Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its character as much as I would love to have a few of them hidden in my closet. They all belong to Mr. Kishimoto. Any of the characters you may not recognize of the canon story belong to me.


A Second Chance

By Shihori


His Circumstances

Kakashi walked Rin home after the ceremony. Yondaime mentioned he had a few things left to do at the office, but Kakashi suspected that just like him, the weight of that day's events would not be lifted for some time.

Even the Yellow Flash needed time to process this loss away from the constant reminders Rin and Kakashi presented. It was Kakashi's command that day, but the three of them were Minato's students. Regardless of their status within the shinobi ranks Kakashi figured Minato felt responsible for them. It was inevitable to think 'if only'.

Replaying that day over and over again, was all Kakashi could think of. If only I had done this differently, then maybe-

A loud crash and scream interrupted his train of thoughts. He looked up and found the source of the noise for it repeated itself.

It was the house three doors down from Rin's. The front door burst open and a girl ran out, heaving, holding her left arm to her chest. She gave a glance over her shoulder towards the dark mudroom, before leaping from the garden on to the roof. From there she leaped onto the next house and disappeared from sight.

He had not known he was staring, until he felt something flying towards him. Instinctively he dodged the object and sought the source of the unwarranted attack. At the house's doorstep there was a disheveled man glaring at him.

"Keep walking! There's nothing to look at here!" He barked before turning back into the house and slamming the door behind him.

Sticking his hands in the pants' pockets, Kakashi turned away from the house again with a passing thought regarding fucked up families. The incident had allowed him to set Obito's death aside for a brief instant at least while he wondered who the dark haired girl was.


The months after the destruction of the Kannabi Bridge were filled with missions to stop the enemy's advance into Fire country through other less vulnerable points. Kakashi felt grateful that he kept being sent out to the field. It kept him from thinking beyond the present mission, the current life or death situation.

Rin had been assigned to a different team for the moment. It was part of the process of healing and coping with the death of a close teammate, or so the mental health doctor had explained to them when they were forced to talk about that day. It had been a necessary step to be allowed back into the battlefield. There was nothing he wanted more than that.

Most times the missions ended successfully, with a low rate of wounded team members and an even lower rate of deaths on their side. It allowed Kakashi to feel confident again in his own skills. That was until the battle of Nobu Village.

Kakashi stared out the window of the shared hospital room. Scenes of that night flashed before him. The squadron he belonged to was ambushed by a platoon of Kusagakure-nin and not only his teammates died but innocent villagers as well. By the end of the night, only a couple of his teammates made it out on their own feet, while he was carried between them. The way his right leg had been broken had not allowed him to stand on it, much less walk.

He closed his eyes and turned away from the window. The images stopped but he could still hear the cries of the villagers they left behind to the enemy's mercy. The memory felt like a noose around his neck. What is the point to this goddamn war? What was it that he was fighting for when he could not even protect those weaker than him?

A hand lay over his left. He blinked, clearing his mind of the fog called despair for the moment. His eyes moved from his lap where his hands were gripping the bed sheets onto the face of the person who had pulled him out of his nightmarish reverie.

"You've opened the wound on your arm again." said the girl sitting on the bed next to him.

Kakashi looked over at his left arm. "Ah." The bandages had a red bloom that kept expanding.

He had not noticed he kept the tight grip on the bed sheets until she began prying his fingers to unfurl them. Immediately he relaxed his hand.

"I'm sorry." She said, turning to the tray with supplies sitting on the night stand next to the bed. That had not been there earlier, just like her. "I did not want you to make it worse. Hopefully you won't need the stitches redone."

"Let's get it cleaned up and check it out, alright?" With a scissor she cut the knot on the bandage and with a gentle, but firm grip on his hand, she moved it away from his lap and set it closer to her.

He made a noncommittal noise and watched her work on his arm.

"I heard the head nurse speaking of you and the others in this room." She said suddenly.

Kakashi noticed her voice was low, carefully modulated. A quick peek to the bed aside his told him why. It was late at night and the other people occupying the remaining five beds were deep asleep.

"Asano-san and Matsuri-san will be released soon and will be good to return to the field in a few weeks. If it wasn't for you, they would not be here."

She carefully lifted the soaked gauze plastered to his skin before discarding it on a pan where the bloody bandages waited. "But apparently you are a terrible patient. Not eating and moving around without the crutches will only set you back."

"If you were older, I'd keep quiet but I really don't need to be admonished by someone younger than I." Kakashi said in a surly tone. What kind of appetite could anyone have after all he had seen since being cleared for field duty right after graduation. All he could see was blood and guts before him most of the time.

"That's harsh." She scoffed as she dabbed the wound with clean gauze with disinfectant, "But I am not surprised. You've always been absorbed in your own world."

Throwing that piece into the pan too, she reached for the neck of the lamp and tilted it a little lower and took a closer look. "Good. Looks like I won't have to call sensei. He really needs some sleep."

"What do you mean by that?" Kakashi frowned at her, wondering if he knew her from somewhere. Her face was somewhat familiar.

"The poor man is overworked. Most of the medic-nin have gone to the field and just today another bunch was called in. Something seems to have gone really bad at the northeastern border but the Hokage office is not releasing any information to the masses yet."

Kakashi took in that information, but he was not going to be seeing the field anytime soon, so he clarified his question. "I was referring to your comment. What you are not surprised at?"

"You don't remember me do you?" She smirked, "I sat next to you during second grade at the academy for a while despite every other girl in the class objecting to it. The teachers seemed to find that it was easier to teach without the girls fighting to sit next to you."

Kakashi remembered that. It was awfully annoying to have the girls swarming his desk when all he wanted was to be left alone. He racked his brains for a name that matched her face, but it seemed she was right after all. That was the first year without his mother and his father was home occasionally due to the war. Even Eiko-sensei had been called back to the field. He had been left only with obaasan and with no option but to go into the Shinobi Academy. Resources could no longer be squandered on the private tutoring of a geniuses' kid.

At the academy he had concentrated in his studies, not wanting to waste time in friendships. In the end, he had graduated from the academy in a year at the age of five.

Just as he was about to apologize for not remembering her, she spoke again as she dressed the wound once more.

"In any case, that is not my point Hatake-kun." She said, "I have not been to the field, mainly because I am not a strong asset to this village so I cannot speak from experience. But you are a strong asset."

She tied a knot on the bandage and declared it done. Kakashi looked up to her face again.

"I am not saying you must get better so you can go back to the field." She said, "You will be sent back the minute you are able."

"It means that you must do all you can to heal properly, so you will have a higher chance of coming back next time you are sent out. It will give your team a chance to survive too."

Kakashi watched her lips slip into a small smile. She said, "Now...I give that reminder to everyone, so don't think yourself special, Tensai-kun."

As she got to her feet, Kakashi tilted his head back. It seemed to him that her forest green eyes were laughing at him. "Aren't you supposed to have a name tag?" He asked.

Chukling, she said as she picked up the tray and a twinkle in her green eyes. "Probably, but I get away with it. I hate name tags."

With a tilt of her chin towards the night table, she turned sideways, ready to walk away. "Your painkillers are there with a glass of water. I was bringing you those when I noticed your wound bleeding again. I'll let you go back to your thoughts, but please find time to rest too."

With that, the volunteer walked away and out the door. He noticed she shut the door very carefully behind her to make the least amount of noise. Kakashi stared at the door, trying to remember her name once more, but he would have no luck with it.

Mindful of the fresh bandaged wound, he reached for the painkillers and water. He figured it was best to rest as she had reminded him to do.

The cocktail did not take long to make effect on him. Soon he settled comfortably on his pillow and closed his eyes. This time he did not see Obito's crushed face or the child engulfed in flames for a change. For once, all that his mind could come up with at that moment was a question. Second grade...What was her name?


On the first anniversary of Obito's death, Kakashi made sure he made it to the memorial stone before heading to the gate for the next mission. It was the first mission he would have with Rin since Obito's death, and they would meet the new member of their team.

Having relayed the news to his friend, he walked away from the stone, taking the path through the cemetery. Coming up the stairs, he saw Second again for the first time in months. He had named her thus since he could not remember her name after all and he found it too embarrassing to ask others for her name.

"Yo, Second." He said, lifting his hand in greeting.

"Hatake." She stopped and frowned at him. "For a so-called genius your nicknaming abilities are terrible, but hello anyways."

"Your greeting abilities are at par to mine it seems." He said, sticking his hand back in the pants' pocket. "Telling patients to behave got too boring for you? Never saw you around again."

She frowned for a moment and then nodded slightly. "Ah yes...I was assigned to another ward on the next shift and then, oddly enough, I was sent to Shibaten. They needed extra hands in the mobile hospital." Her eyes did a quick once over and then she smiled, "You seem to be alright."

"And you." He nodded towards the two bouquets of wild flowers in her arms. "Visiting?"

"Yes." She patted the flower bunch wrapped in white tissue. "My mother mainly, but for Obito-kun too. It's their anniversary after all."

"You knew Obito?" He asked in a surprised tone.

"I was on second grade with you guys." She sighed, waving away her slight annoyance towards him. "Nevermind. I get that a lot."

"Why can't I remember you?" Kakashi said, somewhat exasperated. It was ridiculous that he would not remember anything about the person before him.

"No worries." She gave a small shrug, "I stayed behind after second grade and you did fly through the academy after all. I was hardly excellent shinobi material so I did not graduate with your group. You guys were all a geniuses in your own ways I guess."

With a smile towards him, she stepped closer. "In any case, I'm glad you're doing good. It's sad when people die but even more so when it's people our age. There's too many in these cemeteries that have reached the end of their road too soon. So it's refreshing to see a familiar face walking about every now and then."

Kakashi stepped aside to let her go through, looking down at her. "Wait." He said, catching himself in mid motion to grab her arm.

"Hmm?" She smiled, "Oh yeah...did you visit Obito-kun already?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "On my way out again." He added, not sure why it was important to relay that.

"Well then, come back safely." She said with a kind smile, "Bye now, Tensai-kun."

Kakashi watched her walk away with a frown set under the forehead protector. With a sigh, he scratched his head and muttered, "I guess I won't get her name this time either."

Looking up to the sky, he cursed under his breath and sprinted out of the cemetery. He was going to be late for the first time to a mission rendezvous! As he neared the gate, he spotted Rin, and smirked at the thought of Obito laughing at him for being tardy for once, just like he used to be.


Fireworks bloomed in the sky above Konoha. It was the first time in years that the Summer Festival was celebrated, and as Guy pointed out, it was much more tame this year compared to the last one. They had gone to the temple with Minato that time as a newly formed team that time and said their prayers. That time he had given in and danced with Rin. Just remembering how bright and cheerful she had been that night made his heart hurt. Kakashi had been aware of Rin's feelings for him, but he had decided long ago not to encourage her. He simply couldn't see her that way.

Weeks later she had been kidnapped and in an attempt to save her, things had gone terribly wrong.

This year's festival was the Yondaime's idea in order to lift Konoha's spirits. The war had waned everyone's souls to husks. Food was scarce and the number of dead only grew by the day. But they had won the battles lately. They had regained some of those farmlands that had been taken away and even though there was no one willing yet to relocate to work the land, the news of Konoha's improvement in the field was lifting up the morale.

Having most of the village distracted with the festivities was a security risk. So Kakashi had volunteered to take the midnight shift, right after the fireworks.

Once he closed in on the perimeter assigned to him, he concentrated on the task at hand. He had to find Tohma and take over the watch. It did not take him long to find him but the groaning sounds, made him sprint faster towards the shinobi's location, kunai in hand.

Rounding the ancient oak tree, he found Tohma in a position he did not expect.

"Tohma!" He yelled, effectively bringing the grunting and grinding to an end.

The older shinobi looked over his shoulder, red faced and sweaty. "Ah, Kakashi. You're early."

"The fuck I am." Kakashi returned the kunai to its holder, glaring at the man's face. "Pull your pants up and get the hell out of here! Both of you!"

The man blew an exasperated sigh and turned to the woman pressed against the tree with her legs wrapped around his hips. "You heard the kid. Let's go to my place." He chuckled as he thrust into her once more before withdrawing. "We won't be disturbed there."

Kakashi sighed and looked away, wanting to punch the idiot's face in for being lax in his duties and subjecting him to the ugly sight of his ass. Had he been the enemy, he would have easily killed him and infiltrated Konoha's safety line. But then, Yondaime had warned him that he might find people throughout the night in this manner. He was certain he had not meant the shinobi on shift though.

"I'll pass." said the woman.

Kakashi turned his face back to them in time to see her pull down her mid thigh skirt. She was not looking at him, but he knew she felt his eyes on her. A blush spread on her pale chest and she looked away as her fingers worked the fastenings of the blouse.

"Come on, sweetheart." Tohma reached around and brought her close with a hand on her ass. "There's much to show you."

"Not interested." She said, swatting his hand off her with a smirk. "You didn't even get close to scratching my itch, so I think I'll find someone more reliable."

Tohma's face burst red as he grabbed her arm. "You were enjoying yourself you little slut! Now that pretty boy is here, you plan to ditch me?"

She remained impassive in front of the angry lover. "I simply did not enjoy your clumsy groping and unimpressive cock, so let go."

"You bitch!" He roared and pulled his other arm back.

Kakashi moved before he truly decided to intervene. Grabbing the older man by the jacket's collar he pulled him away. Spinning him around, he delivered the fist to the face he was itching to give and Tohma had planned to land on Second's face.

The murderous glare directed Tohma's way, kept him parked on the ground where he had landed. "Get the fuck out of here Tohma or I'll break your arms so you can never raise your hands again against a woman of this village."

"Fuck you Hatake!" Tohma spit blood and a tooth onto the ground. "What? Did you decide it was easier to keep that dirty piece to yourself? Maybe she'll teach your virgin cock a thing or two!"

Sneering, he got to his feet, pulling a shurinken from the holster. His eyes flicked for a moment towards a spot behind Kakashi before they returned to glare at the teenager in front of him.

"A bit of advice kid." He said with a smirk. "You should ask for a list before you put your dick in it. I can assure you that was tapped into long ago."

Kakashi grew tired of the incessant shit being spewed at him. Fishing out a kunai he charged once more. Tohma, even if older than him, was no more than a chuunin and no match to a jounin of his level. A fist to the gut and a swipe at his throat with the kunai left the man on his knees gasping for air. The shallow cut over the Adam's apple bled slightly. It would not kill him, but it would leave a reminder of tonight.

"Don't make me repeat myself." Kakashi warned in a low, murderous tone. "Scram."

The man sent a murderous glare her way but retreated all the same with no more protesting. Kakashi sighed once the shinobi left. It helped some of the tension out.

"That was unnecessary."

He looked at her over his right shoulder, "Now those are not the words I was expecting."

"Was it, you shouldn't have interfered?" She replied, annoyance clear in her face, but she did not look at him. Instead she concentrated on shaking her hair and swiping at her lower back.

"You wanted him to hit you?" He asked incredulously, turning towards her.

"I did not want to be helped by you, but thank you." She said with a sigh. "What a shitty night."

"Sorry to interrupt your fuck but seriously, what were you doing here with him?" He could not keep the annoyance off his tone either. "The idiot was on duty! If you were so desperate why not get yourself someone who was free at least? Plenty of those downtown."

She finally turned her face to him. Her green eyes almost black in the shadow of the tree. "Thank you. I had forgotten how much common sense I lack."

It had been a while but he could tell she had changed much from the girl he had met before. He did not know her well -hell, he did not even know her name, but there was a turbulent feel to her this time around.

"Look," Kakashi walked to her as she stepped out of the shadow of the massive tree. "I have no right to snap at you like that. That was just a bit disturbing to find."

She scoffed as she passed by him. "I imagine it would be."

"You're leaving already Second?" He asked, stopping her on her purposely used the nickname she disliked to dissipate the bad taste the whole scene had left.

She threw a nasty glare at his hand on her arm before moving it up to his face. "Seriously? Not only did you tell us both to get the hell out of here but you still call me that stupid nickname."

"That was before things escalated." He shrugged in a nonchalant way. "Besides, did you expect me to ask around if anyone knew your name? I could just ask you next time I saw you."

"It's been years since we last crossed paths, Hatake." She said, "You could have tried asking someone at least."

"So what's your name?" He asked, smirking under the mask as he watched her roll her eyes in exasperation.

"Ikigari Akiha." She answered, pulling her arm away. "Happy night shift Hatake."

"I think you should come with me." He suddenly blurted out.

"What?" Akiha laughed, "I'm not into virgins, kid, so don't get the wrong idea."

"Don't think too highly of yourself." He scoffed, "Tohma might be waiting for you. I just want to make sure you'll make it back alright."

"What is it to you?" She looked away and added softly, "What does it matter anyways? I'm not worth the time."

What the hell was her problem? Kakashi wondered as he sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Look, I have to patrol this area for the next two hours. I owe you one, so I would like to make sure you will be safe."

"That's odd." She smiled, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't remember doing anything for you."

"Well how about you rack your brains for the next three years and I'll tell you then what you did for me." Kakashi nodded his head towards the East. "In the meantime, how about you patrol with me? Unless your itch still needs scratching and you really must find another old fart."

Akiha choked at that but managed a small laugh. "I was terribly crude just now."

With a sigh, she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Hatake. You did not need to witness that. And I shouldn't have snapped at you either."

"Yeah..." He drawled, "I hope you have a way to scrub the image of Tohma's hairy ass off my eyes."

Akiha laughed while pulling her long, dark hair in a ponytail. "You should have turned away the moment your saw us. Don't blame it on me."

"Oh, I'm definitely blaming you." He smirked, "Come on. It's only two hours unless you have anything better to do."

"Sleep?" She countered but dropped down to stretch with a pair of lunges. "But then, night time is not for sleeping in my case."

He looked away since the short skirt rode up her thighs with those movements. That earned him a low chuckle from her.

"You can look now Tensai-kun." She said in a sing song tone and smiled when he did. "You seriously don't have to worry about me. I can go if I make you uncomfortable."

"I don't know you Second," He said, "But I can tell you are not used to receiving respect."

Akiha's lips thinned and she looked away, and he could almost hear her thinking she should leave right now.

"Let's go." Kakashi ran up a nearby oak and waited for her at a thick branch. He figured he'd give her one more minute before heading on, but she was at his side seconds after. He smiled under his mask and jumped off the branch onto the next tree.

"Hey!"

He chuckled as she yelled at him to wait up. While she caught up, he surveyed the area. After all, he was on the job even if he had opted to invite the infamous Akiha along. She had a reputation, just like many others in the field, but Kakashi understood. They lived in an era of war. Their next breath could be their last.

With that concept in mind, many of his male comrades sought out female company desperately during their down time or even in the field after they were relieved from their posts. It was up to the female half to take on those men starving for human warmth. However, not all men had a personal code of honor and it seemed Akiha had been involved with one too many of those, for he had heard her name many times among different shinobi from different stations.

Kakashi had no idea then that the person they were speaking off was that girl who had kicked him out of self pity without even knowing it. Those few words exchanged that evening in the hospital room made him think carefully on who he was and what he represented in the greater scheme of things. From that day on, he had a feeling he owed to her some of the regained fortitude that allowed him to go into battle and helped him keep fighting on even when things looked bleak.

Landing on the edge of a clearing Kakashi waited, scanning the tree line. He did not hear her come close, but felt her just as she landed a few feet away.

"It would be nice to know where I'm headed." She demanded, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. "And for you to stop calling me Second."

At five nine Kakashi was considered tall and not many women stood at the same height as he. He understood now what those other shinobi were saying about Akiha's legs going for miles, since most women averaged three to five inches less height wise compared to her.

"Alright." He smirked, setting aside his musing about her legs. He truly was not interested in her in that way. "Ikigari Akiha-chan."

"Akiha will do. I am older than you though." She said, somewhat winded. "It's been a while since I did any real running about. Are you sure you want me to tag along?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yeah. Like you said, it might have been best to not interfere, but I did, so I'll take responsibility and see you home safely. Catch up to me when you can. I won't be too far if anything comes up."

"You're an odd one Hatake." She said, looking at him as if expecting a second head to grow on his shoulder.

"I always thought you to be aloof and self absorbed, but here you are making sure I don't get my face punched in by an angry one night stand. I'm not sure what to make of it. But just to be clear, you're not expecting me to fuck you by the end of your shift, right?"

Kakashi had to reach out to the tree trunk to his right to hold himself steady while the other hand plastered to his face. "Your bluntness is certainly not one of your best traits is it?"

She cocked her head to the left and gave a small shrug. "I learned the hard way that nothing nice comes your way without having to pay for it. If that is what you were hoping for, I'll tell you, it's not the first time a guy has had that impression of me."

"And what impression is that?" He asked, looking at her again. He knew what she meant but for some reason he wanted to hear it from her perspective.

"Hmm...what was that phrase again?" Akiha said, pretending to think about it for a moment before she replied to the question. Her tone was low, somewhat resentful when she said, "That I am easy to spread, easy to fill up, and easy to wash off."

Kakashi stared at her stunned as her words repeated in his mind. He felt ashamed for a split second to be part of the male side of the specie.

Standing a little bit taller, he made sure he locked eyes with her when he said, "Whomever you heard that from, deserves his balls cut off and shoved down his throat. Don't think that all men are assholes like those who speak of you that way. Put those words out of your mind and move on."

Akiha seemed taken aback by the severe tone of his words, but the change in her countenance told him his words had been the right ones. Her eyes seemed to shine brighter but her dazzling grin was what took him by surprise. "Thank you Hatake."

"Kakashi." He said but his voice cracked, making him clear his throat.

Akiha laughed and looked out to the clearing. "Where to now capt'n?"

"North." He answered before sprinting into the clearing. Checking over his shoulders, he noticed her following at a distance.

Kakashi was grateful that she was not able to keep up with him or that she had not noticed his reaction to her throaty laugh. Even though he had said that about the other men in the village that seemed to form part of her encounters, he had very little control of his body's reaction to her.

Despite what she might think of him, he was no virgin. Kids grew up faster in time of war. He thought himself mature compared to his comrades but the first two years of blood and gore on the battlefield had made him shed what little boyhood he had clinging to him. Adopting some of Obito's ways had been the only way to not show how jaded he had become. So at a moment when he thought his act would fall apart, he met the Yondaime's sensei.

One night of being dragged around by Jiraiya-sama and he found out why the other shinobi seemed to flock to the nearest red light district during downtime. Sex was not exactly the answer to the inner turbulence caused by the war, but human contact in that manner allowed him to let go of his restraints.

However, there was a reason why some were under the wrong impression of him. He was not interested in people knowing what he did or who he did it with, and Jiraiya-sama's guidance had been invaluable in that sense.

He reached the river that flowed westwards and knelt to cup some water in one hand. Pulling down his mask, he took a good drink that somewhat helped with the dryness in his mouth. Akiha is not his type, he told himself, staring at the other edge of the river.

Well, her body is definitely his type, he thought as he licked some water off his lower lip. Unbidden, his mind brought up the glimpse of her pale skin before she had started to put her blouse together. Physically she most definitely stirred him, he acknowledged as much, but Akiha was someone he knew. Granted, not as well as other people, but he made it a rule not to get involved with anyone in his closer circles. Sex with women unrelated to his village life kept things neat and untroubled.

At the slight sound of her steps he pulled the mask over his face again. As she walked closer he could hear her heavy breathing. He closed his eyes for a moment and made an effort to set aside his thoughts of her as a woman.

Seriously idiot, he kicked himself mentally, it's been only an hour since she was wrapped around another man.

He heard the sound of water splashing.

"Ah!" She sighed, "I needed that."

"I'm truly out of shape. Being an ambulatory field nurse you'd think I'd get more exercise, but I'm pretty much confined to rolling gauze and looking after patients."

"You sound like you enjoy your job." He looked at her but she kept staring off the distance.

"In a way. I didn't expect to be doing this after all." She pulled a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "The man who raised me was a shinobi, but during a mission years ago he was poisoned and even though he did not die, his life as a shinobi was over."

"For the first year he needed home care, but with the war going on, my mother had no choice but to go back to active duty full time. My brother by then had become a jounin so it meant another income. Being the youngest, it was easier to pull me out of the academy to look after him."

"So you did not finish the academy?" Kakashi asked. He had actually assumed she was not good shinobi material and had to drop out. "Is that why?"

"I didn't." She smiled. "Bet you thought I was a terrible student."

He scratched his nose, embarrassed. "Ah...yeah, I did."

"You're not wrong." She laughed, "I was terrible, but mainly because I had trouble managing my chakra back then. And academy has been mainly an assembly line of cannon fodder. Unless you have great genetic skills geared towards shinobi life, the teachers do not have time to bring what is needed out of you."

"You're kidding right?" He said with disbelief clear in his tone. After all, he knew many shinobi who had managed to make it by hard work alone.

Laughing, she shook her head, "Not one bit. Other factors may have been taken into account, but the few people who had any real knowledge on my chakra were either dead or at the field. One kid with troublesome genetics was not enough reason to pull an asset out from the front line.

Shrugging, she added, "In any case, that's how I ended up volunteering at the hospitals. I needed to learn how to look after him better. And in the long run someone did come along that decided I was worth their time, so it worked out in the end."

Standing up, she looked down at him with a smile. "I'm good now. Where are we headed now Kakashi?"

Kakashi could hear it in her tone that she had said more than what she had planned to so he did not try to ask more about her even if he was curious.

Kakashi led the way, but this time he slowed down so there was not that much distance between them. When the two hours were up, they were already at the village gate. Yondaime himself was pulling an all-nighter since the festival had been his doing. Kakashi reported to him and when asked about Tohma's swollen jaw he did not lie.

"You've got to be kidding me." Minato sighed, shaking his head. "I'll deal with that idiot after tomorrow." With a quick look behind Kakashi, he said, "So you took her along for patrol?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I wanted to make sure Tohma was not waiting for her."

Minato agreed with him and promised to have a talk with Tohma once more before sending him off.

With his night's duty over, Kakashi and Akiha walked down the quiet streets in silence. The celebration had ended an hour earlier and even though there were still some people about, they seemed too drunk or besotted with their companions to pay attention to anyone else but themselves.

They spoke very little on the way back to the village and her home. After their chat by the river he had sensed her shut down. When they turned to the familiar neighborhood, he spotted Rin's house and noticed her light still on.

Her mother, he thought taking his eyes away. That pain will never go away.

Three doors down, Akiha stopped at a short wood gate that had seen better days. Kakashi looked at the house behind her and frowned. He knew the house. Many years ago, he had seen a girl escape from it. Curiosity had prompted him to ask Rin once about it since she lived nearby.

"I've seen her too," Rin had said,"But I can't remember her name. She was with me on first grade I think, but we never talked. Mom says Mrs. Tanaka has heard terrible things coming from that house, but then Mrs. Tanaka is a terrible gossip."

"All I really know is that Chisawa Akihira lived there, so it must have been her daughter. She was a senior medic and for a short period, my instructor. During the Kannabi mission she was part of Minato-sensei's platoon. I heard she died then."

"Thank you Kakashi."

Kakashi broke away from the memory and looked at the girl who had ran away from this home that day. If his memory served right, the man who had yelled at him that night looked old enough to be her father.

"You live here with your father?" He asked abruptly, knowing it was not his business.

"He's not my father." She said, looking back at the house. "He made sure I understood that tonight."

Before he could ask what she meant Akiha pushed the gate open and stepped in to the yard with a parceled out vegetable garden. "Good night Kakashi. Thank you for tonight."

With a small smile she waved at him and headed to the door. Before he could figure out a way to keep her from leaving just yet, she walked inside. He considered knocking at the door and getting her to come out for a little longer. Kakashi felt it was wrong to turn away right then without bringing her out again.

Unable to shake the bad feeling in his gut or do anything about it, he turned away from the gate and decided to stop by in the morning on his way to the cemetery.

The next morning, however, all that was left of the house was a burnt down shell and smoke rising from it. The neighbor lady told the story to those who had stopped to look of how she had woken to the bright fire in the middle of the night and immediately sounded the alarm.

Kakashi asked about the family that lived there and she said that the cranky old bastard had died in the fire and his kid was away on a mission.

When he asked about the girl, she scoffed and said, "Probably caused the fire, that girl! Bad seed I tell you! That man, despite his shortcomings, was good to bring up the child of his wife's affair. And yet, that girl pays his kindness back by becoming a slut just like her mother." She sniffed, "Apples don't fall far from the trees after all."

Kakashi wondered about the truth of the neighbor's certainty that Akiha had caused the fire. He doubted it at first, but when he returned from the mission he was suddenly assigned that day, he still was unable to find her. It would be almost a year before he saw her again.


Final check: 7/31/2014