Chapter 13 Mission Complete

I was there sitting alone in front of the fire now. Warming my hands and staring into the flame..when I felt a presence behind me. I looked up and it was Kakashi, he was hovering over me watching the fire.

"I thought you were already asleep…"

He sat back down next to me giving me a deadpan look with a sleepy eye. He shook his head and smirked.

"Well…I was trying to... but Naruto's loud mouth woke me up."

I smiled and sighed,

"Oh that Naruto…what are you going to do with him."

Kakashi looked at me with a soft expression.

"I think the question is…what are you going to do with him?"

I tilted my head in confusion, puzzled by what he meantt. Then it hit me, he must have overheard our conversation. I threw one last log into the fire and sat back.

"You heard that conversation we were having?…I don't want to step on your toes and tell you how to train your genin, but I think Naruto could learn a lot from me. I think I can really get through to him…I want to train him."

I smiled as I looked over at his tent and heard his loud snores. Kakashi looked over too as he laughed with me.

"I am going to bed…I'm exhausted and need to rest up so I can be ready to get Somato to the village tomorrow. I'll need my chakra all recharged in case we have any more unexpected guests."

Kakashi nodded as he watched me as I walked to my tent. I got in and zipped up the front, I laid down and was fast asleep.

The next morning I was woken up by two loud obnoxious voices going back and forth. I think they were arguing about who was going to eat the last rice ball. I rolled my eyes and buried my face in my pillow.

"Ugh…those boys are going to be the end of me!"

Kakashi unzipped my tent sticking his head in. I looked at him with total shock as I covered everything but my eyes and the top of my head with my blanket.

"Are you up yet lazy? We have to get going soon if we are going to make it to the Waterfall Village today… I don't know, but Somato seems to be very eager to be rid of us…"

I gabbed my pillow, and threw it straight at Kakashi's face. For whatever reason, he didn't try to dodge so the pillow hit him straight on. He gave me that deadpan look for a second and slowly backed outside.

I made sure to get ready and packed up my things before I got out of the tent. I saw the boys already finished packing up their things, Sakura and Somato were finishing taking down their tents. I began to take down my tent and my stomach growled. Kakashi looked at me with a wide eye.

"Isamu…was that you?"

I averted my gaze as I finished putting my tent away, I felt my cheeks get hot.

"No…that must have been…"

Kakashi handed me a rice ball before I could finish my sentence. I took it reluctantly and ate it as he smiled down at me.

Once everyone got their things together we started to move out. We weren't far now, maybe a few hours left before we reached the main gates. We were all picking up speed to make sure we got this mission done as soon as possible. I could tell everyone was ready to be done and head home.

Just then I overheard Somato talking with Kakashi, they were not too far behind me. I tried to strain my hearing to see if I could hear what they were saying, Naruto ran up and jumped at me.

"Hey Isamu Sensei!"

I snapped my head to Naruto giving him a look of…not right now…you bother me…you die.

Naruto got quiet, so I think he got the message. He sped up to get next to Sakura and Sasuke. I could finally hear what the two behind me were talking about.

"Do you know how much longer until we arrive? I don't want to be around her anymore…she scared the living daylight out of me yesterday... I want to make sure I make it home in one piece!"

I think he knew I was listening in so he yelled that last part. I slightly looked over my shoulder to get a view of Somato and Kakashi.

Somato was now cowering behind Kakashi, and Kakashi had one hand in his pocket and the other holding his…lovely book. He seemed really into what he was reading, I don't think he heard a thing Somato said. I say this because Kakashi did not look up at Somato once and never responded to his last comment.

Since Somato wasn't getting the reaction he wanted out of Kakashi he decided to walk beside me. I glared at him out of the corner of my eye, suddenly he puffed out his chest and tried staring me down.

"You…demon women! You are a monster and should not even be a ninja! You are a danger to everyone around you…just wait until my father hears about what you did…he will be sending a not-so-great review of the mission to your Hokage."

I heard Somato gasp as he got pulled from my side. I looked behind me to see what happened, when I turned I saw Kakashi holding Somato by the collar of his shirt. Somato was a few inches off the ground so he couldn't touch. Kakashi was giving him a lifeless eye and let him squirm a little before speaking.

"You know Somato…you really shouldn't be talking like that to someone who just saved your life and got you home in one piece."

Kakashi was giving him a death glare and Somato began to cower. Kakashi let him go and he went running to the front placing himself in between Sakura and Naruto. I don't think the three heard what he said which, is probably for the best. We really didn't want any more violence or fighting on this trip. I think I had my fair share of that yesterday.

Kakashi came to my side and pulled out his book again. He started reading as I looked over at him. I was staring at the side of his face, I don't think he noticed I was looking, but it looked like nothing phased him. It seemed like he didn't just intimidate our VIP of the mission.

I saw his eye shift to me for a moment and then back down to his book.

"You've been staring at me for a few minutes now…do you need something?"

I shook my head and averted my gaze back to infront of me. I continued looking at Somato as he was trying to talk to Sakura who clearly was not interested. I went over to Naruto and Sauske and they were at it again, I don't know about what though. Somato's voice replayed in my head, what he said kept playing over and over again. I creased my brows together as I closed my eyes for a brief moment to try and shake the voice.

For whatever reason, it kept getting louder and louder inside my head. I almost couldn't hear anything else, just Somato's voice calling me a demon women over and over again. I put my hands up to my ears as I shook my head slightly to try and get rid of whatever was going on.

Kakashi put his hand on my shoulder so I looked over to him. His eye went wide as he pulled me closer to his side. He bent down so his mouth was right next to my ear.

"I need you to stop thinking about whatever you are thinking…you're eyes are glowing and that can only be a warning sign."

Oh shit…were they? Why couldn't I get his voice out of my head? Why couldn't I think of something else?

I looked over at Kakashi and put my hand on my head,

" I think when we return to the village…I need to meet with Lord Hokage…I need to talk to him about everything that's happened on our mission. Kakashi, I'll need you to come with me so you can describe everything you saw when I blacked out…can you do that for me?"

I tried saying that in the most casual tone I could, but some of my fear crept into my throat and I could hear the shakiness.

Kakashi put his book away and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"I will go with you... I think we need to meet with the Hokage right away upon our return. I don't think we have time to waste."

I nodded in agreement, then we saw large gates in the distance. I squinted trying to catch a better glimpse, sure enough it was the main gates to the Waterfall village. I heard Somato cheer in excitement and zoomed to the gates. Off he went, we all kept our pace not really in the mood to chase after him.

Once we made it to the front gates there were two guarding shinobi that Somato was talking to. They both looked at us and the larger one stepped forward.

"Lord Hizune will now see your group. He has been expecting Somato for some time."

The large shinobi peered down at Somato, under his gaze Somato cowered and rushed into the village.

" Somato, take us to your father so we can end this mission."

Kakashi stated with a very annoyed tone.

Somato lead us to a very large building, it looked old and very unstable. It looked like it had been standing for centuries! Right next to the building, as we got closer, you could see a beautiful waterfall. It was large, as you got closer to the building the sound of water was loud. Somato led us into the building and down a long hallway. We managed to reach two large doors and Somato didn't bother to knock he just opened them and walked in.

I saw an older man who had scars all over his face slowly stand up from his chair. He seemed shaky so he had to prop himself up by placing his hands on the desk. I could see a very annoyed expression come across his face as he was looking at Somato.

"Somato…you're a man now…didn't I teach you manners and respect...and to knock before entering a room?"

Somato rolled his eyes as he waved off his father's scolding.

"Father I have returned home in one piece…but…"

Before Somato could finish what he was going to say, Lord Hizune held his hand up and gestured for all of us to come closer. The three genin stood back and Kakashi and I moved forward so we were standing right in front of Lord Hizune. We both bowed slightly to greet him and stood there silently waiting for him to speak.

"Thank you Hidden Leaf ninja for escorting my dimwitted son home in one piece."

He laughed a little and then started to cough.

"Which is surprising, I figured he would have gotten into some kind of trouble with his mouth and would have been beaten up by someone along the way."

Somato crossed his arms and stomped his foot like a child who just got in trouble. Lord Hizune sat back down and waved his hand.

"I take it there was not much trouble on the way? I was told by many of my village gaurding shinobi that there are many rouge ninja…and even some Akatsuki members that have been consistently spotted close to this area for some time now. That is why I sent a request for an escort to Lord Hokage."

Kakashi put his hand up and shook his head,

"No Lord Hizune, there were some rouge ninja yes...we took care of them, no problem. They were not much of a threat or challenge."

Somato became furious and pointed his finger straight at me.

"Yes, all because of the demon standing right there! She took care of those rouge ninjanall right…I'm just surprised she didn't take care of everyone else with her crazy rampage she went on!"

Somato was burning with anger and his face was turning red. Lord Hizume gave his son a very scolding glance and looked back at me and Kakashi with an apologetic smile.

"You'll have to forgive my son…he has no way of keeping his mouth shut when it needs to be. Any how, I again thank you Hidden Leaf shinobi for seeing my son home safe... I will send a bird parcel now to Lord Hokage stating the mission was successful and you are all now headed home."

Kakashi and I bowed our heads as we both thanked Lord Hizune. Just as we were about to turn around and start heading out, I caught a glimpse of Naruto. He looked very angry and was holding clenched fists.

I looked at him and shook my head, I knew what that look meant l...and he couldn't do it here.

"You know what Somato…If Isamu wasn't on this escort mission who knows if you would have gotten here in one piece! Who knows if you would have even made it on time either. She ensured you got home safe and got us here in the 3-day time frame! You should be grateful for her help! Not calling her a demon!"

Naruto was fuming, his face was starting to turn red as he kept his hands clenched in fists. I ran over to Naruto putting my hands on his shoulders looking into his eyes.

"Naruto…this is the first thing you need to do to help control yourself…you need to let this go…he is not worth your energy or your time. So, calm down and let's go home."

Naruto shook his head as he looked at me with wide eyes. He looked at Somato and Lord Hizune who were looking at Naruto in shock. He looked down and nodded in agreement and reluctantly turned and walked out with the rest of us.

We got out of the building and were making our way to the main gates to head back.nKakashi suddenly took his book and slammed it against Naruto's head. He held his book back up in front of his face and continued to read.

"Naruto…you are not to speak out like that…I know Lord Hizune's son was being obnoxious but he is still the Lord's son and our ally. We need to talk to and treat them with respect. I know how you felt back there but you need to learn when to speak out…and when to hold your tongue…you understand?"

Kakashi said this with a deep angry tone as he continued to read his book. I saw Naruto open his mouth wanting to argue with Kakashi but he caught me looking at him. I shook my head so Naruto looked down in defeat.

I appreciate what Naruto was trying to do standing up and defending me, but Kakashi was right. Even if it seems like the right thing to do…we need to ensure we don't offend anyone who are allies, with troubling times we need as many allies in Niji as possible.

I let Kakashi and the rest of the team go ahead as I slowed my pace so that I was walking beside Naruto.

"Naruto…"

I whispered so the others couldn't hear me, Naruto looked up at me.

" I appreciate what you did back there…I do…but Kakashi is right and this is unfortunately what needs to be done. You will run into many more Somato's on your journeys and you need to learn to not let what they say get to you like that."

Naruto nodded, I knew he understood I just wanted to tell him in a nicer way since I think Kakashi was a little harsh in how he brought it up.

I gave Naruto a reassuring smile and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Let's get home in one piece so we can put this whole mission behind us…how does that sound?"

He nodded and smiled as he gave me a thumbs up. He then ran up to walk beside Sakura and Sasuke.

I sighed as I looked up at the sky,

"For some reason…I don't think this mission will ever be put behind me…"

I didn't realize that Kakashi had slowed his pace to get beside me. I think he heard what I just said.

"I know what you're thinking and I understand your concern…but it was out of your control… just think, it could have ended a lot worse than it did…"

I looked ahead and saw Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all talking, laughing, and having a good time. I smiled as I took a glance at Kakashi who…again…was reading his porno.

I know it could have turned out a lot worse. Knowing that no one got seriously hurt during everything that happened was a miracle. looking at it that way I don't feel as bad about everything. Regardless, I still was determined to speak with Lord Hokage when we returned.

I know he knows more than what he has been telling me and Kakashi about this dragon spirit. He wasn't telling us a lot but, with what has happened on this mission he needs to start telling us everything and tell me why this is happening.

I remembered, with previous chieftains of the clan never had these problems. I know I was told this and read about them in books but, there was nothing about them ever losing control and going blood-thirsty on the village. If that were the case, I don't think our clan or village would have been established long, if at all. They must have learned or had something help them control the spirit. If the spirit is taking me over like this I am sure it has done that with previous hosts, I have no doubt. I wanted to know how they all were able to contain it. I wish my father had been more involved with me when I was younger. Maybe then, I would have known more and could have learned how to stop this before it even happened in the first place.

I realized how much of a disservice my father did to me. He knew I was going to be the next chieftain so why wouldn't he have told me all of these things? Why wouldn't he try to prepare me more so I was ready for this?

I looked down at my hands and saw the dried blood around all of my fingernails from the claws that extended out.

Or maybe...he wanted me to not know…hoping that the spirit would consume and kill me so they could rid me like a deadly plague.

I put my hands down to my side and shook my head, no time to dwell on these things. These were answers I was never going to get, I had to stop wasting time on things that will never be answered and focus on the now. I need to focus on getting this thing under control on my own…my own way…and I needed to do it fast.

The trip back to the Hidden Leaf Village was surprisingly quiet. We ended up back in the village in 2 days' time instead of 3. When we arrived at the front gates and made our way to the academy Kakashi dismissed the three genin. He told them they could go home, rest, and recover. He would be in touch when we finished our dealings with the Hokage. The three nodded and went their separate ways.

It was now just Kakashi and I standing in front of the academy entrance. I stared up at the mountain of Hokage and I shook my head.

"Kakashi…I'm not sure I'm ready for what's coming. I'm not sure I am ready…or even want to know what else the Hokage has been hiding."

Kakashi shrugged as he went to hold the door open and gestured for me to start making my way in.

"Well…no matter what he says or tells you…just remember I am here and I will do everything in my power to help you. I won't let you continue to suffer, I'll be damned if I let that spirit take over you like that again."

Kakashi seemed very irritated ever since we left the Waterfall Village, more than normal. Normally he is very quiet and pretty much deadpan and lifeless with no expression. This worried me, but then again I knew this was troubling him just as much as I. We were both looking for answers and the only way to get them was through the Hokage.

We made our way up to the Hokage's entrance and were greeted by two anbu. They nodded and held the doors open for Kakashi and I to enter. When we entered the doors were closed behind us and it was just us three.

Lord Hokage was sitting at his desk smoking his pipe reading a scroll. He never looked up, but gestured for us to come closer. Kakashi and I stood right in front of the Hokage's desk. I saw the scroll he was reading. That paper and water symbol on the front told me this was from the Waterfall village. I guess that Somato really wasn't kidding when he said they were going to send a review to Lord Hokage about our mission. I cringed thinking about what they put in that scroll and what they said about me and the mission.

Lord Hokage wasn't yelling or screaming his head off so, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Lord Hokage put the scroll down and sighed as he closed his eyes. He opened them and stared at me with a serious look on his face.

"Isamu…I think it's time we had a talk don't you agree?"

I nodded, at least he got to the point before I had to ask him. I probably would have been a lot louder and not so nice if I had to bring it up.

"Yes, Hokage…I agree we really do need to talk. What happened on this mission…it…"

Before I could finish he held his hand up for me to stop, he then walked around the desk. He gestured for us to follow, so we did to another set of doors on the opposite side of the room. He held them open for us and gestured for us to go in.

Kakashi went first and I followed behind him. I heard the doors close and Lord Hokage was now in front leading us down a dark hallway lit by torch flames placed on the wall.

He lead us to another door and held it open for us to go in. When we entered I looked around to examine the place. It looked like an old library or study. It was filled with books and scrolls and was dimly lit. There were many shelves all around and in the middle of the room there was a large podium. Lord Hokage walked to the podium and placed his hand on the top. As he did a light started to glow under his hand and a compartment opened just below. He grabbed a scroll and blew on it to get rid of all the dust it collected from sitting for so long.

He walked over to me as I held my hands out. He handed me the scroll and closed the compartment on the podium.

"Isamu…this scroll was given to me a long time ago…it was given to me by your father chieftain Kenji Tatsuageru the day he came to the Hidden Leaf Village. When he came to this village he had a small group of other men shinobi. He came here seeking assistance and protection."

I shook my head looking at the Hokage very puzzled. Why would my father come here? Why would he need protection? We never had any issues before with keeping our clan and village safe.

As if he read my mind he took a puff of his pipe.

"He came to me seeking protection from very powerful shinobi…ones that wore black cloaks with red clouds on them…He needed protection from the Akatsuki. I never knew anything of your father or your clan before this. We discussed the situation and came to an agreement treaty. We became allies and I decided to assist and protect your clan. When asked your father agreed to send in men from his side to come and provide reports on the Akatsuki since they had put their hideout up near your clan's village."

I looked from Lord Hokage to Kakashi, he just stared at me and shrugged. I had no idea, I never even heard of the Akatsuki until coming to the leaf village. I never knew we were under that kind of protection or in that kind of danger before.

"Lord Hokage…If you formed this alliance and protection treaty…can you tell me why my village was attacked and burned to the ground?"

I looked at Lord Hokage with a grim face, I was getting irritated now. I know how strong our village was and all of the shinobi we had, why did my village fall under that attack? Why did no one come in to help? Why did my family have to die and me almost tortured to death.

Lord Hokage sighed and crossed his arms.

"Isamu…I am not sure how or why this happened. Ever since you came to me seeking my protection I have been working every day trying to figure out who ambushed your clan. We had scouts along the outskirts at all times…and when you came to me I immediately tried contacting them. None of the scouts ever returned…with that I believe they were taken out before the village was attacked. This means that who ever did attack was not just some group of rouge ninja or bandits. No, the attack was planned and was constructed under a strong force. I do hate to inform you…that still to this day we do not have an exact answer but we do have a strong belief that it was the Akatsuki who ambushed. I believe they some how found out about your clan and the power of the dragon spirit. They wanted that for themselves to give them power for their cause."

I looked down at my hands as they were clenched to my side. I shook my head, I didn't know what to think or say. This whole time I was observing them and Orochimaru…was it for this purpose? No…the Akatsuki pose much bigger threat to all of Ninji. I did realize why the Hokage never told me this before. If he did he knew I would not be able to carry out my mission and would have done something stupid or reckless. If the Akatsuki wanted the dragon spirit why would he have had me so close to them this whole time?

" Lord Hokage…if this was true why did you send Isamu on that solo mission spying on the Akatsuki and Orochimaru? If she was the one thing they wanted out of destroying that village…why put her so close to the enemy?"

My eyes shot up to Kakashi in shock, it was like he was reading my mind.

"Kakashi…I sent Isamu because at the time I felt she was the most capable and the most skilled to get up close and obtain detailed intel to provide back to the village. I knew the danger, but I also knew she would not let herself be caught. It was a risk yes, and not telling you I know was not right. But when it comes to the safety of the village and my people these are risks I am willing to take."

I understood, I knew this very well being in the Anbu Black Ops. We were trained to think the same way, we were willing to sacrifice our lives for the safety of the village and willing to do this every day.I understood what he did and why he did it. I still don't understand why he never told me about the dragon spirit and what it could do to me.

"Lord Hokage…with all of this information I need to know…Why did you never tell me anything about the Dragon Spirit? Why did you not warn me of what it could do to me? On this mission, that spirit took over and I almost killed my peer and if I hadn't stopped...I would have surely killed the team and Somato. Why would no one tell me the danger and threat this spirit poses inside of me?"

I got to the last part of my sentence and I felt rage come over and you could hear it in my voice. I was furious now, I could have killed those I hold dear to me because I was not expecting something like that to happen. Something that Lord Hokage was well aware of.

Kakashi bent over putting his hand on the small of my back. I looked over at him and could feel the rage showing through my face. Kakashi nodded and pointed up. I knew what that meant, my eyes were glowing and I was getting worked up, I couldn't help it.

I ignored Kakashi and looked back to Lord Hokage waiting and wanting answers. The Hokage was staring back with wide eyes. I knew what he was seeing and I didn't care, I wanted him to answer me.

"Isamu…I never brought it up because it was never considered a threat before now."

I clenched my fist even harder, I could feel myself become hot, I felt it in my chest, in my throat, all the way to my face.

"How would what happened to me not be a threat until now? I don't understand."

Kakashi could see and feel my tension and rage building with this conversation. He continued to look at the Hokage waiting for him to answer, but to my surprise his hand met mine down by my side. He forced me to break my grasp and held my hand in his. He squeezed it and I felt some relief…but not much.

"This was not a threat until now because your father had come to me and stated the dragon's spirit does not become truly active until the chieftain's 21st birthday. Once the chieftain turns 21 the dragon's spirit is fully awakened and it's full power is accessible to the host. This is however, if the host is able to understand how to control the spirit. Your father did not say much about the spirit taking over their host. He didn't give any kind of reasons or triggers to have the spirit become enraged so…I had to test this for myself."

I had to sit back for a second…did he say he had to test it? He had to test the dragon spirit to see how and when it would enrage and take over? He was willing to put everyone's life in danger on this mission for…a test!

"Lord Hokage, your test worked and it got the dragon Spirit to take over and go on a rampage…now what? What did this test show you? What did you learn from this?...because for me I learned that I could turn and kill anyone around me with a blink of an eye."

Kakashi moved his hand to the small of my back again, but I was too pissed off to deal with him so I slapped his hand away. I could see his hand jerk as he continued to look at the Hokage. He never once looked at me, it was probably for the best if he didn't want trouble..

Lord Hokage stood up slamming his fist on the desk shaking his head. His face showed just as much irritation as mine probably did.

"This 'test' showed me what your triggers are. This 'test' showed me how I can save you and where to turn to help teach you how to control this spirit and use it's chakra and power in your favor. As I said, your father gave me little to no information on what or how the dragon spirit is enraged. I had to do a trial and see for myself. Once I knew the trigger I could compose the correct training for you."

He sat back down took a puff of his pipe and sighed.

"I know you are angry and I know how this must all sound to you. Regardless this had to be done for your protection and those around you. If we never figured out what caused this…it could have happened in a worse place at a worse time. Many innocent lives could have been lost, but with this only a few lives of rouge ninja were lost. I knew Kakashi would be able to help you calm out of your state…and he proved me right did he not?"

I opened my mouth about to argue back, but he was right Kakashi was…able to calm me down. I was able to get a grasp and fight the spirit to have it release me.

"Yes, Lord Hokage he did…but how do we know he will be able to continue to do that? It was one time…what happens if next time we aren't so lucky?"

He nodded pointing to the scroll and then gestured to Kakashi.

" Isamu…I want you to take this scroll, and I want you to read it. Once you have read it .. things... I think will make a little more sense. For next time… my goal is to make sure there is never a next time. I am preparing to have an extensive training period to help you control this beast and its chakra. I am planning on having Kakashi with you and conducting this training since he is the only one I see fit to both train and control you if needed."

I looked over at Kakashi who was looking from the Hokage to the scroll I was holding. He nodded in agreement and stood up. He gestured for me to follow so I jumped to my feet. As Kakashi was walking away towards the door the Hokage called out to me.

"Isamu…you have to believe this was all to protect you…I had no ill intentions during this … I am still working on finding out who destroyed your village. I will call for you and Kakashi once I take care of the Waterfall mess and will advise you two on the next steps in the training process."

I nodded in agreement as I followed behind Kakashi to the courtyard outside of the academy. He stopped and looked up to the sky sighing, he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. I kept quiet as I watched him, I could see there was a lot going through that mind of his. He doesn't show emotion much, but when he does ...and you can see it on his face, that's when you know it's serious.

"It…it looks like it's about to get dark soon the sun's setting. I can't believe the day got away from us already."

Kakashi turned his head and tilted a bit.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

I rolled my eyes placing my fingers to my temple and sighing loudly. I looked over at him. He was still watching me, waiting for me to tell him what I said.

"What's going through your mind Kakashi?...with what Lord Hokage said to us…did he say all that to you when he first mentioned watching over me?"

Kakashi shook his head as he looked down at me with a soft eye.

"No…he did not. When he asked me to do this the only information he gave was you had the blood dragon spirit sealed away inside of you, that the dragon would awaken fully when you turned 21, and a little about the dragon marking all around your body. That was it everything else he said in there was new... information to me."

I nodded as I shrugged my shoulders. I looked at him with strong fire and determination in my eye.

"Well, regardless I need to know how to control this thing and how I can make sure it never takes over again. I can't go through that again and to know how much more damage I could cause…I need to start training right away!"

Kakashi looked at me with a wide eye placing his hands in his pockets.

"I think that is a good idea…but how about we give some time for you to recover and process everything. You should probably take a look at that scroll too..."

I nodded placing my hand on my satchel. He's right, I need to recover and really process everything. I still feel weak from the other day…I can tell my chakra levels are still not where they should be. I started walking in the direction of my apartment.

"You're right…In that case, I am going home! I'll catch up with you later!"

He gave me a very faint smile not moving as he watched me walking away.

On my way home I decided to walk through the streets. I passed by shops and stands with many children and villagers. It gave me a sense of being grounded and helped distract me from earlier. I never would have guessed all of this…and to know the Akatsuki could have been the ones that destroyed my home and killed my family. Lord Hokage was right about one thing…if he had told me sooner there was no way I would have been able to complete our mission and we would be nowhere closer to stopping them. As I thought of this…I smiled sadly. Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on the old man, but he should understand what I went through and everything he was keeping from me was going to make me upset.

I put my hands behind my head as I closed my eyes and yawned right before arriving in front of my apartment door. I searched for my key... I then realized I couldn't find it! My key was gone! Oh great, how am I going to get inside now?

I was feeling lucky for some reason so I tried to turn the knob in the event that I accidentally forgot to lock it when I left for the mission. To my surprise, it turned all the way and my door opened. I panicked because I thought that someone must have broken in and I was robbed!

I ran inside and turned on all the lights immediately. I started scanning everything in the living area and kitchen. I didn't see anything gone or out of place. It looked exactly how I left it. I went to go into my bedroom and to my surprise, Kakashi was standing there leaning on the doorway. I gasped and shot him a death glare until I realized the look on his face. Something was wrong, I could see it.

"Um…Kakashi what the hell are you doing in my apartment?"

Kakashi stood straight up to my angered and confused tone.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay…you got pretty upset when we were talking to the Hokage so I wanted to make sure... I wanted to ask if you were going to look at the scroll ."

He seemed very intrigued with the scroll, regardless he really shouldn't be breaking into my house. I looked around again and didn't see any sign of forced entry.

"Kakashi…how did you get in here?"

He smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck, his face got red and he averted my gaze.

"Oh yes…here's your key back. I'm sure that would explain it."

My eyes grew wide as I caught the key he threw at me. He stole my key? But how! I didn't even realize or feel him take it. The key was in my side pocket so…me not feeling or seeing him take it… is Impressive I must say Kakashi. I really couldn't be mad at that, I was impressed and I felt good knowing that he was worried and wanted to check in on me. Not sure if I would have said that leaving the Hokage' s office but now I can.

"Well, first off it's your lucky day. I'll forget about you stealing my key and coming into my home without me knowing… secondly about the scroll, I honestly don't think I could handle that right now. I think I need some time to just digest all of what the Hokage told us in his office. It hit me hard…and finding out all of that information was very over whelming."

I sighed and sat down on my sofa in the living area. I put my arms up resting both on the top of the sofa as I let my head fall back. I felt my hair weigh my head back. I started to sway it back and forth a little.

I felt Kakashi come over and sit down next to me. I opened my eyes giving him a side glare. I wanted to know why he was interested in the scroll…is he just as shocked and concerned about all the information given to us.

"Kakashi…why are you concerned about seeing the scroll? What's really going on? I can feel and see the worry on your face and your body is tense. You going to tell me what's bothering you?"

Kakashi slid back a little and stuffed his hands in his pocket. He stared up at the ceiling like I was. I didn't realize how dusty it really was…I guess I forgot to get that when I came back.

"Isamu…I'm concerned because all of this puts you in more danger. Knowing the Akatsuki knows about the dragon spirit and knew about your village, I have no doubt they are trying to hunt you down. That means we have to be more cautious, we have to get you to control this spirit and do it fast. If the Akatsuki get to you before you can control the spirit and it's chakra... let's just say it will be bad…but not just for you."

I saw the seriousness on his face clearly even through the mask. He was really concerned and honestly, I was shocked. I've never seen him like this…ever it scared me more. If Kakashi is this worried then it must be bad. I am also trying to think about the positive things about my situation. I caught Kakashi staring at me as I was in thought. I locked in with his gaze as we sat there for a moment. It was intense as I felt butterflies in my stomach and a shiver up my spine. I then spoke out without thinking…

"Kakashi…thank you for everything. I haven't really been able to say that before and I realize now how much this whole situation is. For you to still be here with me…well…thank you. You have no idea how that makes me feel, you saw me as that monster and still…tried to save me."

Kakashi got closer so we were only inches apart. He looked into my eyes and cupped my face. He stared deep into my eyes and I saw the sincerity of his soul.

"I know you have been through a lot… these past few days have put even more on your plate. I know you are stressed and scared…regardless of what happens I will be by your side. I'll never leave…you are too important to me…I'll be damned if I lose you…I've lost so many people in my life. You are the first person that has made me feel…alive, has given me something to really fight for. I will defend you with my life…"

He pulled his mask down and kissed me. He slipped his hand underneath my hair grabbing my neck pulling me in. I began cupping his face as we continued. I felt…light .. like I had no worries in the world. It made me feel like we were the only two people on earth and time was slowing down just for us. To share this embrace,I was really enjoying it.

I found myself putting my hands on his chest and pushing him down on his back. I heard him wince a little as he fell back and I was on top of him. I saw my eyes glowing reflection in his onyx eye.

I sat straight up and closed my eyes turning to the side. Not again…really now? why…I thought it was only when I was angry or upset but now…now it's when I get turned on too! I shook my head sighing in defeat. I think Kakashi is right…I need to figure this out fast. If it starts to come out with different kinds of feelings or emotion.

Kakashi sat up grabbing me by my chin forcing me to face him.I couldn't look away…I didn't fight it. He smiled as he placed one more kiss on my forehead before he let go.

"We will get through this…and figure this out. I won't let you slip and fall into this beast…I will do everything in my power to try and help you figure out how to control this."

I nodded as I watched him stand. He gave me his signature one eye smile and put his hand up to say he was leaving.

"Well then…sleep well…see you tomorrow."

As the door closed behind him I let out the biggest sigh. I crossed my arms and held my stomach trying to calm my nerves. He is…such a tease! I think I need to burn those books. Yeah…I think it's my turn to break into his apartment and burn those…damn Kakashi."

I yawned and realized how late it was. I ended up slumping into my futon trying to get comfortable. I tried to fall asleep multiple times, but every time I was woken up by the vision and the feeling of Kakashi kissing me…and me on top of him….Yeah let's just say I wasn't getting much sleep tonight