The muse has returned and keeps beating me over the head with plot bunnies! HELP ME.

I took my first midterm last Wednesday. I failed it. Yay~

I figured I might as well tell you that the pair was actually Zabuza and Haku, but I realized that the both of them won't work. So only one, not telling, shall be moving in with Misaki after the Wave Arc. You guys notice that Misaki likes picking up strays?

You ever using a name generator for a character and you're sitting there, clicking away and skimming the names? And then you just spot it? The perfect name. It literally jumps out at you, doesn't it? Or maybe it's so close but not quite what you want? I'm the only one this happens to? Never mind then. Ignore me.

We get to meet Owl without his mask today! ~ Yay! We also find out a little bit about him… You guys really really like him for some reason. It kind of freaks me out actually. Especially seeing as his character is developing right before my eyes as well as yours.

In other news, I found the perfect layout for Misa's new house. Go look up "Totoro House Layout." Speaking of, I have shamelessly copied the opening scene from the beginning of "My Neighbor Totoro", which I do not own, not even on DVD. I couldn't help myself though, it was too perfect.

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sakura wouldn't have been a fangirl at the start and Sasuke would've been dragged to therapy. And they might not have gotten married. You know, it used to be so easy to say "NO, THEY WON'T GET TOGETHER," when they weren't, ya know, canon. I like them both… just not together (serial Sakura multi-shipper alert). So now I have to decide because I actually really like Sarada….

"WAAH! NEE-CHAN! IT'S HUUUGE!" shouted Naruto as he came bounding up the hill. I had just reached the top and was taking a breather when he and Sasuke, poor dear was being pulled around by his collar, came running by me. I smiled sadly at his back. For Naruto, I suppose any house with more than one room period would be considered large, seeing as this one was about the same size as our old apartment building. It was a semi-traditional, rural house, the only modern part being a potential-office area with glass doors to let in the sunlight. I had already called it.

Sasuke ground to a stop and tugged at Naruto's clenched hand. "Let me go loser!"

The blonde grinned, letting the insult go, but did not release his black-eyed friend. "Nope! You're gonna explore with me!" He had taken to heart my explanation and tips on how to treat Sasuke for now, and was thoroughly trying to socialize him again. Much to Sasuke's chagrin, of course.

The last Uchiha looked cutely indignant. "What? No, I'm not! Let me go, you're going to stretch my shirt!" Naruto pretended not to hear him and they went on their way to explore the outside of the house, Sasuke struggling feebly against him. I was glad they were having fun.

It had been a little bit over a month since the reading of Fugaku's will, and Sasuke was finally beginning to settle in. It was almost a fresh start for the three of us, four if you count Owl like I do. The bastard's lease on his apartment had just happened to run out recently, so he was living with us for now. Of course… he wasn't Owl anymore was he?

A breathless laugh sounded from my left. "After eight years of following you and that kid around, you'd think I'd have gotten used to the amount of energy he has." Seitaro plopped the box of manuscripts he was carrying on the ground by his feet and put his hands on his hips.

"You'd think after eight years, you would have just accepted the fact that you were doomed to forever be surprised by my little brother." I turned to face the person who was most likely my best friend in the world. Either world, really.

Yokoyama Seitaro simply smiled and cocked his head at me, a soft look in his golden eyes. He had olive skin, tanned from training in the hot sun, and shoulder-length dark brown, almost black, hair, kept out of the way in a half-do. Seitaro wasn't overly tall, only a few inches more than me, but he was muscular, which more than made up for it. I am not ashamed to admit I was glad he had chosen a sleeveless shirt today. What? I'm a grown ass woman, not a fucking nun. Distractedly, he blew some loose strands of hair out of his eyes and leant back down to pick up the box once more. I eyed his back muscles and his ass, both of which were Kami's gift to mankind. I did not miss his old Anbu uniform. He groaned dramatically.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh stop being such a drama queen." I picked up my own load, a rucksack full of Naruto's clothing. All the bigger furniture was stored in scrolls, scattered amongst our little family. "Seriously, you shinobi and your over-acting." My smile acted as a buffer.

"You never let me have any fun Misa~" He stopped pretending the box was heavy and jogged to catch up with me.

"You have enough of it at my expense Sei."

He chuckled, "That's not true. I laugh at the brats all the time!" I burst into giggles.

"Nee-chan nee-chan nee-chan! Look! The wood's rotten!" There was Naruto, hanging onto one of the columns supporting the pergola, while Sasuke tried to keep it from falling down on top of them. Flakes of white paint and chunks of wood fell down around the pair. Hmm, have to repaint that….

I rolled my eyes. "Naruto, leave it alone!"

He pouted at me. "Okay…." He stopped and dragged Sasuke back over to me. "Nee-chan, I'm bored. Can we do anything?" Sasuke had apparently stopped resisting. You'd think after so many years of being best friends with my little brother, he would be used to it by now. But Uchiha were nothing if not stubborn, even as children. "No! I don't want to!" "But Ita-chan, you have to dress up for guests!" "No! It's itchy." "Mikoto, if Itachi doesn't want to wear the sweater, don't make him. And he's right, that thing is itchy." "Fugaku! Whose side are you on anyway?" "The one where the shouting stops, of course." A small, sad smile made its way onto my face as a memory came to the forefront of my mind without hesitation. Itachi's third birthday party... "Nee-chan? Are you there?" Naruto's voice shook me out of my reverie, allowing me to mull over his earlier question. I smiled down at the pair apologetically.

I 'hmmm'ed and thought for a second. "Ah, I know what you two can do. Go find the back door okay? We need to start airing out the house. It's been shut up for a long time." Sasuke took the keys from around my neck and they headed off on their mission. I turned back to Seitaro. "Well come on, this shit's not gonna unpack itself!" Rolling his eyes, the former anbu followed me into the house.

I swung the keys in my hand as Naruto and I walked around to the back of the house. He was, as usual, chattering away about nothing important, jumping up and down. It was grating on my nerves. "Loser, would you shut up for just one second?!" Naruto paused for a second, a hurt look in his eyes. I… I hadn't met to say that, not really. He wasn't being that annoying. Just… being Naruto. What was wrong with me lately? It seemed as if all I ever said was one mean thing after the other, if I even spoke at all. Misaki said it was normal, healthy even, but she wouldn't explain what was going on. Just that it had something to do with… That Night. When He murdered Them. My hand clenched around the keys as anger rushed through my blood, their sharp edges almost cutting into my palm. I would kill Him, if it was the last thing I ever did.

The blonde put his arms behind his head and I wanted to just punch him in the face. But then, Naruto smiled and the urge, the anger, was gone. Still simmering deep down, yes, but not at the forefront anymore. "Whatever Teme. Do we need to go on a walk again?" Ah yes, that. Whenever I start acting mean, scared, or even a little jumpy, Misaki or Naruto, sometimes even Seitaro, would ask if I'd like to go on a walk. Or tree climbing, or hiking up the stairs to the Hokage Monument. If we didn't have enough time, Misaki would make me do jumping jacks or something in the corner. It… it made me feel better. Like I was in control again.

"Pfft, no. We just walked halfway across the village. I've done enough walking for the day."

"Sometimes Sasuke, you're even lazier than Shikamaru. Hey, there's the backdoor!" I gaped at the blonde menace as he ran off. Lazier… than Shikamaru? Me? "Come on teme, I'm getting gray hairs here!" I chucked the keys at his head, I would swear before the Shinigami himself there was a hollow 'thunk,' and stomped over to him.

"You… are a menace to society Uzumaki Naruto." I hissed. Naruto grinned and rubbed the spot where the keychain had connected with his head.

"Why thank you Sasuke, I try." He opened the door to house, snickering. "Ya know, it takes a lot of practice to be as goo-" Sapphire eyes widened and I turned to see what he was looking at. It was almost pitch black inside and you could hear some sort of rustling noise, like thousands of little feet all moving at once. And then…. It was gone. Light returned and we saw only the out of date kitchen, with its rusty, dripping faucet and smoke stained ceiling. Naruto and I shared a look, before nodding.

Together, we shouted and stomped our feet, trying to scare off whatever the hell had just been loitering in our kitchen. "AAAHHHHHHH!" It echoed off the walls but nothing came out. It was safe… for now.

I stepped inside first, checking the corners and Naruto followed me, looking inside of cabinets and under things, even the furnace. Nothing. Whatever it was, it was gone now.

"Hey look Teme, it's the bath!" came Naruto's excited shout.

I walked over to him. "Hn. So it is." We peeked our heads through the doorway and made identical disgusted noises at the cobwebs and grime around it.

"Ugh… Why did nee-chan choose this house anyway? It's so old, it's probably…," the blonde shivered, "haunted." Right, Naruto was afraid of ghosts, wasn't he?

I shrugged. "I have no idea. I think she said it made her feel nostalgic." I didn't feel like teasing him about it. For now.

"Wuuuh? But she's never lived in a house like this! Not even when she lived with my parents! They lived in a regular house, not in a super-duper old one!"

That reminded me of something as we sat down to wait for Misaki or Seitaro to show up. We had found the backdoor, as requested. "Has she told you anymore about them?"

"Hmm. Nee-chan still can't tell me their names, or even show me a picture, which sucks, but she promised she'd tell me as soon as I made chunin!"

"Hn. She's had to tell you something." Both of us had been curious for a long time about the true identities of Naruto's parents. Supposedly, they'd been famous shinobi, especially his father, and the reason he couldn't know too much about them was because the Hokage didn't want him getting hurt by their enemies. It made sense, if it was the truth. Naruto didn't like it, but he understood.

Naruto grinned. "She says I look just like my tou-san, but I've got kaa-chan's personality." So nothing new then. "Tou-san was also really good with seals!"

"Hn." The shoji door slid open behind us and Misaki poked her head out.

She smiled, "Oh good, you found the bath."

Naruto and I hopped up. "Nee-chan, nee-chan! Something is really weird about this house!" I nodded in agreement. This house was weird. It felt off, it wasn't normal. It seemed as if the very walls were saturated with chakra, powerful and old.

The redhead raised an eyebrow at the pair of us, amused. "Oh?"

The blonde gestured wildly and I turned my head as to not get hit in the face. "Yeah! When we came in, the whole kitchen was full of these weird little black things that were poofy and I think they had eyes." This last part was whispered fearfully.

I don't think Misaki's eyebrows have ever been raised that high, and she's seen a good majority of the clan heads drunk. "What?"

Naruto slipped off his geta, which were smooth as silk on the foot and worn almost completely through at the ribbon, and clutched his sister's shirt. "There's something really freaky about this house nee-chan..." Once again, he muttered into the cloth of her pants. He was genuinely terrified, and I felt a little guilty about wanting to tease him earlier.

Misaki ran her hand through the blonde's hair to soothe him before looking the both of us in the eyes. "Well, let's see what we can find, hmm?" She led us into the bath and began to pry off the lids and checking the corners. Momentarily, she tapped her chin in thought and inspected the window as well. The red head grunted in effort as she pulled it open to allow some air to come inside. The cobwebs in the rafters swayed in the sudden breeze. Misaki looked at her hands, which were suddenly covered in some sort of black grime, and burst into giggles.

"Misaki? Are you okay?" I asked, a little concerned. It was just dirt, what in the world was so amusing about dirt? Even if, now that I looked closely, it was everywhere.

Finally, she stopped laughing and wiped her hands on her mizuya-gi. "It's fine boys. Just soot sprites."

"Soot sprites nee-chan? What are those?" We followed her back out of the bath.

She smiled down at us. "They're spirits that like to live in really old, abandoned houses. Usually you can only see them when you're going from a bright area to a dark one. They scuttle around the place, leaving nothing but dirt in their wake. I mean, just look at your feet." Our eyes widened as we did as told. I'd gone wading in knee-deep mud, courtesy of Naruto of course, and come out cleaner than my feet at the moment. Even our toes and arches had been stained black. I scowled at the layer of grime.

Naruto wasn't even phased, as usual. In fact, he even looked skeptical. "Nee-chan, is this a joke?" I would have been more likely to believe her if it wasn't for the smile on her face. But otherwise, she looked sincere. Besides, Misaki wasn't the type to joke like that anyway. But I had been wrong about someone I thought I knew before, someone like Him. Misaki was…. she was trustworthy enough right? She didn't like to treat people like chess pieces. And she could care less about politics. But… what if that was all an act? What if she had just been pretending to care about me, everyone, all this time? She's always claimed to have known Him since he was a baby, so why hadn't she seen it? His insanity? Or had she and just not cared? What if she had wanted Itac- That Man to do it? But why? Misaki was nice, she wouldn't do something like that. Never. But what if she had? No, she wouldn't. She's not using me, she has no reason to. Did Itachi have a reason? No, he didn't! But that didn't mean Misaki would betray me like that too! Why not? What has she got to lose? What the hell am I thinking about? Misaki would never do something like that. Never.

Those thoughts and more raced through my head at an increasing speed and I began to feel faint. My lungs were on fire, smoldering like someone's just dropped cigarette. My heart felt like a jackhammer trying to beat its way through my ribs.

"-eathe Sasuke! Sasuke, stop struggling and breathe damn it! Sasuke!"

My vision snapped back into focus at the sound of Seitaro's voice, but it was Misaki's face that I noticed first. She was above me… Since when was I on the floor? She smiled and petted my hair. My head was in her lap. "Okay, good boy Sasuke. You're back with us. Now, you've had a panic attack. You're probably scared, and that's understandable. It's normal. You have done nothing wrong." She was still petting my hair. "Are you following me Sasuke? You don't have to speak if you don't want to, just nod or shake your head okay?" I nodded. "Okay. Now do I need to repeat anything?" Shake. "Good Sasuke. You're doing fine. You are in a safe place and nothing here will hurt you, okay?" Nod. Her hand felt nice. It wasn't so hard to breathe anymore. "Now Sasuke, I need you to raise your arms above your head, can you do that?" I nodded and did so. "Put them back down. Now up. Down. Up. Down. You're doing wonderful Sasuke-chan. I'm proud of you. Keep going, okay? Just a little longer and I'll let you sit up. Remember, you're in a safe place and I will do anything in my power to keep it that way. Now, every time you lift your arms, you're going to inhale, and exhale when they go down. Is that okay?" Nod. "Good boy. Now up, inhale. Down, exhale. Up, inhale. Down. Up. Down."

This continued for several minutes until my arms grew tired, and her hand never once stopped running through my hair. My erratic breaths slowed and I took the time to notice that Naruto and Seitaro weren't in the room with us. We weren't in the kitchen anymore, but in a room right off of it. She also never stopped speaking in that calm, serene voice that she sometimes used when Naruto or I had a nightmare. It wasn't condescending like the nurse who had been witness to my first panic attack after the massacre, when I was still in the hospital under observation. And it wasn't mildly, well, panicked like the Hokage's voice had been when I had gone to one of my required visits with him and a chunin came in through the window and induced a flashback. Misaki wasn't a quiet person, quite the opposite in fact. But she had her moments, like this one, where you wondered how she knew some of the things she did, or you realized that yes, even she could have secrets of her own, like everyone else. I'm not entirely sure how long I lay there, but it seemed like quite a while before I was informed I was allowed to sit up and that my attack has passed.

After I had moved to a sitting position, the pair of us sat in silence. This wasn't the first time that she had helped me with an episode. The first, in the hospital, when she heard a nurse mention to the doctor about my panic attack, she had about razed the building to the ground to get to me. It helped a lot, having a familiar presence like Misaki there. She always seemed to know exactly what to do. "Arigatou, Misaki."

She smiled at me. "Its fine Sasuke-chan. Would you like to talk about what caused it?" We did this sometimes, when we were in private. It was…. nice… to have someone to talk to, if I needed it.

I was quiet for several moments. Should I tell her? "….. You might get mad." I rested my chin on my knees. I would be, if someone told me I was the cause of a panic attack.

"No I won't Sasuke. Not when it's something that scared you like that." Misaki looked concerned now, but there was honesty in her eyes.

I kept my eyes glued to the floor. "You've known him for a long time… Did you ever think Itachi would do what he did?"

She sighed and flopped to lay on the tatami floor. "…. No. No, I didn't." Closing her eyes, she continued to speak, "But I always thought it was a matter of time before he snapped. I just didn't realize just how much he was truly capable of, I guess."

My head shot up and my black eyes widened. "Why would he-? Itachi always seemed so calm. Put together."

"Itachi… Your brother," I flinched, "has always been a… gentle soul. Especially after the war and the Kyuubi attack. He is a pacifist at heart, Sasuke." Misaki smiled sadly, and ignored my scowl. Itachi? A pacifist? "But he was a prodigy and a very good shinobi because of it. He was sent on missions that, had it been peace time, he would never have even glanced at, even if he worked in the Missions Office. He was far too young to be going on missions like that, but they needed his skills." Her fist clenched and Misaki's blue eyes seemed to turn to steel. I refrained from shivering. Even if she couldn't make killing intent, she really didn't need it most of the time.

"So? What has that to do with him going crazy?" I scowled to try and hide my sudden confusion.

The redhead laughed bitterly. I had never seen this side of her, this almost tired side. Like she was sick of all the games, games I didn't even know existed. Slowly, she raised her hand and placed it over her heart, and steel eyes became distant, reliving a memory I would probably never have knowledge of. Naruto had told me a long time ago that Misaki had a birthmark there, above her heart, like a rounded dimple. "Sasuke, your brother's first kill was when he was seven years old. He had been a shinobi for only a year. Tell me, could you kill someone right now? And if you could, would you?"

I glared at her. Did she doubt me or my skill? "Of course I could! I can do anything Itachi can, I'll have to if I want to avenge the clan!" Surely, she'd want vengeance for them too? She had loved Tou-san and Kaa-chan! But instead of pride in me and my ambition, all I saw in Misaki's eyes was an intense sadness. What had I said, to make her look so upset? She sat up, moving as if a heavy weight was pressing down on her.

Slowly, Misaki raised her hand and pressed her palm, coarse and callused from years of labor, against my cheek. She shook her head and smiled her small, sad smile again. I was beginning to hate it, that smile. "When Itachi returned from that mission, he didn't leave his room for days. He lit incense and made offerings to Kami. He ate only ration bars and drank only water. He mourned someone whose name he probably didn't even know."

"Why?" Why would Itachi do something like that? It sounded as if he had regretted killing them, this nameless person. And if so, if he truly hated killing so much, why hadn't he hesitated to kill our parents?

"It's just how he is, Sasuke. Killing for the first time shook him to the core. Like I said before, Itachi is a pacifist at heart. I always knew when he had killed someone on a mission. Whether it was a teammate who had been killed-in-action or an enemy shinobi, he always mourned for them. Just in case they had no one back home who would."

I scowled again. "Okay, but what does that have to with me?" Suddenly, she pulled me into a hug. I felt a moist spot growing on my scalp.

"W-When you kill someone, they're gone. Forever. You lose a little bit of yourself each time, and if you don't take the time to accept it, you will lose your soul entirely Sasuke. And you will no longer be You."

"Is that why he did it then?" Because he lost himself?

She pulled away and I tried not to pay attention to the tear tracks on her cheeks. "With all the pressure surrounding Itachi from his very birth, being not only a prodigy but also the firstborn son of a clan head, it must have started to get to him. Then Shisui died. Shisui, who was your brother's best friend. That was the last straw for him, I guess. Even the strongest of people can be broken with the right amount of pressure."

I scrambled to stand up and glared at Misaki, still sitting in the floor. There was a rushing in my ears and my chest was heaving with every breath. But it wasn't a panic attack this time. I was angry. At Itachi for killing our family. Misaki for making sense. Everyone else, because I hated their damned pitying looks. "So he went and killed the clan!? Because he was stressed?! THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! THAT'S NOT A GOOD ENOUGH REASON!"

Misaki stood up calmly. "I never said it was a reason. You asked why and I gave you a possible answer." She seemed content enough to let me yell. She didn't usually like it, because of her hearing.

"B-But, that's ridiculous! It makes no sense! If it were true, he should have gone and gotten help, not killed everyone!" It made no sense. It didn't, it couldn't. I tried to ignore the little voice in the back of my head and its whispering. But wouldn't you hate someone if all they ever did was pressure you? Telling you that you weren't good enough? And you never would be? How would you feel if what happened to Shisui happens to Naruto? Wouldn't you go a little insane too, if your best friend died? Killed himself? And you had no idea anything was wrong?

Misaki looked so much older at that moment, like she really was the tired old woman the other kids in our class sometimes said she was. Her eyes held a slowly deepening sadness that seemed to encompass her entire being. Her skin had sallowed and her hair seemed limp. And it came to me, right then. Misaki… she missed Itachi. She still loved him like family, despite what he had done to the rest of hers. He was her little brother first, long before Naruto and I were born. She had watched him slowly become the monster who had killed his entire family and it hurt her so very much. "And where would he have gone for help Sasuke? All the trauma he had endured as a child was on classified war missions. Most of it when he entered Anbu. There are no shinobi therapists, Sasuke. He couldn't tell me, nor you, either." Not without being dubbed a traitor. Of course, it was too late for that. "The only choice he had, as far as anyone knows, was to hold it all in until he broke."

I shook my head, whether to clear it or deny her claims, I didn't know. This was all so confusing, too sudden. I should never have asked. "B-But…" My voice croaked. "He told me he was trying to test his strength…" Had… Had Itachi been lying? He had lied that night? Could it be true?

"Itachi doesn't need to test his strength Sasuke. He is well aware of it. You and I both know that." I nodded my head. That was one of the few things I was still sure of when it came to... when it came to my brother. "Which makes more sense Sasuke? What does your gut tell you?"

A shinobi must trust his gut above all else. It was a common enough saying that it was almost an unofficial Shinobi Rule. I clenched my eyes shut and focused. What was my brain telling me? What did it know that I didn't? There was an answer in there somewhere. My breathing slowed and I felt my heart do the same. The tenseness in my body melted away. Tou-san had shown me how to do this, meditation while you were standing. With practice, you could have total awareness of your surroundings, but also be completely relaxed. He could even do it with his eyes open. Kaa-chan said it was just his way of sleeping through the Council and meetings with the elders, but all Tou-san had done was turn a little pink and cough, instead of denying it. Itachi smirked at him over his coffee, which was the same as Itachi bursting into giggles. Tou-san had tossed a piece of nori* into his mug in retaliation. Luckily, Kaa-chan had stepped in before another food fight broke out.

I focused on that memory and honed in on his entire being. It was the most recent and positive one I had of my brother. Itachi had seemed to be acting like himself at the time, but looking back, it was obvious he wasn't well. He hadn't bothered to brush his hair that morning before putting it in a ponytail, his eyes were sunken and dark circles surrounded them even more than usual. He wasn't even dressed yet, still in the tank top and sweatpants he always slept in. Itachi usually never even left his room if he wasn't dressed yet, unless he wasn't feeling well. Quick to anger, for him anyway, too. Our father often liked to tease us at breakfast, before his coffee kicked in and he had to head off to the police station. Normally, Itachi seemed to enjoy it and teased him back, but that morning he had been snippy and defensive. He didn't talk much, even less than he usually did, but he didn't need to. It was all in his body language. The way he ate his breakfast, with choppy, agitated movements. The furrow in his brow and the quick, furtive glances around the room. As if he was checking for enemies hiding in the breadbox. The way he instantly reached for the kunai pouch on his leg that wasn't there when I dropped my bowl and it clattered to the floor. Why hadn't I noticed all this the first time? It was almost ridiculously obvious now. Something was wrong, something was seriously wrong with my brother.

My eyes snapped open and I gasped for breath. I felt more than saw Misaki's reflexive flinch. I let her recover before speaking. "He wasn't acting right, I remember now. Not sleeping well and always jumpy. Not to the point that I noticed at the time, but enough that I remembered it."

"And what do you think that means?" The sadness was slowly leaving her body language and I'm not ashamed to admit I was relieved. Misaki was normally such a cheerful person that it sometimes actually physically ached to see her upset.

"Something was bothering him enough to make him act out of character, and there's not a lot that could do that. So it was big…" The red head waited, expectant. "I want to know what happened that night, the truth. Not whatever lies he spewed at me."

"And so, you ask him and hope he tells you the truth. What will you do afterwards? If he does?" That light of pride was back in her eyes and her smile had returned.

I breathed in deeply, trying to find a way to say it. "It… I think it depends on what his answer. Is it wrong? That I don't know?" If anything, Misaki's smile grew wider and she shook her head. Tentatively, I gave a small smile in return.

I sighed for what seemed like the inth time as I walked down one of Konoha's side streets on my way to the market, tugging along my small, handy-dandy gardening trolley. I was on my way to gather supplies for dinner tonight, seeing as moving was certainly a special occasion. I did love my cart, it was so useful. There are only so many things a human being could carry one-handed, especially when it came to groceries. I remembered many a failed attempt at one tripping it from the car Before. Failure usually meant dropping the milk and watching it burst all over the ground.

I had absolutely hated lying to Sasuke like that. But his hatred for Itachi had to be nipped in the bud, before revenge took over his life. Besides, what else was I supposed to tell him? 'Oh yeah Sasuke, the village that has been slowly gaining your loyalty through brainwashing ordered your beloved older brother to murder your ENTIRE family because they were traitors! Isn't that wonderful?~' Yeah, that would go well. And I wasn't supposed to know anyway. What was the harm in simply planting the idea in his head? This way, he suspects that something was up, the truth, he won't try and kill Itachi all willy nilly and without a plan, hopefully, and he remains loyal to Konoha for the foreseeable future. The true test would be the second part of the chunin exams, but that wasn't for a few more years yet. Still, I need to start planning soon. First, get some targets for the boys….

My thoughts were interrupted as I walked face first into something. Somehow managing not to fall, I blinked and glanced at the object blocking my way. It was a…. a knee? I blinked again. Yup, a knee, encased in a bright green… spandex. And the world just got a whole lot better. I backed up until I could look one of my favorite characters in the face, close to the ground as it was. "Gomen, I was thinking and not watching where I was going." I probably would have looked more sincere if it wasn't for the super wide smile that had made its way onto my face.

Might Gai smiled back, the twinkle in his teeth making my eyes water. "It's quite alright Stranger-san! It is certainly not the first time, nor will it be the last, that someone has bumped into me!" He adjusted his handstand to put all his weight on one arm and waved the other hand nonchalantly, obviously unbothered.

I smiled again. Gai was so awesome. I couldn't have done that, even if both arms still worked. "Are you on your way to the market then, Gai-san?" We had been going the same way, except he had just meandered out of another side alley while I had been in lala-land. I would bet you 100 ryo it was the long way from his apartment. But unlike Tsunade, y'all aren't suckers are you?

"Ah, Stranger-san! You know my name, but I don't know yours! How unyouthful of me, if we have met before this chance meeting and I've forgotten! I've been told that's a bad habit of mine!" He looked so apologetic too. It kinda made me feel bad.

"Ma, don't worry!" It was my turn to wave off his apology, apparently. "If we have met before, it was so long ago, even I've forgotten." This was true. I couldn't remember if I had ever been introduced to anyone outside Team Minato when it came to their generation. It was possible, sure, but the team had been rather distant from the others in their age group. "It's just that my best friend is a jounin, you might know him, Yokoyama Seitaro? He's spoken quite highly of you! He says you're very strong." This was actually true. We had talked about Gai only a few days ago.

Gai righted himself, via badass backflip, and we continued walking towards the market. "Ah yes, Seitaro-san! I can't say I know him well, but he has always seemed friendly enough! He gives most of the chunin a good laugh every now and then."

"He can be pretty funny when he wants to be, can't he? He's a dork, but what can I say? You don't really get to pick your best friend, now do you?" I looked at the man beside me. He was usually described as being a fairly large guy and to most people, he probably was. But I am nothing, if not a rather large woman. He was only two inches taller than I was, and we looked to be about the same weight, though I'm sure all his of was simply pure muscle.

"Quite right Stranger-san! But I find myself confused." His bushy eyebrows furrowed together and it took all my might to not giggle at the sight. "What you said earlier, about if we have met before, it would have been a long time ago. It seems to me that you think we might have had a chance to have so youthful a meeting."

I smiled back at him as we crossed the threshold marking the Market District. "It's Misaki. Kishimoto Misaki. And yes, many years ago, there was a slim chance we could have met. While I've never been a shinobi," I paused to pat my aching left shoulder, the only part still able to feel but only when the weather was changing, and his eyes shifted to look, "I've known quite a few. When I was younger, I was taken in by the Yondaime, though this was years before he earned that title, so I spent quite a lot a time around his team." I couldn't quite keep my smile from becoming a little nostalgic. I still missed them quite a lot, even if two of them were still alive.

His eyes brightened in realization. "So you know Hatake Kakashi then? He is my eternal rival! We constantly participate in challenges against each other." I really couldn't help my reaction. I growled angrily, much to Gai's confusion. I had long since gotten over my anger about the argument from when I was nine. Oh no, now I was mad at Kakashi for a completely different reason. If there is one thing I hate the most, it was what he had done. Or more like, what he hadn't done, despite the promises that had been made. I could understand the first few months or even a year, but the masked jonin had been absent for eight years. I had tried to find Kakashi off and on for the last few years, but hadn't had any luck. Either he just wasn't in the village or was purposely making himself hard to find, I don't know. But I long sense passed limits of 'irritated' and 'angry.' I was pissed.

Taking a deep, centering breath, it wouldn't be a good idea angering Konoha's taijutsu expert, I finally managed to respond. "Yes, I do actually. I haven't seen in him quite a while though." I grinned as an Idea popped into my head. "Tell me Gai-san, do you know whether or not he's in the village? I've been trying to find him for a long time, but it's as if he's never here!" Throwing in just a dash of self-pity and frustration like that, I would have felt guilty if I was actually lying.

"Do not worry Kishimoto-san! I know exactly where he is this time of day! I will escort you to him once we're both done shopping!" He struck his 'Good Guy' pose, which made me burst into giggles. Gai blinked at me in surprise, probably because he was used to people being freaked out instead. Aw, now I'm sad.

I tugged my wagon out of the small hole it had rolled itself into when we stopped and began walking. "As long as you don't mind waiting around for me Gai-san. I have three hungry mouths waiting for a celebration dinner back home, and I don't exactly eat like a bird either." Sometimes, I really wished such a thing as Costco or Sam's Club existed here in the Naruto world. It would be so much more convenient.

It didn't take long for Gai to catch up and we quickly began a conversation about what foods to best make for academy students and active shinobi. He even recommended some exercises for the boys to do. It made me smile, seeing Gai's potential for teaching in action. It was obvious that the (sometimes) gentle giant next to me was very curious as to why I wanted to see Kakashi so bad. I just hoped his opinion of me wouldn't change after witnessing me stuff my geta up his best friend's ass.

The first thing I noticed about Kakashi's apartment was probably just how…. apartment-y it looked. He kept no outside decorations except for a small scroll on the door that simply said 'Beware of Dog(s)' and 'Go AWAY Gai!' Otherwise, it looked completely normal and blended in with the rest of the surrounding apartments well. I don't know what I expected really. It was Kakashi. He probably wasn't even the village long enough most of the time to really do any sort of housework. In fact, now that I thought about it, I'm pretty sure this was the exact same building he lived in before Team Minato dissolved. I couldn't be sure though, I'd only been here once. The bastard was probably just too lazy to move out.

I snorted as I read Kakashi's sign and spared a glance at Gai. "Come here often do you?"

He laughed and pulled a key out of… somewhere, I couldn't tell… and unlocked the door. "Every day I can." I smiled as a familiar noise reached my sensitive ears from the now open doorway. Sharp claws on hardwood. That's right…. Kakashi kept ninken. I had slowly began to stress over seeing Kakashi again after so long and even if it had been several years since I last heard the sound, it still managed to relax me. "Kakashi! Come my cool, hip rival! I know you're home!" He stepped inside and gestured for me to follow him.

"Hey Gai, long time no see. Who's the pretty girl?" A surprisingly deep voice came from our left. I almost hadn't heard him coming.

"Pakkun, you're looking well! Kishimoto-san, this is Pakkun, one of Kakashi's ninken. Pakkun, this is Kishimoto Misaki, an old friend of Kakashi's."

I squatted and looked Pakkun on his level, trying to appease that wary look in his eye. I stuck out my hand. "It's nice to meet you, cute doggy."

The pug stuck his paw out and we shook. "I like you. You have some manners. Scratch behind my ears." I laughed and did as requested. "Oh yeah, I really like you lady."

"I try. I love dogs, it's one of the few things Kakashi and I could ever a have polite conversation about." Pakkun flipped over onto his stomach and I began scratching his belly.

He huffed and wiggled a bit, but didn't get up. "Oh yeah… yeah, that's the spot. I knew I recognized that name… Kakashi's told us about you and that argument you guys had. Personally, I think you were in the right. Oh hey Bull."

I reached to my right and scratched behind the ears of the rather large bulldog that had appeared there. I wasn't scared of big dogs, in fact they were my favorite kind. Bull mumbled something incoherent as he flopped onto his side. "Yeah, well, I thought so too. But it obviously went in one ear and out the other. I'm here for something else though. Hope you guys don't mind if I kick his ass."

"Go for it girlie. Boss needs a good ass-kicking every now and again. Come now, don't stop petting me just 'cus you heard him coming. Maaan." Yep, those were certainly Kakashi's footsteps I heard. While Gai's were heavy and thumping, for a shinobi, the silver-haired jonin was light on his feet, as if he thought he was walking on air. Almost ten years apart hadn't changed this, no one's footsteps ever really changed, no matter the training you went through.

"Gai, you've already been here today. What could have possibly brought you back if it wasn't an emergen-? Oh not you." Kakashi's mildly exasperated voice sounded from behind us, through what seemed the door to the kitchen.

I stood up and turned to face him. He looked much the same as he had at the beginning of the series, except his hair was a little shorter now. Kakashi was home, so he wasn't wearing his headband and the bottom of his mask was untucked from his shirt. It was getting late, so he had probably been about to 'settle' in for the night. My voice was deadpan as I greeted him, "Well geez, I've missed you too." Gai's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Poor dear, he thought Kashi and I were friendly.

Kakashi sighed and turned back to Gai. "Why'd have to let her in here?"

"She said she had been searching for you, and she's a civilian. What harm could she do? Why? Is Kishimoto-san an enemy of yours?" The taijutsu master's voice had taken on a stern tone, obviously prepared to defend Kakashi, just in case. I found my already intense fondness for the man grow exponentially.

"No Gai, she's not an enemy. Just an annoyance."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Seriously, where the hell is the love? 'Oh wow Misaki, long time no see! You're looking great, seriously Misaki! Oh me? No, I just look like shit because I never listen to you, but that's no surprise. Seriously, we should catch up sometime. It's only been nine years since we last saw each other after all!'" The longer I talked, the more I began to shout.

He rolled his eyes and Gai became even more confused. I'm pretty sure Kakashi's dogs were treating our incoming argument like a tennis match though. "I had a mission, a long-term one." His voice remained chill and seemingly unconcerned.

"Yes, and then another, and another, and another! Don't tell me you're still doing that shit?" I paused to look both jonin in the face, what little I could see of Kakashi's is a moot point, and had to practice deep breathing. "Oh my god you are! Dammit Kakashi!" I know I've always said that Kakashi and I had never really gotten along, because we did fight and argue a lot, but that was our relationship. I still cared about him. We had enjoyed teasing each other, once I had dug my way through the first couple layers of his asshole-ness. Even now, with his 'laid-back' attitude and the mask, I could still read him. He was starting to get irritated with me. Good.

"Would you stop with that? It's useless. Nothing you say will change my mind about taking missions." I continued to glare at him, trying to stop the burning in my eyes. I had done my crying for the day. Sighing, he turned back to the very confused taijutsu master beside him. "Gai, could you just… leave? Please?" With little more than a nod and heavy clap on his best friend's shoulder, the other jonin left without a fuss.

"Thanks Gai. Sorry about this, it's just… personal." I muttered to him as he passed. A reassuring grin and his token nice guy pose was the only response Gai gave me.

It was quiet in that hallway for several minutes, as we both waited for the other to speak. Kakashi looked very tired all of a sudden and I'm sure I didn't look any better. It really had been a long day. "You didn't come here to rehash an old argument Misaki. What do you want?" Sure, let's just ignore the heartfelt confessions for now. I like that plan, let's go with that.

I let a bitter laugh escape. "Originally, I came here to finally kick your ass for ignoring Naruto and I. Now I'm just too tired."

He frowned at me through his mask. "I haven't been ignoring either of you. In fact, I check on you every time I'm in the village." Did he now? Sneaky bastard.

"Naruto doesn't even know your name." I glared at him. "You promised Them you'd be in his life Kakashi. I know, I was there."

The copy-nin sighed and finally took off his mask*, rubbing his face in the process. The fandom was right, he was very pretty. A little too pretty for my tastes, but the few times I'd seen him smile helped me understand why he had so many fans. I'm a sucker for a nice smile after all. This wasn't the first time I had seen him without his mask, he had often showered at Minato and Kushina's after a mission, but he had grown into the final stages of his adult face in the last few years. The last time I had seen Kakashi mask-less, he had still been a little baby-cheeked. That was gone now, completely replaced by his narrow jaw and high cheekbones. However, no matter how many times I saw it, I always wanted to poke that little beauty mark on his chin. If nothing else, it'd probably annoy him and that always counted as a win in my book. "Misaki…."

"No Kakashi, shut up. You don't get to talk, you've had years to get your say. It's not my fault that you blew it."

He rubbed his face again and I could hear the scraping as his fingers made their way across his chin. He hadn't shaved today. "Fine… But let's sit down…" I followed as he led to the living room, minuscule, plain, and dusty as it was. In any other situation, I might have been amused by the Kakashi-butt imprint on his couch cushions, probably the only place in the whole room he actually used regularly. Sitting down in said butt print, Kakashi watched as I settled myself against the wall across from him. I hated speaking to someone unless I was looking them in the face. Slowly, I allowed myself to slide down the wall and to the floor.

It took a few moments for me to get talking. "I worked three jobs Kakashi. I went from one shift to another, with barely a break in-between. Every day, for two years." His head snapped up from where he had been leant forward and staring at the floor. "I would be at work before six and not get home until 22:00 most days, 21:00 if there weren't any emergencies at the Inuzuka clinic. I took Naruto with me everywhere I went. I couldn't trust him with anyone. I was spit on by customers as I'd hand them their change. People would constantly try to take him out of his carrier or attempt to unclip it from my back as we were walking down the street. They set fire to our old apartment a total of eight times, for every year Naruto's been alive. And now that we've finally moved into an actual house, I'm still terrified that one day, they'll succeed. That my family will be asleep or just not paying attention and some drunk villagers will find out where we live and set the house on fire." I laughed through my tears. I had given up on not crying again. "I have an ex-Anbu living with me and two academy students who are probably stronger than I am, even though they're eight. And all I can think is 'Please kami, don't let them die. I don't want to lose them too. I can't lose them.'" Kakashi remained silent, staring at me intently with his grey and red eyes. So, I pressed on. "I-It's just…" I brought my knees up to my chest. "I just…. I wish you had been there Kakashi. Even little glimpses of you now and again, just enough for me to know you were okay, physically if nothing else."

"Why?"

I looked up at him. His gray eye seemed to harden, as if he was angry, but Obito's had taken up a rather soft look. Vaguely, I wondered if there was some way that dumbass was able to see us. Impossible, obviously, but a nice thought nonetheless. "Huh?"

Kakashi's voice had become clipped and short, "Why? Why would want to know I was okay?" He didn't need to speak that last unheard question for me to understand it. 'What's in it for you?' Almost as one, we stood up.

The thing is… I knew I was shouting. I knew arguing wouldn't help to mend any bridges. But I wasn't angry. Upset? Yes. It'd been a very emotional day for me. It wasn't right to start using Kakashi as a (debatably) innocent sounding board but he was there and Seitaro wasn't. Gone were the days where I could spend hours just talking away, smoothing out the wrinkles forming in my psyche, with someone I trusted. We hadn't been able to do that for months and I needed to let it go and he was tense too. With the boys starting school again soon, it'd go back to whatever kind of normal we had going before, but it was building up bad. It wasn't right of me, it wasn't. I should have been in better control, been the better person. But I couldn't help it. And at the moment, I hadn't wanted to. I felt like I was slowly being sucked down a drain with not even a pool noodle to help me stay afloat and the only way to stay alive was to just… let go.

"WHY?! WHY?! YOU'RE SERIOUSLY ASKING THAT?! I got into the copy-nin's face and looked down at him. We were almost the same height, but I was oh-so delightfully taller than him. "DAMN IT HATAKE, I CARE ABOUT YOU! I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK FOR THE LAST NINE FUCKING YEARS BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T EVEN TAKE THE TIME TO STICK YOUR HEAD IN MY DOOR AND WAVE!"

Kakashi's eyes were the widest they was ever going to get this point. "W-What?"

"You could have died and I would have never even known because I don't qualify enough to be on your Next-of-Kin list! I would have found out through an obituary or even just walking by your funeral! Yes, I know that missions can be dangerous and horrible! You know I do!" My breath shuttered in my chest as I paused. "You cared, loved, Minato and Kushina as much as I do, maybe even more! You're hurting and trying not to focus on it, distracting yourself with constant life and death situations. I'm hurting too! I've just lost three more of my loved ones and I'm supposed to be strong for the ones I have left. I have to help them heal when I can't even help myself!"

"The Uchiha Massacre. Fugaku and Mikoto…" He tensed. "You… you still consider Itachi a little brother? After what he did?" Kakashi knew my feelings concerning the Uchiha main family and I hadn't changed all that much over the years. If anything, my feelings had only grown stronger.

I couldn't be bothered to look at him, not when he had that almost disapproving look in his eyes. I felt Obito's eye glaring into my skull, whispering 'Shut up. You're going to ruin whatever crappy plan you have going for you Misa. People aren't supposed to know you still care for him. SHUT UP!' Obito wasn't even here and he was being an asshole. Fuck you Obito.* "How…. H-How could I not Kakashi? He was my little brother, I can't just stop loving him. He's gone, and I'll never see him again." Except maybe in the bingo book or even just his memorial picture. For my sanity, and Sasuke's, I truly hoped it was never the latter.

He remained silent, processing my confession. Slowly, he relaxed again. "….. But why worry about me as well?"

"Kakashi….. I have watched five of my precious people have their names be scratched onto that damn stone. I really really don't want to have see yours there too." My beloved tou-san. Obito, Rin. Minato, and Kushina too. I had carved my father's name myself, with Minato's help. Even though he wasn't even native to the Land of Fire, Kishimoto Jinzaburo would forever be honored for his sacrifice by the Memorial Stone itself. "We are the last remaining members of Team Minato, Kashi." I spared a quick glance around the room and swiped a finger across the coffee table, sneering at the collected dust and wiping it on his sleeve. "Someone has to make sure you do your chores, might as well be me."

He let out a dry chuckle as the tension in the air finally dissipated, and rubbed Obito's eye. I wonder if it itches. I bet it does. "That's right, you did used to help us out the few times we ever did D-ranks, didn't you?"

"Ya know, I vaguely remember Mina-tou* only making you guys do those as punishment." I grinned at him.

He plopped boneless back onto his couch, sending a cloud of dust everywhere. "And I vaguely remember you stealing my food and trying to make off with it."

"Oi! I was a growing young girl! And the way you say it makes it sound like it was always my fault y'all got into trouble!"

Kakashi gasped dramatically, obviously holding back a laugh, "What? Of course not!"

We shared a look and together said, "It was Obito's!"

We were still giggling, or 'chuckling' in his case, what the fuckever Kakashi you were giggling, ten minutes later when there was a knock on the door. I glanced at Kakashi, maskless at the moment but scrambling to find said article of clothing, it was under a couch cushion, and went to answer the door.

"Who is it?~" I asked cheerfully as another knock sounded off the thin gateway to Hell *cough*, I mean Kakashi's apartment.

A humorously deepened voice answered with an enigmatic "Pizza Man!" Squealing in delight, I threw open the door and threw my arm around Seitaro's neck. Being used to this, he knew immediately wrapped an arm around my waist to steady the both of us. Barely.

I grinned happily up at the brown haired man, "Seitaro! Hi!" He cocked his head and grinned back.

"Misaki! So this is where you've been hiding! The boys sent me off to find you."

I pulled away from the hug, not noticing or caring that the ex-anbu still had his arm around me. "Sorry Sei, I was getting ready to leave, I swear." I turned and called back into the apartment. "Kakashi! I gotta go!"

He stuck his now masked head out of the living room, looking just a little like a meerkat. He sighed dramatically. "Alright, fine. Leave me here with nothing but my dogs for company."

"Whatever!" I rolled my eyes at him. "I'd better see you sitting at my dinner table at 17:00 Saturday, or I will hunt you down! Got that?"

He gave me a lazy salute. "Hai hai. Whatever you say Misaki."

"Don't you 'Misaki' me! And don't be late!" And with that, I picked up the handle of my wagon and grabbed Seitaro by the hand. It was only when we were passing by Market Street, because of course Kakashi had to live half-way across the village from our house, that he deigned to speak again.

"Great, now we'll be even later." He said with a sigh.

I blinked at him, confused. "What? Why?"

Rolling his eyes, he pointed down at my wagon full of groceries. "Because you left the wagon outside for almost two hours and none of the meat got frozen in time."

"OH MAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

I know, it's been a few weeks. But you get an 11,000 word chapter because of it, so shush. I'm pretty sure that makes it balanced out a bit more. Speaking of which, that means I broke the wall again! WHOO~

Kakashi's Face: Kishimoto has actually given us Kakashi's face. I recently found this out myself, but he really is super hot! It's on Kakashi's wikipage!

Fuck You Obito: "Somewhere, in a far off land, Obito sneezed during a meeting with the Akatsuki and got snot all over the inside of his mask."

Mina-tou: Yes, this is Misaki combining Minato with Tou-san, which if you don't know, (DO YOU EVEN ANIME?!) means Father or its variations in Japanese.

So dd y'all like this chapter? I hope so, I worked really hard on it. Yes, Kakashi and Misaki will be bros now. They just had to settle some stuff first. What? Their relationship wasn't gonna be just sunshine and daisies when they met again.

We get a look on the kind of things Misaki has been skipping over during time skips this chapter and also a peek into her mind set. We met Owl, who is actually pretty damn hot.

Gai made an appearance! Yay~ Was he in character? Was everyone too? Canon characters are hard to write sometimes...

BYE GUYS~ PLEASE REMEMBER TO LEAVE A REVIEW AND HAVE A NICE DAY.