Never say Never (Kakashi x OC)

Losing focus

As much as they tiptoed around each other in their private lives, their shared path as team Yosochimu had progressed well over the last two years. They had managed to complete all of their first few B-rank missions successfully and had proven themselves as an important task force. So important in fact, the Godaime decided to assign them the most difficult mission of all. She gave them the order to find a way inside Orochimaru's base, capture him and bring him back to the leaf where he would be punished for his crimes.

Getting inside Orochimaru's base didn't pose a problem but the fight against him was so intense, Team Yosochimu had no time to waste second thoughts about why getting inside had been so easy. Looking back, it should have made them sceptical, but their focus laid on capturing their opponent. Kakashi, Daisuke and Minari all fought him simultaneously while Hajita, who had been told not to attack in front line, stayed back. As a medic ninja it was her job to stay healthy in order to heal the others if needed. So, she followed the fight from a safe distance only by tracking down her team members with her chakra detecting skills. Despite being responsible for the whole team her attention mostly was focussed on Kakashi-kun's chakra.

Suddenly, Hajita had a vision. Far down the hallway on the other side of the building she saw a weird-looking laboratory where a chained-up child was held hostage. The boy looked a few years younger than Naruto and had scars and blood all over him. She was at odds with herself. On the one hand, she knew that it was her duty to remain with her team, but on the other hand there wasn't much she could do for them anyways. While she debated with herself what to do, she heard his voice loud and clear in her head.

"Help me, please" he whispered "I'm a jinchuuriki. They are trying to extract the Bijuu within me. They are tearing my apart. I can't stand the pain any longer. Please, save me."

So that's why he can project this vision into my head, Hajita thought. The boy reminded her so much of Naruto she just couldn't let him suffer any longer. It almost was like she was dragged to the boy by invisible threads and her feet seemed to start moving on their own until she reached the familiar door to the laboratory. She slowly opened the unlocked door. With watching her team members chakras and plotting a plan how to save the boy, Hajita had so much going on in her head already that she didn't see the unlocked door as a warning sign. She approached the little boy, lifted his chin, looked him in the eyes and kindly smiled at him.

"You are safe now, I promise. I'll rescue you" she whispered. "But first we have to get you a little better so you can travel."

She started to tend to his biggest wound. She placed her hands right on top of the gaping hole in his stomach and began to exert her healing powers when in the other room, Orochimaru suddenly stopped fighting and started to laugh like a madman. Kakashi raised his hand and told his teammates to wait while he wrecked his brain for a possible explanation for his opponent's strange behaviour. What could make him so happy? Kakashi wondered when it slowly dawned on him. Orochimaru was not happy, he was victorious. He felt confident about winning. But how could he defeat them? The fight hadn't looked too good for him a few moments ago.

His mind was racing when it hit him. Orochimaru intended to win by destroying their team. And he intuitively knew that Hajita was to play the main part in this plan. He used his Sharingan to track her down and to his horror he didn't locate her nearby but in a small room on the other side of the building. Not again, Kakashi thought, he would not again lose someone he loved on a mission. Rin once had been separated and captured by the enemy. And Obito had died because he had prioritised the mission's goal over saving Rin. He would not make the same mistake twice! Saving Hajita was the only thing that mattered now. "Jita!" he exclaimed and started to run towards her when the explosion hit.

The moment Kakashi called her name Hajita broke the genjutsu she had been trapped in. But it was too late. Standing in front of her was no little boy, but one of Orochimaru's fighters who was willing to sacrifice his life for him. Pinned to his stomach, directly where she had placed her hands, was a huge paper bomb spiked with splinters of glass. The moment Hajita finally realised what was happening the bomb exploded. The detonation took place right underneath her hands and the blow hit her with full force. Everything went so fast, the only thing she saw were hands full of blood before everything went dark.

Kakashi froze. He turned back and looked at Orochimaru who calmly explained "Sometimes the most painful thing is not the battle itself but losing your focus, Kakashi of the Sharingan. I didn't think you'd make the same mistake twice." He grinned "Today, I decided to show you that you not only lack the strength to defeat me but that you are still not able to protect your team." And with that, he vanished.

Kakashi knew then and there, that their mission had failed. All there was left to do was to make sure Hajita would survive this attack. It didn't take him long to reach her, but what he saw completely horrified him. She was barely breathing and covered in blood. He froze and was not able to do anything. All he could think about was the fact that he hadn't been able to protect her like he had promised Naruto. Minari pushed him aside and started to locate the most severe wounds. She checked if any vital organs had been hit. Relieved, she told her team members that most of the blood came from wounds on her hands as they were completely spiked with glass splinters.

"None of her wounds are fatal" Minari reported to the still pale and trembling Kakashi. "However, ... I am no expert at this, but I am concerned about the amount of blood she is losing."

"Then we have to get her back to Konoha and to Tsunade-sama as fast as possible." Kakashi replied and carefully picked up Hajita's lifeless body. Racing back to their hometown, he felt as if all life had been drained out of him. He was in so much pain it seemed like the glass splinters hadn't hit Hajita's body but his own. All he could think about was the girl with the mesmerizing eyes and the warm smile and the possibility of losing her suddenly almost seemed too much to bear. Kakashi simply couldn't imagine living in a world without her. At that very moment, he finally realized how much he needed her in his life.