Last Chapter! I'm sorry it took so long for this story to end, or rather for me to write this story, but all of your reviews were appreciated!

Read and review and I might just publish a one-shot!

Five

Ume sunk deeper into her taijutsu form, refusing to allow Gai's always impressive show of power to rattle her into acting too quickly.

"Good day, my eternal rival!"

Ume cast a quick look over her shoulder at the rock where Kakashi was seating himself next to her new lightweight braces. That quick moment of inattention almost gifted her with a face-full of raw Maito Gai power and nearly cost her the match. Snapping back into reality, Ume dodged quickly and aimed a heavy punch to Gai's solar plexus. Gai curled over his side and paused just long enough for Ume to pull her left arm back and deliver a quick left jab to his jaw.

Gai lept back grinning like a fool and rubbing his chin. "Ume, I do believe the power of youth has returned to you."

Ume laughed. "I'm afraid it's a bit late for the power of youth, Gai. I would just be content settling for power at this moment."

Gai hooked an arm around her neck, pulling her into an exuberant hug. "The power of your will has overcome the tremendous adversity of your injuries!"

Ume smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks for sparring with me, Gai. However, it's time for my ninjutsu lesson with Hatake-sensei and he's been waiting so patiently."

Gai smiled. "Never mind, my eternal rival can have you all to himself! I must go meet my students!"

And with a grand flourish and a poof of smoke, Gai was gone.

Ume smiled. "You should've been there this morning, Kashi. I woke up to the smell of coffee and I thought you might've gotten back earlier. So I come out of the bedroom in nothing but the underwear I slept in and one of your old shirts, one of the ones from when we were kids... the ones that haven't fit you in years." She paused and dissolved into laughter, snorting in between shaky breaths. "I've never seen Gai so red! He stuttered like 'Good morning' or maybe something about the power of youth in the morning, I don't know 'cause I rushed back into the bedroom to change. He wouldn't look me in the eye until maybe halfway through the breakfast he cooked me! It was hilarious." Ume paused again and doubled over. "Priceless."

Kakashi watched, smiling slightly under his mask. "I should break his nose."

Ume cast him a dubious look. "Oh, really? Never took you for the jealous type."

Kakashi shrugged. "Never been asked to share before."

Ume shook her head and straightened dramatically. "Anyways, lead on Hatake-sensei."

"You know you damn well you don't need any lessons, figured you wanted to spar." he pushed himself up from the rock, straightening his hitai-ate and opening his sharingan.

"Ooh... serious." Ume chuckled.

Kakashi shrugged. "I know better than to underestimate you. Injured or not."

Ume smiled and they began.

She was slowing, having reached the end of what her newly healed body could endure. Even though she knew she was at the end of her rope and he had just barely started sweating, she let out a quick, right jab only to be caught with little to no effort. Kakashi chuckled and caught her left fist when it came flying. "I thought this was a ninjutsu round. And here you are using taijutsu."

"Gotta do what I have to to win, you know." She smiled and aimed to knee Kakashi in the stomach. A second later she was up against a tree, Kakashi's bare lips against hers and her hands pinned above her head.

She broke away, breathing heavily, as his lips trailed down her neck. "Talk about fighting dirty."

Kakashi chuckled and, after transferring both of her hands into one of his, unzipped her flack vest. "Gotta do what you have to do to win, you know."

Ume giggled. "Uh-huh. I do know."

Kakashi smiled as his lips found hers again, releasing her hands in favor of running his under her shirt and lifting her up against the tree. Her hands shoved through his hair, tugging his lips from hers just long enough to ask: "What time is it?"

Kakashi grunted, shrugging as he unbuttoned her pants.

Ume started digging through her utility pockets, still managing to stay connected to Kakashi's mouth. Finding her pocket watch, she tore her lips away, she cussed. "I have to go it's time for-"

"Your physical therapy session." Kakashi sighed and leaned his forehead against hers.

Ume chuckled and reached down to rebutton her pants and zip up her flack vest. "And you almost got laid, too."

Kakashi smiled and adjusted his mask over his face. "There's always tonight."

Ume nodded. "Indeed."

"Hey Brat."

Ume rolled her eyes as she left the hospital. "Hey Jerk."

Asuma smiled and slung the arm that wasn't currently holding his cigarette around Ume's shoulders. "How was physical therapy?"

"You mean that torture Lady Tsunade calls therapy?" Ume sighed. "It was a blasty-blast, y'know, I totally enjoy having my limbs and joints abused, poked and tugged on. It's wonderful."

Asuma laughed. "Yeah, well. What can you do?"

"Not a damn thing."

Asuma took a long drag on his cigarette. "So what are you doing tonight?"

Ume eyed him. "Funny you should ask, your girlfriend and Anko insisted that I have dinner and go out for drinks tonight, just us girls, totally ruining, of course, what Kakashi had planned for tonight."

"She's not my girlfriend." Asuma glared at her. "What did Kakashi have planned?"

Ume smirked. "She is, too. And what do you think Kakashi had planned for tonight?"

Asuma blushed. "Nevermind, it probably involved weird, kinky shit."

"Probably." Ume nodded thoughtfully. "Though he likes regular sex just as much."

"Too much fuckin' information!"

Ume smiled and let herself into the apartment. Still pleasantly buzzed, she smiled flirtatiously at Kakashi. "Honey, I'm home!"

Kakashi chuckled. "I see that."

She sauntered over to him and straddled his lap. "Told ya, I'd get home with plenty of time left for whatever you had planned."

Kakashi unzipped her flack vest and pulled down his mask. "Good to know."

She kissed him quickly and stood. "I am going to go take a shower first."

"Good, you smell."

Ume rested her forehead against the warm shower tiles, just letting the warm water soothe her aching muscles. It had been six months since the accident and against all odds, she was mostly healed. Sure she needed to get stronger, but she was getting better each day. At this rate she might even be able to return to active duty.

Which was good, how embarrassing would it have been if she let a little thing like a rock slide end her career.

Click

Rock slide?

No that wasn't quite right.

Had it really been a rock slide?

Why couldn't she remember?

...No it wasn't a rock slide. Whatever had crushed the left side of her body had been alive. She could still feel it moving over her, each sliding motion causing more pain.

What was it?

Why couldn't she remember?

Click

A snake. That's what it had been. But how had a giant snake gotten on top of her? That was just weird. Rock slide made more sense.

Orochimaru.

Suddenly, she remembered everything. The battle, the snake, Orochimaru's taunting laughter.

They had lied to her. Everyone for the last six months had been lying to her.

Even Kakashi.

She couldn't breathe, flooding her mind, were images of her dead men. Ape, Snake, Hound, the newest ANBU to wear Kakashi's old mask. So many dead.

As calmly as she could manage, she turned the water off and got dressed.

Walking out of their bedroom, Ume came face to face with all of the people who pretended to love her. They must have known the genjutsu was going to break today, that's why she hadn't been alone all day.

"You lied to me. All of you."

The reactions on their faces differed. Asuma and Gai looked guilty, Anko was uncomfortable but ultimately unremorseful, Kurenai and Tsunade wore matching looks of unflinching resolve, and Kakashi... Kakashi didn't look the least bit sorry.

"We did what we had to."

Ume glared at Kakashi. "You had to lie to me?"

Kakashi didn't flinch. "Yes, in order to give you time to heal, we had to lie to you."

Ume turned to Kurenai. "You fucked around in my brain, you took my memories."

"I hid them, and we had to."

"You didn't have to fuckin' do anything! You just had to leave me the fuck alone!" Ume was trembling.

"You were having episodes, where you were reliving the battle subconsciously. We had to hide those memories so you wouldn't continue to tear yourself apart. You needed to heal." Tsunade's voice was flat, allowing for no arguments.

"I needed to mourn my fallen comrades!" Ume was crying now, something the Kakashi saw only rarely, even at her lowest, after the Third's death, she hadn't cried. "This entire time I didn't know why ANBU were avoiding me, I thought they were ashamed of me because I was useless now, come to find out that they probably hate me for not mourning my men. They probably think I have forgotten them."

"They haven't had any contact with you because I forbid them to. I couldn't have them setting off your memories and undoing all the hard work we did."

Ume rounded on Gai and Asuma, ready to give them an earful when Kakashi spoke up. "Don't get angry with them. I authorized it, I am your next-of-kin, and I told Kurenai and Lady Tsunade to do it."

"Why?"

Her voice was so small, so lost that he almost relented, almost apologized, even though he didn't in the least regret what he did.

"Because I would do anything to keep you alive and well."

Ume wiped furiously at her eyes. "What did I have left, Kashi? I have no career, no purpose, nothing but a broken body and memories."

"You have us, Brat. Don't forget."

Ume chuckled listlessly. "I have shame and guilt and failure. I should have sent flowers to their families, should have burned incense on their graves."

Tsunade stood. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are one of the best kuniochi in this village. You are strong and dependable, willing to sacrifice your life and your happiness for this village. You are a hero and your men believed that and the rest of ANBU believe that."

"What if that isn't enough? What if I can't live off of that?"

"Then count your blessings, you're lucky to be alive."

"Some blessings. I'm useless, broken."

Kakashi stood as well, stepping up to her. "Count my blessings then. You are here and you are alive."

"Are you sure about this?"

"If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times. You are the only person for the job."

Ume breathed deep and turned to Kakashi. "Okay let's do this."

Kakashi nodded and opened the door, allowing Lady Tsunade and Ume in before him.

Lady Tsunade took her seat on the dais. "I have made a decision. Nagasaki Ume is now the Commander of ANBU Black-Ops. Due to her injuries she won't be able to go on missions, but she will be able to handle all of the tactical and operational planning. You all report to her and she reports to me."

There was silence, until Ibiki Morino took a step toward her. Holding out a hand, he smiled at her. "Glad to have someone else to blame when things go wrong."

Ume shook his hand, chuckling. "Glad I won't be the only desk jockey."

Then almost simultaneously, every masked and cloaked ANBU in the room bowed.

It was good to be back.