Thread: An (Eventual) Anko x Kakashi Fanfic by LadyYunaFFX2

Author's Note First and foremost, yay! I finally mustered up the courage after too long to actually go through and begin to work on this. I will change the title later when I figure out a good one for it. DISCLAIMER I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters within it. So don't sue me. And finally, for those who end up reading and want to send me comments, criticism, anything of the like, feel free to do so via PM. However, there is a huge difference between constructive criticism and being a genuine prick. I will ignore any PMs that attempt to be the latter as I'm making a serious effort on this. Thanks and hope you all enjoy! -LadyYunaFFX2 ---------- Chapter I Darkness the simple but powerful concept had all but fully consumed the special jounin known as Anko Mitarashi - literally and figuratively. Her pupiless eyes had stayed closed and for so long, she had literally seen nothing but a black void around her. It was a slow and steady progress, but soon faint outlines and images began to form, adding more into the shadows she'd been forced to reside in. None were immediately recognized and it seemed to switch between two main figures. Once her mind comprehended them though, the names passed her lips in a weak but audible voice that if one were nearby her, anyone would have heard she was indeed alive. Ka .. bu ... to? S... sen .... sei .... ? Whether it had been an instinct or intentional, her fists clenched tightly. The images continued to repeat in her head, steadily becoming more clear, easier to see. And when the amber eyes of her former mentor were seen once again, it made Anko hellbent enough. Without a second thought, she opened up her pupiless eyes, gasping and panting frantically. W...what in the hell happened? She murmured, a low groan passing her lips as she rubbed her forehead. The last thing she had recalled was fighting Kabuto and ... that was it. How she had lost it was beyond her recollection. The result was enough to make her bite angrily on her lower lip. ... Damnit, that was real? Tch .... She scoffed at herself, her fists clenching angrily. The prideful part of her now really wanted to know what had happened. Not that Kabuto wasn't tough -- but she should have been able to counter at least half of his moves easily enough. After all, he'd been fused with Orochimaru when they had their fray. And now ... much had happened since then. What, though, she did not know. And even if it mentally killed her, she wanted to find out somehow. First thing was first though. Trembling hands slowly guided herself to her feet. Her survival instincts began trying to put two and two together. The first thing they'd understood was she had been spared for a reason. Kabuto and her sensei, Orochimaru, never did anything without some incentive behind it. So they must have seen some motive to have kept her alive. She easily could have been killed off the second she passed out and was defeated that was an easy given. But that hadn't been the case. Why not? She was grateful that hadn't been the verdict, no doubt. But at the same time, it made Anko worry. Of all the people in her past, Kabuto and Orochimaru had been some of the most deviant and calculating men she'd ever known. That in itself made them notorious and dangerous all at the same time. Her head shook no slowly as she let her hand leave her forehead and gently pat the pockets of her overcoat. What few supplies she'd taken were still there and even a few sticks of dango. It may not be the most wise move to eat them, she realized. But the hell with it. She was famished and would need to regain some strength, no matter how long that would take. A face was made and though she wasn't fond of the mere idea, Anko forced herself to spit the food out. Fuck. Too long ... She added, sighing in annoyance. Glancing down toward the ground of the cave she was in, her feet took slow, careful steps forward. It'd been too long since she had been able to actually use her muscles on her own. Thankfully, walking was like riding a bike -- or so the saying went. If the special jounin could begin to determine a better analogy out, she would gladly do so. But her mind was barely working as it was, she wouldn't press her luck in overexerting herself. Within a minute or so, she had navigated herself out from the cave. The abrupt shining of light upon her skin and in her eyes made her hiss lightly and quickly shield her eyes. It was clear she would have to self-teach herself quite a few other basic things and reactions. Waiting for the slightly stinging sensation to fade away, Anko soon saw next to nothing. What did remain, however, hinted at least one thing. There had been a battle. No no ... a war . There was so much blood scattered around, arrays of cuts, scratches, marks from a variety of blades, weapons and tools. They were literally everywhere, in the ground and even upon the trees. Carefully kneeling in front of a remaining bloodstain, she ran her right middle and index fingers over it. With how dry it was, Anko could make another fair deduction. She'd been 'asleep' for weeks, maybe even months. And to some degrees, that knowledge alone terrified her. As far as she could tell, not much more than willpower had helped keep her alive. Going by statistics, the human body had a slim chance - if one at all - of being able to go without food or water for a week. So to know she had somehow beaten those odds made her a bit scared and somewhat proud. A weak chuckle couldn't help but pass her lips as she thought on how she had seemed to beat the very rare numbers once again. Not the first time ... She murmured, a hand reaching up towards the back of her neck. But when nothing was felt, her eyes quickly blinked. Was this another odd dream? Her hand continued to feel around .. but there was still nothing. Wait .... what?! Hold on! And despite how exhausted and sore her body was, an adrenaline rush had managed to begin before she could make it stop. Her head darted from side to side, looking preferably for some form of a body of water. It took even longer to find than getting out of the cavern but in time, she accomplished that goal too. Her head tilted aside as she used the water in place of a mirror. Sure enough, her hand had been correct. The Cursed Seal Orochimaru had given her all those years ago was, somehow, gone. Her teeth found her lower lip. Anko should have felt happy, she knew. But it seemed to add onto the confusion even more. The desire to have the question on what all had happened only got stronger and the worries she'd had simultaneously increased. This, more likely than not, had been done out of any motive but mercy. Another defeated sigh passed her lips as she cupped her hands and dipped them into the cold water. Her head leaned down and caught some of the liquid, sighing softly as it flowed down her throat. Even if only a bit, her thirst was being quenched though the lack of food made her stomach tightly clench. Her hands wrapped around her midsection, otherwise ignoring the light growling that soon echoed in her ears. The light-brown eyes glanced back behind her once again. Answers ... now more than ever, she needed them. Food could wait. After all, she'd survived this long hadn't she? With a newly found resolve and determination, she took more steady steps. The best way to go about it, Anko figured, was back-tracking her footsteps. Thus that suggested going to her last known whereabouts ..... the cavern in which she'd woken up in.