Afloat in the Water

A/N: This takes place right after Sasuke disappears, simply because I didn't feel like writing him into the story at the time. Enjoy!

Chapter One

"Naruto, Sakura, get out of here!" He shouted to the two shinobi in front of him as fear wracked their bodies and they froze. Blood was running down his brow and his sharingan was swirling wildly as he fought to protect his students and his village that was under attack. He felt his eye contract and he jumped up and grabbed the genin, protecting them from nearby shuriken and explosions that came simultaneously. Rocks, glass, and other debris flew violently through the air and a dirty fog began to roll through the warzone of what was once the peaceful village of Konohagakure.

"Kakashi-sensei!" The blonde boy looked at him with his big blue eyes, worry splashed across his face. Kakashi winced and pulled the three of them up from the ground to continue moving. He felt his eyes growing heavy. My chakra is already low…this isn't good.

"Naruto, you and Sakura need to get out of here. I'll be following behind you…No questions, now GO!" Sakura's short pink hair covered her dirty face as she grabbed Naruto by the arm and hauled him off with her in a run.

"Come on!" She shouted. Kakashi looked after them, trying to catch his breath as things began to take a turn for the worse. Another explosion let off, echoing with the screams of villagers as they mercilessly were killed by the hands of the Mist ninja. The Hatake began to sprint towards his students, wanting the keep them safe. There was nothing to do now but run. The village was now a lost cause and their shinobi were being slain one by one. The enemy was triumphant.

A kunai flew past his ear and he jumped up as a wall of shuriken blasted towards him. Jonin of the Mist village flocked behind him, appearing out of nowhere. Another kunai came from his blind side, striking him in the chest and taking his breath away in surprise. Blood soaked into his mask as he coughed and his knees buckled.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's voice reached his ears and he looked up and made contact with his frightened gaze. Looking straight into the blue orbs, he shook his head vigorously, wanting them to keep moving. Sakura grabbed Naruto again and pulled him away with all her strength as a tear ran down her cheek. They ran…

Kakashi looked up at the nins and saw they had become distracted. He gritted his teeth. Despite the pain filling his upper body, he knew it would be his only chance to escape. Now or never…GO! He thought to himself and he sprung up to his feet, running through a cloud of black smoke from the burning buildings, trying his hardest not to let his students down.

"Damn it…" His eyesight was beginning to blur as he felt blood seep between his fingers from his chest wound. But up ahead he could see the genin and he shouted to them. They turned their heads back immediately and slowed just enough for him to catch up. When they were together, they picked up their speed and managed to find an untouched building that had been abandoned from the beginning of the war. The Hokage had warned everyone that the attack was coming and the village evacuated as many civilians as possible, only leaving behind the leaf ninja and the brave ones who were willing to fight for their home.

Inside, Kakashi leaned up against a wall and undid his vest, allowing it to hang loosely. Sakura went to his side and examined the damage. He grunted from the pain and watched her expression twist into frustration. "Sensei, I can't heal it or anything. It's too deep." She frowned, but he managed a smile under his crimson soaked mask.

"Nevermind that now. We don't have that much time. I need you two to get out of here and go to the Sand Village. You'll be safe there and they can send us reinforcements. Why the Hokage didn't when we knew of this coming, I'm not sure, but we can't fight this battle alone. The Mist has multiplied and our best Jonin have already been killed or are wounded and in hiding." He clutched at his wound and felt his breath becoming shallow, but he ignored the pain and buttoned his vest back up. Naruto blinked and bit his lip nervously, the commotion outside coming closer.

"What about you?"

"…The enemy is coming. You need to leave now."

"But!" Both students stammered together, but he glared at them.

"GO!" The two glared back, but knew they would never win against him. Kakashi had drilled into their heads many times before that their lives were most important in times like these and that they needed to work together to survive. And now was the time to put them to the test. Sakura took a deep breath and pulled out her best kunai, watching as Naruto did the same.

"We'll meet back up, right?" She asked.

"Yes. Just go, please." Kakashi did his best to sound reassuring, but he saw in their eyes they were not convinced. Nevertheless, they turned and ran, kunai held out and hands clasped together. He momentarily thought how Sakura would have hated to even touch Naruto, and how Naruto would enjoy the contact if there was no death and bloodshed happening around them. He shook his head and peered outside. He had no more chakra to wield and his best bet was to run. He thought quickly of his surroundings and remembered the river that ran through. It's my only chance to make it out of here. They'll be looking for me now, and the gate will be closed. Sakura and Naruto should make it in time before they begin to close it.

The Hatake took his chance and dashed back outside, sensing hi enemy gaining on him. They knew he was hidden in the building and they were waiting for him to come out to strike. He grimaced, quickening his pace. The river was just ahead, and its currents were rough. He inwardly frowned. The river was just as threatening to him as the massacre because of his weak state, but he had to try. He had to fight to stay alive. Kunai and shuriken whizzed past him, one brushing through his flowing hair. He reached the edge of the grass that dipped into water and he took a deep breath. Without looking back, he made one final handsign, hoping he could summon just enough chakra to conceal him in the crystal blue liquid. And without a second to spare, he dove in the cold, searing water, hoping with every ounce of life he had left that his prodigies made it out. Sakura, Naruto….Please stay alive.

. . .

"Five more minutes, please…" He groaned under his blanket as a slightly annoyed female voice rang in his ears.

"Kisuke, how many times must I tell you to get out of bed when we have a guest!"

"Ungh…" He sat up and looked at the culprit of bringing him back to consciousness. "You're so mean to me!"

"Do you want me to be truly mean?" Her face came inches away from his, a glare seeping into his eyes. He backed up against the headboard of his bed.

"Uh…I'll get up, beh-heh." A drop of sweat ran down his brow as she stood straight up and smiled. He stared at her and cringed. Yoruichi's friends are really scary…

Indeed Yoruichi's friends were cocky and full of personality, but that wasn't all. This certain woman was one of her best friends and well trained fighters. Her name was Ronin. She was a busty babe (though not quite as busty as Orihime) with long blonde hair with red streaks. She wore it up in a ponytail, her bangs framing her oceanic blue eyes. Her black robe she adorned herself with looked similar to Kisuke's, but had red dragons wrapping around the sleeves. Underneath she wore a black tank top and black capris. Her hands were adorned with silver rings on each finger and her ears each had four piercings in the cartilage, giving her a tougher look, or so Kisuke thought.

Ronin was a strong worrier, skilled in sword fighting and soul reaping. Her father had been a captain, although no one knew exactly what had become of him…or who he was. He had kept her a secret from the society, not wanting them to interfere with his daughter. For a 19 year old, she was highly known for her skills, much like a certain orange haired 15 year old, who was the guest she had been speaking of.

Ronin walked to the front of the Urahara Shop, a smile plastered on her face. "He'll be right out, Ichigo."

"Um, alright…but, who are you?" She twitched.

"Ronin."

"Isn't that a guy's name?" Suddenly, Ichigo found himself slammed up against the wall, a hand on his chest. Ronin smiled pleasantly at him.

"Does it have to be?"

"N-no, it doesn't….s-s-sorry!" She walked to the counter and faced him as he collected himself up off the floor, having fallen down when she let go of him.

"So, Ichigo, you're the famous new soul reaper?" He looked at her sternly.

"How do you know about that?"

"You and I have much in common." She said quietly. He wanted to ask what she meant, but Kisuke finally made his appearance.

"Ichigo, what brings you here at the early hour?"

"It's four in the afternoon…" Kisuke sweat-dropped. Rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced at Ronin and nodded his head. She nodded back and walked out the back door, leaving them to their business. Ichigo looked at Kisuke with bewilderment, nudging his shoulder in the direction of the woman who left.

"Who the hell is she?" A smile spread across hat and clog's face.

"She's a…good friend. Tough one, that Ronin is."

"She's freakin' psycho! And how is she so fast and strong?" The teen stammered. Kisuke's smiled faded and his hat darkened his eyes out of sight.

"Ronin had a hard life growing up the daughter of a captain. She was trained vigorously since she could walk. And with the soul society unknowing of her until a couple years ago, she was trained more brutally on stealth and hiding. By the time she was five, she had killed over 300 hollows by herself." Ichigo's eyes widened.

"How old is she?"

"19." Kisuke pressed his hat further down on his head. "Now, back to the real reason you're here." The teen nodded.

"It's about Rukia."

Outside, Ronin walked down a hill and heard the small ripples of water coming from the river. She was drawn to it, a feeling spreading over her and puzzled her. Generally when she walked outside, she was pulled to the sounds of birds chirping and crickets singing, but this was a different kind of pull. This was a life energy. "There's someone in the water…" She said to herself.

Kneeling down by the edge, she put her hand in the water and her eyes narrowed. Within the current, she could feel the feint pulse of a life form. A human. She straightened back up and shed her robe from her shoulders and stared at different places, trying to pinpoint exactly where…There! She dove in, swimming to the bottom and clutching at something made of metal. She examined it momentarily, than tucked it away in her pocket before swimming a little farther. Moments later, she emerged from the water, in her arms a man with silver hair. As she dragged them both to the shore, she gave him a look over.

He was wearing a navy blue mask over the bottom half of his face and a scar ran over his left eye. A green vest covered a navy blue shirt and blood was caked onto his clothes all the way down to the skin. She took a closer look at the wound and saw that it had been burned closed. He must have been bleeding badly to sear it shut. After wrapping him in her robe, she gathered him up in her arms and slung him over her back, trudging back up the hill and to the Urahara shop. As she reached the back door, she could hear Kisuke still speaking with Ichigo.

"Kisuke!" She called him. He looked over his shoulder and cocked his head.

"Where'd you find him?" He asked as Ichigo's eyes widened. She took him to her bedroom and laid him out on the bed, stripping him of his clothes.

"The river."

"Alive?" He came in, obviously knowing the answer, but she replied anyway.

"Barely. He looks like he escaped from some sort of war." She walked over into the bathroom and grabbed clean towels and filled a bowl with hot water. Ichigo crept in to take a look.

"Do you want my Dad to come take a look at him?" Ronin ignored him and went back to the room and began to nurse the wound carefully. Kisuke chuckled, making the Kurosaki stare at him.

"Thanks, but Ronin also has a specialization in medical situations such as this." Ichigo raised his brows and Kisuke led him back out to the front. "Let's leave her to tend to him. She's better when given space, anyway…"

Ronin gingerly touched a wet cloth to the wound to clean it, and was surprised when the man's hand grabbed her wrist reflexively. His grip wasn't as strong as she knew it could be, but it was tight enough to make her wince. She let him grab her. "You must have been through hell to be able to do that so close to death." She looked to his eyes, which were half open and staring at her. His gaze was empty and from the looks of his eyes, he didn't realize anything that was going on. She put her other hand over top of the one gripping her. "It's ok, now." She said gently, and he closed his eyes and his hand fell limp.

She began to clean the wound now, with no more reflexes. The man groaned a couple times, but she wrapped him up after everything had been taken care of and tucked him into the bed. In the doorway, Kisuke watched as his friend treated the stranger with the utmost care and raised his brow at the expression she held. It was one a mother would give to a child, or a friend would give to another friend. He chuckled. That guy floated to the right place.

Ronin made sure he was comfortable and sat down on the side of the bed. She couldn't figure out his energies. Somehow she was still being drawn to him, even now that he was safe and out of the river. It was almost as if she was meant to know him. She sighed, feeling something bulging out of her pocket. She mumbled an "oh!" and pulled out what she had found before pulling him up. She let her fingers glide over the metal plate of what she assumed was a headband and studied the etching. It looked like a swirl with a triangle attached to it. She frowned at the dirt and blood covering it and took an extra cloth and cleaned it off. When she finished, she set it down on the nightstand. She knew it was his, but she wasn't exactly sure what it stood for.

She stood up and decided to crash on a cot for the night when she felt his hand grab at hers. She turned around and saw his eyes half open again, staring into her own. She felt her cheeks flush a little as he reached up to his face with his other hand to feel that his mask had been removed. He was younger than she thought, guessing he was in his mid-twenties or so and his face was smooth and his skin soft from being hidden from the sun.

Ronin sat back down and watched as his expression relaxed and his hand fell back down to his side. After a moment, he looked away from her and his eyes were closed once more, allowing himself to fall into a peaceful sleep. She sighed, sweeping some of his hair from his face. "Strange man, why were you afloat in the water?"

. . .

End of chapter one! Let me know what you think! Please review!