Having become so used to having Shisui follow me wherever I had gone, it was both nostalgic and irritating to have another shadow following me. "Kakashi-san. How many times have I told you that this is unnecessary?" Finally coming to a stop, I pouted slightly into the shadows where I knew Kakashi was hiding, forcing him to reveal himself to me as he bashfully rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah, sorry, but these are my orders. I'm to report all of your movements to Lord Fourth, though I suppose I'm not meant to tell you that." Rolling my eyes slightly, I merely continued on my way. Not only had Minato ordered I have a constant watcher, I had also been moved into the house directly next door to him and his family, meaning that Naruto, Kushina, Minato were now our neighbours. Sasuke could not have cared less, becoming reclusive and simply staring into space most of the time where he sat up in his bed.

I took care of his needs, feeding him, washing him, changing him and taking him to the bathroom in a set routine which became like clockwork. Not knowing exactly what to say, I took to telling him stories I had memorised from books, using fire jutsu to create the little characters though he continued to zone out, however slowly, ever so slowly, the light began to return to his eyes, and the more interesting my stories became, the more he would pay attention.

Speaking of attention, I should really focus. Kakashi was already waving his hand in front of my face. "Hey, are you empty in your head? There doesn't seem to be anything going on up there." Knocking on my skull like it were a door, I jerked back when I felt the hard knuckles of his hand make an unnecessarily hard motion against my head.

"Hey!" Clamping a hand over my mouth at my outburst I stared at Kakashi with wide eyes. Why…what was that for? I admit I had not had much contact with Kakashi when he was at this age, but still, I had not expected him to be so carefree with his actions and words. He does not even know me, and yet he is knocking my head. "That was uncalled for."

"Well, you weren't listening."

"You are not even meant to be speaking to me."

"True, but I got bored."

"You…got bored?" He was so lax and blithe I almost felt like smacking some sense into him. How frustrating! He could not even take his own mission seriously! Lord Fourth had specifically instructed Kakashi to shadow me, technically he was not meant to engage with me in any manner at all. Choosing not to enter any further into this conversation, I simply continued on forwards with my wicker basket secured on my back, carrying all of the supplies I had purchased for food. Kakashi trailed along behind me at a slight distance but no longer made any attempt to conceal himself.

In fact, he almost took his mission a little too seriously at times. It was as if there was no middle ground with him, for although he would constantly follow me around, he would make no effort to hide or at least blend in, meaning that most of the time we would be noticed by others. At first I found it irritating, however gradually I became accustomed to his presence and merely accepted it as part of my new normal life.

It's not as if I couldn't lose Kakashi if I really wanted to, but for the moment there was simply no need. Eventually Kakashi forewent walking behind me and simply walked by my side. His company was not unwelcome, that much I would say. He often simply read one of his novels in silence and such conversation usually was light and simple, which suited me perfectly. When he was not present, however, was when I was within the privacy of my own home and I was with Sasuke. He still had not fully roused himself from his state of shock, so I continued in my routine like clockwork. After feeding him by hand, I carried him to the bathroom so that he could take a relaxing bath, keeping his underwear on for the sake of his modesty. As I meticulously took care of him, I resumed the story I had been narrating the night before, this time managing to finish it just as I put him back into bed and tucked him in, leaving on a nightlight in case the darkness promoted fearful thoughts or nightmares.

"Sweet dreams, Sasuke." Leaning down I kissed him upon his brow, fussing him a little before then drawing away. When I felt a tug on my hair, I stopped and realised that Sasuke had grabbed hold of a fistful of it and was holding onto it so tightly it were as if it were his only lifeline.

"Please stay onee-chan." The quiet whisper of his voice was so timid and small I would not have heard it had I not been so close to him. Humming softly in agreement, I climbed into the bed beside Sasuke and gathered him to me, wrapping my arms completely around him so that he did not have to feel alone. Soon he was asleep, still gripping onto my hair like he had done when he was but a baby, and the sweet nostalgia of the moment was warming to my heart.

There would be many nights when Sasuke would ask for me to stay with him, when the nightmares he suffered became particularly fierce, and each time I would cuddle and console him. Once more I was responsible for Sasuke's wellbeing, and I was determined to make things different this time. I did not wish to see him become sullen and forlorn, so I tried each day to fill his life with wonderful things, experiences that he could cherish and I devoted each and every waking moment to him. It was the least I could do, considering I was responsible for all of his suffering as well as Itachi's, so I ensured I did not slip in my duties.

When he was asleep, however, and it was late in the night when nothing stirred, I slipped into my own Kamui and arrived at the place I had created for my clan, a second Uchiha compound. It were as if I were walking into a reality, for it was identical to the one in Konoha. Everyone had simply moved back into their original homes, so when I went to my parents' house, there they were waiting for me, with Fugaka and Mikoto behind them. "Yuki!" Unable to hide my smile, I rushed into their arms and held them close, breathing in their scents and never wanting to let go.

Many tears were shed on my father's behalf, but laughter was shared also, the three of us standing together in close company until finally we broke apart so that we might talk. "Yuki-chan, how is my Sasuke? And Itachi?" Mikoto questioned with a gaze of motherly concern, so I told her nothing but the truth.

"Sasuke will take time to recover, but he has me to take care of him. Itachi by now will be joining forces with the group which will eventually lead to the next great shinobi war, but he does so in order to both maintain the façade as a villain and also to keep an eye on them. Most private information we receive in later years will originate from Itachi concerning the Akatsuki." I explained to Mikoto and Fugaka, my eyes hardening with determination. "Do not fear, I shall protect them both and eventually take the fall on Itachi's behalf. You will all be together again."

"Miyuki! You cannot put yourself at risk, if you take the blame for everything that Itachi has done, as well as a great many other things I suspect you intend to do, then…" My mother trailed off, clasping a hand over her heart as she clenched her teeth. "You will become the one who is hunted." Knowing her concerns stemmed from her infinite love for me, I consoled her that this would only be a last resort if I could not clear Itachi's name with the evidence I have been gathering against Danzo. The mere name was enough to make both my father and Fugaka twitch, the two sharing a dark glower before my father embraced me again.

"Yuki my beautiful princess, come eat something with your papa and tell us all about your plans. The Clan are anxious that they have not seen you since that night." Apologising for my tardiness, I agreed to come inside and sat down with my family as well as Fugaka and Mikoto like it were times of old. We talked together both of things natural and serious, making plans and contingencies, whilst also discussing the affairs of the outside world. My mother explained to me that sometimes they were able to receive a sense of how I was feeling through the image reflected within the Kamui. For instance, if I was upset, it would begin to rain.

Such a phenomena was fascinating to me, so I asked for more examples and discussed in depth the nature of why this could be, predominantly with Fugaka, who was the only other person who had the Mangekyo Sharingan other than myself, Shisui and Itachi. I enjoyed my evening, and once all the dishes had been eaten and then washed, I took to the streets in order to walk around for a little while. Some of my clan members were still awake, and they immediately brightened when they saw me, calling out my name and bowing. "Chief Miyuki, we're so glad to see you again!"

"Miyuki-hime, how long are we to stay here?" They rattled my mind with endless questions until I lifted a hand in order to silence them, but offered a reassuring smile at the same time.

"Peace. You must learn to live here comfortably for the time being. Until I can lay the world to rest outside of here, I will not bring my clan into danger willingly. So long as you are here being protected by me, you have nothing to fear." My words comforted them and they even praised me for my diligence as a chief, to which I thanked them for their compliments. Satisfied that all was well, I took this chance to go to Shisui, wanting to see my friend.

He was exactly where I thought he would be, guarding the Nine Tails. When I arrived I merely sensed the overwhelming chakra of the Nine Tails behind the waterfall, slumbering in peace. It was far enough away from the village that no one would know that it was here, though I worried still that someone might stumble upon it by accident. "Miyuki-chan!" The sound of Shisui's voice came from behind me so I turned around, seeing him grinning at me. "You're here!"

"Hello Shisui. I have come."

"Is everything alright? How is Itachi? Everything seems to have gone according to plan, but I sensed you get hurt as everything around us grew a few shades paler and we could almost feel your pain. What happened?" Having jumped down from his watchful perch he had come to stand before me and took my arms with his hands, looking me over carefully. It had only been a few weeks since the attack, so I was still recovering from various wounds but I did not tell him so, for I did not wish to worry him.

"They were only superficial. I had to make my clash with Itachi believable in order to fool everyone else. Itachi is…well he is coping, for the moment. I shall not be able to go to him for some time, but within the year I shall have to interfere with one of his actions." The two of us jumped off the water's surface and landed upon a dry patch of grass whereby we sat down together.

"What action?"

"Itachi will contract a terminal illness within the year, and I know the exact time and place that he does so. Therefore, I will stop him from becoming sick, then he will not die later." Shisui was clearly anxious for Itachi as was I, but I was confident that this time, I could fix everything.

"Well then, I'm glad he has you to look after him, and I'm glad you weren't too badly hurt." Smiling at me, I took a moment to study Shisui. He looked as if he had not slept much recently and I noticed that his hands were scratched and bruised from rigorous training. A general aura of tenseness and angst surrounded him though his smile was rather convincingly relaxed.

"Shisui. You are worried for us."

"I guess, just a little perhaps." He admitted, chuckling softly before laying back upon the grass to watch the clouds above. "I'm not used to simply doing nothing. I am a ninja after all, my life was meant for working for the benefit of the village, but from within here all I can do to help you Miyuki-chan is guard over the Nine Tails." Understanding his feelings, I reached out and touched his arm lightly.

"My apologies, although I sought to save you all, you have become little more than prisoners. I wish there were some other way." Shisui immediately waved off my apology, telling me that I had nothing to be sorry for and that the clan owed me all of their lives. "I do not wish for there to be debt. Since I have trapped you all, it is I who will bear the responsibility when the time comes." Many things will have to be done in preparation for the end, but I had everything planned down to the final second. My theories and contingencies were flawless, so I did not anticipate failure.

"Miyuki-chan, it's not fair that you bear all of this on your own. You can depend on others too, you know."

"I know. But in the end, this story must have a villain, and I refuse to allow that role be cast upon Itachi." Smiling to myself, I felt my heart flutter a little as I recalled our past together, all those years and decades spent living peacefully together within the Tsykuyomi and how deep my feelings for him had developed. "Itachi means…everything to me, and as his betrothed, it is my duty to protect him."

"You do realise that Itachi will also do his best to keep you from being harmed, right?"

"Hm."

"And that when Sasuke finds out that you have deceived him for so many years, he will probably distrust you and possibly even despise you after?"

"Hm."

"And you're willing to take on everyone's hate and rage just to ensure peace?"

"Hm."

"Miyuki-chan." Sighing softly, Shisui sat up and curled a hand around my head in order to draw me to his shoulder, patting my hair affectionately as I remained a little stiff and awkward, unsure of how to respond to such a gesture. "You are perhaps the most admirable person I have ever met. A true ninja." Not entirely, I was simply doing all that I could to preserve my clan and ensure peace for the future generations. "Some time in isolation will do our clan good. If they can learn to admire the peaceful life they will have here, perhaps then the Curse of Hatred will finally be broken of its cycle."

"One can only hope." Exhaling softly, I enjoyed the remainder of my time with Shisui with quiet, listening to the rush of the falls and contemplating a great many things inside my head. So much to do and so little time. Though, I was grateful for these moments. The little pockets of gold which were untainted by pressure and danger. Little moments when I could simply enjoy being with the people that I loved and turn to them for solace and comfort. It was my belief that the little moments were what made fighting for the future so worthwhile, so I treasured each and every one as a valued incentive to keep on going when all else had failed me.