Kumogakure

Winter was well on its way, piling ice along the bridges that connected the various buildings in the village. Icicles glistened in the cloudy afternoon light, catching the dim rays. There would be a New Years festival atop Raikage Tower tonight. Fireworks would be shot off of the jounin apartment buildings across town.

Children would watch in shock and awe from the sheltered glass dome observatory above the academy. Their various teachers and minders would attempt to explain how the fireworks were made, what constellations made an appearance that night, how celestial bodies moved about above the earth. Cotton candy would be carelessly strewn about the floor in a rainbow of colors. No doubt, Yugito Nii would have her hands full with the large herd and the management of her academy staff.

Darui blinked rapidly when he realized that she had said something from the other side of his desk.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

Yugito sighed. "Darui, it's been two months."

He shrugged, gazing out the window.

"You're hurting."

He shrugged again, willing this conversation to be over. Signing the requisition request she brought over, he tapped the end of his pen on the desk. "Will this be enough to meet the academy's needs this month?"

Yugito narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't underestimate my knowledge. I've been headmistress for some years now."

"Sorry," he quickly said. "That was dull of me to ask."

"Has there been any word?"

"She sent a telegram a couple of days ago, an intelligence report. It was relayed through our associate in Grass."

"Do you think she did it?"

Darui scrubbed a rough hand over his face and glanced at the clock before answering. Each second ticked by slowly as he stalled for time under the jinchuuriki's expectant stare.

"Do you?" he finally answered.

Yugito shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know enough about this Zabuza to say one way or another. We both know she's hot-headed, impetuous."

"I wish I could say definitively that she was framed," Darui murmured, playing with the cap on his pen. "If he tried to lay hands on her, or even made a suggestive comment—"

"All bets are off." Yugito said with a rueful smile. The paperwork swished against the inserted checks as Yugito carefully folded them. "My heart tells me she's innocent."

Darui gave a small husk of a laugh. "Mine doesn't. Mine says there's more to this story than we know. All we do know for sure is that any alliance with Mei Terumi's rebellion is dead in the water. I wouldn't be all that surprised if when she takes her rightful place as Mizukage that she declares Mina an enemy of the state if not the whole of Kumo."

She raised a delicate brow. "You put stock into the rumor of Zabuza and Mei being lovers?"

He nodded. "When a man loves a woman, he would do anything to see her happy. Even if that means abandoning his position as head of Kiri's assassination unit just to hide his lover in some backwater village in the Land of Frost."

"Darui…" She exhaled roughly, pausing as she ran a careful finger around the edges of the requisition order. "Kumo needs you more than Mina does. You know that, right?"

"Dull. We were gossiping about Zabuza Momichi and Mei Terumi. Not Darui of Kumo and Kaminari Hatake," he attempted to joke.

Yugito stood up, walking over to the other side of Darui's desk. She threw her arms around his shoulders, holding him tightly. Moments passed before he allowed himself to accept her affection, standing up and resting his chin on the top of her head. She was small against him, her arms barely able to wrap around his back.

"I'm okay," he reassured her.

In a feline touch of affection, she rubbed her cheek against his chest. "You will be. Maybe not now, or next week. But you will be." She got up and roughly grabbing his chin in her hand, she turned his face to meet her eyes. "Promise me. You'll stay for a better Kumo."

Her eyes were hard, flecks of gold reflected against the elongated pupil of her blue eyes. Matatobi seemed to be gazing out from within. Her nails were sharp against his jaw, he was all too quickly reminded with a quick flex of her hand, she could easily end his life. With all of a cat's whim, perhaps she would. She was the second Godaime Raikage candidate for a reason.

He put his hands on her shoulders, moving her hand from his jaw. "I swear. I'll stay for a better Kumo."

Dropping to one knee in front of him, she bowed her head with her fist over her chest. "Godaime Raikage."

He stood stock-still, unsure if she was toying with him or completely serious. Surprising himself he put his fist over his heart and inclined his head.

"I swear, as the Godaime Raikage, I will create a better Kumo."

She rose from her knees, and squeezed his shoulder. She kissed his cheek softly before exiting his office as though she wasn't the first person to pledge allegiance to him as the future Raikage. He shook his head, watching from the office window as she traipsed out of the Raikage Tower to the academy.

"Crazy cat," he muttered to himself, crossing his arms over his chest.

Land of Fire, Capital City

Kakashi shifted his feet outside of the boarding house in the capital city. Three days had passed since he arrived. He treasured each moment of learning who his sister became. In truth, he was proud of her. She was strong, so much stronger than he could have imagined. Over the course of the last few days, he offered to find a way to bring her home. Though he understood her reasons for refusing, he still wanted to shelter her. See her work at Konoha General Hospital instead of at a crappy clinic on the edge of the capital city where she lived by herself.

If she were at home, he could make sure she was eating at the very least. Maybe go on a few easier missions together. But her kids? If she continued to stay away from Kumo, what would happen to them, he often wondered. There was no doubt in his mind she as relaying information back to Kumo. Nothing of note happened in the capital, spies frequented it enough that any intelligence they could gather was worthless—the only reason he hadn't reported her. Or warned Shisui.

'Five boys,' he thought, exhaling. His breath was white in the cold afternoon air.

Obito never hesitated to remind him about his lost family in Kumogakure. Though Obito thought Mina was dead, like the rest of Konoha. The Hokage had entered into negotiations for the return of the Hatake children. Kakashi wasn't sure how to even bring the subject up to Mina. He couldn't imagine that she would abandon her own children—unless she was so brainwashed into thinking it was normal.

He exhaled again, willing himself to be calm, there was no guarantee she would still be in the Land of Fire from one day to the next. Especially if she sensed any more Konoha shinobi in the area than there were. Tonight, he would enjoy the time they had together.

Shisui walked up to him with a small wave. Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest in response. Though Mina may have forgiven him, or have claimed to, he was still unmoved. If Shisui could take years to forgive him about Kannabi Bridge when Obito returned, then he too could take his sweet time forgiving the Uchiha.

Straightening out the obi of her thick yukata one more time, Mina locked the door to her rented room behind her. One of the women from down the hall waved as she walked out of the women-only hostel. The capital held a New Year's Day festival every year, it was storied to be one of the best in the world. Gold-foiled dogs danced along the hem of the deep purple wool. Kakashi brought it with him, along with a few other keepsakes. This was their mother's, their father had given it to her for their fifth anniversary. He commissioned it as a nod to both her Senju and Inuzuka roots.

Without a doubt in her mind, her brother wanted her to return to Konoha. He had hinted at it at least once a day since he arrived. He would casually mention how great the food is in Konoha; how Hashirama Park looked nowadays. How the Hatake estate was restored a year ago.

Guilt filled her when he mentioned it. Her reports back to Kumo on the movements of the palace guard were sent by telegram every other day. A few of the older children she saw in the low-income clinic kept tabs for her in exchange for a few ryo. Konoha's strength could be accurately assessed by the regularity of shipments they sent to their small contingent stationed here.

At the bottom of the hostel stairs, Kakashi stood beside Shisui. When Kakashi had heard Shisui invited her to the New Year's festival, he insisted on coming along, though it would make him late for his return to Konoha. Both men were dressed in winter yukata. Shisui's was a deep red, so dark that it was almost black in the gathering dusk. Kakashi's was navy, their house insignia embroidered on the back of his haori. She smiled when she saw it, knowing that the back of her yukata was the same.

Nine squares, tilted in a diagonal, embroidered in white stood out against the dark colors of their winter clothing. It represented the farmland that the Hatake clan allotted to Konoha to help facilitate the alliance between the Senju and Uchiha clans. She took pride in the fact that her ancestors always tried to broker peace, remaining neutral even in the height of the warring clan era.

Shisui was the first to break the silence, "I thought we might try and catch some goldfish."

Mina raised an eyebrow as she turned Shisui's way. "We're not four."

"We're going to the shrine of Oguchi-no-Makami first," Kakashi interrupted. "It's a new year, I would like to welcome it with our family's patron deity."

They walked through the winding streets of the capital, half-frozen mud splashed along the cobblestones with each step. Chimes played against the wind as the winter breeze pushed through the streets, lifting scraps of colored paper from the thin pockets of snow on the ground. The chill was welcome against Mina's face, reminding her of early fall in the high mountain tops of Kumo.

Children would be running across the bridges with brightly colored silk ribbons trailing behind them right now. Sparklers in hand, they would herald in the season in a shock of fire and lightning. As the sun faded over the horizon, teachers and their assistants would escort the children back to the warmth of the academy's observatory. She could remember the stickiness of the cotton candy she shared with C and Darui. Purple sugar would melt into the observatory's carpets, carelessly abandoned as the students slipped into sugar comas underneath the glow of the fireworks.

Shisui gently squeezed her elbow, bringing her back to the present. A small shrine loomed at the end of the street, overshadowing the streetlamps above it. Dark wood ran the length of its exterior, surrounded by an engawa, wet from the melting ice. Small bells, covered in red paper seemed to float from the eaves, trails of red and white ribbon drifting in the wind.

Two wolf statues stood proudly in front of the steps leading to its entrance. Bared teeth, menacing to any wayward oni that dare wreak havoc on the faithful at prayer. One black, its fur carved into granite with fine detail, gold lined its neck, the shine lost under the hands of thousands of petitioners. The other was white, its silver collar almost completely lost in time.

The shrine itself was enclosed, shielded from the rare snowfall the Land of Fire received. Small puffs of incense sailed out of its open entrance into the dark, reflecting in the lanterns hanging next to the rain chains on the corners. Fire glowed gently in the midst of the altar that expanded the room.

Their footsteps creaked along the well-cared for steps. Mina gave a strained smile to passersby, brushing her arm against Kakashi's. Turning to Mina, Kakashi bent down and kissed her temple with masked lips. He subtly pressed a small envelope into her hand. When she held it up to the light, she laughed. Returning his kiss with one of her own on his cheek, she handed him her own envelope.

"I can't take this," Kakashi said, trying to hand it back.

"Sure you can," Mina replied, closing his fingers back around the red envelope. "Please. It's not much, but you're my brother. We're the only family we have, right?"

"Mina—"

"Kakashi," she argued back.

He huffed, shaking his head, but pocketed the money all the same. There was no doubt in her mind he would attempt to slip it into her obi at some point in the night. Shisui quietly waited outside as the two entered the small shrine. He had never been religious, even in their youth.

Fishing into his pocket, Kakashi pulled out an offering of incense, lighting it against the open flame on the altar. Taking her own offering, Mina placed it next to his, letting the smoke rise and intertwine together.

Her lips moved silently, forming the prayers that had long been on her heart, concealed from everyone in Kumo. She prayed for peace between the nations as she did when she was eight. She prayed for her brother's health and happiness. Thirteen years of prayers fell wordlessly into the veil consumed by smoke, lifted on the breeze to the other world. With a final bow of her head, Mina quietly walked back out of the building.

"All good?" Shisui said softly, standing up from the wall he was leaning against.

She offered him a weak smile.

Shisui slowly slid his arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side. Awkwardly squeezing her, she rested her hand on his chest.

"Fuck it," he murmured quietly enough Kakashi would not be able to hear, throwing the other arm around her. His heart beat loudly against her ear, soothing in its own melody.

"We used to do this when we were kids too." His voice vibrated through his chest, sending shivers down her spine as he held her closely, a warm respite against the mild chill. He started rocking her from side to side in a musicless dance. "Wait for Kakashi to finish his monologue. You remember how long he used to take praying?"

She clutched the back of Shisui's winter yukata, the thick cotton rough against her hands. Tracing the Uchiwa emblem on his back, she ran her finger along the grains of the satin stitching. He shuddered beneath her touch, dragging her in impossibly close.

"I remember. You never were much of one for prayer then either."

He sighed, eliciting another shudder as his breath turned cold against her ear. "There's only been a few times in my life I've bothered praying. Or I suppose, hoped hard enough that a god would answer."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. One time was when Kakashi and I fought this old village elder, Danzo. It was maybe about five years ago. Obito was out of town, I didn't know who else to turn to."

"So you turned to my brother?"

"We became pretty close, after—"

Mina shuffled her feet, burrowing her chin against his chest, seeking his warmth. "I see."

They could still hear Kakashi inside the shrine, quietly shuffling his feet. His mask rasped against his stubble with every unuttered syllable of his prayers.

Shisui's heart sped up against her temple when he tightened his arms around her. His thumb stroked against the crest on her back. When she finally tried to let go, his grip only strengthened, keeping her against him.

"Stay," he said quietly, rocking her in his arms.

"Alright. Tell me about it?"

He sighed, his left hand dropping to her waist. "Right. Well. Ever since the Kyuubi attack, clan relations had been tense. A lot of the village thought we could have done more to prevent it, as a clan. Anyway, things were improving five years ago. Sandaime-sama just named Obito his successor, right?"

"Okay? We are talking about the same Obito, right? The one who was always late? Goofy kid? Bad jutsu?"

"Oh, he was a late bloomer. A very late bloomer. The things that man can do terrify me, and I'm his first cousin."

They held their breath when the prayers inside stopped for a moment. When they continued, they let it loose.

"Why brunette?" Shisui asked, dropping his voice to a whisper above her head.

Mina shrugged. "My mom was a brunette. I think I always had a fondness for the color. You're getting off-subject. Obito named Godaime Hokage."

"Right. Well, that didn't sit well with Danzo. The next day after the announcement, it was withdrawn. I was on guard duty, subbing in for Genma when he signed that. And just noticed things were…off…"

"Off?"

He hesitated for a moment, his heart momentarily speeding up, then settling. "I can't get too much into it. But I had suspicions that Danzo was a dojutsu thief. Anyway, I went to Kakashi because Obito was out of town, delivering the missive to the Daimyo."

She leaned back, cupping the side of his jaw in her hand. His eyes were haunted as she stared up at him.

"Shisui, if it's too hard—I was just trying to make conversation."

"No. I owe Kakashi everything. I decided to confront Danzo alone, told Kakashi about it before I left. Kakashi followed me to this shrine on the edge of the village. He brought Itachi with him. I was so mad at the time that he would risk my little cousin. But, he was right."

Mina huffed. "He usually is, damn his intuition."

Shisui offered a ghost of a smile. "It's genetic."

"Now you're just flattering me."

He held the back of her head, watching her with such an intense gaze, she felt her cheeks heat. "I'm really not. That day you warned me—"

She glanced away, no longer wanting to meet his eyes, whispering, "We started over, remember? I don't want to talk about it."

Sighing, he tucked her back into his arms, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. "Alright. I tried to lock the elder in a genjutsu when he attacked me. He broke out of it, confirming my suspicion. Kakashi killed him when he tried to take my eye."

She stiffened in surprise, pulling away from his warm embrace. "Tried to take your eye? Like. Just rip it—how? Who does that?"

"Yeah, tried to take it. Kakashi cut his arm off with a tanto. Danzo bled out while Itachi finished off his underlings."

"Wait, so when did you pray?"

"When I left Kakashi's apartment. I prayed he wouldn't follow me."

Mina pulled out of his arms completely, slapping him across the cheek with an open palm. He reeled back, stunned as the sound echoed in the hushed stone courtyard.

"Don't you dare render Isamu's sacrifice for you null. Don't you dare think your life is worthless when another was already exchanged for it."

"I—"

"He took that attack when we were seven so you would live. He was twelve."

"I—"

She raised her hand to strike him again, he caught her wrist in the air. Holding her palm to his lips, he gently kissed her.

"I'm not suicidal."

Heat flooded her face as he moved down her palm to her inner wrist.

"Are you really trying to seduce me into forgetting what you just said?" she hissed, hating that her voice weakened at the end when he lifted her other wrist to his lips. His arm tightened around her waist, he rested her hand against his chest.

He dropped to a whisper against her ear, his voice drowned out by the wind by the time it reached the open shrine door, "Oh sweetheart if I was trying to seduce you, you would know. And I definitely wouldn't do it near big brother Hatake. Even though that was the sexiest thing any woman has ever done to me."

She rolled her eyes. "You would like to be bossed around," she mumbled.

"No. I do like winning a strong woman's submission, though."

Her breath caught in her chest when he caught her earlobe between his teeth, gently nipping. The small bite of pain sent a rush of need coursing through her. She felt light-headed, her vise-grip on his robe the only thing keeping her attached to the ground.

The floor joists creaked behind her and she quickly flung herself out of Shisui's arms. Straightening her yukata, she gave a surreptitious glance to the entrance of the shrine. Her face burned against the few snowflakes that drifted in the night. Shisui, on the other hand, practically radiated smugness. His arms were crossed over his chest, a hand covering his mouth as he faced away from the shrine entrance.

Kakashi laid a hand on Mina's shoulder. "Everything okay?" he asked, gently tugging on an escaped curl before pinning it back. "You're really red."

He glanced up at Shisui, narrowing his eye. "What did you say to her?" he growled.

Mina touched Kakashi's arm. "Nii-san, it's fine. He was just telling me a dirty joke. It was nothing."

The wind shifted, blowing harder through the trees. Shisui and Kakashi watched warily to the east. Red flooded Shisui's eyes, his sharingan spinning slowly in anticipation.

"It's Obito," Shisui whispered. "Is he looking for you or me?"

"Probably me," Kakashi replied, running his hand over his face. "I didn't leave on the best of terms. Shisui—"

Shisui nodded, reaching out and taking Mina's hand. "I got her. Go distract tall and broody."

Mina looked between the two of them with a furrowed brow. "What's going on?"

"Obito doesn't need to know you're alive. Not just yet. Your chakra isn't fully recovered from the attempt on your life. We don't want you turned into TI," Shisui explained quietly.

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Get her out of here."

Mina tried to yank her wrist from Shisui's tight hold. "Kakashi—" she objected before the world swirled around her, disappearing beneath her feet.

AN: Thank you for reading! Curious: how do you guys feel about white Zetsu in the 4th shinobi war taking on anyone's powers and persona?

Also, the question that keeps running in my mind is how people actually feel about unplanned pregnancy in fics? I genuinely want to know. Personally, I love those. (Worry not, for I swear it will not happen in this fic, though I was sorely sorely tempted.) I already used my unplanned pregnancy trope in 'Where You Go, I Will Find You.' But the oc was a midwife so it was kind of par for the course.

Ya'll take care!

Beta'ed by: CherryBerry12