Itachi had known the moment those memories became his that he would have to do something with the fresh knowledge he'd obtained.

Thus, he had decided. No matter the cost.

千里の道も一歩から

Thunk!

It was quick, the exchange of blows. Kakashi didn't feel any sense of killing intent from his attacker, but he didn't let his guard down to the cloaked figure. He secured his perch on a branch, ready to make a dive when he anticipated another distinct blow, could see the rising of the figure's arm . . . yet it never came.

Instead, the clash ended as quickly as it came, the cloaked person making a leap backwards to the opposite tree of him. Kakashi made no move to chase, keeping his senses alive and alert to react.

"Do I have your attention?" the other party asked, and at once he realized who this was.

He felt his jaw clench, lightning hot anger built into his chest with nowhere to go rising to his fingertips. Despite this, years of ignoring his emotions aided him in remaining still and calm. Instead of acting on those molten feelings he stood rooted to the tree, and he waited.

"Hatake-san," Itachi greeted, removing his hood.

His expression was blank. There was nothing to gaze, no indication of what the youth was thinking.

"Uchiha-san," Kakashi echoed back to him, his tone flippant revealing none of what dwelled beneath the surface. He wondered why he felt so agitated then.

Silence took over the forest clearing; not even the birds sang nor the leaves rustled.

The young boy across from him made the first move, bowing his head low.

"I'll be succinct. I need your..." Itachi paused; the boy seemed to swallow his words and Kakashi could have sworn he heard air catch between his teeth.

Kakashi raised his brow and waited.

Finally, Itachi met his gaze, and this time—this time his eyes appeared clearer, unclouded by Itachi's characteristic apathetic expression. In that look was simply firm conviction, further given proof by the hardening of his shoulders, set back and resolute.

"I need your help."

千里の道も一歩から

Audible gasps echoed throughout the whole city, the collective learning of what had occurred.

A murder.

A battle.

Root? Active? How could it be?

"Did you hear?"

"Hear about what?"

"One of the council members was murdered in his own home last night."

"Ah, that man had been dirty, hadn't he."

"So it was deserved."

"Definitely had it coming."

"Disgusting pig stole the Uchiha clan members' eyes."

"Profited from a genocide."

"I bet it was him."

"Oh I'm sure, that Itachi kid was quite young, wasn't he?"

"It would have been easy to manipulate a child, wouldn't it?"

"Uchiha Itachi is very strong, but wasn't he only thirteen?"

"There's more to this story."

千里の道も一歩から

It wasn't enough to just kill Shimura Danzo.

It was a monster that had died that night, not a man. Itachi had to prove it.

As such, he staked his still warm corpse to the face of their beloved hokage on that grand mountain.

Let the world see what had been made of the Uchiha clan. What Itachi had unknowingly helped to create.

That arm of Danzo's was visible for all eyes to see.

千里の道も一歩から

When Kakashi woke again, he hadn't expected that the first thing for him to see would be Uchiha Hiyori's tear streaked face.

She looked impossibly tired. Her hair which was usually well cared for in disarray, limp bangs plastered onto her forehead. The whites of her eyes were reddened and her cheeks were full of the same color; she looked feverish, exhausted. Like she hadn't slept in days. It made no sense to him.

It wasn't like he himself held a worry that he would never wake again— he had survived too many impossible scenarios for that—so he didn't know why Hiyori would make such a face. As if she had feared for his passing. It wasn't like he would be upset for himself if he had died. It'd be a bit welcome, almost.

But weren't they near strangers? Why had she been crying for him like this?

Or was he just assuming things.

He had been. She wasn't crying because she was afraid he had died, she was crying at the expense of her gratitude.

"Thank . . . you . . . " the young woman choked out between the sobs that wracked her. "Thank you so much."

He didn't know how to respond to that. He watched with a slight buzzing feeling in his chest, the shaking of her shoulders, and the angry way she brushed away her tears. And then, oddly, she looked at him and the smallest of smiles directed itself at him. He swallowed.

"Sorry, you've just woken up and I'm like this," Hiyori sniffled, "I-I'll go get the nurse."

He said nothing. He was strangely exhausted himself.

千里の道も一歩から

Her body was still shaking by the time she reached Nayu's desk. She didn't understand herself why she was like this, but there were just so many thoughts and feelings rushing throughout her body and head.

Relief made existing difficult, it was so powerful within her. She was shaking with it, the desire to start laughing out of the control and the need to sob for much longer. It was a gift.

Shimura Danzo's death felt like the death of one of her greatest enemies, and the fact that a nightmare that had lived beside her for so long was gone . . . how could she not be so affected?

Maybe it was messed up to be so gladdened by someone's passing, but she couldn't summon an ounce of pity, nor stomach it.

Not when it meant so many things to her.

"Awake," she murmured to Nayu. The woman looked up from the paperwork in her hands and stood from her desk.

"Alright, now that he's awake, go home and sleep. I command you. Nurse's order!"

Yuri smiled, and shook her head. "Not just yet. I have something to ask him. After you check on him and I can ask him, then I will go home."

"Alright, but you have to pay for babysitting, my husband's time doesn't come cheap, y'know."

"Yes, I'm very grateful, and will pay as such!"

"Who knew Uchiha Hiyori had such a playful side to her," Nayu commented, smiling as she made her way to Kakashi's door. "How cute."

Yuri felt her skin heat up, trailing after her friend. She was very out of sorts. How could she raise her voice so loud? She pressed her hands against her cheeks.

Kakashi was sitting up by the time they entered the room. He was gazing out of the window and turned to look at the two women. He waved at them, the movement nonchalant, as if he hadn't been bleeding out on her kitchen floor and on top of her just under twenty-four hours before.

"How are you feeling, Hatake-san?"

"Pretty good," the man shrugged. He seemed back in character, unlike the odd way he had looked at her when he'd first awaken. "Could be better, but ehh. This is fine."

"Uh-uh, I see." Nayu rolled her eyes and approached him with her fist out, a green mist hovering over the hand she then pressed against his abodemen. She was silent for a whole minute before she took her hand away and shook her head at the man. "We'll see what Katogaya-sensei has to say, but I'm willing to bet that you'll be stuck here for a little while longer. At least a week."

"Ah shoot, what a predicament," the man lamented. "How will I keep myself entertained?"

"Read a book that isn't Icha Icha Paradise challenge, begin," Nayu grumbled under her breath.

"Ah, what was that? Read a book that isn't Icha Icha? Unlikely."

"Ugh, a tasteless man. The worst there is."

"I didn't know the two of you were so familiar?" Yuri cut in curiously.

"Ah, yeah. This man is here too often." Nayu muttered. She sighed, "Only for a short time though, he'll escape when he feels like it."

Kakashi appeared to be grinning, not saying anything. It gave her the impression that there was a lot about this man she didn't know of, beyond what she knew of him as a two dimensional character. It made her quite honestly curious.

She wanted to know more than what she'd seen of him behind his mask and fake persona's.

"Ok, I'm done here, Hiyori-chan, he's all yours," Nayumi abruptly said, writing something on a clipboard before squeezing Yuri's arm and heading out. She was gone so quickly Yuri hadn't even the chance to say goodbye.

She blinked and looked at the doorway for an indiscernible amount of time before Kakashi stole her attention once more.

"You don't have to thank me," he told her.

Yuri was already shaking her head as she faced him and went to sit where she had been sitting for hours beforehand.

"You don't quite understand why I do, that's okay though. Just know that I do and will always be thankful for your actions, no matter how you feel about them yourself."

"Ah . . . okay," Kakashi scratched at the nape of his neck, wincing a bit as his bandages stretched. He looked away and then back towards her. "Whatever makes you happy, I suppose."

"It does," she replied, certain. She grinned at him to show for it, holding back even more tears. A wide, happy smile was flushed across her face.

She didn't know how to tell him that when she came to this world, Danzo had somehow become the boogieman that haunted her when Junichiro no longer was around. It was like he had taken that man's place in many ways. Even when she didn't want to think of him, she would. With disgust and repulsion and the fear that he would do something to her children and to Sasuke. The thought of it would cause her to become so choked with fear that she would lay paralyzed at night just thinking about it, while those she worried after slept soundly.

And to think that he was no longer there, even if she hadn't witnessed the man's death herself, it was enough.

Junichiro and Danzo could no longer hold the weight of fear they had before.

"But . . . that's not why I'm here again," Yuri started. She looked at her lap, her fingers wrapping around each other. She didn't know how to word this question.

"You want to know where Itachi is?"

She nodded, looking away.

"I'm not sure either, actually. After that man was dead, I was a little too out of it to see where he went."

"Was he hurt though? Like you?" Worry struck her heart and she fought the urge to force Kakashi to tell her every little detail.

"Not that I can recall. I did my best to shield him from most of it, so I don't think he was as bad off as I was."

She felt her expression fall, and her tentative hopes fall with it. "But you don't know."

Kakashi shook his head, and he looked genuinely apologetic as he murmured a whispered, "Sorry."

"I-It's alright. I'm just worried, is all. He's only a kid. Even when he does the things he does."

"If I hear anything, I'll be sure to let you know."

She nodded. "Thank you."

"No need for thanks."

Looking at his stern yet somehow awkward expression she felt an alien feeling within her rise. The desire to tease this man.

"Actually there is," she smiled.

"No there isn't."

"Yes there is."

"And how is that? I really didn't do much." This time, he actually looked a bit sheepish, if that was the word for it. It was as if accepting her platitudes would be too much for him, like he didn't know how to respond to it.

To such an honest expression, she became coy, "Ah, who said anything about me thanking you? What about me? I saved your life, you know."

Kakashi laughed, and when her ears buzzed, her whole chest buzzed with it. Her smile grew broader. Why was talking to him like this . . . actually a little . . . fun?

"You came through my window and suddenly collapsed onto me, a tiny person in comparison, and bleed out onto a perfectly good shirt and onto my floor. It's probably stained now, both the shirt and the floor. Don't know if I'll ever get it out. Plus you nearly gave me a heart attack, and scared me and my children. You don't think I deserve a thanks for all of that? Hmph."

She crossed her arms and pretended to glare at him.

He had the gall to look humoured by her onslaught, silently chuckling at her dignified tirade.

Yuri was genuine in her irritation when she added, "Not to mention what I had to go through to get you here. You come to me, a civilian woman with no medical training to speak of? It's a real miracle you're alive. Clearly your survival training needs more work."

Kakashi chuckled audibly, and he leaned in towards her to say, "I'm still alive though, aren't I?"

Her cheeks flushed and anger burst into her heart. That's not the point! You idiotic man!

He leaned back, completely self assured with himself. Far too pleased with himself. "Therefore, no more work is necessary to speak of. Clearly my judgement can be trusted. Thank you, Kakashi. Yes, you're absolutely welcome, me."

She couldn't hold herself back. The look on his face made it impossible. Yuri had wanted to tease him and instead he was teasing her!

Something in her caused Yuri to raise her fist to jab his shoulder and found that before she could make physical contact, Kakashi's hand was already there, gripping her fist into his own.

Full body chills ran throughout her, and she shuddered against them.

She nearly yanked her hand back but . . . didn't.

The longer they touched, and the way Kakashi ran his thumb across hers . . . oh.

She found it wasn't as scary . . . as she thought it would be.

Hm. Kakashi is alright. Like this, he's okay. If he'd been dressed as Sukea, however, that would be a different story.

"Hiyori-san," their gazes were both pulled from their linked hands and towards each other's richly dark eyes. "Thank you very much for saving my life."

She felt her face grow hotter than before. This time she knew it wasn't anger. It was the room. It had to be. Ah, but just why was the room suddenly so hot!?

W-wasn't it winter? Who had the heater blasting this much hot air?

She looked away first.

"Hmmhmm."

She couldn't seem to form words anymore. What an inconvenience.

千里の道も一歩から

When she got home, she was so utterly exhausted that she really just wanted to sleep and be at peace for the night. Of course, with children, you never really get those moments when you really desire them.

"Thank you so much, Umeki-san," Yuri bowed her head to the man.

She didn't know this man very well personally, but she had trusted him based on her trust for Nayumi, and it seemed to pay off. He had taken off work to help look after her sons and Sasuke while she'd been at the hospital. He'd also assisted in cleaning the house of the blood it seemed.

Not surprising, he had seen how catatonic she'd been when he and his wife had arrived. Remembering those horrible memories had taken a lot from her the night before, and seeing the blood on the floor . . .

She wasn't just grateful to Kakashi or to Itachi, but also very grateful to him and Nayumi.

They were good people. Very good people.

"Of course. It's unfortunate we had to meet like that."

"Yes, I apologize for the state I'd been in when you saw me," she bowed again.

"No, no. It was very understandable. No need for apologies. Sorry if I scared you." The big man who had in fact scared her that night sheepishly ran his large hands through his hair.

"It's an issue with myself that made me afraid, nothing against you, so please don't apologize."

"I don't see how that's your fault, Yori."

And even though she was so exhausted she could have fallen asleep right there, Yuri jumped to hug Sasuke, who looked quite irritated with her at the moment, but still hugged her back.

"Good morning," she kissed his forehead.

He rolled his eyes, "Would have been a better one if you'd been here and not with that man."

That man is your future instructor, you know, she thought sleepily.

"How were the twins?" she asked.

"Missing mom," he said pointedly and left her embrace, glaring at her as he went into the guest room just as pointedly.

Well, that gave her a peek into the state of things.

She sighed.

"You look a little tired, Uchiha-san. If you'd like I can stay for a while longer while you nap. It wouldn't be a hassle."

"No, it's fine, you've already done more than enough for me. Again, thank you."

"Of course, hopefully next time we meet it will be under better circumstances."

"Yes, I hope so, too. Good bye."

After Nayumi's husband left, she didn't immediately go to sleep. The way Sasuke had brushed her aside had made her a bit concerned so she instead cooked them dinner and prepared the twins' bottles. It was spaghetti, which had become Sasuke's favorite dinner that she'd make every once in a while just for him.

She hoped it would bribe him into forgiving her for leaving him home while she'd stayed at the hospital. It probably wouldn't be enough.

Yuri peeked into the guest room to see the boy nestled under the covers and quietly snuck in, although he could probably hear her. He seemed to always be able to.

She knelt onto the side of the bed and whispered, "Sasu-kun~"

Sasuke grumbled and huffed into the blankets, seeming to burrow in further.

Yuri giggled, her sleepy mind finding him impossibly cute, although she'd probably find him just as adorable clear headed.

"Sasu-kun~"

His response was muffled by the blankets, but it seemed quite heated by the way he shouted it.

She laughed, "I can't hear you, Sasu-kun. How am I to know what you're telling me if you talk through a barrier, huh?"

Sasuke huffed again and then violently flung the blankets off of him and onto her, causing her to be buried. A token of anxiety whispered itself into her heart before she pulled it off of her head and then proceeded to wrap it around herself, gazing at the young boy with nothing but pure ardor. He glared at her in deep irritation, reciprocating none of her affection at the moment.

Still, she smiled. He was such a good boy.

"Thank you for letting me be selfish today. I know you didn't want me to leave, and don't understand why I had to be by his side, but thank you, Sasuke." She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"Why did you have to be there?" He grumbled, but seemed to accept her words by the way he didn't rub away the moisture at his cheek.

Yuri thought of a myriad of reasons that would have made much more sense as to why she'd gone the extra mile for Kakashi, a man that vexed her on most days. To the point that she hadn't slept since the morning he'd crashed into her, and even when he was unconscious in the hospital. She'd chosen to trust a stranger with her most precious people in order to accomplish staying at his side.

Even she didn't entirely get why she'd done all that. It was really unlike her.

Maybe it was—

"I had things . . . to ask him." Yeah . . .

Sasuke eyed her, and appeared to really dislike what he saw there.

"Hey, why are your cheeks all red, Yori?" He stretched out a finger to poke her and she groaned audibly.

"No reason!" she shouted.

"That's suspicious!"

"Huh? What is? I made spaghetti, nothing suspicious about that! Let's go eat!"

"That's super suspicious!"

千里の道も一歩から —senri no michi mo ippo kara — A thousand mile journey begins with the first step. We all have to begin somewhere.