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 actually the ending for Vivid Strike titled Starry Wish by Inori Minase. Recently, I've been getting back into the Nanoha franchise, and Vivid Strike was the thing that helped me with writing this chapter as well as past developments in Civilian Pianist. Sure, there were some nitpicks with the plot, but Fuuka as well as old favorite Vivio inspired me one way or another.

Honestly, Vivio was so precious to where she inspired me enough to choose her voice actor to voice Tomoko. For the theme itself though, you could actually look at the translated lyrics as something from either Judai's or Kakashi's point of view on Tomoko herself. With everything going on lately, I found that this song really suits their perspectives on her - she's a girl that they both love in some way, and they want to protect her, in their own ways.

For those of you looking for a piano theme though, please look towards Moika Hong's cover of Starry Wish on Synthesia. It's actually a way I can see Tomoko playing it herself, so yeah!

Please enjoy!

Chapter 26: Taking the First Step

Baring your heart out to someone is an emotionally taxing thing.

Doing so in front of the goddamn Third Hokage, the current leader of the village and the God of Shinobi, was marginally worse.

AND having the Yellow Flash and the Toad Sage as the audience? It can be a lot of pressure on someone - especially someone as messed up as me.

A 9 year old civilian girl burdened with the memories of her past life to the point of possibly knowing the future of her new life.

Woo hoo.

It took a while, but I did my best anyway. Explaining whatever I could, I mean. I did leave out the 'reincarnation' part in exchange for the 'dream' angle for the sake of continuity and not giving the adults the biggest 'mind-f**k' ever, but aside from that, everything was honest. Even when tears were on the verge of coming out, I forced myself to talk anyway.

From the looks of it, even with Minato-san sugarcoating it, I was still under suspicion anyway. And considering the fact that god-freaking Danzo was still in power at this time, I needed to at least get out of it ASAP if it mean not getting killed inside my own home.

The warhawk WAS known for his fierce paranoia and morally-grey outlook anyway. I didn't want to be there when he blew up at the idea of a civilian knowing possibly S-class secret information.

… Hopefully this was working.

But nevertheless, I talked about everything that didn't go into the category of 'mind-f**k'. Kannabi Bridge, the possible attack with the Nine-Tails, and the possibility of its/his sealing into another person.

Once I finished with the beginnings of Naruto's original canon story, I was left with a shell-shocked Hokage, a gaping Minato, and a stoic Jiraiya. The tears were pooling in my eyes, but I nevertheless wiped them away with my kimono sleeve for the sake of concentrating on the situation.

"... That's just disturbing news." Hiruzen murmured softly, getting up from his chair to pace in front of the room. "The possibility of Konoha being attacked by a masked man after the war via the Nine-Tails?"

"... Not to mention it ends with my and Kushina's deaths…" Minato-san muttered, simply putting a hand to his face. "Oh kami…"

A part of me just felt really bad for letting out such sensitive info, but it had to be done. If I couldn't change things, I was at least hoping the higher-ups with chakra could do something about it. I opened my mouth, but quickly closed it at the discovery that I had nothing in mind to say.

How were you supposed to respond to someone who just found out about the supposedly doomed future?

Thankfully, Jiraiya-sama was the one to break the tense silence with a sigh. "Mah mah, I know this is something to be concerned about, but remember that these events haven't happened yet. Sensei, you're too stressed right now." To my surprise, he leveled a light glare on Minato-san too. "You too Minato! As my student, you should know better than to panic at the first sign of danger!"

The Yellow Flash blinked before straightening himself, looking a bit sheepish. "S-sorry about that, Jiraiya-sensei." It looked like the Third himself was finally getting the message and quietly chuckled to himself, smoking his pipe while walking back to sit in his desk chair.

Well, it seemed like the adults all seemed to be taking this well enough. Even then, I couldn't help but still feel unsure. "S-So, what now?"

The adults all blinked before looking at one another. There was a moment of silence, and I could've swore I saw sparks of recognition and understanding pass between the three. Was this the ninja version of 'contemplative silence'?

In the end, it was the Third who cleared his throat to speak. "Well, Tomoko-chan, what you're claiming sounds very possible, but we're going to have to look into it to make sure. To do that, we're going to have your mind searched again."

… Again? Hisako deadpanned.

I couldn't help but feel the same. "B-But Hokage-sama, I thought I already had my mind searched before by Inoichi-san. Is there any other option, by chance?"

I thought I already proved that I'm trustworthy to you.

I immediately found myself regretting the question because the other adults in the area seemed to be staring holes into the back of my head. "Tomoko-chan, I don't think you understand the situation you're in." The Third sighed, closing his eyes to shake his head before giving me a small glare. If not for the exasperation on his face, I would've flinched. "You are a person that claims to know information about the future of this war and of Konoha itself - and we need to prove that it's genuine. I know you are a honest girl, but we can't take any risks during this time. Or would you prefer a more physical approach?"

A memory of the 'Honest Room' from the anime ran through my head at those words, with the spiked chair and blood splatter being the central focus, before I gulped.

Inoichi-san it is. Hisako said immediately.

Yep. Torture is a definite NO. I mentally agreed.

Outside in the physical world, I forced myself to take a deep breath before smiling shakily. "I-I'll take Inoichi-san then, Hokage-sama…" I squeaked, voice high-pitched.

The Third smiled. "Good girl. I'll call up Inoichi then."

Soon enough, I found myself in a room similar to the one I first met the Yamanaka, with the white walls and stiff examination chair. The only difference was that we were in the T&I division of Investigation, instead of the Yamanaka Clan's personal rooms. It was one of the moments that I wished that Papa or Mama were with me, since the atmosphere was so tense to the point I could choke on it. Inoichi-san's unsure pacing behind the head of my chair didn't help, since all it did was raise my heart rate.

...Not to mention the fact that Minato-san, Jiraiya-sama, and Hokage-sama themselves were in the room.

"... Minato-san?" I squeaked.

The Yellow Flash blinked, having taken a seat next to my right side before looking at me. "What is it Tomoko-chan?"

I didn't even think on what came out of my mouth, even if my voice cracked. All that was going on in my head was just easing the goddamn nerves going through me. Hisako would normally handle that end, but considering the fact that she appeared to be MIA at the moment, it was just me. "I-It's okay to be scared, right?"

There was a long pause as Jiraiya-sama, Hokage-sama, AND Inoichi-san all turned to look at me in a mixture of amazement and disbelief.

... Honestly, I think I have a good excuse. Ninja are scary - and getting my mind probed AGAIN for the sake of investigation didn't make me a happy camper.

"...It's fine, Tomoko-chan. And Inoichi-san won't hurt you." The Jounin attempted to smile, but just looking at him, I could tell that it wasn't reaching his eyes.

If I didn't know any better, it felt like Minato-san was trying to convince himself more than me.

Despite this, I attempted to breathe. I wanted to at least say what was on my mind before having to go through with this whole thing. "B-By chance, Minato-san, c-c-could you…"

The Yellow Flash blinked before smiling again, the gesture reaching his face a bit more when looking at me. "Yes, Tomoko-chan?"

By this point, I felt like a baby, too nervous to the point of tears, but I continued on anyway, forcing the whimpers to the back of my throat. "C-Could you hold my hand?"

I just wanted someone to be there.

I didn't want to be alone.

Even with everyone else in the room, the white-washed walls and privacy seals just made me realize how alone I felt.

Who else distrusted me? Who else didn't believe in me like the Hokage?

Who else had false assumptions about me and my actions?

To my surprise, Minato-san simply blinked before nodding gently, that same, small smile on his face while reaching over. I honestly wasn't expecting the Jounin to actually agree to my rather childish request, but once he took my smaller hand in his, lacing our fingers together, a surge of nostalgia and sadness spread through me.

Minato-san felt like Dad.

Not Papa, but Dad.

The callouses and size were just about the same.

"Everything's going to be alright, Vy. Don't worry. Trust me, okay?"

I fought the urge to cry heavily, beating it with my mental Keyblade before responding. This isn't the time to reminisce. "M-Minato-san, t-thank you."

Thank you for helping me.

The Jounin just kept smiling, squeezing my hand softly. He didn't have to say anything. The eyes were said to be windows of the soul after all.

You're welcome.

"So… are you ready, Tomoko-chan?" Inoichi-san was the one to ask the dreaded question, and by then, I felt pretty good.

For once, I had a sympathetic anchor. And no matter what happens from here on out, I didn't mind.

I just wanted to believe in that small sliver of hope that these people would be able to use my memories a lot better than I would.

"I-I'm ready, Inoichi-san. Go ahead." The last thing I saw before the large hand gently touched my forehead was the concerned faces of Jiraiya-sama and the Third before passing out.

Yamanaka Inoichi was expecting a library when diving into the girl's mind. From the many therapy sessions, the image of organized shelves in a circular-like room was pictured in his own head before making the hand-sign for the jutsu.

Not just plain darkness.

That's right. Plain darkness. No matter where the Yamanaka looked, no matter what direction he turned his head, all he saw was black.

It had only been a month since the last time he was in this mindscape in particular.

So what prompted the change?

"... So you came after all." The sudden voice nearly made the man jump if not for the sarcastic tone, and the Yamanaka whirled around only to get an eyeful of exasperated brown.

"... Hisako-san," Inoichi felt a bit more relieved at seeing the other personality standing in front of him in the immense darkness, raising an eyebrow. Considering that the woman looked virtually unchanged with the exception of a flowing white dress that took her former outfit's place, Inoichi would've seen it as a normal trip down into a patient's mind. But at the same time, the Yamanaka couldn't ignore what was going on around him.

The darkness was still prevalent in almost every direction, and if not for Hisako's white dress, he may have had no guiding light to start looking.

The woman in front of him simply sighed and shook her head. "So, what the fuck are you here for this time, Inoichi-san?"

The Yamanaka held back the urge to wince. Even in a dress, Hisako was as blunt as ever. Nevertheless, the ninja cleared his throat before straightening himself. "Memories concerning the Nine-Tails this time, Hisako-san. You may already know this, but Tomoko-chan is under suspicion from most of the higher-ups and Hokage-sama himself. This is the best way to prove her innocence and reliability with the memories mentioned."

Despite his words, the frown on the woman's face didn't go away but instead deepened. If he didn't know any better, Inoichi would've thought he was looking at a younger version of his girlfriend when she was pissed at him, only with medium brown hair and glasses. "You do realize the risks in exploring, do you not Inoichi-san?" Hisako retorted, tone clearly showing her disbelief. "Tomoko-chan is still a child, and you should know better than anyone the risk of uncovering too much in a developing brain. Why do you think you found this -" The woman simply waved a hand at her surroundings before crossing her arms. "- Instead of the library you and Tomoko-chan have explored before?"

In any other situation, Inoichi would've bulked.

If not for the current circumstances, he would've agreed and left things be.

Hisako had a point, but this was different.

He had orders, after all.

The reply was robotic and forced, but Inoichi said it anyway. "I understand that Hisako-san. Hokage-sama understands as well, but this is for the sake of Konohagakure. If it means preventing the loss of more lives and ending this war, the predicament of one little girl is almost nothing in the long run."

That was the ninja way of life, after all. Especially in war times.

Judging from the woman's ever-permanent scowl however, she wasn't convinced. "... Nothing, huh?" Hisako simply turned her back on him, not even sparing him a glance. "Well, you get the Humanitarian of the Year Award! Congratulations!"

… Inoichi had a strange feeling that the applause that sounded afterwards wasn't genuine. The residual guilt in his heart seemed to agree at least.

"And here's me thinking that you Konoha ninja at least were different." Another slow clap sounded. "... Oh good, that's still working just fine." If not for the situation at hand, the Yamanaka seriously felt like the personality was mocking him.

"If you feel that way, how about finding everything by yourself then?"

The next thing the ninja knew, the lights all turned on only for the ground underneath him to collapse, brick by brick until all that was left was a gaping chasm. Inoichi literally flailed to find a handhold on the sudden free-fall, stopping himself by gripping a stray brick. The Yamanaka forced himself to not look below him, already feeling winds tickling his dangling toes.

When looking up, all he saw was Hisako's disappearing silhouette, voice sounding even more deadpan than before. She wasn't even looking over the edge to help him, her back turned. "Enjoy your time in my side of the arena if you want to really look, douche."

And with a swish of white, the woman disappeared.

Then the brick he was holding onto broke, and Inoichi was falling.

The Yamanaka should've been surrounded by darkness, and yet when closing his eyes, all he saw were images.

More specifically, memories.

"Tomoko-chan!" …. Judai-senpai?

"Tomoko-chan!" Minato-san!

"Tomoko!" Was that Sakumo-san?

"Tomoko!" Kakashi-kun?

"To-" The memories were starting to distort. "Naruto!"

"Naruto-kun!"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!

"NARUTO!"

The last yell forced the Yamanaka to open his eyes, and the next thing he knew, he wasn't feeling air pass through his clothes. In fact, he wasn't even falling anymore. All his hands could feel was cold, solid ground beneath him.

Inoichi blinked. Then he reached up to rub at his eyes with a shaky hand before blinking again.

The environment had changed again.

From the looks of it, the Yamanaka had landed smack-dab in the middle of another new library, appearing almost like a labyrinth. The only similarity to Tomoko's original mind-library was the many shelves of differently colored books lying around.

What was that Hisako said though?

"Her side?" The Yamanaka breathed.

Inoichi could actually believe it if the scenery he was seeing right now was Hisako's home in Tomoko's mind.

Unlike the civilian's organized library, Hisako's was considerably more cluttered and decorated, with actual lakes and forests sprouting from various corners and areas. Some bookshelves were actually submerged in the lakes or tangled in the trees themselves and Inoichi swore he could hear a waterfall in the distance.

Adding in the occasional butterfly flying past him and the chirping of birds and bats, Inoichi could at least conclude one thing.

Hisako's side looked similar to the Forest of Death itself. Only with more bookshelves and moderately-sized wildlife (that didn't seem to be out to kill him).

The Yamanaka just sighed. The area seemed to be spanning for miles in every direction, and the occasional street sign (which, mind you, looked like something out of Wonderland with the various arrows pointing in different directions with different sayings such as "This way, idiot" or "Where are you looking, bastard?") wasn't helping his case.

In the end, Inoichi walked over to wade into the nearest lake to pick up the nearest book, floating face-up in the water.

"Well, time to start searching," He mumbled.

The next time I awoke, the first thing I smelled was soup.

And not just any soup. It smelled like something I hadn't had in a long time.

My stomach growled in anticipation.

My mind filled in the blank. Phở. Who's making Phở?

I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was a yellow light hanging overhead before being overtaken by bright red hair.

"-moko-chan? Tomoko-chan?" I knew that voice, but it took a couple minutes for me to fully orient myself due to the fuzziness in my head. Heck, even my vision didn't really clear up until the redhead was right in front of my face, and that's saying something.

What did Inoichi-san do to make me not recognize Kushina-nee for a few moments?

"K-Kushina-nee-chan?" Sheesh, it looked like even my voice took a turn for the worse, sounding like it hadn't been used in decades with the gravelly sound.

Once my mind finally got a grasp on things, the first thing that I noticed was bright violet orbs, staring at me in a mixture of relief and concern. "Tomoko-chan…" To my surprise, the woman didn't go to hug me immediately, instead opting to reach over and tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "Are you okay?"

"Kushina-nee…" I tried to get up, or just sit up to face her, only to get fussed over. "What happened -"

"Tomoko-chan, you shouldn't get up just yet!" I was surprised to see panic bloom in the familiar violet orbs as the Uzumaki pushed me back into the warm pillows and blankets. When did I get in a bed, and when did I get a pillow fort surrounding me? "You went through a lot, so get some more rest, ok?"

The words came out of my mouth, albeit slowly. "How long was I out?"

Kushina-nee looked apologetic. "Almost two and a half days, Tomoko-chan. I don't know what exactly happened, but when Inoichi went into your mind this time, there was so much information uncovered to where you sustained a lot of mental stress. A normal ninja adult would've been just fine, but I think everyone forgot your civilian position. Because of that, medics said you went into a self-induced unconsciousness for the sake of mentally recovering."

The dots connected in my head almost immediately, despite my slow thought process. "... Does Mama and Papa know?"

The Uzumaki smiled almost sadly as she reached over to smooth some of my bangs away from my face. "They know. Minato and I told them directly, and it was Hokage-sama's orders for you to stay with us until you woke up."

A part of me knew why, but I didn't want to believe it. In the end, I ended up asking. "... Because of the Nine-Tails?"

Kushina-nee just stared at me. It wasn't a judging stare if anything. She just looked at me, not even saying anything, before nodding slowly.

Even with the residual mental exhaustion, I could tell that the woman was holding back the biggest emotional reaction of her life. Whether it was the fact that I knew about her darkest secret, or the fact that it was me who had this info - the glassiness of those familiar violet orbs said everything.

How could I blame her?

This was a situation that was out of her control - out of my control. A civilian girl knowing about your Jinchuriki status - especially if said girl is someone you've known for a long time? I really wouldn't put it past Kushina-nee for feeling conflicted.

In the end, I just attempted to smile. I wasn't sure if it was sad or not from Kushina-nee's point of view, but I hoped it was at least reassuring. The last thing on my mind was adding more angst into the large emotional crisis going on right now. "I'm sorry about this, Kushina-nee."

"W-Why are you sorry?" It took everything I had to stay still and not jump up at the sound of her voice cracking. "It's not your fault, Tomoko-chan, dattebane. I-It's not…" Kushina-nee breathed in rather shakily, putting a hand over her chest before breathing out. "S-Sorry about that."

I just shook my head. "It's okay, Kushina-nee."

There was a long pause as the Uzumaki towering over me took a moment to compose herself. I just waited for her to speak again.

"S-So… you're not going to insult me or anything - dattebane?" The pure disbelief in her voice made my heart almost metaphorically break.

Kushina-nee was supposed to be this strong woman, taking shit from NO one.

She shouldn't be affected by this kind of stuff so much to the point of holding back what she really feels in front of me.

… Well, that's how society treats Jinchuriki here, Tomoko-chan.

Hisako. Where were you?

Cleaning house in here. But you and I both know that even in Konoha, Jinchuriki aren't really liked. So don't be surprised at Kushina acting like this. She DID just find out you know her deepest secret after all.

I didn't even think on what I was going to say. All that mattered was letting Kushina-nee - fiery, wonderful Kushina-nee - just know how wonderful she really was to me.

"Kushina-nee, you're not a monster, okay?" Even when I could feel needles in my hand from not moving for so long, I forced myself to reach out and touch the back of the Uzumaki's palm. She needed this at least - especially from me. "No matter what, you're still Kushina-nee to me. It doesn't matter if you have the Nine-Tails or some other weird thing in your belly - you're still the awesome, amazing Kushina-nee that enjoys my hugs. So I'm not going to insult you - because you're still you, and there's nothing to insult about you."

I'm sorry Kurama, but Kushina-nee doesn't know of you yet. I'll make sure to apologize to you another time.

I was half expectant and half surprised at seeing tears bud in her eyes. Kushina-nee reached up to wipe at them, shakily smiling at me. "R-Really, Tomoko-chan - ttebane?"

I just put on my best grin, squeezing her other hand as tight as I could. "Really, Kushina-nee. You're amazing, and don't think otherwise."

The Uzumaki just laughed shakily, squeezing my hand back as she wiped her eyes. They looked to be a bit red, but her smile still appeared happy on her face. "I-I'm very tempted to hug you now, Tomoko-chan, you know - dattebane?"

Even with the stiffness in my entire body from lying down, I just giggled with her. "I-I know, Kushina-nee."

GROWL~

There was a very long pause.

I just looked down at the blankets covering me, and the same noise sounded from my torso.

GROWL~

"..."

"..."

I was sure my face was a bloody tomato by now.

"Hu…" Kushina-nee let go of my hand to cover her mouth, but I could tell by her shaking shoulders that she was chuckling.

GROWL~

I held back all semblance of embarrassment to just speak. "K-Kushina-nee, could I eat something now?"

The Uzumaki woman just burst out laughing, nearly falling out of her chair.

After a very cheery lunch, I found myself getting whisked away to the Hokage's office. I didn't even get the chance to compose myself in front of the door, because Minato-san decided to use Hiraishin on me.

… Again.

I think after this, I'll have the right to blame the Jounin if I end up throwing up later. Which I would prefer not to, considering Kushina-nee's ramen (which strangely smelled like phở when I first woke up) was delicious.

… Anyways.

When the yellow finally faded away from my vision, the first thing I saw was the white robe and brown goatee. Adding in the serious poker face and leaderly aura, I already knew what was going to happen. Taking in a breath, I stepped out of the Jounin's shadow to bow my head in the man's direction. "Hello again, Hokage-sama."

The Third nodded, and I could hear the seriousness in his voice. "Hello Tomoko-chan. Do you know why you're here?"

I knew, and nodded my head in agreement, standing straight up in my best impersonation of a ninja. Honestly, a part of me was thinking I looked like a tree. "Is this, by chance, about the contents in my mind?"

"Yes, very perceptive." The Third shuffled around on his desk to pull out a packet, flipping through a few pages before looking back up at me. "Inoichi did look through your mind, and although there were some minor… issues, he was able to confirm that your memories are at least valuable in some way."

… issues? I was surprised to hear Hisako interject with the angriest tone I ever heard her speak in. The damn search knocked you out for almost three days, and it's a minor ISSUE?! Fuck that shit!

I blinked a few times to block out as much of Hisako's sudden ranting that resulted after that statement and instead focused on the Third. "... valuable, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, Tomoko-chan, valuable." The Third simply folded his hands under his chin, sighing. "Even though some of the memories seem to be of events that haven't happened yet, the simple fact is that you know the identity of the Nine Tails Jinchuriki. That alone is S-class ranked secret information." Hiruzen looked up, and I found a chill going down my spine at the sight of his eyes narrowed at me in a steady glare. "You must understand that any ninja would kill to know that alone. So it has come to my attention that you can't tell anyone about this. These memories or so-called 'future visions'," The dread almost left me at the sight of the Third making fake quotation marks with his hands. "Can't be talked about at all. Or there will be consequences. Do you understand?"

Judging by the light tone of venom in the last two sentences, I understood quite clearly. Keeping back the urge to cry, I just dully nodded.

Getting an indirect threat from the leader of my home was serious enough as is. And from what I remembered of Naruto-verse politics, my life was something I needed to be looking out for now.

To my surprise, the room immediately became warmer after my agreement, the Third leaning back into his chair to smile at me lightly. "Good girl. Is there anything else you want to know about?"

I closed my eyes to take a few deep breaths in and out to calm my roaring emotions, before facing the village leader with hesitance. "B-By chance, Hokage-sama, could I tell my parents? O-Or even Kakashi?"

It doesn't feel right hiding this from them anyway.

The Third blinked before sighing again. "Tomoko-chan, from the looks of it, I can tell you love your family and Kakashi dearly. But as I said before, you can't tell ANYONE about this. Right now, this is between me, Inoichi, Jiraiya, Minato, and Kushina. For security reasons, it will be better to not say anything now."

I did my best to hide my slumping shoulders as my head bobbed in another nod. A hand landed on my right shoulder, and I turned only to see Minato-san's solemn smile. "In this case though, you can at least talk to the five of us if something happens again, okay Tomoko-chan?"

… At least that's better than nothing. Hisako muttered, exasperation clear in her voice.

I guess she finally stopped ranting, and in the end, just went with it.

"O-Okay Minato-san." I said, doing my best to hide my disappointment.

The Third sighed again. "If that's all, then you're both dismissed."

I just bowed in the old man's direction before the Jounin grabbed me for another teleport. "T-Thank you Hokage-sama,"

The last thing I saw was the Third's sad gaze before another yellow flash filled my eyes.

The next thing I knew, I was back home, in wonderful Nagareboshi, and feeling a huge stomachache coming on.

Damn ninja physics!

"Tomoko!" Kakashi? My ears seemed to have the right idea since I quickly found my best friend running up to me, a concerned glint in his silver eyes. From the looks of it, he was just in the middle of a training session with Sakumo-san, considering his shinobi gear and sweat budding what visible patches of skin were on his face. "Are you okay? What happened?" Even with the judging tone, just the sound of my best friend's voice sent relief throughout my entire system. It just canceled out whatever fear I had and left me feeling exhausted. Doing my best to not fall over, I only had the energy to give a half-hearted wave and leaned against Kakashi's shoulder.

"Tomoko?" Any other time, I would've happily hugged my best friend, but hey. It's been a long few days, and I'm just numb like all damn hell.

In response to Kakashi's question, a tired sigh left me. The stomachache AND incoming headache weren't helping my case.

In the end, I just went the simple route.

"Think we could talk later? A nap sounds nice…"

The last thing I heard was a familiar protest. "Tomoko, I'm NOT a pillow! ... Tomoko, are you listening? Oi. OI! Don't fall asleep on me! OI!"

Author's Notes: … So this is a chapter almost 2 weeks in the making. Sorry to all my followers and readers who have been waiting - a lot of my current time has been spent dealing with college and managing my time accordingly, so Civilian Pianist is currently on the backburner.

Don't worry, I'll still be writing Tomoko's story for a LONG time - just don't mention in your reviews 'Update soon' because that just makes me NOT want to update. All I can guarantee is that I will do my best to continue delivering well-written chapters without sounding like shit came out of my head.

Anyways, thanks again for all those reviews and support in the waittime of this chapter. As of right now, Civilian Pianist has 353 reviews, 536 favorites, and 715 followers! Love you all lots!

This is Writer-and-Artist27 logging out to continue working hard at school! Hope you enjoy this chapter at least!