Perched atop rooftops, just out of view from anyone not intentionally looking in her direction… It was like Kana had been transported back in time to when she would watch over Sasuke from the cover of trees. Those with more refined senses, such as Guy or Sai, would sometimes look around as if they suspected someone was watching them, but they would end up shrugging it off and continue with whatever task they were engaging in.

Sometimes she considered dropping down to simply be with them, but knew that they would be too insistent on answers to be content with be content with finally being together. So, Kana remained in hiding.

That was, until now.

Chnk

Kana watched a shuriken sink into the wood of her apartment wall to join the ten others she had thrown, then reached down for the bottle of sake that sat next to her on the floor. If she wasn't constantly aware of the guards that attempted to discreetly stalk her through the streets, she was dodging the confused and hateful stares that were usually accompanied with a rather nasty comment, which meant she spent a whole lot of time with her own thoughts in her apartment.

After the first few days of finally braving the streets, she learned that the only way she would be able to walk outside without some sort of confrontation would be if she donned sunglasses and kept her hood up. Thankfully Tatsuma was able to get some of those exceedingly tinted lenses that his clan members frequently wore without bothering to ask any questions.

Bless that man.

Kana frowned at the reminder – she still had no idea what was happening to Root now that Danzo was dead. For all intents and purposes they were put on an indefinite hiatus, it seemed, since no one knew what to do with them.

Oh well. Not her problem.

Chnk

The shuriken were initially being thrown to create the shape of the Akatsuki cloud but, halfway through, she somehow found herself turning it into the Anbu insignia. That, combined with the alcohol, meant that it just ended up looking like someone was senselessly lobbing throwing stars at the wall.

Which is basically what was happening.

Head lolling to the side, Kana squinted at the guard that was lurking in a tree just outside of the studio apartment that Tsunade had allowed her to use until she "Got back on her feet" as if there was any actual way for her to find a way to get a job in her situation. 'Oh, yes, I was previously employed with the organization that flattened our village. I was a bounty hunter and stole intelligence for an obscene amount of pay. I'm a changed woman, though, so I'd be no less than grateful for the opportunity to work in your bakery. My goal in life is now to make cookies and cupcakes in the shape of flowers.'

The guard tilted his head to the side as if to ask a question, which Kana promptly ignored and rolled her head back to stare at the mess of shuriken in the wall. When she lifted the sake bottle back up to her lips, only to find it to be empty, she huffed angrily and chucked it at the same wall so that it shattered into a dozen or so pieces that only added to the small mound of clay remains from the two other bottles Kana drained earlier that evening.

There really wasn't much for her to do other than drink and buy more booze with what was left of her Akatsuki pay. A few times Kana made the attempt to help with the rebuilding process, by using various nature release techniques granted by her Otsutsuki DNA but, because she wasn't proficient in using them yet, the foundations and building pieces made weren't of the best quality. She was eventually shunned away from the rest of the builders.

The kunoichi – if she could even be called that anymore – slid down the wall she was sitting against to flop awkwardly to the closet floor with a heavy sigh.

Hours later, when the sun began to rise, the team of guards was swapped out for a batch of fresh masked faces that Kana didn't recognize. Whoever was leading the previous team must have submitted an unsatisfactory report of their shift, however, because it wasn't long before a familiar chakra signature approached the door to the one-room apartment. When Kakashi knocked once, she only rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. He knew that she was there, he knew that she wasn't going to get up to let him in, and bothering with a response was more effort than she was willing to expel.

"You can't keep avoiding everyone," he said coolly after using his key to step into the room, "Have you at least seen Neji yet?"

Kana didn't answer and she could almost feel Kakashi's frustration reach palpable levels.

"Is this what you plan on becoming, Kana? A drunkard that hides from the world?" the jonin took a step forward to peer down at her with a sad, lone eye, "When was the last time you slept, or ate something?"

She rolled over onto her side to avoid his gaze, turning mismatched eyes to the pile of sake bottle rubble that littered the floor. The last time Kana slept was exactly eight days ago, for three hours before waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. As for when she last ate… She wasn't entirely sure.

With a sigh, Kakashi stuffed his hands into his pockets and lifted his masked face up to look out at the lightening sky.

"Don't put us through this again."

Her hand shook almost violently as she lifted it to lightly tap her fingertips against the thin window pane. A large part of Kana told her that it was too soon, that she wasn't ready, but what Kakashi said had been bothering her for the last three days.

Because, as much as she hated to admit it, he was right; she couldn't let herself fall into that same pit of depression that swallowed her whole after the massacre. When Yuki was waiting for her, and when the world was counting down the days to war, Kana had to force herself to swallow her fears and worry so she could jumpstart whatever new life she was going to be faced with.

It took several long moments for the window to slide open, and she was pretty sure that the anticipation was going to make her vomit.

There was a look of momentary shock that flashed across his face before being replaced by one of his quiet, gentle smiles, and Izumo offered a hand to the woman to help her through. While Kana's fingers wrapped around his wrist tentatively at first, it took her just a second of her boots touching the wood floor before she brought her other hand up to clutch the fabric of his sleeping shirt. She didn't cry, or envelope herself in the embrace of her friend, choosing to instead cling to him from a distance in the heavy silence that hung in the air.

Izumo's free hand rubbed one of her too-thin shoulders, which trembled almost as much as her hands, and hummed quietly in understanding.

When Kana was insisting that she live life with only the kids and her most inner circle, it was the two chunin that reached out to her. It wasn't Genma, or Hayate, even if they were major players in her coming out of her shell completely as time wore on.

No, it was Izumo and Kotetsu who would show up at her apartment and invite her to go drinking, or train together. Kana never understood why, they never explained why they were so persistent, but she felt it only made sense to reach out to them first. In her mind, which was frazzled from a total lack of nearly everything she needed to function properly, the best idea seemed to be to reach out to the very first people who ever made an effort to reach out to her all those years ago.

They were her first real friends after the massacre, and Kana could only pray that she was still as important to them as they were to her.

Because she needed them.

"I… I… Izumo…" Kana's words were ground out through clenched teeth, her jaw too tight to allow free speech, "I… Don't… I can't…"

The hand on her shoulder slowly pulled her in, giving her enough time to squirm away, to hold her in a gentle hug as Kotetsu stepped into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"I'm so sorry."

Kotetsu joined the pair, resting his head against hers and wrapping his arms around both of their shoulder to pull them into a group hug. "We are, too," he murmured.

Kana's breath hitched when she leaned back into her friend, eyes sliding shut behind her sunglasses.

"Welcome home, hon."