#could be some horrible OP gets captured scenario but I like to imagine this is some kind of post-war reconciliation thing

[smatterbrained]

"Who did this to you?"

"...YOU, BITCH!!!"

[dimigex]

Worlds Collide - KakaYama

I’m so so so excited to share this guys with you. This story was commissioned by the amazing @vibgyoroygbiv for the stunning Akatsuki!Yamato art that they did (which can be found here and here, but you should seriously check out all of their work, it’s wonderful). I’m so glad they’re letting me drag more of you into this angst! 

Sticky blood trickled into Kakashi's eyes from a gash near his hairline. It seeped into his mask, making it hard to breath. The fractured ribs probably didn't help matters, either. Any movement brought a fresh stab of pain despite the adrenaline roaring through his ears. Kakashi jerked against the bonds holding him to the wall at ankles and wrists anyway. Rough wood bit into his skin, intensifying the flavor of betrayal in the pit of his stomach.

Tenzo stood half a dozen feet away, dark eyes glinting with cruel amusement. The mokuton used to capture Kakashi had been brutal, binding his hands before he'd thought to form a retaliatory jutsu. He should have sensed the trap from the moment that Tenzo stepped into the room, but he'd been too relieved to see the man alive and uninjured. It never crossed his mind that Tenzo might be a traitor.

Even now, the situation didn't fully register in Kakashi's mind. Tenzo looked the same as he always had: shaggy brown hair and puppy dog eyes. He still wore Konoha blacks beneath the cloud patterned cloak that Kakashi recognized as Akatsuki. The fabric covered his neck and lower part of his chin in the same manner, but something had changed. Kakashi had underestimated Tenzo, not because he thought the man was weak, but because he thought that they would always be allies.

"Why?" Kakashi growled, dribbling pink saliva from where an elbow had split his lip. He longed to rub the stinging liquid from his face, but had to content himself with an angry toss of his head. He stared at Tenzo, trying to understand. "I thought we were friends."

"Friends?" The word sounded foreign on Tenzo's tongue as he stalked closer. The easy movement put Kakashi in mind of a cat. He had always teased Tenzo about that during Anbu, but the comparison didn't seem amusing now. When the man stood close enough that Kakashi could see the swirl of gold in his brown eyes, he stopped.

Despite everything, Kakashi's heart skipped a couple of beats. How had they reached this place? Only a month ago, he'd thought that there might be something more for them, a future that didn't center on bloodshed and death. Tenzo had reentered Kakashi's life and turned everything upside down. Kakashi had railed against Tsunade's plan to have someone else lead his team when he was injured, but the woman had been adamant. She'd told Kakashi that his temporary replacement would come by to get the specifics of the mission, then left him to sulk.

Kakashi intended to traumatize whomever stepped into his hospital room later that evening. At least, he had until he saw who it was. Even without the Anbu mask and uniform, despite the years that had passed, Kakashi recognized Tenzo. The shy, almost apologetic smile brought a wave of nostalgia that made Kakashi's stomach ache. The space between them disappeared in those stolen hours at the hospital. Kakashi had almost believed that they would laugh off the injuries, then return to the Anbu barracks together like old times.

The pair hadn't, of course; Tenzo had gone on the mission with Team Seven while Kakashi sat in the hospital waiting for clearance. Those silent days had been excruciating while he imagined every horrible scenario that might have taken place: from Naruto losing control of the nine-tails and killing them all to Tenzo dying in his stead. The reality wasn't as dark as Kakashi's fears, but it was bad enough. He had been out of the hospital only a few days before they returned and he learned of the encounter with Sasuke.

Then, Kakashi and Tenzo started training Naruto in chakra nature transformations and their days took on a familiar routine of training and rest that recalled their Anbu days. The weeks they spent together had changed something, but Kakashi hadn't been able to put his finger on what it was. Easy laughter, shared dinners, and evenings of quiet chatter or reading beside each other had lowered the defenses that Kakashi hadn't known existed. It wasn't until Pein's invasion that Kakashi realized how dangerously close to Tenzo he'd become.

During that battle, Kakashi had died in every sense of the word. He'd traveled to the lands beyond, then been pulled back at the last moment. When Kakashi reopened his eyes to the familiar white hospital ceiling, Tenzo had been one of the first thoughts to cross his mind. When nothing came of his initial inquiries, Kakashi turned his attention to his students.

Finding information on Naruto and Sakura had been easy enough, but anyone who knew Yamato remained tight lipped. Finally, after exorbitant questioning of his nurses, Tsunade appeared. The frazzled woman gave Kakashi a flat stare, then sighed and informed him that Tenzo had been captured and assumed killed in action as per Anbu procedures.

Kakashi was familiar with the capture protocol burned into every Anbu from their earliest days in the black ops. They knew too much, and held too many secrets to risk falling into enemy hands. All Anbu carried a quick acting poison and an incineration tag that would destroy a body in a matter of seconds. If captured, they would sacrifice their lives to protect the village.

Only the guards that Tsunade posted on Kakashi's door kept him from confirming the details of Tenzo's death for himself. When she signed the discharge papers, Tsunade had given Kakashi all the information that she had on Tenzo's capture. She rolled her eyes when he questioned her, saying that she knew he would go whether or not she allowed it, so he might as well be prepared instead of fumbling around in the dark. Tsunade didn't hold out hope that Tenzo was still alive, but she'd wished him the best of luck.

By Kakashi's count, Tenzo had been in captivity for just over two weeks by the time a rescue mission was authorized. Kakashi refused to think of it as a recovery mission until he had proof of death. Reaching the location of Tenzo's last assignment and finding evidence of the Akatsuki had taken an additional three days. Then, Kakashi had developed a plan for infiltration. It had all gone smoothly until now.

Only three weeks ago, Tenzo had stood in Konoha as a faithful shinobi, helping plan attacks against the Akatsuki. There was no way that he'd been disloyal then, Kakashi would have known. Tenzo's allegiance couldn't have been a lie for that long. Kakashi's mind refused to accept the possibility; something must have happened in the time between.

Dragging himself back to the present, Kakashi stared at the man he'd once known so well. "What happened to you?"

A bitter, angry laugh ripped free of Tenzo's throat. "You happened to me."

Before Kakashi could offer a stunned response, Tenzo's hand hovered by his face. The fingers were bare of the long gloves that made his Anbu uniform, and it took Kakashi a startled second to realize the man's nails were painted an inky black. He half expected a caress and laugh, like this had all been some kind of misunderstanding. Then, sudden pain ripped through Kakashi's body with an intensity that buckled his knees. Were it not for the bonds around Kakashi's wrists, he would have dropped to the floor.

Both shoulders screamed in protest at the force placed on sensitive joints, but Kakashi barely registered the feeling. Warm liquid spilled into his mask, coated his lips and tongue as a strangled cry escaped. The sharp edges of the world dimmed, the room losing the crystalline focus that had bathed it moments before.

It took Kakashi several seconds to fully understand the implications of what had just happened. Without his sharingan, details seemed fuzzy and dull in a way he couldn't explain. Some part of Kakashi screamed in horror at the idea of life without the ocular jutsu, he'd grown to depend on it, but his thoughts danced around out of order. The remainder of his mind fought to process the idea of Tenzo being a traitor. Even with his blood running down the other man's wrist, Kakashi couldn't reconcile the image to reality. The pain of betrayal was nearly as bad as the physical agony of losing his eye.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" The mocking voice sent a spike of ice sliding down Kakashi's spine, blocking the anguish. Something in the tone made his pulse increase, heart hammering against his ribs like it was trying to break free. Contrasting warmth continued to flow down Kakashi's cheek as he turned. The man spoke a second time, malice dripping from each word. "It was meant to."

An impossible figure emerged from the shadows, and Kakashi blinked to dispel the hallucination. A second wave of misery flooded through his body at the movement, a reminder of what he'd lost. When he reopened his eye, the man remained. An Akatsuki cloak draped around the figure's body, contrasting sharply with the swirling orange mask that gloved hands reached up to remove.

Details leaped out at Kakashi as time slowed to a crawl. Spiky black hair stood up in every direction, pushed there by the mask, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Thick scarring covered the right side of the man's face from forehead to chin. Kakashi's mouth went dry, the image of the man in front of overlaying with the memory of a much younger boy. Shock squeezed the air from his lungs, making it impossible to breathe.

Obito smiled and raised his hand to caress Tenzo's cheek without looking away from Kakashi. "When someone you trusted completely betrays you, that's a whole different type of pain."

Kakashi couldn't tear his eyes away from the way Tenzo fawned over Obito. It soured his stomach. Tenzo gazed up like a faithful dog waiting to be rewarded for running down particularly difficult prey. Obito carded his fingers through Tenzo's hair, pushing it away from the man's bare forehead. A snarl rose in the back of Kakashi's throat at the intimacy of that action and then realization that Tenzo no longer wore his head protector. The man never looked in Kakashi's direction, completely absorbed in Obito as he held out the sharingan.

"You did well." Obito's hand slid down Tenzo's cheek to lift his chin, then he smiled. Kakashi watched the scene take place in slow motion, like he'd slipped out of his body. The room flexed, then blurred at the edges, causing spots to dance across Kakashi's vision.

Contempt filled Obito's single eye when he glanced at Tenzo, then waved a hand in Kakashi's direction. "Make sure he doesn't bleed to death before we learn something useful."

Tenzo moved, capturing Kakashi's head between his hands. For a moment, disorienting hope filled Kakashi's chest at the familiar touch. Then, chakra washed through his body like a tidal wave. He knew only darkness.

Full story can be found on both FF and A03 (due to the length.)