A/N: Finally. Shit.

It moved in a strangely rigid way, jerking each limb forward one at a time, slowly, as it traveled along the wall. It's featureless face snapped up then down as though looking around, but how could it see with no eyes?

Kakashi's watched this awful looking creature as it passed by in this unnatural way. He stayed still despite not wanting to lose sight of it. Was it an enemy? Would it attack him if he moved? A bead of sweat trailed along his temple even though the air that surrounded him was immensely cool.

A door he hadn't noticed opened to his right, and he visibly jumped then turned his head in its direction.

"Oh."

She was equally shocked by his presence and nearly dropped the white mug she had in her hand.

Kakashi recalled this person well. Tall, graceful, pale, and dressed in clothing with too many useless amenities.

Not even in her immediate surprised expression was a lick of malice. In fact, her entire presence exuded the same calm he experienced the first time he encountered her. It was odd. How could he stand before a being that could easily be considered pure evil yet be so unbothered by seeing her face? The "oh" that left her lips when their eyes met was genuine and alarmingly human. This wasn't a human though. This was a monster.

"Would you like some tea?"

This was too normal. Too odd. Too much for him. Finally, he had the urge to dash across the carpet with a kunai drawn, but as soon as the sudden burst of animosity erupted it dwindled to nothing under the aura she emitted.

"No thank you."

Another minute and he needed to wake Em.

Whatever it was that exited the room down the hall was gone. Only Kakashi, the demon called Azul, and Em were in this simple living space.

A pair of black irises followed his gaze to the blonde laid across the carpet.

"She didn't eat enough today, I assume."

No. This isn't right. Why would she refer to Em so calmly? From the way Em spoke of Azul, I thought they absolutely despised each other. I don't know how I'm supposed to gauge this situation. Just another thirty seconds and I can wake Em.

Azul stepped over the witch and sat on the couch. She sipped from her steaming mug while smoothly crossing one leg over the other.

The longer Kakashi stood there, the deeper his discomfort grew.

"You can have a seat if you like."

"I'm alright," he answered.

He counted down painstakingly slow. Another bead of sweat trickled down his face, and he knelt beside the sleeping woman. He placed a hand on her narrow shoulder and shook her.

"Em, it's been five minutes."

There came a snort, but no response and little movement.

"Em,"

"You won't wake her that way. She's a heavy sleeper."

He shook her harder and achieved the same result. Azul sighed rather loudly. Within her long, nimble fingers she grasped a couch cushion and chucked it at Em's head.

Em propped on her elbows as she wiggled herself awake. She cursed.

"I was in the middle of a dream."

"Was it the one about the talking bread?"

"Similar."

This is wrong. This is completely wrong.

"Is that earl grey?" Em continued.

"It's the last of it."

"Do we have any Darjeeling left?"

"I finished that earlier."

A witch and a demon spoke to one another just as any roommates might. Kakashi swallowed every emerging huff or disapproving grunt. What was his life becoming? How much more absurdity could he endure?

"Have you replaced my chai?"

"Not yet."

"Then I won't be having a cup of tea, I suppose."

The still drowsy Em stiffly rose and hobbled towards the short, barely visible white hallway.

"This way."

Kakashi silently followed with a single glance toward the being seated comfortably on the couch. When the time would come when he might have to face her and fight her, he did not know. The human presence nearly washed away the visions Em showed him: The emotionless actions and reactions. The carnage left in her wake. The disruptions of entire universes and the lives lost due to her seemingly random, but entirely planned experiments, all left him with a terrible irk somewhere in his chest. Presented with her calm, humanlike demeanor was disorienting.

"It's Mitsuru's daughter's job to end this. As much as I'm sure you want to act, please resign yourself."

"I am aware." he released a sigh he'd been holding in. "I want to help Mitsuru. That's all I'm focused on."

"Good."

They entered a room opposite to the one that the strange creature exited from.

"You'll have to change. You can't wear that where we're going."

Em produced a piece of clothing he wasn't familiar with, but from looking at it, he figured how he was supposed to wear it. It was an opaque white top with long sleeves, a collar, and a line of buttons and holes on either side of the flaps that Kakashi assumed were supposed to cover his torso.

"I don't know your sizes, but try this as well."

The pants she raised were dark brown and baggy looking.

"Leave your weapons."

"Leave them?"

"You can carry a pocketknife, but nothing else. Anything more and you'll be stopped and questioned by their law enforcement. We have to blend into the crowds as much as we possibly can…" her gaze landed on his sprouting grey hair. "Can you comb your hair?"

"...This is combed."

Em's eyes narrowed. Really?

"If I can't carry my weapons we'll have to rely only on hand to hand combat and my jutsu. I prefer being prepared for anything."

"Where we're going I doubt you can use jutsu. You likely won't be able to open your right eye at all."

"What do you mean?" he gripped the shirt tight.

He didn't like the idea of his abilities being limited, adaptable as he was.

"How much of your power you can use changes depending on the world you enter. I've told you before, I've been to worlds where there was no energy. People had no abilities there, and the atmosphere was oppressive. I could only manage to do traditional magic, and even then it was limited to whatever resources I brought with me. The world didn't produce any of those naturally."

"How helpful can I be without my jutsu?"

"You are trained in physical combat from a young age, yes?"

He nodded.

"That's more than enough. You might be able to use a tiny bit of your chakra there, but as for performing your jutsu. I doubt it. You are welcome to try when we get there though."

"So there is some energy in this world we are going to?"

"It's like the first world I ever went to. There is a single, unique power limited to very, very few people. The power in this world though is a bit gruesome. We won't have to deal with them when we first get there, but on the way out we might. We have a time limit."

Kakashi set his backpack aside while Em spoke.

"What is this power?"

"You don't really have beasts in this world, do you?" she asked quickly.

"There are the tailed-beasts."

"But not human-like creatures?"

"...not that I can think of."

"Ah." Em sighed: "There's something similar in my world. They're called Giants. Essentially, a large version of a human, but the similarities stop there."

"Are they dangerous?"

"In my world, only if you upset them or enter their territory without permission. There's a half-giant I am a bit fond of." she continued. "In the world, we're going to, they're extremely dangerous."

"Will there be a lot of them?"

"At the beginning no, it'll be nighttime, and they won't move much. We'll have to travel as fast as possible to the center of the city before sunrise, and they start moving again. I would drop us closer if I could, but I only have coordinates to the outermost wall." She released another sigh, a much louder one. "Then we have to travel all the way back to that spot to return here."

"We can't return in another place?"

"It takes three times as much energy to rip new holes into other worlds. It will be easier on me to exit in the same space, as I don't have the energy to spare."

"I thought you were constantly producing more."

"I'm human too. My body can only handle so much, and my employers placed limits on how much can be in my body at a time. The excess they siphon off and do who knows what with it. Its build up is not extremely fast like I think you're thinking. It's, in fact, kind of slow. It takes days for me to recuperate fully."

"Are we leaving today? Couldn't you get more rest first?"

Em snatched a wrapped energy bar from her nightstand.

"This is the window of opportunity my employers gave me to take you with me before things become more complicated in your world. I want to have all of Mitsuru's parts back together before then."

"I thought you said it would take a decade to put her together?"

"A decade until she becomes a fully-functioning human again. She'll be a physical body with a patchwork soul. I have to stitch it all back together bit by bit. This is what will take a decade in your world."

"I see."

He didn't, but he felt it easier to accept the words that tumbled nonchalantly out of the witches mouth instead of trying to delve further.

Em dug into a small chest and pulled out a few more items. She tossed them to him one by one while reciting:

"You're going to have to pull your hair back somehow. Use these ties. Here's a brush. Use this hair gel if you have to. Also," She pointed a firm finger in his direction. "Lose the mask."

X

For a moment Kakashi thought he couldn't breathe, but his lungs filled with thick, cold air and he exhaled painfully. Did it always hurt Em this much when she jumped between worlds? The blurs did not last long, but when his surroundings cleared, he realized their position. Just a few feet away was the edge of the cemented ground he stood on and without looking over he knew there was a very sudden, steep drop.

This was not terrifying to the shinobi who had climbed mountains with one hand. In fact, the perimeter around Konoha resembled this wall, though it likely wasn't as high.

In the distance were vast plains with patches of villages and trees breaking up the monotony. It was both familiar and alien to him as he'd seen images like this before in his homeland, but he knew it was an entirely new place. It was an entirely new world. If not, Em wouldn't have dressed him in such an odd way.

It had taken time to tame his hair in the way that she'd demanded and the closed-toed shoes she'd provided were a bit restraining, but he recognized the necessity. Disguises were ordinary for shinobi, though he hadn't had to partake in one as elaborate as this in a long time.

While he had drawn back his grey tresses into a short ponytail at the back of his neck, Em also changed into a similar outfit with the addition of a black cloak that she could hide her green coin purse under. She'd given him one as well.

Kakashi surveyed the decline near his feet then recognized a heaviness in the atmosphere, as though two hands were pressing down on his shoulders. It created a feeling of discomfort within him, but he rolled back his shoulders and stretched his neck to loosen himself against the sensation. It didn't help much, but Em explained this world would feel different. Instead of dwelling, he looked to his partner. Because this was her mission, he assumed she had plans at the ready.

Em's hand was stuffed into her tiny green coin purse.

"So, can you feel your chakra?" she asked after another minute.

Kakashi did feel the energy flowing through his system, but what was usually just beneath the surface of his skin was condensed and further away. He only felt this when he was in battle and had used large portions of it.

"I can somewhat."

"I see." she glanced around. "We should find a ladder then."

A ladder? Does she think I can't use any at all?

"Can you not scale the wall?"

"I could if I was stronger, but not right now."

"I can take us down. I should be able to access enough of my chakra to do that much. After that what is the plan?"

"Going north, the distance from here to the next wall is about 100 kilometers, and from there it's 130 kilometers to the next wall. Then we have another 250 kilometers until we reach the center. Once we are within the next wall, we won't have to worry about enemies other than nosy people. After we make it to the city in the center, we have to search for that piece of Mitsuru, but you can leave that part to me." Em slipped her fingers out of her coin purse and clipped it shut. "How fast do you think you can get past the next wall?"

"100 kilometers at full speed will take me less than two hours."

Em let out a burst of air through pursed lips.

"If I could move that fast normally. Shit."

"How long would it take you?"

"With no flying apparatus, weeks. We don't have that kind of time, and the sun will start rising in just maybe three hours. So then…"

"I'll carry you," he responded calmly.

She nodded.

If I didn't have access to my chakra, how could we finish this in two days? Something isn't adding up here. Maybe she had another plan hidden up her sleeve?

Kakashi thought to ask his questions aloud, but instead, he shaped his hands into the ram sign and focused his chakra to his feet. Though it took a few moments longer than usual, he was confident he had bonded himself properly. He crouched with his arms stretched behind him, and she climbed on his back silently.

A similar thought passed through both of them:

I'm glad they didn't make this awkward.

When Kakashi was comfortable with his grip, and her fingers were clasped onto his shoulders, he stepped over the edge, careful to plant his feet one beside the other as they adjusted to the change in direction. The bond was strong, but he felt tiny wavers in his chakra control.

This might be a bit tricky.

He started slowly: each footstep a slight tell into the mechanics of the world they were in, then gradually broke into a run. He didn't reach full speed just yet as the ground was fast approaching. He turned his foot, creating a loud skirting sound and leaving a trail of dust, then leaped to the dirt at the bottom all while balancing a fairly light woman against his back.

These shoes aren't made for this. He scratched his heel against the floor while straightening.

Em wiped a bug from her cheek, thinking: Like step-father, like daughter. I should keep my head down.

"Whatever you see, just keep heading north."

"Understood."

They finished readjusting themselves, and Kakashi darted forward. They crossed a long plain before entering into a wooded area. He gratefully jumped into the trees as each propulsion would cover more than twice the distance than merely running along the earth.

Though they covered quite a bit of ground, he recognized the toll the heaviness of this world was taking on him. In peak conditions, he traveled 100 kilometers an hour, as was usual for most jounin, but the pace he set had to be somewhere closer to genin-level. He estimated, at his slowest, he was nearing 65 kilometers an hour.

"Em," he spoke after clearing the forest and entering another vast plain.

She grunted in acknowledgment, without lifting her head from his shoulder.

"It will take longer to get to the center than expected."

"How much longer?"

"8 and a half hours, at least."

"As long as we are within the next wall before the sun rises we should be fine."

By nothing other than chance, they crossed the 100 kilometers from the first wall to the second without encountering any other humans or creatures in their direct path. But just as he was climbing the second fifty-meter wall, in a beeline upwards and not slowing one bit, he experienced the distinct feeling of being watched. With a single glance to his right, he saw a sight he didn't expect.

Though Em mentioned they were human-like creatures, she failed to say that they were warped, human-like creatures. It had large blue eyes over an enormous mouth full of square teeth. The limbs were pinkish, flesh-colored, spindly and long. Despite its relative stillness, lying stretched out on the grass below, its pupils followed him all the way to the top of the wall. Kakashi paused to look down at the five-meter-long monster grinning up at him. Its misshapen form reminded him briefly of something he had watched crawling against a white wall earlier, but what lay beneath him was even closer to a human form, in color at least.

"What?" Em asked, suddenly alert.

She'd been using this opportunity to rest her mind somewhat. Kakashi's focused and trustworthy presence meant she could prolong using her mysterious powers. Having grown used to the bustle and bump of his movements she'd nearly fallen asleep.

"Is that what you were talking about?" Kakashi began.

"Yes. It won't move until the sun's up, though."

"Are they fast?"

"I think it depends."

There was a silent, mutual understanding that this was one of their first opportunities for a break. He set her down.

"You've been to this world before, haven't you?"

"I have not."

His brow furrowed:

"Then how do you know so much already?"

"My employers provide me with information about the worlds I go to. Just enough to survive, is how they put it." she pulled a water bottle from her purse and offered it to him. "They don't like to make my job easy for me."

"These employers of yours," he took it and swallowed a few mouthfuls quickly. "They seem to be very powerful."

"It seems that way, yes."

"Couldn't they handle these things on their own then?"

"They keep the walls between our worlds solid. Any time these borders are messed with they have to find a way to patch them back up, but they aren't keen on cleaning up inside the worlds. So, that's where I come in I guess." she explained with a bit of sing-songiness and with dramatic gestures that were too over the top for her slightly raspy, but naturally monotone voice.

"They also like playing games. So, yeah," she muttered.

After another moment she asked:

"Are you ready to continue?"

"Yes."

"Since the sun will be rising in the next hour, avoid any villages we come across. I don't think people will react well to seeing us speeding past them on foot."

"Alright."

"When we get to the next wall I'll give you directions that will bring us closer to what we are looking for."

"So this piece of Mitsuru. What will it look like?"

"A ball of light. It will probably be floating around in the same place, away from people."

"How large is it?"

She held up a cupped hand indicating a size not more than 10 centimeters.

"How are we supposed to find something that small in a place this large?"

"I said to leave that to me didn't I?"

He waited for her to elaborate, but once again she was quiet. With each phrase she could have punctuated with an impatient sigh, he wondered if she disliked talking. Somehow their conversations felt forced. She did not ask him questions, she only answered his succinctly.

"Anyways, let's go."

X

The sun was high by the time they slipped past the second wall and were well on their way to the city in the innermost part of this nation. Having to circle villages and avoid the larger roads did tire Kakashi a bit, but his body was conditioned for extended periods of exertion. When they reached the affluent center of this world, they hid behind a small patch of trees near the edge of this vast city.

Kakashi finished the bottle of water she handed him, and after a few minutes, they stepped into the bright yellow rays to start their search. Time moved slowly as they walked through the bustling city. Em looked around leisurely and in complete silence. She did not attempt to engage in any conversation even as she led him down a tunnel.

They arrived at the bottom of the seemingly endless stairs and entered into an enormous space enclosing another city. A complicated electrical structure and numerous lights were attached to the tops of buildings, but the height of the cave-like ceiling made them weak in illuminating anything. The mold-scented air was heavy from the build-up of moisture, and the ground was not paved like it was above. The wet dirt sunk beneath the weight of each of his footsteps.

Everywhere Kakashi looked were people dressed in worn clothing, scuttering about in a somber, hasty fashion. Through the relative silence Em said:

"I need to eat something."

"Your energy bar?"

"I'm saving it. I just want bread."

Em flitted into a small shop on their right. He paused outside as she picked out her tiny loaf. His eyes wandered to down the street littered with refuse. There was a general sadness about this place, and it made the kindness in Kakashi limbs ache.

Overtaken by his pitying thoughts he hadn't noticed a woman curling her arm through his.

"Are you lost, honey?"

He reacted with a start and regained a bit of his personal space by stepping away.

"Oh no. I-"

"I can show you all the ins," her hand cupped his chin, and her body pressed to his, "and outs, for the right price of course."

The woman's touch on his bare skin set an embarrassed flush across his cheeks. This was a situation he hadn't expected.

"I- I-"

A soft crunch came from his opposite side, and he snapped his head to Em who was watching with a relatively indifferent expression and a mouth full of dry bread.

"C'mon big boy." the woman pursued.

"Are you going or not?" Em asked.

"I d-don't have any m-money." Kakashi stammered.

Though he had a few reasons to reject the offer it was the only one he managed to utter.

The woman pouted and let go, disappearing between the buildings and off to find a proper customer.

"Why would I go?"

He was incredulous. Why would she think that he would agree to accept the lady's services?

Em only nipped into her morsel and spun on her heel. Their quiet expedition began again, this time uninterrupted for much longer. Kakashi, though he studied the world around them in search of the light Em had briefly described, he watched Em more closely. How does she know where to go? If she already knew where to go, then why did she say "search?" The witch polished off her food just when a roar ripped down another path.

A man yelled again, this time followed by the sounds of groans and blows landing. Kakashi halted, his body ready to spring into action and assistance, but Em's voice cut through his natural reaction:

"We are busy."

"I wasn't-"

She faced him with a clearly forced smile.

"We are busy," she spoke more firmly. "And it has nothing to do with us anyway."

"It's reflexive. A lot of my missions require protecting people. In my village as well, it's a reflex to try to resolve disputes like that. I know I am not supposed to involve myself in this worlds events. It was only a reflex." he explained as their gazes met and he shifted from his action-ready stance.

The reticence was short, but it was then Kakashi realized what had been bothering him about Em since their meeting. As he watched her mirthy expression slacken, slowly, as though the curtains for a show were parting and the real experience was about to begin, he knew the young woman staring back at him was absent from his plight.

She did not care.

Not about the man being beaten, not about Kakashi, not about the melancholy of their surroundings, not about Mitsuru's pain, nor her suffering. Em imitated empathy and sympathy out of obligation. Her playful tones, smiles, and conversation were acts meant to appease him. When it came down to reality, this was only a job. Nothing he could say would make her think otherwise.

He hadn't met very many people like this before, but he knew she was void of the cherished traits known as compassion and understanding. She was contracted to find Mitsuru's parts and put her together. He was just an instrument, a tool to help her reach that goal.

"Are you done?"

That monotone Kakashi thought was just an accent now enveloped her voice entirely.

His brow furrowed as he had to reject the natural desire to help those in need and he stated through a frown:

"Yes."

"This way." she hissed and dashed through an open grate into ankle-deep sewage.

Though it grew darker the further they traveled, Em spotted the yellow glowing orb she was searching for. Just as they came within a few yards, she slowed. The ball of light moved slowly in a circle, dipped slightly then bobbed back to its original spot and started to circle again. Em stopped and searched in her coin purse for an empty jar when she heard a single word gasped beside her:

"Mitsuru."

Em's gaze traveled to Kakashi who watched the ball of light with a look of shock.

Before him was a figure, he recognized all too well. The image returned that harsh swelling sensation to his chest that he hadn't felt in so long. Her thick brown hair fell in waves down her back and shifted behind her as she turned her head from side to side. She stumbled in a circle, flinched and shrunk from some invisible force, then started the process again. She was in a loop, unaware of her surroundings, repeating the same movements every few seconds. Her almond-shaped eyes were wild and full only closing when she flinched again.

"Mitsuru," he spoke with greater confidence.

She froze. As though broken from a trance she looked around slowly, then turned to him.

Em's eyes narrowed at the light that suddenly stopped when he repeated the woman's name.

Is it responding to him?

Kakashi watched her step toward him, causing a soft ripple through the murky water, and he rushed to her. He clasped his arms around the shivering woman.

She's so warm.

Mitsuru was somehow void of scent but radiating a heat Kakashi felt so clearly through his clothing. She reciprocated his embrace and nuzzled into his shoulder with a short, strained exhale.

How long had it been since he saw her? Since he even imagined holding her like this?

"Kakashi-san."

God, how long had it been since he heard her real voice?

"What is this? Where are we? Why do you look like that?"

"It's okay. We're okay. You're going to be okay."

She moved slightly as though to argue, but she rested her forehead against his chest again and whispered:

"...Thank you,"

She uttered it with such apprehension he knew she feared that it was all a lie. The doubt that lingered in only two simple words brought tears to his eyes. Somewhere within the syllables, he detected all of the pain she'd endured at the hands of those otherworldly monsters.

There was nothing he could think of to console her aside from squeezing her tighter.

When her fingers curled into his shirt she whimpered:

"Please be real."

He had to speak now. He had to ease her somehow.

"It's alright, I've got you." his voice quivered. "I'm not letting you go."

Her choked sob caused a single tear to roll down his cheek.

"I'm never letting you go again."