After knowing what had actually happened with Rin, Kishi could no longer keep her emotions in check. A terrible sense of loss and grieve was crawling inside her. For entire two days she had kept those feelings out of her mind. The image of her brutally killed friend had angered her more. Only thing she kept thinking for those two days was to hurt and destroy. Sorrow had threatened to take over a few times, but she pushed it back. She was not going to grieve without knowing.

It was different story, however, after talking to Kakashi.

For weeks, Kishi didn't leave her house, except for the guarding duty at Hokage tower. Other guards at the tower were all unknown, she had seen few of them before but didn't bother to chat. Ibiki and Tokuma seemed to have made it a rule to check on her often. They often visited her or suggested a spar of which few she accepted, others she refused. She felt grateful for them but the emptiness still lingered in her. But she was doing fine. She knew this feeling, whatever it was, will pass. Just as it had after Sakumo san. But she will miss Rin so much, just like Sakumo san... probably more... if that was possible.

Today, she was off-duty and so was Tokuma. He had brought some breakfast for them along with him. He noted that Kishi was rather more distracted and restless, but didn't say anything.

"What do you know about sharingan?" Kishi asked him as they were sharpening their tools.

"Not much...just the textbook stuff... Why?"

"No reason..." she replied.

"Although, I heard once that some Sharingan users have a special ability unique to themselves... I am not sure about it... but still" Tokuma urged on, as she seemed open to talk.

"What special abilities?"

"I am not sure myself... but not every Uchiha's sharingan evolve under same conditions. That's the difference between Hyuga and an Uchiha. Even if the techniques of individual Hyuga are different, the process is pretty much same for branch families. In case of Sharingan, the basic techniques are same for everyone, but few abilities are special for that user only. But... Why are you asking?"

Tokuma's question was completely ignored as Kishi walked to the backyard fence. Moments later Tokuma saw Ibiki jumping the fence and sighed. Perhaps his question had to wait till his teammates' bickering was over.

Kishi waited for Ibiki to say something, but he seemed interested in observing the tools and things that were lying around. He narrowed his eyes at the bag that Tokuma had brought their breakfast in as if doubting something, then simply shrugged when Tokuma sent him an odd look.

"I didn't know you were free today..."Kishi stated. She had smelled him 5 minutes before he arrived and assumed he was simply visiting her. But his lack of response was unusual. Ibiki may be cocky but he was open with his team and would surely not miss opportunity, like this one, to make a comment on her lazy or slacken skills.

Ibiki sat down with Tokuma and stared hard at her pets. Momo was uneasy, she noticed and sat down herself and he was quick to jump in her lap.

"Kishi... What were you doing last night or I could say today around 3 in the morning?" Ibiki finally broke his silence. "Don't fret finding any excuse or lying. I saw you..." He continued as Kishi obviously was going to deny you.

"Where did you see her?" Tokuma interrupted. He knew her duty was over at evening.

"The market." The two pairs of eyes were fixed on Kishi now.

"I... I had...something to do..." she answered.

"Look Kishi... if you want anything... I.. we..." Ibiki started but stopped as Tokuma lightly chukled.

"Market you say...You were at Kakashi's weren't you??...hmmm…. So that answers the Sharingan curiosity..."

Ibiki was speechless for few moments. He had seen her on roof of bookstore which was nearest to Hatake residence and didn't figure it out himself. He was convinced Kishi was up to something and the only thing that came to his mind was Kishi was hiding something from them, which was more than her regular stuff over privacy. He was about to mentally slap himself when he heard Kishi.

"Don't go around telling him that... " she said. And the mental slap was delivered in Ibiki's mind.

"Only if you tell us why."

Kishi had no other choice. If she refused, they would surely sell her out. Kishi sighed in defeat.

"The other day, I was at Hokage tower and Guy came with a request to join Anbu and Yondaime refused him. He met me on his way out, asking me how can he improve his skills to join Anbu. I tried to tell him he wasn't suitable for Anbu but he went on to ask Danzo about joining the Root."

Kishi stopped to take in Ibiki and Tokuma's reactions. They simply nodded urging her to go on.

"I asked him why was he so fixed on joining Anbu and...he told me about this mission..."

"Oh get to the point ALREADY!" Tokuma begged.

Kishi sighed again, completely accepting her defeat." Guy was worried about Kakashi. he said Kakashi is not ok... He said it is worse because he has never seen Kakashi so... down"

"So you went to check on him last night and what did you see?" Ibiki said.

"That he is really not well" Kishi said. The image of Kakahi washing his hands repeatedly while crying flashed her mind and she winced. "He is suffering... terribly..."

At some level, Tokuma understood that. He himself would not survive the pain if Kishi or Ibiki were to die because of him. Ibiki was thinking along the same lines but both of them stayed quiet.

The doorbell broke the silence, and an urgent summon to Hokage building ended their chat.

The revelation of her gusty night had Kishi in a sour mood and visit to Yondaime made matters worse. Her next mission was an espionage mission. She was to leave as soon as possible, for more than six months with one of the legendary sanin. Jiraya sama had requested an Inuzuka with more than one dog precisely. Apparently Kishi was best fit.

Normally, she would not have fussed so much, but a weird sense of dread had burdened her after she heard about the mission. As if warning her that something terrible was going to happen. Maybe, it was because of Kakashi's condition, but she couldn't just reason it. She had always hated this instinct game.

She decided to visit Sakumo san, maybe that would calm her...

Kakashi gloomily slid his new book "How should a Shinobi die" in his weapon pouch. He might have to get rid of it because Minato sensei had caught him reading it. His sensei had requested him to report for a special mission regarding Kushina san.

He took the longest route possible, passing the river and bridge when he spotted Kishi walking towards cemetery. She looked troubled... and sad, because of him for sure. Rin had told him once or twice about how fun it was to hang out with Kishi and he just took all that...

'Death was her choice' Kishi's words flashed in his mind. And he walked forward until she noticed him.

Her face did not show any emotions, atleast she thought so. She was unsure but she did not have much time to ponder on when she saw Kakashi. She had to talk to him.

"I...um...I am going away for few months on a mission. Felt like meeting him... Can you... come with me?" Kishi asked, mentally preparing to be ignored. But Kakashi started walking towards the entrance of the cemetery.

They sat quietly infront of Sakumo Hatake's grave. Her distressed expressions were too much to go unnoticed.

"How long is the mission?" Kakashi asked, almost inaudibly.

"More than seven months, can't say for sure." Kishi answered.

After a few moments she continued, quietly "Its Jiraya sama... I am to go with him and all three hounds...It's...just..." She touched the name on the grave and kept her hand there for some time.

Kakashi noticed her frowning. "Just what...?"

"Huh?"

"Worried about mission?"

"No... it...it feels like...this might be our last meet..."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi was confused…. and worried?... He couldn't put it himself. Last meet?

Kishi was quiet. And Kakashi was now worried for sure.

"Are you to act as a bait or hostage?"

"Ohh.. no...No. That come out wrong. Its just a weird feeling I keep getting about this mission... That's all..."

But Kakashi felt like there's more to it. He felt cold fingers on his right hand and looked down. Kishi held his hand in both of her's. Images started to fill his mind, of blood, of Rin, the hole in Rin's chest. He tried hardest to clear his mind but his hand had started to tremble.

Kishi held his hand tightly, reassuringly, as if she knew what was he going through. But what surprised him the most was when she raised his hand to her cheek and held it there then snuggled ever so lightly into his palm and smiled a small content smile. The same way she used to when his father would pick her up or pinch her cheeks when they were kids. But this hand was not as safe as his father's. He was not kind as his father and could hurt her or worse kill her. For a second he froze at that thought and completely missed what Kishi was saying. Then she let go his hand.

Kakashi was few moments late, to realize that his hand was free and when he did realize it he let it linger on her face. He had already lost his closest friends. The only people in his life, right now were his sensei, annoying Guy and Kishi. Their absence would only make his life empty, not that he had much going on currently, but they were his comrades and he valued his comrades more than anything else. He cupped her face gently with his right hand, over her clan marking, before letting it go…