Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Catch a Thief ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 3 )
[ A - All Readers ]
By: Thoughtless Wanderer 
Sakura confronts Kakashi.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.20.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 294 | Status: Work In Progress
Sakura confronts Kakashi.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.20.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 294 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: The characters of Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I’m just borrowing them to play with. I’ll put them back just as they were, promise.
Warning: This story is AU. Though I will be sticking to the original as far as certain aspects of Naruto are concerned, I will be changing others to better suit the storyline. Though I will never specifically give ages for Kakashi and Sakura, suffice it to say that Sakura is legal and Kakashi is about ten years her senior.
Catch a Thief
Chapter Two-
Sakura Hinata stood in the room she had rented at the inn and took in her captive with a measured look. In the back of her mind, past the part that was rejoicing, she was in a state of shock. She had captured Kakashi Hatake.
It had been almost too easy. That thought nagged at her. She had learned a lot in the year since the attack on her father’s camp. She was no longer weak and helpless.
Though she did not have the years of training most ninja had, she did not even have the skills of a chunin, she was very skilled in taijutsu. She had spent countless hours practicing and learning both from Rock Lee. During most of the past year, she had been under his guidance. She had asked him for assistance in training and the young man had readily agreed.
After the raiders had attacked her father’s camp, they had continued on to the Sand Village. There Kankuro, brother to the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, suspected trickery from the Hidden Leaf Village when they could not produce the medical scrolls promised as part of the peace negotiations.
Sakura had pleaded with Gaara to give her a chance to find the raiders and prove her father’s innocence. He had merely laughed at the notion that a woman who knew nothing of the ninja arts would attempt to go after Aka Shippei- one of the most notorious raiders in the land. After a week of pleading, he agreed to let her search for the raiders. He obviously did not expect her to carry through with her promise and it amused him to allow her to train in ninjutsu and taijutsu.
With long hours and Lee’s help, she had learned the most basic, genin-level ninjutsu. Her taijutsu, Lee’s specialty, while not nearly as good as his own, improved much more rapidly. She was at a high, chunin-level by the end of her training time in the Sand Village. After ten months, nearly a year, Sakura was impatient to begin her search for the raiders.
All throughout the land, Sakura and the men accompanying her- her father’s men as well as Rock Lee- traveled from village to village, scouring restaurants and inns for signs of the raiders. They posted reward notices and kept their ears open for any information. She had managed to learn that Aka Shippei had a hidden camp, deep in the forest. No outsider knew where the island was located.
But if rumor was true, Kakashi Hatake was no longer the favored right-hand man of Shippei. He had been beaten and left for dead outside a village- but which one? According to rumor, he had been left outside five different villages.
Rumor also had varying accounts of what kind of shape Shippei had left him in. In some he was beaten, in others he was dead while his ghost wandered the countryside, seeking revenge on those who killed him.
If she could find him, there was a chance she could persuade him to take them to Aka Shippei’s camp.
Now the darkness of the room pressed in on all sides of her. The flame from the lantern threw Kakashi in sharp relief from where he sat on the floor, hands and fingers tied and immobilized to prevent any sort of jutsu.
He regarded her with brazenness. The mouth that had once pressed against hers was not quite smiling, not quite frowning. His unscarred cheek was bruised. A long tear revealed a shallow cut on his upper thigh where a kunai had just grazed him in his capture.
She cleared her throat quietly before barking out, “Kakashi Hatake.”
His grin mocked her. “Manners, manners. What did your mother teach you? Are you not supposed to introduce yourself first?”
“If you are going to be here, you need to know the rules. One: you do not speak of my family, especially my mother. Two: My name is Haruno. That is all you need to know.”
He unfolded his body and rose to his feet in a move that was surprisingly graceful for someone with his hands behind his back. She wondered absently if he had practiced that move before. He towered over her. She did not recall him being quite that tall.
“So formal,” he fairly purred, “after we’ve been so... intimate.”
She glared, “We weren’t intimate.”
“You taste of honey and green tea. How many others know that?”
She struck him across the face, knowing even as she struck that he was letting her do so. Her daring faltered. Facing him in person was much more disconcerting than she had thought it would be. She still could not get the warmth and the press of his mouth against hers out of her mind.
“You stole that kiss and my ring. I’ll have it back.”
He grinned lecherously at her, raising one eyebrow. “Of course. I am more than willing to return your kiss.”
She glared at him, “I meant the ring, impudent degenerate.”
“Impudent degenerate?” He raised one eyebrow again, mockingly. “Ooh, we are breaking out the insults, aren’t we?” He glanced down at the ring around his pinky finger before taking a step back . “If you want it, come and get it.”
He seemed to anticipate the challenge far too much. Did he truly think she would willingly come near him, even with his hands bound? She would not give him the satisfaction of playing his game.
Sakura waved his suggestion away. “It’s worthless anyway.”
“So I learned.”
She did not know what she had expected. A little less cockiness. Fear, perhaps. Maybe he did not realize exactly what was going on here- what kind of power she had at her disposal.
“Are you familiar with the Sand Village?” she asked.
He looked at her, his gaze guarded.
“It’s to the south of Konoha.” she explained, somewhat impatiently.
“I know where it is. I’ve been there many times.”
“I plan to take you there.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested.”
“It wasn’t an offer. It’s a promise.”
“Promises can be broken,” he replied.
“A fact then. I will take you there and I will present you to the new Kazekage. He is rumored to be quite intolerent of raiders, I hear. Even going so far as to torture them for a period of several days before finally executing them. I think he hopes to set an example.”
“His parents must be so proud.”
“I do not believe that one in your situation should be taking it so lightly. I intend to take you there. We’ll leave tomorrow.”
He looked at her. “All this for a stolen kiss and a ring?”
“Indeed.” She gave him a moment to let him ponder what she had said before clearing her throat- which was curiously dry at the moment- and said, “I can set you free, for a price.”
He cocked his head to one side, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. It was evident he did not trust her. “You went to a lot of trouble to capture me. Why offer me freedom? What do you want?”
“I’m not offering you freedom. I’m offering you a chance to buy your freedom back.”
He took a step closer, his cocky grin back. “Ah, I knew you couldn’t resist me for long. My freedom for a kiss, is that it?”
“You overestimate yourself. No, what I want is information. Information I believe you possess.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What exactly are you looking for?”
“I want you to take me to Apa Shippei’s camp. I want to know where to find him.”
“You want to find Apa Shippei? Why? Haven’t you heard the stories? They say the souls of his victims haunt the forest in which he lives. On moonless nights, you can hear them weep with grief and rage.”
Inside, Sakura shuddered at the thought. Outside, she squared her shoulders as though to show him she was not afraid. “If I can find his camp, I can find the chest he stole from my father. I need to take it back with me. Who knows? If you’ll help me, maybe I’ll even take him to see the Kazekage in place of you.”
“His camp is in the Forest of Konoha. Now let me go.” His visible eye darkened with unnamed emotion as he stared down at her.
“Oh, I don’t think so. The forest is a large area. I need something a little more than that. I need a guide.”
“You’re joking.”
“I assure you I’m not.”
“I can’t help you. Apa Shippei would rip my head from my body and drink my blood while it was still warm.”
She shuddered at the thought before rallying. “Are you afraid of him?”
He scoffed, “I fear nothing.”
“Then help me.”
“If I do this, you will take the bounty off my head? I will have my freedom?”
“Yes. I promise.”
He laughed a harsh, humorless laugh. His eyes drifted over her, measuring her worth. “As I said, promises are easily broken.”
“You have my word.”
“Your word? What good is that? The promise of a woman?”
He frustrated her. How could she convince him? “I have nothing else.”
“Then I can’t help you.”
“When we reach the Sand Village, it will be too late. I’ll give you some time to reconsider. After that we will head for the Sand Village.”
He did nothing more than stare at her. When she could no longer hold up under that heated gaze, she spun on her heel.
“Princess?”
She looked back. “I’m not a princess.”
“You act like one, as though the world is your footstool and you can manipulate things to however you see fit. As though my sole purpose for living is to do your bidding.”
“I can’t deny that I consider you beneath me. If I were a boy, I’d wipe my feet on you.”
“If you were a boy, I’d have take your life that day in the forest.”
A shiver went through her at the conviction his words held. With one last look at him, she turned and made her way out of the room.
~
Kakashi waited until the door banged shut. Then he slid down to the floor and awkwardly brought his feet closer to his wrists. Embedded in the heel of his boot was a small throwing knife, something he always had for emergencies. He was ninja. He believed in being prepared for any circumstance. Though the information he had heard tonight had taken him by surprise.
He used his fingernails, kept slightly long on purpose, to work it free. When he finally had the knife in hand, he went to work on the rope that bound his hands.
He rubbed his chafed wrists as he glanced around the sparsely furnished room. There were no windows and only one door. He had glimpsed the hulking guard outside his door when she left the room.
Kakashi down on the bed and thought. The girl’s offer had put him off his guard. He was not the one she was really after. She was after Apa Shippei. It seemed they had a common goal in that.
He did not trust her. Women lied. He knew she would not fulfill her end of the agreement and grant him his freedom.
That did not mean he would not get it. But he would get it on his own terms.
~
Sakura stood outside the inn, staring up at the night sky. It was incredibly dark tonight with no moon.
“What did he say?” Lee’s voice came quietly out of the darkness to her right.
She sighed deeply. “He refuses to help. I have given him some time to reconsider.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“We’ll take him to the Sand Village. Perhaps Gaara will smile upon our efforts and release my father.” And perhaps pigs will fly, Sakura thought privately.
“We could start a rumor that we are traveling with treasure. It will likely bring the raider to us.” Lee offered.
“We’ve been over this, Lee. He’s so ruthless. It’s better that we attack him rather than him attack us.”
“As you wish, Sakura. You know I will do anything you ask.”
Suddenly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was headed, she looked back at the night sky. She liked Lee. She was able to function around him. She did not think of heated kisses against the cool trunk of a tree around him. She did not taste the faint sweetness of apples in her mouth when she thought of him.
She turned back to Lee. “I think I will head to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
“Good night, Sakura.”
She left him there and made her way to her room where she slipped off her outer clothes before climbing into bed.
Now that she had captured Kakashi Hatake, perhaps she would be able to sleep one full night without dreaming of him and waking the next morning feeling his kiss still on her lips.
A/N: I’m sorry this chapter is so late. I’ve been trying to get grades caught up so they can be turned in soon.
Warning: This story is AU. Though I will be sticking to the original as far as certain aspects of Naruto are concerned, I will be changing others to better suit the storyline. Though I will never specifically give ages for Kakashi and Sakura, suffice it to say that Sakura is legal and Kakashi is about ten years her senior.
Catch a Thief
Chapter Two-
Sakura Hinata stood in the room she had rented at the inn and took in her captive with a measured look. In the back of her mind, past the part that was rejoicing, she was in a state of shock. She had captured Kakashi Hatake.
It had been almost too easy. That thought nagged at her. She had learned a lot in the year since the attack on her father’s camp. She was no longer weak and helpless.
Though she did not have the years of training most ninja had, she did not even have the skills of a chunin, she was very skilled in taijutsu. She had spent countless hours practicing and learning both from Rock Lee. During most of the past year, she had been under his guidance. She had asked him for assistance in training and the young man had readily agreed.
After the raiders had attacked her father’s camp, they had continued on to the Sand Village. There Kankuro, brother to the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, suspected trickery from the Hidden Leaf Village when they could not produce the medical scrolls promised as part of the peace negotiations.
Sakura had pleaded with Gaara to give her a chance to find the raiders and prove her father’s innocence. He had merely laughed at the notion that a woman who knew nothing of the ninja arts would attempt to go after Aka Shippei- one of the most notorious raiders in the land. After a week of pleading, he agreed to let her search for the raiders. He obviously did not expect her to carry through with her promise and it amused him to allow her to train in ninjutsu and taijutsu.
With long hours and Lee’s help, she had learned the most basic, genin-level ninjutsu. Her taijutsu, Lee’s specialty, while not nearly as good as his own, improved much more rapidly. She was at a high, chunin-level by the end of her training time in the Sand Village. After ten months, nearly a year, Sakura was impatient to begin her search for the raiders.
All throughout the land, Sakura and the men accompanying her- her father’s men as well as Rock Lee- traveled from village to village, scouring restaurants and inns for signs of the raiders. They posted reward notices and kept their ears open for any information. She had managed to learn that Aka Shippei had a hidden camp, deep in the forest. No outsider knew where the island was located.
But if rumor was true, Kakashi Hatake was no longer the favored right-hand man of Shippei. He had been beaten and left for dead outside a village- but which one? According to rumor, he had been left outside five different villages.
Rumor also had varying accounts of what kind of shape Shippei had left him in. In some he was beaten, in others he was dead while his ghost wandered the countryside, seeking revenge on those who killed him.
If she could find him, there was a chance she could persuade him to take them to Aka Shippei’s camp.
Now the darkness of the room pressed in on all sides of her. The flame from the lantern threw Kakashi in sharp relief from where he sat on the floor, hands and fingers tied and immobilized to prevent any sort of jutsu.
He regarded her with brazenness. The mouth that had once pressed against hers was not quite smiling, not quite frowning. His unscarred cheek was bruised. A long tear revealed a shallow cut on his upper thigh where a kunai had just grazed him in his capture.
She cleared her throat quietly before barking out, “Kakashi Hatake.”
His grin mocked her. “Manners, manners. What did your mother teach you? Are you not supposed to introduce yourself first?”
“If you are going to be here, you need to know the rules. One: you do not speak of my family, especially my mother. Two: My name is Haruno. That is all you need to know.”
He unfolded his body and rose to his feet in a move that was surprisingly graceful for someone with his hands behind his back. She wondered absently if he had practiced that move before. He towered over her. She did not recall him being quite that tall.
“So formal,” he fairly purred, “after we’ve been so... intimate.”
She glared, “We weren’t intimate.”
“You taste of honey and green tea. How many others know that?”
She struck him across the face, knowing even as she struck that he was letting her do so. Her daring faltered. Facing him in person was much more disconcerting than she had thought it would be. She still could not get the warmth and the press of his mouth against hers out of her mind.
“You stole that kiss and my ring. I’ll have it back.”
He grinned lecherously at her, raising one eyebrow. “Of course. I am more than willing to return your kiss.”
She glared at him, “I meant the ring, impudent degenerate.”
“Impudent degenerate?” He raised one eyebrow again, mockingly. “Ooh, we are breaking out the insults, aren’t we?” He glanced down at the ring around his pinky finger before taking a step back . “If you want it, come and get it.”
He seemed to anticipate the challenge far too much. Did he truly think she would willingly come near him, even with his hands bound? She would not give him the satisfaction of playing his game.
Sakura waved his suggestion away. “It’s worthless anyway.”
“So I learned.”
She did not know what she had expected. A little less cockiness. Fear, perhaps. Maybe he did not realize exactly what was going on here- what kind of power she had at her disposal.
“Are you familiar with the Sand Village?” she asked.
He looked at her, his gaze guarded.
“It’s to the south of Konoha.” she explained, somewhat impatiently.
“I know where it is. I’ve been there many times.”
“I plan to take you there.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested.”
“It wasn’t an offer. It’s a promise.”
“Promises can be broken,” he replied.
“A fact then. I will take you there and I will present you to the new Kazekage. He is rumored to be quite intolerent of raiders, I hear. Even going so far as to torture them for a period of several days before finally executing them. I think he hopes to set an example.”
“His parents must be so proud.”
“I do not believe that one in your situation should be taking it so lightly. I intend to take you there. We’ll leave tomorrow.”
He looked at her. “All this for a stolen kiss and a ring?”
“Indeed.” She gave him a moment to let him ponder what she had said before clearing her throat- which was curiously dry at the moment- and said, “I can set you free, for a price.”
He cocked his head to one side, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. It was evident he did not trust her. “You went to a lot of trouble to capture me. Why offer me freedom? What do you want?”
“I’m not offering you freedom. I’m offering you a chance to buy your freedom back.”
He took a step closer, his cocky grin back. “Ah, I knew you couldn’t resist me for long. My freedom for a kiss, is that it?”
“You overestimate yourself. No, what I want is information. Information I believe you possess.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What exactly are you looking for?”
“I want you to take me to Apa Shippei’s camp. I want to know where to find him.”
“You want to find Apa Shippei? Why? Haven’t you heard the stories? They say the souls of his victims haunt the forest in which he lives. On moonless nights, you can hear them weep with grief and rage.”
Inside, Sakura shuddered at the thought. Outside, she squared her shoulders as though to show him she was not afraid. “If I can find his camp, I can find the chest he stole from my father. I need to take it back with me. Who knows? If you’ll help me, maybe I’ll even take him to see the Kazekage in place of you.”
“His camp is in the Forest of Konoha. Now let me go.” His visible eye darkened with unnamed emotion as he stared down at her.
“Oh, I don’t think so. The forest is a large area. I need something a little more than that. I need a guide.”
“You’re joking.”
“I assure you I’m not.”
“I can’t help you. Apa Shippei would rip my head from my body and drink my blood while it was still warm.”
She shuddered at the thought before rallying. “Are you afraid of him?”
He scoffed, “I fear nothing.”
“Then help me.”
“If I do this, you will take the bounty off my head? I will have my freedom?”
“Yes. I promise.”
He laughed a harsh, humorless laugh. His eyes drifted over her, measuring her worth. “As I said, promises are easily broken.”
“You have my word.”
“Your word? What good is that? The promise of a woman?”
He frustrated her. How could she convince him? “I have nothing else.”
“Then I can’t help you.”
“When we reach the Sand Village, it will be too late. I’ll give you some time to reconsider. After that we will head for the Sand Village.”
He did nothing more than stare at her. When she could no longer hold up under that heated gaze, she spun on her heel.
“Princess?”
She looked back. “I’m not a princess.”
“You act like one, as though the world is your footstool and you can manipulate things to however you see fit. As though my sole purpose for living is to do your bidding.”
“I can’t deny that I consider you beneath me. If I were a boy, I’d wipe my feet on you.”
“If you were a boy, I’d have take your life that day in the forest.”
A shiver went through her at the conviction his words held. With one last look at him, she turned and made her way out of the room.
~
Kakashi waited until the door banged shut. Then he slid down to the floor and awkwardly brought his feet closer to his wrists. Embedded in the heel of his boot was a small throwing knife, something he always had for emergencies. He was ninja. He believed in being prepared for any circumstance. Though the information he had heard tonight had taken him by surprise.
He used his fingernails, kept slightly long on purpose, to work it free. When he finally had the knife in hand, he went to work on the rope that bound his hands.
He rubbed his chafed wrists as he glanced around the sparsely furnished room. There were no windows and only one door. He had glimpsed the hulking guard outside his door when she left the room.
Kakashi down on the bed and thought. The girl’s offer had put him off his guard. He was not the one she was really after. She was after Apa Shippei. It seemed they had a common goal in that.
He did not trust her. Women lied. He knew she would not fulfill her end of the agreement and grant him his freedom.
That did not mean he would not get it. But he would get it on his own terms.
~
Sakura stood outside the inn, staring up at the night sky. It was incredibly dark tonight with no moon.
“What did he say?” Lee’s voice came quietly out of the darkness to her right.
She sighed deeply. “He refuses to help. I have given him some time to reconsider.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“We’ll take him to the Sand Village. Perhaps Gaara will smile upon our efforts and release my father.” And perhaps pigs will fly, Sakura thought privately.
“We could start a rumor that we are traveling with treasure. It will likely bring the raider to us.” Lee offered.
“We’ve been over this, Lee. He’s so ruthless. It’s better that we attack him rather than him attack us.”
“As you wish, Sakura. You know I will do anything you ask.”
Suddenly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was headed, she looked back at the night sky. She liked Lee. She was able to function around him. She did not think of heated kisses against the cool trunk of a tree around him. She did not taste the faint sweetness of apples in her mouth when she thought of him.
She turned back to Lee. “I think I will head to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
“Good night, Sakura.”
She left him there and made her way to her room where she slipped off her outer clothes before climbing into bed.
Now that she had captured Kakashi Hatake, perhaps she would be able to sleep one full night without dreaming of him and waking the next morning feeling his kiss still on her lips.
A/N: I’m sorry this chapter is so late. I’ve been trying to get grades caught up so they can be turned in soon.