Unbreakable (Book 1) #Wattys2015

Immediately- Katsu

Katsu sat there for a long time, resting so that her chakra would return quicker. She hated that special jutsu of his. She wondered why he had stormed out of the room just after their argument, but she didn't have to ponder for too long.

The door opened once again and in came Sasuke dragging with him a man in ragged clothes with white-grey hair. But when Katsu saw his face, she was instantly on her feet. "Kakashi!" He had bloodshot eyes and his skin was so pale, it was almost translucent.

Sasuke shoved him forward so that he toppled to the ground, his arms not strong enough to catch the rest of his body.

Katsu gasped and ran forward.

"Just a moment, my dear Princess," Sasuke said, stopping her in her tracks, only several steps away from her sensei. "This one has something he wishes to say to you."

Katsu looked down at the fallen ninja in confusion. What could he possibly 'wish to say'?

Kakashi looked upward with his eyes as if not even strong enough to successfully lift himself into a sitting position. "I...I hate you...Katsu..." his voice sounded like two rough stones scratching together.

The words made Katsu take a step back. He couldn't mean that. No. "What do you mean...?" she asked, unaware that she was holding her breath.

"I mean..." he said, his tone laced with cruelty. "That you're the one to blame for all of this."  He closed his eyes.

Katsu placed a hand over her mouth, unable to deal with the unexpected wave of pain. Here was the man she wanted to see more than anyone else in the world, and he was stabbing her through the heart. But he wasn't done.

When he opened his eyes, they were clouded, as though he were having trouble seeing clearly. That didn't stop what else he had to say. "You're  the reason why the kids aren't safe... You're  the reason why the Leaf isn't safe. You're  the reason why I'm dying..."

"K-Kakashi..." she whispered, her eyes dry due to lack of tears from earlier, though her heart was crying a river.

"You're a disgrace...to our village.... a disgrace...to the Inazuna Clan... a disgrace...to shinobis everywhere... and a disgrace....to me."

Katsu was backing away now, not wanting to hear any of the horrible things. But he had one more terrible thorn to jab at her.

"I...hate...you..." It was the last thing he said before Sasuke strode over to drag him upward by the back of his collar.

"How dare you say something like that to her?" the dark-haired boy asked in fury. "How dare  you hurt her like that?"

Kakashi said nothing, his eyes seemingly unable to focus on anything, as if he were blacking out. He really was dying, Katsu observed with another wave of pain.

Sasuke dragged him back out of the room. The last thing his eyes were able to focus on were hers before a door was slammed in between them.

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Sasuke returned much sooner than he had before.

Katsu was seated in front of the fireplace, her eyes tear-free as if her tear ducts had simply run dry. She had none left to give. But she was no longer sad. She was angry. She glared forward into the fire, the crimson flames only surging her anger on.

She glanced at Sasuke as he sat down in the chair beside her, crossing a heel over his knee. "Do you wish to talk about it, my dear?" he asked, his voice low as he was clearly not accustomed to initiating any form of comfort, nor anything close to it.