A/N: Apologies for the long break. I've had a healthy bit of writer's block for this story, which wasn't wholly unexpected (I did say this story would be updated randomly ;)), so I do hope you'll forgive me. Also sorry for how short this chapter is- I wanted to get something out so you all would know that I'm still alive.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 14

Charlie was allowed to leave the hospital that night.

It had taken little strong arming. Apparently, the day she woke up, a failed mission had landed about six shinobi in the hospital- they needed all the beds they could get. So she was sent home with a hurried 'drink a lot of fluids' and a pat on the back.

She felt... different.

She felt warm.

Minato hadn't said much since she'd woken, but she sensed him hovering worryingly around her. She suspected he was waiting for her to collapse or something. Amusingly, his son was doing the exact same thing, focusing big blue eyes on her every half second as they walked home that evening. He had brought her a blanket from home, and she thought it was sweet enough that she didn't even scold him for breaking in.

Subtly, and probably without intending to, the little blond had wormed his way into her heart. And so she lifted a hand and set it on his head, ruffling the crazy spikes with a grin. Naruto's happy smile made the pain worth it.

Speaking of pain. It wasn't what she had expected it to be. It didn't hurt the way a cut would, the way she expected it to. It didn't feel exactly like fire, definitely not as strong as it was when she'd first woken up if memory served. But it was warm, so warm, and foreign. Her entire body felt electric. She had almost expected herself to be curled up in pain in bed right now, and yet she still had control of all of her facilities.

It was as painful as it was... invigorating. If she had to describe it, it was similar to the feeling she'd gotten that day, when she first got pulled into this universe. It still prickled at her nerves, and she was hyperaware of the flow of energy through her body, but it felt more like she had Red Bull flowing through her veins.

She wondered if this was what Naruto felt like all the time. She could run a hundred miles on this energy alone. She could run a thousand.

Charlie slung her arm around her friend as they neared the apartment building. He was blabbing about something or other, but stopped as she glanced down at him with a raised eyebrow. A serious expression crossed over his face as his words stalled, jaw jutting out. If he wasn't so young, she probably would've straightened up a little. "Don't do that again," he said, frowning at her. She gave him a confused look. "That. Dangerous stuff. And not telling me about it. I knew there was something wrong that day, and you didn't tell me anything." Now came the pout.

The redhead sighed. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I just didn't think it would get that bad, that's all."

"Is there anything else I should know about?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. She smiled a little, shaking her head. "Then all is forgiven. I'm just-" he broke off, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "You're my friend. So..."

She ruffled his hair again. She just couldn't help it. "You're too cute, Naru-chan."

He blushed.

That night, after a long shower (she smelled awful, after all), she laid on her stomach in bed. Her face smushed into her pillow, and she let out a deep sigh. 'Minato?' she voiced tentatively.

"Yes?"

'Are you... okay?' Charlie asked. She found herself doing that more often. Are you okay? Do you mind? Would you please? Did that make her more aware of him, or did she just feel indebted now that he'd returned her body to her?

As though he knew it- he probably knew it- she could feel the smile that lifted his lips. "More than okay. I'm happy, Charlie. Are you?"

Was she happy? That was the question, right? Was that what she was trying for now, happiness? Answers had always been what she strived for. Answers, understanding, anything to break the world into easily digestible lessons that made sense to a person like her.

But what could a person do, when there was nothing that could be done? Worrying would not bring her peace. Thinking would not bring her back home. Her brain would not solve her problem this time.

Perhaps that was what that Jeremy guy had meant. They were separated by worlds and by time, and yet, and yet... she remembered him still. She remembered his words. "I guarantee I am happier than you." He was happier than her then. He was happier than she was now.

So what could she do? What could she do but to make do?

'Not yet,' she answered him. But she thought that maybe she would try it out some time.

Charlie let her expression soften as she rolled onto her back and pulled the covers past her nose. She had spent so much time worrying, planning, thinking. But she was here, now. She had a purpose. Despite the odds, despite all the drama that had encompassed her in the past two months- she was alive. She was in control now, and with any luck, her chakra problem was solved.

So as she closed her eyes and drifted off, it was with a smile. The smile said, 'I'm here, now. It took me a long time, but I'm here to stay.'

What more could a person do, but to be happy things had turned out okay?

The following weeks passed in a blur.

Charlie was attending school regularly, now. She dressed for her kunoichi classes on the days she had them, and wore her boring old ninja gear on days she didn't. She made a hearty breakfast every morning, shared it with her friend, and walked with him to school every day. She trained until the sun shone its last rays on Konoha, until stars began to emerge above her. In private, she practiced using Minato's chakra, which felt foreign but thankfully not wrong.

She was not ready to use a jutsu. But she was comfortable.

The mild irritation of his chakra in her dead veins throbbed its last wisps of pain away mere days after her waking. Minato suspected that the majority of it passed while she was unconscious, something she was ever grateful for. Now, it felt like the cool air she breathed in every morning on her way to school.

In many ways, it felt as though fate or the universe was conspiring in her favor. Living this way was not easy, but it was not as difficult as it could've been. Something in her told her to hold her breath of relief in, and yet she couldn't help but feel as though a great storm had miraculously passed her by.

Two months passed.

She bought a new coat, as well as a thicker pair of pants, for herself and Naruto. The kid had never paid money for such a luxury, but as she stood frozen in her haori watching her breath cloud in the air, she resolved to take the plunge herself. If the kid had it his way, he would be wearing his usual short sleeved orange jacket with the blue sleeves every day, even on the ones when it snowed. (Well, it hadn't snowed yet, but she was sure he would if he got the chance).

Kakashi had all but given up on finding out her secrets. Not entirely, of course- he still grilled her from time to time about her backstory, her actions. Yet they grew weaker as time grew on, and he seemed to accept his fate as their sensei. He trained them relentlessly, now twice a week, and training did not stop for at least four hours. She hadn't passed out yet, but she was sure it would come eventually.

Despite his relative faithfulness in training them, it still seemed to her that he didn't really want to be there. He didn't disappear anymore, but he was far from actively engaged.

One day, towards the beginning of December, Charlie collapsed on the frozen ground with her heart pounding out of her chest. It had been a spar with him, as usual, and he had forced both of them to attack him at once. At her side, Naruto was panting roughly- down on one knee. Kakashi stood nonplussed a few meters away.

It was here, in this moment, that she decided to make Kakashi like them. She was, quite frankly, tired of him reading that stupid book while they were trying to train. "Kakashi-sensei, let's go out to eat," she said, limbs heavy with exhaustion. He probably wanted them to try again, but she was done.

The blond jinchuuriki beside her couldn't have been more pleased with the suggestion. "Hell yeah! Let's go to-"

"-Not Ichiraku's," Charlie said meaningfully, casting the boy a stern look, "how about yakiniku. Eh?"

Kakashi merely blinked. "Barbeque?"

"Yeah! You never go out to eat with us. So this time, you have to come," she said, finally mustering the strength to sit up. The world spun on its axis long enough to make her dizzy.

"Ah, I don't thin-"

Naruto, with his boundless energy, grabbed the man's wrist before he could shunshin away. "You're not getting away that easy,-ttebayo. C'mon, Charlie," Naruto grunted, still a bit out of breath but grinning.

Her stomach rumbled. Yeah, barbeque sounded good. She lurched to her feet, knees wobbling weakly under her as though she were a newborn fawn. They departed from training grounds #8 and walked towards town, Naruto talking animatedly about barbeque (at least it was barbeque this time, Lord knew she had heard enough about ramen) and Kakashi looking for all the world like someone had performed the 1,000 years of pain jutsu on him.

Charlie stick her cold hands into her pockets, grinning as she scuffled alone behind them.

The barbeque joint they chose to visit was booming with people- not surprising for a Friday night-but they were seated rather quickly. All Kakashi had to do was look at one of the waitresses, and she blushed and cleared a table faster than you could say 'smitten'. He sat across from them now, resting his chin in his palm as he glanced around nonchalantly. The loudness of the restaurant didn't seem to please him much, though then again he wasn't the type to give away his feelings.

Naruto, however, was bouncing in his seat. His wide grin made him look particularly foxlike as he said, "I've never been out to eat before!"

Charlie frowned at him. "Ichiraku's?"

"No, I mean like a sit-down place like this! It's nice!" Big blue eyes looked around in wonder. The redhead couldn't help but smile behind her hand. It kind of looked like an exhausted dad, taking out his two hyperactive children because he was too lazy to cook.

"Hey guys, I'm Kaiya and I'll be taking care of you," said a voice to her right. Charlie blushed at having not detected her approach, and glanced over with a smile. The girl was young, probably only about 16, with long black hair and a closed-eye smile on her face. Charlie's eyebrows raised, impressed; rather than a customer-service smile, this one was real. It was hard to find genuine kindness in people when she had Naruto by her side, though Kaiya didn't seem to mind.

"Can I get you started on something to drink?" She scribbled down their drink orders rapidly. Charlie and Kakashi both opted for hot tea to warm themselves from the weather, while Naruto settled on some sort of soda. "Alright. I'll be back in a flash." Then she disappeared, as quickly as she'd come.

"She's like a ghost," Naruto said in awe beside her, and she couldn't help but nod.

Kakashi was uncomfortably quiet as they waited for her to return, so in the interim, Naruto was more than happy to fill the silence. "Ne, ne, Charlie, do you think I can walk on water with my hands now?" he asked, leaning towards her on the bench seat.

Charlie sweatdropped. Naruto had, in truth, come a long way from when they first started. He had learned to walk up trees rather quickly, and water came right after. While he still had trouble balancing if he was distracted, it was miles ahead of where he was in the original timeline. "Can you even walk on your hands on solid ground?" she retorted skeptically.

He shrugged it off, though she figured that if she herself couldn't do a walking handstand yet, neither could he. "Maybe. Hey, Kaka-sensei, can you?"

Kakashi, who had been content to stare off in the distance with his chin in his palm, blinked to awareness. "Sure."

Charlie hid a sigh with a cough. This wasn't going as planned. Trying to engage Kakashi was like banging one's head against a brick wall. Painful.

Naruto was pouting. "Well, then I can too. Just look-" he made to get up, and Charlie gripped his hand tightly. He opened his mouth to complain, but Kaiya was rounding back to their booth with their drinks in tow.

"Two hot teas and a cola, at your service," the black haired girl said evenly, distributing them. "Do you know what you want to order yet?"

"Short ribs and chicken and pork belly and shrimp and-"

Charlie settled a firm hand on his head, sweatdropping. "Just chicken and beef please. And carrots, onions, and cabbage. Kakashi-sensei?"

The man waved a hand. "And tare*."

Kaiya chuckled and clicked her pen closed. "I'll be back in a moment."

After her departure, Naruto pouted at her. "How come we couldn't get all the meats?"

"Because I'm going to end up paying for this, runt," Charlie grumbled, refusing to meet his wide and watery eyes. He always used the puppy dog look on her, and she was resigned that it wouldn't happen again. "And I'm allergic to shellfish anyway..."

She grabbed the piping hot teapot by the handle and poured it tentatively into the small teacup. Ah, warm tea... "Kakashi-sensei, your cup?" Her teacher wordlessly slid it her direction, and she filled it.

The trio sat in not-quite-awkward silence as they sipped at their drinks. Charlie scratched her temple thoughtfully; how to get Kakashi to talk to them? 'What does Kakashi even like talking about?'

"I don't think you'll want to talk about that." Minato said cheerily.

She blinked a bit in surprise at his sudden appearance. 'I didn't even know that you came back.'

"I am a ninja, after all," he responded, with a heavy amount of cheek. "But anyway. If you want Kakashi-kun to open up to you two more, it will take a different approach than hauling him along to barbeque with you."

Charlie's lips pursed in a pout. 'Well, I'm open to suggestions.'

"Kakashi-kun is much like a cat in that you cannot force him to like you. Dragging him to places he doesn't want to be won't work. The only way Kakashi-kun will show any sort of affection or warmth towards either of you is to gain his respect and let him be who he is."

Well, gee. That wasn't helpful at all. The redhead leaned back in the booth until her head rested against the plush back, staring up at the ceiling. Minato had basically just told her that all her efforts would be fruitless until Kakashi himself decided to trust her enough, which wasn't going to happen any time soon. He was already a skeptical sort of guy, and added to that... 'I'm keeping secrets from him, and he knows it. How can I expect him to trust me if I can't even trust him?'

"Charlie?" Naruto said, pulling her from her thoughts. She straightened in her seat, blushing slightly. The blond was giving her a concerned look, and she could feel Kakashi's eyes on her.

"Sorry, was just thinking," Charlie waved it off. "What'd you say?"

As Naruto launched into his line of questioning, something about her favorite food or whatnot, her amber eyes flickered to the silver-haired jounin sitting across from them. Far from looking out of it, as he had before, he was now staring pensively at her, head still resting on his fist.

His eye glinted knowingly, and she gulped. Was there anything that that guy missed?

Danzou leaned back in his seat, long fingers steepling together. In front of him, the spy he'd attached to Shimizu Charlie all those months ago knelt with his face down. No doubt awaiting a 'kill' order. Danzou knew all too well that this particular spy hated his post, and just wished to be rid of it already. He had been on it for a fair while, after all.

Try as they might to hide their opinions and emotions from him, Danzou was very good at figuring things out. He had yet to decide, however, what to do with that girl. So incredibly promising, and yet... she was a threat. An outside body, as much as the Hokage tried to glance over that fact. Danzou wasn't one to accept all beings into Konoha's loving arms- which was good, in his opinion. If Sarutobi had his way, they would become the repository for all the Land of Fire's orphans.

It just set his blood boiling in his ears, but then again. The Hokage's softheartedness had landed them in this peculiar situation.

Shimizu Charlie. 11. An obviously bogus backstory. Incredible promise in almost all fields of the ninja arts. Miles ahead of her peers. And she had situated herself in an interesting position, too, being cushy with the Hokage, with the demon brat, and with Hatake Kakashi. It made him wonder what she knew.

It made him want to kill her, for what she potentially knew.

But he couldn't, and that was the hard part. If he did, Sarutobi would know who issued the order, no matter what the ANBU said about it. If he did, the Root could be found out. It wasn't worth killing the girl yet, not yet, not until he knew what she knew. How he hated politics.

As smart as she was, it presented an interesting position. He couldn't offer her a place in Root, obviously- she would go crying to Sarutobi the second he left her sight. Perhaps he'd have a better watch on her if she joined ANBU?

She was a little young for his taste, and most assuredly adding a student into ANBU directly from the Academy was a rarity nowadays unless they came across someone with the potential of Uchiha Itachi. And yet...

There was something about that brat that put his teeth on edge.

If he had her under his thumb, he could watch her closer. Plus, with how far along she was already, by the time she graduated it wouldn't be seen as suspicious if he brought it up in a council meeting. And if she really was someone to be trusted, then he had another prodigy on his hands. Hell, he could even transfer her to Root.

So with a small smirk, Danzou stood from his seat. "Rise, Rat. You're clear of babysitting duty for now. Summon Eagle to me when you get the chance." Rat nodded before disappearing.

What was that saying again? Keep your friends close...

*Tare: tare is sauce you put on your food at barbeque places in Japan. In most restaurants, the customers order raw ingredients and cook the food themselves with the griddles that are a part of each table.

AngelAmongTheStars: Definitely write one! They're so fun :D As you can see, Danzou's being as plotting and creepy as usual... Anyway, thanks for your review and advice!

Lyrigami: And she squeaked by with not much suffering, I'm definitely being too nice to her o.O I like to think she was in her 'mind palace', her brain, during the scene where she tried to access Minato's chakra. Kakashi would make a really bad dad at this point XD And yes, I think after a chapter or two they'll be going into the next year and assigned new homeroom teachers so most of the Rookie Nine will finally be introduced. Thanks as always for your review!

Sylvia2343: Aww thank you! I've had to kind of invent things for the Academy (like placement exams...) because we're not really shown all that much of it, so I get what you mean. I think it would be very hard for her to get by without the use of chakra, and yet I'm not sure if she'll be able to conjure her own. We'll see what happens! Thank you for your review and support my friend!

Silvia Luisa Gutirrez Pinto: Thank you! I'm glad you like it. I think in the next few chapters when we move on to a new school year the other characters will become involved. Thanks for your review!