Naruto 1. Chapter 1: Taijutsu Training

**Naruto**

**Icha Icha One-Shots**

**Chapter 1 - Taijutsu Training**

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**A/U: I do not own Naruto.**

**I do however own Shizuka Midori, please ask permission before using her.**

**Midori has dark green hair and blood red eyes, she is also calm and collected and tends to think ever action through before doing it. She does have a temper and her personality sort of flips when it takes over, making her impulsive and dangerous to herself and others.**

**About a month, maybe two months ago I got into Naruto and spent these past two months developing a character who was originally made for Kisame, but as time went on, I changed her love interest into Kakashi and continued to develop her, making sure to tweak her perfections and imperfections so they make sense.**

**My OC Midori can be found on my Deviant Art account if anyone wants to see what she looks like in more detail. The link is on my profile!**

**Alright, that's enough ranting, enjoy chapter one of Icha Icha One-Shots!**

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Midori and Kakashi stood about four, maybe five meters apart, both looking serious and determined as they stared at one another.

"Do the same rules apply?" She asked, tugging on her gloves, cracking her knuckles as she prepared for the day's training.

"Yes...We fight until one of us is unable to move without being killed..." Kakashi said, tugging on his gloves and cracking his knuckles as well. "Weapons are allowed, Genjutsu and Ninjutsu however cannot be used..."

Midori smirked and got into a fighting stance. "Alright, this is point blank Taijutsu, distance can be accounted for, however not too far, and we cannot enter the coverage of trees, as that's where I have an advantage..."

"Is it really fair that you have so many more advantages than I do in this situation?" Kakashi asked, his tone teasing slightly as he also moving into a fighting stance. "After all, you're much more advanced in Taijutsu than in Ninjutsu or Genjutsu..."

"Oh stop complaining..." Midori said, her smirk widening. "You're the one who accepted the training..." She narrowed her eyes. "I'll even let you use your Sharingan..."

"That arrogance will get you killed in a life or death battle..." Kakashi said, his own eyes narrowing, the conversation will come to a close soon, and all hell would break loose in that same second.

"Try it, I could use a challenge..."

"Ah, you want a battle with your life on the line?" Kakashi asked, smirking beneath his mask. "Are you certain, Midori-chan?"

"Do I ever speak before considering my words?"

Kakashi hummed. "I suppose not..."

Then the silence stretched and a leaf fell from the trees, both Midori and Kakashi aware of it's movement as it slowly descended towards the dirt below.

The moment it hit the ground, they would begin.

And it did, the second that leaf brushed the dirt, both Kakashi and Midori kicked off from the ground and towards one another, not wasting a breath as they thought of the many ways they could make this turn to their advantage and slay the opponent.

Midori swung the first punch, which Kakashi dodged, along with another and another before quickly swinging her leg towards his head, which he caught by the ankle and lifted her, swinging her around twice before letting her do, forcing her into the air.

Kakashi bent at the legs and rocketed into the air, pulling back his fist and thrusting it towards her as she looked down with wide, alert eyes.

A deafening crack was heard as Kakashi's fist met Midori's nose and she was flung further into the air, while Kakashi did a flip and landed on the ground, watching as she continued falling towards the earth below.

Midori also flipped in the air and landed on one knee, her hand instantly covering her nose as she glared at Kakashi with one eye open, her face warped with pain.

Kakashi didn't give her a moment to check her injury and kicked off towards her once more, causing her to gasp and jump back to dodge his kick, landing on her feet and crossing her arms in front of her face to block another punch. Then she smirked and grabbed his wrists, swinging her leg up to kick him in the chin, which he blocked by kicking her other leg, knocking her to the ground, releasing both his arms.

Midori rolled quickly when Kakashi slammed his foot into the ground where she had been, swiftly getting to her feet and glaring at her partner, before darting towards him, punching at him multiple times, watching as he dodged and blocked each and ever one of them.

At this rate, they would be out of breath before doing any damage to one another.

Midori dropped to the ground when Kakashi expected her to punch and took him by surprise when she swung her leg forward and swept him off his feet, knocking him to the ground and forcing the air from his lungs.

She dove onto his chest and straddled him, lifting her fist, her own bloody face twisted with killer intent before she drove her knuckles towards his head.

Kakashi blocked her punch with his own hand coiling around it and swung his fist to punch her, which she caught with her hand, both of them locked together in a battle of might, both their arms trembling at the pushing force they applied to both limbs, trying to stop the other from breaking free.

Midori grunted when she felt her fist moving back and his fist coming closer. Dammit, she had to turn this in her favor. Her mind whirred, working, thinking of many possible solutions to this impasse they had reached.

Once clicked and for the next moment she thought the possibilities over. She could do it, if she angled herself right.

Suddenly she let out a cry and thrust her head forward, slamming it hard against the unprotected side of Kakashi's forehead, _just_ missing his temple.

Kakashi let out a noise of pain and pushed Midori off him, sitting with a hand on his head as blood tricked down his forehead and over his right cheek, before dripping from his chin.

Midori sat a little away from him, panting slightly as she and Kakashi both got to their feet at the same time, catching their breath before darting towards one another once more.

This time Kakashi reached into his shuriken holder and pulled out a kunai, slashing at Midori, who gasped and back flipped to avoid the blade, before she pulled her own out and locked it with his.

Both of them glared at one another before pulling their fists back and thrusting them at one another, both of them connecting with the other's face and staggering back with cries of pain.

Midori covered her face with her hand and glared at Kakashi through her fingers with her angered, blood red eyes. She felt blood run down her lip, he had slammed his knuckles into her jaw, and she could feel the throb of pain through her entire lower face.

Kakashi did the same, his black eye just as strong as her's as blood continued to drip from his chin, now mixed with the blood from his damaged nose.

"Damn it!" Midori snarled, pulling out another kunai and spitting blood to the side before she ran at Kakashi again, who pulled out another kunai as well, mirroring her and running towards her as well.

Both of them clashed in a battle of blades, dodging and slashing without a moment's hesitation, they were treating this as a life or death scenario, both of them would be injured in this battle.

It depended on their skill who would receive the least injuries.

Midori ducked to sweep his feet out from under him, but he caught on quickly and kicked her in the chin, causing her to fall back with blood spraying from her lips, looking up just in time to see a kunai being driven towards her chest.

She gasped and rolled to the side, forcing Kakashi's kunai to dig into the dirt, which he abandonned when he saw Midori slash at him.

However he wasn't fast enough as she sliced a deep cut into his left arm and kicked him in the chest, sending him staggering back.

Kaskashi was forced to drop the kunai as his arm became useless, he tsked and watched as she kicked off towards him once more.

He had to turn this back in his favor.

Kakashi grabbed a shuriken with his only able hand and tossed it towards her. Midori gasped and used her kunai to block it, before backflipping away from Kakashi's foot as it came into her line of sight.

"You need to do better than that!" She snarled, pulling out her own shurikens and holding them between her fingers, her other hand still brandishing a sharp kunai. "Especially when I get serious!"

Then she kicked off towards him once more and Kakashi's eye narrowed, before he swiftly tugged his forehead protector up, revealing his Sharingan to the light.

He was going to need to use this.

Midori tossed the shurikens at Kakashi and he quickly dodged each and every one of them, pulling out a kunai and locking blades with her as she swung at him.

"I guess I should be flattered..." Midori grunted as she pushed against his blade with both hands, seeing as he could only use one. "After all, only great Shinobi get to see your Sharingan..."

Kakashi chuckled as they drew closer, their faces inches apart, the killer intent visible in both their eyes at the intensity of their training. "I guess you are..." He said, then suddenly lifted his useless arm and punched her hard in the side of her face, sending her rolling away.

He had been bluffing!

Midori cursed when she came to a stop and spat blood, gasping and rolling to the side when she saw a shadow above her, watching as Kakashi's foot dug into the dirt where she had once been.

"Dammit!" Midori cursed, quickly getting to her feet and cracking her knuckles, coming at him without a weapon, having lost it during her tumble.

Kakashi blocked the attack with his arm and swung his kunai at her, which she caught with her hand, blood dripping from her palm as she pushed against the blade.

She took her training just as seriously as she had always done.

She grunted and swiftly swung her knee into his chin, sending him staggering back, having snatched the kunai from his hand during that time and flipped it so she was holding the handle, the blade drenched in her blood.

Kakashi quickly recovered and jumped back as she slashed at him, causing him to land by his stuck kunai, grabbing it and tugging hard to release it.

He watched as she ran towards him, quicker than before, knowing the danger that approached her if she didn't stop him before he released the blade.

However she wasn't fast enough as Kakashi gave the kunai another hard tug and pulled it from the ground, diving towards her, ducking from her blade and stabbing her hard in the stomach, too far to the left to hit any organs, but enough to stop any good movement for a while.

Midori's eyes widened and she coughed up blood on Kakashi's jacket, before she knee'd him in the face and jumped back, panting hard as she held the injury, Kakashi having pulled the blade from it just before her knee connected with his chin.

"It's over, Midori..." Kakashi said, dropping the honorific during the fight as he held the blade, pointing to his right as her blood dripped from the tip. "No one can move well with an injury like that..."

Midori scoffed and thought of her options, she couldn't allow him to win, especially if this was training, so she straightened up, pointing her blade to her right, as if challenging him.

"Try me..."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and he twirled his kunai once before coming at her once more, watching how she moved with his Sharingan.

She never acted without thinking, just what was she planning.

Suddenly she ducked as he thrust his kunai towards her again, and swept the one foot he had on the ground out from under him, straddling him before he could move and pinning the hand holding his weapon to the ground with her left hand, holding her kunai high in the air.

This was it!

Midori thrust it down towards him, but Kakashi caught her wrist, stopping the blade just an inch from his nose, sweat sliding down his cheek at the sheer proximity.

The woman above him grunted and jumped back, grabbing four shurikens and tossing them at him, Kakashi looked up to see them approach and rolled to escape them.

Midori cursed, holding her bleeding stomach again as she panted, her Chakra low from the energy she had spent during this fight.

Kakashi got to his feet and stood about four meters away from her, panting himself, his arm bleeding sluggishly and his face covered in blood, more than her's since his face had been her main target.

"Sh-shall we continue?" Kakashi asked, aware of her exhaustion, wondering how far she was willing to take this.

"N-not until one of us can't move!" Midori said, smirking as she clenched her fist. "I will finally beat you!"

Kakashi chuckled at her determination and pointed his kunai to his right once more, glaring at her with just as much determination. "Then come! Show me how you've improved!"

Midori snarled and kicked off towards him, slower than before, her kunai poised to strike as Kakashi followed suit, both of them meeting in the middle, their blades clashing and sparks flying between them.

Both of them locked eyes as their blades pushed against one another, before Midori went to knee Kakashi, who caught it with his other hand. "That move won't work again!" He said, tugging her leg and forcing her to the ground, slamming his foot against her chest and causing blood to spill from her lips.

She had felt something crack.

Midori tsked and lifted her head slowly, one eye closed and the other twitching with the pain flooding through her system.

He was far too strong with his Sharingan, but she wasn't going to be best again! She thrust her fist into his knee and heard a crack as he cried out and staggered back, his leg bent at a slightly odd angle.

Midori got to her feet and ran towards him, grabbing the kunai he dropped, now holding both with her arms formed in a cross.

Kakashi watched her with narrowed eyes, he couldn't move far with a broken leg and knew he had to stop her another way.

At the same time that she slashed at his chest, Kakashi thrust his good leg out and slammed it into her stomach, causing blood to spray from her lips and her kunais to drop from her grip and clatter against the dirt.

Kakashi stood there, his broken leg shaking beneath his entire weight as he winced at the pain, watching as she stared at his stomach with wide eyes, her chin dripping with blood.

He slowly bent his leg and moved it away from her before placing it on the ground, watching as she fell to the ground and curled into a ball, coughing up blood.

He had landed a hard kick slap bang in the middle of her stomach, if that hadn't immobilized her, then nothing would.

Midori grunted and lifted her head, one eye open and her lips drenched in blood as Kakashi lifted one of her kunai and pointed it at her nose.

"I win..."

Midori cursed as Kakashi dropped to his knees, letting the kunai fall too as he gripped his broken leg, both of them riddled with different injuries and drenched in their own blood.

"Th-that wasn't training..." Midori grunted, coughing up a little more blood. "That was a full blown fight..."

Kakashi nodded, dropping onto his ass and holding his broken leg with one hand, the other handing over his knee. "Yeah, I think we got a little carried away..."

Midori let out a soft laugh. "You think?" She asked, slowly managing to sit back herself, holding her stab wound, it wasn't fatal, but it hurt like hell. "Damn..."

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked as tilted his head to the side, getting a glimpse of her injuries. "That training was the most intense one we've had so far, are your injuries severe?"

Midori shook her head, wiping the blood from her nose with the back of her hand. "No, they're fine, not deep enough to be fatal, I'll be alright once we get back to the village..."

Kakashi chuckled and nodded, pulling down his forehead protector to cover his Sharingan and indicating a smile with his one visible eye. "Yeah, it'd be best to go back and get looked at before doing anything else..."

Kakashi got to his feet with a groan, his broken leg screaming in pain as he held out his hand for Midori, who took it and grunted as she got to her feet.

"Here, lean against me..." Kakashi said, taking her arm and draping it over her shoulder, knowing she would have difficulty moving.

Midori was too surprised to defy him as he started moving, making small noises of pain as his broken leg trembled, still using it as he helped her down the path.

His injuries were worse, yet he still had the strength to both beat her, and held her when she couldn't move far herself. Even if she had caused him more damage than he had her, she knew he had won.

She knew it would be a long time before she could beat him, even if she was more skilled at Taijutsu.

His heart was just too strong for her to surpass.

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**A/U: What do you think? I tried to make this fight as intense as possible, as if it really was a life or death battle.**

**The inspiration for this chapter came from watching Kakashi and Obito's fight. (Which I haven't seen yet, so please don't spoil it for me.)**

**I hope you liked it!**

**Please review, all comments and advice are appreciated and welcome! I take criticism well, and I don't judge the people who give it, so comment away!**

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Torture

**Chapter 2 - Torture**

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**A/N: I do not own Naruto!**

**I do however own Shizuka Midori, please ask permission before using her!**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS TORTURE!**

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

**Originally this chapter was going to have a completely different ending, but it seemed to drawn out, and long, so I changed it.**

**Enjoy!**

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Pain, that's all there was, pain like a thousand needles stabbing her at once and at different times all in the same second.

That's all she could feel, everywhere, all her nerves were on fire, she couldn't move, her body numbed slightly, but still very much awake and feeling, aware that perhaps this would be the end of her.

She wouldn't talk, not ever, not to these freaks.

Kakashi...

She hoped he would understand.

"Dammit!"

Suddenly the overwhelming pain stopped and her head fell forward only slightly, her breathing ragged, a little of her pride wounded by her current situation, she was a strong, proud woman with a calm nature and a temper no one messed with.

How dare they do this to her!

"Why won't you talk?!" The man who had spoken only moments ago kicked her hard in the stomach, making her gasp and cough up blood, her chained wrists slamming off the wall she was attached to as the blood stained her flak jacket.

"Turn up the voltage..." Another person said, a woman this time, her arms crossed as she glared holes into the side of Midori's head. "If we have to, we'll make her snap from madness first, that ought to loosen her tongue..."

Midori tsked and her lips curled back with disgust, her teeth clenched tightly together, hurting from the force she was putting on her jaw.

"You-" She coughed again, tiny specks of blood spraying through the air, hitting the man's. "You can try! B-but I won't betray my village!"

The man before her made a noise of irritation and maneuvered his hands to form different seals, thrusting his palm towards her and sending a stronger volt of Lighting Ninjutsu through her system.

Midori gasped and her head shot up as she made a choking noise, refusing to scream, refusing to give her enemies the satisfaction of her pain.

"Talk!" The woman snarled as the lightning stopped and her head fell once more, her body covered in burns. "Or he'll increase the voltage again!"

"I-I refuse!"

The woman's eyes narrowed and she nodded at her comrade, who did the same seals again, shooting more electricity into her body.

Her entire nervous system was screaming, pins and needles were all she was left with every time it was over, but when it was increased like this, all she could feel was a thousand sharp knives digging into her weak flesh.

She had never been tortured before, this was something she wished she would never live through again if she managed to escape.

"Dammit, is your village that important that you'll risk everything just to keep their secrets?" The man asked as he dropped his hands again, watching as her head fell further, but not limp.

She was strong, she refused to show weakness.

"Yeah..." She said, her lips curling into a bloody smile as she raised her head with effort, her red eyes strong and full of defiance at their advances. "Unlike you scum, I have friends, and a village to protect! So screw you damn torture, even if I am an inch from death, I will not tell you anything about my beloved village!"

Both the captors tsked and the woman gave the man another nod. "Make this one as high as you can without killing her..." She ordered.

Midori felt a shot of fear trail up her spine as her eyes widened and the man smirked, making the same seals and this time, both hands sparked with electricity.

'K-Kakashi-kun!' She thought in her panic as the palms of his hands turned to face her, the lighting shooting out and encasing her whole body.

She couldn't contain it as her entire body trembled and her back arched forward, her head lolling back and a piercing scream leaving her as pain rippled through her like she had been hit by a thousand different Wind Chakra Blades at once.

Tears spilled from her eyes as she made a choking noise, another horrifying scream leaving her as some of her burns began to bleed, the skin more or less peeling away under the force of the lightning.

The man tsked again and stopped, watching as the woman's entire body went limp, her breathing far too heavy and her heart beating at an irregular pace, if this kept going, it would most likely stop under the stress.

She didn't want to die. Not when she had yet to tell Kakashi how she really felt. How she had felt for a long time.

"Will you talk now?" The woman asked, she knew if the Konoha Kunoichi refused, she would have no choice but to be rid of her, after all, they could leave no witnesses. "Otherwise I'll be forced to eliminate you..."

Despite her suffering, despite her pain, despite her inability to move, a smile curled her lips and she chuckled with a gurgling noise, blood filling her mouth and trickling down her cheek.

Yes, she didn't want to die.

Yes, she had yet to tell Kakashi how she felt.

Yes, she was only young and still have a long life to lead.

However none of that compared to betraying her village, Kakashi would feel betrayed, would never return her affection and she would live the rest of her life alone once again.

"What the hell is so funny?" The man asked, stepping forward and grabbing her chin, making her hiss as the nerves reacted negatively to his touch. He lifted her face and forced her to meet his eyes. "Well? Will you talk or not?!"

"K-" She coughed and blood dripped from her lips and flecks of it landed on the man's face, however he didn't flinch, waiting for her response.

"K-kiss...My...Ass!"

The woman growled and the man huffed, letting her head fall as he stepped back and turned to his comrade, who gave him a serious look.

He knew what she wanted.

"Fine, you leave us no choice..." He said, making the same seals once more, both his hands now encased with a fatal amount of Lighting Chakra.

Midori's eyes widened and her tingling body began to tremble at the thought of her death, she knew this was it, that she would not live to see another day, that she would never see Kakashi's hidden smile again.

She was going to lose it all to some Rogue Shinobi who wanted to take Konoha for themselves.

Suddenly, without having to look up to verify this, a disturbing and painful sensation rocketed up her entire body, causing her to arch forward, her head to jerk back and her body to thrash as she screamed at the top of her failing voice.

"KAKASHI!"

She felt nothing but pain, her heart was thudding with irregular beats in her chest, each thump was painful, almost like it would force it's way out of her chest.

The beats became faster and her eyes grew wider, her breathing becoming too deep and a lone tear sliding down her cheek, burning her flesh as it reacted to the lightning.

Then, nothing, her breathing hitched and her eyes lost their light, her entire body freezing for a moment as her heart suddenly stopped in her chest, her rsgged, desperate breathing not kick-starting it and not long after her body slumped completely, her eyes still wide, but now fixed on the ground.

No sobs were heard, no movement was made, no tremors, no breaths, not even the smallest of heartbeats.

Midori's heart had failed, and her Chakra slowly began to drain from her body, the moment it left completely, she would no longer be able to be revived.

Her lifeless eyes stayed fixed to the floor, but a another single tear that slowly filled her left eye fell, descending towards the ground below, as if time itself had slowed.

She was dead.

~Naruto~

Kakashi and Guy ran through the halls of the underground base they had come across on their search for Midori. She had been kidnapped while scaling through the trees at their side.

They only came here because they followed her scream and tailed after the ones who took her.

They hadn't seen hide, nor hair of her since entering the hideout and Kakashi's emotions were being forced back, unease settling in his gut.

Where was she? Shouldn't she be back by now?!

Midori was not weak, if she was alive and well, she would have found a way to escape and meet up with them by now. Was she alright?

Suddenly a blood curdling scream was heard and both Guy and Kakashi halted their movements, their eyes wide as they recognised the owner of the voice.

"Kakashi, that was..." Guy said, trailing off, knowing Kakashi understood. The masked Shinobi's eyes narrowed and he took off in a sprint, Guy following behind before matching his pace and running at his rival's side.

They skidded around a corner and Kakashi's blood froze in his veins as another scream was heard.

"KAKASHI!"

"Midori..." Kakashi breathed as Guy's eyes turned serious and he took off towards the door they had heard the scream from. However Kakashi couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

Midori screamed, she was being harmed as he stood there, like a coward.

"Midori!" He called, kicking off after Guy.

His entire being swelled with fear and discomfort, which he forced back, but couldn't stop from showing in his eyes, both red and black burning with the emotion he had hidden from Midori for so long.

Guy turned a corner and the noise of wood shattering was heard, the door must have been locked.

Kakashi skidding around said corner and ran over to the hole where the door had been, his body freezing for the second time as his eyes fixed on the most horrifying sight he had ever seen.

Midori hung before him, her wrists chained to the wall as her head hung low, blood dripping from her chin, her entire form unmoving, no sighs of relief, no call of his name.

Not even a breath was heard.

"Ha!" Guy roared as he slammed his fist into the woman's stomach, making her cough up blood and her eyes roll back, body sliding down the wall as she lost consciousness, just like her comrade who lay on the ground, unmoving.

"Midori-chan..." Kakashi whispered, slowly taking a step as Guy grabbed both the criminals and held them by the back of their shirts, they would be punished back at the village.

"Kakashi..." Guy sighed, looking at his rival with a frown as he stopped in front of Midori cupped her cheeks with slightly shaking hands, his eyes filled with fear.

He was unable to hold back the shot of dread he felt.

"Hey, we've come to help you...Midori-chan?" Kakashi slowly lifted her head and he gasped, his eyes widening as they locked with blank, lifeless, blood red irises, her mouth hanging open and her breathing none-existent. "Midori!"

Guy gasped as he saw Kakashi quickly grabbed both the chains and pulled hard, forcing one to dent, but unable to break it. "Dammit, Guy, help me! Midori's not breathing!"

"What?!" Guy dropped both the criminals and ran over, grabbing one of the cuffs and pumping Chakra into his hands tugging as hard as he could, causing it to snap. Midori's body hung limply, her arm and torso sagging to the right, where her other wrist remained cuffed.

Kakashi stepped back and prepared to catch her as Guy tore the other cuff off and she fell forward, on her knees and straight into Kakashi's arms as he crouched down to break her fall.

The masked Shinobi placed her on the ground as Guy stood over him, sweat sliding down his cheek at the sight of the blank eyes Midori possessed.

It was so wrong to see her like this, even for Guy, who she had felt irritation towards for a long time.

"Without a medical Shinobi on standby, we have no choice but to perform the resuscitation without the aid of Chakra!" He said, pressing two fingers to her neck for any signs of a pulse.

When he felt nothing, not even a flutter, his eyes narrowed and he turned to Guy. "Take the criminals back to the village and call for medical reinforcements!"

Guy was shocked by how much urgency leaked into Kakashi's voice, however he nodded and picked up the Rogue Shinobi, his eyes full of belief in the masked Jounin's skills and determination before sprinting as fast as his legs allowed from the room.

Kakashi didn't waste any time as he leaned down and pressed his ear to her chest, checking for a heartbeat, even if he couldn't feel a pulse, that could mean that the heart was going too slowly for his fingers to pick up.

However he knew already that she was dead, despite his efforts to check for vital signs, she hadn't blinked since he had entered the room.

Her eyes were still and empty, and so was she.

"Don't give up on me, Midori-chan..." Kakashi breathed as he pulled back, placing both hands on her chest, right in the middle, one linked over the other and began the chest compressions.

Without Chakra, she would hopefully begin breathing, but then they have maybe an hour or two to pump Chakra into her Chakra Circulatory System before she would pass away once again.

And if that happened, it would be permanent death, they would not be able to resuscitate her again.

After all, after death, it takes about five to ten minutes for the Chakra in her system to drain out of her, leaving her a hollow shell.

He stared at her eyes as he continued to push down on her chest, trying to kick-start the heart. He had to save her, he just had to.

He hadn't spoken his true feelings, and this event had brought light of how short life was, he couldn't afford to fear her answer anymore.

When chest compressions alone were useless he let out a soft curse and gripped the top of his mask, pulling it down and leaning over, holding her nose shut as he tilted her head back and locked his lips with her's, forcing hair down into her lungs.

He pulled away again and began to count the chest compressions, thirty pumps and then mouth to mouth, he had to repeat this cycle, over and over again, until he was blue in the face.

He wouldn't allow her to die here! She was a strong Jounin, dammit! She didn't deserve to die!

Kakashi leaned down and connected their lips once again, his eyes burning as he forced back tears, he would not let her die.

He sat up and began the chest compressions again, his mind replaying all their wonderful moments alone.

_~Naruto~_

_Kakashi watched as she moved closer, curious and confused, was she really alright? She was quieter than normal, was something bothering her?_

_When Midori was a step away from bending down and kissing him, the weight of her fore coming actions slapped her in the face and she chickened out. Instead she sat down beside him and cupped his right cheek, slowly bringing his face closer and pressing a kiss to the left one, her eyes closed while his were wide with shock. His masked mouth hung open slightly at the gesture and a blush spreading across both their cheeks._

_She pulled away slightly with an affectionate smile and breathed softly in his ear. "Happy birthday...Kakashi-kun~!"_

_~Naruto~_

_Kakashi looked back at his book and an idea clicked, a smirk slowly stretching the fabric of the mask covering his lips._

_Midori smiled down at her work with content before she stiffened, a sudden weight shuffling up behind her, two long legs on either side of her body as the connecting feet touched the ground. A strong arm wrapped around her waist as warm breath heated up the juncture between her neck and shoulder, another hand pulling Make-Out Paradise into her line of vision._

_Kakashi would have laughed at her wide eyed expression, her mouth hanging open and her bright red face if his heart wasn't thudding in his ears right now. He hoped this meant as much to her as that little kiss meant to him._

_"Happy birthday...Midori-chan~!" Kakashi said, then began to read to her. For the first time, Midori didn't complain about his book._

_She was too shocked by his actions to care anymore._

_~Naruto~_

_Midori sat at the top of the hill, overlooking the scenery before her, smiling with relaxation as she sank her teeth into a juicy peach, her friend sat beside her, his book in hand._

_There was a selection of books between then, mainly for Kakashi, since most of them were labelled as Icha Icha, however she had placed a few books for herself in there as well._

_However when she reached out, her fingers grazed another set of warm digits and she gasped, quickly jerking her hand back and looking away with a blush._

_Kakashi stared at her for a moment, surprised by her sudden shyness, before he smiled using his one visible eye and lifted the book she was reaching for, placing it in her lap._

_A soft thank you was her response._

~Naruto~

He wished she would respond now! His arms were starting to ache as he finished another round of chest compressions and leaned down, capturing her lips with another life giving kiss.

As he pulled away, he almost dropped his head to her chest and sobbed as her back arched and a single breath was inhaled, her open eyes squeezing shut to gain moisture once more, before she jerked forward, coughing harshly as her lungs kick-started.

Kakashi stared down at her with soft, relieved eyes as her coughing slowed, taking uneven, deep breaths, before slumping completely, her eyes slowly opening to meet the blurry figure of her best friend.

"Ka-" She coughed again and Kakashi shook his head, gently intertwining his fingers into her hair as he held her skull, lifting her slowly and resting her against his arm.

"Don't try to speak, Midori-chan..." Kakashi told her as she continued to greedily inhale as much air as she could, her entire body numb, blood beginning to rush through her once more.

She opened her mouth, but coughed once, her throat raw, perhaps from the screams she could remember before everything went dark.

Taking his advice, she closed her mouth and let her lead loll to the side, resting her cheek against Kakashi's shoulder as she felt the life slowly, too slowly, return to her.

Kakashi gave her a small smile before looking at the gaping doorway with slight concern. Where was Guy with those reinforcements, they had minutes before Midori's lack of Chakra would kill her again.

"Midori-chan, don't sleep..." Kakashi told her, shaking her slightly and rousing her from a near-sleep state. "If you sleep, you won't wake up again..."

Midori nodded, but her eyes continued to droop, Kakashi was even more concerned now, after all, her Chakra must have already been low before she had been killed, however now, since she was now using her Chakra to kick-start her body, she must have been running on fumes at this point.

Suddenly footsteps where heard down the hallway and Kakashi's eyes narrowed, reaching into his shuriken holder and pulling out a Kunai, just in case, doing this while covering his face once more with the mask he only took of in dire situations, such as this.

However he almost had a heart attack when Sakura dove into the room and all but slammed him against the wall with a shove. "Out of the way!" She said strongly, dropping to her knees and catching Midori before she hit her head off the ground.

What was Tsunade teaching this girl?!

Sakura's serious expression warped into a mix of concern and determination as she took in Midori's state, she was covered in bloody burns and blood was leaking from her ears, nose and mouth, possible signs of electrocution.

Sakura gently placed the injured Kunoichi on the ground as she opened her eyes again, having let them droop too far, both were murky and hardly focused, a sign of low Chakra, and with how unfocused they were, _very_ low Chakra.

Kakashi watched with wide eyes from his little indent in the wall, unable to to anything more to help as Sakura did her job as a Medical Kunoichi.

Sakura placed her head on Midori's chest, listening carefully for her heartbeat. It was faint, and uneven. Either a sign of almost death, or resuscitation, she wasn't certain.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called as Guy finally entered the room, along with two other Jounin, who were to serve as backup until they returned to Konoha once more.

"Y-yeah?" Kakashi asked, still a little taken aback.

"What was Midori's condition when you reached her?"

Kakashi's eyes returned to a neutral expression as he explained almost clinically what was wrong with her, his true emotions now buried deep in the serious situation.

"So you resuscitated her?" Sakura asked once the explanation was finished, her eyes wide with surprise. "Without medical Ninjutsu?"

"Yeah, I had no choice..." Kakashi explained simply, slowly getting to his feet and stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked towards the scene before him.

He didn't like the sight of Midori lying there, half-dead, when usually she was by his side, looking calm and collected, and thinking everything through before she did anything.

She wasn't the person he had come to love when lying like that.

Sakura nodded, accepting Kakashi's answer as she turned back to Midori and placed both hands on her chest, closing her green eyes, Sakura began to concentrate, her hands glowing green as she did so.

First she would pump Chakra right into the middle of Midori's Chakra Circulatory System, then she would heal all of her injuries.

She hoped there was a high chance of success, especially after such gruesome torture.

~Icha Icha~

Days had passed since Midori had been tortured and Kakashi sat on the chair by her bed, his Icha Icha Paradise in hand as he awaited the moment she would wake up.

He knew she would feel trauma and relief before everything else, so there was a chance she would need her closest friend by her side.

He didn't feel comfortable showing emotions to people, or his face, but somehow she managed to force that out of him, without even being aware of it at the time.

Kakashi sighed with defeat and snapped his book shut with one hand, opening his one visible, black eye and gazed at Midori, who laid there silently, looking rather odd draped head to toe in bandages, her expression _too_ calm and _too_ peaceful.

If it weren't for the fact that a nurse would come in every so often and check her pulse, Kakashi would have believed her to be dead.

His entire bloodstream would freeze over at the thought alone.

"You're so troublesome..." Kakashi complained softly, closing his eyes and lowering his head with another sigh, as if she herself was exhausting him.

However he sat up quickly with a hum when he heard shuffling beside him, a pained noise leaving his best friend's lips as she squeezed her eyelids tightly together, before they slowly opened, blood red eyes exposed to the light after days of being hidden.

There was life in them this time, and Kakashi's hidden lips curled into a smile at the sight.

"Wh-" She groaned as her voice grated against her own throat, she was incredibly parched. "What...?" She tried to sit up on her own, but she gasped when an arm slipped under her shoulder blades and slowly helped her sit, the other hand resting on her thigh.

"Careful..." Kakashi spoke, his head rather close to her's as he stood beside her, hunched over as he kept her upright. Midori felt her cheeks tint a slight pink, this man was incredibly dense most of the time. "You're in hospital...You shouldn't be moving just yet..."

"Wait, how did I-" Suddenly realization hit her like a tone of bricks and her eyes widened almost impossibly as she replayed the final moments of her life, unable to remember anything after the world went black.

"Midori-chan?" Kakashi asked, frowning when he realized she remembered. "It's alright, after what happened, I managed to get you back here..."

"I died, didn't I?" She asked, her voice still calm, despite her fists shaking with the force of what happened. "Kakashi-kun, don't hide anything from me, I deserve to know..."

Kakashi stared at her for a moment, wondering what would be the best answer, he could lie and she could go on living a normal Shinobi life without the weight of one death on her shoulders.

Or he could tell the trust, forcing away any guilt he would feel for lying to her, she was strong, but he wondered just how much she could take.

"Kakashi, before we met, I was almost killed once, if you think this'll scare me off..." She chuckled without humour. "Then you really don't know me..."

Kakashi blinked and realized that she had a point, he had heard about her injury during her Special Jounin years, in fact, he had been told by her, herself that she had a pretty big and deep scar from that event, and she was lucky to have made it out alive.

"Yeah, yeah..." He drawled with a sigh, rolling his eyes, she had refused to cry since she had messed up her first mission as a fully fledged Jounin.

His lips curled into a smile for a moment at her strength, before it fell back into a frown. "You did die, yes..." He admitted, squeezing her shoulder gently, avoiding any in injuries as he kept her steady, sitting on the edge of the bed. "But I managed to resuscitate you before you faded..."

Midori's tremors increased and her eyes widened, before she tsked and gritted her teeth. "Those bastards snuck up on me, I couldn't fight them both alone, especially when I was caught off guard..."

She wasn't trying to make excuses for herself, but she didn't want Kakashi to think of her as a burden, she swore all those years ago that she wouldn't be.

"I believe you, Midori-chan..." Kakashi said, and she hummed, looking at him as he tilted his head to the side, closing his one visible eye, indicating a smile.

Midori's face flushed at the kind tone her friend used and tears welled in her eyes, she couldn't hold it back, especially when her friend was right beside her.

"Thank you, Kakashi-kun!" She hissed out, more or less tackling his shoulder and burying her face into it to stop herself from being seen.

"Hm?" Kakashi looked down at her, so adorably dense as he awkwardly placed his hand on her back, the other rubbing comforting circles on her thigh, a blush dusting his cheeks. "What for?"

Midori let out a broken laugh and her next words made Kakashi's confusion melt into warmth.

"Everything..."

* * *

: **What did you think? Originally Midori was going to die in the end and this whole funeral was going to happen, but I didn't want to write chapters like that yet, maybe another day.**

**Please review, all comments and advice are appreciated and welcome, I do take criticism, so any of that is appreciated too!**

**Thank you for reading!**


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