HOLY SHIT. LOOK A NEW CHAPTER. And I am back. HEHEHE. UHHHHHHHhhh. I got no excuses heh. I am trash author I'm so sorry for leading y'all on for so long. Forgive me?

Chapter Thirty Seven: Harmony Restored

As they drew closer to the village gates, Shikamaru could feel the canine beside him getting agitated by the second. Her steps were hasty and clumsy, a rare sight for the former human.

Just as they were at the gate, Shikamaru placed a hand between Mononoke's shoulder blades and felt the creature relax under his touch. Mononoke pressed her side into Shikamaru as Kotetsu waved at the Nara males.

Shikaku gave him a nod before picking up his speed a little. Shikamaru hurried along, tucking his fingers gently into the tense fur as they entered the village.

They passed without much inspection, even though Izumo noticed the peculiar canine walking beside the young Nara lad. He nudged his partner and gestured at the creature with his head, "What do you think that is?" Kotetsu blinked before looking over and shrugged, "Could be the kid's new pet, I guess. She doesn't look dangerous." Izumo raised an eyebrow in amusement, "How do you know it's a 'she'?"

Kotetsu rolled his eyes at his friend and grinned, "She doesn't have a dick, unlike you. You have two rear ends."

The Chunin got himself a well-earned smack.

Mononoke gave a loud huff of relief as she threw herself onto the familiar wooden flooring. Shikamaru smiled softly as he settled beside her, scratching her ear, "Not so bad, was it?" She snorted in disdain but tilted her head towards him anyways. To her defense, he was scratching a rather good spot.

Shikaku gave a hearty chuckle as he dropped into the couch, "That was troublesome, that's for sure." A soft patter of footsteps caused Shikaku to visibly freeze.

"What's troublesome?" Yoshino asked as she emerged into the living room. Immediately she stopped short as three pairs of surprised eyes turn to her. Her breath hitched when she saw the dog lying beside her son.

As if her gaze was fire, the dog tensed from its relaxed position with a small yelp. It cowered and pressed its fluffy tail around itself, curling into Shikamaru. Instantly, he draped an arm protectively around it.

It took only a second of silence for Yoshino's motherly gut instinct to understand.

"Mononoke? Is that you?" she asked, as she stepped around the couch her husband was on and knelt beside the canine.

It must be. She'd recognized those sea-foam eyes anywhere. And it's obvious enough when her son acted so quickly to protect the poor thing. The canine relaxed a little, eyes glowing curiously as it tilted its head at the woman, as if it was baffled.

Cautiously, Yoshino reached towards the creature. in a heartbeat, it nudged its head on her elbow and dived into her arms, licking her face excitedly.

Yoshino felt tears of joy well up as she hugged the canine, its tail wagging wildly, "Oh, thank goodness you're safe!"

She heard her husband and son exhaled in relief.

Immediately, Yoshino looked over at them sternly, Mononoke still in her arms, "Is there something you boys need to tell me?" The Nara males visibly gulped. They had a lot of explaining to do.

Shikamaru sighed as they took a turn to the shadowed part of the alley. "Man, that was such a drag." he complained and Mononoke bumped her head against his knee teasingly, Serves you two right.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." The boy rolled his eyes and nudged her with his leg. She barked and panted a grin at him.

Shikamaru felt his eyes widened, mesmerized. Those eyes, they reminded him of the ocean before a storm. The calm surface was enough to fool anyone, but once you look deeper, you can almost see the wildness inside. Mononoke blinked and the moment shattered.

The Nara quickly turned away, his voice shaking a little, "Come on. The hospital is just around the corner."

Mononoke tilted her head in confusion. His scent had changed quickly. She breathed in deeper and wondered. He smelled lonely. And she didn't understand why.

A sharp scuffle of his shoes made her jolt and she bounded to him, quickly catching up.

The villagers were too busy working on repairs as the duo walked along the streets towards the hospital. Aside from a few children coming over to pat Mononoke's soft fur, no one thought her peculiar enough to stare for too long.

At the hospital, they attracted lesser attention. The nurses were bustling about, and unable to pay any heed to the boy and the dog, although a few patients threw them curious looks. Shikamaru ignored them and walked steadily across the floor. Mononoke trotted close beside him, flattening herself to him as close as possible. A passing nurse nodded at Shikamaru before scurrying off.

Finally, they reached the room they were looking for. Shikamaru stole a glance at Mononoke but her ears and tail were tall and confident, albeit a little unsteady. He faltered for a moment but quickly opened the door.

Mononoke visibly took a breath before carefully trudging in. She caught a familiar scent and tilted her head to look around the room.

A girl was sitting at the bedside, her emerald eyes blown wide in surprise at the sight of the dog. Sakura spluttered in surprise as she stood up. Her hand flew to her collarbone, out of nervous habit. "Shikamaru-kun? What.. Who-" She stammered, her eyes assessing the canine in disbelief and caution.

Sakura didn't understand why the moment she laid her eyes on the creature, she felt an ease settled inside her. It was beautiful but unearthly. It looked absolutely out of place in the small hospital ward. A strange calm washed over Sakura watched the creature look at her, unblinking.

Silently, Shikamaru closed the door behind him before standing beside the frozen creature. The Nara boy calmly placed his hand on it's shoulder blades, his eyes watching the white canine, "It's okay. Sasuke is still alive. The doctor said he's in some sort of sleep induced coma but everything is still healthy and functioning."

The creature craned her head up and to Sakura's shock, it spoke. Athough its jaw wasn't moving, there was no doubt that the words came from the canine.

Nothing else? No triggers or cause? No cure?

Shikamaru shook his head before looking up to finally meet Sakura's eyes. He gave her a look before nodding. "It's okay." he repeated, but this time it was directed to the kunoichi.

Sakura watched as the creature turned its attention to Sasuke-kun before padding its way to him. It jumped and gently landed on the bed. Sakura barely choked out a protest when a steady voice spoke over her shoulder, "Don't worry. Mononoke would never hurt any of you." Shikamaru's voice was soft and kind.

The girl gasped at his words. She turned to him, hope shining in her eyes.

But Shikamaru wasn't looking at her. His dark eyes were watching the canine. Understanding, Sakura followed his gaze.

Mononoke was sniffing the Uchiha, taking in the muted scent. She slowly lowered herself down beside him, pressing into his side as gentle as possible. Placing a paw on his chest, Mononoke buried her muzzle under his chin, her eyes forlorn. She whined softly before closing her eyes.

Sakura didn't, couldn't understand what was going on. Is this really her comrade? If so, why is Mononoke not human? Why is she not adknowledging her? Is she not worth her attention?

She felt a hand on her elbow, pulling her. Emerald eyes looked up and Shikamaru tilted his head pointedly. Sakura followed the Nara out of the room.

He lay against the opposite wall and sighed as she stood by the the door. But he didnt say anything. He just stared at the floor thoughtfully. The pinkette made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat, "Well? What's going on? How can you expect me to believe that thing is my friend? Mononoke has been missing for two weeks and now you're telling me a dog is Mononoke?"

Without the creature around her, Sakura realized her emotions were flooding back. All the anger and frustration and confusion was filling her. Does it have something to do with the creature?

Shikamaru sighed again before looking up at the ceiling, "Long story short, Mononoke has transformed into a canine. Dog, fox, wolf, take your pick." Sakura raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged, "She said it was her god form, an ability given to her by her guardian. It won't be long before she reverts into a human. Before, she was too large to enter the village. So, we had to wait for her to shrink."

"She didn't want anyone to know this because she was worried what everyone would think of her. Mononoke was afraid." He finally brought his gaze down to look at the girl, "I don't know why but she insisted that she needs to be by Sasuke's side. She said it was for his safety."

Sakura finally managed to find her voice, "What about Kakashi-sensei? The last time I saw him, he was a wreck! Has she seen him yet?"

One look from the Nara told her everything.

The kunoichi sighed and turned to the door, her heart aching for her comrade, "Oh, Mononoke."

Mononoke stayed by the Uchiha's side for the next two days. The nurses tried to shoo her away after visiting hours but soon, they gave up quickly. She always looks at them as if she was going to bite their heads off.

Sakura will always come the minute visiting hours start and she will sit by Sasuke's bedside until she was asked to leave.

It took her a while but slowly, Sakura managed to get Mononoke to talk to her again. It started out slow, the canine refusing to speak.

Until Sakura told her something she needed to know.

"Kakashi hasn't been doing well these two weeks. It's been so long since I've seen him." Sakura told her, her emerald eyes watching her meaningfully. Mononoke shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, looking away.

"Why? You know he would never love you any less! Kakashi-sensei needs you." Sakura prodded further.

Sakura watched as the dog closed her eyes tightly, as if it was painful to look at her comrade.

I'm still afraid. Her voice was barely a whisper but it rang as clear as tinkling bells.

The pinkette almost cried out in relief when Mononoke replied her. She refused to give up on her comrade and her teacher.

"You need to look for him. You just have to! He's in so much pain." Sakura leaned closer to the bed, her fingers gripping the hospital sheets urgently, "Kakashi-sensei needs you. No matter what we do, he wouldn't budge. You mean so much to him, and I'm sure he means as much to you."

Mononoke didn't reply her for a long time. Sakura felt her heart break as the creature turns her head away from her.

It was almost evening and Sakura got up. She had given up trying to coax Mononoke to speak again. Suddenly, a small voice piped up, Okay. I'll go.

Sakura whipped around so quickly, her eyes glowing with hope. Mononoke had pressed her muzzle against Sasuke's forehead and Sakura saw a soft blue light glow from the contact. But when the canine pulled back, the light snuffed out.

You'll stay with the Uchiha until I return?

Sakura nodded vigorously and Mononoke's eyes softened, squaring her shoulders.

Wish me luck.

As she was walking back to Kakashi's home, Mononoke lost count how many times she wanted to turn tail and get lost forever.

Soon she passed a neighbor's house, a few blocks away, she heard an infant crying. The familiar voices cooing to soothe the child made her tail wag. She never knew Kito-san had two children already.

Suddenly, a fond memory came into her mind. It steeled her and she started leaping quickly towards home.

Her footsteps were soft, but she was sure Kakashi could hear her. He was the best Jonin she'd ever known, on top of that, a well trained ANBU. And she didn't even bother on stealth.

But when she found him, his head was hung, his breathing shallow. It gave a her a strange sense of deja vu, seeing him like this.

Kakashi never broke down so bad before. He was never fragile. He watched so many people die. But, now that she thought about it, his heart was made of glass when it came to his loved ones.

And she was at the very center of his heart.

She stood there for a long time, just watching him, waiting for him to look up. He didn't move. But Mononoke waited. She knew he knew that she was there, right at his doorstep, right in his house.

After a few more minutes or so, he wearily looked up.

The moment his eyes laid on her, they widened so much, she was partly afraid they might fall off. Mononoke tucked her tail in between her legs as they stared at each other. She heard his sudden rapid breathing when immediately, he leaped from the sofa and ran to her.

Her entire spine bend inwards out of fear and her fur stood on end at the sudden movement. But when strong arms embraced her, Mononoke felt a release.

Kakashi didn't say anything anymore, couldn't say a word. He was sobbing into her fur.

With no human limbs to hug him back, Mononoke unlocked the spell around her tails and wrapped them around him. Kakashi didn't even flinch when he felt them, all the while his body shaking around her.

Mononoke slowly felt her eyes watering as he hugged her, the embrace so familiar yet strange. It was so much better to be a human around Kakashi, when she could hug him back just as tightly. But her eight tails would just have to do.

She closed her eyes, and soft tinkling noises hit the floorboard. Kakashi pulled away immediately to investigate the sound, looking around his home. But when Mononoke opened her eyes again, more of the sound echoed. Kakashi turned back to her.

Her beautiful turquoise eyes were filled with tear, but once they were fully formed, they turned into small balls of ice. Kakashi looked down at her paws, and a few icy tears were rolling around. He couldn't help it.

Kakashi broke into a teary smile as he looked down at the creature, "I don't care what you look like, you rascal. I'll still love you, no matter what." He dived into a firm hug again, just to prove it.

"Even if I get old and wrinkly?" Mononoke asked softly.

Kakashi pulled away, his eyes shining at the familiar joke, "You can look like a prune and I'll still love you, rascal."

After she made sure Kakashi had a decent meal that he was forced to cook himself, since she only had paws and tails, she made him went to bed.

Now here they were on his bed, Mononoke lying beside him. In another time, her small arms would be around his waist, hugging tightly. But now, her fluffy tails were just as good, although not the same. At least the transformation doesn't last forever.

He scratched the back of her ears and she hummed softly at the touch. Well, human or dog, Mononoke was still his adorable troublemaker, always giving him a heart attack. Before long, he heard the soft snores coming from the ball of fur. Well, a few things remain unchanged.

Her inside joke just now caused a distant memory to creep back into his conscious mind. Kakashi smiled at the nostalgia. He allowed himself to relax at the memory came back to him.

There had been a wedding between their civilian neighbors when Mononoke was younger. If memory serves him well, she must've been at least six. They managed to pass the merry gathering without a problem, although Kakashi noticed the little scamp's curiosity.

"What're they doing, Kakashi?" The child asked, looking up at him as she gripped his hand firmly. He smiled at her, "Kito-san is getting married."

"What's getting married?" Wide eyes looked up at him innocently.

Kakashi hummed, pondering on how to explain the alien concept to the child. "Well, simply put, marriage is a bond when two people in love becomes tied together for the rest of their lives." He turned back to the girl to see her reaction and smiled at her furrowed brows as she nodded sagely. "So that means they stay together forever?"

Well, that's one way to put it.

At his age, Kakashi doesn't really think about those stuff. He made a sound of agreement. Then, Mononoke grinned widely before looking at him, "Neh, Kakashi?" He hummed in response, looking down at her curiously.

"When I grow up, I wanna marry you!"

The Copy Ninja stifled a chuckle before crouching beside her to see her eye to eye. "And why is that?"

Her little canines gleamed, "That way I can be with you forever, of course." Of course. Kakashi couldn't help but smile at this. "But what if when you grow up, I'm all old and wrinkly?", he asked with amusement.

"It's okay. You can look like a prune and I'll still love you!" She released his hand to fling her arms out, emphasizing her following words, "I love you forever and ever, Kakashi!" Kakashi laughed at this before lifting her up in the air, throwing the tiny ball of happiness into laughing fits.

"And I love you too, silly scamp."

HERE HAVE SOME FLUFF AS COMPENSATION.