My Guardian Ninja

Disclaimer: Do I really need to point out, that I don't own Naruto?

Summary: Pre-timeskip. Kakashi gets a second chance at life...but not without earning it. And what's a better way then being Sakura's guardian Ninja? REWRITE

Pairing: KakashiSakura

"Talking"

Thinking

Inner Sakura

Kakashi felt the edge of his sight slipping and he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Don't close your eyes." Genma whispered urgently from above him. His senbon was missing and his clothes stained with dirt and blood. Kakashi watched blearily as branch after branch passed below him, red dripping down to meld with the dark brown bark.

Where did all the red come from?

His thought came out muddled and jumbled in his mind and he couldn't focus past the sharp pain in his abdomen. Something gushed sluggishly from his stomach and a wet sticky sensation collected under his shirt.

His head lolled against Genma's shoulder, his body suddenly too tired to hold it up. It thumped against Genma's shoulders lightly with each jump the other man took.

Jump. Thump. Jump. Thump.

His eyes drifted closed with the rhythm.

"Kakashi, wake up!" Genma yelled, jostling Kakashi's limp figure over his shoulder. The man was silent and Genma felt his heart lurch.

Sweat trickled down his face as he pushed himself to run faster. The bright red of the village front gates peaked through the tall tree's and Genma used the last of his chakra to reach it.

Kotetsu and Izumo were on guard duty and they noticed him immediately. He fell forward, his body succumbing to the chakra exhaustion.

Kakashi slid off his back in a lifeless heap next to him. Kotestu and Izumo swarmed the two but Genma cold only focus on his friends masked face.

"Don't die Kakashi," He whispered harshly before passing out.

Kakashi didn't respond.

He was already dead.

.

.

.

.

.

When Kakashi opened his eye, he was surprised to find he no longer felt any pain. Gone was the pain in his abdomen and the constant ache that came from his eye. In fact his whole body felt energized, he mused, as he flexed his finger.

The next surprise was the vast emptiness that greeted him. White, pure and blinding, stretched as far as his eye could see. Turning around yielded the same results.

Kakashi got the dreadful feeling that his mission had not gone well. Pushing himself up to his full height, he began to walk around. Nothing grew nearer or farther and he felt the type of disorientation that comes with getting lost.

Except how could he be lost when there was no destination in mind?

He sat down after walking for what felt like hours but in reality could have been minutes. His sense of time was starting to slip as the area gave no hints with daylight or darkness. He frowned at his sandal clad feet.

He must be dead, he surmised, because really there was no jutsu that he knew of that could create such an environment.

Was this it then?

He expected something more from the afterlife. He believed that when he died he would be cheerfully greeted by Obito and Rin. That Minato-sensei would pat him on the shoulder as Kushina would smile down at him.

In the very least he expected his father to show up to speak to him.

"Where are you?" He asked somewhat bitterly. No one answered and the question echoed strangely in the distance, climbing more and more distorted before it disappeared all together.

He receded to his back and stared up at the never ending sky. There didn't appear to be a ceiling just as there was no ground. Somehow he was laying on infinite nothingness. He closed his eye, believing that if he was very still, and very quiet, that he would disappear into the nothingness.

"Hello, Kakashi."

Kakashi's eye snapped open as he moved into a sitting position. He didn't see anyone in front or behind him. The whiteness stretched on uninterrupted.

Insanity? He thought curiously, tilting his head in self discovery. A booming laugh that rattled his figure came from everywhere yet no where.

"I am here little one. My presence is merely blocked from your senses." The voice sent a shiver down his spine. There was something in the timbre of it that resonated with power and left him feeling anxious.

"Who are you?" He asked, backing up in a useless attempt for cover.

"I have been called many things. God, lord, father…there is a curious fellow in your world that calls me Jashin." He laughed with some amusement.

"This is the end then?" He asked indicating to the area.

"No, this is merely the crossroads; limbo if you must." Kakashi frowned under his mask.

"And beyond this point?"

"Heaven or hell if you wish it. Or you could end up to one of the many dimensions in existence. Or you could go home." Kakashi inhaled sharply at that.

"Home?" He repeated hopefully. There was some silence before the voice boomed in agreement.

"How do I do this? How do I get back home?"

"One does not achieve a second chance without working for it." The voice said in an almost ominous fashion. Kakashi mulled over these words.

"I…what would I have to do?" He said hesitantly.

"There is a girl in your world. One who will meet a short existence if you do not interfere with her way of life. I will send you back to the physical plane as a spirit to be her guardian."

"I—wait her guardian? Like…guardian angel?" He blanched at the word. Of course he did hear the part about being sent back as a spirit. Would this mean he would be invisible?

"Guardian ninja if you prefer. And yes you should be invisible to most of the population." There was amusement in the voice.

"So that's it? I make sure she lives long and I get my life back?" This would be easy. With the exception of some, Kakashi was considered one of the strongest ninja in existence. The voice seemed to read his thoughts and responded in one of those abstract, wise tones.

"Give a man fish and he will eat well for the night. Teach him to fish and he will eat well forever."

"I don't understand." He responded honestly, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"The goal is not to save her from danger, Kakashi. The goal is to teach her to save herself from danger. When she has reached an appropriate strength she will return the gesture and save your life."

"I…is this still metaphorical or literal?" The voice chuckled, and something passed over him like a warm comforting heat.

"I did not expect you to understand. Just know that while the odds do not seem to be in your favor there is a reason for this. I believe that you will strive through it all and be victorious in the end." Well that was comforting. If he wanted anyone's faith it would most definitely be God's.

"How do I leave?" He asked eager to leave this place.

"Close your eyes and think of the place called home. When you open them again you shall be with your charge."

"Is there anything I should be warned about?" The voice hummed for a second and it was such a human gesture that it caught him off guard.

"There is a boy, Kotaru. I will send him to you every now and then. Do not be alarmed if he approaches you." Kakashi nodded his head in understanding. Then he proceeded to close his eye and think of Konoha and its red gates.

"It was nice speaking to you God."

"You too Kakashi." Kakashi heard the smile in his voice before there was a curious change in the atmosphere. Kakashi disappeared from the nothingness silently.

.

.

.

.

.

Kakashi groaned and shook his head before realizing he was no longer in the pure white. Instead he seemed to be in a room he'd never entered before. The walls were white, with delicate, little hearts painted on the tops of the walls.

There was a dresser covered with obscure things such as makeup, bracelets and other knickknacks and in the corner of the room sat a desk covered in different fabric materials, a sewing kit, and what looked like a Sasuke plushy. He recognized the awkward hair style and clothing that belonged to the young Uchiha he checked on regularly.

A fan-girl? He thought perturbed. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Fan girls tended to focus more on their looks and boys rather than their ninja duties. He had seen many ninjas fall due to the carelessness of their narcissistic teammate and he had seen too many missions fail due to the lack of skill every fan girl seemed to possess.

He had seen too many ninja die. He could understand now why the voice believed the girl would live a short existence.

He cringed finally taking into account the many pictures that were pinned across the white walls. Every picture held Sasuke.

Every one.

There was even a photo of the back of his head. Judging by the angles at which these pictures were taken and the lack of acknowledgment on the boys' face, Kakashi could infer that Sasuke was unaware of his secret fan girls' attention.

As Kakashi continued to observe his surroundings, his eyes finally came to rest on the barely noticeable lump situated on the four poster bed.

She lay quietly and sound asleep, buried underneath her thick comforter. The only indication to her being alive was the soft rise and fall of her breathing and the occasional rustle of her blanket.

Walking closer, he noted a small delicate hand peeking out of the edge of the comforter and loosely grasping the arm of a stuffed kitten.

Cute. He thought dryly while attempting to get a better look at his charge. Her face was carefully masked underneath the shadow her bedroom provided. He stepped closer only to be halted by the edge of her mattress. He looked down in mild surprise.

Great, he thought sarcastically while bracing his arm against the wall and leaning down to get a better look at Sakura, I'm dead but I don't get the added benefits like walking through solid objects. He frowned as he peered down at the young girl.

Long lashes brushed against pale cherubic cheeks and small pouty pink lips sat below a cute button nose. A halo of pink hair fanned out on the pillow beneath her head. It shined in the limited light cast into the room through the nearby window.

Kakashi was struck by how girly she was. Sure there were feminine kunoichi (there were even some feminine shinobi. Look at the Hyuuga's.) but they had a sultry edge of danger, a sort of sexy look that said 'Don't mess with me or I'll stick my kunai where the sun don't shine'.

Staring at her harder he vaguely recognized her as one of Naruto and Sasuke's classmates in the academy. He couldn't recall her name but he remembered Naruto's obvious affection for her.

Up close she looked soft and innocent. Delicate even. Kakashi could not surmise as to why such an innocent looking girl would want to join the ranks of a ninja.

A sharp crack echoed in the hallway. Kakashi's head swiveled in that direction just as her eye shot open and her body lurched upward. Her blanket slipped down to pool at her waist and she blinked her viridian eyes, disorientated.

Her face was inches from Kakashi's.

He held his breath as she slowly blinked away the haze of sleep.

She can't see me, He assured himself while taking an inaudible gulp.

It took a few seconds for her mind to catch up with her body and soon her eyes widened in what he could only label as shock as she continued to gaze at his face or whatever it was that was behind his face.

She can't see me! He cried again, as if repeating would make it more of reality.

Her mouth parted.

Sakura took in a huge breath of air and…..released it all in a blood curling scream.

Oh, Shit.

TTTTTT

I'm rewriting this story and The Demon Child. Hopefully they come out better than the previous version. Sorry if it seemed overly religious in some parts.

My Guardian Ninja-Complete

January 2, 2013

REVIEW! Please…