It was supposed to be a warm night, that had been the first thing to set her senses off. When she had stealthily slipped out of the safe embrace of Shisui's arms and the warmth of his bed, she had made her way as quickly as possible to the gates looming before the village, ones she'd only ever been through once, the night Jiraiya had brought her. Kasumi had found a rooftop to sit on easily enough, one that left her hidden from anyone below but let her see who came in and out through Konoha's gates. She'd never been one to believe in hunches, but something about the way her bones buzzed with anticipation helped her decision to run off to her current destination.

The scent of Shisui enveloped her almost in the same manner as her chakra did, the comforting smell of coconut oil and a hint of smoke that seemed almost prevalent in the Uchiha compound did nothing to ease the growing guilt she'd begun to feel. She should have woken him up, let him know she was leaving, or at least left a note, but she'd been too distracted by the slightly painful way her bones shifted under her skin.

As Kasumi sat, head propped on her knees with her arms around her legs, she thought of her life in the village. She loved Konoha, it had taken her in thanks to Jiraiya and the old man, and although many kept their distance from her, it was still home. But as much as she loved her home, she couldn't deny it had started to feel more like a cage. She longed to be out on the field, to make use of her kekkei genkai and make sure her friends and loved ones were safe. To protect the village she loved. To prove to everyone just how ready she had been to be an active shinobi. In a split second, her senses alerted her to an incoming presence, and she quickly shoved all thoughts aside and focused on her new companion.

It didn't take her long to put a face to the essence, she'd never been able to forget just how frightened she'd been the night she first met Orochimaru, and while the Sannin no longer had the same effect he did before, he still managed to make her skin crawl. She waited on him to initiate conversation, since he'd been the one to seek her out after so long, and when he took a relaxed seat next to her, she ignored the action, mimicking the same composed aura.

"Oh, don't be so stiff. I have something for you." She kept her eyes forward, locked on the open village gates, not bothering to turn to him even as she heard the rustling sound of his hand fishing for something in his hip pouch. Her eyes finally broke away from the gate when he dangled a delicate silver necklace with an intricately engraved petal design covering it. "Take it. Open it."

Kasumi hesitated for a second, but curiosity got the best of her and she took the jewelry from his cold pale hands. It seemed like a regular necklace, nothing seemed the least bit off about the beautiful piece until she twisted the small cylinder pendant and it clicked open. "What is this?"

Inside the pendant was a white powdery substance that reminded her of confectioner's sugar, but the smell was nothing like the sweet scent of the baking ingredient. That substance smelled like an odd mix of dry flowers and herbs with a hint of gasoline, and the latter made her feel uneasy. "I know about your…episodes."

She finally turned to him, and when she saw his eyes focused on the same gate she had been previously staring at, she felt herself relax a bit. She had expected him to mock her, to have a half grin stuck on his snake-like features and for him to poke her about how she'd never be a shinobi, but he looked composed, almost thoughtful, and when she said nothing, he continued. "We're more alike than you'd believe. That," Orochimaru pointed at the pendant still in her grasp. "That is a concoction I mixed up, a medicine, if you will. It helps. There's a small snuff spoon on the screw off top. You fill it up and inhale and you'll come down from your attacks."

"Why should I trust you or this medicine?" He remained silent for a minute that seemed to last a bit longer than that, but when he finally spoke, she was caught off guard by his words.

"Because I'm the only one who will try to help you and succeed rather than deeming you a mental case, something Konoha has a history of doing." Her blood ran cold after his statement, and something about his generous deed felt instantly wrong.

"You don't seem like the type of person to do things for free." A sinister smirk spread across his face, and before she could throw the pendant at him and refuse it, his hand was wrapped around her smaller one instantly, tight enough that she could feel the way the chain and pendant would leave an imprint in her hand.

"I'm not. One day when I see that you're sick of being disappointed by the will of fire, I'll look for you, and you'll answer my call. That is how you'll pay me back." Before she could reply, he was gone.

Kasumi stared at the necklace still dangling in her hands, before quickly slipping it over her head and under her kimono top. The silver was cool against her skin, but she ignored the feeling, too busy with thoughts of the substance hidden inside the pendant. Would it really work? Was it even safe? Before she could question it any longer, she felt a familiar chakra approach, and she quickly calmed herself before it reached her.

"You could've told me you were leaving; I was worried." Shisui's serious expression made her stomach feel heavy, but before she could even reply, his head snapped sharply towards the village gates, and when the incoming chakra signatures finally hit her senses, she joined his line of vision.

"I think it's best if you go home for now." That was the confirmation she needed, a silent agreement that she hadn't been wrong, something was off. Kasumi ignored his request, instead taking off towards the tall gates, but he was faster, and before she could even try to slip away, she was pinned to a building out of sight to anyone coming in or leaving the village. "Kasumi, please."

"Just let me see! One glance Shisui, and I swear I'll go home and wait for you to fetch me!" She could feel herself becoming more and more agitated, but Shisui's grip on her wrists didn't budge, and she knew the only way he'd let go at that point would be to go on the attack. "I'm sorry."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her bones erupted in an almost eloquent manner, sharp and smooth like thorns on a rose. Shisui moved just in time to block, and she used the way he let his guard down as an advantage, running towards the gates as fast as she could before he could try and capture her again.

Just barely walking through was a group that no longer seemed like a team. Minato looked composed, but his piercing blue eyes gave him away in a manner that made her heart clench tightly in her chest. Rin had a haunted look to her, as if she'd seen things she'd never be able to forget, and Kasumi could already feel the tears forming in her jade eyes. Kakashi looked worn down, and his left eye was closed, a scar running down from above his eyebrow to below his cheekbone. When he looked up towards where she had thought she'd been hidden by the shadows, her heart stopped.

Mismatched eyes, one onyx, the other a glowing harrowing red met her jade ones, and she felt the blood drain from her face. Obito was no where in sight, he was the missing person. Kakashi quickly looked away, as if he'd seen an apparition rather than her, but before she could even try to approach him, Shisui's hand gripped her wrist tightly. "Now's not a good time, go home."

Kasumi turned to him to protest, but the somber look on his face made the words she was about to speak disappear. Obito was his older cousin, almost a brother. Another name had been added to the list of loved ones Shisui had lost, and nothing she'd ever gone trough could compare. She knew her mother was dead, but she hadn't been able to form a bond with the woman to properly mourn her, and Jiraiya was gone, but still alive.

In an instant she nodded her head, quickly wrapping her arms around the Uchiha. Shisui stood frozen for a second, and her heart cried out for her to do something better to comfort him, but the feeling dispersed the second he reciprocated the action. "I'm heading back to the compound; I'll see you later."

He flickered away almost immediately, but not before she could see the gleam of fresh tears in his eyes. Shisui was hurting, Kakashi was hurting, Rin was hurting, and Obito was gone. Four people had walked out of that gate and only three had returned, and she couldn't help but think of how different things might have been if she'd been able to back them up, if she'd been there to prevent anything from going wrong. Kasumi took one last glance towards where she'd met Kakashi's eyes, but he was long gone.

With shaky feet she took one step forward towards the direction of her house, and then another, and when she was finally convinced she could run home without collapsing, she took off. She ran faster than she could remember ever running, the usual morning sounds faint in her ears as the beating of her heart drowned them out. She could see the blurry outlines of people getting ready for their day, some heading towards the training grounds, some to the academy and others simply opening up shops, and she longed to be a part of something other than the loneliness of her forest home and the pain in her heart.

She slowed down when she saw the outline of Kakashi's home, and when she noticed the lights on, her heart caught in her throat. She wanted to see him, wanted to check on him, but Shisui's words lingered in her mind. Would it really be too soon to approach him? He'd seen her there; he'd looked right through her. The thought made her quicken her pace, but something caught her by the ankle just as she was passing the road in front of his home, and in a moment of cloudiness, all instinct drained out of her and she fell to her hands and knees.

She tried suppressing her chakra immediately and stood up to make a quick exit, but he'd noticed her outside, quickly sliding open the front door to reveal him dressed in all black, customary funeral attire. She should've known they'd move so fast, she thought to herself, and the image of everyone dressed in black to commemorate the spirited boy seemed wrong. Obito being gone seemed wrong. "Kakashi, I'm sorry-"

"You should go get ready. The funeral begins in about an hour." His voice was casual, which caught her by surprise, but she could still see through him from his only visible eye, the Sharingan covered up by the tilted forehead protector he wore.

It was all happening way too fast for her, she'd stayed up waiting for her friends to get back since midnight, and the sun had risen only an hour ago, although it was now hidden beneath dark and heavy clouds, almost as if the sky was mourning the loss of the bright ray of light that Obito was.

"I don't have anything to wear." It was the first thing that came out of her mouth, but it was also true. She'd never been to a funeral, and she didn't own anything black. Kakashi nodded his head before leading her into his home, his shaky hand enclosing over her wrist. "Please, talk to me."

He kept quiet as he walked to his room, and she followed, hoping he'd open up, but instead, he pulled out a pair of black clothes from a deep corner of his closet. "Try these."

She hesitated for a second, torn between asking him to talk to her again and listening to his request, but the way he looked at her made her take the garments out of his hands before slipping into the restroom attached to his room. The dark clothes fit a bit big, but not uncomfortably so, and the color contrasted against her pale skin and white hair the same way she had stood out in the Uchiha compound, which only served to remind her of the panic attack she'd suffered there.

A part of her was convinced the odd koi missing had been a premonition, the reason she'd had such an intense panic attack. She tried to shove the memory to the back of her mind, but it was only replaced by Obito's smiling face, the same smile he'd had when she'd baked him a cake, and the realization that she'd never see it again made her skin itch in a way she knew wasn't normal. A knot formed in her throat, and a quiet knock brought her out of her thoughts for a split second. "Did they fit?"

"Yes, give me a second, I'm going to wash my face." Her voice was meek, and if Kakashi had noticed, he didn't mention it. Kasumi quickly turned on the cold water on the sink and splashed her face, but the icy water did nothing to relieve the pinprick sensations she felt on her skin. Her heart began to ache, and her breaths became shallower, and when she placed a shaky hand over her chest, she felt the thin material of the necklace she'd been gifted by the snakelike man.

With a quick tug, the necklace came out from under her shirt, and her growing agitation clouded out any sane thought. She unscrewed the pendant and followed the instructions the Sannin had provided her with, and when she had the snuff spoon under her nostril, she closed off the other one and inhaled.

The substance was disgusting. It coated the back of her throat, and she could feel the way it dripped down close enough to her tongue for her taste buds to touch. An almost numbing sensation was present in her throat, and when she thought the Sannin had failed at creating a medicine to help combat her mental health problems, it hit her. Kasumi took a glance at herself in the mirror, and while she looked the same on the outside, she felt amazing. It was as if all the bad emotions that had plagued her mind not so long ago had disappeared and were replaced by an absolute feeling of euphoria. She brushed her curly hair out of her face and tied the long strands back into a neat braid before exciting the restroom.

"Let's go."

…

The funeral had been dark and somber. She'd stayed perched on a tree branch nearby after deciding it would be better to let the remainder of Team Minato pay their respects together and seeing the serious expression on Shisui's face as he stood tall and proud with the Uchiha. Standing on her own would've been something that bothered her, but thanks to Orochimaru's concoction, she felt the closest to okay that she'd felt in a while. When Kakashi and Rin remained the last person at the memorial, she chose to keep her distance.

The two seemed to converse seriously in hushed tones that she couldn't make out, and she was grateful for it. Something about the way they stood close to each other was discomforting, and she could only imagine the words being exchanged, but when Rin cradled Kakashi's head in her hands and pressed her lips against his, the need for imagination was no longer necessary.

The effects of the powder seemed to instantly melt away, and without caring if they saw her or not, she hopped off the branch she'd been perched on and ran from the memorial, tears blurring her vision before sliding down her cheeks. With a quick tug, she freed her hair from the confined braid it was in, and it quickly fluttered loose in its usual curly manner, framing her face with a few strands sticking to her tear stained cheeks, and when she reached the still lively village market area, she slowed down her pace.

Shisui made his way through the middle for the busy crowd in a sophisticated manner, like a sleek black cat walking a tight rope. He hadn't noticed her presence, and when he walked into the bakery where she used to frequent with Obito and Kakashi, she followed. The door chimed its usual melodic tune the moment she stepped inside, and still, Shisui ignored it, almost as if he'd been caught in his own genjutsu. Only when she placed her hand on his outstretched hand did he finally acknowledge her.

"I thought melonpan was some sort of Uchiha favorite, but it's not." Shisui chuckled softly, but the sound didn't reach his melancholy eyes, and the sight of him made her chest burn at how much he resembled Obito. "It's just sweets in general."

"This feels wrong." Shisui paid for his sweet bread before turning to her with a confused expression, but the wheels were turning in her mind, and nothing was making sense. Obito had left the village full of life, hopes, and dreams. The only thing that had returned was one of his newly awakened Sharingan implanted in his best friend. "I refuse to believe he's gone."

Shisui gave her a once over before shaking his head and beckoning her to follow him. Without a word she complied, and they silently made their way out of the market and into the quiet road leading to her home. The closer they got to passing up Kakashi's house, an uncomfortable feeling grew in her stomach, and when they finally reached it and Shisui tugged at her arm to stop her, she froze. "What are we doing here?"

"I need you to hear what happened. I don't want you holding on to any hopes about what happened to Obito." Shisui's tone was cold, and when she tried to slip out of his grasp, he tightened his hold on her wrist and knocked. Kakashi slid the door open, a confused look on his face at seeing both her and Shisui at his door, but when he took notice of the steel-like grip of Shisui's hand on her wrist, his eyes hardened.

"Let her go." Rin's concerned face peeked out from behind Kakashi, eyes rimmed red as if she'd been crying, and Kasumi felt instantly guilty for feeling bothered about what she'd seen earlier. Shisui dropped his hand from her wrist, and Rin instantly brought her inside. She followed the brown-haired girl in a mechanical manner, only bothering to look up when Kakashi slid out to join Shisui outside of his home.

"Is everything okay?" They sat at the kitchen table, and Rin instantly took the wrist Shisui had been holding in her soft hands, green chakra glowing and encasing it in its warmth. "That way, it won't bruise up tomorrow. He was holding on pretty tight."

"It was my fault, I-" Before she could finish her sentence, the slamming of the door startled them. At the sight of Shisui, Rin stood up abruptly, making her way towards him in a threatening manner, and when she lifted him up by the collar of her shirt, Kakashi intervened.

"Obito is dead. We saw it! He gave his life for Rin and me, we saw as the boulder crushed him! Don't disrespect his memory and us by insinuating that we're liars!" Kakashi bore a cold and calculating look on his features that made her blood run colder than his words had. She hadn't meant what she had said in the manner that Shisui and Kakashi had taken it, and when she realized Rin probably felt the same way, a knot formed in her throat, leaving her speechless.

"You guys are assholes." Without another word, Rin grabbed her by the hand and led her out of the house and away from the two angry boys. "Let's go to my house, I don't feel like being alone. What do you say?"

"Okay."

…

So, I had mostly written this chapter almost a month ago and barely got around to finish it because I started feeling somewhat off. I'm just now feeling better which is why I decided to finish it, and even then, I'm not so happy with the ending, it feels rushed. Buuuuut as you guys probably already noticed, I'm following the original story line pretty closely, and the next event is Rin's abduction and death. So far, both Shisui and Kakashi are grieving and kind of taking it out on Kasumi for holding on to hope that Obito is alive. Rin is the only one on her side right now so they're going to bond! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! And stay safe among this pandemic!