A/N: The last update in 2016. I wish you all a happy new year! Thank you all so much for staying with me for 2016, these past four months since I've started updating this story has been very interesting, and now, I shall carry on to 2017.

Beta'd by the joyous Alice J.

Chapter 24 - Revenant

Drip. Drip. Drip.

I couldn't feel anything. Actually, that was an incorrect observation, I could feel my body, I could feel my limbs, I could even feel my muscles contracting and relaxing. No, what I meant was, I couldn't feel anything outside of my body. There was no wind brushing against my skin, there was no dust grazing against my hands. I couldn't even feel any part of my body touching the ground. It was almost like there was absolutely nothing in the atmosphere, no air, no oxygen. So that begged the question, how was I still alive.

It took an awfully long moment before I had the answer. I was simply not.

I was dead.

I opened my eyes and almost cringed at the sight before me. Everything was so fuzzy and shifty. Maybe I was too used to the world through the sharingans, but the scenery around me was simply not solid.

I had to squint my eyes for a while before I finally came to the realisation that it was not my eyesight that was fuzzy, but really the world around me was not even solid. I vaguely saw the shapes of trees far away, the greens blended lightly with the blue sky and the brown trunks; the rocks still looked jagged, but I wasn't even sure if that was the shape, it looked like it was constantly shifting. I looked down at the brownish-grey dirt under my feet, I couldn't feel it at all, but it looked like the dirt particles were flowing, a kind of fluid instead of solid earth. Everything was moving at such a minuscule level that I felt like I was in an impressionist painting, the environment surreal but recognisable at the same time.

A sense of familiarity struck me as I recognised the way the lines of trees curved over a clearing, but it was still thick enough to obscure people's view. This was the training ground, the one where Itachi, Shisui and I frequented when we still children.

I was so confused. I had died once, not that it was something I should be proud of, but I clearly remembered the flow of misery and emotions that had drowned me until I couldn't take it anymore. But this, this was so tranquil and peaceful.

So am I dead, or am I not dead? Am I in hell? Nirvana? Railway station?

"Yo."

I froze completely at the sudden voice in front of me. Slowly, I raised my head forward, reaching past the shifting trees and skylines, directly at the figure sitting on the ever changing rock. Unlike everything else, he seemed solid, but that wasn't the point right now, because if I had a heartbeat right now, it would have stopped and then started to pound more furiously than ever.

"Shi...sui…" I whispered with such disbelief and uncertainty that it sounded more like a delirious mumble than a statement.

"Who else could it be?" The boy said with a familiar grin. The spiky raven black hair, the signature tear trough under his eyes, and that familiar Uchiha high-collar shirt. I stared at him rudely, unsure of what to answer.

There was a light chuckle and I saw the fleeting image of Shisui's charismatic smile dancing on the boy's face. This has to be a joke, maybe a genjutsu. Someone is messing with my mind. I wanted to move closer, to inspect the image before me. I had the instinctual urge of drawing my blades, but when my hands arrived at my back, I realised, I didn't have my swords.

In fact, now that I was conscious, I realised that I was wearing the standard Anbu uniform, minus the swords and the weapon pouch, and my Rabbit mask was hanging by my belt. I clearly remembered that when I died, I was wearing the Konoha Chunin jacket, without my mask. But despite the strange fact, I desperately wanted to bring the mask up to cover my face - to cover everything.

Before I could step towards the suspicious "Shisui" figure in front of me, he appeared in front of me at lightning speed. Suddenly, my brain flashed the title that was given to my friend, 'Shisui of the Body Flicker'. Somehow, this scene was familiar. Nostalgic.

"Still looking as pretty as ever, Hime," Shisui-but-maybe-not whispered in a playful voice, his body towering over me, his eyes looked down at me with a teasing glint. I didn't know how to respond, in fact, I was pretty sure there were some gasps and strangled choking sounds escaping my mouth. Never mind, this was not tranquil and peaceful.

"I…you…what?" I managed to utter some incoherent words, but I thought that it expressed my confusion and disbelief pretty well. 'Shisui' gave me another chuckle before crossing his arms in front of his chest and shook his head lightly.

"Calm down. First, what is my name?" He asked lightly.

"Shisui?" I answered with a small voice. This had to be some trap, there was no way he could have been here, looking exactly like the way he was two years ago, not a single day older than sixteen.

"The one and only." He seemed very amused at my confusion.

"But how? You are dead, right?" I couldn't keep that tiny spark of hope away from my shaky voice. He didn't answer me, instead, he gave me a sad look. The sorrow seemed to be bleeding out of his dark onyx eyes. Suddenly, I remembered. I died, so if he was here, then he must have died as well. Just like that, the spark of hope diminished.

"So I guess that I am dead as well. Any direction to the afterlife, or am I stuck in hell?" I tried to keep the tone light as a joke, but I guess there was a reason why I wasn't known for my humour. I could feel the sarcasm and rage oozing out of my voice as Shisui stared at me with a frown, so unlike his usual optimistic expressions.

"If it makes you feel any better, I am just as clueless as you are." I looked at Shisui's crackling smile, unimpressed. No, it didn't make me feel any better.

"Okay, to be fair, I don't think you are dead, yet. Look at your leg." Shisui pointed at my feet and I followed the direction of his finger. Indeed, there was a thin red line wrapped around my right ankle. My gaze followed the red thread, watching it disappear into the impressionistic world. When I turned my attention back to Shisui, I realised there was nothing connected to his body. He looked lost, nothing was anchoring him down in this ever-shifting world. For a second, he looked so alone.

"See, you are different from me, and I know I am dead, hell, I even made sure of it…" His voice faltered when I raised my eyes and glared at him accusingly. I didn't know what he saw in my eyes that made him freeze, betrayal? Sadness? Anger?

Drip, drip, drip. The landscape was silent, except for the sound of water dripping from Kami knows where. I closed my eyes lightly and slowly took a breath.

"You know, Shisui, you are such a liar." I muttered slowly as I opened my eyes again, "All the way from the beginning." He looked like he wanted to say something, but I held up my finger and placed it on his lips and stopped him.

"I know that it was on your parents' and the elders' orders that you approached Itachi and me, what did they say? Befriend us? Bewitch us? Control us?" I said, letting out the thoughts I had been hiding ever since his death, "But it's fine, I trust you. I know you really cared for Itachi, I knew, after a while, that you were not just pretending to be close to him, and I am so grateful for that…"

"Maiko, I…"

"No, just don't say anything. I don't have the right to judge you. At least you turned some lies into truth, and I was lying all along. Just spinning and spinning and spinning… now, see where it led me." I managed to squeeze in a smile as I retracted my hands. Is it finally time? Do I finally have the courage to spill out all my secrets? It's fine, isn't it? No matter how I look at it, there's no way I can be alive anymore.

"I don't exist, really, I was someone else before I was Uchiha Maiko, someone so insignificant that I didn't even have a name. I don't even belong here. I died, so I came into Uchiha Maiko's body and lived her life for her, apparently made all the wrong choices in the process. And look at her now, dead, ruined, I ran her life into the ground and watched it burn." I sounded hysterical, and I didn't even dare to look at Shisui's eyes. What will he think of me? That I am crazy? Well, I won't deny it. He will probably hate me, Uchiha Maiko is his family, and I am not…

"You probably hate me so much right now, and I don't blame you." I was totally rambling in shame. I lied so much, to everyone. Shisui cared about Uchiha Maiko, and he must hate me so much for taking over her body.

"So, tell me if I'm getting this right, but who exactly is it that I meant when I was nine? You, or Uchiha Maiko?" I raised my head ever so slightly to see the confused look he gave me.

"Um, me? Like I said, I was in her body since she was born, I think?"

"Okay? Then, I don't see any problem. You are the one I know, does it really matter what you are called?" Just to make sure I was hearing him right, I raised my head higher and saw the brilliant smile he gave me.

"I don't think you are getting this right…"

"Oh trust me, I think I'm getting this, maybe a bit confused. I think it's you who are not getting it. But if it makes you feel better, hi, I'm Ghostly Shisui, or Shisui if you think that's too long. Nice to meet you. Since you said that you don't have a name, can I just call you Hime?" I stared at his outstretched hand for a very long period of time, before I realised that he was just teasing me.

"Ah, you really are Shisui. I can never follow your logic," I muttered as I covered my face in embarrassment. Why the hell am I embarrassed when I'm dead? Who the hell made the rules about the realm of limbo in the world anyway? We need to talk.

"It was true that the elders ordered me to approach the two of you. They didn't want two genius children being so uncontrolled. My parents and uncles, being so attracted to status and power, naturally agreed. But the moment I first met you, I knew you were different. You were so much more mature and intelligent that even all the children my age paled in comparison to you. I had my suspicions, and I guess I now know why. Trust me, after I got here, let's just say that I've become more inclined to believe in crazy stuff." He continued to smile, it was so bright that I thought the sun couldn't even compare to it. He really is Shisui, his optimistic aura makes everything else look cold in comparison.

"I don't care about your name, I don't care about your status in the Uchiha Clan. You can be Maiko, or you can be Rabbit," he eyed the rabbit mask on my waist, "or you could be someone else, I don't care. You will always be Hime to me, you will always be precious to me, so don't you ever forget that." Gently, he wiped away a droplet of tear that was running down my cheek, and I didn't even know when I started crying.

"So what happens now, I know you said I'm not dead yet, but it doesn't look like I am alive because you know…" I motioned my hands towards him. He laughed warmly, and I heard myself letting out a small chuckle.

"I think that depends on you. I committed suicide, you probably heard that. After I died, I was stuck here, not very long, though, at least not from my perspective, but seeing you all grown up into a beauty, I think it might have been a bit longer than a few days." He winked at me in a very 'Shisui' way that really made me want to laugh with him or slap him.

"Two years. It's been two years since you died, and it's been two years since Itachi…" This time, my voice faltered.

"Wait, what happened to Itachi?" I turned my attention to Shisui sharply and eyed him with disbelief. How could he not know about it, I thought he and Itachi planned it together.

"Do you really not know?" I asked him, but all I received was a confused and worried expression, "The communication here is crap, as you can see, so please, enlighten me." Slowly, I drew a huge breath before finding the courage to retell the story.

"The night after your death, Itachi massacred the whole Uchiha Clan." I heard a sharp intake of breath from the boy in front of me. I paused a bit before adding another sentence. "He killed them all, Shisui. Sasuke and I are the only Uchihas left, and Itachi went rogue afterwards."

Drip, drip, drip. Why did I always hear the sound of water droplets whenever we were silent? I wanted to look around frantically to search for the source because the dripping sound was driving me crazy, but I couldn't. I had to keep my eyes on Shisui's shocked face. I would never say Shisui was an easy person to read. Despite his openness and bright smiles, he was seasoned and experienced at keeping his emotions in check. However, at this moment, I could see every type of emotion emerge on his face. Surprise. Disbelief. Sorrow. Regret… and, understanding. He knows why.

"You know the reason," I whispered, it wasn't a question, it was a statement. Shisui snapped out of his thoughts and looked at me, but he had trouble maintaining the eye contact when it was full of apologetic guilt.

"Tell me Shisui. Tell me." I ordered in my shaky voice, but he said nothing. "Please…" but he refused to open his mouth. "Why won't you tell me, Shisui? Why? what's there to hide? We are all dead!" Finally, I yelled at him as I snapped in anger.

"But you are not dead, Maiko, you still have a chance to live. Your connection with the living world has not been severed yet, you can still go back." He was pleading with me, eyes full of pain and remorse.

"So what! What does that have anything to do with the answer! Every day, for the last two years, it's all I can think about! Every minute of my life, I was trapped by this bullshit! I want to know, Shisui! What the hell happened that ruined our lives?" I screamed at him in rage, pounding my hands furiously at his chest and he let me punch him. Eventually, he caught my hands and stopped my attacks with a strong grip.

"Exactly, Maiko. If you knew the answer, what's keeping you in the world of the living? What's keeping you from giving up on life?" He looked into my eyes with dead seriousness. For a moment, I couldn't answer him. He's right, what's keeping me from losing my motivation to live? It's the only thing keeping me going after all… Suddenly I remembered Akira-shishou's warning when I told him I was putting all my dreams and goals on the answer. But I can't die, there's Sasuke, he will be chewed alive by the council if I am not there as his guardian. I promised I would protect him, and just now I was planning to throw all that away.

"I'm just so tired… I'm so tired at this… sometimes, I don't even think I can go on. I lie to my teammates, I lie to Shun and I lie to my brother. I am alone in this. Just me, and no one else understands… " I let my arms drop and grabbed onto his shirt to keep myself from falling. I felt a few droplets of liquid fall from my eyes, and unlike the metallic taste, this time, I felt the bitter saltiness in my mouth. Ah, I thought we are supposed to be in a limbo, so why does the sorrow taste so real?

"I know… I know. Don't cry, it breaks my heart to see that." He wrapped his arms around me and gently patted my back. "I trust that you can break through this, the Uchiha-hime I know would have beaten the crap out of everyone that dared to give her trouble. Itachi, he has his reasons, I don't quite agree with how he fixed it, but I know he had no choice." He let his voice drift off as I steadied my posture and looked into his eyes again.

"I think you are mature and intelligent enough to see past appearances, and we both know that Itachi has always had a reason for his actions, so go find it. Once you do, please, think carefully. It may not be what you wish to find, but I trust you to do what you need to do." Shisui's gentle voice flew around me. It sounded like he was giving a hint, but it didn't mean anything. At least not at the moment.

"Will I ever see you again?" I asked, even if I already knew the answer. I was going back to the world of the living, alone; I was going on the perilous and tiring journey to find my answer. It didn't sound like much of a life, did it? But I had to. Because this was my decision; because this was the promise I made to Shisui.

"Probably not. I believe I was stuck here for a reason. It's because I had so many unresolved regrets with you and Itachi. However, after meeting you, I think I know the paths you two have decided to take, and for the most part, my regrets have been lightened. So now, I have to go." He announced in a sad voice. As expected, his solid looking figure began to shift ever so slightly, it was as if he was dissolving slowly by the second.

"For the most part?" I inquired, raising my eyebrow at his choice of words, and he just gave me a smirk.

"Ah, you know, it makes me regret to no bounds knowing that you will be snatched up by some other random guy. So I might as well stake my claim first." Suddenly, he placed his arms on my shoulder and leant forward. I felt a small, chaste kiss on my forehead; it only lingered for a few seconds before he pulled away and hugged me, placing his head on my shoulder. The kiss held more affection than just between friend, it was closer to the love between siblings, I supposed. But I couldn't understand it, and now, I might never understand it.

It was kind of sad, that even in death, some things couldn't be said in the open.

"Live happily Maiko, no matter how much you think you don't deserve it. To me, you deserve every bit of joy and happiness that a princess should have. It's your life, your future, so you should live it for yourself, not anyone or anything else." Shisui whispered by my ears, and just like that, I felt my tears falling again.

Unfair, that's easier said than done, especially since I have no clue who the hell I am. Unfair, that he gets to waltz in here, make a demand, and then waltz away.

And the worst part was, I might actually believe that what he said was possible.

Finally, after Kami knows how long, he pulled away. His body was already starting to disintegrate into dust and swirls, blending into the impressionist painting that surrounded us. I was right, the red thread was the anchor, and Shisui, who had no anchor, had no way of staying in this constantly shifting world.

"Sayonara, Shisui-senpai," I whispered to him, giving him a smile despite the tears running down my cheeks. The sixteen-year-old boy in front of me beamed brightly, like a star that lit up the pathway for the lost.

"Sayonara, Hime." His voice echoed back to me. That was the last thing he said before he disappeared completely into the surroundings, and he said it with a smile.

I stood for a minute, an hour, or Kami knows how long, staring into the void where Shisui had disappeared to. The tears had long stopped falling, but I didn't feel like moving.

With one last look, I turned around and faced the direction where the red thread was leading. Silently but steadily, I walked down the path paved out for me.

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~

His hands were shaking, still having the light seizure from multiple bouts of crackling electricity. Despite the sweat plastered on his face and the fact that he was so hectic and tired, Kakashi decided that it was worth it. Because after so many rounds of resuscitation and defibrillation, finally, Uchiha Maiko's heart was beating once more.

"Her condition should be stabilised, but we need to get her to the hospital," Zebra said calmly as he placed his fingers on the girl's pulse. "Okay, her chakra is recovering steadily, now we just need to worry about the blood supply."

Good, it's all worth it. Kakashi confirmed as he stood up from the ground and shot Zebra a grateful look. If he saw it, then he didn't show any sign of it. So that begs the question of what now? I am supposed to be the captain, so now I need to take charge.

"We are leaving. We have a ten-hour journey back to Konoha and everyone is going home. Bear, vanguard. Otter will be on the side. Falcon, stay with Zebra in the middle and get your arm looked at. Bear, if you will." On his cue, Bear made a secure stretcher from his wood release. Sometimes, Kakashi would tease his Kouhai that he would make a successful sculpture career, and most of those times, he really meant it. Kakashi thought about using his Kamui to transport Maiko, but he wasn't sure if he could pull her out if there was an emergency, without shredding her into pieces, especially considering how chakra deprived he would be.

"Let's move Team Ro, we have an A-rank mission to report to Hokage-sama." Kakashi had to remind himself the severity of the situation at hand to stop himself from laughing at the hilarious comment he just made. A-rank? This was definitely going on an S-rank mission roll. In less than half a day, they had engaged in battle with the most notorious S-rank Konoha missing-nin who could apparently regenerate from the dead; they also gathered information about another S-rank traitor which could potentially affect not just Konoha, but all the foreign villages as well. An international criminal organisation full of S-rank missing-nin did not bode well for foreign relations.

Kakashi could already feel the harsh wind blowing; he could smell the crackling of electricity in the air. There was a storm slowly approaching, even if it was only at the stage of premonition right now.

When they returned to the village, there would be questions, lots of them, hard and difficult to answer. The worst part of it, they would be directed towards the fourteen-year-old girl who just took a stroll with Death.

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~

When I first woke up, I gasped eagerly for the oxygen, willing it to fill my lungs. I was alive, I could breathe, I could even feel the chakra flowing warmly throughout my body. Yes, I confirmed one more time, I am alive.

Drip. Drip. Drip. I wanted to smack something because that annoying sound of dripping water was back. Slowly, I opened my eyes unwillingly; I didn't want to be back yet, the reality was painful.

When I saw the pure white wall in front of me, I had two thoughts circulating in my head. Shit, I'm back in the hospital again and Thank god, I'm back in the hospital, not some random place in the forest.

It only took me a second to realise that something was wrong with my left eye. As a sharingan user, one of the most important skills I had was the analysis of the field of vision. I could clearly tell that my left field of vision was obstructed. Painfully, against the soreness in my muscles, probably from another bout of chakra exhaustion, I raised my left hand and touched my left eye.

The eyeball was still there, and there weren't any bandages around it, which meant there was no external damage to my eye. Maybe my eyesight was just fuzzy, maybe I hit my head or something. That was a wishful thought, but quickly I remembered that I did use my left eye's ability three times already, and looking at the rate I spammed it around in less than half an hour, it would probably take around two months for just the first petal to regenerate.

I sighed as I put my hand down and flopped my head back onto the soft pillow. Drip, drip, drip. I turned my head towards my left to get a better look at what the hell in the world was dripping. Imagine my annoyance when I realised that it was the IV infusion by my bed.

Drip, drip, drip. I swatted my hands towards the IV bag in an attempt to stop the water from dripping. My hand missed, partly because one eye did not give me any depth perception, and partly because it was actually out of my reach. I tried three more times, but only once did I manage to touch the IV bag, yet I still couldn't stop the liquid dripping at the rate of one droplet at a time.

"What are you doing?" I turned my head towards the new voice in my room. Good, there was something else to listen to other than the dripping sound, but I was really looking for the absolute silence so my head would hurt less.

"The dripping sound of the IV, it's driving me crazy. Can you turn it off?" I said to Otter, who stepped into my room, probably through the window, in a normal Konoha shinobi outfit, without the Anbu mask on.

"You know it's there to make sure you heal faster right?" The woman looked at me incredulously, as if I had gone senile.

"Yes, I know what's it for, but it's annoying me, can you turn it off for me, please?" I asked nicely this time, but she was still staring at me unimpressed.

"Zebra! Can you take a look at this thing, I think something is wrong with her head." To my dismay, Otter gave a large yell at the window. Soon, a few black blurs busted through the window and landed in my crowded room. All five of my Anbu teammates were now standing in my room, all of them unmasked and out of their Anbu uniforms. Out of pure exasperation, I flopped back down again and sighed. Remind me again why I decided to come back? Right, my brother and my future.

"I am not going insane, the dripping sound of water is just giving me a headache. Much like the lot of you cramming in my six square meters hospital room." I muttered, and soon, I could hear chuckles sound across the room, most likely from Falcon and Otter.

"Bad day?" Otter asked, trying to contain her laughter.

"Yeah, waking up from being impaled can do that to you. I'm serious, can somebody please turn off the IV, just for a little while, missing a bit of salt water is not going to make much of a difference. How long was I out anyway?" I asked as I opened my eyes. I saw someone - Zebra - walk towards my bed and I was hopeful that maybe he was going to turn off my IV.

"Seven days. You are ridiculously stupid sometimes, you know that? Stop worrying about the IV and keep still, medic's order." Zebra shushed me as he examined my heartbeat and pulse. "You had a surgery as soon as we got you back to Konoha, you are lucky the sword didn't pierce your heart, but it still took a ton of blood supplies to save you. Anything else you're feeling wrong, aside from the obvious of course?"

I debated whether or not to tell him about my eye, since technically, that was very important. However, before I could even finish the thought, he already started to shine flashlights in my eyes to check my pupil movement. He checked my right eye first and I cringed at the bright light, but when he moved to my left eye, I couldn't see anything. It was a scary thought, I could feel the heat radiating on my eye but I couldn't see the obnoxiously bright light, especially for someone who relied on her vision so much.

"Can you see my right finger." Zebra frowned as he placed his finger on my far left, he probably already saw the unresponsiveness of my left pupil.

"No," I answered honestly. My remaining eye glossed over to my captain, the only person on my team whom I had told about my eye abilities, but his mask was making the expressions hard to see, especially now that I only had one eye.

"How long?" Kakashi asked me, not wasting a single word.

"Two months," I responded.

"Can you two stop communicating in code? I'm a medic, not a decoder." Zebra said with exasperation, and it's followed by the chorus of agreements in the room. I looked at Kakashi again, and when I saw him doing nothing, I sighed again.

"It's my eye's ability, my left eye can only be used three times max at one go, then it will turn temporarily blind for one or two months, I think." The last two words were not intentional, but with sharingan, I couldn't be sure of anything. Hell, I still hadn't figured out what that silver giant was.

"How does that work, though? Temporarily obstructed vision? It might be temporary inflammation of eye nerves due to overuse, but then it would mean the eye itself would have some unusual regeneration abilities… do you feel any pain at the back of your eye? Can you see anything? Shapes? Colours? Or nothing at all?" I slowly turned my head towards Zebra, who inquired with an almost feverish glint in his eyes as if he had just found his medical research project, and I was not sure how to respond to that.

"I have no idea, yes, no, no, no, no, and yes. Does it look any different from my other eye?" I answered his questions as swiftly as possible before asking one of my own. I was hoping that it wouldn't look drastically different, so it would be easier to hide.

"It's a bit lighter in colour, so a dark grey instead of black, but other than that, it's not very obvious." I sighed in relief as Zebra retreated back to where the majority of my teammates were standing. Suddenly, there was an awkward silence as I laid my eyes on my gloomy captain. Was it my imagination, or did he look especially gloomy today?

"What was my order, Rabbit?" Kakashi said in a deep voice as if a dark cloud had just passed over him. Okay, definitely not my imagination then.

"Do not engage the enemy unless the backup is there. But we did send backup, if we did not defend ourselves, we would have gotten killed." I argued with a quiet voice. Orochimaru deserved to die. Maybe I had acted a bit rash and reckless, but my only regret was not being able to kill him.

"You engaged him excessively and you let your emotions run wild. I don't care what he did to provoke you nor who he used to provoke you. When you are in Anbu and on my team, I expect you to listen to commands. You should know that this could get you stripped of your rank and even charged for insubordination." He said to me coldly as I bit my lower lip lightly and clenched my fists tight under my bed covers. I couldn't risk being stripped of my position, it would not only interrupt my investigation, it would also leave Sasuke in a vulnerable position. But he needs to die, Orochimaru needs to die for Sasuke to be safe. He is too large of a threat with too little information, and Sasuke, alone and young, would be an easy prey.

"I deeply apologise for my actions. I will take whatever punishment that comes for me." Finally, I spoke up. There was nothing I could do at the moment, the only thing I could do right now was to make sure things wouldn't get any worse.

"This is not my decision anymore." I snapped my head up at his emotionless voice. A small part of me screamed defiantly, I could always just run out of the village without a care in the world. Itachi went rogue, why couldn't I? But in order to go rogue, he slaughtered a whole clan and left you with your only family. Yeah, that was the reason.

"The mission has just been upgraded to S-rank mission now due to the encounter with Orochimaru, and it's no longer in my jurisdiction anymore. I have already turned in my report and evaluation, but it will be Hokage-sama's decision of how to deal with you. Do you understand?" Kakashi finished the sentence, and I couldn't tell if I should be relieved or even more worried.

"Hokage-sama will probably summon you in a few days, once your injuries are able to walk. Tell him every bit of truth, because right now, you need to offer every piece of information to get out of this. Clear?" Immediately I nodded, not that I was planning on holding anything back.

Quickly, my teammates left through the window and disappeared with no trails. We were Anbu, and we moved like winds with no trace; if only we could be as free as the wind.

Well, they all disappeared but one. Falcon stopped just before jumping out of the window, and after a moment of silence, he turned around. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't figure out how to say it under the serious atmosphere.

"Are you going to be the nice one and turn off the IV for me?" I asked hopefully, trying to break the tension in the air just a bit so the awkwardness could flow away.

"I would love to, but unfortunately Captain would kill me. Anyways, I know Captain sounds harsh, but I swear that he is worried about you. He's just really grumpy because he was holed up with the council and Hokage-sama for three days since you are not there to answer questions, but…"

"Falcon!" The remainder of Falcon's speech was drowned out by a very angry yell beyond the window.

"Yes, sir!" Immediately, Falcon let out a high pitch screeching sound. Despite the fact that their yells were so loud that they gave me migraines, seeing Falcon pale under Captain's anger was quite comical. For a second, I couldn't hold my laughter anymore, so I let out a snicker that seemed to surprise my teammate.

"Yeah, I should go. But before I leave, I thought you need something to pass time with, so I brought you this." Out of nowhere, Falcon pulled out a bottle of something and presented it in front of me. I had to squint my eyes a bit just to make sure that I was seeing it right.

"Out of everything you could have chosen for a get-well-soon present, you brought me a bottle of sake." Yes, I needed to hear myself say that to realise how ridiculous it sounded.

"Well yeah. Trust me, they are really good pain killers, especially for celebrating your survival. Also, I heard that the last time you tried it, you slept really well…"

"Get out." I was very close to grab the IV and chuck it at his face… if I could reach it. Nevertheless, Falcon seemed to get the idea because he immediately retreated back to the corner of the room, staying as far away from me as possible.

"Heard you loud and clear. I'll just leave it here." Awkwardly, he placed the bottle by the window and disappeared the moment he saw my death glare.

I stared at the bottle of alcohol, not sure whether to laugh or cry at whatever that just happened. What exactly am I supposed to do with it, throw it at Falcon the next time he pisses me off?

I did have a period of quietness and peace, minus the sound of my IV dripping. However, it was quickly interrupted by my second wave of visitors, and they weren't nearly as quiet as my first.

"Nee-chan!" My dear little brother bursted through the door, along with an equally energetic ball of orange, followed by my roommate with annoyance written all over his face.

"No yelling in the room, Sasuke, Naruto. I already have a headache." I said to them firmly, no matter how powerful Sasuke's puppy eyes were.

"What happened? Who did this to you? I will kill them." Sasuke took one look at me before he growled in anger and I narrowed my eyes at him. Despite the fact that Naruto was nodding eagerly beside him, I didn't think he understood what Sasuke actually meant.

"That's not your concern Sasuke, I'm fine, so don't worry about it," I said to him gently as I patted his head, rubbing his unruly spiky hairs. Like hell I would let him be anywhere close to that snake.

"But一"

"No yelling remember." I stopped his argument quickly just as he was about to raise his voice. "How was your ninjutsu practice?" I changed the topic immediately, this time, with a gentler voice.

"It's going great, Mai-nee-chan! I can direct the Katon: Phoenix Sage Fire no problem now, and I extended the range of my Raiton: Electrifying Line to fifteen meters! Also…" Sasuke went on as his attention was drawn by the discussion of ninjutsu. I smiled at him as I listened to him telling me what he learned over the past ten days, and I could tell how hard he practised, even if no one was there to teach him.

"What about you, Naruto, how's your practice going?" I asked the blonde boy with faint curiosity. He was interesting, especially after I had seen the anger and hatred emitted from the Sand Jinchūriki, and I was very curious as to how he kept his sanity and his optimism. He was like the opposite of us Uchihas, bright, optimistic and carefree. He was an oddball, just like Shisui.

"Great, dattebayo! I won the taijutsu match in Academy today, thanks to your teaching! Also, you should have seen Mizuki-sensei's face when that bucket of sludge fell on his head, it was hilarious! By the way, Nee-chan, teme set the training ground on fire and he electrocuted the koi pond in Shikamaru's house." Naruto ended his speech with a smirk towards a furious Sasuke. I turned my attention to my little brother and stared him down.

"You electrocuted the Jonin Commander's koi pond? With koi fish in it? What did I tell you about control? And why the hell would you practice lightning jutsu near a water source?" I scolded him with fury in my voice. Doesn't he know it's dangerous? Besides, do you know how hard it is to find free babysitting services these days? Yoshino-san is even willing to feed him! Suddenly, I had a feeling that I was slowly turning into mom - a very inadequate version.

"No, don't listen to that dobe, I did not electrocute Shikamaru's koi pond, I just accidently touched it with my lightning chakra while I was practising with Shikamaru. I didn't even know there's a koi pond, and there was no koi fish in it…" His voice became smaller as he finished every sentence, probably because I was glaring at him like a mother hen. Eventually, he just gave up trying to convince me it wasn't his fault, but not before I caught him mumbling "It's not like you were careful when you were young."

"I heard that. I might be injured, but my ears are working just fine." I warned him with a chilling smile. With a shudder, Sasuke and Naruto ran out of my room like their tails were on fire, but I could still hear them arguing and blaming each other loudly in the hallway.

"He's right you know? Sometimes, you are even more stubborn than your brother. I don't know how many times you and Itachi beat the crap out of each other and burned the trees down under the guise of trying out new jutsus." Shun's nonchalant voice sounded before me, and I had to turn further to my left to give him a glare.

"I see you didn't change much. What stupidity did you commit this time?" Unfazed by my glare, he continued to tease me.

"I thought you knew everything, Shun." I retorted, maybe my glare worked better with two eyes.

"I said I know most things, not everything. Yes, what you did was really stupid, to the core, probably the most stupid thing you have done yet, and that says a lot with your track record in the hospital. What happened? I know you've been getting more chakra exhaustion from your missions lately." Suddenly, the playfulness in his voice was gone, and it turned into dead seriousness. I locked my eyes (or eye, considering I was currently half-blind) on him, and he stared back with his pale blue eyes. Neither of us was willing to break the glare and give up the battle.

"The missions are getting harder, that's all. What I am doing is for survival, so don't you dare go all psychiatrist on me." I said to him firmly. I had no idea how he got my health record, but then again, he was Shun. It wasn't only because of his last name that he got accepted into the Intelligence department so young.

"Fine, let's just say that I believe you. What will you do when you are retired, shinobi don't stay in Anbu forever, and they don't get A-rank assignments all their lives." Despite the usual calmness in Shun's voice, I narrowed my eyes at his words.

"If you are implying that I'm addicted to dangerous missions, then don't, because I'm not." I quickly answered, sounding a bit harsher than I intended.

"Damn it Maiko, I'm trying to help you. If you got a problem, then you need to ask for help." He was the one who broke the eye contact first, trying to speak some sense to me with a voice full of irritation and helplessness.

"Not right now, Shun. I can't deal with this right now." I almost squeezed the sentence out word by word. I didn't know how many doses of painkillers they had injected me, but this argument was too much for my brain right now.

"That's not what I'm asking!"

"And this is my answer, take it or leave it." I didn't mean to yell at him, but it was already out before I could stop it. After the outburst, there was an uncomfortable silence, as if the tension in the air needed to be calmed first before either of us could speak another word without the room exploding.

"Nevermind, just come back soon. All of us are worried about you, and your tedious and bratty brother is complaining about my water jutsu and teaching skills. It's not my problem if he couldn't perform it right and ended up soaking himself." With a sad smile, he turned around and started to walk out of my room.

"I'm sorry," I said it o softly that I was sure it wouldn't travel more than a meter. But somehow, I knew he had heard me because his body stiffened and his steps halted for a fraction of a second. In the end, he walked out to catch the children without giving me any indication that he heard me.

We were retreating, back to the comfort zone, shoving the battle flag into the dark underground. It would still be there, dangling over our head like a spider thread, just enough to remind us of what had happened.

Great, I've only been awake for three hours, and I managed to piss off most of my inner circle (not that the number exceeds five anyway), I thought as I flopped my head back into the soft pillow pathetically. Maybe my apologies need some work.

A/N: There we go, I've had my yearly dose of Shisui and I'm happy. Seriously, I need him in order to survive the exam week in January. Confession time (maybe I should make this a thing): so I named the character Maiko after one of my favourite Japanese singers, Nakamura Maiko, and I fell in love with that name. Some name in the running included Shion (after Miyawaki Shion), but I figured that would be confusing because many other characters are named Shion.

Anyway, this shall be the last update in 2016, and the next one will be on Jan. 7, Saturday.