The Kidnapping

With Demeter's girl captive, through grassy plains, drawn in a four-yoked car with loosened reins, rapt over the deep, impelled by love, you flew till Eleusinia's city rose to view: there, in a wondrous cave obscure and deep, the sacred maid secure from search you keep, the cave of Atthis, whose wide gates display an entrance to the kingdoms void of day.

- Orphic Hymn 18 to Pluton

Legend held that Hatake Kakashi's fate had been determined by drawing the shortest stick.

Even though the Fourth Great Ninja War had ended with the successful defeat of Akatsuki, there were always new threats emerging. As it was, there were three fronts that needed direction. There was an increasing amount of suspicious activity on the southern coast of Fire Country. The ocean was never too great a concern before, but conflict was brewing on the waters. Then of course there was Konoha itself, in need of a new Hokage after Tsunade had personally rewarded her powerful leadership during the war with a demotion.

But most troublesome of all was the quiet battle to the west. Something bizarre was flourishing in the marshes of southern Grass Country. And while Naruto tipped his wide-brimmed hat to shield his eyes from the sun and Sasuke fastened the top button of his coat against the cold sea wind, Kakashi laced his boots and waded knee-deep through the marshes, cursing his luck through the gas mask strapped to his face.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the antics of her guides, three local girls who couldn't stop giggling. They were quite pretty, especially when they laughed, and their hair flowed freely down their backs in auburn tresses that shone in the sun. And they knew it. The girls constantly giggled as they watched their hair twist about in the wind, and their mood took a significant dip whenever the clouds covered the sun. It was clear that they were more interested in pointing out the daisies and butterflies than collecting highly important and classified samples of dangerous plants.

One dangerous plant, to be specific: Datsuryokusou. It was the reason Sakura had abandoned the comfort of her Konoha apartment in exchange for the wearisome trek to the turbulent region of Neebaru. A mix of hills and narrow valleys tucked into the southeastern corner of Grass Country, Neebaru hugged the borders of both Fire and Rain. In recent years, the area had become the home to a most curious plant. Most plants emitted a natural chakra that was quite benign, but Datsuryokusou was much more sinister. Any humans that inhaled its dizzying fumes would quickly fall victim to its powerful absorption of chakra. Temporary protection could be offered by a gas mask, but even that was not safe for long. Under Tsunade and Sakura's direction, Konoha was conducting some very experimental research on harnessing natural chakra, which was largely inspired by Naruto's sage mode. Sakura had stubbornly ignored the warnings of the potential danger and demanded that she be sent out to collect a sample of the Datsuryokusou.

That is, if the local guides she had picked up at Bordertown could stop their tittering laughter long enough to fasten the gas masks into place.

"Girls, gas masks," Sakura ground out.

One of the girls pouted. "But they're so ugly and bulky," she whined. "And my hair is getting in the way."

"Then chop it off." A chorus of affronted gasps. "Seriously, I don't care. We've wasted enough time already with your stupid bunny rabbits."

There were some reassuring murmurs to the youngest girl before the guides grudgingly fixed the gas masks in place. Sakura waited impatiently, adjusting to seeing the world through the thick glass lenses. She wished that they could have been given slightly more updated equipment, but all of the top-of-the-line technology was shipped straight to Neebaru, or somewhere near there. Sakura didn't know the details. It had been four years since Kakashi-sensei was sent out here, but nobody could ever give Sakura straight details as to what he was doing. There were an awful lot of men and women being sent out to the Grass border, receiving top-secret training before being sent in a monthly shipment. Even with her high position at the hospital, there were materials being developed that she could not review without higher security clearance.

She shifted the shoulder strap of her pack. When the specific location of the Datsuryokusou had been disclosed to her, she had fleetingly wondered if she would see Kakashi out here. But she had dismissed it almost instantly; she was here for a quick job, in and out with the samples in tow. Out here, he was a commander of the highest rank and no doubt had better things to do than wander idly through a field of poisonous plants. There was not even the slimmest chance that they would cross paths.

Bringing her musings to a close, she turned to the girls. "Ready?"

"Yes, Sakura-san," they chorused sullenly. Sakura allowed herself a satisfied smile and then resumed their walk. They had entered the Neebaru region, having crossed the border into Grass country earlier that morning. While they had originally been moving due west, they had shifted southward a little. It was now very late in the afternoon, the sun burning low in the sky as it slipped steadily towards the horizon.

The land became very hilly very quickly. Sakura gave the girls credit for keeping their complaints about the walk to a minimum, but she still wished she didn't need them as they were slowing her down considerably. At this rate, she feared they wouldn't reach the plants before dark. She kept an eye out for their notorious deep red color, but she couldn't see anything useful. Just a lot of grass.

The eldest guide stopped. "Wait," she whispered. Sakura stopped, waiting as the girl took a few cautious steps forward. After nearly a minute she turned to Sakura. She was a positively creepy sight, her simple white gown fluttering innocently around her ankles while she spoke in a voice as sweet as cherries through the ugly, protruding grid of the mask. "Wait here with Aiko."

The youngest stayed behind while the two elder girls ran around the base of a particularly high hill. A chill autumn breeze ghosted past, pricking the goosebumps on Sakura's skin. As she waited, she watched her shadow stretch, elongated and distorted by the sun that set behind her. The sounds of the outdoors were muffled by the mask, leaving her trapped inside it with the heavy sound of her own breathing.

She nearly jumped as a gas mask poked around the hill. "Over here!" one of the girls shouted; she couldn't tell the difference between any of them. Checking that Aiko was with her (the girl had been braiding her own hair), she jogged over to where the other two guides waited. She circled the hill but was abruptly stopped when one of the girls held out a pale arm.

Confused, she looked around. The tall hill was blocking the sun, casting the landscape in a dark shadow, but she could see that the hills gave way to flatter land about a mile up ahead. "I don't see anything..."

"Down there."

She looked down and was startled to see a steep drop off. It was nearly impossible to make out from ground level, but when she was directly on top of it she could see the sloping walls that led down to what appeared to be a small body of water. She squinted through the thick eyepieces and nearly cried out in triumph when she saw the trickle of dark red lining the banks.

"This is it," she muttered, a savage smile stretching across her face. Finally! Inner Sakura, who rarely made an appearance these days, began to tap a victory dance. She had endured hours of tree hopping and agonizing hours of the mindless chatter of the guides for this wet little hole in the middle of nowhere.

After much fretting and some dirtied dresses, Sakura and the guides reached the bottom of the valley. They weren't kidding when they said it was narrow, Sakura noted. She glanced up at what looked like a gaping hole in the sky but was really just the opening of the ravine. It yawned jaggedly at her, revealing twinkling stars where the velvety night sky was washing out the orange stains left of the day.

The lighting was not great, but it would have to do. She groped for her hip pouch, taking out the small tools she would need to extract a sample. "You girls just wait right there," she said, approaching the banks. They obediently huddled together, clinging to the walls of the cliff.

Datsuryokusou had started in small holes like this one that dotted the pockmarked landscape of this country. Sakura had been told that by now it had spread to across the great river, but she would not need to go there: the samples she collected here would be sufficient. Besides, it was dangerous there. That was where they sent the mysterious shipments of quiet young men in black cloaks. She had been warned to steer clear of the dark waters of that river, especially at night.

She crouched at the water's edge, her sandals squelching in the mud. The pulsation of the red flower's chakra was practically tangible; Sakura could feel it through the leather of her gloves as she pressed down gently on a petal, revealing the nectar within.

The chakra from the Datsuryokusou was almost intoxicating, even though it was filtered through her mask. She found it difficult to focus on her own chakra, and it was very hard to be aware of the different chakras around her. There were the overwhelming signatures of the Datsuryokusou, of course, but underneath them she could pick out the faint civilian chakra of the girls, a few fish swimming low in the pond, and--

She froze. Twisting her head around, she glanced fearfully up at the mouth of the ravine. There was something moving up there. Fast. Its chakra was difficult to pinpoint, but it felt erratic and dangerous.

"Girls, get--"

One of the guides shrieked as a silhouette appeared on the western edge of the opening. Sakura bolted towards the girls, but the creature moved too fast: Before she could get to them, it had scaled the cliffside and landed with an angry splash on the muddy ground directly in front of the girls. With one angry swipe it knocked off Aiko's mask.

Sakura kicked it squarely in the back. It did not make any noise but stumbled away from the girls. Sakura assumed a defensive stance in front of them, holding up her fists and trying to evaluate the creature in front of her.

It stood with its shoulders hunched, its arms hanging from its sides like a gorilla's. Spikes of dark hair fell lank around its ghoulish face. Bandages covered its eyes. Sharp teeth were visible from its mouth, which hung agape in a circle of bluish lips. It appeared to be wearing some sort of body armor, but its pants were thin and torn. The chakra signature she was receiving from it was frenzied; it felt like a human, but it looked like it had just emerged from a watery grave.

She only had a few seconds to take in the creature's appearance before it lunged at her, jagged fingernails like claws ripping towards her face. The two conscious girls screamed behind her as she ducked the swipe and countered with a powerful punch to the jaw, enhanced by her chakra. Blue sparks flew from its face to her hand, accompanied by a serious crack as the creature's face was whipped to the side, its body following it clumsily as it stumbled. It didn't seem to be particularly nimble, but it recovered almost immediately, ignoring its surely broken jaw and rounding on Sakura once more.

Her glove was singed where the sparks had touched it, and her hand stung. What on earth?! She blocked the surprisingly strong blow the creature sent at her, wincing against the impact of its sickly flesh on her arm guard. Armor covered its torso, but its lower body was vulnerable, so she directed a kick at the groin. She had assumed the creature was male, but besides stumbling backwards again it didn't seem to register any pain.

With surprising speed it darted around her and tried to strike for one of the girls. Sakura grabbed its arm, wrenching it backwards as the girl screamed. She hissed in pain as the sparks jumped over her glove, burning a hole through the leather. Her grip slackened reflexively from the pain. Seizing the opportunity, the creature tore free. It reached out and yanked the face mask from the terrified girl, who was pressed up against the wall of the ravine. She screamed and slumped to the ground. The creature loomed over her, but Sakura sent a burst of chakra through her arms and pulled it away.

The instant her chakra-laden arms came in contact with the creature, a powerful shock surged through her system and sent her flying backwards. She landed with a thud against the ravine wall and the creature started running, turning in a wide sweep and heading straight for her. Jumping to her feet, she tried to aim a high kick to its neck, but it dodged and grabbed the front of her mask, jerking it forward. The buckle at the back snapped as the creature yanked it off.

Sakura wriggled out of the tight spot she had been trapped in while her assailant threw the mask to the side. Already the fumes of the Datsuryokusou were starting to affect her-- her vision swam, everything curdling in moonwashed plumes of darkness. She felt light-headed, intoxicated by the aroma. She could vaguely hear another scream as the final girl had her mask ripped from her face. A yelp leapt from her throat as she tripped into a batch of blood-red flowers.

Choking, she fumbled at the kunai holster on her thigh. Her fingers shook with the effort, and she could feel her chakra draining. Summoning the rest of her rapidly dwindling strength, she gripped the fraying bandages of the kunai handle and threw it towards the monster.

With a clang of metal on metal it was deflected, but not by its target. In her heady confusion she could barely make out a billowing black cloak before she lost consciousness.

Kakashi felt the wet splashes of mud scale his legs as he crashed through the marshes. Usually he preferred stealth, but tonight called for special circumstances. Under no condition would he allow his target to get past the hills of Neebaru. It was already unforgivable enough that it had made it across the river, but now he was personally involved, and he was something of an expert in these matters.

Bull barked from up ahead, his jowls trembling as he turned his head back towards his master. "We've got the scent, he's going southeast!" With the sea of red flowers around him, he completely relied on his canine familiars to guide him. Their target tracked, the four dogs picked up speed. Kakashi roughly shoved his headband up onto his forehead, letting his Sharingan shoot open and scan the area. With their demonic chakra, the monsters were a flaming beacon to his eye.

And-- yes. There it was, straight ahead. He could make out the inhuman racing of its chakra even from this distance.

The trees around them thinned and the ground evened out. Soon his footfalls were softened by the undergrowth of crimson petals. He always thought that the Datsuryokusou bore a striking resemblance to poppies, but he knew better than to think they were so benign. The pretty red flowers tore up underneath the claws of his hounds as they raced after the monster. He could make out the hills up ahead, and-- there! His Sharingan watched the angry blue scorch mark on the horizon disappear behind a tall mound of earth.

Soon they had passed the red flowers and were running on plain grass that tickled their ankles. They were running so fast that they kicked up little clods of dirt as they went. His eye scanned the landscape, searching for a trace of the creature. It still frustrated him that his nose was useless here. At least he didn't have to wear one of those godforsaken gas masks anymore.

"Boss, he's down in a ravine up there!" Pakkun called. Kakashi nodded at his dogs, giving them permission to lead the way. They somehow found the strength to move even faster: He watched them bound around the hills before all of a sudden, they disappeared.

Someone screamed. He followed the dogs down the ravine, quickly skidding down the wall with practiced ease. But he was momentarily distracted by the presence of other chakra signatures-- three civilian and one achingly familiar kunoichi.

As Bisuke and Pakkun ran towards the civilian signatures, Kakashi's eye swiveled onto the shinobi. He hadn't quite believed it until he saw her pink hair falling around her face, pale in the moonlight...

Her face-- it was exposed. No wonder she looked like she was about to pass out. Her eyes were unfocused but directed towards the grotesque beast that lumbered dangerously close to her. She released a kunai that whistled towards the creature, but it was off center and would have missed its target even if Kakashi hadn't thrust his arm up to block it. It flew away from his arm guard.

He heard the disgusting, exaggerated sniffs of the monster as it noticed him. As soon as it registered his familiar scent it lunged at him with full strength, but Kakashi was ready. In one swift movement he dodged the powerful but imprecise blow and countered with a strong jab of his spear. It pierced the monster's neck: Eerily, it did not cry out in pain but only staggered backwards. There was a disturbing lack of bloodshed-- no more than a dark trickle. He knew that he had to act quickly or his attack would have no lasting effect. As it stumbled stupidly, its chakra flew with unprecedented vigor to the wound, utilizing an inhuman amount of chakra to rapidly heal the wound just enough to prevent it from being fatal.

Kakashi stabbed the wooden spear into the neck again, gritting his teeth as he drove it through with an angry twist. Seeing with his Sharingan that it was directing a disproportionate amount of its chakra flow to the opening, he jerked the spear out and fluidly drew his wooden sword from its sheath on his back.

Bull tackled the monster, dragging it down by the heels. Shiba pounced on its chest, holding it in place while Kakashi stepped towards the head. It fought against the constraints, veins bulging in its neck as it strained to hold its head up. Kakashi looked down coldly at its drawn face, its mouth open in a permanent silent scream.

There was nothing human about it.

And in one almighty movement, he swung the sword down and severed the monster's neck.

Its head fell back with a wet squelch into the mud. Kakashi panted heavily as he twisted around, his cloak following his movements like a tangible shadow in the darkness. The Datsuryokusou smiled innocently at him in the suddenly quiet night.

Pakkun nudged his ankle, rubbing his wet nose against the thick material of his boot. "We did our best to put the masks back on the civilian girls," he said, "but the last one was broken. I think that other one is..."

"Sakura," Kakashi breathed. He jogged over to where she had fallen. Kneeling beside her, he lifted her from the bed of red plants, supporting her upper back with his arm. He tugged one of his gloves off with his teeth and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. It was burning.

He hoisted her over his shoulder. "You said you've got the masks back on the other girls?"

Bisuke barked in the affirmative. Kakashi nodded. "Right, we'll send someone out for them right away." Truthfully he wasn't sparing much thought for the civilians, which he knew was deplorable, but he couldn't quite accept that he was holding Sakura in his arms.

He shoved his headband down over his Sharingan, sighing with relief as the chakra burden instantly lessened. Instead he directed his chakra to his feet so that he could scale the nearly vertical ravine wall, holding Sakura tight around the waist to keep her secure.

After that, it was a fairly short run back. He saved energy with a slow run until they returned to the domain of the red flowers, when he broke into a near sprint. Sakura was still completely vulnerable-- her signature had been weak enough back at the ravine. They splashed through the marshes in a hurry; Pakkun and Bisuke, the fastest of the dogs, were coming back with him while Shiba and Bull watched over the girls.

Soon the river was in sight. His breath searing in his throat, raw with the chill of the autumn night, he came to the banks of the great river.

It was truly a sight to behold, winding powerfully through the thick spread of the Datsuryokusou. They had jokingly nicknamed it the Sanzu because crossing it was like leaving the realm of the living for the undead.

As he hit the bank, a dark figure drifted towards him. It became distinguished as a hooded man, rowing across the great river. Impatiently, Kakashi waded into the river, fishing around in his hip pouch for his rite of passage.

When the boat came closer the ferryman turned his shrouded face towards Kakashi. He could only make out his thick eyebrows through the layers of shadows.

Kakashi held out a dirty gold coin. The ferryman leaned forward, inspecting the proffered token before nodding in approval and shifting in the boat to make room for Kakashi and his cargo. As he laid Sakura down gently on the seat, opting to squat himself, the ferryman did a double take

"Is that... Sakura-san?!"

"Just row, Lee."

Lee obeyed, exercising a special haste to get them back across the river. They were closest to Base 3, Furegaton, which was right on the river. By the time they hit the shore Kakashi was already running out with Sakura slung over his shoulder.

He only slowed to address a sentry. "I need you to tell your boss to send out a small retrieval team. Bisuke will show them the way-- Bull and Shiba are already down there." The sentry nodded frightfully, intimidated by the direct address by the commander.

Kakashi continued into the camp, throwing open two thick metal doors and letting them fall shut behind him with a deafening thud as he strode down the halls. His boots made tinny footsteps on the metal floors as he trailed mud along the reflections of pale fluorescent lights.

He turned sharply into a brightly lit room. It was long and narrow, the windowless walls lined with beds. Laying Sakura down on the first empty one he saw, he gave her a final glance before hurrying down the narrow central aisle. A nurse looked over her shoulder at him, barely fazed by finding her commander haggard and dirty in the middle of her pristine hospital room. She had seen far worse here.

"Yes sir?" she inquired, spreading politeness thin over her weariness.

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder. "Exposure to Datsuryokusou," he explained breathlessly. "Unknown duration, but unconscious when I found her."

He pressed himself against the rails at the end of a bed to make room for the nurse to move towards Sakura. He followed anxiously, peering over the nurse's shoulder as she took Sakura's pulse.

"She's a kunoichi," he blurted. The nurse pursed her lips, apparently insulted that he believed she couldn't infer as much. After all, there were numerous weapons on her person.

There was a tense minute of silence while the nurse conducted several simple tests. He could only judge the situation by the deepening crease in her forehead. Finally, she sighed and turned to him.

"I'm afraid her chakra is pretty severely depleted," she said. "But it isn't fatal. We can put her on some of the chakra-replenishing meds for now, but we can't spare it all for her."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. Despite their considerable funding, they still didn't have an endless supply of the precious medicine used to treat Datsuryokusou exposure, and Sakura was not a high-priority patient as she was unrelated to their operations.

Still, he had been very worried, and as the nurse left for the medicine he sat down on the edge of the adjacent bed. He resisted the impulse to push her bangs, slick with sweat, out of her eyes, but instead he let his hands fall in between his legs as he slumped forward. Blearily he watched her even breathing.

She turned her head slightly and revealed an angry red mark, presumably where the strap of her gas mask had been. He frowned, wondering why the hell she had been there in the first place.

The four years that had passed since he last saw her were clear. Certainly her physical appearance had changed... He scratched at his cloth-covered nose. She was dressed in an outfit very similar to Tsunade's, gray robe tied just under the bust and blue leggings underneath. The only difference was the black cloak she wore, which had been torn by her encounter with the monster.

Kakashi suppressed a shiver. It was lucky he had gotten there when he did; a few more minutes and she would have been zombie food.

Neji leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin. He closed his eyes, sighing as he released the Byakugan. It had been a long distance off, but he could've sworn he had seen...

He snapped his fingers authoritatively. Almost immediately the door to his quarters creaked open.

"Yessir?"

He stood up and turned to face the chuunin hovering nervously in the crack of the door. "I need to send some scouts across the border."

The chuunin's eyes widened. "A-across the border, sir? Isn't that Hatake-san's territory?"

A slim dark eyebrow rose. "Are you questioning my orders?"

Adam's apple wobbling, the chuunin shook his head. "Of course not, sir! I'll bring a squad to your quarters immediately!"

Within fifteen minutes four shinobi were standing at attention in front of Neji's desk. Hands clasped behind his back, he addressed them.

"There are three civilians in a ravine in Neebaru. I know there are a lot of ravines, but Hiro-san should be able to locate this one." He inclined his head at his fellow Hyuuga. "It's infested with Datsuryokusou, so you'll need masks."

The squad leader nodded. "Is there anything else, sir?"

A smile quirked at the edge of Neji's lips. "Yes, actually... there should be a spear there; I'd like you to bring it to me. I think Commander Hatake was in quite the rush to get out of there." He saw the fear flash across their faces and amended, "Don't worry, the only thing down there that can hurt you is a few little flowers."

Their masculinity officially challenged, the squad nodded solemnly and left. Neji sighed, sitting down to pen a short letter to Kakashi.

He sucked thoughtfully on the end of the quill he insisted on using (as there had to be some refinery in this hovel). Some time had passed since his last correspondence with Kakashi, so he would need to include some discussion of business matters, but he had been preparing for that so he already had all of the numbers ready.

None of that was occupying his mind presently, though. Even the little jibe he would make about the spear being left behind was secondary to the greater question weighing on him: Should he mention what he had seen? Kakashi would assume that he had born witness to the little rescue, since there was no other way he would have known to send a retrieval squad. But Kakashi quietly assuming and Neji actually pointing out were two very different things, and Kakashi was notoriously touchy when it came to his former students.

That former student in particular.

Of course, Neji doubted that his abduction of Sakura had been anything but impromptu, and it was unlikely that she had intended to spend an extended amount of time outside of Fire Country. Part of him wanted to say that he could rely on Kakashi to ship Sakura back home immediately, but he knew better than that. Kakashi was incredibly lonely and would no doubt milk Sakura's stay for as much as it was worth.

And he hesitated to do anything about that. Was it really his place to step in? It was an accident that he had witnessed the whole ordeal in the first place. Was it really his business what Kakashi decided to do with anyone unlucky enough to cross the river?

It wasn't that he expected Kakashi to engage in any unsavory behavior-- far from it. No, it was just that a small part of him worried that Kakashi would... neglect to inform Konoha that Sakura was with him. Because it was no secret that Tsunade would vehemently demand that her precious apprentice be returned to Konoha immediately if not sooner, but it was a lesser known fact that Kakashi probably missed his former student just as much.

While two of her sisters lay on white beds beside her, Aiko watched with wide and fearful eyes as a slender man approached her. His dark hair fell like a seamless curtain of silk around his face and shoulders. She nervously twisted strands of her own hair around her small index finger, wincing against the loud scraping noise as the man dragged a chair to the end of her bed. He sat on it backwards, folding his arms across the back of the chair and resting his chin squarely on top of them.

"Please tell me what you saw," he requested politely. His eyes were a pale shade of lavender.

"There was this ugly th-th-thing that attacked my s-sisters, and..." She swallowed, pressing her fingers against her mouth in distress. The man in the chair gave a small sigh and then an encouraging smile.

"Go ahead," he said gently. "No need to be afraid."

"But it was just so scary!" The last word left her mouth in an unintelligible shrill as she buried her face in her knees. "The monster just attacked us and Sakura-san tried to fight it but it almost knocked her out and she fell into the Da-da-Datsuryokusou and then it came for me and it would've killed EVERYONE but then-- then--" She gasped before embarking on another breathless explanation. "Then there was this man who came down to save us!"

"Go on," she heard the man say. "Tell me about the man."

Aiko gulped. She sat up, holding out her arms at her full wingspan and waving them about for dramatic effect. "He had a great black cloak made of shadows! It bi-billowed around him, and he had four animals with him, they were... uh, uh, HORSES! Yeah, yes, big black horses, and they swooped in and they-- took-- her!"

She rubbed at her eyes, her chest rising and falling heavily with the excitement. The man looked slightly skeptical.

"How long had your gas mask been off?" he questioned, a sardonic smile tugging at his mouth.

"Hardly any time at all!" she protested. "I swear, mister, even though he saved Sakura-san he was so scary." Her bottom lip trembled. "He was like death itself."

Author's Note: Adapted from the Greek myth "The Kidnapping of Persephone" for the KakaSaku Mythology challenge, hosted by Zelha on the KakaSaku Livejournal community. Thank you to ScaryRei for being a very good beta, despite our time constrictions.