Beginnings

[Kakashi Hatake]

Kakashi felt the ground pulled from beneath him as his vision failed him and his consciousness was swallowed up by the void. What would become of the masked shinobi's squad, his mission, his village? Alone in the darkness, he would never find the answer to these questions; instead, he would have an entirely new array of queries both suggested and answered in nearly the same instant. The ANBU could scarcely tell how long he had been in the in-between, it could well have been years or simply the blink of an eye.

As the grinning silhouette finished its speech and faded back into nothingness, the silver-maned ninja began to feel gravity taking hold of his body once more. The sensation of falling returned, the twinge of anxiety in the pit of his stomach informing him that he had survived whatever strange event had just occurred. All at once his senses returned; the soft trickle of running water met his ears as droplets of cool liquid dripped into his neck. He opened his keen eyes quickly, staring through his porcelain mask down at the bright white...something, he had found himself upon. Groggily, the Prime rolled onto his side, looking for the source of the gurgling.

“A...fountain?” The shinobi muttered aloud, focusing on the structure.

A simple circular pool of water stood by his side, water spraying upward from the center. This body of gently flowing water was the only thing normal about the place he had found himself. He could spy nothing else around him; nothing, including sky or ground. Kakashi blinked hard a few times, attempting to recall how he had arrived here. It felt as if he had awoken from a long, calm slumber. He had never seen this place before, nor had he ever had the nightmare of the face within the void.

“Where am I...” Hatake began, raising himself to a sitting position. The question hung in the air for a moment before it all came rushing back to him. The Hokage's command, the mission to the Land of Grass, Team Ro. And now...here.

The masked Prime got to his feet quickly, brushing the nonexistent dust from his black trousers. In one swift motion he removed his ANBU mask, clipping it to his belt. His left eye opened wide, darting quickly around his position as its companion followed suit. The leaf shinobi knew of strong genjutsu users that could feign this type of illusion and his Sharingan would be his only hope of spying the truth. Still, as he scoured the area with his dojustu he could find no one pulling the strings.

“Where are you...” the scarecrow snarled, whipping his head back and forth. His right hand trailed to his belt, pulling a few hira-shuriken from a belt pouch. The fountain's spray was the only response.

Kakashi furrowed his brow, pumping more chakra into his copy-wheel eye. The nifty little gift from his long dead comrade had helped him escape a great many illusions, though it had seemingly failed him today. Was he facing another dojutsu wielder? The shinobi's mind conjured up the image of the only man he could imagine capable of such formidable illusion-casting. But why would he be here, so close to Konoha? He pondered this for a moment before he recalled what he had seen in his 'dream'.

“Omniverse...” The silver-maned ninja muttered, lowering his striking hand. He did not believe this fabricated tale for a moment, though he could find no real alternative. His memory, though somewhat faulty for the moment, informed him that he was last with his fellow ANBU operatives just west of Konoha. But now, the gray-eyed man found himself here, wherever 'here' was.

The scarecrow remained on the defensive, scanning the pure white nothingness in the distance for any sign of danger. He slowly pulled back his chakra, allowing his eye to rest. It seemed that it would be useless against this assault for the time being. Kakashi brought his left hand to his chest, forming a half-ram symbol with his fingers. He had a few choice jutsu prepared for whoever was manipulating him. The moments passed slowly, punctuated only by the nonstop patter of the fountain's contents. Finally, the shinobi lowered his guard, stowing the shuriken back in his pouch.

“I suppose you're waiting for me to come to you?” Hatake said to no one in particular. It's as good an idea as any, he thought.

The ANBU stretched his limbs experimentally, his full strength having almost returned. He stole a glance back at the fountain, eying it suspiciously before turning back toward the far-off blankness. Narrowing his eyes, the silver-maned shinobi thought he caught sight of a speck in the distance; precisely what, he was not entirely sure. With his chakra now back in a more or less normal alignment, something in the pit of his stomach urged him toward the object in the distance. Having no better ideas, the scarecrow began his trek across the vast expanse.