* Chapter 3 *
"Laugh", you told me,
You have to laugh.
Come, get up again.
Forget the world and close your eyes
My hand is with you"
Rosenstolz : Lachen (Laughter - translation) -
Kakashi was back at his apartment in no time. He had found out that Genma wasn't in town, but had, as always, left the window open, so Kakashi had decided to crash at his friend's place tonight. After all, he was sure that Akiya would prefer to be left alone during the night. His plan was to grab a few clothes and then return to Genma's to simply throw himself on the bed and get some sleep.
When he tiptoed into his apartment with the intention not to wake Akiya, it only took him seconds to realise the bed was unoccupied. The sheets were creased, though, so it was evident that she had been lying in bed. Just where was she gone to now?
Only then did he notice the rushing of water in the bathroom. Kakashi cocked his head. The shower was running, yet she had neither closed the door nor switched on the light. Frowning, he entered the bathroom and pressed the switch. As the light flickered on, he became aware of two things. One: the bathroom floor was basically flooded with cold water and two: Akiya was sitting on the floor beneath the shower, curled up into a tiny ball and shivering violently. Her clothes were completely soaked and clung to her thin body.
Kakashi sighed inwardly and made his way to the distraught girl. She didn't move as he sat down next to her – she didn't even flinch, even though he was positive she had heard him come in. He shuddered as the cold water hit him, but then again, it wasn't any colder than the rain outside.
Unexpectedly, Akiya began to speak, her voice trembling. "I couldn't sleep. Every time I woke up screaming. It's ...so dark and cramped. Too much like..."
She trailed off, but Kakashi didn't need her to finish the sentence to understand what she was talking about. It didn't surprise him in the slightest that after everything that had happened, she was claustrophobic. What did surprise him, though, was that she suddenly moved closer to him and laid her hand on his arm, clinging to him like a drowning man would clutch a straw.
"I can feel their hands on me," she whispered with a haunted voice, "They are everywhere, and I can't get rid of them. I cannot wash them off."
Kakashi realised she was crying. So she finally was going into shock. Even though it unsettled him to see her like this, he figured it was a good thing. Maybe she would begin to work through the traumatic experiences. Akiya reminded him of himself, after he had seen the first people die, and after he had killed the first time. First, he had refused to talk and think about it, and after a few days, had suddenly felt the desperate urge to wash the non-existent blood of his hands. He had spent hours and hours scrubbing his hands, yet had felt as if the blood had lingered. He had felt incredibly...dirty.
Akiya was going through the same pain he had experienced. She had been shutting herself off from the world, but he had known she would break down eventually. It would be good for her. She needed to get over this and start anew, no matter how hard it would be.
Hesitantly, he moved his arm to lay it around her shoulders and pull her closer. She didn't resist, but instead put her head on his shoulder, crying soundlessly.
"Are you cold?" he murmured, and she shakily nodded her head yes. Kakashi reached upwards to switch the tap and let the hot water pour down on them.
Kakashi waited patiently while Akiya changed into one of his dry shirts and pants. She had stopped crying eventually, so he had ordered her to get into bed again. She seriously needed some sleep. Well, so did he, but he wasn't so sure he would get any tonight.
Akiya entered the room and slipped under the sheets. Kakashi watched her from the doorway. His clothes were definitely too big for her, even though her height was average, but like that they at least hid the fact that she was still painfully thin. He would have to make sure she would put on some weight, he decided. And he didn't care if he had to shove the food into her mouth himself.
"Why were you at the training grounds?" he asked her curiously. He had expected her to search for a quiet, peaceful place, not go to one where there was violence all the time.
"I wanted to avoid the people in the village," she explained quietly. "I cannot control this...this thing. Tsunade-sama says it's probably a kekkei genkai that only just activated itself, but I have no influence on it whatsoever. I can't stop seeing people's memories – and once I've seen them, I cannot forget them. They are stored in my brain...pictures, emotions, names...and I don't want that. I don't want other people's memories entering my mind."
That was the longest speech she had ever given. Until now, she had never uttered more than one or two sentences at the most. Kakashi smiled. So Akiya was beginning to trust him and slowly opened up.
"Plus..." Akiya continued hesitantly, "I thought I might be able to learn a few tricks from the trainees."
Kakashi was surprised. "You want to learn how to fight?"
"I want to learn how to defend myself," she corrected him.
Kakashi contemplated that for a moment. "I'll speak to Tsunade-sama tomorrow. You will need special training to learn how to control your kekkei genkai anyway, so maybe we can enrol you in the academy or at least get you a good trainer..."
Her eyes widened. "You don't need to bother with me, you know that."
Kakashi smiled. "It's no bother. If you need anything, I'll be there for you."
"That's usually what friends are for."
"Well, looks like I am your friend, then."
Akiya stared at her hands. "Friends..." she murmured. "I overheard one of the villagers saying something interesting the other day. 'A friend is someone who holds your hand and touches your heart', were here words." She glanced at him, a pleading look in her eyes, and Kakashi thought that she had never before looked so...so vulnerable.
"Hold me, Kakashi," she whispered. "Only a while, until I can sleep."
"This is completely out of question!" Elder Homura's face was red with anger, and elder Koharu didn't seem to be pleased, either. Not that Kakashi had expected that, but their reaction was more vehement and hostile than he had anticipated.
He and Tsunade exchanged glances. The fifth Hokage was visibly annoyed with the elders. Kakashi knew that she didn't get along well with the counsellors, for they often had contrarian opinions on important matters and Tsunade hated to be ordered around by them. Unfortunately, even though Tsunade held the official power in this village, it was the elders who had the last word in the important matters.
Sighing, Kakashi scratched the back of his head. This was ridiculous. The elders had no reasons to believe that Akiya was a spy, yet they were determined not to change their mind and let her enter the academy.
"Don't you think it is pretty unlikely that anyone would beat their spy to a bloody pulp before sending her out to run across one of our ninjas who would take her to Konoha so that she could infiltrate our village unsuspected?" Tsunade's voice oozed with sarcasm. "She nearly died out there, for Kami's sake! And no one could have known Kakashi would bring her to Konoha."
"Our decision is final," elder Koharu told them coolly, before striding out the door with elder Homura.
Tsunade slammed her fist on the desk, making Kakashi jump. "Argh!" she screamed. "This is ridiculous!"
Kakashi cleared his throat. "Tsunade-sama?"
"Yes?" the Godaime barked irritably.
"I'll do it."
"Huh?"
"Well, since they do not allow her to enter the academy, I will teach her what she needs to know. I don't care whether you will allow me to do it, but she needs to learn how to control her kekkei genkai, and she needs to learn how to defend herself. I only ask of you to...put me on leave for a while. I cannot both go on missions and instruct her."
Tsunade considered that, and then nodded. "I don't like the idea of not being able to resort to you when assigning mission, but I guess it cannot be helped - since you are the only one she seems to trust it is the only logical conclusion that you teach her." She sighed heavily. "You should concentrate on teaching her control first, though. Regarding the rest...well, I'm not sure Akiya is suited for this."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
"I don't sure Akiya is mentally stable enough to be a kunoichi."
"If you say mental stability is the key qualification for shinobi, you would have to kick more than half of them out," Kakashi commented dryly.
The Hokage smirked. "This point goes to you, Hatake Kakashi. I'll put you on leave. Teach her. As soon as you think that she cannot deal with it anymore, though, stop immediately. Understood?"
"Hai."
"Good. Get out, then." Tsunade waited until the copy nin had left her office, then called her assistant. "Shizune?"
"Hai?"
"Get me Shiranui Genma. He has returned from his mission an hour ago, hasn't he?"
"That's right, Tsunade-sama. He is waiting right outside."
"Even better. Tell him to come in."
A few moments later, a tall shinobi entered the office, like always a senbon between his lips and his hitai-ate backwards.
"Ahh, Genma, you are just in time. I have another mission for you. Your old friend, Hatake Kakashi is going to start training a girl named Akiya soon. I'm not sure she will be able to control herself, and since he is terribly biased when it comes to her, I want you to keep an eye on them and report to me regularly. Stay hidden, though, your presence might upset her. Any questions?"
Akiya was already waiting for him. As soon as Kakashi entered the room, she sprang up from her seat by the window and looked at him expectantly.
Kakashi smiled at her.
"Let's begin, shall we?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "They don't want you to teach me, do they?"
Kakashi sighed. Even now she already read him so easily. "No, the elders don't approve of that. But I don't care."
"I don't want you to get into trouble because of me."
"I won't get into trouble," he promised her. "Actually, Tsunade ordered me to teach you control over you kekkei genkai – and more, if I think you can handle it. So come on...training starts now."