Masked Rivals /A Kakashi Fanfiction\

Chapter 15

I followed a little ways behind Tazuna, Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura as they made their way to the bridge-leaving Naruto behind to catch up on much needed rest after how hard he trained.

I didn't really pay attention to their chatter amongst themselves as the same thoughts swirled about my head. Ever since that first morning after we arrived here, when Kakashi told his students about me, I just couldn't help but wonder any and every scenario in my head. Did he really care? Or was it just guilt after Kakuzu knocked me out like that... could he have felt something for me? Did I ever feel something for him even back then...and was just too blinded by my loyalty to Akatsuki to see it...

"Wha- what's this?!"

If it wasn't for that shout, I might have just walked straight into Kakashi's back. I was so caught up in my head while staring up at the sun that I hadn't noticed them stop when they came upon the scene before them. Wounded workers were scattered across the bridge site.

Practically on cue, while Tazuna questioned one of the still conscious men, the bridge was shrouded in a dense mist.

"Here they come!" Kakashi warned and they gathered around, surrounding Tazuna in a defensive stance.

"Kakashi-sensei, this is...this is his hidden in the mist no jutsu, right?!"

"Long time no see" Zabuza's voice called out through the mist before Kakashi could answer his student.

The students eyes searched through the mist, bewildered that they couldn't pinpoint his voice.

"I see you're still with those brats. He's shaking again, poor kid." He continued with a light cackle in his tone.

I looked over to Sasuke, and sure enough, the kunai in his hand was visibly shaking.

Shit...this could be bad. Worried about what might come of this, I ran as fast as I could back to Tazuna's home. As I approached, a frazzled Naruto who had just woken up was dashing out the door. I don't know if this'll be helpful or not. I sweat dropped, thinking of how utterly exhausted and worn down Naruto looked last night before he passed out. But it's better than nothing

I darted to a line of trees just behind the house. I had hidden my ninja outfit under a pile of branches and leaves inside a hole in one of the trunks. I didn't feel like holding them the whole time I was inside the house and I didn't want to waste that much energy cloaking myself and an entity separate from me.

My casual clothes left in the dirt, I double checked the tightness of the bandages I wrapped around my face. Feeling comfortable in my mask, I swiftly made my way back to the battle on the bridge.

By the time I returned to the bridge, there was a large circle of what looked like mirrors in the middle of the bridge. I assumed one of the blurs of color that I could see shoot passed the gaps between these mirrors must have been Sasuke since he was missing from the group. Sakura was standing steady in front of Tazuna to catch any oncoming attacks, while Kakashi was occupied with Zabuza...but where's Naruto? He left the house to join them before me...

"Hey, your opponent is me." Zabuza taunted Kakashi whose attention kept veering to Sasuke, worried as blood splattered from inside the mirror fortress. "If you get by me, I'll kill those two." He threatened, effectively grabbing his full attention and keeping Kakashi from running to help Sasuke.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." I growled to myself, my cloak still hiding me at the moment. I hoped it could give me the upper hand against Zabuza if necessary.

Sakura left Tazuna open to try and help Sasuke. I stepped closer to him, ready to block if Zabuza turned his attention to Tazuna. Sakura aimed a kunai right through an opening between mirrors, trying to catch the masked boy Haku off guard. To Sakura's disappointment, he just blocked the kunai. But, a shuriken coming up on him from another direction did the trick, catching everyone off guard.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!! Has finally arrived!!" The loud voice of the most hyper active member rang out...from within the mirrors...

Sakura and Kakashi sweat dropped at their current predicament, which now seemed worse than before. I just felt relieved to know that he was okay in general, since he took his time getting here.

"Now that I'm here, everything will be fine! The main character of a story usually shows up in these types of situations and instantly kicks the enemy's ass!!" He yelled, sounding just as excited about himself as when he talked about being the next Hokage.

While Haku faced off Naruto and Sasuke, Zabuza and Kakashi kept one eye on each other and the other on their student's battle...they were just waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Sorry, but...I'm going to end this instantly." Kakashi had one hand on his headband, officially making the first move.

The sharingan...shit I cursed, quickly shuffling out of his peripheral, but still close enough to jump in if necessary.

"Hehe... sharingan again. Is that the only thing you can do?" Zabuza acted unphased by the threat of activating his eye.

Before he could lift the headband, Zabuza came at him with a kunai at the ready. He lashed out, aiming for his eye to take it, but instead it went through Kakashi's other hand as he held it up in defense.

"You asked if it's all I can do, but you're afraid of the sharingan... Zabuza." Kakashi ridiculed, calling him out.

My breathing became heavy, overwhelmed with worry just at the sight of the kunai going through Kakashi's hand...the blood that spilled from it...

"A shinobi's supreme technique is not something that should be showed to the opponent over and over." Zabuza retorted, acting unphased.

"You should feel honored. You're the only person to see it twice. And there won't be a third time."

Zabuza then spoke about Haku, the fine tool he had turned him into, and how there was no way we'd defeat Haku even if we defeated Zabuza.

"There's nothing as boring as a man's bragging," Kakashi interrupted as he finally disengaged his bloody hand from Zabuza's kunai. Then he finally lifted his headband, revealing his sharingan. "Let's get this started!"

"Hidden Mist no Jutsu!" And with that, Zabuza disappeared into the mist before Kakashi's eyes, not worried that he was even capable of stopping him.

"Sakura, protect Tazuna-san!!"

Kakashi tried to peer into the mist to pinpoint Zabuza, but the mist was so thick I doubted even Zabuza could see properly...but maybe he could hear

With that thought, I focused some of my chakra towards my ears, trying to enhance my hearing just momentarily.

I just barely caught the sound of metal slicing through the wind in time to back flip out of the way before the shuriken barrage hit me. It was aimed for Kakashi and I just happened to be in the way. He just narrowly caught the impending onslaught from the peripheral of his sharingan, but still managed to deflect each one with the kunai's he held.

When Zabuza reappeared, his eyes were closed as he kept the hand signs ready to disappear back into the mist.

So he is using hearing to navigate through his own jutsu. I knew it!

Unfortunately for Kakashi, between the mist and with Zabuza's eyes closed, his sharingan was not of much use at the moment and it was slowing him down.

Zabuza disappeared into the mist again. I could just barely make out everyone's positions, so I continued to focus on my hearing. Kakashi was to my side and Sakura and Tazuna were behind me...but then the light scuffle of a third pair of feet came up behind me as well.

Tazuna and Sakura!!

I turned around just after Kakashi had already done so, just barely making out that Zabuza was getting ready to ram his giant sword right into Tazuna from behind. It was too late for any jutsu's to stop Zabuza and I felt my heart hit the floor knowing exactly what Kakashi had in mind to stop him...and thats what I had in mind to stop Kakashi.

Without thinking about my own actions, I dropped everything I had up, my chakra barrier and cloak. All I knew in that moment is that it was better me than Kakashi. I threw myself in front of Kakashi right at the moment Zabuza's blade was supposed to have torn through Tazuna.

For the first time in months, everyone could hear my voice as I screamed out in pain. His sword went right through my shoulder and out just above the shoulder blade, scraping across some bone along the way. The tip that poked out of my back just barely punctured Kakashi's chest, leaving a tear in his vest right above his heart... right where the blade would have gone if I hadn't...

I could hear Sakura gasp in shock, surprised and not really knowing who I was or what just happened. Tazuna just sighed in relief that it wasn't him. And Kakashi...he was frozen for a moment, not really sure what had just happened or what to do next as I was held in place in front of him by Zabuza's sword.

I shakily gripped the sides of the blade, holding it as best as I could manage through the blood loss so Zabuza couldn't push it deeper in me and towards Kakashi.

I glanced at Kakashi from over my shoulder. He was still frozen in the defensive stance he took before I stepped in. The only thing that changed was his eyes as they got wider, finally taking in who was before him

"H-haruhi?" He gasped, brows stitched together in confusion.

"You're not trying to replace me with another bandaged bandit, are you?" I asked with a small chuckle, which turned into a groan of pain as if this...as if this was a casual conversation...I was really just trying to keep up an act in front of Kakashi, staying tough through the pain. Now how long that was going to last...I was already feeling faint in the head from the blood loss.

"I don't care who the hell you are! I don't have time for interferences!" Zabuza yelled as he threw his sword wielding hand to the side and effectively flinging me off his sword. I tried to catch myself and I skidded on my hands and feet a few yards across the concrete. Mid skid, my leg came out from under me when a piece of debris knocked out the back of my foot and tripped me up. I hit the concrete face first and rolled a few more feet before my body finally stopped and I finally lost conscious.