After that chat, they parted ways amicably, and Koto was happy to see Kakashi at the tea shop regularly. Sometimes with friends, but usually without - just with his book. Him and those adult novels… Koto thought. Although, if they're good… I can't really blame him. He always sat at the same table, and usually got the same green tea. Sometimes Koto would give him a cookie or pastry she'd made separately, for herself, Yua, and Akihito. His favorite so far, he said, were the lemon shortbread cookies. "Those are my favorites, too!" Koto happily chirped.

One day Koto was off duty, so she grabbed Kakashi his regular with an additional tea cup, and sat across from him. "Do you mind?" she asked.

"Not at all," he said, apparently smiling, as his only visible eye closed. She poured their tea and leaned against the wall, reading through another book she got - she borrowed it from one of the shops along the way, about Konoha folk tales.

"Hey Kakashi…" Koto began, smirking.

He glanced up warily. "Yes?"

"You got any of those books I could borrow?" she whispered, looking at his lewd novel.

He was frozen, probably slightly stunned. Was he blushing? She couldn't tell. "Um… I suppose. You know what kind of books these are, right?" he muttered.

"Oh, I'm well aware. You have some written by that sage Jiraiya, right?"

Kakashi had put his book down and had his face in his hands. "Yeah, I do. I have… all of his books," he muttered.

"I'm sorry, what was that, I couldn't hear you?" Koto teased, leaning forward.

He looked at her from between his fingers. "...Please don't make me say it again. I've never… discussed this in this manner with a lady."

Koto laughed. "I've seen all of the strong women in this village - I can assure you more than one are confident enough about these things to have books and media of this nature themselves! Everyone deserves their fantasies!" she told him.

"But you know the books I read are mostly about… women… right?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Men, women, I don't care. If they're pretty I appreciate it."

"Fine. I can drop a few off for you tomorrow…" he groaned.

"Perfect! My place is around the back side of the shop - don't bring them in here, this is my place of work after all."

They continued sipping tea and chatting about this and that - mostly Kakashi explaining the whole shebang about his usual team - Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke - and the antics that typically ensue. This week, Naruto has been pranking Sasuke, which has led to some fighting. Sakura isn't happy in the slightest and has essentially banned both boys from any surrounding area to her until they get it together.

Koto was laughing hard, enjoying this update. "That is too good, I can only imagine how much of a handful they have been over the years."

Kakashi nodded solemnly. "Yeah… they've always been something else. It's strange seeing them grow up."

She nodded. "I bet. I can't even imagine… I've never had a unit. I imagine it's the most rewarding thing in the world, and the most heartbreaking, all in one."

He looked at her. "That is exactly right."

"Well, would you care to accompany me to find some instruments so I can play my new tunes?" she asked, standing up.

Kakashi shrugged. "Might as well. I don't have anything else going on."

They spent the next few hours walking the streets, Koto stopping at stalls here and there. She managed to bargain great deals on a used violin and a used cello, much to Kakashi's surprise. "They have instruments that big?!" he exclaimed. "Why?"

"To get the most beautiful, deepest tones you could think of!" she exclaimed. It came with a case thankfully, so she was able to strap it to her back to begin carrying it.

"Wait, I… I can carry it if you'd rather…" Kakashi offered sheepishly.

"I've already got it on my back, it's no problem! I'm a bit out of shape anyways… you can carry this though!" She handed him the violin in its case.

He took it but still seemed to watch her carefully, probably in case she got tired. "If you're feeling out of shape, you can train with me sometime…" he offered suddenly. "Just if you want. I usually go in the early evenings to the training grounds."

"That'd be great actually!" Koto said. "I definitely need a refresher on close hand-to-hand combat. My genjutsu is fine, of course, but I also wouldn't mind refining my nujutsu more. I never got much training there, surprisingly."

"I can definitely help with that… it's not like I'm a trainer or anything," Kakashi joked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Koto laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty convenient!"

They arrived outside the door to her room. Koto unlocked it and beckoned Kakashi in. "You can just set that down anywhere. I've got to get this off my back. Want to listen to it real quick, while I tune it?" she offered.

He nodded, moving forward to help stabilize the case while she slid it off her shoulders. "That'd be nice, I think."

"Okay, grab one of these chairs and sit outside. I'll sit on the deck so I can hold it properly." Kakashi obediently grabbed a folding chair and sat out in the small courtyard outside the door.

Yua and Akihito were closing up the shop and stepped into the courtyard. They greeted Kakashi, asking what we were doing. "Koto is going to tune an instrument she picked up. A cello?" he explained.

The mother and son seemed excited and also retrieved some chairs to sit outside. They brought with them lemonade, sharing the drink and sharing stories with Kakashi. Koto stepped out onto the deck to her small audience and smiled. The sun was setting, and the air was warm - it was beautiful out. She sat on the deck and put the large instrument between her knees. She began drawing the bow across the strings, testing each note one by one as she made adjustments to their tension. When she was satisfied, she sighed happily. "Want to hear a song?"

They all affirmed and Koto stopped to think. She loved the deep sound of the cello and decided on something she remembered, a song from home that was slow and haunting. She began playing it, swaying slightly as she remembered the movements and sank into them. She wasn't using chakra, wasn't influencing anyone magically - just feeling the music and the movement. The piece reached an intense climax, a crescendo that saw an increased tempo but increasingly worrying chords. A pause - then a slow trickle back to simpler notes, as it eventually fell into sad tones. The song it was embodying was one she heard an old fisherman singing a particularly stormy winter and it haunted her for a while - it was a song about a storm at sea, taking an entire crew except its captain, who called to any god that existed to take him, too - but instead he was washed ashore to his decimated village, torn apart by the storm. A lose-lose situation. The song ended there - the lack of closure left listeners to think about their feelings and wonder what could have been.

When she was done she leaned back briefly. The trio who was listening was quiet but Yua and her son were smiling slightly. Kakashi had his head bowed slightly and was nodding a bit. "That was beautiful," Yua said. "Sad, but beautiful…"

"Yeah," Kakashi murmured. "Sad but beautiful."

The group came back to reality, beginning to disperse. Koto bid Yua and Akihito goodnight, and Kakashi stayed back. Koto stepped back into her home to put up the instrument, and Kakashi followed, returning the chair. He stood there with a hand in one pocket, thinking of what he was going to say.

"Well, thank you very much for today," Koto said. "I had a good time. Don't forget to drop off some books sometime," she smiled.

Kakashi nodded, looking at her. He then stepped forward, grabbing her into a hug. Koto stumbled a bit but got her footing and then returned the gesture. He squeezed gently before releasing her. "I had a good day, too," he said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Kakashi," Koto blushed. He left with a wave, and Koto closed the door. She went to bed with a smile.

"He did what?!" Sakura exclaimed. She'd come over to Koto's place for brunch. They were enjoying tea and some light breakfast fare. They'd caught each other up on their weeks and Koto got onto the topic of Kakashi. She gave a brief recap of their few outings - not revealing anything personal Kakashi discussed - and did mention their brief hug a few nights ago. "Kakashi doesn't do that stuff, Koto. He's not shy or one to usually make plans. He's mysterious, always late, and calm and collected. And definitely not touchy."

Koto blushed. "Well, I don't exactly mind. Tonight we're meeting up for some training. I'll probably go on a run beforehand, lord knows I'm pathetically out of shape…" she sighed.

"Well… you two have fun," Sakura winked.

Koto rolled her eyes. Yeah, she had a crush on Kakashi - but he was out of her league, and was probably just being different because he was gathering information on her. Does he think I'm a spy or something? she wondered. She figured that'd be more revealed with their session tonight - someone suspecting a spy wouldn't teach much to them.

"But you missed probably the best part of my week… the great deals I got on my violin and cello!" Koto exclaimed, trying to change the topic.

"The instruments you got… with Kakashi," Sakura shot back.

"Gah! Stop that!" Koto blushed, smacking Sakura's arm while her friend cackled. "But, in all seriousness Sakura… regardless of whatever is going on, do not tell your other friends about Kakashi and I's meetings. I'm sure he wouldn't want to be the center of attention with something like that.

Sakura nodded. "Of course! And you're totally right - I think he'd die of embarrassment." The two continued chatting, when Sakura muttered, "Speak of the devil." She was looking towards the courtyard outside of Kato's door.

Kakashi was walking up the way, a brown bag in hand. Oh no… The books… If Sakura realized what they were, she'd never let Koto and Kakashi forget it. "Ah, I had asked Kakashi to drop off some books on jutsu as refreshers. He must have finally remembered!" Koto hopped up and walked briskly to Kakashi. "Hi, Kakashi! Thanks for the jutsu method books," she emphasized. "Sakura is here too, want to say hi?"

He caught what she was doing easily - he handed the bag over and waved towards Sakura. "Hello, Sakura. Care to join me with meeting up with everyone? We're watching some of the chunin tests today. Koto, you could join too," he offered.

"Yeah, I'd love to go!" Sakura said, running out to them.

"I'll go, too - let me just lock up." Koto quickly got the books inside and closed up her living area, heading out with the duo.

They arrived at the arena, getting seats fairly close to the action. They watched amusedly - and sometimes were impressed - by the young ninja strutting their stuff as they battled one another. Koto was sure some of them were bound to have great things in their future. She did notice some masked ninjas around the arena. "Are those Konoha black ops ninja?" she asked Kakashi.

He nodded. "Yep. At least some of them will be present at any event."

On their way out of the arena once the last students had battled, Sakura separated to check in with Shikamaru, a friend of hers that was a proctor during the exams this year. Kakashi and Koto were ready to leave through an exit when one of the masked ninja stopped her.

"Excuse me," she said. "We need to to come with us. The hokage requests you."

"Me?" Koto asked. She glanced at Kakashi - had he expressed concern to the hokage at her past? He looked confused himself, his brow furrowing. Whatever. He is bound to be a good actor.

The black ops member nodded. "Yes, you. Koto Wamuro. Now."

Koto nodded, beginning to follow the ninja as they exited the arena. She heard Kakashi following behind them. "Are you following me out of curiosity, or as an escort?" she asked him shortly.

"I promise you, I don't know what Tsunade is summoning you for," he whispered to her. "I'll be with you to make sure it's nothing fishy."

They made the long walk to the hokage's office. The black ops member left them, and Koto knocked on the office door. "Come in." They entered.

Tsunade was sitting behind the desk in her usual garb. She leaned back at Koto's entrance and crossed her arms. "Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Tsunade asked.

He closed the door behind them. "Koto is a new friend of the kids'. I figured I'd come along to see what was going on."

Tsunade leaned forward now. "I promise, nothing bad… or at least not that I'm planning." She looked at Koto. "I'm sure you know why I would be wanting to speak with you?"

Koto shrugged. "I have an inkling, but I'm not certain. Would you care to enlighten me?"

"Oh, possible war crimes, a former black ops member from another nation waltzing into town, and the fact that you're obscuring this identity is proving you're a suspicious person. I figured I'd get your story before asking you to leave town." Tsunade finished, staring at Koto.

She sighed heavily. "Yeah, that's all true. I was a part of a corrupt organization many years ago. You should also know that I willingly abandoned my post due to that. I regret doing it how I did - it resulted in many more civilian casualties than if I had intervened earlier. But I have done nothing wrong since then, in any of the nations I've visited. I'm not actively hiding my identity - no one else has inquired or guessed, aside from Kakashi, whom I willingly told."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Kakashi, you knew this, but didn't come forward with it?"

"Why would I need to?" he asked. "Plenty of ninja have done wrong in the midst of battle. None of what she did, that she recounted to me, placed her in a position of blame. Definitely didn't seem to me to be any war crimes."

"Well, to be fair on the war crime accusation: The Land of Lightning is accusing her of committing war crimes," Tsunade offered.

Koto laughed. "Of course they would. After a change of leadership, they sought to prevent total upheaval of the government by placing blame on anyone else. They secretly executed many members of the black ops and left any of their puppets alive. Since I wasn't there to be a part of either group, they apparently labeled me a war criminal. Not only a former member who went rogue, but also the one who incited the cruel acts at that village."

Tsunade nodded. "I see. Well, you are right - there is absolutely nothing alarming about the rest of your life after the military. You grew up alone, got caught for some petty crimes, went into service for your country, then it looks like you bounced around some jobs on the far outskirts of the Land of Lightning, eventually traveling through other lands," she said. "I don't currently have any reason to ask you to leave, especially with Kakashi's endorsement…" She looked to him for approval. He nodded. "...but know two things. One: you are a war criminal in your home nation. If this results in any negative consequences for us, you must leave. We won't hesitate to surrender you. Two: any slip-ups, and you are gone. I won't send you back to your homeland necessarily in this instance, but you can't stay here. Understood?"

Koto nodded, bowing to Tsunade. "I understand, Madam Hokage. I promise I will be nothing but good for the town and this nation."

"Good," Tsunade said. "Then that's all I needed." She was writing some notes, probably regarding this meeting, and was clearly done with the conversation.

"Oh, Tsunade," Kakashi said as Koto was heading to the door. "Sakura and her friends have taken quite a liking to Koto as well. You can inquire with them about her character too, if needed."

Tsunade's head shot up. "Sakura? Well. I guess if she's okay with you, then that's a good thing. What I said still stands."

Koto heard this in the distance but was already walking away briskly. She heard Kakashi close the door and catch up. "Hey, it's alright. She was just checking in on this, it's part of her duty."

"Yeah, I understand, but the issue is the fact that a woman whom I've never seen in person knew I was here and knew most of my entire life. I can only assume that someone from the Land of Lightning has been in communication with her or someone close to her. The only people who would have my records are in the black ops, and if they also knew my work history since leaving, that means they are more than capable of finding me," she explained. "When I left the Land of Lightning most recently, a few months ago, none of this was happening. I wasn't declared a war criminal, no one that I knew was still in the black ops, and no one seemed to care. If they have tabs on me, that means they do care for some reason and they'll be looking to kill me, because I won't be their puppet."

"But you're here and that means you're safe. We have strong ninja who you already know and would keep you safe. We won't give you up unless you break the law, which I don't see you doing," Kakashi said. "This is probably the best place you could've ended up in this situation."

She shook her head. "That is all true and good. My issue is the black ops is historically unhinged. They have no issue killing people for no good reason. I'm worried that anyone and everyone I've ever interacted with - have worked for, housed with, or become friends with - are in a dangerous position." Koto stopped, sighing and running a hand through her hair. "You all are capable, but I have known so many civilians… I want to make sure they're safe, but they're so far apart. And I don't know if going to find them would be more dangerous for them." She looked at the ground. They were standing outside the building that housed the hokage, and she had finally stopped walking. "This is why I don't normally stay anywhere long, and I don't make friends. I wanted to make sure if my past came back to haunt me, it wouldn't be haunting anyone else."

Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder. "I have known some people in similar situations to you. I know it seems there's no winning. But I'll help you, and the rest of us will, too. We can figure out a plan to try and solve this so everyone can be safe. Okay?" he asked her.

Koto sighed again. "Okay. I'm too worried to train tonight - I'm going to go home," she said.

Kakashi nodded, returning his hands to his pockets. "I can walk you home."

"No thanks," she muttered. "I'd like to gather my thoughts."

She headed off, Kakashi standing there a few moments more. He considered following her anyways but had been told off by too many stubborn women in the past to follow through on that thought. He took himself home instead, planning on stopping by Koto's in the morning instead.