The Girl Under the Mask-Kakashi x OC Romance

Chapter 44

"Itatsu, be caref-" Kakashi stopped short and said his prayers when his son managed to land safely from his unexpected hop off the jungle gym. If Ama saw this, she would kill me Kakashi thought with a sweat drop, then sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The image of her face instantly filling his thoughts. He saw her every time he closed his eyes. "Maya-" he reopened his eyes and glanced down at the little girl dutifully by his side. Ama protected her, wanted to give her a second chance, and now all this little girl could do was blame herself. Instead of being the child she should be, playing care-free, she'd stay by Kakashi's side like she was his little Keisan security guard; only allowing herself to relax and have fun when he told her, "-will you go help him, please?" 'Help' really meaning 'play'. 

"Lav May!" Itatsu cheered and ran right for her as soon as he saw her coming her way. 'Lav May-', his way of understanding and adjusting that lavender hair Maya was still the pink hair Maya that was his friend...or 'Lav May'. Anko and Kurenai thought it was the cutest thing cause it sounded like he was telling Maya 'Love me'. 

Knowing Maya had him, he closed his eyes once more in recollection, but this time the images that flowed were a memory he wished he could forget. 

The sun had started to break over the horizon, the dim light of day illuminating the crystal red 'feathers' that carried his wife away from him. The ground below her still covered in shadows, the sunrise not having yet touched the Earth...wait...not the shadow of the sun...dozens of figures darkened the ground as they stepped out from hiding in the tree line. 

Amaterasu flew passed them, forcing them to turn to follow her away from the path of the train-trying to divert their attention from us. She spread her wings as wide as her arms and then the tips detached. They spiraled in the air like tiny daggers before disappearing in the blink of an eye, hitting each of her targets. 

The shadow started to lift, half the bodies falling immobile and being left behind. Glints of silver shined against the breaking sun as kunai and shuriken zipped straight for her. She spun and swerved, dodging each threat that came her way before it came close to touching her. 

Water spiraled up from the ground almost as tall as a tower, carrying a few water ninja that leaped from the peak and came at her from above. For a moment, Amaterasu disappeared behind the span of her wings as she turned to thwart their attack. But they were just the distraction. More ninja that had still been hidden jumped out from the canopy of the tree line throwing paper bombs that shattered her wings. In the same instant her wings shattered, her own personal tornado shot out from below her and swallowed her hole. 

"Ama..." Kakashi clenched his fists at his side as he whispered her name, "...where do they have you?" 

"I might be able to answer that." 

"Jiraiya-" Kakashi glanced behind him with dazed and bewildered eyes at the man that clapped him on the shoulder. "-what are you saying?" His heart already started to beat erratically with hope at what he thought he heard. Did he hear him right?

"We think we finally have a lead on a mission she may be on." 

"Are you..." Kakashi instantly noticed Kurenai who had entered the playground with Mirai and went straight for Itatsu. "...sure..." Yes he was sure. Even Kurenai is ready to watch Itatsu so Team Kakashi can get the move on. Kakashi turned to Jiraiya with a fire in his eyes, ready for what he had. "What do you know?" 

He nodded his head away from the park and they took a walk to get some distance between them and the children.

"There have been a string of deaths in the last couple weeks in the north-east close to the Land of Lightning. The COD's were all ruled natural and with enough distance between them for most not to see a connection, but...we have intel on the inside that there has been an uproar underground. All the men that died seemed to have had their hand in the pot on something black market. Their deaths have raised suspicion of being poisoned by unknown competition trying to cut them out, but-"