Chapter 15 edited
During the next three days Lucy had been spending all of her free time with Naruto, she even helped him paint a couple of stores that rudely threw him out. Lucy had also asked Kakashi about why the villagers treat Naruto the way they do but he just said that it was classified so Lucy ended up doing some self-investigating.
Flashback
Kakashi had just gone to bed and Lucy quietly snuck out of the window and asked Gemini to take her place, to throw off the ANBU that were still monitoring her before she headed towards the Hokage office from the rooftops. If the information was classified then there had to be documented on it, right? Lucy surprised her chakra enough to make it seem like a mouse was running through the building before she made it to the Hokage tower, this would explain any noises that she may make during her investigation.Landing on top of the roof Lucy put on her cloak and pulled her hood over her head, (cloak looks like the one future Lucy wore) opened up the window and quietly snuck in. Running towards where she knew the filing cabinets were, she quickly got to work. Naruto looked to be younger than 12 but older than her current age so that narrowed it down to between nine and eleven years ago.
Lucy knew that they would have a file on Naruto from birth because he's been a part of this village his whole life. Looking towards the filing cabinets that were marked by year Lucy noticed how many there were just in those three years, she made two other clones and had each one look in files for that year. She needed to get back before Kakashi found out she was missing, or worse if the ANBU found out. Lucy shuddered at the thought and quickly got to work but no matter how hard or long she looked, she could not find anything.
"You won't find what you're searching for in there," Lucy heard from the door she walked through to get in.
"Sandaime," Lucy whispered and widened her eyes, worried about what was going to happen to her but her fear turned into surprise when he threw her a file, while her clones put everything away she read through what the Hokage gave her.
"So he really is a jinjuriki," she whispered, Lucy frowned and looked up at the Hokage, "when he told me about how the village treats him I wasn't sure," Lucy looked back down at the file and spotted Naruto's birthday and decided to remember that for later. "Why are you letting me read this?" Lucy asked the Hokage,
"Because I knew that you wouldn't abandon Naruto for this reason, in fact, you might be able to help him, guide him if you will. You may not have noticed Lucy but you are quite mature for your age and have a sense of hope on your eyes that I've never seen in anyone before. I truly believe that you hold the 'will of fire', something that the first Hokage wanted all shinobi of this village to have," the Hokage looked at Lucy as he said this and Lucy looked confused,
"Will of fire?" Lucy whispered the Hokage chuckled,
"You'll know what it is when the time is right," the Hokage turned around to leave but before he did he called out over his shoulder, "I've called off the ANBU that were sent to watch you, you are now an official citizen of Konoha, I hope that I don't regret that decision,"
Lucy smiled before she followed out after him and attempted to get home before Kakashi woke up but unfortunately luck wasn't on her side, the next morning she spent hours listening to him lecture her about going out after curfew and even more about sneaking into the Hokage office.
Flashback end
Lucy sighed at the memory of what happened not even two days beforehand. Lucy also noticed that Kakashi has been acting weird the last few days, whenever they talked about her training he would want it all in detail, he even went as far to offer to train her in lightning ninjutsu. Lucy agreed of course, why wouldn't she? But that didn't mean she was any less suspicious of his actions, he was usually disinterested and only made conversation to be polite. Lucy shrugged off the thought and decided that she would just ask him later before she looked up to see the Hokages hawk flying over her head, summoning her to his office. Lucy made it to the Hokage office and jumped in through the window,
"You summoned me, Lord Hokage?"
"Yes, I want you to go on a mission with Anko it'll last a few days at the least, she'll give you the details on the way, meet her at the gates in one hour," the Hokage stated firmly not looking at her but at Kakashi who was looking sternly at the Hokage clearly unhappy about something.
"I'll go and pack then," Lucy said and slowly turned to leave out the window but stopped when she heard Kakashi talk,
"I'll go with you," Kakashi walked over to her and pulled her into the room and took a hold of her hand, he walked out of the Hokages office and slammed the door shut behind the both of them. Kakashi still had a hold of Lucy's hand as they continued to walk down the hallway towards the seemingly endless staircase,
"Is there something wrong Kakashi?" Lucy asked and Kakashi looked down at her surprised before going back to looking bored once again,
"No everything's fine," he said and looked back towards the front,
"Are you sure because you seem frustrated?"
"I'm fine Lucy, don't worry," Lucy frowned at this but left it alone, if he wanted to tell her he would but this just added to her curiosity about his behaviour lately, she decided to leave it until she came back from her mission with Anko though.
Climbing up the steps of Kakashi's front porch Lucy opened the door and took off her shoes before running upstairs towards her room, gathering her things and asking Virgo to store then in the Spirit world for her, Lucy also grabbed her fingerless gloves and put one on her right hand to cover her guild mark and a pouch full of kunai and shuriken on her right hip. Lucy then attached her belt and pouch that her celestial keys used to reside into her left hip and filled it with exploding tags and sealing techniques that she's learnt. Lucy grabbed the black cloak that she used to sneak into the Hokages office before going into the lounge area to grab a book on some ninjutsu to read if she got the chance but all she saw was Kakashi pacing.
"Alright that's it, I was going to leave it until I got back but something is obviously wrong with you so spill it," Lucy stated loudly while putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward. Kakashi spun around at the sound of her voice and Lucy could clearly see the worry in his eyes before he tried to mask it with boredom, "this isn't about me going on a mission is it?" Lucy asked boredly,
"What worries me is that it's an A-rank mission, I don't think you should be doing a high ranking mission for the first one," Kakashi stated,
"I've been in dangerous situations before, besides Anko is going to be there as well, you know," Lucy looked at him frustrated, she knows that he doesn't know exactly how much danger she's actually been in before but it's still frustrating to be treated like a child. At least the Hokage recognises that she's more mature,
"You've never been on a mission before Lucy, I know you've trained and have a lot of skills but it's still dangerous, especially for a little girl," Kakashi's voice was getting louder but he wasn't yelling,
"Why exactly is it more dangerous because I'm a girl?" Lucy asked trying to stay calm but her voice raised to match his, Kakashi sighed,
"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that this makes you more of a target," Kakashi knelt down to her level, "Lucy you don't know how quickly a mission can change, people lie and may make a job seem easier than what it really is. I just want you to be careful,"
"I know alright, like I said I've been in dangerous situations before, this is nothing new, you honestly don't have to worry so much, besides don't you think if the Hokage had concerns about the mission he would say something. I doubt he would send me out on a mission without all of the information and Anko is going to be the one to give me a full explanation as well," Lucy notice Kakashi stiffen up slightly throughout her reasoning and was going to ask about it before he cut her off,
"Alright come on, Anko is probably already at the gate, she tends to be early," Kakashi started pushing Lucy out the door and towards the gate hoping she didn't notice how nervous he really was. Lucy trusted too easily, even though she was so reluctant in the beginning to tell the Hokage anything she has now put her trust in him to keep her as safe as he can while on missions. Kakashi didn't want to ruin the progress that has been made by her finding out why she's really going on this mission.
Once they arrived at the gate Lucy notice Anko already there, Lucy waved happily and was about to go over to her when Kakashi stopped her, "You haven't forgotten anything have you?"
"No I have everything I need, I asked Virgo to store it away for me," Lucy said the last part in a whisper to him but noticed that he still looked unsettled by something, it couldn't just be the mission, "Kakashi, is there something you're not telling me, about the mission I mean?" Kakashi looked at Lucy slightly shocked before lowering his gaze, not being able to look into her eyes, so my suspicions were right, the Hokage is sending me out specifically but for what reason and why is that reason worrying Kakashi so much? Lucy thought to herself.
Lucy sighed, it didn't look like Kakashi was going to say anything any time soon, probably because it was an order. "I'm sure whatever it is that you're not telling me won't get me killed Kakashi, don't beat yourself up so much okay. I'll see you in a few days," at this Lucy turned around and walked towards one of her teachers, missing the stern look that Kakashi gave to Anko. Anko slightly nodded at Kakashi and motioned for Lucy to follow her, once Lucy and Anko were out of sight Kakashi started walking back towards the Hokage office planning to try and negotiate once again about letting him follow Lucy and Anko.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Anko, it was just that she could get sidetracked very easily. Kakashi wasn't sure why he was so adamant about Lucy's safety but he feels like she can see right through him, she can tell when he's upset or wants to be alone, she can tell when he wants to talk to someone or when he's just being polite. Kakashi didn't know how she did it but she did and he felt he knew her also, he knew that Lucy still had nightmares and can hear her wake up in the night so he stands outside her door waiting for her to either go onto the roof or go back to sleep. If Lucy went out onto the roof he would follow her so, he could bring her back in once she finally did go to sleep and if she went straight to bed he knew that it was okay for him to go to sleep.
These little things are what make them somewhat close, they don't really talk to one another but they notice things about each other that others don't, it made Kakashi protective of Lucy in a way. Kakashi shook himself of his own thoughts as he made it to the Hokage tower, jumping up onto the window he was just about to go in when he heard Gai's voice from inside,
"I'm sorry for saying this Lord Hokage but why didn't you send Kakashi out on the mission with Lucy, surely he is more qualified than Anko to watch over her. He was in the ANBU after all,"
"While that may be true, I think you have noticed just how attached Kakashi has become to Lucy, I don't think that him being there would let us see her true potential," Kakashi heard the Hokage sigh deeply, "and I don't want to be there when Kakashi finds out that the mission involves Orochimaru," Kakashi froze at those words and could hear the Hokage say something else but didn't register what it was. Kakashi quickly jumped down from the window silently and ran towards the village gates and followed the direction that Anko and Lucy went.
Lucy and Anko ran side by side towards their mission location, Anko explaining as they went,
"Our mission is to collect intel on a drug lord near the tea country. Apparently, there has been underground trafficking, the tea country sent us this request to avoid conflict between neighbouring towns," Anko stressed but left out the part where the underground trafficking could be related to Orochimaru, "we are not to attack unless necessary, this is just intel,"
"What about if they have people captive?" Lucy asked but had a bad feeling of what she was going to hear,
"Not this time, we need to figure out the purpose of which they are doing this, we can come back for anyone else later," Anko said firmly leaving no room for argument but when has that ever stopped Lucy?
"I'm not going to sit back and do nothing Anko, people's lives could be at risk here. Does their purpose really matter more than the safety of others?" Lucy growled out,
"These are orders, Lucy, we cannot disobey the Hokage, we are not abandoning the people, we are simply waiting to rescue them," Lucy stopped running and Anko turned around to face her,
"We cannot afford to wait; those people may not have enough time left for us to gather information. Saving those people should take a priority, people shouldn't be left as an afterthought," Lucy yelled out giving their location away to possible enemies.
"This is not up for debate Lucy, you will follow my orders as the leader of this mission or I will have to report you in for treason," Anko growled out while she didn't want Lucy to be put in prison and maybe even TI, Lucy needed to learn to obey orders. Anko hoped that she would follow Anko's lead because it is her first mission but apparently not.
Lucy, on the other hand, grew more opposed to the ninja way, they were just like the magic council. They look out for themselves first, everyone else is an afterthought, FairyTail never turned their back on someone in need and Lucy wasn't about to start now but if she went along with Anko's plan and didn't tell her about it she could put Anko in danger. Lucy took a deep breath and looked Anko straight in the eye angrily,
"I will never turn my back on someone that needs me, I don't care if I'm disobeying orders or if I get thrown in prison for treason because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let someone die or get hurt while there is something I can do about it and if you still want to report me in then I will go with no fuss after this mission," Lucy said firmly and out a hand to her head, she felt dizzy all of a sudden. Anko fell to the ground and Lucy straight after,
"Ahh, you always were stubborn weren't you Lucy?" Anko and Lucy heard from above them, they both looked up and Lucy's eyes widened,
"Axal-Sensei?" Lucy whispered before she fell unconscious.
With Kakashi
Kakashi was running in the direction that Lucy and Anko were but skidded to a stop when he spotted Anko passed out and tied to a tree. Running over to her he started untying her and tried to wake her up,
"Anko, wake up, what happened?" Anko groaned as she opened her eyes only to jolt awake and started looking around, "Anko where's Lucy?" Kakashi continued talking, Anko turned towards Kakashi but looked conflicted,
"Not here," she said firmly not sure what to make of the information that she had learned before she passed out,
"What do you mean not here? Where is she? Who took her?" Kakashi yelled out in panic,
"There was a type of gas in the air that we couldn't see, it put us to sleep but before we passed out we were arguing about the mission and heard someone speak from above us. They knew Lucy, she called him sensei before I passed out," Anko explained as she stood up off of the ground,
"We have to look for her," Kakashi stated and was about to bite his thumb when Anko started speaking,
"Lucy knew him Kakashi, she probably went with him willingly, what if she is working for Orochimaru," Anko tried to reason with him, her doubts about Lucy's intentions with the village coming into light. Kakashi turned to her with a glare,
"Lucy's not like that, she wouldn't do that," he yelled,
"How would you know, you don't even know anything about her, you guys barely talk to one another," Anko growled out,
"I know her more than you do, I know that she has nightmares about what happened while she was with Orochimaru, I know her favourite foods, her weird habits, she even told me about her parents," Kakashi stopped to take a deep breath and saw that Anko was looking at him in shock about how much he actually paid attention to Lucy. "I've seen her at her most vulnerable Anko, I do know Lucy and I know that she would never lie about her intentions towards the village," Kakashi then bit his thumb and swiped it across the ground, "Summoning Jutsu," Kakashi's ninja pack appeared in front of him and instructed them to find a trace of Lucy.
"Anko I want you to go back to the village and send Gai as back up, I don't trust the Hokage with Lucy's safety right now," Kakashi demanded before Pa-Kun came back with Lucy's scent,
"I'll come with you," Anko said firmly,
"I don't trust you with Lucy's safety right now either," Anko looked hurt at that remark but Kakashi either didn't notice or didn't care as he turned to follow Pakkun,
"I'll give you and Gai until tomorrow evening to come back with Lucy, if you don't I'm informing the Hokage," Anko replied before she jumped away.
Kakashi was running after Pakkun trying to clear his mind, he was panicking too much and if he couldn't think straight he could get Lucy and himself killed. Kakashi came to a stop outside of an old mental asylum, it was only a single story and it was all broken down. Kakashi asked Pakkun to scout the perimeter and report back the stealthiest entrance and tell him how many exits there are.
"The stealthiest way in would be through the skylight in the ceiling and there are six exits if you count the open windows that I found, otherwise there are three doors and what looks to be a basement entrance out the back," Pakkun said, "summon me again when you get her to safety," he whispered before poofing back to where he was before.
Kakashi walked around the side of the building careful to stay away from the windows and tried to find the basement entrance, once he found it he made sure that it was unlocked before jumping onto the roof and locating the skylight. He opened the hatch and tried to make as little sound as possible before climbing in and standing on the ceiling, using the ceiling to make his way through the building he tried locating Lucy's chakra but found that there was so little chakra in the building, it was like no living thing was anywhere for miles. Running a hand through his hair frustrated, he will just have to look through every room and hoped he didn't get caught.
With Lucy
Lucy was glaring at the man in front of her, the one she used to call her sensei.
"Where am I and what did you do to Anko?" Lucy yelled out tugging on her chains and held her up to the wall, her feet not touching the ground. Lucy heard Axal chuckle and tried not to scream in frustration,
"Hate to say it but I've missed you Ankle biter," he chuckled out,
"Don't call me that," Lucy yelled out, "do not act so familiar with me, I'd know this aura anywhere, it's all over this place. You're really working for Orochimaru aren't you?" Lucy yelled out still struggling within her chains, desperate to get out of the things that she spent eleven months in.
Lucy heard Axal sigh and knew that that was him confirming her suspicions, "why did you accept me as your apprentice then? Why were you even looking for one in the first place?" Lucy all but whimpered hoping that her suspicion was wrong,
"I accepted you as my apprentice and started training you when I saw that you had potential, that was my job. I gather information for Orochimaru about what's happening in the world, when I saw how you picked up on things and knew how to use a couple of weapons I knew that you would be useful to Orochimaru but the longer time I spent with you I knew that you wouldn't help him willingly so we staged my death and your capture," Axal explained and Lucy felt her eyes water. All that time she was training, learning and growing stronger, only to learn that it was all for his sake. All for Orochimaru.
Lucy looked down at the ground and started to shake, she felt like she couldn't breathe. Orochimaru knew about her the entire time, every time someone ordered weapons that needed to be done in a seemingly impossible timeframe it was him. Everything that she was doing, was being reported back to him, her skills in taijutsu, her chakra natures, everything that she was attempting to learn. Orochimaru knows it all, he knew when she was holding back in the pit, he knew the strength that she was hiding from him. Lucy couldn't hold back the tears as they started spilling over but she didn't make a sound.
Lucy couldn't register that Axal was still talking to her, she didn't even realise that he had left. She just felt lost, still struggling to breathe, she just let the tears fall onto the cold cement floor and just hung by her chains with her head down.