Another Nine-Tails?!

New Guardian

Akiko gasped in pain as rocks dug into her legs and arms. She stood up so she was able to look around, and run if need be. "Where are we?"

'Kakashi might help you.'

She scoffed at her beast. "And what makes you think he'd help me?" The vixen didn't repond. She winced as a wave of pain ran down her arms.

"Why are you just standing in the middle of the road?" She froze, knowing who that voice belonged to. She could hear the silver-haired man walk closer to her. "Akiko."

She turned around, giving him a pained look. His eye widened slightly at the tears still falling from her eyes. "Help me."

"What did he do to you?" She shook her head. "You look exhausted. What happened?" He caught her as she fell forward. "Rest, then we'll talk."

-:-

The redhead jolted up as pain rushed through her arms. She yelled for Kabuto, but a different silver-haired man appeared in her vision. Kakashi stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. "I thought you'd never wake up." He walked over and sat at the foot of the bed she sat in. "You've been out all day. Mind telling me what happened?"

"Yeah." She looked away for a moment, not ready to talk just yet. She watched as he stood up with a sigh.

"You should eat something." She nodded, knowing he was right.

-:-

"What did Orochimaru do to you?" Akiko looked at him from her spot on the kitchen counter, one of her legs swinging softly.

"He didn't do anything." He tried to move some of her hair out of her face, but she swatted his hand away like it was a bug.

"Then Kabuto?"

"No! Of course not." She looked down at her bloody hands. "He wouldn't hurt me." She watched the jonin from the corner of her eyes.

He opened on the drawers in his kitchen and pulled out a small cloth. He turned on some warm water and got it wet, wringing out the access water before folding it in half. "Let me see." He eyed her hands before looking at her. She brought them closer to her. "Akiko, whose blood is this?" Kakashi slowly grabbed her wrists. She looked up at him and shook her head.

"No one's."

"Who did they make you hurt?" She closed her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying again. "Akiko?"

"I hurt her all on my own." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't know what happened. I hurt her, but it wasn't me. Something took over my body and all I could do was sit back and watch as it hurt her. I tired to get control, believe me I did, but I couldn't."

"She?"

"Hai." She didn't say anything else, but she let him have her hands.

"How did you get control?" He gently rubbed the dried blood off of her skin. He knew the feeling of having to wash the blood someone close to him off of his hands.

"Kabuto hurt himself." Kakashi stopped for a second. "He stabbed himself in the stomach. His blood let me have control."

"Did your best take over you?"

"No. She tired to take whatever force was invading me, but she was overpowered." Neither of them spoke following the statement. The jonin soaked the cloth again before wringing out the blood and water mix.

He leaned against the counter across from her, his arms crossed over his chest. "What would you like to eat?"

She looked around for a moment while she thought. "Rabbit."

"I don't think I have any," he went to his fridge to check. "Nope. But I do have some salmon and onigiri." He poked his head out of the fridge to look at her.

"That sounds good." She smiled at him, but he could tell it was fake. It didn't reach her eyes.

"Great." He brought his hands together and began to make dinner.

Akiko watched him work from the dinner table. She didn't realize how hungry she was until food was placed in front of her. "Thank you. But why are you helping me?"

"It's what your father would want."

Her father. "You knew dad?"

"He was my sensei when I was kid."

"Dad taught you!?" She accidentally dropped her onigiri. "He..."

"Sensei wasn't a bad man, and neither are his kids. I'm proud Naruto, no matter how much of an idiot he is. I know you're not bad just because you belong to Orochimaru." He smiled at her.

"To be honest, I think that if I wanted to, he would let me return to the village."

"Do you want to?"

"No. I have to find my own path, away from the Leaf. Away from Naruto." It wasn't technically a lie, but she didn't tell him the real reason. With Sasuke being brought to him, she needed to keep an eye on him. "I didn't know you could cook, by the way."

"Shinobi have many skills, Akiko." He stood up and placed his plate in the sink. When did he remove his mask? "I was going to see Lady Tsunade in the morning to get my next mission. But since your awake, I'll do it tonight and bring you with."

"No!" She shot up, sending her chain to the ground. "You can't-"

"Why not?" Kakashi leaned against the counter beside the sink, his hands placed on the edge of it.

"You just can't."

"If this has anything to do with the Third Hokage, you had no part in his death-"

"It's not that. It's just... we fought Master Jiraiya and Tsunade's attendant. Lord Orochimaru nearly killed Tsunade. I might not have helped much, but I was on their side. She'll lock me forever, or kill me."

"You didn't choose to be taken by him." The jonin pushed himself off the counter and walked to her. "I have to bring you with. But you can stay here for the next few days while I'm gone."

"I-"

"Let me finished." She nodded. "I'll vouch for you, alright? All I ask is that you listen and trust me. Can you do that?" She nodded, looking away from him.