safety [Kakashi Hatake x OC]

three

But it wasn't the time to watch and analyze. Kakashi drew on his affinity for fire and spewed a blaze from his mouth low enough for the unknown kunoichi to avoid. She used the heat from his blaze to rise higher in the sky, lifting the air beneath her.

That attack was just a decoy for his real one. Behind the smoke left from the flames, electricity sparked from his fingers until a ball of condensed lighting crackled in his hand. "Chidori!" He shouted in a rough tone.

Like he had done previously, his arm drove directly through the Kirigakure ninja's chest, cracking his bones, severing his spine, and exploding his heart. The body collapsed to the ground in a heap of blood and lifelessness.

Watching the last of the enemies fall, the woman's seal broke and she was suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion and pain from the battle she had fought. It was three-against-one and she wouldn't have survived if the Konoha shinobi hadn't stepped in to help her.

She dropped to the ground - luckily not from too high up - but her legs were no longer strong enough to keep her standing. As soon as her feet hit the dirt, her ankles buckled and before she could brace for the fall, her vision became dark and her consciousness began to drift from her body.

But the harsh force didn't come. Instead, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist as her head fell into a shoulder, plush with fabric. It was warm, contrary to the chills that filled her blood. By some strange reasoning, she felt safe. Perhaps it was her own foolishness.

She was too weak, however, to properly contemplate her circumstances. She couldn't do anything as her entire reality became dark with nothingness.

----------

She felt warm and cozy, experiencing the sensation of pure sunlight on her skin. It was different than what she was used to. Kirigakure didn't have the same warmth.

The girl drew in a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air around her. There was a light minty aroma and she became aware of a solid ball of warmth at her stomach. She released a quiet noise from her lips, assuring that she wasn't dreaming.

She slowly blinked and the scene before her became clearer every time she opened her dark eyes. She was in a bedroom that wasn't hers, but it was a simple place. The blinds were open, uncovering large windows that looked into a treeline. Sun shone through the leaves as shadows and beams of light danced over the covers that she was sleeping under.

The warm object at her torso stirred, startling the woman. But she was too tired and genuinely surprised to be alive to be too surprised.

A snout emerged from underneath the covers, making way for a small pug-like dog who sat before her. She furrowed her brows in confusion and forced herself upright, not breaking her line of sight with the dog that was staring straight at her.

"Kakashi!" The dog yelled with a shockingly low and rough voice; perhaps more shocking than the fact that he was talking in the first place. "She's awake!"

The girl blinked rapidly, surprised into alertness. "Wha..." She trailed in a whispered tone. "You're a talking dog..."

"A ninken technically. An animal summon." The dog clarified as he crawled onto her lap, doing his job by keeping her from escaping, not that she had much of a reason to try to anyways.

There was a gentle, yet strong knock on the bedroom door, followed by a calm voice that asked politely, "May I come in?"

The unnamed girl opened her mouth to answer, but the dog interjected for her, "Yeah, she's up!" He seemed annoyed, perhaps in waiting for his owner.

"Thanks, Pakkun." The man on the other side of the door said, seeming to match the dog's slight irritation. Then the door clicked, and a man entered.

Memories of the battle that had ensued and theories of where she must have been flooded her consciousness. She remembered the silver-haired Konoha shinobi that had helped and essentially rescued her. And he was standing before her. His face was still half covered by a mask attached to his sleeveless undershirt, revealing his physical strength in the shape of his body and muscles.

His serious expression was suddenly overtaken by a closed-eyed smile, although she could only tell by his upturned eye and the slight outline of his lips beneath the navy fabric. He leaned back and rubbed the back of his head. "Guess it's about time I introduced myself." He laughed nonchalantly. When he opened his eye again, it was hardened with a dark history, but still kind towards her. "I'm Kakashi Hatake of the Leaf Village. This here is Pakkun, one of my dog summons that I had look after you."

"Thank you." Was all she could say.