Chapter 1

"Kakashi! I'm home!" Akurei called, closing the door gently behind her. She hadn't expected to hear a response, but habit and hope that he had returned took over. He may have come back from his mission. It had already been two days since he was supposed to have returned. "Kakashi?" she called again, trotting all around and checking every room for signs of her older brother. His room was exactly as he had left it. In no time she had checked the entire small house; there was no sign he had come back and simply wasn't home.

Akurei climbed up onto a chair and sat down at the small kitchen table with a few papers of homework in front of her. She could hardly see the papers on the table without craning her neck upwards. She had always been small for her age, and she was by far the shortest in her entire class by more than a few inches. Kakashi never teased her about being short. He may have been the only one.

She began working on her homework of basic math and reading. She would breeze through this and then move on to the extra work she had asked for; more advanced knowledge about chakra pathways, tenketsu and the science behind basic cloning techniques. Even these she could do with ease. Her brother was known for being a child prodigy, and while he never showed it, she knew Kakashi was pleased when she surpassed those around her as he always did. And as he expected from her, she would soon be promoted to the next academic level ahead of schedule.

Akurei worked hard to keep up with the pace her brother had set, but she thought her tiny size often hindered her physical progress. Kakashi never accepted that excuse, and was one of the only ones to push her to use her frail size to her advantage rather than treat it like a handicap. A smaller target is harder to hit, after all. He had warned her not to listen to other kids, that they would be jealous that someone so young was smarter than they were. Other people shouldn't be regarded in a way that makes their opinions important, so Akurei shouldn't be able to get hurt by them. Shinobi are tools, and must always focus on the mission, something their father didn't do.

Akurei checked the clock every few minutes as she worked. Kakashi had just been promoted to Jounin and his team had been gone for a few days on an important mission that would help the war effort. She was proud of him, and knew he would do his job well. But still she sat patiently, hoping this would be the moment he arrived home from his first mission as team leader. She hoped he would have enough energy to train with her this evening. He never went easy on her because of her size.

The sun began to set. The silence of the empty house was numbing and almost frightening. She would never admit it, but she hated being alone. Just knowing that Kakashi was nearby was comforting even though he rarely spoke. The house would still be silent, but the feeling was completely different. Sensing his familiar chakra nearby calmed her; his presence was somehow warm-feeling. Now it was only cold and empty.

The sun had set long ago. The house now was black, a boundless pit of nothing. Her homework was on the table in front of her, forgotten in the darkness. She wasn't unaccustomed to being left alone, but she still hated it. Every time Kakashi had a long mission she seemed to be on edge. She couldn't fully concentrate nor relax enough to sleep well. When sleep did find her she would jolt awake at the slightest noise, anticipating her brother's return. She could always sense it from upstairs when he came home no matter how quiet he was.

Kakashi told her that she was special, that not many people can feel chakra like she can. She could sense her brother's mood just by being near him. Her father's too, before he died. She was too young to have anticipated what Sakumo's sudden chakra change had meant for him, but Kakashi didn't hold that against her. Their father had been weak and there was nothing to be done.

Akurei snapped awake. Her short, stark-white hair was a mess. She hadn't realized that she had dozed off at the kitchen table. Someone was approaching the front door. She instinctively sensed their chakra; it was strong and controlled, maybe water or earth. Not Kakashi's lightning. She wiped drool off her face and tried to think of what time it was. It was dark, even darker than usual. Maybe the night sky was full of clouds that blocked the moonlight. No one should be coming near her house this late. She jumped out of the chair and started for the stairs as the approaching person banged loudly on the door.

"Hatake Akurei, open the door." The voice was deep, a man's voice she didn't recognize. No, something was wrong. She hurdled up the stairs still groggy from sleep.

"We know you're there, please come to the door," another man's voice called from downstairs as the loud banging on the door continued. In a panic, Akurei found herself in Kakashi's room. She didn't expect him to be there, but a part of her wished he was. But this was also her escape route. His room faced the back of the house, and there was a small window that only she could possibly fit through. If the strangers got into the house they would have to backtrack to reach her, giving her a head-start. She yanked open the window and wiggled through.

The small girl leaped from rooftop to rooftop rushed and slipping on cold shingles, tripping over her own bare feet in panic. She didn't stop to catch her breath for an instant. If the men following her were as old as they sounded, she would need this head start. No one ever came to their house. Something was wrong.

She dropped down into the dark streets lit only by shops and signs, dodging the sparse people scattered about as she bolted as fast as her legs would carry her. "Kakashi!" Akurei yelled, receiving stares from some but not holding still long enough to care. A momentary hush fell over a nearby bar as she ran screaming by, yelling her brother's name over and over. Her tumultuous presence on the quiet night street caused confusion in some and pity in others. "Kakashi! Kakashi!" She almost ran into someone's legs as they exited a building, but she ignored the complaints that followed. Only one person mattered right now.

She continued sprinting down the street, the cool night air finally feeling raspy in her throat. The bottoms of her feet were hurting from pounding on the uneven and jagged ground, but that didn't stop her. She had turned some corners and now the streets were getting darker as the still-lit shops became scarcer. She continued to run blindly, maybe to the forest, she didn't know. Deep down she knew she should have been running to either the hospital or the graveyard. "Kakashi-" Her voice was suddenly cut off as she ran right into someone's legs and fell backwards. The man had appeared so quickly she didn't have time to turn. An older Jounin stared down at her.

"Hatake Akurei, please come with me." If he had been following her, it didn't show. She was so out of breath her chest hurt; he wasn't even breathing out of his mouth. She tried not to look at his face for fear of seeing the look on it. But her eyes met his, and her heart sank.

No, this wasn't happening. She wouldn't hear what he had hunted her down to say. Akurei bolted up and turned to run the other way, but another Jounin was blocking her path. She froze, stuck in between the two of them. She could try to run around them, but they would catch her. Her mind raced, trying to think of another possible escape route. Could she go up? They were in a narrow alley, and her chakra control was already good enough for vertical running. If she could get to the rooftops again...

She knew it. She knew they would catch her, but still her mind raced. It was too late for a replacement Jutsu or shadow clone. Why hadn't she thought of that sooner? Before she could scold herself for not thinking better under such duress, the man behind her spoke.

"We are not here to harm you, Hatake." Akurei whirled around to face the man she had run into. His voice was calm, his face now a solemn mask. She stared up at him with her cloudy gray eyes, focusing all of her willpower on appearing calm. "Your brother is in the hospital," the man said apologetically. Upon seeing the look on Akurei's face he quickly spoke again. "He is fine, don't worry... but he wishes to see you." The man seemed hesitant to reveal this information, or unsure of the content of his message. Something was definitely wrong.

Akurei stared up at him, trying to read his chakra patterns. It was easy with people she knew, like Kakashi; their chakra was so similar it required little effort. But this man's was unknown to her and she could gather no new information.

"We've wasted enough time. We'll take you to him now," the other Jounin said.

Akurei was silent the entire walk to the hospital, and her Jounin company didn't say a word to her. The closer they got to Kakashi, the faster Akurei's walk became until she was all-out sprinting. Her companions didn't say a word and followed the pace she set. When they were right outside the hospital, the chakra of both Jounin changed so slightly only Akurei would notice. They were anxious.

The two stayed close to her as she ran down the halls of the hospital. She didn't need directions; she just followed the feeling of despair.

As she rounded a corner she found herself nearly running into Kakashi's sensei. Minato was leaning against a door with his head down and eyes closed. Akurei could feel his overwhelming sadness and anger like bugs crawling on her skin. He wasn't even making an attempt to keep his chakra under control, but no one else seemed to notice. His face didn't give away any emotion but the air around him sure did. Could no one else feel it? If they did they didn't want to discuss it. There were a few doctors near the door and another Jounin. They were all silent.

Minato looked down at her. Kakashi was just beyond the door he was blocking. Why was he keeping her away? Kakashi wanted to see her, the Jounin had said. She thought about protesting or trying to force him to move. If he saw how badly she wanted to get in maybe he would let her by.

Instead she stalled, trying to pick up any new information she could. She stayed perfectly still and felt for any sudden changes in chakra from the medics and Jounin around her. The doctors were out here and she felt only two people in the room beyond. No one had noticed yet. Good.

The only thing that worried her was Kakashi. From beyond the door she could feel his chakra as if he were right next to her. She had never felt it like this before. It was frantic, exhausted, uncontrolled and desperate. At its very core there was nothing but sorrow. It felt a lot like her father's had before he died, but it was unpredictable and strong.

She wanted badly to ask Minato what had happened to put her brother in such a terrible state. Had he failed the mission? His chakra was too powerful, not an indication that his injuries forced him to fall back before he completed his task. No, that wasn't it. Something had shaken him- badly. But the atmosphere of the older ninja around her prevented her from speaking up to ask. They were grim; she had never seen the calm Minato so upset. Asking about what happened felt wrong.

"Akurei..." Minato finally spoke. He paused, searching for words. When he spoke his voice was slow and regretful. "Kakashi will be fine. But for now, maybe it is best that you do not see him..." Akurei watched him silently. He seemed to be deliberating something, but that didn't really matter to her. All she needed was to stall for time.


Suddenly Minato stood upright, eyes narrowing at the child standing suspiciously still in front of him. The sound of Kakashi's chakra igniting into chidori filled his ears. The Akurei before him vanished in a puff of smoke- a shadow clone. Raised voices came from behind the door. Minato burst into the room to see the two Hatake in a stand-off, facing each other in the middle of the hospital room. Dark blue lightning chakra screamed around the room, encircling them both. The sound was somehow both deep like thunder and such a high-pitched reverberation that it hurt his ears.

The sibling's chakra was resonating, and even Minato was having trouble figuring out where Kakashi's ended and Akurei's began. How she was managing to keep up with her brother was baffling enough to give Minato pause. He could only gawk at the scene before him.

The Hatake barely took notice of him entering the room they faced each other with such intense focus. For two young shinobi they were generating an enormous amount of power. And yet Minato could not piece together why the two of them were fighting. As he stared in disbelief, Minato noticed that Kakashi's chakra was out of control. He was in a rage, and his gigantic ball of blue lightning chidori that encompassed both of them reflected that. Akurei's chakra couldn't compare to her brothers, but she seemed to be directing it. The erratic veins of electricity did not touch her. Once the chidori got near, her own chakra fused with it and directed it back above their heads. Kakashi's intent was not to hurt her. They were having a battle of will.

"...just like dad. I thought you said..." It sounded like Akurei's voice. Minato couldn't hear their conversation well over the sound of electricity screaming and buzzing through the air. Akurei's voice was deep and harsh, but somehow still soft. " ...just like him!" She wasn't yelling, but rather forcefully speaking. Minato had to focus to hear the quiet words.

Kakashi seemed to be getting a lecture about duty from his younger sister. Minato knew this one well. The words he could make out were familiar; Kakashi's sensei had heard this from his student many times.

"Shinobi are tools, the mission is more important!" Akurei said. Minato frowned; he had this conversation with Kakashi more times than he could count. The girl was throwing her brother's own philosophies back at him. He had told her what happened, it seemed, and she didn't understand why Kakashi was so upset at losing his teammates.

"...would you do if I died?" Kakashi growled at her, his right eye wide and furious. His left was bandaged up- something that still hurt Minato just as much as it hurt Kakashi. It was all too fresh. Minato had failed to save not one, but two of his students. He felt his own chest tighten and his eyes begin to burn as he kept watching the sibling's fight.

"That's different. You're family." She spat back, her face a grimace of anger and shock, seemingly appalled that he would use such a counter-argument. Minato watched them each struggling to grasp the situation, and he was frightened that he had absolutely no idea how to handle it. Should he break them up? He wasn't sure what was best. Kakashi needed to come to terms with his emotions, but should Minato allow that to happen at Akurei's expense?

"I was wrong, Rei. About a lot." Kakashi's chidori began to expand, whips of lighting cracking against the walls, turning the light fixtures and furniture in the room into dust and rubble. Akurei was visibly struggling to maintain control of her brother's power.

"Minato-san! This is getting dangerous! Stop them!" One of the doctors called from behind him. Minato put his hand up to silence him, deciding to let the siblings finish. Kakashi had never let out so much emotion before. Minato wasn't even sure he possessed emotion. But this was necessary for Kakashi to come to terms with, to accept his feelings. He wasn't just trying to convince his sister, he was convincing himself.

"No." Akurei was shaking her head. She was in denial, Minato could clearly see. It was obvious how furious she was at this sudden change in her brother. "You... always told me... feelings made a ninja weak... That's why dad..." Akurei was showing signs of weakening. Minato had to dodge a rogue bolt. She had been controlling the chidori so perfectly, but Kakashi was overpowering her. If Minato let this go on much longer, Kakashi would destroy more than just this room. And if Akurei suddenly let go she would be hit hard. Still he couldn't make himself intervene.

"Obito said dad was a hero..." Kakashi retaliated, his power surging and causing Akurei to step back defensively.

"A hero?!" The girl asked incredulously, her eyes widening. This time it was Akurei's power that surged. The lightning above them flashed and jolted faster, the sudden bursts of light casting shadows that flickered around the room. "He failed his mission! He betrayed Konoha! He killed himself because he was so ashamed, is that what you call a hero?!" Her sudden rage pushed her forward a step, her control over their chakra returning.

"You don't know anything! Dad saved his teammates' lives!"

"He should have left them and finished his-"

"Shut up, Rei!" The power shifted again. Akurei was wearing down quickly. "Should my team have left me? Would that make you happy?" Kakashi was finally yelling. His sister looked terrified and exhausted; Minato knew it was time to intervene. He knew it. But he didn't move. "Obito gave his life for me!"

"Because you had a better chance of succeeding-" Akurei argued, taking a step backwards. Her wide gray eyes watched the lightning chakra around them jolting frantically, hundreds of blinding, flickering bolts threatening to hit her if she lost focus for a second.

"No, Rei!" Kakashi shouted. His chakra was lashing in all directions. The doctors had long since left to get help to move nearby patients, and the other Jounin watched, ready to dodge hospital debris at a moment's notice. Kakashi spoke once more, but the chidori drowned out his words. It was thunderous, and in the blink of an eye Minato regretted not intervening when he had the chance. The lightning moved as fast as his flash technique, and he hadn't thought to put a tag on Kakashi or his sister. Akurei's eyes widened in fear as she lost control of Kakashi's chakra completely. The argument was over.