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 do...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....

——————————————-