"This is…" Kushina eagerly looked over to the brunette with a smile as she waited for her response. "Intense? No….surreal?" Kushina pulled her brows together and frowned she was completely flabbergasted.

"Wait. Why?" Melody turned to face her and Kushina couldn't help but feel like a child under her gaze. It was so easy to forget just how different they were, but that was beside the point. "There is no way that you have had better." Intense and surreal were not words Kushina had every heard when describing what could only be described as heaven. Kushina didn't care how much older Melody was there was no way that anything, in her weird world where they wore questionable uniforms for camouflage, could beat Teuchi's Ramen.

"Huh?" Melody herself seemed to be just as confused, rightly so. Thought Kushina just before Melody laughed, "Oh no. This is by far the best Ramen my taste buds have ever had the pleasure of experiencing." Did Kushina forget to mention that Melody sometimes had a weird way of speaking? The fifteen-year-old narrowed her eyes searching for any sign that the brunette was pulling her leg finding, Melody must have seen this and clarified. "I meant walking around Konoha was surreal. It all feels like a dream to me Kushina." Kushina returned to her bowl but glanced over at the brunette as she continued speaking. "It's one thing to imagine all of this, you know. I think everyone wonders just what it would be like to walk down Konoha's streets. I know I had, but to actually pass by the people and see that they are no different from the people back-" Melody paused awkwardly, "Home. It all almost feels like a dream." Melody spun her chopsticks through her bowl, "I am actually afraid I am going to wake up at any moment."

"Oh." She mumbled before slurping up what Ramen she had managed to get into her mouth. "You should have elaborated sooner, ya know." She pointed her chopsticks at Melody, "If you were anyone else I would have dragged you to the hospital." She was finishing her third bowl when she could no longer ignore the feeling of being watched. Sure enough, a pair of doe-brown eyes were staring knowingly at her. "It is either that or turn you into T&I." When Melody still didn't comment Kushina crossed her arms. "What. You're weird."

"Ouch." Melody laughed, "What did you expect though it's not like I am from around here." She defended, "This is all new to me."

"You're not from around here?" Teuchi asked as he dried off a bowl. "Where are you from?" Kushina couldn't help it she tensed at the innocent question and glanced over at the brunette from the safety of her fourth bowl.

There were many things Kushina admired about Melody, it was all funny...even to her. In a way, she had -or would have- been an idol of sorts of Melody and now Melody was an idol for her. She couldn't help it, especially at times like this where she looked so relaxed and natural as she smiled and answered Teuchi's question.

"There was this small fishing town on the outskirts of the Land of Fire." Originally Kushina was skeptical of the woman, she was an unknown and had shown up out of nowhere. For all she knew Melody could have been a creation of the Kyuubi's to try and trick her. That still could be a threat, but with what memories she had witnessed- Kushina couldn't help but hope that Melody was who she projected to be.

"Was?" Melody nodded at the inquiry and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"It was a beautiful town and I loved it very much. The waters were crystal blue and darkened when a storm was on the horizon. The people were lovely folk and very welcoming." Kushina slowly set her bowl down enthralled by the pure admiration in Melody's voice as she spoke about this town. "There was an inn on the beachline, it had the most brilliant view especially during sunrise and set. I remember sneaking in with my brothers to watch it." Melody laughed, "It was during one of those breaking and enterings when Shishou found us and trained me."

"What made you leave?" Kushina found herself asking before she could stop herself. She was getting better at reading Melody, but she was far from an expert. The now twenty-nine-year-old lifted her head from her palm crossed her arms and frowned.

"It was a tough decision, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity of being trained by an actual shinobi." She let out a sigh, "Our town wasn't well guarded and with the war and the land of waves being somewhat near. It was only a matter of time before we were targeted." Kushina frowned and looked down at her bowl unsure of what to think about what she was told. She knew Melody had to have been telling some truth, the way she spoke about that town was too sincere. "I lost track of time," She laughed, "I learned a lot from Shishou and forgot about that small beautiful town. A couple years ago Shishou brought me here… or rather sent me here." Melody grumbled, "I haven't gotten out much until recently."

"Now that I think about it, you do look familiar. You're Sakumo's new friend are you not?" Teuchi interrupted as he picked up their empty bowls.

"Huh?!" This was news to Kushina, Melody had mentioned nothing about making friends with anyone nevertheless friends. Kushina just figured that every time she was out and about it was for another mission or something. What's this about being 'friends' with Sakumo?! AND WHY HAVEN'T I HEARD OF IT!

"Oro?" Doe-brown eyes were widened and her head was tilted slightly to the left. The two of them shared a glance before turning back to face Teuchi who merely smiled and continued to dry off some random cup. "T-That's hardly fair," Melody whined, literally whined as she crossed her arms and proceeded to pout. Something that was even foreign to Kushina who had spent the most time around the brunette. "You can't just keep me in suspense like this."

"Wait." Kushina could feel both their glances on her but ignored them as her mind caught up with the information that was just shared. "Sakumo. Like Sakumo Hatake?" She looked incredulously at the brunette. "AS IN KONOHA'S WHITE FANG?!" Melody bounced a look at Teuchi then nodded. "You're THE Friend?!" Kushina was not one for gossip, but even she had heard about this.

"Woah, Woah, Woah. Hold your horses." Melody looked between the both of them. "Why did you say 'friend' like that. It's just friend." Kushina couldn't help but giggle a bit at the flustered brunette. "None of this friend stuff." Teuchi too was not expecting that kind of reaction and was trying to hold back a grin of his own.

"Sakumo-sama hardly has friend-friends hime." The owner sagely replied. Hime? "You have unintentionally caused a stir within the female population. Apparently there is this exotic foreigner that has been spotted with our one and only White Fang's undivided attention." Melody literally growled at that new piece of information. "It would seem that his appearances at the bar have dropped along with the number of females he has seen leaving them with."

"Sometimes we hit up the bars." Melody offered albeit flustered, "What he does on his off time is his own business." She lamely offered, crossing her arms and nodding her head. "I hardly can see how us hanging out like normal people would cause such a scandal."

"Two years ago?" Kushina had a good idea on what the owner was asking but if Melody's arched brow meant anything it was that she did not.

"Hmm?"

"I am willing to bet that you and our beloved White Fang met about two years ago." Melody bit her lip and Kushina gasped, she is so her. A piece of Kushina was ecstatic, it meant that Mels was putting down foundation in the village...but another tad bit louder part of her was upset, wondering how she could hide something like this from her. "You see apparently that's when he started to change and no one thought anything of it-" Teuchi began.

"Until we started hanging out publically later." The brunette rubbed the bridge of her nose, "And people took it upon themselves to start talking. Did anyone not stop to think that maybe, just maybe he was lonely? He was a single parent and a shinobi who had one hell of a reputation." Kushina frowned at tense Melody used, it was about the only way she learned anything about exactly what Melody knew about the people she knew personally. The soldier decided to hide that bit of information as well. "I offered to watch his kid and we become friends. We laugh, we joke and we complain like friends do. That doesn't mean that I am snogging the guy."

"Snogging?" Kushina found herself asking the elephant in the room after moments of silence.

"You know…" Melody flippantly rolled her wrist. "Shagging." The brunette sighed at their expressions, "Banging...Screwing." Kushina looked over to Teuchi who gaped at her other half. "Mating, Sleeping together….Holy Shite 'Shina," She looked back as her name was used. "Sex. We are not having sex." Kushina had been well aware of what Melody was talking about when she said 'mating' and 'sleeping together... hell at banging and screwing' she was fifty percent sure they were going down that road with this conversation.

She wasn't completely incompetent you know.

But she was fifteen years old and this was very much not something she talked about with anyone. Kami, the only person she would talk about these things with was the woman who had just decided to shout to the heavens what snogging was... plus it was awkward. With the whole Melody kinda in love with the same guy she was in love with... it hadn't been at first, but now that they were spending more time apart as separate people... and nine times out of ten Melody chose to look somewhere in her mid-twenties.

Kushina frankly figured avoiding the topic itself was best until she personally reasoned all of this out.

"How did you two meet?"


"So help me, Obito if you drop that cake I am going to be very upset with you and you won't live to become a ninja." Melody growled as the Uchiha detoured into the playground. While she knew he meant well and was a growing child. She also knew that his grandmother needed a break from him. So whenever she just so happened to have been in the area, she offered to take the squirt brunette sighed as she watched him play on the playground amazingly balancing said cake while doing so. "You're gonna be the death of me." She muttered to herself while she dropped the bags at her feet and rolled her wrists out as a familiar though unexpected Chakra pattern headed her way.

"This is possibly the last place I would expect to run into you." She smirked at the familiar baritone voice.

"I could say the same." She replied as she turned to look at him. "It wasn't exactly planned, but these things tend to happen quite a bit whenever I'm with him." She motioned toward the self-entertaining Uchiha that was currently trying to balance the cake on his head while climbing up a slide... without using his hands. Not wanting to see the pastry destroyed with his antics she turned back to curiously frowning Hatake. It took her all but a minute to realize that the cogs in his head whirling and she took it upon herself to snap him out of it. It gave her an excuse to him... on the shoulder, "Don't get ahead of yourself Taichou."

"Who is that Obasan?" Obito seemed to have realized the silver haired shinobi and ran over. She wanted to facepalm and run her hand down her face, she knew that they had to have learned about him and some other prominent shinobi in the academy. Of course, since she hadn't exactly gone through the academy herself for all she knew perhaps they weren't. I shall ask Kushina about it later. She thought.

"Obasan?" Sakumo grinned.

She gave Sakumo a questioning glance as she spoke, trying to find the correct way to explain their...possible friendship? "A friend. Obito-kun." She turned attention from her partner turned Jonin to the seven-year-old. "Now give me that and go play." With the cake quickly but safely returned to her grasp Melody set it down and turned her attention back to the Hatake. "I watch the squirt on occasions." She admitted with a smile as she looked back in the kids direction, "He lives with his gran and she can definitely use the breaks." She then shrugged, "Just some friendly favors is all."

"Never thought of having kids of your own?" She didn't immediately answer his question, actually caught completely off guard by the sudden inquiry. Aside of the mission they had a couple months back she had only seen him a couple of times in passing. As far as she thought their friendship was purely one-sided on her side and they hadn't really shared anything personal to one another.

"It has crossed my mind a couple of times." She admitted after a moment then let out a sigh and began to grab the bags. As much as I would enjoy to see just where this conversation goes... I'd rather not. "Come on Obito-kun, we don't want to worry Baa-baa." Much to her surprise her elusive Anbu partner snagged a couple of bags and even grabbed the cake. "You don't have to worry yourself with that Taichou."

"Wouldn't want to ruin this before the it reached the birthday girl, now would we?"

Melody couldn't help herself she closed her eyes and genuinely smiled.


"Have you ever tried to talk him out of doing something?" Melody smiled to herself, "It's worse than trying to get a hyper-active Uchiha to leave the playground." The three of them sat in silence for a while until a patron came in for a meal and stole Teuchi away from them. Seeing an opportunity, Melody placed the money down for their combined meal and waved to the redhead. "I've got a couple of things I need to take care of 'Shina darling. It was a pleasure and I look forward to sharing more meals with you." With that, she was gone in a flurry of leaves reappearing in the training grounds.

Melody had no intention of training though and instead jumped up onto one of the nearby branches before laying on her stomach with a grunt.

The conversation from earlier as amusing as it was reminded the twenty-nine-year-old just how long it had been since she had seen her former Anbu partner slash captain slash friend slash apparently friend... nevertheless worked with him. He had left Anbu about half a year prior, she hadn't noticed really in the chaos that were the Land of Fires borders. Missions had become more frequent and she was sure that after months of convincing him he finally accepted that spending time with his son was important. In fact more important than the deteriorating borders. She thought with a smile.

Their friendship, because that was all it was...seriously, had started off shaky at first but after their actual first encounter after their shared mission and her intentional 'accidental' encounters with him -not including the one at the playground... that caught her completely by surprise- they became the closest of friends.And apparently more so to the people in passing.

It was difficult opening up to someone when all you could tell them were half-truths or plain lies, but she had to make it work. She needed someone to talk to, someone who knew her for her actual age. For her actual self. Shishou knew her, but she knew her as Emiko who was Kushina's age and even the Hokage believed she was simply a piece of Kushina...some new technique that he could use in this not-quite-war.

Honestly, Melody was completely fine with that, but when the Hokage had asked who she wanted to be paired up with she had instantly said Sakumo Hatake...or rather Konoha's White Fang.

Why?

Well, she just so happened to have read his Bingo Book entry before being summoned and she thought why the hell not?

Sadly, it wasn't as if she could simply state this mission to Teuchi and Kushina back in the Ramen Shop. No, instead she chose to tell them a more innocent story. Or rather it had seemed innocent until she had been interrogated about her relationship with her. Seriously do people have nothing better to do? She knew better, especially with people who stayed within the walls gossip was the highlight of their day. She just really didn't like being part of it... at all.

She hadn't ever really thought about thinking of anyone like that since arriving here. In all actuality, she didn't think about much more outside of what she could and what she should or shouldn't do to make things better. Here she was two years into her life here with Kushina, practically twice the Uzumaki's age. As far as she was concerned, both back in her time/world and now her life was pretty much behind her. All there was to do now was work. This being more-so the case here since she was technically thirty, had managed to end up in the Anbu and brought here right before a Bloody Shinobi War.

Sue her for trying to prepare as much as she could.

She planned on dying if it meant keeping a certain redhead and blond alive.

She lived her life, as crappy as it was.

If I were to be completely honest with myself, I fear that the moment I stop to think about what exactly has happened I would go into shock or something. She thought sourly as she swung her arm out in front of her, Or perhaps once I realize that none of this is a dream or something. All I have been doing since arriving here is reacting to contact. It was not a good mindset to constantly be in and she knew it could still potentially bite her in the ass. She was already losing her mind before she had dragged Sakumo into all of this. She was able to be herself around him even before he trusted her. The fact of the matter was that he chose to trust her even with all of her quirks, all of her inconsistencies and mysteries. She didn't have to be anyone but herself around him and it was likely she owed him her life for that.


"Pregnancy terrifies me." Sakumo looked over at the half-masked kunoichi with an arched brow behind his full mask. They had just killed out two of their eight targets and the battle hadn't been pretty. She had patched them up and he was grateful for that, they had then proceeded to set up camp and just put out the fire since neither of them was skilled enough for a proper Genjutsu.

What had brought this topic up was beyond him ... though he was curious.

His experiences with pregnancy were nothing but full of joy and anxiety. Fond memories he held dear of a time that was in a sense simpler than how things were now. "It is not uncommon for us to die during birth if not shortly thereafter." She was staring up at the sky. "Then I became a kunoichi. All the more reason not to."

"You could die on a mission. On this mission even." He offered after a moment, he liked to think that he knew her better than that now. They had known each other for going on eight months and while personal things were still not something they shared often he knew enough about her to know that Death was most definitely not the reason for this. If anything it sounded like an easy excuse for her to use against anyone who didn't know better. "Death isn't the problem."

"I should have known that wouldn't work on you." He was surprised to see her smiling at him, "No it's not. Frankly, the thought of something living inside of me growing and practically being a parasite really bothers me." She continued before he could interrupt. "It is something that would take away everything I worked hard to obtain. I could lose my career over it. I could change into someone else." She looked away from him and back at the sky reaching out to it and the stars. "This is all I have Taicho. This is who I am. I cannot imagine myself a civilian. Everything I know, love and enjoy are things I can only do as a shinobi."

"You simply haven't found the one." He surprised himself, but before he could reprimand himself his attention was back on her when she chuckled.

"I've never given anyone the chance." She admitted, "I am well aware of that, but frankly I feel like when that person comes around it will all fall into place. Plus, I don't think I am the mothering type." There was a pause, "I've got bein' that crazy aunt down though."

The two of them sat like that for a couple more minutes before he spoke up. "You looked like you were doing fine last time." She gave him a questioning glance, he could tell because of the lack of a lower part on her mask. "With the Uchiha kid."

"I'll have you know I am not completely incompetent. I did raise my two brothers." That perked his attention. "Kami only knows what they are doing without me, though." She shook her head as she sat up and her unruly curls flailed back and forth from where they were secured. "Enough about me Taicho, how are you?" He paused and quickly scanned the area for any nearby enemies.

"All is well on the homefront if that is what you are asking." He laughed, "When I am not running around with my crazy-ass partner or team on missions, I am at home with my son." He heard her dramatically gasp and watched as a hand covered her mouth.

"You?" She scooted herself over and lowered her voice, "A son? Taicho do tell." He rolled his eyes from behind his mask and had to remind himself that she was quite the capable kunoichi, even if at the moment she seemed like a gossiping academy girl.

"Only if you refer to me by my name outside of missions." She paused and frowned it had been something he had been trying to stop for some time now.

"I don't know.." She drawled out and this time he frowned. "I mean it could take some time to get used to Taicho."

"I will hold you to it." He watched entertained as she waited patiently for him to continue, then began squirming around.

"Taicho?"

"Hmm?"

"You're son," She whispered covering her mouth, "Tell me 'bout him."

So he did.


They were making their way back to the village. The mission was a success, but things got a bit complicated. He looked over to his partner and frowned, he didn't care too much for seduction missions which they both agreed would be the best route for them to take when it came to their fifth target. It wasn't that anything had gone wrong during this process that bothered him, no it was the exact opposite.

She had a more appropriate outfit in storage on the off chance that any of their missions suddenly went down this route. Her mask had been the last thing off and what bothered him was the completely bored expression that she gave him before breathing in and adopting the sultry role she would need to play. It happened much too smoothly for his liking and she didn't seem the least bit bothered after. Of course this was ideally what you wanted out of a kunoichi, but she was his partner and it just didn't sit well with him.

After that, everything went smoothly up until they closed in on their last target. He was sieged up in his own home with his family, they were going to take him out when they all went to bed. He was woken up to screaming coming from the residence, Emi spared him a glance before the two of them jumped into action. They arrived in time to stop him from slaughtering his youngest daughter. Emi was trying her best to comfort the distressed child while he went over the others bodies. None of them survived their wounds and now they found themselves with a Kakashi-aged girl. They agreed it was best to put her in an orphanage a couple towns over. He didn't know what Emi told the girl, but the child was distraught when they announced that the were leaving. Emi whispered something to her and she was fine. She'd make a fine mother. He thought to himself.

"Taicho?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can I meet him?" He frowned and looked her over, aside of looking a bit fatigued and tense everything seemed normal. He tensed himself when she closed the distance between them and covered her mouth to speak, "Your son. Kakashi, can I meet him?" This close he could see the shimmer of eyeshadow around her doe-brown eyes. He could also see how she was more-or-less pleading for approval. Sakumo was willing to bet that allowing her this would help her with whatever was troubling her.

"I do not see why not." He answered back content on allowing the conversation to end there, but she was not.

"You're pack, you know."

"Hm?" That wasn't expected.

"Seeing him. I want a faces to the future I am trying to protect." She paused, "Whether you like it or not you and him are now pack and there is nothing I wouldn't do for the either of you." She added as they passed through the gates and made their way to the Hokage's Office. "The things we do are not pretty, but I'd gladly continue to do it if it means it keeps the people I care about safe."

"It's never simple with you, is it?" He smirked.

"Oh, quite the contrary Taicho,"


Authors Note:

First I go missing for three weeks, then I decide to throw in an extra chapter or three?

Yep, I'll explain this logic in the latest update in Chapter 15!

Updated 091215