Kakashi, as Sukea, spent much time with Seika over the next few weeks. He probably should have been spending more time in his office, as a number of missions of high importance were currently underway. Shikamaru was on the village's first S-ranked mission since the war, chasing after Sai and a number of Anbu that had all but disappeared. Kakashi had an itch to go on the mission himself, but his role as Hokage kept him in the village. He chafed against this rule, wary against complacency with his position. But, if he couldn't go on missions, seeking out Seika was at least a good alternative.

Kakashi used the excuse of photography to follow her, and he enjoyed helping her with some of the more mundane tasks she performed. It gave him a window not just into her life, but also into the life of the village. The latter was how he rationalized his lack of guilt over shirking any official duties. Seika fit into the community seamlessly, and he was surprised by how many of his own friends were familiar with her.

"Ms. Seika!" A booming voice rang out.

"Guy," she smiled, "Good to see you. Back from your trip already?"

"Indeed! It was a harrowing journey, full of adventure, intrigue, and mystery. I still don't understand why I can't be put back on active duty. Can I tell you about it over dinner?"

Seika started laughing, that familiar, joyous tinkling sound, and it made Kakashi jealous. "If you're asking me on another date, my answer is still no," she said, "but if you're proposing to exchange stories, I can humor you. Maybe Sukea will want to write some of them down."

Guy noticed Kakashi for the first time and frowned. "I know you," he said a little suspiciously.

"Uh…yes…" Kakashi agreed. "We met a long time ago."

Guy wheeled his chair up to Kakashi, too close for comfort, and then stood up on his good leg so he'd be at eye level. Kakashi stiffened in nervousness. He could feel himself starting to sweat under his wig.

"What are you and Ms. Seika doing?" Guy asked, wondering if he had competition.

"Sukea is taking photos of the village as we rebuild. I'm introducing him to people," Seika answered for him, linking her arm through Sukea's to pull him away from Guy's probing scowl.

Guy narrowed his eyes at this innocent touch. "If you hurt or bother Ms. Seika in any way," he said, "you will have to deal with me. The Hokage doesn't need any more trouble in this village. You better bet I'm watching you."

"He won't be any trouble," Seika called to him as they walked away. Guy stared after them, still standing, until they rounded a corner. Out of earshot, she turned to Kakashi and said, "Don't worry about Guy. He means well. He's been very protective over me since I came to Konoha. Although…you shouldn't let the wheelchair fool you. He's still quite formidable."

Guy's eyes narrowed at this innocent touch as he sat back down in his chair. "If you hurt or bother Ms. Seika in any way," he said, "you will have to deal with me. The Hokage doesn't need any more trouble in this village. You better bet I'm watching you."

"He won't be any trouble," Seika called to him as they walked away. Guy watched them, arms crossed, until they rounded a corner. Out of earshot, she turned to Kakashi and said, "Don't worry about Guy. He means well. He's been very protective over me since I came to Konoha. Although…you shouldn't let the wheelchair fool you. He's still quite formidable."

Guy has known her for six years?! Kakashi thought in distress. He needed to get to the bottom of this. "Do you spend a lot of time with him?"

She smiled reflectively. "We've been on a mission or two together, and I helped a bit with his recuperation, although he didn't need much encouragement. His character is chivalrous, and as annoying as he is, he has a certain charm. I respect him quite a bit."

Guy has been on missions with her?! He made a mental note to retrieve her complete file from the Konoha archives, a sudden urge to know in detail who else Seika had spent time with. He certainly hadn't been assigned on any missions with her.

Kakashi took the opportunity to probe further. "I see him with the Hokage a lot. They have a friendly rivalry."

"Do they?" she asked absentmindedly. "I hadn't noticed."

"Yes," he went on. "I'm surprised they're not fighting over your affection."

"My affection?" she asked, bewildered. She shook her head. "That's a funny thought."

"You're very attractive. The Hokage would have to be blind not to notice you."

Kakashi was too deep in his thought process to notice Seika's cheeks turn pink.

"I'm glad you think so," she said carefully, "but the Hokage has always ignored me. We have been introduced more than once, but every time, Kakashi was much more interested in those books, you know the ones that Jiraiya wrote?"

This dumbfounded Kakashi. Wow…I am an ass, he thought.

"Have you read the Icha Icha series?" Seika asked.

"Uh…" he said distractedly, his mind still trying to figure out exactly when he'd come into contact with Seika before.

Seika chuckled at his hesitation. "That means 'yes.' Are they really that good?"

Kakashi flushed a deep shade of red. Oh, yes, he thought, but he couldn't say that outloud. At the state of his embarrassment, Seika began to laugh. He was secretly pleased that he could make her smile, even if it was at his own expense.

Kakashi was even more dumbfounded when Seika stopped to say hello to Naruto and Sakura.

"Seika! It's been a long time!" Naruto greeted. "Huh? And you're with Sukea?"

"You two know each other?" she asked, surprised by this.

"A long time ago, he helped us try to uncover Kakashi's face," Sakura said with a short laugh. "One of the few missions we've failed."

"How do you two know each other?" Kakashi asked Naruto.

"Oh! We met at the ramen shop a while back. She bought my meal when I forgot my wallet," he said with an embarrassed grin.

"Your meal?" Seika asked, looking at Naruto expectantly.

"Hehe…maybe a few meals…" Naruto grinned.

"And you still haven't paid me back for any of them yet!" Seika said, poking him.

"Well, it's not my fault if you keep buying!" To Sukea, he added, "She brings me fancy instant ramen from towns she visits, too. A few months ago she had some from the Land of Noodles that were particularly good!"

"Speaking of paying you back," Sakura said, "Tsunade and I want to thank you for the medicinal plants you brought for us recently. You should stop by the medical ward this evening!"

Seika nodded, and they said goodbye.

"It seems like everyone knows you," Kakashi told her later. "I'm a little disappointed we've only just met."

Seika looked him straight in the eyes, her blue irises steadfast and piercing. "There's not much to know," she said, "and you already know more about me than anyone else here."

This statement only made his interest grow.

Seika and Sukea talked about many things when they were together, but never about Zabuza, and she was more secretive about her six years in the Hidden Leaf. She looked young, but Kakashi pegged her at her mid- to late-twenties, given the information she had shared about Zabuza. If she wasn't too young for Zabuza, then she wasn't too young for him.

When he wasn't with her, he would talk to Rin and Obito about her. He was sure they were annoyed that this is what he was now bringing to their graves, but he needed their guidance. Both of them knew what it was like to have a crush on someone else, and this was a first for him. He was a late bloomer when it came to romance.

What about your identity? Was a constant nagging thought at the back of his head, but he couldn't just waltz into her life as Kakashi. He'd have to get more creative than that.

His continued presence as Sukea seemed to surprise her, but she soon got used to looking for him every day, and her smiles became more frequent. He was fond of this.

"I have a tidbit of information for you," she said one day. "You remember Nakaya-san? The woman with the baby, whose husband was an Anbu operative?"

He nodded.

"She's dating again."

"So quickly after his death?"

"Yes," Seika agreed. "But I like him. He's sweet to her, and strangely enough, the child looks more like him than her previous husband."

Kakashi remembered Wolf's words. Owl wasn't the father of that child. "Maybe it's for the best, then. In an ideal world, a child should grow up with both parents."

"What were your parents like?"

This question caught Kakashi off-guard. Should he answer truthfully? Or should he make up a backstory for Sukea? Why can't it be the truth?

"I was alone by the age of five," he said. "I was so young when my mother died that I don't remember her, and my father committed suicide when I was a child."

"My parents both died when I was young, too," she said, acknowledging his loss. "I barely remember them, but the handprint of their lives is still present in mine. Tell me about your father?"

My father… Kakashi took a deep breath and sighed. "He is a man I strive to be like," he said simply, finding that to be the best description of Konoha's White Fang that he could muster.

"Hm…then he must have been a good man," Seika told him. She didn't press him any further, and they took a few more steps together in a comfortable silence.

"Can I take your photograph?" she asked.

This non-sequitur surprised him even further, but she explained her train of thought.

"You capture the stories of the people in this village," she said. "You're good at asking questions, and people trust you with their memories. But you have a story, too, and I think your story should also be captured."

My story? He considered. Sukea? Or Kakashi? A surge of guilt swirled through him.

He searched her blue eyes, considering how to answer, but as she held his gaze, a separate feeling of warmth spread throughout his body. He almost laughed. He recognized this feeling as 'butterflies', but he had never experienced it with another human in this context before. It was similar to the feeling he got on the field of battle, in the moment of anticipation before a fight with another shinobi. It was also very similar to the feeling he got when reading a particularly spicy passage in his Icha Icha series. But now? Here? With a woman? This was new to him.

"Okay," he said, taking his camera from around his neck and handing it to her. He quickly showed her how it worked, brushing his shoulder and his fingers against hers as he told her where the focus and the capture were. This closeness to her was pleasant.

That afternoon, they switched places. She followed him around, capturing his interactions with villagers. The villagers teased them about this change in routine, but he enjoyed the attention, and she seemed to enjoy it as well.

When they parted ways, he changed from his disguise and walked back to his office, a spring in his step. He was a little giddy and wanted to develop the photographs soon. He was curious how they would turn out, excited to see her expression when he gave her one.

His joy didn't last too long, however. When he entered his office, he found Wolf at his desk, holding a series of photographs in her hand. They were his favorite pictures of Seika.

"Why do you have these?" she asked.

"Isn't my desk my own private business?"

"She looks a little young for you," Wolf said, ignoring his question. "You're what, in your forties?"

What an insult, he thought ruefully. "I'm thirty-two," he said.

"Really?" she asked in surprise, looking at him. "Huh. It must be the silver hair. Anyway, it's a little perverted, especially when they're next to your weird novels."

"Have you ever read those novels?" he asked defensively.

"I've read the summaries."

Kakashi shook his head. "The summaries leave out all the best parts." This statement, however, seemed to repulse Wolf further.

"Do you know her?" he asked the Anbu operative.

"I'm familiar. She's a bit of a loner."

"She's friends with the photographer, though."

"Does she know he's giving these photographs to strange men?"

"I'm not a strange man."

"You are if she doesn't know you."

"I'm the Hokage. Everyone knows me."

"She doesn't. And I'm sure if she did, she'd be mortified that you keep photos of her so easily accessible."

Kakashi sighed. "That particular photographer is working on a project for me. He's documenting the residents of Konoha as the town is rebuilt. Trauma and hope, he calls it."

"And where are the other photographs?" she asked skeptically.

Kakashi went to the bookshelf nearby and pulled out a box, thankful he kept the other photographs together. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "Those photos in my desk are the newest, and I haven't added them yet."

In truth, he always kept those photographs in his desk, but Wolf didn't need to know that.

"Hm," Wolf grunted, seemingly appeased. She opened the box and flipped through the photos, then returned her attention to the blue-eyed woman. The pictures were intimate, catching the range of emotion on the girl's face. One in particular made her pause. The girl was staring up at Hokage Rock, her profile captured. The lighting was exceptional, and the emotions on the girl's face were raw, full of conflict and pain. She looked strangely beautiful in her sorrow.

"He's a good photographer." She dropped the stack, but kept the one of the girl's profile, holding it up. "I'm keeping this one."

"What?!" Kakashi was aghast. "You can't take my belongings."

"You've already taken my life. I can keep one of your photos."

"But that's one of my favorites," he said dejectedly.

In the brief stare down that ensued, Kakashi had a worrisome thought.

"You're not…interested in her…are you?"

"Hokage," she said in a flat voice. "Are you asking me if I'm interested in women?"

He raised his eyebrows in response.

Wolf sighed in frustration, "First of all, it's none of your business. Second of all, no."

His next question was even more pressing. "Do you know if she…?" He pointed toward the photo.

Wolf shook her head. "I'm not privy to her sexual orientation, if that's what you're getting at, but you wouldn't have a chance. She's interested in the photographer."

Kakashi blushed, thankful he was once again covering his face. "How do you know?"

Wolf's mask raised to meet his eyes. "If you saw the way she looked at him, you'd know, too."

"Interesting," he said, wanting to know what else Wolf knew. "It seems he's unaware. He thinks she's still in love with a childhood friend, the Demon of the Hidden Mist."

"Zabuza Momochi?" Wolf asked in disbelief. "Who could love him?"

"You ask that like he was heartless," Kakashi mused.

"Wasn't he?"

"I fought him, twice," Kakashi said more seriously, sliding his hands into his pockets and reliving those two skirmishes. "He wasn't heartless."

"Didn't you kill him?"

"Not the first time. The man who hired Zabuza turned on him, and he died protecting his apprentice's honor, a boy named Haku. I can't take credit for that, though. Naruto was really the one who changed his heart. We buried them together in the Land of Waves."

"What happened to the apprentice?"

"I did kill him," Kakashi admitted. "He threw himself in front of Zabuza to protect him from my attack."

"And the second time?"

"Reincarnation. Zabuza and Haku were heartless then, but only because of Kabuto. Before they were overtaken, I promised Zabuza I would stop them from being used as weapons."

Wolf remained quiet after this, still gazing at the photographs of Seika.

"So it was mercy, the second time?" she asked.

"You could put it that way." Kakashi looked out the window, wishing he could give this explanation to Seika instead of Wolf. "In any case, he's together with Haku in the afterlife. I know that for certain."

Wolf nodded.

"Why are you in my office, anyway?" he asked.

"You wanted to see me every two weeks?" she replied.

"Oh, right." He scratched the back of his head. He had definitely forgotten. "You look better."

The hairline fracture on Wolf's mask had been covered with a streak of gold, and she had replaced her torn flak jacket.

"I'm ready for the next mission," she said.

Kakashi shook his head. "No. Your orders are to take a few months off."

"Months though? Timing is everything and—"

"I've got people on it. It's not time to move yet. You'll know when it is."

He let a long moment of silence permeate the office. He wondered how much time she was spending in the barracks, instead of really taking time to rest.

"You know, they called me 'friend-killer,' too."

Wolf stared at him. "Did you actually kill your friends?"

"Yes," he admitted. "Not the same way you've been asked to, but I suspect the guilt is the same, when our teammates are killed by our own hands. I still have nightmares.

"I watched many of my teammates die, many of my mentors, many of my subordinates, because of my choices. My life has been a long series of mistakes," he admitted, "starting from when I was very young. But forgiveness goes a long way."

"No one is left alive who can forgive me for my mistakes," Wolf said.

"Of course they are," he retorted, surprising her. "There are also new lives that can be credited to you. Owl's child, for example. He's got a full family now, and it looks like his biological father is stepping in where Owl couldn't."

"It shouldn't take murder to right something like that. The ends don't justify the means."

"No, but you didn't kill Owl to fix a poor family situation. You stopped him so he would stop needlessly killing others. And anyway, you're missing my point. You have a community, Wolf. You're not alone, no matter how much you try to convince yourself that you are."

That evening, Wolf finished a sketch in her book. The woman from the Hidden Sand. Infiltrating her base had been less than ideal, but she was convinced, too, that this assassination would have a positive outcome. The woman was certainly power hungry, and there were fewer positive things Wolf could find to write about her. Two more deaths, and then the final one, but now Kakashi was making her wait. That was annoying.

She pulled out the picture of Seika staring up at Hokage Rock, still confused as to why Kakashi had these photos in his desk. What a pervert.

Still, she had never expected to see a look quite like this grace the woman's face, and for some reason, the mixture of emotions resonated deeply with Wolf. She sighed, wondering how she would pass the next few months without a mission. Then, she tucked the photo into her book and turned out the lights.

As she lay in bed, she thought about her meeting with Kakashi. This, too, annoyed her. She didn't want to get to know the Hokage, but he seemed keen on telling her about his life. She shuddered, wondering if that's what their next series of meetings would be like. She turned over and fell asleep, ready to greet her own nightmares.

She did not recognize it yet, but a crack in her walls was forming, just like the fracture in her mask. This one, however, she would be unable to repair.