Notes:

Hello lovelies!

What's this? A chapter after two months?! That's right! I'm still alive!

I am so sorry for disappearing on you guys, but life has been hectic. I won't bore you with the details but with everything going on, I had been really struggling to finish the chapter. I wanted to give you a long one, as a Christmas special (guess who's too late for that one, eh? xD) and then it kind of became a chore instead of something fun, which killed any motivation I had. And then 2021 happened and the world turned to shit a bit more. Well, let's hope that it'll get better this year!

I also want to give everyone who read this story and favorited it a huge thanks! Knowing my story was still being read, even while being absent, helped a lot!

Hopefully, now I'll be able to see it as something fun again and not something I have to do, so I can continue to write more! :D

Well, enough nagging. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 45: Being Watched

The door to the main T&I building was opened for Hermione and soon she found herself back into the fresh air.

"So," the man next to her said. "What will you do now?"

She turned her head to look at Ibiki, who was side eyeing her. Shaking her head, she wrapped her arms around her. "Honestly, I don't know." Hermione admitted. "While I genuinely appreciate your efforts during our.. Appointment." As she said that, she heard Ibiki snort, making her roll her eyes at her own downplayed description of the interrogation. "I can't shake off the feeling of distrust. Surely you understand?"

"Hm, I don't think I'm the right person to ask that." He mused.

"No, I suppose you're not." She agreed. "I think I'm just gonna go. Unless.."

"You're free to go," he said jokingly. "Just don't leave town. We might have some further questions for you."

This time it was Hermione that snorted in response. "Anyone ever told you that your sense of humor sucks?"

"No, but that could be because they're too scared to say so."

"Yeah, I don't get that." Hermione commented while shrugging. "You're not scary at all. At least, not to me. I mean, you've never met.." Mad-eye Moody, she wanted to say. While he wasn't necessarily scary, he was intimidating. There was a reason he was a damn good Auror. And she really didn't feel like that with Ibiki, strangely enough. "Nevermind. You're just.." Hermione paused to think of a right way to describe him. She smirked as she thought of. "You're a big softie." She concluded.

"Excuse me?! Watch what you say, Yamanaka. I am not soft."

The scarred man tried to sound like he was threatening, maybe. Not that it worked. Hermione chuckled at him. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say." She said, waving her hand up and down. She wasn't convinced of that, at all.

He hummed. "I've got some advice for you." He then said. Without waiting for a response from her, he continued. "Take some time. Gather your thoughts. But, most importantly, try to see it from Inoichi-senpai's point of view. And try to see the bigger picture."

Hermione bit her tongue to stop herself from interrupting him, her good mood dissipating. When she didn't respond, he just sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. She refused to meet his gaze and when she didn't, he simply gave her shoulder a squeeze and went back inside the building.

Switching from biting her tongue, to biting her lip, Hermione thought about what she should do. Thinking about Inoichi only filled her with anger. Logically she knew that Inoichi probably didn't have a choice. She knew that. She just couldn't help but feel betrayed by someone she trusted. Someone she felt she could confide in when she was lost in a place she didn't belong. And she still didn't belong, today was definitely proof of that. She just wondered, would she ever? Belong here? Hermione thought she was positive that she could. Now she wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe she should talk to Sirius. He'd been here longer, surely he could give her some insight about the workings of this world. Nodding to herself, she decided to make her way to Kakashi's house. Something told her he went there after the trip to the park. With a small smile she had a feeling that she might run into Kakashi again. And she knew to never not trust her own gut.

A big softie? That was something he'd never expected someone to call Morino Ibiki of all people. Kakashi watched Hermione from behind his Anbu mask as he sat perched on the roof of the T&I building. He'd gotten what he needed from the video-archives as he tried his best not to turn on the screen that would show him the interrogation between Hermione and Ibiki. He had to keep telling himself that the Hokage knew what he was doing, even if he wasn't informed of this. Yet.. He also knew Hermione. Quite well, if he said so himself. And nothing warranted her being interrogated, not like this. Then again, there was the issue of them being bonded, so he knew he might not be completely biased when it came to her.

Kakashi's eyes followed Hermione as she walked away, debating whether or not he should make his presence known to her. He really shouldn't. Technically he was still on his mission, and he needed to meet Itachi later. There was no time for personal stuff when on a mission, no matter what kind of mission it was. Stuck in his head, he didn't notice Hermione pause a few yards down.

"Are you going to stay up there, or will you walk with me?"

Wondering who she was speaking to, he turned his head and was surprised that she was looking at him. That- how? She shouldn't have been able to know where he was. He was out of sight, even had his chakra signature hidden. Hell, even Ibiki hadn't sensed him and the guy had sharp senses. He actually found himself stupidly looking behind him, but no, he was the only one there.

His ears picked up the telltale sign of her teleportation jutsu-spell, whatever it was. Quickly turning back, he was able to hold back his reflexes as she had appeared closer than he had expected her to. It would still take some time getting used to that ability of hers.

"Hi." She said softly, with a small smile.

"Hi." Kakashi repeated just as softly, barely audible even. He was glad to have her this close again, even though he knew he shouldn't, especially not in his Anbu-gear. But something was off. She was off. Opening his left eye, he let his Sharingan take her in from top to toe. He frowned when he couldn't find anything. She looked fine. So why did she seem off?

"You didn't answer my question." She said. "Will you walk with me?"

He wanted to. Damn it, he really wanted to. But he couldn't right now. Kakashi would have to do with just seeing her for now. Softly shaking his head he watched as her shoulders sagged a little, the smile disappearing from her lips.

"Right. That's alright. You're working now, anyways, aren't you? When do you get off?"

Kakashi tilted his head as he looked up, calculating the hours and figuring out how early he could get off without anyone whining about it. He had to meet Itachi at nine to discuss their findings, that would take an hour tops and he was sure he could end it early.. Technically their mission wasn't done yet after that, but it couldn't hurt to call it a night. He could put Pakkun on the night shift. Hm, yeah. That could work. "I'll be home at ten." He said, voice still low.

"Alright." Hermione responded as she smiled again - even her smile was off - before looking away. "I'll see you then. Bye."

Giving her a nod in affirmation even though her actions confused him, the entire way she was acting confused him at this point, he watched her turn and step towards the edge of the roof. Turning her head back, she gave him a nod too and a second later she was back in the ground, with the same popping sound as before. He didn't linger to watch her leave, he didn't think he had the restraint to stay away from her if he did.

Quickly scanning his surroundings, he left for the Hokage Tower. He had a feeling he could get some information out of their offices. And if Itachi's information was correct, which he had learned to assume it was, they wouldn't be in. Perfect time to snoop around a little. Making his way towards the Hokage Tower, he quickly scanned the vicinity and easily pinpointed the several Anbu stationed around the Tower. While he knew that both Homura and Koharu had guards around their offices for protection, especially now, it didn't make sense that they were still there when the both of them weren't. Those should be with them, not guarding an empty office. Which made Kakashi wonder.. What were they guarding, if not the elders?

"I thought I was supposed to do this?" Itachi said as he appeared next to him.

"Maa, I hit a snag." Kakashi replied with a shrug. "I figured it couldn't hurt to check this out. What about you?"

"They went somewhere I can't follow without being spotted, but I left a clone nearby just in case."

Kakashi hummed before turning back to the offices. "I don't suppose you know anything about what the guards could be guarding?" It was a rhetorical question of course, and Itachi figured that out at least, since he didn't respond. "Well, in any case. We need to get into that office. Frankly, they seem off either way. So it can't hurt to check them either."

Itachi stood up and Kakashi felt a tiny spike in his chakra as he turned his Sharingan on. Sometimes he wished he could do the same, instead of just keeping his left eye closed to save using up his chakra. A second later they both moved towards the Anbu guarding the office. The men were no match for them, as they slumped to the floor. With a few quick gestures he told Itachi to go ahead into the office to investigate while he checked the unconscious nin. Shit. He knew them, he realised. From his time at Root. Not that he knew who they were, exactly.. but he did know them. Why were Danzo's men guarding the elder's office? Were they more involved than they realised? He knew they couldn't be regular Anbu.

"Captain?" Itachi called. "I found something."

Leaving the nin on the floor, having found nothing useful on their person besides their identity, he stepped around them and joined Itachi in the office. He was holding a folder and held it out to him as he grabbed another one. Opening it, his eyes widened as he stared at himself next to Hermione. Fuck. They'd been spying on him? Wait, no. Not him, necessarily. Hermione. The entire file consisted of pictures of her. Hermione with Teddy, Inoichi, even Genma. Most of these pictures had been taken before she was kidnapped, but a few were taken after that event. One or two even had Sirius in them. Which meant only one thing. They were still watching her.

Next to him, Itachi kept scanning the other folders until he paused, causing Kakashi to look at him. Glancing over his shoulder, he held back a sigh at the subject matter of that file. The Uchiha. Only this case was known to him. Ever since the Kyuubi attack, the Anbu have been watching the Uchiha for any and all suspicious movements. Kakashi didn't say a word as he plucked the file from his hands, quickly scanning its contents. Itachi didn't respond as he simply went back to the cabinet, looking at the other folders. Now, that wasn't right, Kakashi thought. This file went further than just mere speculations. It stated different kinds of accusations which he knew hadn't been proven at all.

"They…" Itachi started softly. If Kakashi didn't know better, he'd say Itachi sounded taken aback.

"Hm?" After not getting a response, he looked back up again and saw him stand there, frozen in his tracks. "Raven?"

"They were planning on taking me?" In the time that Kakashi had worked with Itachi, he hadn't heard him sound so confused. "And Shisui. And… Sasuke?"

Placing the Uchiha file down, he again took the folder from Itachi's hands, noticing the secret compartment Itachi had found where this file no doubt came from. This was a much thicker file. On each page was a picture of a kid, some he recognized, most he didn't. Surprisingly enough, all of them were Uchiha. Closing the folder, he checked the tag, and sure enough, it was actually tagged with their clan symbol. Looking back at the content, his eyebrows raised even further in surprise. As Itachi had said, his picture was in there too, but with an 'x' through his picture. The same with Shisui. Both of them had a symbol next to their names. Shisui even had an extra one. What did this mean? Most disturbingly was that Sasuke's picture didn't have an 'x', meaning he was still on their list, whatever that meant. His part also lacked any markings. Browsing through the rest of the pages, he noticed more kids, some had a marking on them, some didn't.

Kakashi placed the Uchiha folder on top of the other two and reached towards another file, this one showed a couple of clan symbols. Opening it, he was once again met with different pictures of kids. This really wasn't good. "Change of plans, Raven. We need to see the Hokage. Immediately. Take out all the folders. He needs to see this."

Itachi did as ordered and took out the entire stack of folders, not leaving any behind. Taking out a scroll, he quickly sealed the stack of folders inside. They couldn't be too careful with this. He had a feeling he knew what this meant. But with Danzo, one could never be too careful. What he didn't understand was why all this information was here. One would think that this information shouldn't be as easily accessible as it was. While it had been in a secret compartment, it was ridiculously easy to find. It had to be some kind of trap, he figured, but then.. this information was too valuable to leave behind. Most kids in the files were older now, but quite a few of them weren't. It looked like it had been updated recently. And if this meant they were in danger, they had to do their best to protect them.

Sirius lounged on the couch of Kakashi's home as he watched Teddy crawl around the living room. Every once in a while the boy tried to stand up to walk a few steps, before falling on his bum again, making Sirius smirk. Before long the kid would be running around instead of crawling, so he just let the boy figure it out for himself. He knew the kid was smart enough. It would definitely save them from carrying him all the time, he was getting quite heavy.

Shortly after Hermione was escorted to get questioned, he had thanked Inoichi's wife for the company but had decided to go back to his house, to spend some alone time with the boy while awaiting Hermione's return. In reality, he had apparated to their home with Teddy and swiftly packed any and all of Hermione's and Teddy's belongings, the essential bits anyways. He couldn't be sure they would need to take such a dramatic approach but if she wasn't coming back, he would need to bust her out and leave. He wasn't going to leave her locked up, he owed her that much at least.

It'd been an hour or two later, when Hermione knocked on the door. She flashed him a tired smile as he let her in. "The brat's not here," he said. He knew that wasn't why she came here, necessarily but he still felt the need to point it out. If only to let her know they wouldn't have to deal with eavesdroppers.

"No, I know. I ran into him on my way here, but he was still working. Said he'd be back at around ten tonight." She said as she took off her jacket and flopped down on the couch.

"So, what did they want to know?" He asked carefully. He still wasn't sure what had happened, but she seemed fine, if not a bit off. Then again, he couldn't blame her for acting a bit off, she must've been terrified.

"They had concerns about the memory charm I used on one of those guys when I was kidnapped. Wondered if I had done the same to them without them knowing." She ran her hand through her hair, messing her curls up even more. "Honestly, I'm quite cross with them. No, scratch that. I'm pretty much done with shinobi. All that distrust, even after all this time." She started as her voice raised more and more with every word that came out of her mouth. "I never lied to them! Not once! I mean, sure, I didn't tell them everything from the start, but whenever they asked me something, I was always truthful. And what do I get? The person claiming to care for me and Teddy just pretty much sent me off like a pig for slaughter!" She roared angrily.

"While I love seeing you get pissed off for once, love, I think you're scaring little Teddy over there." He pointed out, not sure how to deal with an angry Hermione. "Just- You know what? I'll handle this. Stay here, I'll be right back." He stood up, stopping Hermione from continuing her rambling.

"Wha- where are you going?" Confusion evident in her voice. Well, at least she wasn't shouting anymore, that was a win, right?

"I'm going to give them a piece of my mind, is what I'm going to do." Sirius stated as he grabbed his jacket. "Also, it's clear you need some time away from the village, that's for sure. We'll go to Tanzaku Gai, I've been meaning to go back there for a bit, I have some stuff to deal with anyways."

"Hold on, I don't think-"

Sirius held up his hand. "Hold that thought, I'll be back in a bit." He heard Hermione call his name as he apparated away and appeared at the Hokage Tower. Now, he wasn't stupid and didn't appear right in the man's office, but that didn't stop him from barging in either way.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The man called out as less than a second later he was surrounded by five masked men, knives at his throat and heart.

"I'd like a moment of your time." He said as politely as he could, in this position, while he held up his hands.

"You cannot just barge in here, Black-san."

"Actually, sir, you don't own me, so I can do whatever I want. Including this." He stated, raising an eyebrow at the masked men who now stepped back in confusion, looking at their weapons… Which were no longer weapons.

"What the-" One said, as he raised his hand, looking at the small bouquet of flowers now in his hands. The others held similar bouquets, all in different colours.

Sirius completely ignored the baffled men, or so he assumed by their rigid stances, all the while holding back a snigger, and turned to the Hokage. "We need to talk."

The Hokage himself looked baffled as well, only he seemed to compose himself quicker than the rest. Looking at Sirius a moment longer, he seemed to know that Sirius wasn't actually here to try and kill him. Looking at his guards, he muttered a soft "dismissed," causing the masked men to move away, most disappearing from sight. Only two remained, both with their hoods drawn. Sirius then noticed the other two men in the room, one of them Inoichi. Seeing him made his blood boil again. He only just managed to hold his composure as the Hokage started speaking to him.

"I understand that you feel that you don't necessarily fall under my jurisdiction as a person. You're not a shinobi and I get that." He started, switching to English. His face then turned serious and Sirius had half a mind to take whatever was said next with caution. "But pull a stunt like that again and you will regret that decision. Understood?"

"Sure." Sirius said, throwing caution in the wind straight away, never really one to follow the rules. Not really. What was the man going to do? It wasn't like he could hold him prisoner. "Whatever you say."

"Have some respect." One of the men standing at the side said.

Sirius turned to look at him. He seemed like an interesting fella, the man even reminded him of Moody, strangely enough. With a raised eyebrow he responded, "and you are?"

"Morino Ibiki," the man responded.

"Well, Ibiki-san. Respect goes both ways. It's earned, not given. And if one disrespects someone I consider family, then you can count on it that my respect for that person is quickly diminished."

"You're related to Hermione-san?" He asked. Ah, so at least the man knew who he was speaking of. He was sharp, Sirius had to keep that in mind.

He smirked at the frown on the man's face. "Not by blood. But not all familial ties are by blood. Right, Inoichi?"

Merlin, the man looked like someone kicked his puppy as he met Sirius' gaze. "How is she?" He asked.

"How do you think she is?" Sirius retorted.

"She seemed off when I saw her-" one of the masked men spoke softly, but loud enough for Sirius to hear. Strangely enough, the voice sounded familiar, even while it was muffled. Hold on-

"What's with the mask, brat? One not enough for you?" Sirius rolled his eyes. He didn't actually think that that mask would stop him from recognizing the kid?

"As I was saying," Kakashi continued, ignoring Sirius. "She seemed off when I saw her, after she left the T&I building. What was she questioned about?" He asked the Hokage. Ah, so the brat didn't know?

"It's not your concern, Hound." The man, Ibiki, said.

Kakashi turned to the scarred man, "seeing our situation I think-" Oh? It would seem the perfect little soldier did have an actual soft spot for Hermione.

"There were some irregularities-" The Hokage started.

"They wanted to know if she had altered your memories, like she did with the other punk when she was in that cell." Sirius said, as the Hokage wasn't intending to give him the actual answer. "They didn't trust her to not do such a thing."

"What? She wouldn't!" Kakashi exclaimed, losing his cool. Oh yeah, the brat was definitely not thinking straight when it came to Hermione.

"And she hasn't." Ibiki replied. "What she did was out of desperation. She made it quite clear that it's not easy to do and that it wasn't something the agent hadn't noticed. If she had done so with either of us, we would've known."

"Of course it's not easy." Sirius said. He scoffed at the thought. Altering one's mind took a lot of skill and most of the time it didn't go as one wanted. Hermione knew that all too well. He wondered.. Would she have still done so, knowing what she knew now? "Only someone quite skilled would be able to do such a thing and get away with it."

"Like you?"

Sirius snorted. "I wish. No, my skills lie elsewhere. Anyways, that's not important. I came here to tell you that Hermione, Teddy and I are taking a short holiday. She needs to get away from you lot for a while."

"While I don't appreciate your tone, Black-san." The Hokage spoke with a warning tone. "I do agree with you."

"Wh- you do?" He hadn't actually expected him to agree so easily. Something was up, that's for sure. "Why are you agreeing so easily?"

"Damn it, Sirius." Hermione scolded him as she appeared in the office as well, Teddy in her arms. She hit his arm with her free hand, quite hard too, as she moved to stand next to him. "You do not disappear mid-conversation and I don't need you to speak for me, I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself."

She couldn't believe Sirius. First he didn't even let her finish ranting and then he just goes and leaves her to yell at the Hokage? Stupid, bloody, daft idiot, she cursed him mentally. Hermione rushed to get Teddy ready, because either way, she wasn't staying here. While she did appreciate Sirius for collecting her things, his explosive character made her groan. The man never did anything in halves, did he?

Hoisting Teddy up, shushing him as he cried for his bear, his new favorite toy apparently, she grabbed her things and apparated to the Hokage Tower as well. While a part of her wanted to laugh at the looks of their faces as she barged in, but mostly she was seething. She was so angry, at the shinobi, at Sirius and she didn't know how to let it out.

"Mama," Teddy whispered before he plopped the bear's paw back into his mouth.

Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to calm down, yet was slightly surprised when she felt Kakashi help her. She hadn't expected him to be here. Moving to look past Sirius, she noticed him in the room, along with another Anbu, Inoichi and Ibiki. "I'm good now, Kakashi." She said, thanking him as well. "Now, sir, I apologise for this daft idiot's way of speaking to you on my behalf," she told the Hokage, ignoring Sirius' fake gasp. "However, he wasn't entirely wrong. I do need some time away from the village." She made a point of keeping her gaze on the leader. Truthfully, she had hoped she wouldn't have to see Inoichi again, not this soon.

"And I agree."

"Great." She learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth. "We'll be going-"

"Not just yet. Have a seat, first. We need to talk." The man pointed at one of the chairs. When she didn't move, he added tiredly. "Please, Hermione-san." Now that she thought about it, the man looked extremely tired. This yell-fest probably didn't help either. It almost made her feel guilty, until she remembered why she was angry at him too.

"Fine. But do all of them need to be here?"

"Not at the moment, no. Inoichi, Ibiki, you're dismissed. Raven, you too. Hound, I'll need you to stay." Hermione kept her eyes forward and stepped to the side of Sirius as Inoichi and Ibiki passed her. She felt Inoichi pause, but didn't say anything or look at him as he continued to walk out of the office.

"Now will you sit?" She was glad he switched to English, appreciated it, too. While she knew the man was tired, so was she. Constantly speaking in another language was quite tiresome for her and after everything she started to miss her mother tongue.

Sighing, she pulled back one of the chairs and plopped down unceremoniously, suddenly extremely tired as well. What she wouldn't give for a nice hot cup of tea and to curl up on the couch with a good book. She longed for a quiet evening like that. Where had the good old days gone?

"I will start to say that I apologise for the way we handled this situation." That got her attention. She hadn't expected him to do that. When did someone in his position ever? Hermione understood that what he had ordered was something that was probably necessary in his mind. She just hated the fact that he hadn't taken into account that she wasn't from here and wasn't used to these practices. "I admit that perhaps we should've gone about it in a different way."

"You think?" Hermione scoffed, not caring she was being incredibly rude at that moment. "You could've just asked me."

"I appreciate that. Yet, life doesn't work that way, not here. You have to understand that that's not something we normally do to get answers. People tend to lie. Especially here. Knowledge is power, Hermione-san." He said.

"Yeah, I know. It's not the first time I've heard that." She said softly. "Still, while I understand life doesn't usually work like that here. I was hoping you'd at least take into account that I'm not from here."

"Mhm, I should've. I agree. Which is why I apologise."

"Thank you."

"Great, now that we've got that all figured out. How about we move on to the reason why we're still here and not on our way to Tanzaku Gai." Sirius said, crossing his arms as he stood next to Hermione. She needed to thank him as well for his support. Having him here really does help her feel stronger. And less small.

While she expected the Hokage to speak, it was actually Kakashi who spoke. His voice was no longer muffled by his mask, causing her to blink at him surprised. She hadn't seen him remove his white mask. "We found some information that Danzo had been watching you for a while. And.. that you're still being watched. Which is why, I assume, that it's not a bad idea for you to leave for a while." As he said that Hermione felt a small discomfort coming from him. He didn't like the idea of her leaving, then. She had to admit, she didn't like the idea of leaving him, either. But it was the lesser of two evils, as she really couldn't stand to stay here right now, either.

"This is a reason for concern. If he's still able to keep eyes on you while he's detained, we need to know who's been watching you. Now, usually this means we need you here, so that we can track down whoever is following you. However, in this case, the best way to find out who's following you is for you to leave. It's a simple process of elimination then." The Hokage explained.

Hermione frowned at that. "Are you sure? I mean, if I'm not here, then how will you figure out who's been watching me?"

She watched as the man nodded in agreement. "Usually we wouldn't be able to. They'd just wait for you to come back. However, in this case. They're willing to risk a lot to find out more about you. They've got surveillance data and photos of you with other shinobi as well. If they're that interested, there's a good chance they'll follow you once you leave." She didn't like this. At all. So, basically, they're going to be using her as bait? How would that work? Hell, how would she protect herself, without giving away the fact she knew she was being followed? Would she even know?

"Which means you want us to go on foot." Sirius said. "I was planning on apparating there, but if you want them to follow us, they'll have to be able to do so."

A tired sigh was heard. "Yes." From the corner of her eye, she could see the Hokage pulling a pipe out of his drawer and lighting it.

"And I assume you won't be able to send someone along, just in case? Don't get me wrong, I can hold my own against you lot. But we'll be traveling with a child as well." Hermione looked at the boy in her arms, who didn't have a care in the world. If only he knew what was haunting him, what was haunting all of them.

"While I'd rather send someone along with you, if we do that, they'll know we're onto them and then they won't follow. They won't risk it then."

Honestly, the best way would be for someone to come with them in disguise. Yet, they'd be with at least one person more than expected and that wouldn't- wait a minute. "Maybe not." She said, thinking it through. It could work. No, it would work. It was brilliant, even if she did say so herself. How did she not think of this sooner?

"Care to share with the class, love?" Sirius drawled.

"They'd only be tipped off if there was an extra person, right? They wouldn't think twice if it were, say, a dog?" A glint appeared in Sirius' eyes as he thought about it, a smirk forming on his lips.

"You mean like sending a summon along?" Kakashi asked.

"No, no. Nothing like that." Hermione shook her head, her messy curls dancing around her face, while still smiling.

"Well, I have to say, I wasn't necessarily planning on getting Padfoot involved until I had a bit of fun." Sirius sighed next to her. Rolling her eyes, she swatted his arm. "What?" He said, pretending to be affronted. "You never let me have fun, 'Mione." He whined.

Not even bothering to respond to him, she just gave him a look, before turning towards the Hokage and Kakashi who were, quite understandably, lost. "What if someone transforms into Sirius? I mean, you can do that, right?" If she wanted anyone to come with her, it'd be him. She hoped the Hokage would allow that.

"Is that a trick question?" Kakashi tried and failed miserably to keep the snort in. Then again, Hermione didn't think he actually tried that hard. At her raised eyebrow, he sighed. "Yes. I can do that. But how would he," he nodded at Sirius. "Join us then? Or are you going to use that transportation ability of yours?"

"No. He'll still join us. Just not in his human form." Hermione shrugged. Turning her gaze towards Sirius, "will you show them?"

Sirius kept her gaze and she almost thought he'd say no, putting a stop to her plan. Then he looked up and sighed. "Ugh, you're lucky that I like you, 'Mione. I don't give away my secrets for just anyone." He took a step back and Hermione shifted in her seat to follow him, not wanting to miss the transformation. "Please don't freak out too much, eh?" He said with a smirk as she watched his body move and two seconds later, Sirius was gone and in his place stood a big black dog.

"Padda!" Teddy called, stretching his hand over Hermione's arm, trying to pet Sirius.

"That's right, bud. It's Padfoot." She cooed before smiling as Sirius stepped forward, letting the boy pat his head. Turning back to the two other men, she failed to hold in the giggle that burst out of her at their looks. Oh, this was priceless. The Hokage's jaw had dropped, pipe falling from his mouth as he looked at Sirius who had sat down so that Teddy could continue to pet him.

Kakashi didn't look surprised, but he did look extremely annoyed, his twitching eyebrow was clear enough to deduct that much. "You? You?" He scowled. "Pakkun knew this, didn't he. Because of course he did. This all makes sense now." He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What does?" What was he talking about? Had Sirius been changing into Padfoot more often?

"The smell, for one. He's always smelled off. But mostly, the dog hairs. They're everywhere. And I know my dogs, they do not shed like that." Kakashi explained. "Not to mention all the other shit. And then there's the actual shit. You're going to clean that up yourself. I don't care how, as long as it's clean. Got it?" Sirius yipped softly, before focusing back on Teddy, finding the boy far more interesting than the shinobi.

"Anyways, this'll work?" Hermione asked. "Kakashi will be able to turn into Sirius, that way we'll have a shinobi with us. Without them knowing it's a shinobi, right?"

"I believe so. If anyone asks, Kakashi's on a mission. Maybe leave a bunshin here for the first few hours, so not to arouse suspicion." Kakashi nodded in response, while still glaring at Sirius. "Good. That'll be all for now. It's best you start packing then, no?"

"Um," She looked at them sheepishly. "I'm already packed." After all, she hadn't intended for this conversation, nor to get their permission. "But, I suppose we could all use some sleep before we leave. Especially since we're going to walk." She stood up, shifting Teddy in her arms. The boy started whining, arms outstretched towards Sirius and with a sigh she placed him on Sirius' back. "Hold on tight, okay? And Sirius, don't drop him." She warned.

"Right. Safe travels, all of you." The Hokage stated with a nod. "Dismissed."

Kakashi sighed as they stepped foot in his home. To make a show for whoever was following Hermione, they walked to his house instead of using the Body Flicker jutsu, or their apparating ability. Sirius was still in his dog form, balancing the boy on his back as they made his way inside. He really should've realised what was going on with Sirius, but could anyone blame him he didn't realise the guy could transform himself into a fucking dog?

He watched as the dog turned back into a man, easily catching Teddy before he fell off. Sirius then turned to them, now holding Teddy in his arms. "I don't need to remind you how babies are made, right? Good. Keep your hands above the blankets, you two. I'm too young to be a sexy grandpa." Sirius said with a wink, as he started cackling. Both Hermione and Kakashi looked at him with a deadpan look. "And if you can't help yourselves.. Hermione, remember, silencing wards aren't hard to do, but let me know if you need help. I really need my beauty sleep. Goodnight!" A second later, the door to the guest bedroom closed, his cackling still heard where they were still standing.

"I'm going to kill him," Hermione groaned next to him.

"Well, you better be quick, because I will beat you to it, if he continues." He huffed, making his way towards his bedroom. Behind him, he felt Hermione follow him. Kakashi paused in the door opening. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm going to bed. There's no way in hell I'm going to sleep with Sir- Merlin that sounds so wrong. I mean sleep in his room. And I'm not sleeping on the couch, that bloody thing is uncomfortable." Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Is there a problem with this solution?"

"...no." He answered after a pause. "I just- I'm not sure if it's a good idea, is all." He turned back towards his room, and went to his closet. He understood where she was coming from and in all fairness, the couch was uncomfortable. But with the bond between them and the way they acted whenever they were alone, would he be able to keep his hands to himself? "I mean, we both know what happens when we touch."

"Oh grow up, Kakashi. We're not kids. I'm sure we'll be fine with sleeping in the same bed." She moved into the room with him and closed the door behind her. "Besides, it's just sleep, right? It's not like I'm asking you to… y'know." She said, making some vague gesture with her hand.

Kakashi snorted while shaking his head. Well, they'd just have to see how it would go, he thought. Grabbing a sleeveless shirt with a mask attached, he was not taking any chances with Sirius, he made his way to the bathroom, giving her the privacy to change her clothes as he did the same. Once he was done changing and brushing his teeth, he found Hermione standing next to his bed, looking nervous. Was she suddenly having second thoughts?

"Um, I wasn't sure. Do you have a side you prefer to sleep on?"

Oh. Right. "No, I don't." Looking from the window to the door, "you can take the left side." He said, pointing towards the one closest to the door. If anyone were to attack from the window, that would give him the most time to react. She moved the covers away to climb in.

"Right, well. Goodnight." Hermione said softly as she turned away from. He was happy she was acting a bit more like herself, at least. But if she continued to act off, he would need to talk to her about it because he didn't like it one bit.

"Night." Turning the light off, he moved to lie down as well, turning towards the window. Suddenly he felt hyper aware of her lying next to him. He felt her every breath, every single movement. He tried to tell himself that this was just like on a mission, but it wasn't, was it? Was she resisting the same pull he felt? Closing his eyes, he tried to calm his racing heart. They needed to sleep. It had been a fairly long and trying day for the both of them and they had a long day ahead of them as well. Shifting again to get comfortable, he heard her breath even out shortly after, falling asleep. He followed her shortly after.

End of chapter notes:

Sooo, that was quite eventful, wasn't it?

Please let me know in what you guys thought! I've said it before, but having some insight in what people think really helps a lot.

Also, if there are any questions, don't be afraid to ask them!

Until next time! (Hopefully it'll be sooner this time around :'D)