Butterflies

"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!

Chapter 73 – She-Wolf

8-8

"That does it! ATTACK!" I couldn't have agreed with you more!

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Four Divine hands and four Sound Balls pop into existence. I arm the Hands with kunai, and I send them all into the fray. I know I'll be more useful from up here for now. I can offer long range support, and if it comes to it I can jump down and play patch-'em-up, like I always do.

Naruto-nii creates a bunch of shadow clones, sending half down into the fray and letting the other half rain down kunai on the enemy.

It doesn't take long before things start getting crazy. The enemy starts getting desperate, throwing kunai and exploding tags in every direction. Gaara deals with the explosions, and I deal with the kunai for the most part. But Naruto-nii starts getting worried, that means he's going to start getting reckless.

As expected, the last clones – and likely the original too – jump down into the fray. Kashi-nii and his team are focusing on the strongest two, so I try to keep the flies off their backs. Momochi-san doesn't seem to care either way, wide swipes with his Executioner's Blade and most 'nuisances' are in pieces.

Then… I hear it. Again. A coughing, wheezing sound. That boy just can't stay in one piece, can he. He's gotten too used to me putting him back together, so he figures taking a kunai for Tsu –who was obviously feeling left out– isn't a big deal. And who gets to fix it? Me, of course.

I body flicker in front of him, beheading the idiot trying to take out my brother while he's injured. Then I focus and drag Naruto-nii underground, patching my idiot brother up, once again, in the heat of battle. I swear, this boy will be the death of me!

It doesn't take too long before I decide he's stable, but he's in no state to continue fighting. That means we're short one of our best offensive fighters. Fine. That just means I'll have to step up my game then.

I resurface, telling Tsu to take Naruto-nii and keep him safe. She looks like she wants to protest, but I end up having to create a Sound Barrier to prevent a wave of kunai from taking both of them out. She nods, taking him into the village and away from the fighting.

Three shinobi try to follow, but Hitomi cuts the three of them down without must effort. "If you're going to do it, now's the time!" She tells me body flickering in front of me to buy me some times.

I nod, stuffing my glasses into one of my jacket pockets for safe keeping.

Dragon – Boar – Tiger – Dog – Tiger – Snake – Okami jutsu.

My bones feel like they're about to snap, my muscles and skin are on fire. The world seems to slow down, and for one horrid moment, my world erupts with pain.

8-8

~3rd person PoV~

Where once stood a short brunette with(out her) glasses, now stands a beast with glowing yellow eyes. She stands almost two metres tall, but she's lithe. Her face looks just like a wolf, but her arms and hands look like a weird combination of the two. Her clothes still fit, but everything seems too short and fur seems to have grown on every visible patch of skin. Silver fur. Only the patch on her head seems to still be black, and French braided; like the girl she used to be. Her toes have grown out of her shinobi sandals, and she only seems to walk on the pads just before her toes.

She looks like she's built for speed.

The girl-turned-wolf lets out a howl. A deep, throaty howl that the Elemental Nations hasn't heard in years. Most shinobi freeze, unable to process what just happened. Hatake Kakashi smiles, taking full advantage and tearing into a few stunned shinobi, killing them instantly.

"Are you ready, Aya?" Hitomi asks after cutting down one or two shinobi who tried to take out the beast.

"Only one way to find out." Aya says, though her lips do not move. Because her vocal chords have also mutated, she has to use her Whispering Winds to talk at all, but it shows that she hasn't lost herself in the madness of the Okami jutsu. Without warning, Aya disappears.

Hitomi wants to compare it to a body flicker, but she remembers from past experience that it's pure speed. She activates her Byakugan, trying to locate her packmate. The fact that ten shinobi fall to the ground in pieces side tracks her, but she finds the pseudo-wolf standing on the edge of the fighting, her two bubblegum pink wakizashis shining in Hitomi's vision from the intensity of the chakra being poured into them.

Aya disappears again, and five more shinobi meet them deaths. This time she also aims for one of the two strongest. He dodges, but she cuts into his arm anyway. Zabuza is quick to take advantage comes at hit with an over the head, mid-log slice. The man blocks, making an annoyed grunt to show how much effort that takes. Aya takes full advantage and dashes to him trying to slice him into ribbons.

Seeing the strike coming a second time, he substitutes with one of his followers, but not before vertically cutting right through Aya's left eye. Seeing the switch, Aya tucks in her strike, but Zabuza doesn't care. He overpowers the idiot, cutting him into two perfectly even pieces. Kakashi body flickers to the wounded jounin, trying to press the advantage. So Aya takes a moment to head underground and heal the wound… her vision is restored a minute later, but she simply doesn't have the leeway to heal the cuts in her eyelids. There's going to be a nasty scar because of that.

Kakasi isn't taking this too seriously yet – he still has Obito's eye covered, after all. But he isn't taking chances either. The sooner the fighting ends, the less likely their side will take casualties. That must be what Aya was thinking too, seeing as she opted for that jutsu.

The unwounded jounin tries taking out Haku from her flank, but Zabuza isn't having that. He body flickers between them and blocks with the side of his blade, creating the opening Aya needs. All the former Seven Swordsman can say he notices, is a gurgling sound. When he regains a visual of the enemy, there's a hole where his throat used to be. And teeth marks. Oh, and his hands are both gone. Kind of important to notice. Zabuza grins, liking this side of Aya more and more. He beheads the shinobi without a second thought, just in time to see Anko jumping up from underground, her snakes biting into every visible surface of the jounin Kakashi engaged.

Then comes the howling once again. This time, the howling comes with an inescapable genjutsu. Kakashi and Zabuza both recognize it as Aya's Siren's Call, only this time it fits perfectly with the wolf motif. There's a full moon, cherry blossom petals are falling from the trees, and a pack of dozens of wolves come flooding the area. Their eyes glow in the dim light. Their teeth bared to show this is their feeding time. Then the wolves attack.

No matter what anyone tries, they cannot fight the genjutsu hard enough. It just keeps getting reapplied. When Aya finally allows the jutsu to end, the Konoha and Sand shinobi look around and find the remaining enemies in the final stage of bleeding out. Some were beheaded, most were practically filleted.

Aya looks around at her handy work. She sniffs the air, to see if there are more prey around. She decides there aren't. Sheathing her wakizashis, she finally takes the time to heal her still bleeding eyelids and the gash above and below her eye. She also unseals a bottle to wash out the blood, knowing that if she waits until after the transformation is undone, she'll be too messed up to care.

~End PoV~

8-8

Pain. That's all I feel. Pain.

My skin burns. My left eye burns. My muscles ache something fierce. My hair seems to be on fire. My vision is blurry, but I don't know if that's important just yet. "Rest, Aya. You deserve it." That sounds like Hitomi. Smells like her too.

"Wake me… if something… happens…" I demand, giving into the coming darkness.

8-8

"I'm sorry." That's the first thing I hear. The last thing I want to hear, but the first thing I hear nonetheless.

"Nn…! Shh!" I complain, my head swimming for some reason. I feel like I got hit by a runaway steer. Twice. No, three times!

"We both know you're awake. And we both know I'm not going to shut up until you tell me you're not mad at me." That's Naru-nii. He's the only one dumb enough to wake me up with crap like that.

"Stop getting stabbed. I'll stop getting mad." I whine, turning away from the loud chattering. Not in the mood. Want to sleep.

"Haku's not letting me go to sleep. You know that means I have the time. And you're too nice a person to hurt a patient. So…"

"Shut up, Naru-nii! Sleep!"

"I'm not allowed to sleep, I just told you that."

"Not you! Me! Me, sleep! You, quiet! Shut up!"

"But then I won't have company!"

"You will if I kill you. Plenty of company in the Pure Lands."

"You love me too much to kill me." I groan. I open my eyes. Everything's blurry, but I remember putting my glasses in my jacket pocket. I find them, don them, and I'm finally seeing Haku hovering over him, her hands glowing green from the jutsu she's using.

"It's better to let him cough up the blood naturally. You'll just upset his body's ability to heal otherwise." I lecture. She winces, ending her jutsu after getting up that last bit far enough for his to spit it out. "You already have him on his side. Good. Facing me, unfortunately, but that's his less injured side. Very thought out, Haku." She beams at the praise.

"She's not going to love you for placing me so close to her though." Naru-nii teases, coughing violently. The cloth he covers his mouth with turns bright red. The coughing fits are a good sign, but not kind on the heart of the medics around him.

"I disagree. She'll be glad we have you two so close together. It's on you if you annoy her." Haku counters. "Kakashi-san and dad are talking to the village leader. They'll want to move out soon."

I groan. So that's why Naru-nii woke me up. He knows I'll want to have him ready for transportation and that I won't let him run home. Well, that and he's bored. Probably more because he's bored. I'll be sure to have Akari and Asami give him a hard time, just to spite him. Still, he did save Tsu's life. Hmm. Decisions, decisions. And asking Tsu will invite him getting off easy. Not risking that.

Forget it. I'll tell them the truth and let the Uzumakis figure themselves out!

"Cute scar, by the way."

"Thanks."

8-8

Everyone is ready to leave two hours later. The entire village seems to be here to see us off, many of them offering us flowers, especially Naruto-nii. The four that fought with us seem to be the most emotional, even though the three guys try to hide it. The green-haired one… Kujaku, I think her name is… she hugs me and thanks me for patching them up. The four promise to come visit us in Konoha.

The usual send-off of a team that saved their village, really.

The village leader walks up to us, offering Kashi-nii a fancy looking blade. "This isn't our thanks." He says, but I don't try to understand. I need at least another three days' worth of sleep before I can start caring to figure things out again. "This is a symbol of the new alliance between Leaf, Sand and Artisan. I assure you, we will send a team to Konoha soon to discuss the terms of our alliance."

"We look forward to it. Please, send word ahead before you do. So we can make proper arrangements." Kashi-nii is so… suave sometimes. It's almost enough to make me forget how much of an idiot he is sometimes.

"We will do so. Thank you again. Be safe, friends."

8-8

It takes a few days, because everyone knows I'll kill anyone that makes me risk my patient, but by the time we make it to Konoha, Naruto-nii's healed enough to walk the last leg. I'm practically glued to his side to check him for any and all irregularities in his breather, but… that's to be expected.

We do the usual signing in thing – only the Sand shinobi get bugged, once again. I thank the guards for calling my scar cute – scars always look cute on cute kunoichi. I make sure Haku takes Naruto-nii straight home. He needs to rest. Momochi-san and Mitarashi-san assure me they'll keep him safe and Haku will tag along so he'll have a medic with him at all times. This way Kashi-nii and I can go report in. I nod, thanking them, before we body flicker, starting the annoying trek to the Tower.

"Try it. I. Dare. You." The first thing I encounter is a clear sign that Haruno-san still hasn't gotten the crowd under control. Almost everyone stiffens, hearing my dark tone once again.

"N-n-n-n-namiki-san… w-w-welcome b-back." The man, who was just telling Haruno-san off and about to walk into Senju-san's office unannounced, manages. I grin.

"Back of the line. Now." I demand, still grinning. He doesn't fight me. They never fight me anymore. Poor me. "Is Senju-san available?" I ask.

"Nn." Haruno-san nods, smiling. "She asked that you be shown in immediately." I nod, walking into the office. "Cute scar, by the way." I wave it off.

"Hi, honey. I'm home." I tease, grinning at Senju-san as she and Katou-san are discussing something.

"Aya-chan. Welcome back." Katou-san says, smiling warmly. Senju-san looks a bit more… professional. They're both eyeing my scar.

"Report." She demands. I nod, offering a brief summary of everything we'd dealt with before sending for Kakashi's team. Kakashi takes over from there, offering the highlights of the rest of the mission, including Artisan's promised alliance with Konoha and Sand. "Good. Taiju, I'm sure you won't mind updating your council on this. When we receive word, we'll be sure to update you."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. If you don't mind, I believe I need to head home. As Kakashi-san explained, almost all of the shinobi captured have offered their services to Sand, and our people will want my confirmation before agreeing to anything but imprisonment." Taiju explains seriously.

"Of course. The others should be in Sand by now, they left the day after you did." Senju-san explains, motioning to show he's dismissed. He bows, seeing himself out. "Aya, Kakashi, good work. I'll expect weekly updates on Imamura Ikoku's mental health. And I'll want to speak with her privately tonight."

"So you'll let me take yet another kunoichi into my den?" I ask, mostly out of curiosity.

"Aya, if you think she's stable enough to be kept in your den, then I know I have nothing to worry about. If there's nothing else?" We assure her there isn't. "Good. Take the next three days off. And Aya, if you're feeling up to it, please drop by now and again to keep the crowd in check?"

"No promises." I smile, waving as I see myself out.

"Cute scar, by the way." Katou-san says, smiling. I turn and thank her, but don't break my stride.

"Haruno-san, is that a toilet paper request again?" The woman freezes before jerking back the paper she was handing to the pinkette a second ago. She body flickers, disappearing before I can check. "She's from Intelligence, isn't she? I think I'll be dropping by to annoy her."

8-8

"Where is he?" I ask the second we're home. Yasu-nee assures me that Minori, Asami and Akari are busy giving him a hard time in the Uzumaki compound. I smile, grateful. "So, Yasu-nee, how've things been around here? It feels like I keep missing out on major events!" She keeps either staring at my scar, or pointedly not staring at it. She's so not a kunoichi.

"It's been pretty quiet actually. Hana-san's been complaining about that new patient, says he's been unbearable. Sakiko and Yuzuki aren't talking right now, something about Katsuo liking Yuzuki more? I've been trying to figure that out for three or four days now, if you could talk to them, I think it would help." I roll my eyes, knowing they were going to get into a fight eventually. "Other than that, Asami and Hinata have been bugging me about taking it easy. But really, I'm pregnant, not handicapped."

"I'll talk to them for you. I agree that you should keep busy, since exercise is good for you. Just be sure not to overdo it, okay? Make sure to rest if you get tired or winded." She smiles, thanking me and promising she'll do as I ask. "And be sure you remember this moment when I'm pregnant! I'll need back up." We laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind. Are you going to camp out in bed for a few days?" She asks with a teasing smile.

"It's tempting, but no. I need to start getting things arranged. Naruto-nii will be leaving in the next two months, and I want to make the most of now, you know?" She nods. "What about Kin, by the way?"

"Hmm? Oh, Saki-chan's been keeping her out of trouble, mostly. She's been helping me around the house as much as she can. Oh, and everyone's been demanding that we start making arrangements for a going away party for Naruto-kun. I thought that maybe you'd like to handle that yourself?"

"Nn. Thanks, Nee-chan. I'd love to be the party planner. Did you need help with preparing lunch?"

"It's alright, sweetie. Remi-san and Mariko-san are here every day helping me with that. And Akari-san as well." She assures me, smiling warmly that I'm still willing to help. "You're tired. Just go have a nice long bath. Try to take a nap as well. It looks like you haven't slept well at all."

No arguing with that.

8-8

"Matsuri. Sari. Yukata. Akihito." I call their names. "Yome. Sen. Shira." The seven of them look expectantly, but unsure what I want with them. "Welcome. As you know, I am Aya. I will be taking the two medics under my wing whenever I can spare the time. Mostly you will be under your sensei for training. Understand, however, that the only training style we know here is all in. Offer your all, or don't bother. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." They answer as one.

"Yome, what is your Rank?"

"I'm a Rank Four medic, ma'am." She answers.

"Good. The two of you will be taking Hinata's medical classes. I will try to make at least one night a week available for private tutelage, but you've no doubt seen how precious my time is. If I feel either of you is wasting that time, you will not be given a second chance. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good. Shira, Sen. I have something special in mind for you two. Shira, you are a pure taijutsu type, just like a friend of mine. I'll be contacting him when he comes back from a mission. Should he and his sensei agree to it, you'll be joining them for training. Be warned, they are goofy as hell, but stronger than you'd believe if you've never seen them fight. Sen, you're a genjutsu type. I'll be overseeing portions of your training. Mind what I said about making it worth my time."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Akihito. I have almost no knowledge of puppetry. I won't even pretend I can help you. What I do know is that you'll need sparring partners. Speak to the member of my pack when you wish to spar. Mind you, I will not tolerate my people being injured too badly."

"Sari, when Gaara is unavaible for whatever reason, you will ask Shira to train you. Should he be unavailable, you will ask Sen. Should she be unavailable, there are more than enough capable shinobi around here you can ask for extra training. Do not hesitate to ask. You three will be the students of the Fifth Kazekage, your skills will reflect on his. Do not let him down."

"We won't, ma'am!" They assure me.

"Good. Yukata, Matsuri, unless I'm mistaken you are both wind release users. You will both be asking Temari for training. She can show you the skills you'd need. However, she is not the only resource available. Uzumaki Naruto is also a wind release user, though more close quarters. Ask him for tips and training, should he be available."

"Yes, ma'am."

"To all seven of you. If you can demonstrate that which I value most, I may be willing to offer a jutsu scroll now and again. But keep in mind that all I teach you, all I help you learn… is for you and your descendants. Not for Sand, not for students. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

8-8

Sitting in meeting room six, waiting. Fuu is nervous. Fidgeting. I'm not, and I know both Hitomi and Tsu aren't either. I'm amazed that 'Shibuki' stayed this long on the off chance that Fuu would want to meet him. But at the same time, I'm really not. Fuu is Waterfall's 'greatest weapon', and they want that back. I hold back the snort with some effort. Idiots, the lot of them.

I keep sniffing the air, trying to keep track of my surroundings. I know Hitomi is scanning off and on as well. Tsu on the other hand… she's… a bit paranoid lately, trying to studying everything at once. Seeing Naruto-nii take a kunai for her is doing wonders for her wanting to be more aware of her surroundings.

Sad the price was so high, but at least no one died.

#Incoming.# I sign. Neither shadow reacts. I know they received the message, even though I can see neither.

The brunet from before walks in, smiling as bright as the sun. The two body guards enter with him, tensing the moment they notice I'm here. I try not to, but I'm sure they notice my little smirk I'm fighting not to show.

"Fuu! It's good to see you again!" Shibuki's booming voice probably carries down the hall, letting everyone know he said that. Hmm, so that's how he lured her in, huh. Letting others know he's happy to see her, not caring about the backlash from that. Sad that it was needed… but it's worse that it worked.

"Shibuki-sama. I'm sorry you had to wait so long, but I knew Aya-chan would want to be here herself." I grin, fully agreeing with her. I'm also grinning, because of a few other reasons. The tension in the bodyguards, the cloudy look in Shibuki's eyes to show how much that troubles him, and the fact that he's 'sama' but I'm 'chan'. I especially like that last one, because it shows she respects Shibuki, but she feels close to me. I feel petty, and I can't bring myself to care.

"It's quite alright. The important thing is that you wanted to see me." He's grinning, happy with small victories.

"Yes, I wanted to thank you, Shibuki-sama." And the grin's dead. His, not mine. My grin is alive and well. "For everything. And to tell you that if you ever need me, you need only send word and I will come, but…"

"Now, Fuu. What's with the formal farewell talks? I need you, Fuu. You know that." He tries. I fight not to growl at the obvious ploy. I don't want anyone to think I'm feeding her words, that she's reading a script.

"No, Shibuki-sama, you need the Seven-tails jinchuuriki. You need Waterfall's weapon back." She counters, tears already falling. "I… didn't even realise that until I started spending time with people that truly care for me."

I place my hand on her shoulder, letting her know that I'm here for her. She offers me a teary smile. "I'm welcomed here. Loved. Respected. People's eyes smile when they see me." She says, her eyes never leaving mine. "I have friends that would give their lives to protect me. That I would die for."

From the corner of my eye, I see the shock from the two bodyguards. I smile sadly, knowing she understands why. I hate it when I see the hatred and discrimination she'd survived rubbed in my face.

"In Waterfall, I have only you, Shibuki-sama. Here? The Uzumaki clan, the Namiki clan, the Yuki clan, the Hatake clan… the Aburame clan, the Nara clan, the Yamanaka clan, the Akimichi clan, the Sarutobi clan… I have random people at the market I talk to. I've made friends with the waitresses at my favourite café. I'm quite close with some of the doctors at the hospital. I… I belong here. I need to be here. Please… please try to understand."

"So what? You become their weapon instead?" Shibuki isn't happy. At all. He thinks I'm trying to steal Waterfall's weapon?

"Aya. It's alright." She rubs my arm, trying to help me to calm down. "No, Shibuki-sama. I've discussed it with Hokage-sama already. I'm going to become a doctor."

"Fuu!" I turn to her, shocked but soooo happy for her! "When were you going to tell me?"

She rolls her eyes playfully, offering me a lopsided grin. "I'm announcing it at dinner tonight. So don't tell anyone."

"Congratulations!" I hug her, glad she's finally finding the happiness she deserves. "Oh, Kami-sama, I think I'm going to cry." I say, meaning it. I fan myself to try drying the tears threatening to burst free.

"There's more… Tsunade-sama says she's reserving a spot for me, for when I make it to Rank Six." That did it! Happy tears fall, whether I want them to or not.

I try blubbering out another congratulations, but even I can't make out the gibberish coming out of my mouth. We hug again – me needing it more than her.

"I… I'm so happy for you. You so deserve this, Fuu-chan." I manage, still crying a bit. She pushes me back, our eyes meet. She's beaming, tear free, wiping away my tears. I roll my eyes playfully. "Couldn't tell me when were alone? Now all of Waterfall is going to think I'm a softie." I want to say 'know' because everyone in my pack knows I'm a totally softie. Still, that's private information.

"Psh! Yeah, sure. Naruto-kun told me about your last mission. If anyone underestimates you after that, it's on them." She winks. I grin, biting my lip a bit. She has a point. "Anyway, I'm sorry to cut this short, Shibuki-sama, but Hinata-san's medical class starts in twenty minutes. She won't like it if I'm late."

8-8

Kami-sama! I'm way too busy! Always too much to do! Alright, Sand shinobi, check. Fuu, check. Kin… I'll have to deal with her later. Restock our supplies, not checked! Okay let's go deal with that then. Tsu, Hitomi and I make it to the blacksmith's already going through the things we'll need.

"Haruki's been talking about your blades a lot lately. Do you think he wants to learn?" I ask Tsu. She looks thoughtful, but shrugs. It's obviously something they haven't discussed. "Well, we have enough tantos for him to practice with, maybe we should get him a chokutou so he can see if it's more his style. I mean, even Naruto-nii agrees that the scimitars just aren't for him."

"It couldn't hurt. And at least I'd have a sparring partner." Tsu says, liking the idea. I nod, picking up three chokutous, each a different length. "It's just one… right?"

"Uh uh. Haruki might like it, and that might spark others wanting to pick it up as well. Better to have more than we need, just in case. And seriously, I think I'm going to start hiding the kunai! People are just burning through them!"

"Well, we do have a lot of people that use kunai for a lot of reasons." Hitomi says.

"So in other words our guests found a way into my stash and have been stealing." I intone. She shrugs. "Well, I know how to deal with that. And seriously, Tomi, you need to start considering a custom blade. Everyone in the pack has one!"

"Some have more." Tsu grins, happy with her three.

"I will, when I feel comfortable with my elemental training. It's not easy to…" She trails off, blushing.

"You're not trying to tell me that you're teaching yourself!" I swat her arm, hard. "Tomi! You're one of us! Your training means everything to us! Stop being such a… Hyuuga!"

"… Sorry. Old habits." She says, making a face. "I'm earth."

"Was that so hard?" I ask, already thinking about the fifty –or more– scrolls in my personal cache she can borrow to study. Let alone the ones in the Namiki hidden library!

"Excruciating." She intones, earning herself another swat. She laughs. "Sorry, really. It's… hard to get used to this, you know?" She's a lot more serious this time.

"Deal with it. I don't plan on tolerating that crap." I say, smiling. "Now come on! We've still got to go to the hospital to get the supplies we need. And we're having another party tonight, so we need to make sure we have enough food and give Yasu-nee the heads up. You know she likes making special snacks for special nights."

8-8

"Oi, Namiki-san!" I turn, wondering who's calling me. Ah, Kin's old teammates. They run up to me, smiling to let me know this is a social call. "I'm glad to see you again, Namiki-san. Please, I'm Abumi Zaku and this is my partner Kinuta Dosu."

I nod to the pair, wondering when they're going to start asking about Kin. "It's good to see you two took my advice." I say, ordering six kilos of ground beef, two kilos of T-bone steaks, eight kilos of chicken fillets, and four kilos of deer steaks – I love deer stakes.

Dosu whistles, impressed. "That's a lot of meat." I look at him, wondering why the only visible part of his face is a small portion surrounding his left eye. Must be an old injury or something. None of my business.

"Lots of mouths to feed." I say. I'm told the price, running the calculation in my head and agreeing that they didn't mess up. I pay and seal the meats away.

"Hey… umm… we were wondering if it'd be okay if we came by later? It's… kinda weird not being around Kin, you know?" I smile, liking how Zaku words that.

"Dinner is at six thirty. Show up early if you want to be introduced." I say.

"Thank you." They say, bowing reverently. I wave it off though.

"I told you to look us up already, you didn't need to ask." I remind them.

"Uhhhh… well, yeah we kinda do. We came by while you were away, and… no one would even consider letting us in." Zaku says, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah… sorry about that… We tend to be… a bit protective of our den." I make a face, trying to offer an apologetic smile. "I'll be there after three. Any time after that, and you're both more than welcome. I promise. Oh! And please dress up. We're having a party, and everyone will be wearing proper kimonos. Furisode for the girls, but you guys are more than welcome to wear one too."

8-8

Getting everyone in the mood for a concert takes exactly zero effort. "Hey, I feel like a party, I'm going to pick out a nice kimono! Who's joining me!?" Yup. That's literally all it takes in our den. Mitarashi-san decides she's going to be the bearer of 'glorious tidings' –knowing that means I picked up enough sake, which I did– and informs everyone in the four compounds. Then her scent all but disappears, so I'll just guess she's updating the other regulars, so they'll be prepared as well.

Whatever.

It takes some doing, but eventually Ikoku admits to liking the idea of getting dressed up. I let her pick which of my kimonos she'd like to borrow, and she starts smiling a little. Especially when the others start bragging about the music we always end up playing. Tsu and Tomi take turns bragging about my singing; the usual. I roll my eyes, trying not to get involved. Then I start trying to figure out why Kin's getting dressed in my room. Her room's right down the hall! It must be the mirrors. Or is it because I'm used to this and keep more makeup in stock just in case?

Luckily, mom helps me with my makeup, so I'm (one of) the first dressed. I make sure the makeup isn't hiding my new scar at all though! I'm not going to let anyone think I'm ashamed of a scar! Ten centimetres long, perfectly vertical, and thickest on my eyelids to show I nearly lost my eye. It shows that I'm not only strong enough to survive that, but a good enough medic to heal it without needing a donor eye! That's something to be proud of!

"I really wish you would be more careful, you know." Mom tells me, kissing my scarred eyebrow. Yeah, it goes up that high.

"Mom, we were outnumbered, outgunned, and possibly outclassed. Seeing as none of us died, you can assume we were super careful." I tell her, smiling. "That's ignoring that the strongest of their group did the deed. And besides, I kind of like the scar."

"… You're missing the point." She isn't impressed. "Has Chouji seen it yet?"

"… No." I'm so not looking forward to telling him how I got my second scar – he no doubt still wants to know more about that burn involving soup that I still haven't told him about. He's such a worrywart!

"I thought so." The doorbell rings. "Sweetie, you're the only one properly dressed. Would you mind getting that?"

And get away from this interrogation? No problem!

I carefully make my way downstairs, cursing that all I can smell well is my makeup. I have no idea who's out there, and I'll likely only be able to identify their scent when I get much closer.

Hmm. Four people. I slip into my outside slippers, slide the front door open. I briefly curse the slight fogginess of my glasses, from mom breathing over my left lens and being all stalker-y. So I take off my glasses, wiping both lenses gently with the cottony inner layer of my kimono's… well, inner layer. The first layer you put on is a cotton layer to capture any perspiration. It's also really handy for people with glasses.

I'm still slowly walking to the gate, missing Tsu and Tomi's familiar warmth behind me. "Sorry I took so long, we're kind of getting dressed." I bring my glasses closer to my eyes to see –actually see, so you know they're REALLY close to my eyes– if I got all the vapour off them. Wearing glasses sucks sometimes.

Satisfied I'll be able to see in three dimensions –how did Kashi-nii get used to only seeing through one eye?– I don my glasses to see who's here. I freeze. I blink.

No. This can't be right. I do the genjutsu-release. Nothing changes. I'm not feeling the buzzing in the base of my skull, so I know it isn't really a genjutsu.

I blink again. Two smiling faces, in their thirties, hauntingly familiar – one with black hair and brown-yellow eyes, the other with blue-green hair and deep green eyes. One nervous face, age five, not known, but familiar – black hair, brown-yellow eyes. One bored and annoyed face, age three, also not known, but familiar – black hair, brown-yellow eyes.

"…" I turn on my heel, heading right back into the house. "HATAKE KAKASHI! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE! NOW!"

8-8

End Chapter 73

8-8

A/N: For those of you who've already figured it out, let me say: I take no blame in this! Someone (no name, no blame; you know who you are :P ) suggested this to me in a PM, and that got me thinking. Getting me thinking about something is never a good thing (for me, because I obsess, I don't 'think'). I went over everything, went over the 'Butterflies cannon facts', and found a huge gaping hole in this! I'm usually so much more careful than that! That means I can't use my usual 'That conflicts with past facts!' or 'That conflicts with future plots!' defence. Which means I had no reason not to think about (obsess over) it. Which isn't a good thing when I'm plotting, it affects my plotting. And my sleep, seeing as my regular readers (love you guys) know that most of my stories start with 'I have no idea where this even came from!' or 'This kicked me upside my head at 2 AM'.

Anyway! Seeing as this kind of ruins my 'ten chapters remaining' quota, I can no longer say just how many chapters I'll need to iron this out completely. Before this, I only needed... maybe four of five more. This alone will take four to five chapters to iron out TT_TT The things I do when I start obsessing with no caffeine and sleeping bad.

Next chapter is another interlude! Sorry, bad timing. Still, New Years, and all that. You understand ;)