After the initial jubilation over defeating Pain came the heavy air of grief.

The village had been completely destroyed and the majority of the population was left homeless, with only the clothing on their backs. There were so many wounded. Some who gave into their wounds in the days that followed. Others who were so badly injured that their lives would never be the same. It was not a victory without many sacrifices.

Many civilians families relocated to other villages within the Land of Fire. Most of those being from the merchant class with no shinobi ties. The majority of them resettled in the capital, although others were welcomed as refugees in nearby villages. Konoha had once been a developing hub of economic activity. The village attracted people from all over - including merchants looking to sell their wares. Now it would be difficult to convince them to return after losing their livelihood. The civilians that chose to remain were usually from shinobi families or clans. Those with such deep roots in the village that made leaving not an easy decision.

Some of the clans - like the Nara, Aburame, Inuzuka and Akimichi - had their land on the outskirts of the village that had managed to escape the damage. They opened their homes, taking in as many as they could house. The Inuzuka shinobi had set up camp and allowed their homes to be entirely used by civilians. Their kennels acted as a rescue for animals and they were trying to reunite dogs and cats with their families. Rows upon rows of tents had been set up for those who had been displaced. The Hatake compound continued to be a hub of activity for shinobi, giving them a place to rest in-between missions and patrol routes. Kurenai and Shiori were left in charge as they were most often there; they had opened up a temporary daycare for pre-academy aged children.

Kotori was dropping off rations to them one afternoon. A delegation had arrived that from the capital, bringing wagons of much needed necessities along with the Fire Daimyo and his advisors. They were here to survey the damage to Konoha and engage in talks about rebuilding. She knew Masato and Shikaku were stressed about these meetings. Kotori had taken on even more of Masato's duties as he prepared for the visit. The majority of the village's funding came from the Land of Fire as part of its military defence. The patronage of the Fire Daimyo also secured missions from wealthy nobles and village leaders across the country. To lose his confidence - to have him shift to another hidden village - would be a devastating blow while Konoha was in such a fragile state. If that were to happen... they might never recover.

Kotori sat at the counter while Kurenai took inventory of the rations they had received. Kotori had given the rough estimates of those staying at the Hatake compound and had been given an abundance of things like rice, beans and oil. There was also a bottle of soy sauce, a box of tea packets and several jars of pickled vegetables. Someone had also slipped in sweets and toys for the little ones.

The main door slid open and Shikamaru's voice called out in greeting. "Hello, Kurenai-sensei, I was wondering if Kotori was - ah, there you are. I have something for you."

Kotori turned, expecting a mission or message from his father. Instead he was holding a wooden box engraved with the Sorano mon.

"We've been sorting through photos and things to return them to their owners - I think this belongs to you."

Her eyes lit up with surprise. She had assumed all of her things were destroyed in the explosion. Out of all of them, the loss of this box, the memories inside of it, hurt the most. She had told herself it was just stuff. At least she and her loved ones still had their lives. That there was more important things to worry about. But the things inside this box - her family photos, her parents' wedding bands, her brother' forehead protectors - those were irreplaceable to her. She took it from Shikamaru's arms, holding it tightly.

"Thank you."

"It has good seal work on the bottom, almost everything was still intact, except for the flute." Shikamaru looked apologetic, even if he wasn't the one who had damaged it.

"The flute has been broken for years," Kotori admitted. It had belonged to her father and had been found broken in the rubble of her childhood home. She hadn't been able to part with it, but couldn't bring herself to have it fixed either.

"You know there's artisans who can fix it."

"Yeah - maybe I'll get around to it one day," she sincerely said. She could still hear the sound of her father playing it in the afterlife and thought perhaps she just might try again. "Thank you, really."

Shikamaru quickly left after that - the very last thing he wanted to deal with was an emotional woman. Kotori initially stored her box in the main house, but it was Kakashi who suggested she store it underneath the pavilion in the garden. Apparently there was a trap door that was sealed. All of the Hatake family heirlooms were kept there.

"I packed up anything with sentimental value and stored it here after I moved out," Kakashi explained, using a fire jutsu to light the lantern on the wall.

Kotori followed him down the stone steps that disappeared to an underground room. The door closed behind them, leaving them with only the glow of the lantern. There were dusty shelves lined with various storage scrolls. Kakashi perused the shelves as Kotori neatly labelled and stored her box in a scroll. She turned just in time to see Kakashi slipping a scroll into the upper left pocket of his flak jacket.

"What's that?" Kotori asked.

"Something that belonged to my father," Kakashi said. His eye curving into a smile.

There was something a little predatory in that look. Kotori's own lips quirked upwards, answering the unasked question. It was hard to find any privacy with their current living situation. The two hadn't been able to exchange more than heated glanced and quick embraces since being revived.

And with the way she could feel the flush of her cheeks, the beat of her heart, the desire pooling in her loins - Kotori felt very much alive.

She pounced first.

His mask was suddenly around his neck and he was kissing her, pushing himself against her until the stone wall scrapped her flak jacket. They had too much clothing between them. Hand gloves and flak jackets and mesh shirts were quickly ripped off. Her chest bindings were left in place, too much of a nuisance to quickly remove. His hands felt cold against her heated skin and she shivered from his touch.

Kotori dropped to her knees, her fingers nimbly undoing his belt. She dragged pants and briefs down over his hips, letting them pool around his ankles. She took a moment, admiring his lean form. Kakashi was absolute perfection. It often humbled her that he chose her when he looked like that. As if he had been chiseled from stone by a god. His hand twisted in her hair, grabbing it harshly and holding it behind her head as she took him in her mouth. Her eyes held his the entire time, watching as he took his pleasure from her.

Before he could come, he abruptly pulled out and ordered her to stand. His hands cupped her face as he stared at her with that adoring look. It was enough to leave her a little breathless. He took her against the wall, her legs wrapped around his hips as he rocked into her. Like waves crashing against the cliffs until she finally fell into that sweet abyss. Tears came to her eyes as she felt her body reach its climax. She didn't know who was muttering over and over again. It might have been him, it might have been her.

"I love you, I love you, I love you."

Long after he sat against the wall, with her in his lap. The air around them was still cold, but their combined body heat made it feel less so. Her head was resting against his chest, listening to the steady and strong beat of his heart. They were alive. Sometimes she woke up in the dead of night and she had to check that he was still there - that he was still alive. When she woke up, her heart breaking all over again as she dreamed of the moment when his had stopped. She didn't think she would ever stop being thankful they had been given a second chance at life. In those brief moments he had been taken from her, there were a million things she had desperately wanted to say to him, to ask him, to do with him. And now they could.

"Did you know our dads were friends?" Kotori asked.

"Yes - we talked. Your name might have come up, once or twice," he teased.

"Your name definitely came up," Kotori retorted. "You tripped me and I skinned my knee."

"Your poor knees," Kakashi agreed, messaging circles on them with his thumb. "I should take better care of them, especially when you look so pretty down on them."

"You should, that stone floor hurts."

Kakashi chuckled, but he seemed lost in thought. "What do you think about living here?"

"In the cellar?" It was tempting, if they could sneak away like this.

"No, the main house. Once the village has been rebuilt and our friends move out. We could stay."

Kakashi's old family home would need a lot of work. It had been neglected over the last two decades. But it was a nice sized home, meant for a large family, and the gardens - even in such a wild state - were beautiful.

And they would be living together. Officially. Her heart swelled.

"Yes."

"Good, I've already added your chakra signature to the seals." His voice then took on a low, seductive tone. "Including the cellar."

Kotori and Kakashi rarely had the chance to see each other, let alone sneak away, in the days that followed. Both were swept away in the repairs that needed to happen. Kakashi spent long hours with Shikaku and others, determining what risk the remaining members of the Akatsuki posed. Meanwhile Kotori was called in front of the Daimyo to give a report on the village defences. She had came with a list of proposals, carefully thinking of what resources she would need to request from the Fire Daimyo.

Instead, she instead found herself in the middle of an inquisition about why their village defences had failed.

Kotori stood at the end of a long table, with the Fire Daimyo and his advisors seated along one side and Danzo, Koharu, Homura, Masato and Shikaku seated across from them. She could see one of the advisors whisper behind his hand to the Fire Daimyo. Kotori tried not to appear flustered and was grateful for the Hawk mask that hid her face.

"- after we gave you the numbers you requested and allowed you to pull patrols off route to prepare," Koharu lectured. "And we've spoken before about the deficiencies in your chakra bird network."

"The Akatsuki member known as Pein had the rinnegan and information from Itachi regarding my ability," Kotori explained, finding herself backed into a corner. She tried to keep the defensiveness out of her tone. Stick to the facts, she silently coached herself, they speak for themselves. "The Hokage and this advisory committee have known since March that my chakra bird network was compromised and we were working on other methods of surveillance. My chakra birds were never meant to be the only defence. That would be foolish."

"And what of the numbers we gave you?"

"They were able to buy time to evacuate the village. They were able to give the village time to organize and formulate a plan. The ANBU sacrificed themselves that day. I've read the reports. Over sixty percent of the ANBU Black Ops were killed in the fighting. Another fifteen percent were injured and brought to the hospital. We were fighting against someone with the power of a god."

Her fists were curled and her voice had risen. It seemed to echo around them.

Danzo crossed his arms, his gaze hard. "In the end, the defences fell and the village was still destroyed."

Kotori's head snapped towards him. And what did your ANBU accomplish? She wanted to demand. Other than cowering underground? Masato must have recognized the look in her eyes because he made a simple hand signal.

At ease.

She waited for him to speak, but he remained silent while Danzo continued.

"This is exactly what I have spoken about. The village under the Third's legacy has become weak. There's no accountability - everyone is quick to shift the blame to someone else. I propose we launch a full investigation into what went wrong," Danzo said. "I'll arrange a task force."

She looked to Masato for support, but he still said nothing. Shikaku's face too was an unreadable mask. She wished Lady Tsunade was here. Fists would fly. Heads would roll. Tsunade would never tolerate this nonsense. However Tsunade was still unconscious and there was no word if or when she would recover.

So Kotori licked her wounds hours later as she hide in a tree. She understood why Masato didn't come to her defence. Better to let her take the fall and be demoted back to captain than himself. He had once told her that Shikaku was not her friend and was looking out for his own self interest. Well, so was he.

Still, it stung. She had tried for months to prepare for an invasion from the Akatsuki and had been met with resistance every step of the way from the very people now interrogating her.

Part of her accepted her culpability. The village hadn't been prepared for an invasion and the fault rested on the shoulders of those in leadership positions. Danzo was the only one willing to blame her and hold her accountable. Oh he had plenty of blame he too should shoulder. Danzo had been all too wiling to run and hide and cower. But that didn't make him entirely wrong when it came to her.

She had failed them.

Kotori's shoulders slumped as her feet dangled from the tree branch.

Kakashi sat next to her, looking frustrated. "Danzo has convinced the Daimyo to appoint him as the next Hokage."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She raged. "That evil bastard- how did Shikaku and Masato allow this to happen?"

Kakashi splayed his hands in an attempt to calm her down. "Shikaku tried to oppose it, but Danzo managed to sway the Daimyo."

"I quit. I'm not serving him."

Kotori knew she couldn't actually quit. Short of turning rogue, she was a kunoichi of Konoha. It was a lifelong commitment. Even those who retired were still part of the reserves. While Tsunade might have a sense of humour, Danzo sure as hell did not. Any form of insubordination would be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Kotori knew they would all have to toe the line.

Kakashi knew that as well. She could tell from the worried look in his eye. "He tried to assassinate you before. You've been a thorn in his side for years. He could have you imprisoned for insubordination, or worse. And if he finds out your connection to me - "

Kakashi was the only threat to Danzo's position. Kakashi was strong and beloved among the force. As far as many were concerned, he was the next Hokage. It would come as a shock to the force for an advisor that most had never heard of to be announced as the sixth Hokage. As much as Danzo would be loath to admit it, he needed Kakashi. However claiming she was trying to sabotage the village on behalf of Kakashi, eliminating her and damaging Kakashi's reputation, would be something he could do.

"Danzo should be gone soon, there's an emergency meeting for the five Kage coming up. Yamato and I are taking Naruto, but no one is to know. Just keep your head down," Kakashi worried. "Promise me you'll be careful. Even with Danzo out of the village, his lackeys will be left in charge."

Kotori smiled weakly. That was an impossible promise. "Cross my heart and hope to fly."

She tried her best in the days that followed. She repaired her chakra bird network. She reorganized the patrol shifts to accommodate those who had been injured. And soon enough, she was hauled in front of Danzo and his Root guards to explain herself.

"You're still here," Danzo said.

"I told you before," a feral smile crept across her features. "I'm a goddamn phoenix."

But if she were a phoenix, then he was a dragon, poised ready to strike at a moment's notice. His lips pulled back into a smirk.

"Why did you send Team Ri to the southern gate?"

"It's their turn for patrol."

"On who's authority?"

"I'm not understanding the question, sir," Kotori responded. "These patrols have existed since Lord Third's time, possibly longer. We needed a team at the South Gate. Team Ri is capable and ready. Would you have preferred a different team to go or leave it undefended?"

"But on who's authority?"

There was an undercurrent of danger to the question. They both knew that Kotori was acting in her capacity as Head of the Internal Affairs ANBU division.

"Mine. I am the Head of this department. Overseeing the ANBU patrol routes falls within my scope."

"And was it also on your authority that you approved these mission reports."

"Yes. Those are standard mission logs - nothing out of the ordinary. Anything concerning is investigated and then brought to the Hokage - your attention."

"Your authority exists because I allow it to exist. You cannot approve missions or send out patrols without my approval first. Do you understand?"

"I approve dozens of reports and need the flexibility to respond in the moment, there's not always enough time- "

"Enough. You will do as I say or I will hold you in contempt. Do you understand, Captain Hawk?"

She gritted her teeth. "I understand."

After that, there was simply no winning. Kotori was reprimanded multiple times a day. Her once stellar mission track full of written warnings. Not that she was at the point of caring about such trivial things. She could never get an audience with Danzo to approve patrol routes. He got annoyed when she took him mission reports that were a 'waste of his time'. But in the same breath, patrol routes that went unprotected, security breaches that went unnoticed because she couldn't dispatch a team to respond - well, those were her failing too. She now had a daily audience with Danzo each morning and tried to squeeze in as much as she could in that one meeting. But there was always something that came up during the day.

"He's actively sabotaging us," Kotori miserably complained to Shikaku. "He wants to pin the blame of the village's destruction on the previous Hokage - and those she elected during her tenure."

Like me.

"Kotori, may I offer a word of advice?"

Kotori knew that Shikaku would offer it anyway. She tilted her head expectantly.

"Stop being so damn helpful. Danzo restricted your authority and wants everything to go through him? Let it. Tie up his office in all the mundane decisions you make on a daily basis. Send the ANBU to his door. A patrol route gets back? Send them to him. ANBU Captain has an issue? Send them to speak with him. Let your subordinates see what life would be like under Danzo's command. Stop protecting them from him."

Suddenly, why Shikaku seemed so calm made sense. He wasn't wasting his time finding ways around the new rules. He was fucking with them.

"I have the jonin so riled up they'll be demanding a no confidence vote by the time he returns. Even the most powerful Hokage is useless if he doesn't have shinobi willing to follow him."

"The village needs you - if Danzo demotes you - "

"He won't risk losing me," Shikaku said. "We're on the brick of a war against the Akatsuki. Like it or not, they'll need my strategies. They've asked me to put out some fires here."

"How's that going?" It was doubtful that the council had figured out that Shikaku was the arsonist.

"I put one out, two more break out."

So Kotori's new favourite phrase over the next few days became "I'm so sorry, I'd love to help, but I don't have the power to authorize that for you anymore. You'll have to go through the Hokage." She made sure to let everyone know exactly who was in charge.

It seemed that Shikaku had silently recruited the other department heads to his side. There was a never ending line to the Hokage's representatives of shinobi needing approval for various things or to turn in mission reports. Koharu and Homura were quickly tied up in meetings and looked sour every time Kotori saw them.

"Captain Hawk!" Koharu screeched her codename.

"Sorry, can't. Love to. But I need to check with Hokage-sama first," Kotori chirped. "Peace!"

It wasn't a surprise when they started being summoned one by one to Danzo's tent.

"You are being relieved of your position as Head of Interval Affairs and will be returning to the ANBU as a regular agent," Danzo stiffly informed her. "Between your failure to protect Konoha from the invasion and recent insubordination, your ability to lead has come into question."

The next morning, she stood behind Masato as he addressed the ANBU captains.

"By order of the Hokage, Captain Seal will be taking over Captain Hawk's duties," Masato said. "Hawk, do you have any words?"

She knew what she had been instructed to say. Homura and Koharu had forced her to memorize some canned speech to peacefully transition leadership. But one look at Danzo and his goons lining the perimeter and she knew what she had to do. Kotori would not see her village and comrades continue to be terrorized by this tyrant. The polite and diplomatic approach had never worked with them. They were too cunning and had been playing politics longer than she had been alive. Kotori knew she would come out on the losing side if she tried.

So if Shikaku wanted to start fires and stir up discord among the forces, then she would help it by pouring gasoline on the flames.

Sorry Kakashi.

"I have made the difficult decision to step from my position because I have failed you as your leader," Kotori said. She tried her best to keep the anger out of her voice and sound remorseful. "If only I had the bravery of our esteemed Lord Hokage and his team who went with our village's most vulnerable to the evacuation points."

She could see her ANBU straighten. Her fury that Danzo and the Root agents had hidden like cowards had been well known. Kotori was sure rumours of her confrontation had circled in the days that had followed. Everyone would understand she was being forced to step down.

"Captain Hawk," Captain Seal stepped up next to her. "I except you to be in the Hokage's tent for a debriefing. Now."

Kotori had never seen Danzo look so furious as she stood before him in his tent. His face was practically purple and she could see the vein almost pulsating beside his good eye. Two ANBU she identified as Root were standing next to him. Seal and three others were blocking the exits. Kotori stood in a casual stance, defiantly staring back at him.

"You have destabilized the very village you are sworn to protect," Danzo said. "I have to wonder your true allegiance."

"I have always acted in Konoha's best interest."

"Have you? Or were you weakening the village's defences all this time to allow the Akatsuki through the front gate? Have your chakra birds looked the other way? Have you led platoons straight into the hands of the Akatsuki?"

"Don't be ridiculous. If I was a traitor, Naruto would have been taken by now."

"No, I know. You are a foolish, foolish girl, but you are loyal to this village and your loved ones. But I find if you torture someone for long enough, you can get them to confess to just about anything. It should be enough to execute you and your little band of friends for treason."

Kotori's bravado fled as the manacles were slapped around her wrists. She forced herself to not visibly react, to not let them see how much she feared this would break her. She refused to let Danzo have that satisfaction. She lifted her chin high and steadied her breathing as she followed the Root guards.

Kakashi: Don't provoke Danzo

Kotori: Match, lit, BOOM

Thank you everyone for reading and commenting. Your support means so much to me especially as I get closer and closer to the end. xoxo