Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Any and all medical/torture information (methods&treatment) was gained by research through Wikipedia.

A/N: This (and the following) chapter(s) take place before the prologue. I didn't want you all to feel confused because I didn't make the transition strong enough. Oh, quick question: do you all like shorter chapters or longer ones? The prologue is ridiculously short, being only four and a half pages, but my usual chapters are around 10-15 pages long; which do you prefer? Shorter chapters mean really fast updates, longer chapters mean a more absorbing read (and weekly updates). Just curious; I can do either, let me know, okay? Otherwise chapter lengths and updates may get erratic.

Characters and their thoughts/actions will become more in-depth and involved as I go. For some reason I always start out vague; it's one of the areas I hope to improve on through writing this, so please bear with me as this slowly works its way up to par with all the other fics out here.

Beta-Reader: Solomonssavior. However, if you'd like to beta-read this, then feel free to e-mail me. It's on my profile in a couple of places. I'm definitely not against having more than one set of eyes look through this.

(Review replies at the bottom for now. FFN is giving me a hard time with links to respond in the e-mails...)

Through the Darkness, Light

暗さを通して、光がついてください

Chapter 01: Wrong Side of the Bed

About sixty kilometers east of the village gates, Kakashi, Asuma, and Gai were heading back home. They'd been completely exhausted by their simple CR (covert-reconnaissance) mission. They shouldn't have been; they were only tailing a rogue group of ninja through the mountains to make sure they didn't come anywhere near Fire Country's border. If they did, the three were supposed to engage with lethal intent. The group was supposedly headed toward one of the Akatsuki's main strongholds.

Kakashi hated when this kind of information was correct.

He and his teammates had been spotted by the green and white, bipolar Akatsuki member, Zetsu. By the time they'd realized their location had been compromised, it was too late. They were swarmed by Akatsuki underlings that were being controlled by the man with the God-complex, Hidan. They had fought for nearly an hour before they had all been defeated, Hidan having escaped when he saw the battle wasn't going his way, and hastily returned to their original posts—tracking the rogues and quietly escorting them away from Fire's borders; the three were grateful their mission was done and turned to head home.

The three had been traveling west for a while before the village gates finally came into view. "Wanna catch a beer when we get in?" Asuma asked, lighting a cig. The three continued to leap at a lazy pace from tree to tree. No need to rush.

"Not this time. I just want to sleep." Kakashi yawned.

"Yeah, you did have to use that eye of yours a lot," he commented. Then turning to Gai, he gave the man an almost pleading look, "What about you?"

"How could you contaminate such a youthful body with such toxins as alcohol and smoke?!"

Kakashi's eye crinkled as he glanced back over at Asuma. "I think that's a 'no,' too."

"Yeah, yeah. I hate drinking alone," the eldest jonîn sighed.

"Get Genma to go with you." Kakashi suggested.

"Or the lovely flower of youth—who just so happens to be your girlfriend—KURENAI!"

Asuma was stunned. "Did you just say something perceptive?"

"Positive!" Gai beamed, thumb stuck up into the air...and nearly crashed into a low-hanging tree branch.

"...nope, guess I was mistaken," he finished with a low, gruff laugh.

"Why don't you get Kurenai to go?" Kakashi asked, honestly curious.

"That woman and alcohol do not mix well. You should see what she can do with those vines of hers. She can tie a person up tight..." Asuma's eyes widened at his suddenly very interesting prospective. One he didn't suppose he'd mind entertaining throughout the night. "Actually, I think I will ask her," he rectified as they entered the village.

Gai continued shouting his encouragement then ran off to write the report as Kakashi snuck away low-key to escape to the comfort of his apartment. He could go and drink his pain away by himself, he preferred it that way. And besides, he wasn't lying, he really did need some sleep. He felt like he'd pass out any minute. He could barely believe that mission took that much out of him; he was getting old.

When Sakura woke up, she had thought the morning would be a good one. The sun was out, her hair wasn't frizzy, she had been able to sleep in until seven thirty, life was good. Life was good through her shower and her coffee, then things just started to go downhill from there.

She lost her patient's files somewhere between the back of the couch and the papers covering her kitchen table, the coffee scalded her tongue, and she'd been summoned by Tsunade. At eight in the morning. If her luck wasn't as bad as her shishou's she'd bet everything she had that Tsunade hadn't even been to bed yet. Nothing like an emergency surgery from an incoming ANBU team to keep you up at night, right?

She should've bet everything she had, she learned when she walked into her office; she was right, the woman was barely sitting upright between her heaping stacks of paperwork. And now she was on her way to Kakashi's house, playing the role of delivery boy, scroll in hand. Oh how she hated Tsunade's whims. The only reason she didn't flat out refuse was because she hadn't seen Kakashi in what seemed like months. The last time they'd spent any amount of substantial time together had been when Naruto had dragged her out of work early to eat ramen and train. That, and Tsunade had said it was urgent. But really, why couldn't she get someone else to do it?

About five minutes later, she found herself across town, standing in front of Kakashi's doorway, yawning. She knocked once, twice, three times. Getting frustrated with Kakashi's lack of door-answering skills and creeped out by the stares from his elderly neighbor watering his plants three doors down, she decided to let herself in. She shimmied the lock, and opened the door.

Sakura sighed heavily when she stepped inside, eyes scanning a sea of clutter and trash searching him out. Didn't he know how to clean?

Most people thought, for whatever reason, that Kakashi Hatake was a neat freak. If 'most people' actually got to see inside his home on a regular basis, then 'most people' would see that they were wrong. Very wrong. Sakura sighed again as she took in the contents of the crap that filled his home. He could give Naruto's place a run for its money. Clothes, scrolls, and take out containers covered the floor. There was a vague stench of sweat and alcohol permeating throughout the apartment, and absolutely everything seemed to be covered in dog hair. Simply put, it was a bachelor's pad. A thirty-something-year-old's bachelor pad, but a bachelor pad nonetheless.

Sakura groaned as she tried to navigate her way through the disaster area. She'd made up her mind; she'd just leave the scroll on the kitchen table for him to find when he got back from where ever he was. She shuttered when she reached the table. There was a little yellow slip of paper laying on top of the pile of unpaid utility bills. It said:

Momoko Sakurai
543-2100
Call for a good time!

"Ugh, friggin' slut," Sakura muttered. How the heck did he get the Momoko Sakurai's phone number, she wondered. "God, sensei, even you can do better than her."

As she moved to throw the paper away—because, really, she was doing Kakashi a favor. She was probably keeping him from catching some disgusting, incurable disease—she tripped over his stack of Icha Icha books and fell right onto the couch.

Her eyes instinctively shut and she moaned her discontent, but quickly amended, "At least it was a comfortable landing..."

She jumped when she heard a low, grumbled agreement coming from beneath her. "Kakashi! What are you doing?! Let me go!" Indeed, right after she had fallen his arms had wrapped themselves around her. She couldn't believe she didn't notice he was here! Laying on the couch in the middle of his living room, right in plain sight of the front door! Hell, she couldn't believe he hadn't woken up yet, but then again, all that hard liquor on his breath probably had something to do with it. That, and something about unconsciously sensing "safe" chakra signatures, probably.

But that didn't explain why she hadn't sensed him. She could understand why she didn't see him; one look around the place and anyone would believe that story. Whatever. She supposed she could just blame the fact that she was dead tired because of the all-nighter with Tsunade at the hospital. That, and his unusually low chakra levels.

But, then again, low chakra levels didn't explain the hand that was on her ass! 'Pervert! Kick his ass!' her inner screamed. Her outer self, though, was frozen. Kakashi moaned as his hand groped around to cop a better feel. She blushed when he pulled her tighter to his chest and his lips grazed her neck. She was half tempted to slap him, but his head was buried in her neck, making it hard to do so. Where was her glorious rage that she was so infamous for when she needed it? He mumbled something incoherent to her and she jumped when she felt his teeth nipping at her neck.

"Ka-Kakashi...?"

He nuzzled farther into her neck, "Hmm...?" His lips and tongue quickly soothed over the nibbled area, massaging away the redness.

"Le-let me go." It sounded more like a question.

"...No...stay," he mumbled, moving his attentions up to her earlobe.

Sakura's eyes widened when she realized she'd just gotten a semi-conscious answer. Her medical knowledge kicked automatically reabsorbed the situation. She was laying on top of Kakashi in his apartment with him asleep, but responsive. Okay, that meant one of two things: a) this was just a cruel joke on his part and he's been awake the whole time, or b) he was coming out of a REM cycle and he'd wake up soon and find her laying on top of him. It was most likely option B since she was doubtful that anyone could replicate the hectic, rapid eye movements that were going on under his lids.

So, what to do? What to do?, Sakura asked herself, trying desperately to think of a way to rectify her suddenly embarrassing, compromising situation.

'Book it,' her inner answered.

'No arguments here. Let's go!'

Sakura reached behind her and grabbed the hand that'd slid upward from her butt to under her shirt and slowly pulled it away from her body, watching Kakashi for any signs that he might wake up. She moved cautiously, not wanting to move him anymore than necessary. She froze above him when her hair tickled his nose and almost made him sneeze. 'Ugh, don't sneeze on me!' As soon as she disentangled his other hand from her hair above the nape of her neck, she stood up, dropped the scroll onto his expired magazine-laden coffee table and fled out the door.

'Never doing that again!' She thought as she closed his door and ran down the stairs, back to Hokage Tower to report back to Tsunade and forget the whole incident.

Kakashi reached his hand out in front of his face to shadow his eyes from the harsh light beating down on him. It was a gorgeous day out on the beach; not too hot, but warm enough to be wearing swimming trunks comfortably. His bleach blonde companion was giggling and splashing in the water, trying to lure him out of the sand. She was busty and all curves; just his type. He easily obliged her request, entering the water easily as a particularly large wave went back out to sea. He stood in the salt-water for a few moments, watching the woman try to make waves with her hands to splash him with. He had to admit, she was amusing. Her tiny viridian swimsuit only covered the bare essentials. Kakashi smirked and summoned a small, weak water dragon. The goal, obviously, was to show the girl how to make a proper wave. Her top coming off was just a bonus, really. It wasn't like he was a pervert or anything, he wasn't expecting it to be so flimsy.

Sure enough, though, as soon as the little waves it her, the woman shot up out of the water, clutching her top to her chest. Kakashi took the liberty of navigating himself through the water to where she had sunken herself up to her neck into the water to hide herself from him. He pulled her up and into his chest as he laughed at her antics.

Her high, bell-like voice chirped with amusement, "Kakashi! What are you doing?! Let me go!"

Kakashi tightened his hold on her, lifting her a bit higher and securing his arms lower around her hips. He laughed as she continued to struggle, pressing her cleavage right into his face, the pressure from her chest being the only thing keeping her bikini from falling down. Her entire body was flush light pink, but she was hardly fighting him. It was all a part of the game after all. As she kept wiggling in his arms, Kakashi was forced—really he was—to relocate his hands to a place with a much better grip. Her ass.

The woman let out a squeak of protest but began to laugh hysterically as he moved his mouth up and down her neck, tickling her, apparently. He knew he was a talented kisser, but he'd never quite had a response like this before. The girl was so lively in his arms, and she smelled sweet. Not unpleasantly so, either. It was a deep, heady scent, like amber, but it had a light note on top of it, one that he couldn't quite place. He couldn't get enough of it though. He breathed it in deeply and playfully nipped at her neck.

"Ka-Kakashi?" She peeped. His companion clearly wasn't expecting a nibble.

"Hmm...?" He replied, soothing her rapid heart rate with his tongue.

The woman laughed again. "Let me go?" she asked playfully, tugging at his arms. It seemed his little vixen wasn't quite done playing her games.

He gave her neck one last taste before he moved up to her ear. "No...stay...," he whispered huskily.

The girl giggled at him and with an unusual show of strength, finally broke away. She turned and ran out of the water, looking back to see if he would give chase, dropping her bikini, letting it float on the surface of the water. With a glint in his eye, he hauled himself back out of the water and followed her all the way back on to the beach snagging up the garment as he went. She was surprisingly fast, even running in sand. He couldn't quite catch up to her, but he kept laughing, kept playing her little game. She'd stop pretty soon and that was when the fun would really start. Besides, he had her bikini. She couldn't get far without that, now could she, he mentally boasted.

Kakashi woke up groggily as a breeze wafted its way through his living room. He had one hell of a headache after drinking so much. He was nearly ready to swear off Icha Icha and alcohol before sleeping, but waved away the notion, rationalizing that if he wanted to get drunk after missions—which he did—and he could read his own books anytime he chose—which he did—then a hangover really wasn't all that bad. Much less painful than a living a monk's life. The slight wind he had noticed drew his attention to the door, in the process of swinging shut as unknown guest fled the apartment, leaving a light scent of amber floating through the air.

Hmm, that smell. It was the same smell from his dream. That girl was amazing. Too tired to do much of anything else, he gave his apartment a cursory glance and once he had deemed that nothing had been taken, flopped back onto the couch to catch a little more sleep, inhaling amber and the light unrecognizable scent. He was determined to find out who's scent that was. Right after he finished sleeping off his hangover.

Review Replies:

Insanely-Hyperactive: It'll get good really soon, I promise. :D I like a little humor at the beginning to warm you up!

The Serial Typist: Stockholm Syndrome? Hmm, interesting, but I was trying to compare his captor to the women he is usually around. It's interesting the way you read that, I hadn't even considered looking at the wording like that. I'm looking forward to what you think of this dream sequence and the tiny, subtle references to Sakura that are already there.

Ten points to anyone who can spot them, I hope they're not too obvious, this is supposed to be a gradual transition. See you all next week!