Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything or anybody except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. The song for this chapter is Animenz Piano Sheets's Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Soundtrack Medley. In particular, this chapter in particular is dedicated to Frost-Ninja Dragon for having helped me with the idea planning. Thanks again, old friend! Anyway, please enjoy!

Chapter 14: Recuperating

It all started with a simple question from Dad.

"Hey, Sakumo, how do you and Kakashi-kun feel about moving in and living with us?"

…To put it lightly, it garnered quite a bit of shock.

"…What?"

"What?"

"Eh? Daddy?"

Any other time, I probably would've laughed at the whole situation. I had good reason to. For once, the Hatake father-son duo looked exactly alike if not for Kakashi's mask, both gaping like breathless fish. Adding in their spiky silver hair, they probably would have made some nice-looking pufferfish.

Wait.

…For some reason, that sounded a lot more disturbing than I thought.

Anyway!

It was the morning after the huge concert plan, and after letting Sakumo-san and Kakashi stay over for the night, we were all just having a shared breakfast in the living room when Dad dropped that specific bomb.

To be honest, I was both expecting this and not expecting this all at once. Expecting it because it's Dad, and not expecting it because…well, it's Dad. And unlike my old Dad from my past life, this one kinda did things on a whim.

But considering that Mom didn't even flinch at the mention of the idea and instead smiled like the Yamato Nadeshiko she was, I'm guessing she was in this too.

It took about a few moments for Sakumo-san to stop gaping, and he roughly coughed into his hand in an attempt to straighten himself. "…So, let me get this straight, Judai. Did you just offer Kakashi and I the option of living with you, Hikari, and Tomoko-chan in the same building?"

"Yep!" And Dad was beaming, looking as if he had just solved the world's greatest puzzle. Huh. Honestly, I was just surprised that he could be so cheerful in the morning considering how some ninja I've seen (cough — Minato-san — cough) had trouble just getting up from bed.

"…Why?" Sakumo-san deadpanned.

Dad blinked while picking out some lint in-between his fingernails. "Why not?"

"…"

"…"

…Now I think I see where Kakashi and I get our stare-offs and/or contemplative silences from. Guess it runs in the family. Okay then!

"…Tomoko, please tell me your Dad's joking." I just looked over and had to hold back a laugh at Kakashi's astonished expression. It didn't quite fit the 'cool-masked-hero' image he always seemed to invoke, and hey — I was getting a lot of funny mileage out of this!

Hehe. Have to bask in the simple things sometimes.

Hiding a giggle behind my pajama sleeve, I just shrugged. "Well, Mom's serious enough by her expression, and Dad's not really paying attention to Sakumo-san, so I don't think he is."

"… Are all Hoshinos this carefree?" Kakashi said dryly.

Eh.

"…I don't know whether or not to take that as an insult or a compliment, Kakashi-kun." I sniped back, raising an eyebrow. "Try to be more specific there."

In response, my best friend grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'Why me.'

Why you indeed, Kakashi-kun? I couldn't help but think, holding back any thoughts of hugging the Chunin. Kishimoto apparently thought it was a good idea to lay down all the angst and drama onto you, so, I think it really should be me asking why you have to deal with so much bullshit.

Soon enough, Sakumo-san sighed, putting a hand to his face. "Judai, I'm not so sure about this. You and your family already did quite a bit last night with that show — are you sure about hosting us in your own home when the rumor mill might hit your business?"

Oh no. I wasn't getting a good feeling about this.

Apparently, Dad was missing the point, whether accidentally or deliberately, continuing to look over his fingernails. "What's wrong with you, Sakumo? Rumors are just rumors — nothing too big."

Sakumo-san glowered. "…Are you trying to test my patience here, Judai?"

Oh no, Sakumo-san actually looks a bit angry. Oh no.

"The villagers have already gotten to the point where they're shunning my own son!" Kakashi and I both ended up jumping when Sakumo-san pounded the table with an angry fist, making the entire thing shake. Ack. "There have been times where I've come home and there's flowers on the doorstep! It's like they want us to die already! And not to mention, multiple times, I've had to clean graffiti away from the household doors just so that Kakashi can come home to a clean house! Do you really want to expose Hikari and Tomoko-chan to that kind of pain?!"

By the end of it, the older Hatake was puffing, face flushed with an angry pink hue and tears budding in his eyes.

Oh dear gosh. Sakumo-san, what did Konoha do to you?

To my shock and surprise, it was Mom who spoke up, gently placing her left hand on Sakumo-san's clenched fist. "Sakumo-kun, take a deep breath. Yelling out like that won't help anything. In fact, I believe you just frightened Kakashi-kun and Tomoko-chan."

I didn't even realize my hands were shaking until Mom pointed it out. She looked at me with a gentle, almost timid smile before reaching over and putting her other hand over mine, allowing warmth to seep in.

"Mom…?" It was just then that I realized how soft and high-pitched my voice had gotten.

…Am I scared? Of Sakumo-san?

In response, Mom gently turned my hand over to lightly tickle the inside of my palm, looking apologetic.

"Tomoko-chan, how about you and Kakashi-kun head outside? We'll be done in just a minute." I didn't need any more prompting. I just glanced at my best friend, sharing a stare for a moment before lightly grabbing his hand in mine, squeezing Mom's hand in a small 'see you later' gesture. I could only really force on a tiny smile towards her and Dad before nodding in Sakumo-san's direction, getting up from my chair and pulling Kakashi with me. If Sakumo-san wanted to say anything otherwise, he didn't voice it, and I could feel his remorseful stare on my back when heading out.

I just knew we had to get out of that situation ASAP. The only place I could think of was inside of Nagareboshi itself downstairs from the main house, and since it was a weekend, no one was in the cafe except Kakashi and I. Even though it was supposedly safe, far away from the whole argument-zone, my hands were still sweaty and I had to let go of Kakashi's for a moment to hug myself in a semblance of regaining composure.

There was a bit of silence, most of which was filled by my attempts to breathe deeply. My heart was going on a full marathon, and the cold air coming from an open cafe window wasn't helping considering I was still wearing my pajamas (think one of those nightgowns with long sleeves).

"…Tomoko?"

Kakashi.

In my small panic, I looked up only to see his concerned face very close to mine, silver eyes softened with worry and a frown clearly seen through his black mask. "Are you going to be okay?"

I didn't even think about my personal space. Instead, in my small emotional moment, I ended up responding hastily, squeaking out a reply. "U-um, aside from the fact that I'm terrified of Sakumo-san's anger now, I think I'm good~?"

If you could count my heart running like all hell because I could feel some killer intent, then yeah!

In all honesty, I didn't even believe what I was saying, and apparently, Kakashi felt the same. He let out a long sigh before reaching over to pinch my cheek. "Don't fool yourself, Tomoko — I can tell you're worried."

I winced from both the pain of pinched cheek and the figurative stab at my consciousness, averting my gaze from his.

Yep, he knows me too well at this point.

Even then. For some reason, the idea didn't sit well in my heart. Sakumo-san always was this nice shinobi to me every time I saw him in Nagareboshi — it was just a huge shock to see him so emotional and angry this morning — and a part of me was probably suffering from the denial of the whole thing.

I thought the whole concert would handle most of the emotional shit, but I guess it's still there…what else should I do then?

To my surprise, Kakashi reached over to pull me into a hug, letting my head rest against his shoulder.

Eh?

Apparently, he didn't seem to mind how limp I was and simply tightened his hold around me, a hand finding itself in my hair. "Quit worrying, Tomoko," Kakashi just huffed against my cheek, fingers going through any tangles in my hair. Despite the small bits of pain from just getting my hair brushed, it surprisingly felt nice coming from the stoic ninja. "I'm sure Judai-san and Dad should be able to come to a conclusion — so, don't work yourself dead over it. You did a lot already last night."

Despite Kakashi's words, a part of me was still tense about the whole situation, causing me to reach over and wrap my arms around my friend's torso, burying my face into the crook of his shoulder. The warm scent of pine, sweat, and something unmistakably Kakashi wafted into my nose, and I found myself breathing in as much of it as I could in order to calm down. My voice came out a lot less high-pitched, but with hints of hesitation. "…How can you be so sure, Kakashi-kun?"

"You and your family were the ones that made Dad look like he was alive again, Tomoko." Kakashi's huffing sigh tickled the tips of my ears. "Dad finally got a chance to be himself, and I don't think he's just going to push you guys away after all that."

Relief flooded most of my system, but a part of worry still lingered in my throat. "…What about you, Kakashi-kun?" I found myself asking hoarsely, hands clenching the fabric of his t-shirt. "Are you okay with living with us?" Two thoughts were left unsaid. When we're civilians? When we might not understand everything?

Kakashi went silent for a moment, hand ceasing its ministrations in my hair. It was as if he was frozen, contemplating something that I didn't understand just yet. A few minutes passed before both his hands went to my shoulders, pushing me away just a bit for me to look into his silver eyes. To my surprise, a soft blush was on his face, lightly dusting the skin not covered by his mask with a light pink. He stared at me for a few moments, more than enough time to make me fidget, before looking away and coughing into a fist.

"I-I don't mind, Tomoko, really." For once, my mouth and subconsciousness were thinking on the same page, and I couldn't help but voice it.

"...Really?" I think my voice cracked a little, because Kakashi quickly turned his head to look at me with a half-lidded, almost exasperated stare.

"I said it's fine, didn't I?"

That did it. Somehow, my worrywart side finally decided to subside, and a small shaky smile came across my face. For some reason, I found myself giggling into my pajama sleeve, causing my friend to blink. "Wh-What's so funny?" Kakashi demanded, crossing his arms against his chest. The gesture only made me giggle even more, getting close to full-blown laughter. It was quite the surprising role-reversal from our time at the Chunin Exams, since I was the one laughing now at a flustered Kakashi. "…Tomoko," he said dryly, expression literally saying 'What the hell.'

In response, I found myself grinning and jumping on him in a tackle-hug. Somehow, we ended up crashing to the floor with Kakashi on the bottom - again - and I couldn't help the large smile I sent in his direction. "Oof…why, Tomoko?" he deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at me. "I thought I said, 'No tackle-hugs.'"

Oh yeah, this is probably the second time I broke the 'tackle-hug' rule, huh?

…Eh, whatever.

For some reason, I found myself not caring. "Why not, Kakashi-kun?" I hummed, laying my head against his chest happily.

Kakashi sighed, the motion making his chest inflate slightly. Despite his supposed exasperation, I could feel his hands land on the small of my back, returning the hug. "…Could I get a real reason for once?"

I ended up speaking honestly, getting up to look into my best friend's silver eyes. "I'm just glad you're my best friend, Kakashi-kun. I love you a lot, you know?"

Yes, stare at me all you want, I like saying, 'I love you' to friends and family. Sue me.

Kakashi blinked before a soft red replaced the previous pink on his face, looking away for a moment, a hand to his masked mouth. "…You're seriously weird, Tomoko."

"…Says the guy wearing a mask all the time." I just went back to lying on top of my best friend, lightly snuggling him. Despite my retort, I decided to keep one thought to myself with a warm smile, just listening to his heartbeat.

But I love you anyway, you weird ninja. No matter what kind of shit you'll be getting yourself into.

If I had a choice between Kakashi or any other ninja for a friend, I wouldn't even have to think about it.

No matter what, it would always be Kakashi. He's my best friend, and honestly, I love him more than anything.

…Apparently I was basking in the moment a bit too much though since Kakashi groaned, hand to his face. "…Though, Tomoko, when are you going to get off me? You're a bit heavy."

Whoops.

It took about a week for Sakumo-san and Kakashi to take all their possessions and move into the main house with us. I honestly was not expecting Sakumo-san to agree to Dad's lighthearted proposition, but when Dad and I decided to visit the Hatake Household for once, the situation was pretty bad.

Sakumo-san wasn't kidding when he said the villagers were really angry. During the one night they were away, resting at Nagareboshi with us after the concert, apparently some people thought it was a good time to vandalize most of the house, with windows broken, walls covered with offensive graffiti, and flowers scattered mockingly around the vicinity.

Seriously, how vengeful could someone get?

Even if I was in the Naruto-verse with its over-exaggerated standards, this was just fucked up. Excuse my language, but I'm being serious here. Some of the messages in particular really stuck with me before Dad gently pushed me away from looking, and even then, I could tell he was angry too. The tight grip he had on my hand was more than enough proof.

Thanks for starting a war, coward.

If you had followed the rules, my son would have still been here!

Die, you cowardly mongrel!

That day, I was surprisingly grateful for the sudden appearance of Jiraiya at the Hatake Compound, looking confused at the lack of Hatakes around. The Pervy Sage turned serious once noticing us with our cleaning supplies, and smiled gently.

"By chance, do you two know where Sakumo is?"

Dad was the first one to respond, taking a step closer to the taller man with a sympathetic expression. "He's actually staying at Nagareboshi with us, Jiraiya-sama. Kakashi-kun's with him too — my wife and I thought it would be good for them considering…well…" he trailed off, motioning to the Hatake Compound with his free hand.

Jiraiya immediately frowned, a vein present on his face while facing the house. "Those damn villagers…they really need to stop with the rumor mill." I could see his fist clench and unclench tightly at his side before he turned back to us, black eyes shining in concern. "…Is Sakumo doing alright?"

I decided to put my two cents in. "He's alright, Jiraiya-sama, I think Mom's with him right now."

"Huh." The Sage blinked before looking down at me with a much kinder smile, kneeling down to my height. "I heard from a few birds that it was because of you that he's doing better — is that true, Tomoko-chan?"

I blinked. Does information really get around that fast?

"Um…yes?" For some reason, the Sannin's unblinking stare really made me uncomfortable. It felt as though he was searching for something just by looking at me. But what was it?

This little staring contest continued for a few seconds before Jiraiya smiled again and placed a large hand on my head. The red lines on his cheeks considerably wrinkled from his large grin, and from the close distance, I could see the whites of his teeth. Eh?

"Thank you, Tomoko-chan." I found myself blinking in confusion again, tilting my head. Out of anything the Pervy Sage was going to say, I wasn't expecting that. "Your music really does do wonders for us old geezers. So, thank you."

A blush covered my cheeks as I found myself sputtering from the embarrassment. It felt weird being thanked by one of the greatest Konoha ninja. Really, to be thanked by the teacher to Pain, Minato-san, and Naruto? Whoa. "U-um, you're welcome?"

Apparently, my squeaky voice hit some nerve in the Pervy Sage since he burst out laughing, actually tripping over his own sandals to land on his back. This really didn't help my embarrassment at all, since my voice continued to raise its pitch. "Wh-what's so funny~?"

To my dismay, Dad started to laugh too, dropping whatever cleaning supplies he had on the ground to join Jiraiya in the whole laugh fest, holding his stomach. "J-Jiraiya-sama~! Daddy~!" I found myself protesting, face hot.

What the heck did I do?!

"I-I'm sorry, Tomoko-chan!" Dad sputtered between hearty laughs. "It's just — pfft — your voice - haha!"

"BWAHAHA! Your daughter's amazing, Judai! God damn did you hit the jackpot!" Jiraiya bellowed, feet flailing in the air. "First you get a smoking hot wife, and then get an adorable daughter! God man, you're so damn lucky! Imagine how things will be in the next 10 years!"

…I freely admit. I didn't know whether or not to take this whole ordeal as just a compliment or an insult. My face was surely the color of a tomato by now. "Daddy, could we just get into cleaning Kakashi-kun's house now?" I found myself deadpanning, cheeks puffed in protest. "The graffiti isn't going to go away by itself."

In the end, I only had to wait a few more minutes for Dad and Jiraiya to regain their composure, shakily standing up to get any last laughs out of their systems.

I politely kept a thought to myself.

Why does everyone seem to laugh at something I do when I don't mean to do it?

Dad wiped away some tears from his eyes before happily grinning at me. "Alright, sweetie, let's get to it then so we can head home and help Mommy out, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy…" I found myself answering dryly. Honestly, it was still morning, and Dad's enthusiasm still had yet to rub off on me.

In the end, even with Jiraiya's help, it took about 3-4 hours to properly clean up everything. And honestly, those villagers did way too much. We had to replace at least 3 windows, clean 5-6 full walls of graffiti, and sweep up almost a ton of flowers. I would like to say we had our hands full, but just cleaning it up wasn't enough. We had to figure out a way to stop whoever was vandalizing the house while Sakumo-san was recuperating at Nagareboshi, and Dad and I both knew that we couldn't be at the Hatake Compound 24/7. Not to mention, there was no way I was going to let Kakashi live alone — even if he insisted. As his best friend, I have to look out for him when he's not on the field!

Luckily, Jiraiya actually took that chance to offer his assistance. I never thought I would be saying this, but thank goodness we had Jiraiya.

"How about I live here and handle the place for a while?" Was what he said.

Massive pervert, very good friend.

Apparently, the Sage had just gotten back from the front lines at Iwa, and since he wanted a break, it provided more than enough free time to properly care for the household while Sakumo-san and Kakashi were gone. We essentially hit two birds with one stone — Jiraiya got a temporary safe house to live in while staying in Konoha, before heading out again, mind you, and the house itself would be protected from any negative influence until Sakumo-san thought it would be time to move back.

Since then, it was really moving every possession the Hatake family had to our main house in Nagareboshi. I always thought that Kakashi was frugal with his possessions, but considering ninja and their paranoia, we ended up carrying a lot of weapon caches over aside from the usual changes of clothes and personal possessions. I was not expecting there to be so many traps and weapons lying around in almost every corner of the Compound, sitting in places that seemed to be just too obvious at first glance.

…Eh. Ninja are really cautious, I guess.

Once everything was carried over, it was just really settling into a new routine. Kakashi and Sakumo-san ended up taking the guest room we had in the main house, landing next to my room in the main hallway. With that, they basically became another part of the family.

During weekends, if the two weren't out on missions, we all would end up sharing meals, talking over the kitchen table on how our days went. The adults (namely, Mom, Dad, and Sakumo-san) would usually talk amongst themselves while Kakashi and I would normally eat in silence, usually piping up if we wanted to talk to each other. Since I usually went to the library to study in the weekends, I shockingly found Kakashi following me and reading right next to me, usually pointing out something I missed in my personal notes and teaching me some small things (think history, clan politics, etc). At the same time, every now and then, Minato-san and Kushina-san would stop by to have a full group dinner together, making the house a bit more lively.

Then, during the weekdays, normally, I would see Kakashi heading out with Minato-san on a mission. To my surprise, Sakumo-san decided to go to Lord Hokage to take a break from the front lines, requesting to teach at the Academy. In all honesty, I wasn't expecting this at all, since I thought he might just head out on missions to try regaining his honor that way, but when asking the man about it, he just smiled and patted my head.

"You were the one who told me to repent for my mistakes and just live, Tomoko-chan. I just thought on it and decided that the best way to repay for those lost lives would be just to raise the next generation, making sure there aren't any casualties."

It was difficult initially, though. I can't deny that, no matter how much sugar I poured on it. Despite my efforts, Kakashi became a bit distant from Sakumo-san, whether from the war or something else, usually exchanging a few words before heading out with Minato-san. At the same time, Sakumo-san usually came home during weekdays with stress bags under his eyes, too tired to even offer more than a small smile at me before retiring to his room. Mom and Dad themselves were a bit more exhausted than usual after a work day at Nagareboshi, but I think it's because some of the regulars just haven't been showing up anymore after Sakumo-san and Kakashi started living with us. In fact, Nagareboshi has been losing customers even with my usual piano routine.

It's been hard on everyone.

What? Why are you looking at me?

Oh.

…Then again, I'm not really exempt from this either. Recently, a lot of the regulars coming for songs have been a lot more tense, and I think I'm really becoming a therapist or someone to just vent to because a lot of adult ninja, excluding the usual regulars such as Obito and Rin, were complaining to me.

"If only the White Fang didn't do what he did, we wouldn't be in war right now!"

"Tomoko-chan, I just don't understand what you see in that boy, we don't know if he's going to end up being like his foolish father!"

"Have you thought about hanging out with us, Tomoko-chan? We could give you a better time than those Hatake freaks."

What was really upsetting about the whole thing was that a lot of complaints were specifically directed at Kakashi and Sakumo-san. Initially, I tried to not think on it, since I knew that it was their opinions and that we weren't supposed to backtalk customers. But as time went on and the complaints just continued to increase in amount, I found myself getting a bit fed up too. What's worse was that many of the regulars were civilians just like I was, blaming Sakumo-san simply for saving his comrades and ruining the mission.

To be honest, I was just really pissed with the whole scenario. It took all I had to not voice the following:

This whole 'scapegoat' thing with Sakumo-san at the center is really just annoying. Why not try to reevaluate your own lives if you have enough damn time to complain about the actions of others, you ignorant assholes!? And don't bring Kakashi-kun into this!

If anybody noticed however, no one really commented on it. If anything, the anger simply made me play the piano a lot more fiercely, causing a lot of my song choice to go to a lot more fast-paced and serious tracks, including God Knows and Only my Railgun.

Which was why it surprised me so much one winter day when the Third Hokage himself walked into Nagareboshi.

…Yes, I'm completely serious. He actually walked in.

It was honestly a slow morning when starting that specific day. I was wearing the RWBY kimono dress again, relying on the dark black and red colors to provide warmth from the cold winds coming into the cafe. I was just playing Aerith's Theme from Final Fantasy 7 to just warm up when he walked in.

If anything, the entrance itself wasn't that great. He just walked in like any other new customer, looking around curiously. I only really noticed his specific entrance because every single customer just stopped talking. Any whispers I originally heard went away in just one second, and Nagareboshi was dead silent with the exception of my piano music.

Once I finished my current song, my ears caught the soft sound of a chair being pulled over. At the time, I didn't think much on it and just turned softly, only to catch the 'Fire' character on the red-white hat, the long white robe, and a warm smile.

"Hello," Hiruzen Sarutobi said gently, brown eyes warm with kindness.

Meep. Just, just, meep.

It took a few moments to respond, and by then, I was sure an embarrassed blush was on my face. "H-hello, Hokage-sama, sir."

Apparently my stuttered response threw him off guard because the Hokage simply chuckled, smile growing on his face. Honestly, I was just shocked at his appearance. From my past memories, I was used to the Third having gray hair and many wrinkles from the canon Naruto, but this Third was considerably younger with a full head of brown hair, a small goatee, and very few stress lines on his tanned face. Then again, we were in the era of the Third Shinobi World War, so he was probably in his early 50s at this point.

After a few seconds, the Third Hokage calmed down enough to look at me with a kind gaze. "…Tomoko-chan, right?" I just nodded hesitantly to confirm my identity with him. "I've been hearing from some of my fellow shinobi that you play wonderful piano, so I was wondering if you could play this old man a song."

I blinked in confusion.

Does he have another motive in mind…?

Outwardly, I tried to smile. "O-of course I can, Hokage-sama, sir. What kind of song would you like?"

The Third's smile then turned somewhat mysterious, a small glint in his brown eyes. "How about you play something that represents how you view the world?"

Okay, now isn't that strangely specific. And philosophical.

"...Um, Hokage-sama, do you mean the entire world, or the shinobi world, or the civilian world?"

If anything, the glint in his eye simply grew in intensity at my question, making my suspicions skyrocket. Oh dear. "Entire world sounds just about right, Tomoko-chan."

Okay...he's onto something….but what is it?

If I could, I would've liked to think about it longer, but it looked like the entirety of Nagareboshi was now focused on the two of us, and I had to play the song sooner or later.

Double Meep.

Still. My view on the entire world here, huh? When thinking about it, there was only really one melody I knew that fit. With a soft sigh, I smiled at the village leader before turning in my seat to face the familiar black and white keys. "Alright, Hokage-sama, one worldview song coming up."

In the end, this world in particular has a lot of tragedy, doesn't it?

Without even thinking, the piece came together in my mind from the various memories to play the tale of strange magical girls, each part specifically representing parts of my feelings on the whole Narutoverse — my new, rather messed up, home.

Conturbatio. The beginning of the end. In my mind swam the images of two girls, one pink and the other blue, offered a choice to make a wish in exchange for power.

Me, having to choose between the life of a ninja or a civilian. In the end, I chose the civilian route as a way to honor my original origins and feelings from my past life, but even now, I still doubted my decision at times. Was it the right choice to forsake such power when having it meant I could possibly help out on the battlefield?

Sis Puella Magica. Uncertainty and struggle. Those same girls, facing powerful monsters and questioning their own choices about having the power to fight them.

Me, questioning my place and what I was doing in this life. Was I really doing enough for the people here? Was I really influencing this time enough so that Team Minato could possibly avoid the fate they had? I had saved Sakumo-san, but at what cost?

Surgam Identidem. Fighting hopelessly only to fall into despair. The pink-haired girl, being forced to watch her blue friend transform into the same monsters they were fighting, unable to do anything about it.

Me, having to watch so many ninja suffer, including Sakumo-san and Kakashi, and just wondering if my influence was helping them at all. Even though I played an entire concert for the Hatake family, the negative thoughts surrounding them had yet to go away, and the scene of the trashed Hatake compound was proof of that. People still harbored anger and despair towards them for what Sakumo-san did, no matter how much I attempted to comfort them with music. The piano could do so much, but would it really make a difference on the battlefield?

Was I really living my life to the fullest and truly helping out others like I wanted to?

Did I really make the right choice for myself and others by not becoming a ninja?

Despite all my negative thoughts, the piano keys almost crooned under my touch. And soon enough, I found myself smiling in response when reaching the finale.

Credens Justitiam. Finding hope through the bonds with others. The pink-haired girl, selflessly sacrificing herself so that her friend could at least pass in peace, preventing the despair that came with the monstrous transformation.

Me, finding new people to love and care for after my previous losses.

Mom, Dad, Sakumo-san, Kushina-san, Minato-san, Obito-kun, Rin-chan.

…Kakashi.

They were the people I found happiness in playing piano for. Whenever I was down, they were the ones to pick me up and just reaffirm my original thoughts on playing the piano. They showed me that I was really making a difference, and that my work in Nagareboshi was worthwhile.

They showed me that I was loved and cared for as much as I did for them.

They showed me that I belonged here as Hoshino Tomoko. I wasn't my past self anymore. I was just the Civilian Pianist, Tomoko. And I think that's enough for now.

It was that thought in mind that I pressed the final key gently in a gorgeous-sounding finale, and by the time the sound faded away in the cold winter winds, my ears registered the sound of clapping.

Huh? What the—?

I found myself opening my eyes, which when playing the piano, were closed before, to only see everyone in Nagareboshi Cafe standing up and giving their proud ovations.

Oh goodness.

It wasn't just the Third clapping. I could see all the regulars at the bar, some of which I hadn't seen since the Hatake duo started living with us, grinning and cheering alongside Dad, who was the loudest apparently with his whooping. On the other side, I could see customers I had never seen visit before, looks of awe in their eyes while clapping, Mom in the center of the crowd with a soft, happy smile on her face. In the background, I could see Minato-san and Kushina-san, standing together and looking rather proud themselves. Sakumo-san was about an arm's-length away from the two, a content look in his eye while clapping. Even at the sidelines, I could see Obito's orange goggles, Rin's purple tattoos, Guy's bright green jumpsuit, Jiraiya's red line markings, and…

Wait. Wait just a second.

I blinked. A black mask?

In confusion, I blinked again, looking around before my gaze landed on it again. Silver eyes and spiky silver hair.

Happiness flooded my entire heart cavity if possible. Kakashi. He was literally in the center of the cafe at the very forefront of the large crowd in front of the stage, clapping encouragingly with a fond look in his eye. It was — quite honestly — the most relaxed I had ever seen him.

From the joy going through my entire system, I had to take a moment to stop looking like a shocked fish, closing my mouth and fidgeting with the hem of my kimono dress. It felt like the right time to curtsey, but to be honest? My feet were kinda shaking too much to let me. Whoops.

Still. Once the clapping subsided, the Third simply gave me a warm, almost wise smile, getting up from his seat.

"Thank you, Tomoko-chan. I think everyone in here can agree that the song you played was something we all needed these days." For once this entire day, the Third looked more like a kind old man than a village leader, gently dusting off his robes before stepping off the stage, his back facing me. To my surprise, he didn't walk away immediately, letting me see just his back before speaking again. "Keep playing that piano, dear. I'm sure it will continue to help more shinobi as time goes on." He turned to look at me for a moment with a kind smile before gently walking away.

Okay. Okay, calm down. Whoa. I just got approval from the Professor and Third Hokage — the village leader!

I found myself quickly standing up from the piano bench to bow in the Hokage's direction, yelling out a quick response. I had to at least tell him something after all that. "No, thank you, Hokage-sama for having me! I-I'll do my best!"

In response, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned back to look at me with a surprised look in his eyes before a hearty laugh left his lips, turning back to walk out the cafe doors. "I'll be counting on that enthusiasm, my dear~!"

With a swish of his white robes, the Third Hokage left, leaving me standing on the stage by myself in a moment of plain shock.

That...just happened, didn't it?

And then people started to swarm me.

"Tomoko-chan, that was amazing! Is it okay if you could take a song request?"

"No man, let me have a turn! Tomoko-chan, could you play a song for me?"

"No, me first!"

"Tomoko-nee-chan, could you teach me how to play?"

"Now, now, sweetie, Tomoko-nee's busy with other customers. It might be good to talk to her later."

"But, mommy! That song sounded really pretty. I want to learn now!"

Oh gosh. Just, gosh. Now I know how celebrities feel. There were just too many faces to where it felt like I was a museum exhibit. I found myself about to trip over my own boots before a warm hand smelling like pines landed on my shoulder.

Kakashi.

"You've really outdone yourself, Tomoko," he commented dryly behind me, looking at the rather over-eager crowd.

Honestly, a part of me felt rather claustrophobic from all the people surrounding me, so I just glanced at my best friend helplessly. "I know, so could I get a little help?" I found myself squeaking.

Kakashi blinked for a moment before sighing.

"Don't blame me if you get sick on the way out." To my surprise, he pulled me close enough so that we were shoulder-to-shoulder before making a hand-sign with his remaining hand. "Sorry to whoever's asking for Tomoko, but I'll be borrowing her for a bit."

Before I could even ask 'What,' a large puff of smoke filled my vision to where I ended up coughing a little.

Ugh…He just used the Body Flicker Technique on me, didn't he?

No wonder my stomach felt like it was flipping on itself — I don't think that the technique's supposed to be used on a non-chakra person. Or at least, a civilian who has no clue on how to weave the most basic of hand-signs. Joy.

"…Kakashi-kun, you suck sometimes." I muttered dryly, holding back any thoughts of throwing up. It wasn't really the best time to do it anyway, since we somehow teleported to the very roof of Nagareboshi. Like, whoa!

Since it was still early morning, I could easily see the sun shining high in the sky, complementing the bright blue canvas it was in.

It was, by far, the highest I had ever been in Konoha.

…Then again, I've never really tried to go to the top of the Hokage Monument, so I really don't know what the view up there is like.

Before I could think on it more, Kakashi simply sighed again. He went on to let go of my shoulder, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I told you not to blame me if you got sick. What else did you want me to do in order to get away from there?"

I blinked, putting a hand to my chin in thought. "…Um…"

"…"

Yes. My eyebrow was surely twitching at this point — I was trying to think of something, but nothing was coming up, making me mutter something akin to 'Um' or 'Uh' to fill in the silence.

"…Tomoko, you really don't have to think that hard on it." Kakashi deadpanned dryly after a few minutes, sweatdropping.

Bah. "But I wanted to try proving you wrong for once!" I huffed, pouting. Honestly, this was a matter of personal pride and no one was going to try telling me otherwise.

An eyebrow raising was all I got in response.

Yep, there's the sassy Kakashi I know.

With a sigh, I decided to concede defeat. "…Though, you do have a point there."

"When don't I?" Kakashi sniped back.

You dork.

I just glanced at him exasperatedly, throwing my hands up in the air. "I am not going to argue about this with you, Kakashi-kun. Right now, I'm going to hug you and you are going to deal with it, okay?"

The Chunin blinked. "Wait, what—"

I smirked. Shut-up Hug Number 2! In the end, I just pulled him in with an arm to rest my head against his shoulder, sighing. "…Thank you, Kakashi-kun."

"…This is possibly the weirdest thank you I've ever gotten." Kakashi muttered against my ear. Honestly, I had no clue why he was commenting on this since I already established a hugging routine with him anyway!

In the end, I just huffed. "…We're having a moment. Don't ruin it and just hug me back, okay?"

I could physically feel Kakashi sigh underneath my hold before he reached out to wrap his arms around my torso.

For once, it was nice to have a peaceful moment. And I was happy — just enjoying time with my best friend, avoiding the crowds.

…Hopefully they wouldn't get too pissed at missing me.

Author Notes: I don't really have much to comment here, but for now, I want to show my gratitude to Goldspark1, sillyrama, Hellfire000, and everyone else who reviewed Chapter 13! The support really helped out when I was in an academic stress situation, so your guys are amazing!

And somehow, Civilian Pianist is now at 257 followers and 185 favorites! You guys are seriously amazing for having stuck with me for so long, and I really hope you continue to enjoy Tomoko's adventures!

This is Writer-and-Artist27 signing out happily, and I'll see you guys next chapter!