Warning: There will be mentions of suicide.

'You must've had it pretty rough too, didn't you, Kakashi?' Sakumo asked, as he looked at the fire before him.

He wasn't going to lie- he missed his son. Yet, it pained him just as much to see him there. It was a bittersweet feeling. He was glad he finally saw him, and yet, he was still so young to be there. Kakashi was just about his own age when he committed suicide.

'Hm, I guess you could say so,' Kakashi said quietly, biting his lower lip. 'I... I have a kid myself, did I tell you about that?'

Sakumo's eyes widened a little. 'Ah, yes, you mentioned something.'

Sakumo didn't expect Kakashi to reopen the subject. It was no rocket science to realise it was a rather fragile subject. He didn't want to push it, but if Kakashi wanted to talk about it, he was all ears. It's the least I can do for him., he thought. Kakashi smiled a little, making some wrinkles around his eyes.

'I have a daughter. Her name's Kaiya, you see. She doesn't really look much like me, but she's mine. I'm glad she doesn't really look like me if you were to ask. She's so smart! She even made it in the ANBU.' Kakashi paused, as his father chuckled lightly. 'What's so funny?'

Sakumo paused, as he remembered something. He knew Kaiya.

'I'm sorry, 'Kashi. It's just really unexpected. You seem really proud of her.'

'Of course I am proud of her,' Kakashi said without missing a beat as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'She's my daughter. How can I not be proud of her?'

Sakumo smiled softly. 'Of course. Tell me more.'

Kakashi didn't hesitate to continue. He told his father how similar Kaiya was to Sakumo without even meeting him, how the girl was a fast learner that went through the ranks up until the ANBU in a very short amount of time, and how well she bonded with the village. Sakumo listened to every word closely.

He never once heard the girl once talk badly about her father, but she never really said much on the matter, anyhow. On the other hand, her father really seemed to take a liking in praising and talking about her. Maybe he didn't get the chance to talk about her like that before. As Kakashi paused for a moment, the air felt chillier.

'What... What's this?' Kakashi asked, softly, as he looked around.

'Probably Kaiya.' Sakumo answered, calmly, before he zoned out for a few moments. 'Yes, it's her. She found your body.'

Kakashi felt how he chocked on his words. 'How do you know that?'

'She can interact with the dead, can't she?'

Kakashi bit his lip. He didn't remember telling his father that, as he wasn't very sure about that himself.

'In the past few years, I could come and go in the form of a ghost in the world of the living. There were areas I could spend more time in than the others, so I'd mostly hang around there.' Sakumo explained. 'There's this place, this apartment, that allowed me to remain much longer than the other places. It turned out to be the apartment where Kaiya lived.'

Kakashi's eyes widened. 'Does that... Does that mean she met you?'

'Hardly.' Sakumo sighed. 'While I am there, and she's aware of my presence, I'm not visible or in any way capable of communicating properly. Maybe it's because I didn't cross the bridge between the world of the living and the dead, who knows. She has no idea who I am.'

Kakashi meditated, as his thoughts returned to Kaiya. 'She found my dead body. You know, dad, when you... when you died, I was the first one to find you like that.'

Silence fell between the two. In a way, Sakumo understood something in Kakashi's words. Something more than just a recollection of the past.

'You didn't want Kaiya to experience the same.'

Kakashi shook his head. 'No. To be honest, I didn't imagine this situation would come around, but... I think I did think about it on multiple occasions.'

'You didn't die on purpose, Kakashi. You died as a hero.'

'Dad, you're a hero, too, no matter what people say. You know, nowadays, I understand why you did what you did better. I just want to say, no matter what anyone says or thinks, I'm really proud of you, and I'm glad you're my father.'

Sakumo looked at his son in the eyes and it was then he felt how he was tearing up on the inside. His son... forgiving him? All of a sudden, a green, blinding light covered Kakashi.

'It looks like it isn't your time to remain here.' Sakumo said as he stood up. 'Thank you for forgiving me. I think... I think I can finally see your mother. Please take care of Kaiya.'

And then, the limbo disappeared, and Kakashi's eyes opened, violently. He was back on the battleground.

'Kakashi-sensei!' Choji cried, as he tugged the man into a hug. 'You're alive!'

His mind was still recalling the last thing his father told him. Thank you for forgiving me. Please take care of Kaiya.

'Ka... Kakashi-sensei. It's good to see you back.'

Turning around, Kakashi's eyes landed on Lee, who had a giant wound on his back, covered by many healing slugs.

'Where's Kaiya? What happened with your back?' Kakashi asked, rapid-fire.

'She saw your dead body, which triggered something in her that made her transform into a wolf. She ran to your side, and nearly got hit by a large shuriken, which I managed to dodge for her.'

'With your back?'

Kakashi raised his eyebrows, as Lee nodded. 'Kaiya was really shocked, and ran away, but I don't know where.'

'What?' A voice spat out as someone landed next to Lee. Kiba knelt down next to Lee. 'Kaiya left? Great. Just great. I think I know where she went. Hopefully, she didn't make a change of mindset.'

'Can you please take me to her, Kiba-kun?'

Kiba smirked. To be fair, he was, at first, sceptical about the boy's crush on his cousin -he was more protective than he liked to admit-, but he saw what happened, and Choji, who was there and witnessed it, also confirmed what he saw. The boy risked his life in order to make sure the girl didn't get hurt. It could be said he appreciated Lee more, giving him a feeling that he needed to somehow repay the boy for his actions. Bringing him to Kaiya like a good way to do that.

'Sure, but let's take a jonin with us, just in case.'

'Guy-sensei.' Lee proposed, quickly.

'Fine.' Kiba shrugged. 'Where is he?'

'I... He must be with Tenten and Neji in town. I don't know exactly where.'

'Then we'll have to find them.' Kiba said. 'But first, you have to heal.'

Kaiya ran blindly through the forest, still in her wolf form. It was an overall odd feeling to be in a different body, but Kaiya started to get more accommodated with it. It gave her more flexibility, stamina and speed for running, things that were very appreciated at that moment as the girl's mind lingered at what happened.

A dead person, another one extremely injured, possibly dead, too. Her fault. She didn't know what to think anymore. People died because of her in her last ANBU missions, and now the other two because of her negligence. All damn good ones. When she'll return to Konoha, Lady Hokage was sure to exile her for this negligent loss to Konoha. If she'd return to Konoha.

For a shameful moment, Kaiya considered returning to her clan for good. Yet, something in her didn't let her to. What about her father, her aunt and cousins, her apartment, the ghost in her apartment, her friendly dead neighbour, her friends and teammates in the ANBU, team, teacher, and... what about Lee?

She couldn't leave all that behind. She left her clan all those years ago for independence after what seemed to be their lack of empathy, and yet here she was, depending and clinging on the village and her bonds more than anything. She's seen death within the roots of the village, yes, but something seemed different there. People somehow managed to move on without completely forgetting the person. In a way, Kaiya felt like that brought some peace to the dead and their loved ones.

It has been hours since she's been running, and the sun began to set, bringing a deep shadow in the forest, mixing with various golden rays of sun that crept through the trees and their leaves. For a moment, Kaiya stopped running, letting her body get covered in shivers that crippled like ants. Before she knew it, she had transformed back into her human form, and collapsed on the floor, exhaustion finally catching up to her.

She let out a deep groan as she looked at the tree branches decorated in the warm colours of autumn. There weren't many leaves left, something that always managed to give Kaiya a feeling of sadness. She knew where she was. She's been in that forest a few times before- she was almost there, maybe another three or four hours of running.

As she stood there still, hearing nothing but her breath calming down to a normal pace and the wind rustling through the trees and their few remaining leaves, nostalgia grew on Kaiya. The forest remembered her of when she was younger, at the mere age of 8, and her first days of utter isolation in the woods.

There were cold nights and little food in a thick layer of snow, nothing she was a particular stranger to. Yet, she had no weapons and the furs that kept her warm eventually began to become thinner and less helpful to keep the warmth in her body, forcing Kaiya into making contact with people outside her clan for the first time. It was terrible- the way people looked, talked and treated her, all of it. The only good thing was the warm clothes she got from someone who took pity in her. That, and the kunais she somehow managed to steal from a bazaar.

It was hard, yes, but if Kaiya was to miss one thing from that period of time was the flexibility and freedom she had. She wasn't bound to nobody or period of time. She could carry on her days as she pleased, with no one to hold her back. Until, well, a curiosity of hers appeared about her father.

In the following moments, she could do nothing but think about her time in Konoha. She got a warm feeling when thinking about it and the missions with her team. When it came to her teammates, they were all amazing people she was glad she met. Tenten was an amazing friend with lots of good advice, Neji... well, Neji was a bit tougher to understand at first, but when she heard his background, she couldn't help but relate. And Lee... well.

There were many things she could say about him and the qualities he had, but it would take too long. He took care of her and visited her countless times in the hospital to remain for hours so she wouldn't get bored, hell, he even dared to put his life on the line for hers.

Kaiya shook her head, standing up. When she would come across Lee again, she needed to talk to him in private. Her body still felt weak and in pain, but she could move on. Maybe she could spend the night in the forest, but she wasn't to stop walking now. She wasn't dead yet.

Meanwhile, many kilometres behind her, two boys and a jonin man made their way at a slower pace, much due to one of the boys' wound in the back.

'Kaiya was here about... three hours ago, but the smell is odd. She was very fast.' Kiba informed. 'Are you sure you don't want to rest for a bit? I mean, we've been going on for a while, and with your wound...'

'No.' Lee urged, ambitiously. 'We're continuing.'

To be fair, when the girl revealed she was dating one of her colleagues in the ANBU, he had mixed feelings. He knew he had to be supportive and he did his best in it. He did his best in bringing himself to the feeling of acceptance, and yet, no matter what he did, he couldn't get rid of a sour shadow of jealousy.

In the end, he tried to suppress it. He hoped he could tell her about his feelings one day, but he didn't see it happening in the nearby future. Then, she was about to die. It was about then he realised he needed to open up. Immediately.

Guy bit his lip as he looked at Lee, in a mix of worry and admiration. He was worried about the boy's health, but at the same time, he admired the boy so much for his insistence and strong motivation in finding his way to the person he loved.

'Hey, Lee.' Kiba said, getting Lee's attention.

'What is it?'

'Why do you like Kaiya so much?'

It was pure curiosity from Kiba. Sure, he liked Kaiya as a friend and as a cousin- she was an overall relaxed person, liked dogs, and pretty cool to hang out with. But he never really got to understand this boy's mentality well, so he guessed it would be interesting to hear why he would like Kaiya so much.

Hearing the question, Lee's face went a little red.

'Well, she's funny, and smart...' he began, thinking about it. 'Crazy smart, actually. Have you ever hear her talk? Especially about the things she likes? She could go on talking about the history of Konoha and the various clan views for hours on end without getting bored! She's really skilled, and she's really good with teaching techniques! She's kind, and nice with everyone, and has a good instinct... She never lies, either.'

Kiba raised an eyebrow.

'She never lies, unless she has a really good reason to do so.' Lee corrected himself. 'And she's respecting everyone so much! Regardless of what they seem to be or what people say about them.'

As he said his last sentence, his mind flickered to when he and Kaiya first met and how they got to know each other. It was nothing romantic or particularly intriguing- just some fourteen-year-olds getting to know each other with various goals in mind as they went through a series of near-death experiences.

To be fair, it was the first time that someone asked Lee why he liked Kaiya. It felt weird talking about it, but Lee liked it. It was all a matter of time as he just liked and appreciated Kaiya more and more until he eventually realised how much he grew to love her.

Kiba smiled a little. He and Kaiya were never particularly close, but he couldn't help but feel happy for her. The boy -although a little strange- was a good one.

'Alright then, we'll hurry,' he said, 'But don't whine if you fall behind.'

'I won't!'

In just a matter of two hours, Kaiya reached the Kobayashi territory. The dusk was close to its end, about 30 minutes away from utter darkness. The territory wasn't an extraordinary sight in that period of time. Not it that zone, anyhow. The trees were all slim and dark, with hardly any leaves holding onto the high black branches anymore.

Her scent spread quickly, as two young women appeared before her within minutes of walking into the territory.

'Kaiya-san, you look terrible!' One of them exclaimed. 'Are you alright?'

'Not in my best state, but I'm fine. Thank you, Aiko-san.'

The other woman's eyes widened as her hand covered her mouth, with a gasp escaping. 'Ka... Kaiya-san, your smell. Did... you transform?'

Kaiya said nothing for a moment as she looked at the shaken woman, before nodding slowly.

'Yes, I did. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk with my parents. Are they here?'

'Yes, both of them, actually. Kaito-sama just returned for a longer patrol.' The second woman informed quickly.

Kaiya couldn't help but feel relieved when hearing about her father. He already mastered their Kekkei Genkai, which meant he was just the right person to help her at that moment. Although... he might've been tired at that moment. It was alright, Kaiya considered. She needed a break, too. They had time.

'Good.' She said, as she started to continue the path towards the centre of their territory.

After a quiet five minutes in the dark, Kaiya finally reached the basecamp, which fuzzed with various conversations of people in fluffy furs of all colours. Many heads turned her way, most of them surprised.

'Kaiya! Kaiya! Kaiya!' A small voice exclaimed repeatedly from somewhere under Kaiya as something tugged to her leg.

Looking down, Kaiya was greeted by one of her cousins, a small girl with the largest grin on her face. Within seconds, a young woman rushed to her side, kneeling down next to her daughter, ready to scold her.

'Akane-chan, what did I tell you?' The woman scolded, before raising her head to Kaiya. 'Kaiya-san, I'm really sorry about the inconvenience...'

'It's alright, it's no inconvenience.' Kaiya smiled, kneeling down to Akane's level. 'Hi Akane! Are you happy that I'm back?'

'Yeah!' Akane nodded, excitedly. 'I'm really happy to see you.'

'Well, I'm really happy to see you too! Where are your friends?'

'There!' Akane said, pointing to a group of kids playing in the basecamp.

'Well, why don't you go and tell then I'm back?'

'Alright!'

Without further ado, Akane sprinted off to her friends, leaving Kaiya and her mother behind.

'Thank you.' Akane's mother smiled with a light bow, before turning around and leaving.

Kaiya smiled a little to herself, as she turned around. She walked about halfway through the basecamp when she was stopped by someone who jumped from the crowd and made themselves present in front of Kaiya, their height difference only so obvious. Kaiya sighed, as she looked up. The boy was with about half a head taller and a muscular body, and yet, Kaiya didn't flinch in the slightest.

Behind her, at the entrance of the basecamp, three people, two of them obviously not from the clan, appeared.

'Hey look, Kaiya's there, we should-' Lee began, stretching his leg ahead, preparing to walk to Kaiya.

'No,' Kiba said, putting a hand on Lee's shoulder to stop him. 'She's in deep trouble right now.'

'Hm? Why?' Guy asked with a frown.

'The guy she's talking to, that's Taka. That's a cousin of ours, the son of my aunt Ichika, the Alpha. He's a pretty obnoxious dude with some weird ideals nowadays. Kaiya told me. I, um... I don't know if I should tell this to you guys but the last time Kaiya came here, which is like, about a month ago, Taka asked Kaiya if she wanted to marry him when he became Alpha and, eh... bear his children. Now, Kaiya obviously refused and he was pretty pissed.'

While Guy's face wrinkled in thought, Lee turned red.

'Let's go closer. I want to hear what he says.' Lee said.

This time, Kiba obliged as they walked closer, to a group of people who were also listening to the conversation, somewhere to the right of Kaiya and Taka. Suddenly, a hand laid itself on Kiba's shoulder. Turning around, Fuzasane looked at the boy worried, along with a taller man next to her.

'Kiba, what's happening? Why did Kaiya come here?' She asked.

Kiba explained shortly the Akastuki's attack, Kakashi's supposed death, and Kaiya's reaction.

'So Kakashi's death triggered Kaiya's transformation?' Fuzasane asked.

'I think so, but I think there was something with Kaiya before that. She seemed a bit off that day.'

Fuzasane shot Lee a suspicious look, only for the boy to look at the woman in distress. He didn't do anything!

'Who knows, Fuzasane.' The man next to her, Kaito, said. 'Kaiya can explain later. But anyhow, strong emotions like stress or anger do play a great role in transforming. Sometimes, a person can transform by accident just because they're really furious, scared, or jealous.'

'So you're saying Kaiya transformed on accident, Kaito?' Fuzasane asked, letting go of Kiba.

Kaito nodded.

'Then let's hope for the best. That boy trained day and night just so he can be the strongest.

'What do you want, Taka?' Kaiya asked. 'I'm really tired and not in the mood for your shit.'

'Did you transform?' He asked, with urge in his tone.

'What if I did?' Kaiya knew it was a big deal. The thing was, she only wanted to talk about it with her parents at the moment, and the last thing she needed right then was the nonsense her cousin spat.

A deep, continuous growl escaped Taka's mouth, as his eyes turned a bright yellow.

'Kaiya, I don't like repeating myself. But I'll do it just once, just for you.' He said, lowering his voice. 'Make sure to make a good choice. Will you join me as the Alpha's assistant, and bear my children?'

The answer came quick.

'Never.'

'Why?!' He said, his voice lashing out in a frustrated scream that only attracted more listeners.

'I'm not interested, I told you already.' Kaiya answered, calmly.

'But why? Just tell me, woman!'

Kaiya hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. 'I already love someone, and it's not you.'

A/N

Hi, everyone! How's it going?

So. I actually poured much more details than I planned since I realized how important the mentality and the emotional progress is in this part, so I needed to focus much on it, and it so happened that in many scenes like the first one with the convo between Kakashi and Sakumo, and the part with Kaiya meditating, where I just couldn't stop writing and like, a few hundreds of words appeared out of nowhere. Like seriously, only the first scene had like over 600 words and I had t before I wrote an ungodly amount of words just with that scene.

All in all, I really wanted to write this part (really important arc tbh) for MONTHS, which got me all hyped up, which brought this chapter at a 3.5K worth of pure writing. And then imagine I still kept writing, and I was close to 4K and I couldn't stop, but I realised this chapter is already pretty loaded with info, and that I should continue writing in a different chapter. So here we are! :D

Me rn tbh. See y'all in the next chapter!

-Avery