Demon Hunters

A stealthy form raced through the dark night. His destination: a familiar house near the outskirts of the kingdom, flanked by dense forest on either side. As the figure leapt from one tree branch to the next he thought back on how many times he’d visited the house he was heading towards, and for how very different a reason he was going there now.

A sliver of light illuminated the figure briefly as he flitted through the forest; a glimpse of silver hair; a pair of different-colored eyes; and a face and body that were hidden in shrouds of black cloth. Kakashi Hatake wished for nothing more than to be back in his cozy room in the palace, but he could not defy a direct order from his majesty – no matter how fervently he wished to ignore the command given to him.

It was only a terrible man – the worst kind of man – that would knowingly order someone to murder their best friend, Kakashi thought bitterly. There was nothing that could be done. Kakashi swore loyalty to the crown, and he could not break that oath. He had been trained from a very early age not to defy orders, and it was now so engrained into his sense of being that he could not go against what he’d been taught. He had no other choice than to kill his best friend. His only friend.

It was with that happy thought that Kakashi found himself at the edge of the forest; Zabuza’s modest home was within view. But something was curiously off about the house; something the silver-haired soldier couldn’t quite place his finger on. He scanned the area once more. That’s when he noticed it: the horse. It was the queen’s horse; Ares he believed was its name. Following that train of thought, Kakashi stretched his senses and took note of three demonic auras inside Zabuza’s abode.

“Damn,” Kakashi muttered to himself. He had not been anticipating that Haku would be there, never-mind the queen. This was not going to end well; Kakashi could feel it in his bones. The silver-haired soldier slumped backwards, his back connecting with the tree trunk, and sighed. What was he going to do now? Whatever he decided he had to act fast for surely it wouldn’t be long before someone detected his presence. Such powerful demons would not be fooled by his lame attempts at appearing invisible for very long. Before Kakashi could think too much on that subject he was almost knocked over by a surge of power that originated from his commander’s home. Instinct taking over, Kakashi leapt to his feet and turned, preparing for an attack. When none came he relaxed his shoulders, but only a little.

“Kakashi,” the queen’s melodic voice drifted out to the silver-haired demon.

Kakashi could feel his muscles tighten in defense. Had the queen sensed him? Should he make his escape now? Did she know his purpose for being here? Too many thoughts were dancing around in the demon’s head for him to come to a quick decision.

“Kakashi,” Lady Shizu called again, “I know you’re out there. Please, won’t you come in and join me?”

On instinct, Kakashi made his way to the front door and opened it to enter – when a member of the royal family commanded something of you, you were to comply implicitly. Kakashi swung the front door open and stepped cautiously inside. He wasn’t ready for the sight that greeted him. There, sprawled across on the floor, was the man that he was sent to dispatch, along with the young prince. Startled grey eyes looked up from the scene to stare into the smiling face of the queen.

“Your highness,” Kakashi started, aghast.

“So good of you to join me, Kakashi,” Lady Shizu said with a pleasant smile, “Won’t you sit with me for a short while?”

At the lady’s gesture Kakashi found himself sitting in one of the two threadbare armchairs that occupied the room. A tense silence filled the room, and the silver-haired demon’s eyes flicked back and forth; from the queen to the bodies of Zabuza and Haku lying on the floor. Lady Shizu moved to cross her legs. Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi tensed. Lady Shizu seemed to have missed the action completely.

“What business do you have here, commander?” Lady Shizu asked companionably; as if her son’s body and the body of her son’s lover were not laid out on the floor, unmoving.

The demon’s mind was racing. What was he to say to the queen? Oh, I just stopped by to murder your son’s lover because your husband told me to. Yeah. Somehow he didn’t feel that that explanation would hold much water in this sinking ship of a situation.

“I came to see Zabuza, your highness,” Kakashi said lamely.

“Is that so?” the queen mused to herself, not questioning, merely stating. “You know, Kakashi, I have told you many times that it is acceptable for you to address me informally. After all, you used to be my best friend; we grew up playing together.”

Kakashi felt he had to say something, but upon parting his lips no sound came. He resigned himself to closing his mouth and waiting for his queen to continue.

“Do you remember the time we were playing by the bridge?” the lady asked rhetorically as she looked reverently off into space. “I think you were about nineteen cycles old by then – I was still only ten cycles. We weren’t supposed to be playing by the bridge; it was forbidden for young demons to go there without an elder accompanying them. We didn’t know at the time, but there was a meeting of the representatives to be held on the bridge that day.

“I had finally finished studying for the day, and you were released from training early, so, we decided to play hide-and-seek by the bridge. It was only once we arrived that we learned of the meeting, and we ended up hiding, but not from each other. We knew the punishment for being caught at the bridge. That was the first time you saw him, wasn’t it?”

Kakashi stiffened imperceptibly in his chair.

Lady Shizu continued; “The young representative the demon hunters sent; the one with long brown hair and pretty, tan skin. If my memory serves me correctly he also had a scar across the bridge of his nose. I think you were quite taken by him. Every meeting you learned of after that, you would sneak away – with or without me. It was to see that young man...”

It was only at this time that Kakashi was truly grateful for the cloth that masked the lower half of his face from view.

“Don’t forget, Kakashi, that you swore allegiance to me long before you served my husband,” said Lady Shizu evenly.

For a moment, the demon was taken aback. It had been such a long time since he’d last thought about the vows he’d taken only days after the incident the queen had described. He had been promoted into the guard just two days after, and as a royal soldier he was to swear his loyalty to his princess.

“I have not forgotten,” Kakashi said, barely above a whisper.

“Good,” Shizu smiled, satisfied, “then, I have a favor to ask of you – as a soldier and as one who used to be my dearest friend.”

The demon remained silent, waiting for the queen to elaborate.

“No doubt my husband sent you here tonight to kill Zabuza, under royal orders. You need not confirm or deny this statement. Never the less, since my husband ordered it of you, you had no choice other than to carry out your orders. With this knowledge, I hereby relieve you, Kakashi Hatake, of your duty to my husband. You will be given a new assignment and rank, effective immediately.”

The last part of the queen’s proclamation piqued the silver-haired demon’s curiosity.

“Kakashi Hatake,” Lady Shizu addressed the demon firmly, and in recognition Kakashi rose from his chair and took a knee before his queen. “Your new assignment will be to watch over my son, and his beloved – should fate bring them together again in the human world. It is no longer safe for Prince Haku or Commander Zabuza to remain in the kingdom. Their love for one another is something my husband cannot accept, and if either were to remain here without the other, the king would surely destroy them; if not physically than emotionally. I will not condemn my son to that kind of life. It is for this reason that I have decided to send them both to the human realm. However, once they have arrived I have no control over where they will be placed. To sum up, you will be following them to the human realm and once you’re there you are to begin your search for them. This brings me to your change in rank; Kakashi, you will no longer officially serve under the royal guard. You will, from this moment onward be a demon representative. This will allow you the convenience of living full-time in the human realm; as this is required of representatives of both sides.”

Well, that little speech cleared up any lingering questions that the demon may have had; he wasn’t praised for being a genius for nothing. Lady Shizu had rendered Zabuza and Haku unconscious to make it easier for her to transport them to the human realm – it’s easier to send an unmoving object through worlds than a moving one; that takes much more power and concentration.

“I understand, and accept the mission you have seen fit to give me, your highness,” Kakashi said, and bowed somberly.

“Very good,” The dark-haired demon queen said as she stood from her chair, and beckoned Kakashi to stand as well.

She took a few brisk steps over to the unconscious bodies and clasped her hands together; she began to chant something in an ancient dialect that the silver-haired demon couldn’t understand. The ancient dialects were something only a few nobles were taught. As quickly as it started the chanting stopped, and Lady Shizu gracefully kneeled to the floor and pressed both of her palms on the cold stone surrounding the bodies. Instantly a soft glow began to flow from her palms, and a transport circle appeared around Zabuza and Haku’s motionless forms. Upon the circles completion the dark-haired demon rose; she spread her arms, this time her palms facing up, and began another chant comprised of ancient dialogue. The bodies on the floor were enveloped in a soft light; they slowly became more and more transparent, and by the end of the chant they had disappeared.

Lady Shizu released a small sigh, and tiredly wiped her brow of the perspiration that had gathered there from her exertions. Quickly recomposing herself, Lady Shizu turned to face the new demon representative and smiled reassuringly.

“Please step into the transportation circle, Kakashi.”

Kakashi gave a quick nod of recognition and stepped into the circle. Instead of the immediate chant that he assumed would follow there was a slight pause. Kakashi looked to his queen; had she used too much of her power when transporting her son and his lover? A quick assessment of her physical state told him, no.

“Is something wrong, your highness?” Kakashi asked evenly, trying not to appear anxious.

“Kakashi,” the queen sighed reverently, “there is one last thing I must tell you before I send you to the human world.” At Kakashi’s nod she continued; “There was one side effect of their transportation that I was unable to prevent. Both Zabuza and Haku will arrive in the human realm as newborns, and they will have no memories of their lives here. They will essentially be starting anew. They could grow into completely different people than the ones we knew. In addition to all this, their demonic powers and strengths will remain dormant until they are united again. If they are united again.”

“What do you mean?” Kakashi asked curiously.

“I mean that they may never see one another again in the human realm. They could be reborn on different ends of the planet, and live out their mortal existences without ever crossing paths,” the queen concluded sadly, “However, it is possible to find them easily if their powers are ever reawakened. Since your mission will not officially begin until then, you may use your time in the human realm as you see fit.”

That seemed to be all the queen was willing to say, since she began chanting the transportation spell immediately. In a matter of seconds Kakashi had vanished; the only evidenced of his being there was the soft glow of the transportation circle.

“Good luck, Kakashi,” the queen said in the now empty room. Then with a sly smile on her face she added, “Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to find that demon hunter representative that you were so enraptured with…”

On legs quaking slightly from the over-use of her magic, the queen left Zabuza’s small home, and prepared herself and Ares for the journey back to the castle. She had already begun to create a plausible explanation for her absence, Kakashi’s sudden change in rank, and the disappearance of Haku and Zabuza. She just prayed that her husband would be fooled.


-----TBC-----

So, I'm still not sure if I'm going to write a Kaka/Iru scene, but I guess if enough readers ask I can make it work. I just need to know if that's what you want. And if there are any other couples or pairings that you might want, let me know and I'll see if I can make it happen. :]
And that marks the end of the past memory/flashback sequence. Next chapter switches back to the present.

As always, thank you for reading. Please rate and review.