Konohagakure General Hospital

Lavender detergent, pine-based disinfectant with an alcohol base, plastic tubing, dog fur, ozone, hickory smoke…The lights were too bright as Mina cracked her eyes open, only to immediately close them. Dog fur, eggplant, and ozone wafted closer to the bed. The cotton sheets scratched against her skin. There was mildew coming from somewhere to the immediate left, a window sill, perhaps. She whimpered in pain as scent after scent bombarded her, none of them familiar.

"Shh," a man hushed, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I brought you a mask. It smells like old glue, but it's better than nothing."

The elastic ear loops scratched against the back of her ear, and the metal bridge at the top was gently pressed down on her nose. He was right, it did smell like plastic and glue, but it reduced the other smells surrounding her.

"What did he use?" another man said from the corner. "She's panicking."

"Sharingan dream genjutsu. Mina, it's Kakashi. You were attacked."

Her chest felt too tight, air became scarce, her lungs could barely keep up with her heart.

"'Kashi?" she asked in between gulps of air. Blurred shapes passed around her. A newcomer in a white outfit pressed against her arm.

A woman spoke up from her right. "It may take a few minutes for her vision to clear. Miss Hatake, you sustained a head injury in an attack. Do you understand?"

"'Kashi?" Mina asked again, panic seeping into her tone as she continued to hyperventilate. "The smells. The smells."

Hickory smoke spoke up from the corner of the room. "Isn't there something you can give her to calm her down?"

"Of course, Obito-sama," the woman said.

"No." Mina shook her head, a tear fell from her eye, collecting in the top of her mask. "No. No. No."

"Don't sedate her," Kakashi said, holding her hand. "She'll calm down."

"She needs to keep her IV from ripping out," the nurse protested. "If she keeps moving around like she is, it's going to cause damage."

The other man sighed, the smell of hickory smoke drifted closer. He clamped down on her arm, his grip brokering no argument. A memory flashed, a kunai stabbing her repeatedly in the abdomen.

"No!" she screamed, weakly trying to yank her arm from him.

"Sedate her, that's an order," hickory smoke said.

Plastic burned its way through her nose, the room went black once more.

The lights were dimmer now than they had been earlier, Mina dared crack open an eye. Hours seemed to have passed since they sedated her. Telemetry equipment beeped quietly against the wall. Plastic IV bags were hung neatly by the right side of the bed, half empty. The nutritional supplement was completely empty, its contents drained into the IV at its side. No sign of a medication port. Smells were muted behind the burnt glue of the paper mask on her face.

A chair creaked from the other side of the moonlit room. "You're awake," Kakashi said. His footsteps seemed to echo on the waxed tiles. "How are you feeling?"

He placed a hand beneath her back and helped her sit up against the pillows. "I. What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I…no. I remember following you and your team to the Land of Waves. I was worried…or—"

"That's okay. Itachi told me he let it slip about Gato, the shipping magnate, hiring ninja. He couldn't leave himself, so—"

"He sent a medic with a vested interest in the team's safety," Mina finished.

"Yes. You know how he gets about Sasuke."

"Reminds me of someone else I know," she said wryly. "Water?"

He held up the glass against her lips, helping her drink. Setting it down on the side table, he held onto her hand again. The corners of his eyes were tight despite the gentle circles he was rubbing against her palm.

"Nii-san?"

"Sorry, it's been a difficult few weeks."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

He scrubbed a hand over his face and nodded, keeping a tight hold of her hand. "We met with Zabuza Momichi when we first arrived in the Land of Waves. He and I fought, and you found his apprentice and held him at kunai point until he released me. He was injured and fled, while you led my genin and carried me to the client's daughter's house. Itachi and Obito arrived by the time I came to. I guess you and Itachi had an argument, and you left to clear your head around four a.m. Obito found you washed up on the beach stabbed half to death at dawn. Massive head trauma. He thought you had tried to heal yourself at some point."

"Obito?"

"Yeah, I was still suffering chakra exhaustion. He carried you back to the house. Itachi tried to treat some of the abdominal injuries and did well enough. He couldn't treat the head wound, though. You've been unconscious for a few weeks now."

"You said something about a genjutsu?"

"Itachi used it to keep you out of pain. He feels guilty for the whole thing."

"'Kashi?"

"Yeah?"

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Get some sleep, Mina. You'll be released tomorrow."

Mina yanked her hand from his and rubbed her eyes. "No, I want to leave now. Hand me some gauze, please? Should be in the third drawer down."

"You need to stay here—"

Mina cut him off with a sharp glare. "You don't stay in hospital beds, why would I? It smells god awful in here—"

"You work in a clinic, you smell it every day."

"Nii-san, please," she whined. He huffed, pulling open the supply drawer with a quiet click. Opening the package of sterile gauze, he passed it over to her. She hissed as she removed the IV and pressed it against the IV site. She wobbled slightly when her feet hit the tile floor, but was pleased she was able to bear weight.

"I brought you some clothes." He kneeled down in front of her and held open a pair of pants.

"Oh, come on, I can put on my own pants. I'm not two."

"You look like you're going to fall over any second."

"Fine," she grumbled, slipping her legs in. He brusquely pulled them up, and she swatted his hands away when he tried to tighten the drawstring. "These are Shisui's, aren't they?"

"I thought they were Obito's."

"Why do we collect all of their junk?"

Kakashi turned around as she ripped the hospital gown off her head and balled it up. He passed a sweatshirt behind his back.

"This is definitely Shisui's. You can't smell that? Spearmint."

"I smell it now that you mention it."

She hobbled over to the window on the other side of the room and opened it. "It's like our place has become the repository for old Uchiha clothing," she continued to prattle. Kakashi pulled on her arm, tugging her back into the room. He kneeled down, letting her climb on his back.

She whooped when he jumped out of the window, the wind blowing through her tangled hair. "You haven't done this since I was what? Fourteen?"

"Sounds about right," he said, the grip on her legs tightened momentarily before relaxing.

She nuzzled the side of her neck with her nose. "Thanks for busting me out, nii-san."

"It wasn't charity. I expect the same treatment next time they try to lock me up," he joked.

She laughed. "No promises. Depends on who's treating you."

He was silent for a time, jumping from roof to roof until they reached the Hatake estate on the north edge of town.

"I missed this when I was in the capital," Mina said quietly. "It's odd, but I don't remember any smells. It's like the attack just erased them all. Except Shisui's…"

"Hmm. I hired a genin team to put down new tatami mats. Should smell like straw and lemon cleaner."

"You always did like your lemon cleaner."

"Shisui packed up your room in the capital."

She laughed lightly. "He's such a good roommate. So anxious to get rid of me."

"He was worried. We all were. You've been gone a few years, things may be different than you're used to."

"Oh, please. You're such a mother hen. You act like I didn't come back for birthdays and holidays. I didn't disappear. I was still in the same country, at least."

Kakashi said nothing, placing her gently down on the freshly stained engawa.

"Well, you are officially hiding a fugitive," she joked, sticking her tongue out playfully. She yanked open the front door and stepped up from the entryway. "Springing a patient from the hospital, tsk, tsk. You think Obito will have to punish you?"

"You shouldn't say such things." He took off his shoes and placed them into the cubby. For a moment, he stared at the spot in the middle of the living room.

"Kakashi?" Mina glanced over at the spot, and slipped her hand into his. "Sorry, I didn't think…it's been a while since we've lived here."

He nodded, swallowing harshly.

"I should have sold the place when I turned twenty," she said to herself, tugging on his hand to get him away from the living room.

Kakashi ran a rough hand over his face. "I tried, when I came of age. No one would buy it."

"Ya know, I think we just need to make new memories. Fun ones! Maybe we can invite your team over or something. Make dinner on Sundays. That'd be fun. Oh! We can get Obito to come over too. And Itachi, of course. Oh! And Gai! I know Shisui is going to be in the capital on assignment for another year or so, but when I left, he did say he'd visit on my birthday. I said he could stay with us if he didn't want to stay on clan grounds."

Kakashi stared at her, tears filling his eye.

"Nii-san?"

He buried her in his arms, holding on tightly. A cry rattled his chest, he shuddered as she helplessly gripped the back of his shirt. She rubbed his back in circles, much the same as he did when she was young.

"It's okay. I'm okay. You're okay," she whispered. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

He sniffled. "I should be telling you that. I did just spring you from the hospital."

"Which room did you claim?"

He pointed to the room at the end of the hall, the only room with a door to the outside. Mina snorted. "I'm twenty-one, not fifteen, Kakashi. If I want to leave my own house in the middle of the night, I'm going to."

He shrugged. "Can't blame me for trying. Besides, it's easier to trap a room without direct access."

"If you say so. Be honest, you just want an easy way for Obito to visit for a late night booty-call."

Kakashi went stock still, red creeping over his mask. Mina took a moment to enjoy his temporary embarrassment.

"You should act more like the lady you were raised to be."

She grinned at him in response, opening the door to her room. Small boxes lined the wall, her rucksack sat on top of them. The bed was neatly made with fresh linen washed in a lavender detergent.

There was a soft click from the hallway, followed by Kakashi's footsteps. "Heat should kick on in a second." He leaned against the doorway, watching as she began to unpack the rucksack.

"Shisui was always an efficient packer." She laughed, as she pulled rolled up items of clothing, dog bowls, and storage scrolls out of her rucksack. "Of course my pajamas are at the bottom. Hey, Kakashi?"

"Yeah?" he asked tiredly.

"I don't suppose you were able to save any of my supplies?"

"No. Obito didn't see any when he found you. We had the genin comb the beach, but nothing washed up."

"My tanto is missing."

"Ah, Shisui has it."

"Oh?"

"You left it behind… when you followed us. You don't remember?"

She furrowed her brows, trying to recall leaving the apartment she shared with Shisui, but came up with only vague memories. "No. I—I suppose I hit my head pretty hard, huh?"

"Yeah. You did."

"Ah, well. Pajamas."

Kakashi nodded, closing the door behind him so she could change. She tossed the sweatpants and sweatshirt into the hamper in the corner of the room. It felt longer than just five years since they last lived there. The air was too close. In some spots on the wainscotting on the wall, the dust was too thick. Her head hurt every time she tried to remember leaving the capital.

Dawn broke far too early, with Kakashi's comfortable movements in the room next door. As long as she could remember, he awoke at dawn. She threw a pillow at the wall.

"You're so loud," she moaned, holding another pillow over her head.

"Wake up, Mina. You're in recovery," he chirped, far too close for comfort in her room.

"I might sleep naked now, you know. Barge in here like that and you might see more than you want to."

She peeped beneath the pillow as he wrinkled his unmasked nose.

"No, I recall you fishing for pajamas last night. It's time to get up, you're going to help train my genin today."

"The hell I am," she grunted, slamming the pillow closed against the bed. She screeched when his cold gloved hand reached in beneath the comforter and dragged her out by the ankle.

"How convenient, you're out of bed." He smiled at her glower. "I'll treat you to lunch. Let's go."

She groaned, scooping herself off of the tatami floor. Loudly slamming the bathroom door shut to rankle him, she carefully untied the top knot on her sleeping scarf. The shower cap was where she used to keep it when she lived with—she stopped, trying to recall the memory of opening the drawer in the bathroom vanity in the apartment she shared with Shisui. A different vanity came to mind, instead of the hand carved dark-stained wood and marble counter, she could easily picture a soft pine cabinet, mass-manufactured, with a laminate countertop. Two shower caps had been in the drawer, though she knew Shisui didn't use one.

Blinking again, Shisui's bathroom came into focus, sharply inserting itself over the other memory. She shook her head when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked from the other side.

"Yeah, I have a bit of a headache. I can fix it though."

"Take some aspirin, you might need that chakra to heal my genin. They're… a little challenged."

She snorted in response. "You used to say that about Shisui and I. Look at us now."

Kakashi huffed a laugh, his footsteps receded down the hall. It wasn't long before she was dressed in a plain black shinobi outfit. She stuck the last hairpin in her hair and opened the front door.

"You're made me a coffee, right?"

He handed her a warm thermos and she took a sip.

"Ugh, what is this? There's no sugar in it at all? No cream? What do you think I am? Some kind of wild animal."

He yanked it back, taking a long drink. "Tastes fine to me. You're spoiled."

She jumped off the engawa onto his back, holding on to his shoulders. "You should carry me. I'm too spoiled to walk, nii-san."

He shook his head and held up a different thermos. She smelled the contents and smiled. "See? This one's perfect."

"Hop down, you're too old for a piggyback ride." He let go of her legs by the time they reached the road.

The market was quiet in the early dawn. Shopkeepers had begun to set out their wares. It was almost the same as she remembered when she left home five years earlier. Though some of the shops looked newer. They passed in a blur until finally they were at the practice fields. She breathed in the deep nostalgia as they passed Team Eight's practice field on the way to Team Seven's. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see herself and Shisui spar with Isamu.

"I miss him, you know," Mina said quietly, wrapping her hand around Kakashi's elbow. "Isamu. He was a good teammate."

"Ah. He was a good kid."

"Rin too." She kissed the side of his shoulder.

He sighed. "Rin too."

The grass crinkled beneath their feet with every step as they walked further onto the training field. Sakura and Sasuke were already present, sitting on a pair of logs.

"Aren't you missing someone?" Mina asked, trying to see inside the tree line.

"Naruto," Kakashi grumbled. "Run them through warm-ups. I'm off on a genin hunt."

"Good luck!" Mina chirped, coming to a stop in front of Sasuke and Sakura. "Good morning, Team Seven!"

"Good morning," the two grumbled. Sakura kicked at the dirt with her toe while Sasuke glared at a crow perching itself in a nearby tree.

"Nii-san said to warm you both up. But I'll tell you what, I don't want to be here anymore than you two do."

The pair perked up in interest.

"I am but a humble medic," she placed her hand on her heart and bowed dramatically, "which means you should be able to take me down, easy peasy, right?"

Sasuke watched her warily. "You're still a jounin for a reason."

Mina's smile sharpened at the comment.

"And Shisui's genin teammate," Sakura added.

"How'd you know that?" Mina raised her eyebrow. The two looked nervously at each other and shrugged. "Oh, someone break into the records hall? I love mischief. Change of plans, my young pupils, we are going on a top secret mission."

Lowering her voice to a whisper, she continued, "We are going to—"

The words stuck in her throat when Itachi appeared behind the huddled group.

'Cinnamon. The cinnamon to Shisui's spearmint,' she reminded herself.

"Good morning," he greeted softly. Sakura shrieked in surprise, throwing herself to the side.

"Good morning, Itachi," Mina said with a nervous laugh. "We were just about to start our warm-ups. Laps, kata, and such. All standard training, strictly by the book."

"Obviously. Although, I thought I heard the word 'mischief' uttered."

She waved her hands in front of her. "No. No such word. You should get your hearing checked. Run along, kouhai, all is well in hand."

"As it happens, I am to escort you to the hospital. The director wanted to speak to you about your old job."

A whoosh of stale air exited the hospital as Itachi held the door open for Mina.

"Thanks," she murmured.

He inclined his head in response and, with a guiding hand on her mid-back, led her to a large office on the ground floor of the building. Obito stood across the hall, his arms crossed over his chest, his foot kicked against the wall. The soft scent of hickory smoke floated through the air like an ominous cloud.

"Obito," Itachi greeted. With another slight nod, he walked away.

"Good morning." Obito barely glanced her way, content to lean against the wall lazily.

"Good morning."

"How are you feeling?"

"Ah, better than yesterday. Nii-san said you found me, I suppose I should thank you for that."

"You're welcome. You don't have to, though. I would have done the same for any Konoha shinobi."

"Of course."

"And you being my lover's sister, that's just an added bonus. I'm glad I found you."

There was such a sinister promise belying his pleasant tone as the hickory smoke clawed at her mind. She reached into the collar of her shirt and pulled the attached mask over her nose.

"Ah, hospital smells bother Kakashi too," he commented.

"Can't say it's my usual style. I don't usually mind the scent overload as much as he does. Ne, Obito?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you here this early?"

"I'm making sure you get your job back. The hospital director is a spiteful man with a long memory." Obito pulled a small book from his pocket and turned to a bookmarked page.

"What did I do to anger him? I left when I was sixteen to work in the capital at the low-cost clinic, as part of the charitable works program."

He shrugged noncommittally. "The director believes all medics should work for Konoha and only for Konoha at all times. Working for another program was, to him, a betrayal."

"Why not just assign me to an active duty team?"

"We don't know that it was Zabuza who made an attempt on your life. The stab wounds alone seem to exclude him when he favored beheading. It seems likely it was personal."

Mina shuddered. "So I'm confined to the village until—"

"Unlike some leaders, I don't gamble the lives of my medics," Obito said curtly, turning another page of his book.

Hugging her arms around herself, she leaned against the wall. "She'd be proud of you, you know."

Every muscle in his body went taut, and his eye narrowed with such vitriol her heart stopped. She felt like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a lion. His iris flashed from black to red in an instant, fading back to black again as he fought for control over his emotions. He released a breath, forcing his muscles to relax.

"She was the only one to believe in me," he finally said. "I don't like to talk about her."

"I believed in you too, you know. Made you that sign and everything when you became chuunin. I wonder if you still have it."

"No. It was lost in the Kyuubi attack."

"Ah, well. Perhaps I'll make you another, for old times sake. A 'Congratulations on becoming Hokage,' poster. When the time comes."

"October, on the Shodaime's birthday."

Mina smiled uneasily, committing the date to memory.

The office door opened to a wizened old man, stooping against a cane.

"Let's get this over with," he grumbled. The cane tapped against the waxed tile with each step he took. He gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk.

"I presume you saw Hokage-sama's orders?" Obito started, sitting in the chair closest to the door. He rested his ankle on top of his knee and leaned back, commanding the air in the room. Power radiated off him in waves, Mina fought to breathe normally in the confined space.

"I did," the director said. "I don't agree. This is her?"

"It is. You will find she is a more than competent medic."

"Is she now? What kind of experience have you had girly? Recently."

Mina fought against fidgeting with her fingers in her lap. "Oh, well most recently I worked in the busy emergency department of the capital. In my off hours, I worked in the low-income clinic on the outskirts of the same. Pro-bono, of course. This was all under Konoha's charitable works program, fostering shinobi-civilian relations in the Land of Fire."

The old man frowned and glared at Obito who kept a cool gaze in return. "Fine. She'll do. One toe out of line, Ms. Hatake, and I will have you thrown out of here faster than you can even think 'fired.' Is that clear?"

Obito interrupted, "Jounin Hatake. Do show some respect."

The director's face began to turn purple beneath his wrinkled skin. "Fine. Have it your way, Uchiha-sama."

"I understand, sir. Thank you." Mina said, standing up to leave. Obito casually raised his hand, signaling her to stop.

"You will respect her as you would any other jounin medic, Dr. Yakushi. Have I made myself clear?"

"Obito, it's fine," Mina insisted, fighting the instinct to run.

"Crystal," the man bit out, shrinking back in his oversized chair.

"Excellent," Obito finally said, standing up. He held the office door open, politely extended his hand to indicate Mina should walk through.

She suppressed a shudder when her back was to him. The door clicked closed quietly behind them. He placed a guiding hand on her mid-back, directing her down the hall. Where she didn't mind it when Itachi had touched her the same way, Obito's touch made her skin crawl.

"Down here is the emergency department. Things have changed since you were last here, I'm sure. You'll be assigned a regular schedule, and will comply with that schedule barring illness, or leave."

"Why are you telling me this?" Mina turned away from his touch as subtly as she could.

"The hospital, civilian affairs, and the genin corps are all under my purview, for now. Until—"

"October. Got it."

He smiled sharply at her, the corners of his mouth far too tight for it to have been natural.

"Sorry for being rude. I appreciate the help…" Mina trailed off when a newcomer walked past the reception desk of the emergency department. He was beautiful, broad shouldered, a bit taller than Obito. His skin was a deep ochre, reminding her of a tiger's eye gemstone. Tattoos surrounded a defined bicep, a purple silk ribbon was tied around his wrist. His hair was white, hanging limply in erratic coils. Despite the lazy look in his eye, when he met hers, her heart stopped at his darkened gaze. All of the laziness vanished into an intense stare.

"Kaminari," Obito boomed, shaking her by the shoulders. The stranger vanished.

Mina shook her head. Every eye in the atrium turned on them.

"I was calling your name for some time. What were you staring at?" He glanced over at the empty space near the registration desk with a sharingan gaze, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm fine. A headache, that's all."

"If you say so." He turned to a nurse's aid, and added, "Bring me Genma from the Hokage Tower."

"I don't need a babysitter."

Obito raised his brow, he took her elbow and escorted her to the row of chairs lining the hallway.

"I'm not an invalid," she hissed.

"Quiet," he warned, sending a shiver up her spine. A man with shoulder length hair, tied back with a bandana gave a lazy wave from the end of the hall. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, clicking a senbon in his teeth. "Genma. Mina needs to go home. Unfortunately, I have to return to my duties at the tower."

"Yeah, sure. I can take her."

AN: Thank you so much for reading! If you have time, please leave a comment.

I really enjoyed writing this one.

Just a note, this story got hit with a bot that's promoting csam. I've tried to delete it, but due to 's crappy service, it's not disappearing from the story page. Honestly seeing it on my story made me physically ill and is the cherry on top of the reasons I will not post to after i finish this story. There's already been several one-shots and other stories posted to my Ao3 account. It takes about 2 weeks to become a registered Ao3 user, but you can read the bulk of stories as a guest. Happy fandoming!

Beta'ed by: The best fruit on the planet: Cherryberry12