The morning is grey and crisp, frost has set; a night-long of creeping on everything. In half an hour, the sun will be shining down and melting all of it, reducing it to little puddles of reflected sky.

Over the past week, several things have transpired for the beloved inhabitants of Konoha and yet, most of them remain unaware. Change rings silently through the air, only those close enough to the core of events can feel it- a strange dissonance, a restlessness.

Itachi has said goodbye to his baby brother, who coos happily at his departure. Outside the compound is bustling with some pedestrians, but it is empty enough that Itachi chooses to walk through the main street, watching the houses as they wake up for the day; windows are pushed open, children are laughing somewhere, a woman shouts and steam from the kitchen is bubbling its way out of an open kitchen window.

In an apartment amongst the residences graced with a view of Hokage Rock, Shisui is standing at the door of Michiko's apartment, his hand lingering on the doorknob. Behind him, dishevelled and confused, the Sarutobi is staring holes into the back of his head. Words have been exchanged- a sense of finality collapses over them, enunciated by the slam of a door as Shisui leaves.

Within the few minutes that the young Uchiha sprints down the steps in a silent rage, the current line-up of Team Ro assembles at the Anbu HQ.

Inside the musty changing room, Tenzo fidgets with the handle of his locker. He is twenty minutes too early this morning, and their changing room smells unpleasantly of sweat and damp towels from yesterday. A surge of frustration courses through him and he violently shakes the locker until it pops open, with a protesting groan.

All but throwing his bag inside, he backs up to the bench and drops himself onto it.

"Mah…Tenzo." Kakashi is peering silently from the doorway- he has been watching the whole ordeal, having entered silently. "Are you alright?"

Huffing and pouting like a child, Tenzo deflates.

"I wanted Michiko to come back to the team. I hate the new recruit. He's a jerk."

Kakashi raises his eyebrows in amusement as he continues his way into the changing room and pulls off his shirt. He does not disagree. The morning has been strange for him too; the change in the air has made some of his scar-tissue throb with pain- one side of his face feels particularly numb. He is glad to be at the HQ, with tasks to occupy his mind.

6 AM on a Wednesday morning, too early for some, but Kakashi is glad to be back on routine. It has been 6 months since the Nine-tail's attack on Konoha.

Michiko stares dumbly at the door. Her fists are clenched and clammy and her throat hurts from raising her voice. Verbal altercations have increased between her and Shisui over the previous six months.

He says that it is because she hasn't come to terms with her trauma, but Michiko disagrees.

I can't keep living this stupid, domestic life.

In the six months Michiko has been recuperating, she has moved back to her apartment and spends her workdays as a teacher at the Academy. It is not unusual for a jonin to be appointed as visiting faculty while they are healing, or retired.

Unfortunately for Tenzo, (and maybe for Kakashi, too), she has been temporarily discharged from Anbu duty until they can deem her as mentally and physically stable.

Silently, Michiko abandons all hope of rest after she checks the clock. The arms smugly indicate that it is exactly 6 AM.

For fucks sake.

She abandons her spot on the couch and trudges to her closet to throw together a semblance of a neat outfit.

Today, she decides she will wear black. Just for the heck of it.

It is pretty much my own funeral. I am slowly killing every bit of myself that is genuinely me.

Perhaps an over-reaction, Michiko feels that her current emotions are justified, and she jealously wonders how Team Ro is doing.

Probably having the time of their lives.

Jealously, she marches to her open kitchen and begins packing three breakfast boxes for her lucky teammates.

Tenzo sullenly surrenders to preparing for today's mission, eyeing Kakashi who has plopped his shirtless self on the bench and is rolling his left shoulder with a pained look.

"Taichou, have you heard from Michiko?"

Kakashi's eyes narrow and he hisses as he feels his shoulder click painfully in it's socket, "No, I haven't seen her in a month."

And just like that, the topic of conversation barges into their changing room, looking desperate.

"Looks like we summoned the demon right out of hell." Kakashi remarks wryly, patting the mask covering his face as if to make sure it is on.

Michiko is wrinkling her nose at the stench of the room when she comprehends Kakashi's comment.

"It's lovely to see you too, taichou."

Her eyes are puffy, her hair is pulled up into a messy bun.

'She looks absolutely tragic' Kakashi thinks.

"You're disobeying orders, Michiko," He clucks, "You know school-teachers aren't allowed inside Anbu HQ."

She slams the door shut behind her, as if to say 'as if I give a shit' and continues her way into the room.

'Ignored. I see.' Kakashi reverts his attention to rolling his other shoulder.

Tenzo's face is lit with a pleased grin, "Michiko!"

"Hello Tenzo!" She waves, and then unexpectedly grips him in an awkward hug. He is tense, but after a second, he relaxes. Kakashi watches the exchange, silently wondering why the sight of her makes him want to be cruel.

"Please tell me you are coming back today." Tenzo pleads, batting his eyelashes at the girl.

"Oh, I'm not, not yet." She says uncertainly as she releases him, "I was just…up early, so I wanted to give you guys some breakfast."

Quick as lighting, she pulls out three boxes and puts them on the bench, "Itachi-kun isn't here yet?"

"Nope." Kakashi swipes up a box and examines the bento, "What's the occasion?"

Michiko shrugs, but he isn't looking at her. Nonchalantly, he pulls down his mask and begins to eat, leaving Michiko startled.

Distractedly, she wrings her hands and refocuses her eyes on the thick scars around Kakashi's stomach.

Not much better…

Cheeks aflame, Michiko turns on her heel to go to her locker.

"Did I ever leave anything in here?" She asks awkwardly. She is ashamed of her reaction to her captain.

Kakashi scrapes the remains of the food from his box and finishes his breakfast, pulling up his mask, "Mhmm, some of your armor is still in there."

She spares Kakashi a brief glance as she peers into her locker once, slams it shut and busies herself with getting Kakashi's box back into her little bag. It is only then that she is close enough for Kakashi to feel it; her puffy eyes, her swollen cheeks, the shininess of her eyes and the softness of her voice are compounded into a perfectly glum Sarutobi.

And then, he sees the cherry to top it all. A misshapen dark blotch on her right temple, concealed under a patchy layer of foundation. To Tenzo's (and Kakashi's own) surprise, the Hatake reaches out with a hand, takes Michiko's forearm and pulls her towards him.

Close enough, he scrutinizes the patch and then wipes it off with a few rubs of his thumb.

"Ow! What the hell are you doing?!" Michiko pulls herself free of his grip and puts some space between them, but the angry bruise has shown itself. It is darker on her temple, and spreads into a faint yellow over her cheek.

"What is that?" He asks tensely, he feels the muscles of his body tense and to Michiko's amusement, his left boob twitches.

She stares at it, distracted and then half-laughs when she answers him, "It's a bruise- ah," She stifles a chuckle, "Sorry."

Why did his boob twitch? What the fuck was that?

The humorous sparkle in her eyes dissipates when she meets his single-eyed, stern gaze. Now that his mask is back on, she is able to recognize his expressions better because she that is what she is used to.

He is upset.

Her laughter has silenced itself and Tenzo speaks up, echoing Kakashi's concern.

"How did you get it?"

Panicking, Michiko glances from one male to the other, "I…" She chews her lip, "I started training again." She admits, guiltily.

Kakashi, mildly annoyed, turns to his open locker and resumes digging out his equipment from his locker.

Tenzo disapprovingly shakes his head, "Michiko you know you're not supposed to be doing that."

"Yes, I know." She sighs, looking a little defeated, and eyes Kakashi's bare back.

After a moment of wrestling something from his locker, Kakashi looks at her from over his shoulder. He meets her apprehensive gaze and then lets out a short, disappointed sigh.

"I'm sorry." She chokes out, "I just can't sit at the Academy anymore."

For the most part, Kakashi ignores her and focuses on getting his undershirt over his body. It doesn't help that Michiko is staring at him, waiting for a response of some sort. He feels conscious under gaze and is suddenly aware of the bareness of his upper body.

Tenzo eyes their captain too, his eyes flitting knowingly from Michiko to Kakashi, calculating the tension beneath the silence. He feels that it has elevated since the incident; as if Michiko and Kakashi are anxiously attached to one another, and insecure about it.

"Michiko," Kakashi starts as he turns to face her, now shirted, "You are old enough to decide what is good for you and what isn't. You are no longer under my charge, not until you are fit enough to be back on my squad. Until then, I ask you as your friend, to take care of yourself."

Defensively, Michiko snaps, "I am taking care of myself!"

Her raised voice makes him bristle with concern, and although Kakashi keeps himself as stoic and cool as is expected, something unfurls inside of him that makes his tone much harsher than he wants it to be; "So, if faced with a tense situation, you're telling me you won't dissociate? Or become paralyzed? You're telling me that you'll be able to," Quick as lightning, Kakashi whips a kunai at her, "Protect yourself?"

Just as he expected, she is unable to react in time and the kunai leaves a tiny little cut along the curve of her jaw and embeds itself in the door far behind her. A few seconds later, a confused Itachi silently pushes it open and peers around the door at the little blade. Once he turns his attention to the people inside the room, he shuts the door quietly behind him and appears to busy himself with his locker, trying gauge the scene.

Kakashi has Michiko beheld in a stern, cold look. A sight he has seen several times before, while Michiko was still on Team Ro.

"I…" Shocked at her own slowness, Michiko stumbles for words, "I'm simply practicing my taijutsu. I know I'm not ready to come back yet." She sounds embarrassed.

"Michiko." Kakashi slams his locker shut, "You'll be late to the Academy if you don't leave now."

Everyone around them exchanges glances; this is almost a replay of Michiko and Kakashi's first confrontation. The Sarutobi is pink with embarrassment, and her puffy eyes are not helped by the tears that begin to brim, which she wipes with the back of her hand.

"I…Okay."

Turning on her heel, she steels her way through the door and out, slamming it behind her. Kakashi watches her, and then exhales a long breath from his mouth.

"I shouldn't have done that right, Tenzo? Itachi?"

"It was too harsh." Itachi quips meanly, upset that his friend has been embarrassed in front of the team, "Shisui is not being kind to her either these days, she may have just needed some encouragement from you."

Curiously, Kakashi raises an eyebrow, his eyes lazily watching Itachi as he dresses himself.

"She could get encouragement from whoever she is training with."

"You know it isn't the same." Tenzo adds, "We are her team, it's us she wants to be back with."

"Exactly." Itachi gently closes his locker. He seems composed but he makes it clear that he is unhappy with his taichou.

Kakashi remains ponderously quiet, letting his curious nature get the best of him; "What's up with her and Shisui?"

Itachi turns to him inquisitively as he leans against the door of his locker. His onyx eyes meet Tenzo's and he maintains his poker face.

"It's a personal matter. Excuse me." Itachi moves to leave the changing room, hoping to find Michiko somewhere outside but she is already gone.

Leafing through one of her notebooks at home, having taken a sick day from the Academy, Michiko makes the toughest decision of her life. She dials a number from the little phone resting on a side-table in her living room. The line rings- it keeps ringing, and no one answers.

"Ugh." She flops onto the floor, sliding off the sofa with ease. The receiver is placed back with a soft click.

"Fuck me." She groans, proceeding to flop onto the floor, the carpet itching her back through her t-shirt.

"I can't do anything." She half-sobs, too upset with herself to cry. "He made a fool out of me. I am a fool!"

She smacks the underside of the coffee table with her hand, and immediately winces.

"Ow…"

The phone begins to ring again.

Michiko lifts her neck and stares at it, listening to the shrill, repetitive sound. Her heart begins to pound, so she sits up and wrenches it off the receiver.

"...H…Hello?" Her voice is breathy, almost raspy. She clears her throat. All she can hear is the fuzzy silence of old telephone lines. Almost out of hope, she nearly puts it down.

"Hello, Michiko." Says the familiar, friendly voice, "What a pleasant surprise. I didn't think you would call."

Her fingers begin to feel numb and cold. She almost puts the phone down but braces herself- she has made her decision. No one can stop her now.

Not even herself.

"I'm ready to join you." She says softly, whispering as if the walls could hear her, as if her furniture would tell on her if it knew. There is a low chuckle on the line, and Michiko worries that he too will mock her for being weak and pathetic as she has become.

"What brought this on, Michiko?"

"Your only business is to know that I want in." She says carefully, glancing at the open terrace door behind her, "What do I have to do?"

"Wait for me." The voice speaks finally, never losing it's jovial tone. Then, the call cuts and the beep beep beep signals that their conversation is over.

Michiko sits there and stares at the phone. Her eyes roam over the mouthpiece, over the old plastic and she gently places it back over the receiver, the cord tangling itself. Sitting up on her knees, she presses her palms to her thighs and keels over slightly.

I don't even know if I want this…but it's too late now.

She clambers onto her feet and glances around her tiny studio apartment- it is sparsely decorated; a green couch covered in faded velvet, a simple wooden coffee table with too many mug stains adorning the surface, a few patterned carpets Michiko stole from her bedroom in the Sarutobi household. Here and there, things are scattered, and it feels like home. She is lost in a reverie, recalling all the times she has enjoyed herself in this small space.

A single, sharp knock on her door pulls her from her dip into memory-lane.

He can't possibly be here already.

She wonders if it could be family instead, or Shisui, but the knock is unfamiliar. Half-panicked, she tugs her t-shirt down over her hips as she creeps to the doorway and tries to listen to the person on the other side.

'What is she doing?' Kakashi can hear her creeping around- she isn't very quiet.

"Michiko?"

Concerned, he reaches forward to knock again, when door is rapidly pulled open revealing the Sarutobi with a suspicious look gracing her features.

"What are you doing here?" She asks, accusingly.

At her sharp tone, Kakashi shoves his hands in his pockets, and glances down at her legs, "I wanted to talk."

Batting her eyes at him angrily, she huffs and moves aside to let him in. This time she doesn't slam any doors, letting it shut gently as to not disturb her neighbors. She trudges past him, allowing Kakashi to appreciate how nice her backside looks in her gym shorts.

'She definitely hasn't lost shape.'

He tries not to stare, his eye instead landing on the emblazoned fan on the wall across the room. The Uchiha symbol is printed on it in bold white and red.

'How clever. Maybe Shisui put it up there for this very moment.' He muses, faintly amused.

"Don't you think you said enough?" She asks, perching herself behind the kitchen island, her elbows resting on the marble.

"Actually, I came here to say that…" His eyes wander back to her from the fan, catching sight of the various photographs and books scattered across her apartment. This is the first time he has been here in the day.

"I was wrong to say what I said. You obviously need time to recover, but I commend you for trying to get back into shape again."

Michiko is already used to his half-apologies and isn't surprised when he doesn't just say sorry. She turns her attention to the kettle plugged into the wall on the table behind her.

"You want something to drink? Tea? Coffee?"

Slowly, Kakashi makes his way to the green couch and plops himself down on it heavily. He also isn't surprised that she ignores his apology- he assumes it is her way of forgiving people without admitting it. She shoots him an annoyed look that he doesn't see.

"A coffee would be nice. Black, no sugar."

Rolling her eyes and silently mimicking him, Michiko turns the kettle on and pulls out two mugs from a cabinet. As she is busy cluttering her way through her kitchen, Kakashi takes his sweet time to stare at the various things around her apartment.

'So many books.' His eyes then land on her bed, through the open double doors that divide the bedroom from the rest of the open apartment. It is made neatly, pillows stacked against the headboard, a string of fairy lights hanging across the ceiling over it. A single orange throw is tossed across the bed too, reminding Kakashi of the one time he had stolen into her room in the middle of the night to wake her, just before she was kidnapped.

Guilt pools in his chest and he clears his throat, only then realising that Michiko is saying something.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I was asking if instant coffee was okay. But it's too late." She is suddenly beside him, her bare knee bumping his leg as she hands him his mug. He takes it carefully, his fingers over hers for a moment.

It sends something through him- a strange, alien sensation.

Kakashi stares at the black liquid, inhaling it's delicious scent as he lowers his mask. Michiko steps over his feet and plops down on the sofa next to him, leaving plenty of space between them.

In her mind, she is wondering why Shisui hasn't visited. The thought dissipates the minute she turns her gaze to her guest, startled to find his face exposed and open to her view. She does her best to prevent the heat threatening to creep over her cheeks.

Steam furls over the rim of Michiko's mug much like Kakashi's own, and he eyes her slender fingers wrapped around it.

'She's trying to not look surprised.'

An awkward silence descends. Kakashi leans back into the sofa as he blows the hot coffee to cool it down. He wishes she could get used to seeing his face- very few, scarcely any people have had this honor.

'I don't know why I like showing it to her.'

He decidedly speaks up, more to turn his mind away from the direction his thoughts are going in, "How have you really been, Michiko?"

She shoots him an incredulous look that she quickly conceals.

"I've been alright. Working at the Academy is tough as nuts. Children are horrible."

"I can't imagine. God forbid I ever have to take on a squad."

She laughs, baring her teeth in cute grin that makes Kakashi feels slightly uncomfortable now that it is directed him.

"I don't know, I feel like you would really discipline the hell out of those brats if you could."

'Discipline?' Kakashi is lost in thought for a moment, mysteriously humming. Michiko smiles at him, then turns to watch the sky through the open terrace door.

"How was your mission today?"

He clears his throat, "It was short, Michiko. Can't really say much else, you know how it is."

Now she hums, "Say, taichou." Kakashi turns to meet her warm eyes, just noticing how much like Hiruzen's they are. "Did you ever spend much time with Jiraiya-sama?"

"Hm? Not particularly." He sips his coffee. "Why?"

She shrugs, then moves to put her mug on the table and crosses her arms, "I've been thinking… My uncle mentioned that I could ask him to mentor me for a while, but that would mean leaving Konoha for a few months."

Kakashi nods, listening carefully. She continues.

"But I don't know. Maybe not." Uncertainly, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Mah…if you think it will help you, I don't think there's any reason not to try at least."

Kakashi's single open eye meets Michiko's alarmed ones and she blinks quickly, then leans forward to pick her mug up again. She takes a sip, and then another, and another.

"I didn't expect you to say that." She says, as if he were joking.

"Why not?" For once, Kakashi's eerie calm doesn't seem soothing or irritating to her.

"Well…Shisui didn't take it so well." She looks a little guilty.

The Hatake shrugs, "Everyone has different ideas, opinions and thoughts on how their loved ones should lead their lives." He says in a quieter voice, as if sharing a secret. "If I had my way, my father wouldn't choose the path he did. But I have no choice but to understand, accept and respect his choice now."

'And why on earth did I say that?' He can feel Michiko tensing from his words, that was not his intention.

Abruptly, he puts up a hand and his eyes crinkle, the crows' feet hinting at the smile that doesn't reach his lips, "What I mean is… You should always choose what you think is the path you need to take to respect yourself. Without that, we shinobi have very little to say for ourselves."

Michiko smiles softly- His words are profound, and they affect her more deeply than she can explain.

"Thank you, taichou. You always have something wise to share."

"Mah…Michiko when you keep calling me taichou I wonder if that's a kink you're into." Kakashi leans back again and sips his coffee calmly, waiting for some sort of reaction.

Embarrassed, Michiko balks at him, "WHAT?"

She stands up, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, when she realises that Kakashi is smiling. His single, lidded eye has the spark of someone very pleased with his handiwork. She narrows her eyes, mirroring his mischief.

"I bet you like it when I call you taichou."

His expression doesn't change, but Michiko sees the faintest hint of a twitch. His ears begin to burn and he prays to Kami that his blush is not observable.

"You perv." Michiko growls and then kicks his shin, albeit playfully. Kakashi grins too, and this time Michiko does blush- observably.

"So, when are you leaving?" He asks, finishing his coffee.

"I don't know yet. But you'll know." She says, downing her tea. She extends her hand to take his mug but instead he stands up and strolls to the sink.

"I'll wash up. It's the most I can do."

Curious at her captain's homely behavior, she follows him to the sink and leans against the counter as he washes his, and then plucks hers from her hand. His mask is back on and his eye flits to hers before he turns his attention to soaping up the mug under the faucet.

She watches his hands, realising she has never really seen them without gloves.

"I think Shisui is going to dump me." She says.

Kakashi shuts the tap with one swift turn, carefully places the washed mugs on the drying rack and then dries his hand on the little hand-towel hanging above the sink. He watches her from the corner of his eye.

"What makes you say that?"

Michiko's gaze lingers on his pink fingertips as he squeezes the cloth between his hands, "He told me he couldn't stand the sight of me without feeling responsible for what happened."

"Yikes." Kakashi pauses, the tense yellow towel loosening in his grip for a moment "He sounds a bit like me, doesn't he?"

"Yeah." She says sadly, "I thought he was just saying it because he was mad. But I think he might mean it…He's had some stuff going on and he's been…different."

"Well, someone like him has a lot of pressure from the clan. You know how tough that can be, you've seen Itachi."

'Why am I giving you relationship advice?' He eyes the yellow towel in his hand and squeezes it again.

"Mhmm." Michiko can only agree, feeling stupid for not considering that earlier. "He's been tense ever since the attack. Do you think there's…a link?" Uncertainly, she looks up at his face and then back at the towel in his hands. She climbs onto the counter and kicks the air as Kakashi finally hangs the cloth back.

"What do you mean?" He rests his hip against the sink.

"Do you…think that maybe…People think the Uchiha Clan was responsible?"

Kakashi eyes Michiko and then takes a deep breath.

"Michiko, how much do you remember from your kidnapping?"

When their eyes meet, Kakashi realizes that Michiko is holding something back. She has a tell; her gaze always becomes more intense when she is trying to lie.

"Not a lot."

Kakashi has caught her.

"Well." He plays along, deciding it isn't his job to interrogate, "Based off the kind of injuries you had when we found you, your kidnapper was most likely an Uchiha, or had access to the sharingan."

Michiko nods, "Yes, that much I remember."

"What else do you remember?"

She expects the question, and under his sharp gaze, she turns her attention to her hands and squeezes her fingers.

"I remember most of it now." She admits carefully, "But I can't remember his face."

"Oh…" Kakashi follows her eyes to her hands, and then reaches out and takes them in his own. He isn't sure what compels him to do this, except that her nervousness is unnerving for him. He pries her fingers away from each other.

"What do you remember about him?" Probing, he watches her hands, now in his own.

She makes no effort to take her hands away, because the contact is comforting. Instead, she unfolds them and lets his warm fingers rest on her palms. He is close enough for her to smell his scent, if he wasn't wearing his forehead protector, his hair would be tickling her face.

"Just a mask. An orange mask." She answers, slowly.

"Was he the only one that hurt you?"

Michiko looks at him then, her eyes sharp and aware, "Yes. He was alone. He also took me to Kirigakure and showed me where my mother and her clan were slaughtered."

Kakashi releases her hands gently, placing his palms on either side of her on the counter.

"Your mother's clan was assassinated, right. I heard about that." He is looking away from her deep in thought, and her knees brush against his hips. He takes a step back, caught off guard by their sudden closeness.

Blithely, she slides off the counter and stands before him with her arms crossed. "Shisui told me everything from the investigation. He told me how much you helped."

Kakashi is smiling beneath his mask, "Of course, I wasn't going to let someone steal Team Ro's favourite monkey."

Michiko chuckles softly, a warm smile glowing between them and solidifying that they do in fact, care for one another.

"I also learnt a lot about my kekkei-genkai." She adds, with a tilt of her head.

"I was really surprised to hear you had it." Kakashi rubs the back of his neck, "I had read about it in some old books my grandparents had lying around. Clan records."

Michiko is suddenly interested, "Do you still have them?"

"Of course. It's all stuff my ancestors passed down, most of it is ancient." He puts his hands back in his pockets, "You're welcome to have a look whenever you want."

"I would really appreciate that. There's so much I don't understand about my abilities. It's really painful for one thing, and I have no idea how I'm supposed to just get used to it." She says, exasperated.

"I don't exactly remember how much detail is in them- the records are in my grandparents' home in the countryside."

"You have a countryside home?"

"Yes. It's part of our clan's land." Kakashi supplies, glancing away at the fan for a moment. Michiko suddenly remembers that the Hatake were a clan once too.

Both of them speak up at once, "Maybe we-"

They stop awkwardly. Kakashi's smile becomes more prominent beneath his mask because his eye crinkles.

"You first." He says.

"Maybe we could do a little Team Ro retreat right in the Hatake heartland, and I can have a look at those records?"

His lidded eye seems to blink slowly, his head is tilted, and his very lazy demeanor returns, "I think that would be a great idea. Something for us to do before you leave."

Michiko nods and before she can say anything else, Kakashi has turned on his heel and heads towards the door, "Right, Michiko-chan. I'll be off now. Don't worry about Shisui, I'm sure he'll come around."

Wordlessly, she smiles, caught off guard by his abrupt departure, "Goodbye, taichou."

He looks at her over his shoulder once before gracefully pulling the door open and shut as he leaves.