A/N - If anyone has any suggestions for a less shit title, for the love of God let me know

Kakashi had caught the jounin rifling through personnel files and looking shifty about it. The sun had already started to set when Kakashi had decided that maybe he could be bothered after all to fill out a fairly important section on his latest mission report. Unfortunately, he'd handed in said mission report earlier that afternoon to a stressed-looking woman who'd barely glanced at the form before dismissing him. Kakashi had felt gleefully victorious at the time, but as the hours passed he started to wonder if maybe he should have mentioned that he had, in fact, retrieved the scroll he'd been sent to recover. He'd felt it was obvious since he'd returned alive, but on second thoughts maybe he should clarify the point, just in case.

And so he'd sweet-talked his way into the Mission Room office and noticed the jounin going shiftily through the files. It was the kind of shiftiness he wished all bad guys had, to make spotting them easier. All he'd had to do was stand nonchalantly nearby and stare until the jounin looked up, and then Kakashi had slowly and deliberately raised an eyebrow.

That had led to a high speed chase out of the almost empty Mission Room, through the village, and north into the training fields, unfortunately empty of shinobi at this time on a Monday evening. The jounin was fast, Kakashi would give him that, but eventually Kakashi caught up enough to release a lightning jutsu, which narrowly missed but caused the jounin to dart aside and lose his momentum, and then Kakashi was in front of him, blocking the way.

During the ensuing fight, it became clear that Kakashi had made some vital miscalculations, not least of which being that he was still mostly chakra depleted from his mission, which had ended three days ago. He was also beginning to suspect that the jounin had headed into the training grounds to lure him away from other shinobi who might come to his aid, and to disguise their flaring chakra from anyone who did happen to be around. After all, who suspected foul play from someone using jutsu on a training field?

The ground beneath Kakashi's feet gave way, and the next thing he knew he was knee-deep in an earth justu. In his moment of instability, the jounin delivered a sickening blow to the side of Kakashi's head with a chakra-enforced elbow, and Kakashi went down.

Well this was embarrassing. Kakashi had always thought it would take some rare and powerful bloodline limit to finish him off, but apparently all anyone needed was good timing and a genin-level earth justu. He tried to push himself off the ground, but was overtaken by a wave of dizziness and slumped back onto his chest, legs still buried in the soil.

Through his blurred vision he could make out the jounin some distance away, rapidly forming hand signs. Kakashi tried desperately to kick his legs free, to bring his arms up defensively, anything, but then a rush of flames roared towards him and Kakashi knew it was over.

A barrier appeared around him and the flames rebounded off its side, consuming the startled jounin, who started screaming in a way that might have made Kakashi wince if he hadn't been so glad that he wasn't the one on fire. A shadow slipped out of the trees at the training field's edge and a well-aimed kunai turned the screaming into a gurgle. The barrier was dispelled and Kakashi's mysterious saviour started towards him, before Kakashi heard a soft oh and then an absent-minded water jutsu put out the fire.

The stranger knelt down beside Kakashi and started to dig away the earth around his legs. Kakashi watched him blearily. He had a vague memory of having seen this particular shinobi around the village, but couldn't place a name to the face. The stranger wore his dark hair in a high ponytail and had a scar running across the bridge of his nose. He was also very attractive.

"Did you just kill a man with a barrier seal?" Kakashi asked incredulously.

"Yes," the stranger said. "I do that sometimes." He pulled one of Kakashi's legs free and started on the other. "Do you feel all right, Hatake-san? You took a nasty blow to the head."

The stranger knew his name. Kakashi felt like swooning. Or maybe that was the head wound.

"'m dizzy," he admitted, vaguely aware that he was slurring his words.

The stranger paused and dug a seal out of his pocket. "How do you feel if I do this?" The seal lit up with white light, and Kakashi buried his head in the ground and made an undignified noise.

"Hmm." The light mercifully went out and the earth loosened enough around Kakashi's other leg that he managed to kick it free. "I think I'd better get you to the hospital."

"You blinded me," Kakashi whined.

"Good thing it was only one eye then," the stranger said mildly. "Come on, you can't lie there all night."

A strong arm wrapped itself under his chest and pulled him up onto his knees. Kakashi swayed and then slid sideways to sit on the ground. The attractive stranger knelt in front of him and gently brushed Kakashi's hair away from his forehead. For the first time, Kakashi became aware of the warm ooze of blood.

"Barriers aren't usually weapons," he said, finally stringing a second thought onto his opening question.

The stranger smirked. "It's a special type of barrier. They never see it coming."

His fingers were warm and soft on Kakashi's face and Kakashi tried not to nuzzle them.

"I think I'm in love with you," he said dreamily.

"No, that's the concussion."

Kakashi considered this. He'd never been in love before, but he'd had plenty of concussions.

"It might be both," he conceded.

The stranger smiled, and the butterflies in Kakashi's stomach squirmed. Or perhaps that was the nausea, it was hard to tell.

There was a small sound behind Kakashi and the stranger glanced up.

"You're a little late," he said.

Kakashi turned to see two ANBU, one of whom walked over to the charred and dripping body and poked it with her toe. The other ANBU crouched beside Kakashi, who could imagine the exasperated expression behind that familiar mask.

"Ten –" he started to say before an armoured hand clamped firmly over his mouth.

"He's concussed," the stranger said, ignoring him. "But apart from that, I think he's OK."

Tenzou sighed. "I'll take him to the hospital. Could you stay and report to my colleague?"

"Of course."

"Wait, no," Kakashi said as Tenzou hauled him to his feet. "I wanna stay here."

Tenzou stared at him. "Why?"

Kakashi looked at the stranger, who'd also stood up and was brushing loose dirt from his knees. He glanced up and saw Kakashi watching him longingly.

"You need to go with ANBU-san," he said in a stern tone that wouldn't have sounded out of place admonishing a small child. "I can't stay with you all night."

"I could buy you a drink," Kakashi said hopefully.

"Maybe not right now," the stranger said, which wasn't a no. He nodded at Tenzou and turned away. Kakashi panicked.

"You didn't tell me your name!"

"I never give up an advantage, Hatake-san. You're a ninja – track me down."

If that wasn't an I love you too, Kakashi considered through the fizz of his leaking head, he didn't know what was.

A/N – In a post-concussion world, it'll seem less like 'I love you too' and more like 'I want you to stalk me for a week, bombard me with anonymous love notes, and accidentally bump into me somewhere casual and inconspicuous like, say, outside my front door, and stammer out a lovestruck pick-up line. Then we can go for that drink.' Kakashi will oblige.