Fun Fact: I cannot overstate how excited I have been for the character that finally shows up in this chapter.

Chapter Thirty-Eight - Zenith

[zenith—noun 1: the time at which something is most powerful or successful 2: the point in the sky or celestial sphere directly above an observer]

It took Tenzo a minute to open the door to my pounding. The moment he did, I snapped my hand back down to hold Sasuke's knee so he wouldn't fall from my back. "I bandaged him up to keep him from bleeding out, but it's bad, and I didn't know what else to do."

He stared at me and then flicked his gaze to where Sasuke was resting his forehead down on my shoulder. He looked down at Sasuke's wrapped arms, looped around my neck with his hands linked together at my collarbone. "You were attacked?" he asked, stepping aside.

"No. I— Not exactly." I moved past him to his table. "I'm setting you down, Sasuke," I warned, lowering him into a chair. "He's been cut across both arms."

Tenzo closed the door and moved over to us. He crouched down and gripped Sasuke's wrist, turning his arm so that he could get a good look at the red-stained bandages. Sasuke flinched and whined, and Tenzo frowned. "Mirai, there's a box in the cabinet next to the sink in the bathroom. Bring that out here." He stood.

As he moved to the kitchen, I scrambled for the bathroom. I could hear him washing his hands while I dug through the cabinet. I came up with a large, black, plastic box and carried it back out. "This one?" Without waiting for an answer, I slid it onto the table.

Tenzo glanced back at me, drying his hands off. "That's the one. Sasuke-kun, what's your pain level?"

Sasuke sucked in a shaky breath and shook his head.

Tenzo moved back over to him, hooking his ankle around the leg of another chair and dragging it over. He frowned. "Did something happen to your eyes?"

"It's— I told him to keep them closed," I said, shifting from one foot to the other. "He's— His eyes are fine."

Tenzo glanced at me briefly. "Sasuke," he said firmly, opening the box. "Look at me for a second. I just need to check your eyes."

Sasuke caught his breath. He lifted his head, turning it towards Tenzo's voice. Slowly, ever so slowly, he started easing his eyes open, squinting harshly as he did so. I could hear the moment Tenzo saw the red from the way his breathing paused.

"Oh. Keep your eyes closed, Sasuke-kun." He pulled on a pair of gloves. He took up Sasuke's right arm again with one hand while picking out a large square of gauze with the other.

As he started unwrapping the bandages, I shuffled forward. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't gotten to look at anything." He glanced at me briefly. "But yes. He should be fine." He pulled back the last of the bandages, revealing sticky and open flesh just before he pressed the gauze over it.

My stomach lurched, and I clapped a hand over my mouth. That wasn't enough. The room was already starting to tilt, and all I could focus on was that was Sasuke's blood and I had put it there. I turned and fled, tripping over myself and the rug as I escaped to the bathroom. I made it just in time to hit the floor, the impact echoing through my knees and up the rest of my body, and hunch over the toilet bowl as I emptied out my insides. I could distantly hear my name being called, but I couldn't focus on it through the buzzing in my ears and the bile in my throat.

It was okay. I was okay. Everything was going to be okay. Tenzo was going to heal Sasuke, which he only needed to do because I—

I heaved again. It left me dizzy and with black spots clouding my vision. I slumped back, hitting the hard edge of the tub.

I can't breathe.

You can breathe just fine.

I hurt him.

You've hurt a lot of people.

A sob wound its way between my ribs and up my throat, and I choked it down. I fumbled for the toilet paper and tore off enough for me to wipe my mouth. I threw it in the toilet and flushed before falling back again. I dragged my knees up to my chest and hugged them there. But when I closed my eyes, I was greeted with the memory of my kunai against Sasuke's skin and the red of his blood and his eyes.

I snapped my eyes open and started at the bathroom floor instead. Tenzo's grout needed cleaning, and several of his tiles were cracked.

"Mirai."

I jumped, throwing my head back so fast that I knocked it on the tub. "Tenzo," I gasped out. "What is— You should be— Is something wrong? Is Sasuke going to be okay?"

"He's fine. He's sleeping."

"He's—" I frowned. "But— You can't have—"

"I checked, and his sharingan is still on."

"He's . . . sleeping?"

Tenzo nodded, standing back up. "Asleep, but they're still on. I'm going to get Kakashi."

"Okay. Okay." I dropped my hands to the floor and moved to push myself up. "Or I can—"

"Stay here." With that said, Tenzo vanished out the door.

I took several breaths, Kurama counting them for me, before I got to my feet. I stumbled to the doorway, reaching out to grab it. I leaned heavily into the wall, wanting to close my eyes against the way the room lurched and swayed but also not wanting to see the red. So I focused in on Sasuke instead.

He was atop Tenzo's neatly made bed, turned onto his side. Both of his arms, clean and free of injury, were curled up near his head. I sank down to the ground, not taking my eyes off him and keeping a tight hold on the doorframe. He was okay. He was—

The door opened, and I flinched. I dug my fingers into the wall, hissing when a splinter forced its way into my thumb. Kakashi was in front of me immediately, hands framing my face. "You're okay?"

I swallowed, staring at him.

"Senpai," Tenzo called. "Sasuke."

Kakashi frowned, still looking me over. Then he pulled back and stood. He moved to the bed and leaned over Sasuke, shaking him by the shoulder. "Sasuke-kun. Wake up."

Sasuke jolted, eyes snapping open. He immediately squinted against the light in the room, rubbing his eyes. "Kakashi?" he mumbled.

"Sasuke-kun," Kakashi said again, stepping back and leaning down so he was on Sasuke's level. "Let me see your eyes. Look at me."

Sasuke shuffled atop the covers as he sat up. He glanced briefly towards me and then looked at Kakashi, his eyes widening. "What's— What's wrong with my eyes? Why is everything . . . ." He trailed off, visibly casting for a word that made sense.

"Fast?" Kakashi supplied. "Nothing's wrong with your eyes. I'm just going to help you learn how to turn them off, okay? I can't turn mine off, but I know how it works."

"Turn them off?" Sasuke shrank back. "What do you mean turn them off?"

Kakashi hesitated. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed, softening his voice. "Your sharingan is on, Sasuke-kun. If you leave it on like that, it'll make you tired."

Sasuke's mouth opened, but no words came out. He looked towards me again. His eyes were so red, and I was the reason they were there, and—

I looked down at my hand, pulling it back from the doorframe. I started picking at the splinter in my thumb instead of looking at Sasuke, trying to ignore the sound of Kakashi talking Sasuke through shutting off the chakra flowing to his eyes. Trying to ignore what I'd done to him. I couldn't get the splinter out, and tears started stinging my eyes.

"Mirai."

I jolted backwards, slamming both hands down tot he floor to brace myself. Tenzo froze, one hand extended. I caught my breath. "Sorry," I rasped. "I— Sorry."

He didn't move, hand still house. "Let me."

I swallowed and sat up, dropping my hand into his. "It's just a splinter."

"I know." He squeezed my thumb between two of his fingers and then used his other hand to pick out the wood. "What happened?"

I frowned at him. "I got a splinter."

"You're as bad as Senpai. How was Sasuke hurt? Were you two attacked?"

I yanked my hand back. "No."

"Then what happened?"

"We weren't attacked."

"Tenzo."

I glanced up, and Tenzo twisted around to look. Kakashi was standing beside the bed, Sasuke passed out on his back. He nodded to me. "I'll take you home."

I scrambled to my feet. "His eyes— Is he—"

"His sharingan is off," he murmured, keeping his voice low. "Are you good to walk?"

I glanced down at my bare feet and then back at him. "Yeah. I'm fine. I can walk."

He hesitated for a moment, adjusting his hold on Sasuke's knees. Then he nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Tenzo." He nodded at me to go on ahead and followed me outside.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and kept my head down as we walked. He didn't speak until we finally reached the Compound.

"What happened?" he murmured.

I hunched my shoulders. "I didn't mean to. I was . . . having a nightmare, and he woke me up. I didn't realize— It was an accident."

"What was—"

"I don't want to talk about it."

He shut his mouth, and I could hear his teeth snapping together. A few seconds later, he sighed. "I can stay at the house tonight."

I nodded, finally looking up at him. "Thanks."

When we made it to the house, Kakashi slipped into the boys' room to return Sasuke to his bed. I went to my room and stared at the blood on my sheets.

A hand touched my shoulder lightly. "Go to the couch," Kakashi murmured. "I'll take care of this."

I didn't argue, escaping to the living room. I sat sideways against the arm of the couch, unsealing my notebook and opening it across my knees. My kage bunshin work would be enough to distract me, right?

I was checking over my first full draft of the seal when Kakashi joined me, sitting down beside me and sliding a hand into my hair. "Your bed is ready. Try to get some more sleep, okay?"

"I'm not tired," I said, turning the page and marking out a clear list of minimums for testing.

"It's one in the morning."

"I'm not tired."

He sighed. "Okay. Can I stay out here with you, then?"

I looked up at him. "Yeah. Of course."

Between the night before and my three hour meeting with Hiruzen, I was exhausted. I stood outside my classroom for five minutes, staring at the closed door, before leaving instead of going inside. It wasn't long before I found myself at the border of the Nara grounds. I turned sharply to the left and made my way to the edge of the forest.

Through the trees, the few visible deer eyed me. But Shikaku had been firm in introducing me to them, so it wasn't long before one of the deer approached me, followed distantly by the others. The doe lowered her head and sniffed at me.

"Sorry," I murmured. "I don't have any food for you." To make up for that, I gently patted her head. Eventually, some of the others gathered around for attention as well.

After a while, I distantly heard a door open and a familiar chakra approaching. "Aren't you supposed to be at Academy?"

I cleared my throat. "Yeah. Technically."

Yoshino hummed in response. She set a hand atop my head and steered me around. "Have you eaten?"

My stomach turned. "I don't want to throw up again."

She looked down at me. "Something light, then. Miso? Actually, no argument. I'll get you some miso." She pushed me ahead of her into the house. "What happened?"

Just like that, it came spilling out. The same barebones retelling Hiruzen had gotten, but without the same hours of pulling teeth for information. When I finished, there was a steaming bowl of miso soup in front of me. Staring at it, I mumbled, "I just want to sleep well again."

"Well," she said, sitting across from me. "If that's the case, you came to the right place."

It was only a couple hours later when Shikaku came back for lunch, and Yoshino caught him outside to talk first. When they opened the door, he just called, "Mirai, shogi house," before leaving.

I stood and glanced briefly at Yoshino before heading outside. He already had the shogi board set up, and I sat across from him.

"From what I understand," he began, making his first move on the board, "you have good control over your mindscape."

I glanced at him before focusing on the board. "Is that an assumption of yours?"

"A conclusion. Based on what I've heard from Inoichi."

"Oh." I moved a pawn. "Yeah. I'm decent at it."

"Where do dreams happen?"

"The—" I frowned. "Is this a trick question?"

"No."

"Okay. Um . . . they happen . . . in my sleep?"

His gaze flicked up to me. "Not when they happen. Where."

"Oh." I tapped my fingers against my knee. "In my head? In—" I swallowed. "My mind. They happen in my mind. My mindscape. Is that what you're saying?"

"Just something to think about." He sighed and reached out, moving a general. "Inoichi knows more about it than I do, but I would think your control would carry over, would it not?"

"I—"

"Tsumi." He pushed himself up to his feet with a groan. "I'm going to eat some lunch. Are you coming inside?"

I was standing over Sasuke with a kunai in hand and Itachi's chakra was burning a hole in my chest. "I didn't mean to," I gasped. "Really. I meant it when I said I'd take care of him. It was an accident. I would never—"

"I trusted you, Mirai."

I whipped around, trying to find where his voice was coming from. "I know! I— Where are you? Itachi, please," I begged. "Where are you? I'm sorry!"

The floor poured away, running red and thick. It melted black against the white sky.

"Please. Please, I don't want to do this. I—" I caught my breath. "I don't want to do this," I murmured. I looked down at my hands. The kunai was gone. I didn't want to— "No. I, I— You're not here, Tachi. You're not— You're not here."

Itachi's chakra was gone, Sasuke was gone, and the world around me was white. I thrust my hands out. This was my mind, after all. Shikaku was right. He always was. It was mine. I lowered my hands and focused in on the white, matching it up against the familiar grey of the ANBU walls. They rippled and shifted and—

I shrieked, dropping to my knees as pure agony sliced through my mind. I snapped my hands up to my head, hunching in on myself.

"He's right, you know."

I looked up. She was crouched in front of me, head tilted to the side. I flinched back. "What? Who— How are you here?"

She huffed. "He's right when he says that you have good control over your mindscape. The problem is that you're not the only one up here. And I have years more experience in the subconscious than you do." She lifted a hand. "Here. Let me." She snapped her fingers.

I snapped up, gasping. I pressed a hand to my throat, forcing a deep breath. It didn't take long for my eyes adjust to the dark. Not with Kurama pressing his chakra into them. My room with the Nara. The familiar hewn walls and green curtains. Though usually my room here wasn't so hot.

I threw back my covers and hopped down from the bed, curling my toes against the wood floor. I tugged at my shirt—one of Shikaku's old ones—against the heat. Then I escaped out the window, leaping up to the roof. It was still dark outside, and it was always so easy to see the stars here. I sat seiza, already reaching for my coin.

Are you okay?

I closed my eyes, hand closed around the coin. When Shisui answered, his chakra burned painfully into my palm.

I'm okay. Are you okay?

I took a deep breath in. Long breath out.

I'm okay.

I heard chakra stirring in the house and tucked the coin back away. Resting my hands on my thighs, I focused on my breathing. I wasn't surprised when Shikaku joined me on the roof a few minutes later.

"Ugh," he muttered. "It's way too early for this, Mirai," he complained, sitting down next to me and dragging a hand down his face. "You better have a good reason for being out here."

I looked up at him. "I . . . think I tried to control my mindscape. In my dream."

He squinted at me. "Uh-huh. And?"

I frowned. "I don't know. I can't remember. I never really remember my dreams."

"Most people don't." With a groan, he laid back and threw his arm over his eyes. "How do you feel now?"

"Um. Better than I normally do when I wake up."

He lifted his arm for a half second to look at me. Then he nodded and lowered his arm again. "Good. It's nice out here tonight."

I looked back up at the stars. "Yeah, it is." I blinked, listening to his chakra settling. I glanced back down at him. His chakra was quiet and even, just like it had been a few minutes before he'd woken up and come outside to find me. I sat back, dragging my knees up to hug them to my chest, and looked up at the stars again.

Dawn came slowly, pink lacing through the blue in the sky with the sun following after. I closed my eyes as the heat started pouring through the air, listening to Kurama's sleepy rumbling. I heard Yoshino getting up and moving within the house, and other Nara spread throughout the lands doing the same. Another chakra, definitely not a Nara, flickered against my senses.

I jumped down from the roof, activating a shunshin before I hit the ground. I slid to a stop at the Nara border. "Morning," I greeted, straightening and looking up at him with my arms crossed.

"Good, you're up!" Jiraiya said, grinning. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "I know you have class or whatever, but I was thinking about barbecue, and that's where the Sarutobi took you, right? Figured you might like some."

"For breakfast? I don't see why not. I'll let Yoshino know." A flick of my hand summoned a kage bunshin that started for the house. "Race you there?" I activated a shunshin and pulled Kurama's chakra to my eyes to help guide my path better, grinning when that yanked him awake. But when I ended my last shunshin at Yakiniku, Jiraiya was already waiting at the door.

Arms crossed, he raised an eyebrow at me. "Took you long enough."

I huffed. "Yeah, whatever. You're paying right?"

My meal with Jiraiya ended early when a hawk showed up with summons from the Hokage. Jiraiya paid, shunshined us both to the Tower, and disappeared up the stairs. I was left standing in front of the Academy, completely devoid of the energy of my classmates. Speaking of . . . . I knew Sasuke had stayed home the day before; he'd been exhausted, and Kakashi had insisted. But I didn't know if he would be there today or not, and I wasn't sure it would be . . . good for me to be there. Not with how long it had taken for me to look at Genma again.

When I got to the classroom, Iruka was in the middle of drawing a map of Hi no Kuni on the board. He paused. "Mirai-chan." He lowered the chalk and turned to face me. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I said, stopping in the doorway. "Is— Do you know if Sasuke-kun will be here today?"

He frowned. "From what I understand, he was planning on it. Why?"

I bounced lightly on the balls of my feet and looked to the side. "I think it's best if I make myself scarce around him for a while. I— Uh. Well, I'm guessing Niisan probably explained something to you."

"He did. Well, if that's what you think is best."

I snapped my gaze back over to him. "What? Just like that?"

He sighed, frowning again. "Mirai, I can't force you to come to class. I've learned that there's nothing I can do to make you do something when you've already set your mind against it. With one of the other students, maybe. But you don't need anything from class, and so there's little I can do and little the Hokage wants to do to keep you here. So yes, just like that. I disagree with you, but I can't stop you."

"Right." I hesitated, feeling like I should try to explain my reasoning further. But when Iruka turned back to the board, I swallowed and nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

"I'll talk to Yosu when he's back. He always gives me good advice, and he's never afraid to put my head on straight."

"It's good that you have people like that," Inoichi said, not looking away from his notes. "I've noticed that some of those around you are . . . less than willing to be firm with you."

"There are plenty that are. Shikaku, for one. Genma, even, though that's been a bit more difficult lately." I winced. I kicked back my chair, leaning it onto two legs while propping my feet up on his desk. "Plus you."

"I was thinking more specifically about Kakashi."

I paused. I crossed my arms. "Do you have a problem with Kakashi?"

He chuckled, finally looking up. "See, that's always interesting."

"What is?"

"How defensive you get when you think someone's saying something against someone . . . someone that, for lack of a better word, you've 'claimed.' I've seen similar reactions from you about Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, and those from your Study Group. Torune, even. You've very possessive."

I wrinkled my nose. "I guess. Don't say it like a bad thing."

"It's . . . usually not. Like many things, it depends a bit more on the lengths you would go to. Do you know what those are for you?"

I set my chair down. "You saw what I did for Sai, didn't you?"

He didn't answer right away, eying me. Then he nodded. "I suppose I did." He glanced towards the wall. "I know I'm normally not strict about us going over our allotted time, but I have a T&I appointment I need to get to in a few minutes." He closed his notebook. "I hope what we talked about today helped. And I'll keep it in mind while I think of potential solutions."

"Oh, right." I glanced at the clock, scrambling up. "Yoshino will have dinner ready now, anyway. And she, uh, wasn't too happy when I was late yesterday." With that said, I gave him a hasty bow of my head and rushed out the door.

"You are."

"I am not," I insisted, moving my king. "I mean— I'm at least not as bad as you're saying. I'm definitely somewhat possessive, but I feel like you and Inoichi are both blowing it out of proportion."

Shikamaru looked up from the board to regard me flatly. "You absolutely are. It's a little ridiculous." He moved a rook. "Ote."

I moved my own rook. "Tsumi. And it's not ridiculous. I'm just a little . . . overprotective."

He straightened, staring at the board. "What— Wait—" He groaned. "Shit."

I snickered. "Don't let Kaachan hear you say that."

He pushed himself up to his feet. "Stay here."

I blinked. "Wait, where are you going?" As he left, I scrambled up. "Maru?" I paused next to the board, listening to his chakra as he went into the house.

He was back only a couple minutes later, a black bag I hadn't seen before in hand. He closed the door with his foot and then thrust his hand at me. "Necklace."

I froze. "Really? Um, okay." I fumbled with the necklace, and it took me a moment to find the right stone to take it off. I held it out to him. "What are you adding to it?"

He didn't answer, sitting down with it in hand. Shikamaru opened the bag and got out a pen. He hunched over the necklace as he started marking on it.

"Um . . . . Is it going to take long?" I asked, shifting from foot to foot.

"Yes."

"Oh. Okay."

He glanced up at me for just a second before refocusing. "You said you that the ketsueki bunshin ready to test, right?"

"Right." I tapped my forearm and unsealed my notebook, sitting down facing him. I unsealed a blank tag as well and spent the next few minutes copying over my drafted seal. When I finished, I set my notebook aside on the shogi board and got to my feet.

Shikamaru looked up. "Testing it?"

I set the tag on the ground and squared my shoulders. "As good a time as any." I summoned wind chakra around my right hand and tapped it against my left, splitting my skin open. I slammed my hand, palm down, onto the tag before my blood could spill on the floor. Then I pushed my chakra through my blood and into the seal.

A burst of smoke, much like the one that appeared when Naruto or I summoned kage bunshin except that this one was heavier with my chakra. When I straightened, the tag was gone and a second me was standing in its place. I stepped back, fully aware that Shikamaru was focusing completely on my test rather than the necklace now. I cocked my head to the side. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," the clone said, looking down at itself.

"How can you tell if it's better?" Shikamaru asked, propping his elbow up on his knee and dropping his chin into his hand.

I shrugged. "Like this." Then I punched the clone in the face.

It stumbled back a couple stepps and shook the hit off with a frown. "Ow."

"Violent," he said flatly.

"A little," I agreed, flipping out a kunai. "Alright, hold still."

The door slid open. Yoshino paused, raising an eyebrow. She crossed her arms, tilting her head back a little. "What's happening here?"

"Uh." I glanced at Shikamaru for support, but he had focused back in on the necklace with his shoulders hunched. "I'm, um, testing a seal."

"Right. Inoichi is here for you."

"Oh?" I listened past her and could feel Inoichi's chakra. "Okay, um." I stabbed the clone, frowning when it burst easily at the touch of the blade. The bloodstained tag fell to the ground, paper crumpled with the seal shattered. I stooped down and picked it up. Shoving the tag in my pocket, I followed Yoshino out of the shogi house. "What's he here for?"

"You'll have to ask him. And oh, Mirai?" She caught me by the shoulder as we reached the door, turning a dangerous smile on me. "In the future, don't practice any techniques in the shogi house. Got it?"

I swallowed. "Right," I squeaked out. "I won't. I promise."

She grinned, patting my shoulder. "Good. Alright, let's go inside." She pushed me in ahead of her.

Shikaku and Inoichi were sitting on the couch, the former looking like he was half asleep despite the fact that he was actively participating in a conversation. Inoichi glanced up at me. "Ah, Mirai, I brought you something that might help." He held a small box out to me. "They normally aren't recommended for shinobi just for safety reasons, but I figured that ,with your chakra sensing abilities, it would be okay."

I stepped forward and took the box, eying him curiously. "Safety reasons?" I lifted the lid and found there were several sleeping masks layered inside. "Oh. These will help?"

"It's worth a try. At the very least, you'll rely on your sensing when you first wake up instead of your sight. That might make things safer."

I nodded and closed the box before sealing it away. "Thank you."

"Is that all?" Yoshino asked. When Inoichi nodded, she steered me back towards the door. "Alright, you can go. And remember; if you want to practice any jutsu, use the training ground."

I cleared my throat. "Right." I avoided Shikaku's curious gaze, his interested piqued by Yoshino's reminder, and returned to the shogi house.

Shikamaru glanced up from where he was resetting the shogi pieces. "Here." He tossed my necklace at me.

I caught it, looking it over for the new kanji. I raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. "Guard? I like it."

"Don't mention it." He moved a pawn. "Your turn."

"Raise," I said, selecting more ryo and putting them in the pot.

Izumo glanced from his cards to me and back. He sighed and put down his hand. "Fold."

Ibiki nodded. "Call." He put in ryo to match my own.

Kotetsu grinned, absently shuffling the remainder of the deck. "Interesting. Alright. Anko, show."

Anko flipped over her cards. "Read 'em and weep," she said. "Straight flush to jack."

I snickered and showed my hand. "Straight flush to king." I started reaching for the pot, already mentally calculating what that brought my winnings for the night to, considering that I'd put the majority of what I'd earned in earlier rounds back in.

"Not so fast," Ibiki said. He turned his hand around. "Royal flush. Looks like I'll be the one taking all this home tonight." With that said, he pulled out his coin purse and started filling it with the pot.

I blinked, sitting back. "Wait, I lost?"

"Aw, don't take it too hard," Kotetsu said, gathering up the cards. "We're playing again next week; you'll probably win it all back then."

"Yeah, but I never lose."

"It had to happen eventually," Ibiki grunted, tucking his purse away. "Speaking of. Anko, did you get the participant estimate for the Exams?"

"Sure did. Already started tweaking some plans to account for more people."

"Is it really supposed to be that big of a group?" Izumo asked, frowning and leaning forward so he could rest his elbows on the table.

"It's expected that almost everyone from the cancelled Kiri Exams will be attending," Ibiki said. "In addition to the normal number of participants. We'll have a better estimate in about two weeks, but there's always so many last minute entrants that we won't actually know for sure until the Exams themselves in a month and a half."

"Should be fun." Kotetsu slouched back in his chair and kicked at mine to get my attention. "You were ever tinier the last time the Exams were here. This'll be your first time getting to watch 'em, right?"

"Right. Yosu's team is entering, so I'm excited."

Kotetsu grinned. "Ibiki's baby brother is entering, too. Should be entertaining. Is he as angry as you?"

Ibiki glanced at him, clearly unimpressed. "No, he is not."

"Is he as scary?"

"No."

"Is he—"

"No."

Kotetsu huffed. "Well, maybe it won't be that entertaining, then." He paused and leaned forward. "Wait, wait, wait. He's bald, isn't he? Your little brother is bald."

I hopped up to my feet. "And with that, I'm leaving. I'll be back next week to win all my money back."

"Thanks for the warning," Izumo said, giving me a wave and a grin.

I waved back and jogged up the stairs. Once I was outside, I activated a series of shunshin. I made it to the Nara Compound and turned towards the shogi house briefly, but I couldn't feel any chakra inside. So I stepped up to the front door instead, frowning. I could hear Yoshino, Shikaku, and Shikamaru's chakra inside. But I could hear Sai's too. I pushed my way inside. "Sai?"

"In here," Yoshino called.

I turned the corner into the living room and hesitated. They were all gathered together there. "Um, is something happening? I thought Maru would be asleep by now."

Shikamaru picked an envelope up from the coffee table and held it out to me. "Sai brought this for you. It was delivered to your house."

I took it from him. My name was inked in neat kanji across the front, and the seal had already been broken. "You read it?"

"Naruto did," Sai admitted. "But then he told me and Sasuke about it. Then I brought it here and told them about it. Sorry."

"I can just tell you what it says," Yoshino murmured, extending a hand. "Just give it here."

"What?" I frowned, snapping my gaze up to her. "What, why? You don't need to do that." I opened the flap and tugged out the card. The content was handwritten in the same neat penmanship as the outside of the envelope.

Sarutobi Yosu. Jonin. Survived by only son.

There were details below that—information about the location and time of the funeral—but I could barely read them with the way my hand had started shaking. I blinked. "What?" I croaked. "But— He— It was a C-rank."

"I spoke with the Hokage, and he says they were attacked by an unexpected third party," Shikaku said. "His genin made it back. From what I understand, Mozuku is in the hospital right now while the other two were already discharged. I'm sure your friends would understand if you went to visit them instead of going to Study Group."

"Right. That, that sounds like a good plan." I cleared my throat. "Um, I'll have to let Hiashi know that I won't make it to our meeting Sunday. Or training. Kono—" My voice cracked on his name. "Um, he won't be there either. So—"

"I can let him know," Sai interrupted. "I can do that for you."

I looked up at him. "Thanks. That's— Thank you." I folded the card up and shoved it in my pocket. "And thank you for bringing this over for me."

Sai nodded. "Are you coming home?" he asked carefully. "It's nice of Kakashi-san to stay with us, but . . . I don't like you not being there."

My shoulders tensed. "I—" I hesitated, biting my lip.

Shikamaru groaned, pulling himself to his feet. "C'mon, Sai. I'll walk you home."

Yoshino stood, reaching for me. "Come with me," she murmured, pulling me towards the kitchen while the boys left. "I'll make you some tea."

"I don't want tea," I mumbled.

"Too bad. You're getting tea." She shoved me into a chair at the table. "Matcha?"

I shrugged.

"Matcha it is."

While she started heating the water up, I folded my arms atop the table and rested my cheek on them, watching her work. A couple minutes later, a hand touched the top of my head. A half second after that, the weight disappeared, and Shikaku sat in the chair to my right. "I'm sorry."

I sucked in a shaky breath and stared at the teacup Yoshino put in front of me. I didn't move to drink it. "Yeah," I whispered. "Me too."

When Zaji opened the door, I tried—and failed—to smile. "Um, I brought flowers for Mozuku-kun."

He stepped aside. "Come on in. He's pretty tired, so I'm not sure that he'll be up for much conversation."

"Yeah, I figured." I stepped in and gave Yatogo a nod. I paused to set the vase of pansies on the counter before turning towards the bed. "Hey, Mozuku," I said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Hi, Mirai-chan," he croaked, each word sounding painful. "Been better."

I looked him over, taking in the bandages covering the lower left side of his face and continuing downward until they disappeared under the collar of his hospital gown. His left arm was wrapped up too, completely covered to his elbow and selectively patched beyond that. "How bad is it? How long do you have to be in here?"

"He got burned when he shielded us from a katon," Zaji said, coming to stand beside me. "Yatogo and I got out of the fight mostly okay, but Mozuku broke his ribs pretty bad. His leg, too. We didn't even know there was internal bleeding until we made it back here."

"'s'okay," Mozuku said, closing his eyes.

Zaji reached out and picked up the remote. As he lowered the head of the bed, reclining Mozuku back so he could sleep better, he said, "Sensei protected us from the brunt of the fight."

Yatogo flinched. "They weren't even after our client. They were after Sensei."

I took a slow, steady breath before responding. "Bounty hunters?"

He nodded, rubbing at his eyes. "There were three of them. They went through the client first and then tried to use us as hostages. Sensei didn't let them get that far. He— When he finally killed all of them, he was— We did everything we could, but I don't know any more more than, than basic field treatment. So we thought that maybe we could get him back to the Village in time, but— If I had just known how to fix him, then—"

"Shut up," Zaji growled. "Stop doing that."

"But—"

"Shut up!"

I glanced between them and cleared my throat. "When is Mozuku expected to be able to leave the hospital?"

Zaji pulled back, looking pointedly away from Yatogo. "Dunno. The doctor says that he might be fixed up enough for us to take him tomorrow. But that we'll have to bring him back after, 'cause they want to keep him for observation."

"Is he eating okay? I could see if Choza-dono would make him some food."

"He's barely keeping down the applesauce and oatmeal. Don't think he could handle anything else."

Someone knocked on the door, and it opened a second later. The doctor paused, glancing across the room. "He needs some rest," he said pointedly. "Visitors should really be kept to a minimum."

Yatogo scowled, getting to his feet. "We're not leaving."

"I can," I interrupted. "I'll get out of your way." I glanced at the two awake team members. "I'm . . . glad you guys are okay." I gave the doctor a nod as I passed him and left.

I stood aimlessly outside the hospital for a bit, considering my options for where to go. If I went home— No, I couldn't do that yet. And if I went back to the Nara Compound, Yoshino would continue her mission to try to drown me in tea. I just couldn't deal with people right now, a thought that Kurama gave a growl of agreement to. So I went to the Uchiha Compound and headed for my chosen destination. Not home but instead the old clan head house.

The floor in the main area was still stained red. That made sense, of course, because none of us had ever actually tried to clean it. I bypassed that and instead went searching through the house. I knew some of the rooms just fine, like the kitchen and tea room and Sasuke's old room. But I'd never been to Itachi's room before, and it took me a moment to find it.

His room was far more empty that Shisui's had been when he left. That made sense, too. Itachi knew he was leaving, and the fact that he knew wasn't supposed to be a secret when he was gone. His wardrobe was empty, his desk was cleared, and his nightstand only had a few loose, red hairties and a couple pens. Despite all that, it was clear his room had been thoroughly searched. The sheets, blankets, and pillow from his bed were on the floor, and he would never have left his books in such a state of disarray.

I took a minute to remake his bed. Once that was done, I straightened the shelves and selected a book on genjutsu. I opened the book and was greeted by Itachi's handwriting covering every black spot on the page. I flicked through the rest of the first chapter and found that he'd left detailed notes in every bit of available space. Unsealing my notebook, I sat on the bed and started reading.

I wasn't sure how long it had been, but enough time had passed that my neck was starting to ache from hunching over the book when I felt the cold chakra. I expected him to pass on by, headed towards the house where I could feel the boys' in the distance. But then I heard the front door opening.

"Mirai?" Kakashi called.

I sighed and slumped back against the wall, tightening my grip on the book. "Here!"

He appeared in the doorway a half second later, frowning. "Mirai," he murmured. "I didn't know where you were. What are you doing here?"

I lifted the book to show him. "Reading. You were looking for me?"

He glanced around the room. When he refocused on me, he forced a smile and lifted a hand. "Can we take a walk, Pup?"

"Yeah, of course." I hopped up from the bed and moved to return the book to its spot on the shelf.

"You're not going to take it with you?"

I shrugged, stepping over to him and sliding my hand into his. "I'll come back for it."

Kakashi flinched, but he quickly moved past that and squeezed my hand. "Okay. I talked to Shikaku," he said, leading me outside. "He said you didn't sleep last night."

I shrugged. "Didn't think trying to would be a good idea. I was . . . planning on talking to him when he got back. Yosu always gives me good advice, so I thought— You know."

He didn't respond to that. We'd made it all the way out to the first Uchiha training ground before he said anything else. "I was five when my father died."

I looked up at him, tightening my hold on his hand. He didn't mention Sakumo a lot, and I was hard pressed to remember a time when he'd done it unprompted.

"It was a different situation, um." He cleared his throat. "Obviously. And I didn't want to think about him, so I ignored the advice when I was given it. But what Sensei told me to do was, in hindsight, what I should have done."

"What's that?"

"He said I should focus on the good memories and appreciate that I got to have those. I have some of those with him. Not many, but far more than I do with my mother." He glanced down at me. "I was three when she died, so most everything I know about her is from the stories he told me."

"You've never talked about her before. What was her name?"

"Hayami. I've seen pictures; the name fits. She was . . . a lot, if his stories are to be believed. He told me that she blew her cover on a mission one time because she got in a bar brawl after a man said he didn't like dogs. But he also told me about how he was on escort duty in the Capitol once and got reprimanded for sneaking into the daimyo's garden to steal flowers for her."

"Really?" I closed my eyes, thought back to the only picture of Sakumo I'd ever seen—the one with him as Ino-Shika-Cho's sensei—and tried to imagine him trespassing on the daimyo's property. "Sounds like they were a good match for each other."

"Yeah. I think—" Kakashi looked up. "I think they were."

I followed his stare up to the hawk that was circling above us. As it dove for where we were, I asked, "Is that for you?"

"Maybe." He frowned down at me. "I want to talk to you about what happened with Sasuke."

I flinched. "I don't want to talk about it."

He didn't look happy, but he didn't argue. Kakashi released my hand and knelt down to retrieve the message tied to the hawk's leg. He held it up. "It's for you."

"What?" I took the note and, glancing at my name across the front, opened it. "Hiruzen wants me at the Tower."

"What for? Did you do something?"

"Did— Why would you think I did something?"

"It's just a question. I never know with you." He ruffled my hair, though the playfulness in his tone was clearly a little strained. "I'll go back to the boys. Let me know if it's something important, okay?"

"I will."

Kakashi disappeared in a shunshin, and I used my own to head to the Tower. The Hokage was waiting for me, waving me in with a quiet greeting, and he wasn't alone. I glanced towards Hiruzen and then stepped over to his couch, crouching down. Konohamaru was completely passed out, huddled beneath a bright green blanket that was far too large for him. I straightened and turned around. "You wanted to see me?"

"I did. Thank you for coming so quickly." He motioned me towards the desk, keeping his voice low. "I had to send Ebisu on a mission, and I can't watch Konohamaru myself while he's gone." He opened a drawer at his left and took out an envelope. "Here's the basics of what you should need."

"What I'll need?" I asked, taking the envelope. I could feel paper and something metal inside. "You want me to watch him? For how long?"

"Ebisu's mission isn't long. A week to two."

"Oh. Okay. At . . . ."

"My house. I know you'll need your own things, so of course you can go get those. And you don't have to watch him. It's your choice. I can reach out to other options."

"No, that's not necessary." I thought about the belongings I kept in my seals. "I can go ahead and take him. How . . . has he been?"

"He's been sleeping, mostly. He hasn't eaten much."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"No." He smiled. "Thank you for your help, Mirai-chan."

I nodded and turned back to Konohamaru, kneeling down. I shook his shoulder gently. "Hey, Kono-kun. Wake up for me for just a second." When he whined and squinted at me, I smiled. "Not for long. I just need to carry you home."

Konohamaru pushed himself up just enough that, when I turned around, he was able to slump over my back. I hooked my hands around his knees and stood up. "Okay. You ready to go home?"

He didn't answer, already asleep again with his cheek pressed into my shoulder.

I was pulled from my meditation, kneeling both in reality and in my mindscape while Kurama's chakra poured through my body, by the distant sound of crying. I shook myself out of my mind and got to my feet. Following the sound, I moved into the hallway and next door to Konohamaru's room. After knocking softly, I pushed inside. It was dark inside, and I summoned Kurama's chakra to my eyes so I could see better. I crouched by the bed, putting a hand on Konohamaru's shoulder.

He sobbed loudly, face still pressed into his pillow. I didn't say anything, just rubbing his back while I waited. It took a while, long enough that I lost track of time completely, but he eventually quieted down. Konohamaru shifted onto his side, and his small hands gripped at my arm.

"Hey, Konohamaru," I murmured. "What are you feeling?"

He sniffled, fingers digging in. "Ebisu didn't finish the scarf," he mumbled.

I frowned. "What?"

"Touchan's scarf. He— Ebisu didn't finish cleaning it when—" He choked out another cry and shuffled forward.

I leaned in and hugged him, bringing one hand up to drag it through his hair. "Okay. It's okay," I whispered. "I'll take care of that for you. I promise."

Yosu's funeral was very public and very full of people. While Shisui's funeral had been open to fellow Uchiha, it had been open to only Uchiha, and only those who knew him well enough showed. With Yosu, the Hokage's son, it seemed like everyone wanted to be there to get one last glimpse, even if they hadn't known him.

As it turned out, no one would a get a glimpse of him; it was a closed casket, and I had to wonder just how badly mangled he had to be for his body not to be displayed at a shinobi funeral.

Konohamaru started the funeral holding my hand and was in my arms by the time Hiruzen started wrapping up his eulogy. I hadn't paid much attention to it, fading out around the time he started talking about his pride in his son's jonin accomplishments. I snapped back to attention when Zaji took the Hokage's place. I glanced around and spotted Yatogo off to the left, standing with his head bowed and his hands on Mozuku's wheelchair. I tried to focus on Zaji's speech, but then Konohamaru was tugging at my sleeve.

"Mirai," he whispered, voice trembling. "I want to go home."

I shifted him in my arms so that I could manage a look at him. His face was a splotchy red from crying, and his nose was running so badly that I wasn't sure if the wet spots on my shirt were from that or his tears. "We're almost through."

"No, I—" He sniffled, wrinkling his nose. "I don't want to be here. I don't—"

His volume was starting to rise, and I cut him off before he could reach the wail I saw building up. "Okay, okay, wait. Hold on." Hefting him a bit higher so I had a better hold on him, I turned and pushed through the crowd—some people I knew, some people I definitely didn't—until we broke through the other side. We made it partway down the street before the sniffling started up again.

I stopped and sat down on a bench in front of one of the shops, moving him so he was sitting beside me. He was clearly trying to stifle his tears, and I ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay to cry," I assured him. "You can cry. It's okay."

"No it's not," he muttered, rubbing at his eyes. "You don't."

"Oh, I definitely do," I promised. "I cry all the time. There's nothing wrong with crying. It just means that you're feeling something. And that's good. People are supposed to feel things."

In response, he dissolved and threw himself at me, bawling. I held him close and just rested my head down against his, occasionally murmuring a reminder that I was there.

"Mirai, is there anything I can do?"

I jolted, snapping my head up. "Iruka-sensei!" I squeaked out. "What are you— I didn't hear you coming!"

He smiled, and it was sad but honest. "Sorry. I saw you two leave and got worried."

Konohamaru shifted and, sniffling and rubbing at his face, squinted. "Your sensei?"

I looked down and smoothed his hair back from his forehead. "He is. This is Iruka-sensei, and he's pretty great. Is there anything he can do to help?"

Konohamaru stared at him for a moment. Then he shook his head and pressed his face back into my shoulder. "I just wanna go home."

Iruka's expression softened. "I'll just get out of the way so you can do that, then. Be sure to let me know if there's anything I can do, Mirai-chan."

"I will. Thank you, Iruka-sensei."

He moved back as I stood up, arms around Konohamaru while he clung to me. After giving Iruka a smile, I turned away to take Konohamaru home.

Right after we'd finished dinner—I had made enough for the two of us, but Hiruzen had returned from his office early, forcing me to improvise my own meal out of leftover melonpan and fish—Konohamaru had crashed on the couch, and I'd carried him to his room. Once he was settled, I finally had time to dig around until I found the laundry room and the scarf that had been abandoned there. It took me just a couple minutes more to find the right supplies, and then I got to cleaning.

I was elbow deep in ice cold water, scrubbing the red out of the blue cloth, when I heard the door slam open and the yelling begin.

"One day! You couldn't have waited one day!"

I froze, twisting around to stare out in the hallway. I didn't recognize the voice, so whoever it was probably wasn't angry with me. Which meant that he, whoever he was, had just burst into the Hokage's home to scream at him. I dragged the scarf out of the water and threw it over the drying rack. His yelling had continued, and I followed it down the hallway, drying my hands on my pants.

"I didn't know you were coming back," Hiruzen finally interrupted, sounding . . . exactly like he always did when he was talking down to me.

"You didn't— Of course I was— It was Yosu!" The voice cracked. "Of course I was coming back for that! How could you think I wouldn't?"

I turned the corner and stood facing Hiruzen's office. I could see the Hokage sitting in his chair inside, pipe clenched hard between his teeth. In the doorway stood, inarguably, the tallest man I'd ever seen in this life. And he looked so painfully similar to Yosu that there was really only one option for who he could be.

"You should have let me know. I could have delayed."

"I got the news yesterday morning! So how did you expect— You rushed it! You just didn't want me here, and you know it."

"That's ridiculous. Of course I—"

"Konohamaru is sleeping," I finally interrupted, pointedly keeping my voice quieter than normal while making it sharp. "And he really does need his rest."

Hiruzen's gaze cut towards me, and the newcomer whipped around, his own gaze narrowing. "Who—" He glanced back over his shoulder, clearly torn about leaving the argument.

"You must be Asuma." I stepped forward and thrust out my hand. "Yosu-sensei's told me a lot about you."

He frowned. "He said all his students were boys."

"My name's Mirai. I'm not one of his genin."

The confusion cleared form his face. "Oh. You're Mirai." At that, he finally shook my hand. "I should have known."

"I didn't know Yosu told you about me. Last I heard, you two didn't talk."

His guard went up immediately, and tension rose in his shoulders. "It was a recent development. He talked about Konohamaru more than anything."

"Which, speaking of, he's sleeping," I reminded them. Then I focused in on Hiruzen. "So if you want to argue about Asuma's right to be at his own brother's funeral, I suggest you do it quietly and with the awareness that you should have waited."

He sighed. "As always, Mirai, you're not afraid to share your opinion."

"Yosu missed him," I stated, crossing my arms. "And I know that, given the option, he would have wanted Asuma there. You should know that too."

"This is forward and brash. Even for you."

I swallowed thickly. I lifted my chin. "I want Naruto at my funeral. And I don't like the idea that you wouldn't wait for a sibling to be there."

"It's not because I'm Yosu's brother," Asuma muttered. "It's because I'm me."

Hiruzen sighed. "That's not—"

"Don't. Don't even pretend."

For a moment, Hiruzen looked frustrated. But then he just offered up a tight-lipped smile. "Welcome home, Asuma."