Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything or anybody except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Any concepts/ideas mentioned in this fanfiction that seem to be borrowed from another media/piece of continuity — note that I don't mean to plagiarize anything or anybody in any way! This fanfic was made for entertainment purposes, not for pissing off others! So yeah!

The theme for this chapter is Scamper's piano cover of Born a Stranger from To The Moon. To The Moon was one of the more recent video games I played lately, and this song in particular really resonated with me and how this story is progressing. Note that Tomoko doesn't play this song in the chapter, but it handles the mood really well.

Please enjoy!

P.S. This may be my last update for the next few days, because I have to handle writing a Anthropology Final Essay AND study for a Math final. Hopefully, you guys can enjoy this! Thanks for sticking with me for so long and again, enjoy!

Chapter 20: Trying to Move On

Huh…? Where am I?

"It's fine, Kakashi… I-I don't think I can make it…"

What?

"OBITO!"

Kakashi-kun? Why are you… Oh no.

"Kakashi! Then you should know about my feelings too—"

Rin-chan!

"Rin—! I was once trash that tried to abandon you…"

Not this. Not Kannabi.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it in time, Kakashi. Rin told me everything."

Why, Minato-san? Why were you so late?

"Kakashi! Kill me!"

Don't say that, Rin-chan! Please, please, fight it!

"I'll make a world where you're alive again…"

Obito-kun! You're being fooled! Don't say that!

"What's the point of playing all that happy-go-lucky bullshit?!"

Not that memory too!

"Vy! Oh my god — hang in there! Please!"

Mommy...

No…

No…

NO!

I couldn't help it. I found myself jolting from my futon with a loud gasp, and the tears were already starting to fall from my cheeks by the time I started to notice my surroundings.

For one thing, the moon was still shining through my window. Judging from the angle, it was still early for the sun to come up — which meant my nightmare made me wake up in the middle of the goddamn night… Sheesh.

Not to mention, seeing how my heart was just not slowing down and the irregularity of my breathing, I immediately knew that I had to do something. Sleep just wouldn't come as easily as I would like, and for once, my childish instincts were in agreement with me.

Doing my best to wipe the tears away, I shakily got up from my futon, sniffling the whole way while tip-toeing out of my room and gently opening the door to Mom and Dad's room.

I wasn't surprised to see the two of them asleep in their shared futons in the center of the room. Even with the darkness of night shrouding the area, the small slivers of moonlight let me see which lump was Mom and Dad, and their peaceful sleeping faces made me hesitate.

…Is it really okay to wake them up like this?

A soft yawn interrupted my thoughts before I could contemplate the idea further. "…Tomoko-chan?" The large bump that was Mom shifted a bit before I could clearly see her head poking from the blanket, black hair tangled and messy across her face. Her blue eyes were somewhat dulled with sleep as they blinked up at me in confusion before widening. "Sweetie? What's the matter?"

The question just seemed to incite the tears in my eyes to come out even more. "M-Mommy…"

"Murgh… Hikari?" Dad was the next to stir, brown hair sticking up from his head as he lifted himself up to lean on one elbow, rubbing his eye with his other hand. "What's the matter?" It only took a second for him to become alert though, turning in my direction while sitting up fully in his part of the futon, brown eyes wide. "Tomoko-chan?"

"D-D-Daddy…" The sobs were already leaving my lips as I attempted to cover my face with my hands. "I-It hurts…"

"Tomoko-chan…" The soft sounds of footsteps reached my ears before two sets of arms enclosed around me, bringing me into a warm group hug. The touch alone instantly alerted me that it was my parents."What hurts?"

"E-Everything…" The words were almost stuck in my throat, creating a lump that was hard to bypass. "I-I couldn't sleep… because the images just keep coming…"

"What images, dear?" Mom spoke softly, a hand gently stroking my hair.

"I-I…" Another broken sob left my lips. "I-I keep seeing — hic — Kakashi-kun and his team… I keep seeing them dying!" The truth was finally out for once, and yet the wails kept shaking me to the core. Saying it was already hard enough as is - but to my parents?

It felt a million times worse.

"W-What do you mean, sweetheart?" Dad was the first one to pry my hands away from my face, kneeling down enough to look at me in the eye. "What happened to Kakashi-kun?"

"N-Nothing, b-b-but-" I was sure I was blubbering now. "Ever since t-t-that customer tried to choke me, I-I keep getting these images in my head, Daddy! Every time I've tried to sleep, I-I-I just get these bad dreams of something bad happening! M-M-my neck hurts," I did my best to motion to the large amount of throbbing in my neck with my shaky hands, even through the tears. "A-And I just keep getting them over and over! E-E-Even…"

The sobs leaving me prevented me from saying anything else. My mind filled the rest in.

Even that man himself keeps haunting me. Even Vy's past death keeps visiting me.

In the end, I had enough energy to make out one last request.

"C-C-Could I s-s-sleep with you two, tonight? P-P-P-Please?"

I never felt so helpless before.

And yet Mom and Dad didn't even hesitate in looking at one another before giving me an answer.

"Of course you can, Tomoko-chan." Mom was the first one to hug me again, letting me rest my cheek against her shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

Dad wrapped his arms around the both of us as a small smile bloomed on his face. "Yeah, Tomoko-chan. Let's get some rest and then I can take you to someone that can help in the morning, alright?"

For once that entire night, the weight on my heart lessened somewhat. Even though the tears just kept coming, the familiar warmth of my family gave me enough strength to nod shakily, sniffles leaving my lips.

I was really hoping it would be okay - because right now, I didn't feel okay. I didn't even have the strength to fully hug back, having to rely on both my parents to usher me into bed with them. My consciousness finally slipped away with the warmth of Mom and Dad on both of my sides, the tears slowly drying and crusting on my face.

One last thought resonated in my mind before sleep took me away again.

Please… make things better.

It was the next morning that Dad took me to the Yamanaka Clan Compound. Immediately after a quiet breakfast, Mom was the one to give warm send-offs to Sakumo-san and Kakashi, providing their normal bento lunches. I did my best to ignore the worried glances sent my way, although my best friend wouldn't have any of that.

I guess the red circles around my eyes were obvious enough as is.

At the front door, Kakashi turned to me, bento in hand, frown on his masked face. "…Will you be okay?" He prodded.

I didn't have enough energy to even give him a proper reply, simply shrugging from the uncertainty. For once, I wished I was wearing a kimono dress, because the long sleeves would've been nice to cover my shaking mouth. Instead, Mom decided to give me a simple white summer dress despite the spring season, exposing my shoulders with the straps and a bit of my calves. With the blue sandals added in, I felt like Namine when Sora was somewhat interrogating her.

Kakashi just gave me a half-lidded stare before stashing his bento into a bag strapped to the back of his pants. "…Tomoko," For some reason, his stare on me was starting to hurt, and I had to look away to prevent more tears from escaping my eyes. The familiar silver was starting to overlap with a glowing red, and I had to mentally push the image out of my mind to concentrate. Imagining the after-effects of Kannabi was not going to help my current situation.

To my surprise, the ninja let out a soft sigh before reaching over to pull me into a hug.

I was too frozen to even move. "…K-Kakashi-kun?"

"I'm not going to ask if you don't want me to," He started, a hand reaching up to rest on top of my head. "Just let me know when you want to talk, okay?" My best friend pulled away to simply rest his forehead against mine, the cool metal of his headband touching my skin in a strangely soothing manner. "I'm here for you too, Tomoko — don't forget that."

The tears were already starting to blur my vision as I nodded shakily. "I-I won't… t-thank you… I-I-I love you, Kakashi-kun, okay?"

Kakashi simply blinked before smiling softly, continuing to rest his head against mine while closing his eyes. "I know, Tomoko. I love you too." When his eyes opened again, even through the tears, I could see the sincerity and emotion in the familiar silver. "I'll see you later this afternoon, okay?"

"O-Okay… Stay safe. I'll see you later."

My best friend scoffed in response, bumping his head against mine before letting go and turning his back on me. "No need to say the obvious. See you later." And with a wave of his hand, he opened the door and left, leaving me standing at the doorstep in a bit of emotional disbelief.

It was the large hand that landed on my shoulder that finally snapped me out of my funk. "Tomoko-chan," Dad started softly, the other hand reaching over to touch my own. "Ready to go?"

I didn't feel ready, but turned around to nod anyway. It would be better to get this over with sooner than later. "I-I'm ready, Papa." If Dad noticed my name change, it didn't visibly show on his face as he reached over to hold my hand, a soft smile on his face.

Soon enough, we were walking together out of the house and out of Nagareboshi. I didn't miss how Dad purposefully led me away from looking at the piano in the center of the cafe. After all that's happened, I still didn't have the courage to face it, even if it had been a couple of days after the incident.

Now that I think about it, I never did walk around Konoha with Dad before. A majority of the time, I stayed in Nagareboshi or walked to the Konoha library by myself or with Kakashi if he decided to tag along.

This was the first time I was walking around in the village, holding Dad's hand in plain sight.

Strangely, I didn't mind the curious and at times suspicious glances some of the villagers sent our way. I was with my Papa — and for once, I wanted to enjoy this time with him.

Last night was already bad enough as is — I would take any peaceful moment without hesitation.

Soon enough, the familiar shopping district around us started to disappear in favor of differently shaped houses lining the area. The number of passerby shifted with each passing moment, and if not for the emotional turmoil my heart was putting me through, I would've taken the time to look around. I only really stopped walking when Dad came to a stop, his hand tightening over mine.

Looking up from my sandals, I couldn't help but notice the happy yellow color scheme and the various potted plants sitting in front of the store. An orange roof complimented the bright walls of the building, and from the close distance, I could make out a large pink sign sitting on top of said roof over one of the windows, japanese characters drawn in a soft red hue.

…Yamanaka Flowers?

A soft tug on my hand. "Tomoko-chan, we're here." I looked up to see Dad staring down at me with concerned brown eyes, and I couldn't help the sheepish smile on my face. "Let's go in, okay?"

"Okay, Papa," Dad turned back to look up at the pink sign before sighing, reaching up to jiggle the doorknob and open the door.

The soft jingle of door chimes greeted us as we walked inside, and the first thing that hit me was flowers. Lots and lots of flowers. No matter where I looked, the inside of the shop was filled with the pretty blossoms, ranging from simple roses sitting in a bucket to beautiful forget-me-nots hanging from the ceiling. Dad walked forward to face the single counter in the center of the shop, and from the back door, a woman with hazel eyes and long brown hair tied in a regal bun with a red ribbon greeted us. From her classy green dress, I didn't take for a Yamanaka at first. If not for the eye shape that reminded me of Ino, then the lady could've passed off for Mom's age.

…Is this Ino's mother?

"Hello there, how can I help you—" The lady was in the middle of bowing towards us before looking up, brown eyes widening. "Judai?" A soft smile grew on her face. "Oh my, it's been awhile since I last saw you!"

"Hello, Kanon," Dad said softly, his hand still gripping mine. "It's been a while."

The atmosphere became rather stale almost immediately as recognition showed in the lady's brown eyes, lips thinning into a small line. "I'm guessing by that serious face that you're not here for flowers, huh?"

"I wish," Dad sighed again before lightly jerking his shoulder to motion towards me. The Yamanaka turned towards me, and I found myself trying to hide behind Dad's familiar figure. Even though I knew she was safe, the gaze she was turning on me felt too perceptive - too foreign for my liking. "I actually was hoping if I could borrow your boyfriend for something. My little girl's been having nightmares lately and needs help sorting through them."

"Inoichi? I see…" Kanon-san blinked before looking down at me with sympathy. Apparently she saw something in me because her previously stern expression softened enough to where she walked out from behind the counter to kneel down to my height with a kind smile. "Hello there, sweetheart, what's your name?"

Her soft tone threw me into surprise, and I found myself blushing. "H-Hoshino T-Tomoko, ma'am."

To add to my shock, Kanon-san actually reached into her pocket to pull out a lotus hair pin, reaching over to gently pin it into my bangs, shifting them back. "Now now, dear, don't be shy. My Inoichi should be gentle with you — it's going to be okay." Apparently I was getting a lot of this lately. A soft hand patted my head before the woman straightened herself, looking up at Dad again. "I'll take you to him immediately."

"Thanks, Kanon," Dad huffed gently, and I couldn't help but notice how his shoulders visibly sagged, all tension leaving them. The woman in response softly chuckled, patting his back heartily.

"No need to worry about it Judai — consider it a favor from a friend for such an adorable little girl!" Now I could see how Ino got her energy — Kanon-san just exuded that cheerful aura that the future girl was known for — especially when befriending Sakura. "You did a good job in raising such a beautiful flower up until now~!"

I was actually shocked to see a soft red brush Dad's face as he reached up to scratch his cheek sheepishly. "Kanon, that's great and all, but we need to focus. Please go and get Inoichi."

The woman huffed, visibly pouting before sighing again. "Oh, fooey. Alright." With a swish of her green dress, she turned back to look at us for a moment before heading into the back. "Just follow me, okay?"

The next thing I knew, I was sitting in a chair in what appeared to be an examination room, a younger version of Ino's Dad flitting around me. Even though Dad was nearby holding my hand, the blue eyes staring at me just made me feel uncomfortable.

The knowledge that this man would become the Yamanaka Clan Head and the head of the Investigation part of the T&I division of Canon didn't help one bit.

"So how long have these nightmares been happening, Tomoko-chan?" The soft, gentle voice of the older man in front of me did calm my nerves a bit, but not enough to loosen my shoulders.

"U-Um… Ever since a few days ago…" Sheesh, even talking about it made me feel uncomfortable. "…After that bad customer, i-i-it's gotten worse…" I bit my lip to hold back the urge to cry. Dad, I know this helps, but why did it have to be Ino's father? I thought he was out on the front lines!

"So what do you think of it, Inoichi?" Dad interjected gently, squeezing my hand reassuringly. "Visions or after-effects of trauma?" And why do you have to refer to it like I'm not here?

"It could be either, Judai-senpai," The man sighed, and the spun gold that was his hair billowed around his neck in his ponytail, the Konoha symbol on his navy headband standing out against the platinum blond. "I'm just surprised that your 9 year old girl is going through this much stress — was the attack that bad?"

"…Enough to make me draw my sword, man," Dad deadpanned slowly.

There was a moment of silence as Inoichi literally tripped over his own sandal at the words. I waited for the man to recompose himself. "Oh god…" The Yamanaka breathed, disbelief clearly seen in his blue orbs. "No wonder…"

"Could you do something, Inoichi?" Dad sounded impatient, and I didn't have to look to see the small frown on his face — I could hear it well enough.

The future Yamanaka Clan Head sighed before straightening himself. "I'll do what I can — I just don't think I'm as good as the other experts you could've called up. Are you sure you want me to do this? It's your daughter, senpai." I didn't miss the obvious concern in his words at the mention of me.

Dad sighed again, hand still holding onto mine. "I'm sure, Inoichi. Out of all the Yamanakas I've met, you're the best at this. Quit doubting yourself, and just please," a note of desperation went through Dad's voice and I couldn't help but look up at him. "…Just help Tomoko-chan."

I didn't realize Dad worried about me that much. I didn't deserve him.

Inoichi blinked, clear surprise in his blue orbs before he sighed again, a defeated smile on his face. "The fact that you're making such a face means that this is serious, huh senpai?"

"You got that right," Dad hotly retorted back.

"…Alright then," The Yamanaka sighed before turning to me, and I didn't miss how his expression morphed to that of sympathy and concern. His face alone showed what a great father he would be to Ino one day. "Tomoko-chan, I'll be taking you with me to look into your mind a bit, and we'll try to walk through and figure out what's going on, alright?"

Despite his gentle tone, a sense of dread went through me. "I-I-It's not going to hurt, is it?" I found myself squeaking worriedly. The ways Yamanaka investigation was shown in the anime didn't help me that much — since the only time I saw Inoichi do something similar was when he was interrogating Hanare, and that was cut away from the anime for a reason. There was so much blood that could be shown, so much torture before censors came in.

This was real life. There was no censors, and I already knew I would feel everything if things got that far.

"Of course not," Inoichi said gently, a hand reaching over to ruffle my hair. I didn't miss how his eyes went towards the lotus pin in my bangs before he looked back down at me. "It'll be just like you went to sleep — if this goes well, then the nightmares should stop."

"O-Okay…" I mumbled, closing my eyes once his hand went over to touch my forehead. It was the best I could ask for.

Immediately, all sense of my surroundings faded away as I found my vision going into myself. Strangely, when I opened my eyes, what greeted me wasn't an examination room but a vast expanse that reminded me of both the great libraries from Hogwarts and the Konoha library. From where I was standing in the area, I could see shelves and shelves of differently colored books, each with their own small titles that I couldn't see from my position in the center. At one point, the long expanse of book shelves ended at a certain wall with no windows, and when I turned my head, it was the same all around.

My mind was apparently a library of its own with a circular room design and everything.

"…This is interesting for a 9 year old girl's mind," Inoichi commented dryly, standing next to me while crossing his arms. "But at the same time, I'm not surprised, considering you're Judai-senpai's little girl."

Soon enough, I was surprised to see a book float out of a shelf to fly over to us, opening up to reveal an image once it decided to hover over my open hands.

Specifically, it started to show an image of my first meeting with Kakashi.

...We really were small back then, weren't we?

The way the image was playing reminded me of a flashback. I could easily see the past version of me move her mouth to talk and everything, even reaching over to offer her hand to the smaller version of my best friend.

Warmth filled my heart almost instantly. Kakashi-kun… The small version of the Hatake visibly smiled through his mask as he reached for my other self's hand, and for once, I didn't feel like I was inside my own mind. It didn't feel like I had to worry about the future or any silly nightmare.

For once, it felt like I was at peace.

Unfortunately, Inoichi-san took the moment to cough softly into his fist, breaking the atmosphere and making the book close up on itself and fly back into its original shelf. "It looks like there's nothing wrong here." I turned to look at him, and the Yamanaka smiled almost mournfully. "I'm sorry to break you out of a good memory, Tomoko-chan, but do you think you could show me the source of the problem?"

A sense of foreboding filled me as I nodded. "O-Okay, I-Inoichi-san, this way," I turned, and to my surprise, a staircase formed itself in the floor, leading downwards. I didn't pay mind to how my appearance seemed to have changed from the summer dress to a translucent galaxy-patterned kimono dress, blue stars and everything, choosing to escort the older man down. The staircase seemed to go down for quite a while, resembling the one I used to use when heading up and down my college's main library, and with each open door, a new library greeted us. However, the further we went down, the more I noticed the amount of decay and messiness in each new room.

Initially, it started with a few fallen books. Then, it started to escalate, with an older book smell greeting us as more books were out of their shelves and on the floor, appearing abandoned. By the time we reached the last door, I had seen far more than I would've thought possible, with some doors even having stray images and memories leaving the fallen, ashen remains that would've been books.

"…Will you be able to handle this, Tomoko-chan?" Inoichi asked slowly, his face looking a little green. Then again, with all the decay we saw the further we went down the stairs, I wouldn't blame him since some of the rooms had the strong smell of decayed book — and I can tell you one thing. It's not pleasant.

"…We have to, Inoichi-san." I sighed, lightly tugging at the hem of my sleeve before putting a hand on the old doorknob. "These nightmares are already unbearable." The metal rattled in my hand before I pushed the door open, and the incoming sight made my heart drop in my stomach.

There was absolutely nothing in the last room. Instead of bookshelves and fallen books, there were simply floating images, each more chaotic than the last, flying around in the air like birds. In the center of it all was a figure, kneeling on one knee and head bowed. I forced myself to walk inside, and with each step, the figure became closer with its characteristics becoming more clear in the fog.

To my shock and horror, the figure resembled me.

Or more specifically, the past me.

With long brown hair reaching the middle of her back, black glasses on the rim of her nose, and the same beauty marks on the left side of the mouth and right side of the nose. Heck, she even had the same chest size and height I once had as Vy, resembling a C cup and if not for her kneeling stature, she could've passed off to be Vy entirely.

This new person looked exactly like how I was when I died — minus all the blood and possibly ruptured lung — with the jeans, purple blouse, and everything.

Once I came close enough to be a few centimeters away from her left sneaker, the figure lifted her head to look at Inoichi-san and I, giving us both an eyeful of dark brown. "Hello there, I'm Hisako." Her voice was both soft and somewhat menacing, resembling my voice, but deeper. Almost mature. "It's nice to finally meet you, Tomoko-chan." I didn't miss the undertone of affection the woman had when turning to me.

It took about a few seconds for me to find my voice. "I-It's nice to meet you too," I found myself squeaking out uncertainly. "By chance, are you a byproduct of my mind?"

"In a sense," the lady dubbed Hisako rumbled, getting to her feet to stand at full height. Now that I could fully look at her, she really was the spitting image of Vy. She looked to be about 5 foot 2 — the same height I had back then too. This was starting to get creepy if not for the stoic expression Hisako had on her face. "With all the visions and the recent trauma you had, you might as well call me a byproduct of your mind attempting to right itself."

"…So you're not some kind of foreign entity, correct Hisako-san?" Inoichi-san added softly, hand on his chin.

Hisako simply gave the Yamanaka an exasperated look before turning back to me. It was the first emotion aside from the affection from before that I had ever seen from her. And from the looks of it, I only really reached the middle of her chest in height. "I'm not a foreign entity, sir." I didn't miss the clear distaste running through the deep voice. And the slight bit of mockery at the last bit. "I may as well be an alternate personality. With the recent attempt on Tomoko's life, it's been hard to return to our place at the piano, and since music has been therapeutic so far, all the memories and nightmares that were once held back came at full force. I was created as a safety mechanism to deal with those memories so that our shared mind won't fracture anymore than it already has."

…Was this becoming Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories without the figurative chains?

"S-So then, who's the real Tomoko?" I said slowly, biting the bottom of my lip. "W-When this all ends, who will wake up? H-Heck," I found a large lump in my throat, my hands becoming sweaty. "What's the point of all these dreams? A-Are they just anxious dreams? O-Or—" I couldn't help but notice the images floating around us even more, some becoming clear enough to show specific scenes.

Kakashi, dead in the rubble.

Obito, coughing blood from under the large rock crushing the entirety of his left side.

Kurama, large tails destroying houses everywhere in sight.

"A-Am I supposed to be seeing these?" I didn't even realize I was crying until Hisako kneeled down to smile at me, wiping a tear away from my cheek.

"Don't worry, Tomoko-chan." For such a deep baritone, I didn't miss the tenderness in her voice. "You did well handling all this until this point. Don't worry about the what-ifs right now." With a simple snap of her fingers, the images all disappeared, leaving the three of us in a simple white space. "I'm a part of you — and for now, let me take care of this. You need to focus on getting better on your side, alright? When this all ends, you'll still be the one in control. I'll just be handling everything in the shadows like I did before."

Even then, the doubt just wouldn't go away. "B-But why?" I choked out, doing my best to wipe at my eyes with my kimono sleeve. "Why are you going this far for me? Why for such a pathetic girl like me?"

For someone who can't do anything? For a civilian girl who can't even help her friends when the time might come?

Will I be able to save everyone?

Hisako visibly frowned before leaning over to rest her forehead against mine, cupping my cheeks in her hands. "You dolt," she murmured, voice still soft. "Don't say that when nothing's happened yet. The future isn't set in stone. And I'm here to help you with all that." Warm chocolate stared into sapphire as a soft smile graced her face. Why— "Because I'm a part of you too. You gave me love — so I'll do my part to help you protect that love. You don't want to lose it again, right?"

The image of Mommy standing over what appeared to be blood rushed through my head, and even in my emotional panic, I knew what to say. "Y-Yeah…" The tears were finally starting to go away, drying on my face. "Yeah."

The woman above me smiled again before shifting a little, lips lightly touching my exposed forehead in a soft kiss. "Everything will be alright, sweetie. Don't worry."

"…Okay…" I took a shaky breath, and by then, Hisako gave me another smile before standing back up to hold my hand, looking at the silent Yamanaka in the room.

Inoichi blinked for a moment before sighing, a small smile on his face. "Well, this is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen," He commented dryly, shaking his head. "But I guess it's fine now, huh?"

"Indeed," Hisako deadpanned, expression morphing into one of exasperation. "Now do me a favor and get Tomoko-chan out of here so I can clean this f-ing mess, alright? There's a lot of work to do."

…Is it just me, or was she being sassy to the future Investigative T & I head?

I decided not to question it and looked up at the Yamanaka. "… Can we, Inoichi-san?"

The Yamanaka blinked before shrugging his shoulders. "Alright then, Tomoko-chan." He leaned down to take my hand and Hisako's, linking the three of us together. "Heading out now."

I closed my eyes, and the next time I opened them, I got an eyeful of worried brown.

Dad.

"You alright, Tomoko-chan?" He asked softly, hand reaching over to smooth the bangs off my forehead.

If not for the lingering soft feeling on my head, I would've dismissed the whole thing as a dream. But my heart didn't feel heavy for once, and tears didn't accompany my next thought. The smile that came out of my mouth was, for once, genuine, and I knew it was going to be okay.

"I-I'm okay, Papa. Could we go home now? I'm hungry..."

In the back of my mind, I swore I could've heard a familiar deep voice laugh.

"Well then, you piece of work. Let's handle this together, okay?"

Author's Notes: So some people have already noticed with the previous chapter as to how I've been making a lot of Yugioh GX references in Civilian Pianist with the appearance of Jim and Judai as important figures in Tomoko's life. This is actually intentional, since I wanted to reference another fanfiction I've been working on in the past.

One of my first fanfiction ideas was pertaining to that of GX, so Judai, Hikari (Tomoko's mother and in fact the first Original Character I ever created in my life), and Jim are all homages to those origins. If it's not your cup of tea, I understand, but the references are also there to somewhat flesh out Tomoko herself since one of the things I appreciated from the original GX was the immense focus on growing up and moving into adulthood. Tomoko herself still hasn't fully moved on from the events of her past life - namely letting go of her past death and the impact her memories have - so the GX characters were put in here as a way of referencing that difference between her and the adults.

As for the guest going by Eretius, I'm not really sure how far Civilian Pianist will go. If anything, I know I will be covering Kannabi, the events leading up to Kurama's rampage, and Kakashi's time in ANBU. However, since most of Civilian Pianist will be in Tomoko's POV, you won't get all the details because of the position she's in as a civilian. After those aforementioned events, the story can go anywhere, so I'm just going with the flow. Thanks again for all the support and I hope you all stick along for the bumpy ride!