why the door just burned me?"
Kakashi rushed to her, arriving in time to see the skin on her hand finish regrowing. Instinctively, Kakashi took her hand, gently tracing the freshly sealed wound. Had it been anyone else…
"It's fine, Sensei. It was just a burn." She said as she pulled her hand from his grip, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
"No, Sakura, it's not fine. You never should've been dragged into this. I was clearly the target here." He said seriously, looking around to see if their assailant was nearby.
"What do you mean? Dragged into what?" Sakura asked, a growing fear creeping into her voice.
"I'm not entirely sure, but we shouldn't talk here, it may be compromised. Come with me."
Kakashi took her hand again and led her back through the house, continuing past his father's room to the next one down the short hallway. The door was painted in complex fuinjutsu traps and privacy seals, but opened easily to Kakashi's chakra signature.
The room was dusty and filled with the abandoned belongings of a child. Stuffed dog plushies were scattered on the small paw print patterned bed. There were a number of scarves hanging from hooks mounted to the wall, and a collection ninja tools ranging from children's training shuriken to a decorative kunai in a silk-lined display box carefully arranged on the shelves.
He had nearly forgotten about the possessions he'd left behind when he joined ANBU. He hadn't imagined he'd stumble upon them again so many years later, a memorial to his stolen innocence.
He closed the door behind them and reactivated the privacy seals, grateful that his childhood paranoia could finally do something useful for a change.
"We should be safe here for now."
When he turned around, Sakura's eyes were alight with fascination as she looked about the room. He hadn't intended to do it, but bringing her here allowed her a glimpse into a past that he normally kept hidden. He couldn't say he regretted it, at least not with her.
He stood transfixed as he watched her perception of him change before his eyes. There was no sign of pity, no taunting or judgment, only a sincere affection which made his heart clench in an unfamiliar way.
She froze in front of his old dresser before picking up the small frame he'd left there. It was a photo of him and his father on the first day at the academy, his young face full of joy and hope. That happy memory had become tainted with his father's demise, so he'd left it behind along with everything else.
"It's so strange seeing you like this." She said, lost in her thoughts. "You've always been this larger than life, intimidating figure. It kind of seemed like you simply popped into existence already an elite ANBU assassin." She paused, laughing lightly to herself. "I mean, obviously, I knew you were a child at one point, though I didn't think you wore the mask all the way back then."
Suddenly Sakura turned toward him in alarm. "Oh! I didn't mean to pry. I promise! It's just… you're so mysterious and I… I didn't think… I'm being annoying, can we just forget I said anything?"
Kakashi chuckled, she was always so cute when she was flustered. It made him want to see just how flustered he could make her. How would she react to a man lavishing attention on her the way no mere boy could?
Wait, where did that come from?
He shouldn't be having thoughts like that at all right now, let alone about his former student. He needed to keep a level head and protect his teammate, not get distracted by her, no matter how badly he was tempted to.
After taking a centering breath, he approached, gently taking the frame from Sakura's hand, and placing it back on the dresser. "It's fine, Sakura, really. You're not annoying. But, I think we have more important things to focus on right now, like getting out of here."
Yes, keep to the mission. Focus on the job to be done, NOT the pretty girl.
For lack of better seating, he sat at the head of the twin bed, gesturing for her to sit next to him so that they could come up with an escape plan together.
There was so much more to Sakura than her alluring body and captivating personality. She was a genius in her own right, as well as an exceptionally skilled kunoichi. Being stuck here with a partner like her was honestly his ideal situation, though he would have to deal with the guilt of dragging yet another one of his precious people into peril later.
"What's going on, Sensei? Who would want to target you?" Sakura asked as she sat down. Her demeanor shifted to reflect the seriousness of their situation.
"A better question is who wouldn't want to target me. You said it yourself, I was an ANBU assassin for a long time, and I made plenty of enemies along the way. Add to that my becoming Hokage and the target paints itself. The real concern here is that whoever is behind this knew enough about my past to trap me here." And bring you along.
"What do you mean? Wouldn't your familiarity with the terrain give you an advantage?"
"Yes and No. My familiarity doesn't outweigh the emotional burden. This is…" Kakashi trailed off, the words lodging in his throat, unwilling to be spoken. "Let's just say that this place is full of bad memories."
Something flashed across her eyes and for a moment he thought that she would reach for him, embrace him the way he had seen her comfort so many others. The thought made his heart race with anticipation and dread, until something shifted, and she wrapped her arms around herself instead. "I'm sorry." Her voice was small and unsure, her eyes avoiding his. It was fair, he supposed, considering his usually private nature. He was not often one for physical contact.
Wanting to assure her that he wasn't upset, Kakashi reached out to her instead, but thought better of it. His hand hung awkwardly in the air between them until he pulled his hand away, hoping she hadn't noticed.
"It's okay. I was able to face Obito during the war. This is nothing compared to that."
When she looked back at him, her jade green eyes finally met his, and his heart clenched in that same way as before. His hands itched to touch her, to run through her hair and over her soft skin. He longed to experience her in every way, to feel her supple body, hear her quiet moans, find out if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
Gods, did she always smell this good? Why was he reacting to her like this?
He suddenly became very aware that they were alone, sitting on a perfectly good bed, kept safe by the meticulous seals he'd placed all those years ago. If she was willing, it would be so easy to—
Keep to the mission!
He stood abruptly and began pacing the small room. He could do this. He just had to keep his distance and not look at her, or smell her, or think about her as anything other than his teammate.
"Okay, the mission. Before we can come up with an escape plan, we need to know our enemy. Unfortunately, we don't have much to go off of in that regard, except that they lured you here and they almost certainly have a personal vendetta against me."
Kakashi rubbed his chin in thought as he made a mental list of possible suspects.
It was a long list.
There were too many unknowns, and since he couldn't remember how he got here, he would have to rely on Sakura's help for any hope of figuring out who was after them.
"I was unconscious until you found me, so I can't provide any useful information. Can you recall anything we could use? Details about the cat, or anything out of the ordinary on your way here?" He glanced at her. Her face scrunched cutely as she searched her memory.
Nope. That was a mistake.
Before his mind could spiral with lustful fantasies again, he returned to his pacing as he listened to her response, keeping his eyes to the floor.
"I'm not sure about the cat, I suppose something about it was a little off, but I couldn't say for sure. I do know that the burn I received was from a chakra barrier imbued with fire nature energy, though."
Kakashi paused. Fire nature had a tendency to run in clans, most notably, the Uchiha clan. But that couldn't be. Sasuke was the last Uchiha, and he had been away from the village for years now, right?
"Fire nature energy? Could you decipher anything else about the barrier? Did you recognize the chakra signature?"
"I don't know. I didn't get a very good sense of it when it burned me, but I have a jutsu that I've been working on that could help us. It started as a chakra control exercise, though I've recently started experimenting with practical application, so it should work."
Sakura stood from the bed, stilling Kakashi's pacing and drawing is attention to her as she walked over to the edge of the room. He watched closely as she gingerly placed a chakra covered hand to the wall and closed her eyes. If only he had the sharingan so he could fully appreciate the moment.
Her brows knit in concentration and her breathing slowed as she began to explore the structure with her fine tuned chakra.
"Hmm… The barrier seems to cover the entire house, with reinforced sections at possible exit points." She paused for a moment, her brows rising in surprise. "Wait, actually it seems the floor isn't affected and… I think I see… an escape tunnel?"
An escape tunnel? His father never mentioned anything like that.
"Can you tell where the entrance to the tunnel is?" Kakashi asked as he came and stood next to her expectantly, careful to keep a safe distance.
Her brow furrowed as she pushed more chakra into her sensory web. "It's hard to say. It's been blocked off, but it seems to be located in the other bedroom."
His father's bedroom?
Kakashi felt a wave of apprehension wash over him. That was the last place he wanted to go. He had hoped to escape quickly and never see that room again—or this room for that matter. After this ordeal was over, he would have to tear this whole place to the ground and burn it. Whoever had the idea to bring him here certainly knew how to torment him. He would have to return the favor.
"And the chakra signature, can you tell who cast the barrier?"
Sakura lowered her hand from the wall and looked at Kakashi sadly. "No, I didn't recognize it."
Why did she look as though she felt like a disappointment? As if he could ever be disappointed in her. Did she even realize what she just did? How amazing she is? He couldn't stand to see her this way.
He reached out his hand and placed it on her head in a comforting, carefully platonic, gesture. Safe; friendly. "You did wonderfully, Sakura. Thank you."
When he began to wrest his hand away, she looked up at him with her big, beautiful, hopeful eyes, shining at his praise.
His already frayed will power had finally reached its limit.
He hadn't intended for it to happen. He only wanted to reassure her, but now they were standing so close that he could feel her body heat through his clothes, her scent overwhelming his senses. It was too much for him to control any longer.
Unbidden his hand slid from her crown to tangle in her hair as his other hand reached up to remove his mask. His lips found hers with an inexplicable hunger, and he let out an involuntary growl as she began to return the fervent kiss. Warmth radiated through his body, an intoxicating energy filling him as he gave in to his carnal desire.
He pulled her closer, desperate for more, her arms draping over his shoulders in response as the kiss deepened. The danger beyond the door momentarily forgotten.
Sakura pulled away for air first, her lips kiss-swollen and glistening. She opened her eyes with a dreamy expression which turned to horror as she slowly backed away, falling awkwardly onto the bed.
Her eyes were wide and she looked at him as though he were some kind of monster.
Shit, he must have really messed up.
"I'm so sorry, Sakura,"
"Kakashi are you—"
"I won't let it happen again."
"No, Kakashi—"
"I don't know what came over me."
"Kakashi, Stop!"
He stopped, the sudden silence suffocating. She was still looking at him, no longer with fear, but with confusion.
"Are you a werewolf?"