Chapter 3: All Love is Madness

TW: Depression, Implied Domestic Violence and Breast Cancer

14 March 47, Minato's Apartment

"I don't know what to do anymore, dattebane! I can hardly leave the compound without Kit-Kat."

Minato poked a finger at the infant's belly and earned a coo in response. He smiled warmly and pushed a rubber toy into her tiny hands.

"It's like she's dead. She's here but… she's gone. She doesn't even recognize me when I walk in the room! Sometimes she just gets this murderous look in her eyes when she's watching Kit-Kat. How can a mother not be trusted with her own child?"

"What'd you want to do about it, love?" he asked softly. The baby on the couch yawned widely as he swaddled her. "Shh, shh. Time for naps."

Kushina smiled when he rocked Katya before placing her in a folding crib.

He pressed his forehead against Kushina's and put his hands around her arms. "Whatever you want to do, love, you have my support. Whatever you need from me, you'll have it. I promise. And anyway, Hatake-san should know what to do."

"He's never at home…" Kushina groused. "How can he raise a baby if he's always away? Tsunade is family. This baby is family and needs a proper mother. If nee-san can't… I will be that baby's mother-figure. If our roles were reversed, Tsunade would've done the same."

"Well… so you want to offer to raise her? We're seventeen… but we are both jounin. How hard could it be?"

"We? You'd… you'd do that for me?"

"Of course. I love you, Kushina. I'm in this with you until the end. And whoever you love, I'll love too."

Kushina pulled herself in closer and huffed a muffled laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's just after all of her extensive lectures on the merits of birth control and how she always said we'd make terrible teenage parents, we're still ending up that way. But without the fun part. I just find it slightly funny."

Minato lifted an eyebrow and backed Kushina towards the couch, "Well, we could have the fun part. To stay in practice." As her legs touched the back of it there was a rustling from the crib.

"Sorry, maybe later?" Kushina apologized. Minato laughed quietly when the crib's occupant smiled sweetly at him.

17 March 47, Senju Compound

Tsunade lay in her bed staring at the wall while the room echoed with feeble cries from the hungry baby. It had been nine months and twenty-five days since Dan had died. Two-hundred and ninety-eight days total. Every second of it was a lifetime. Every lifetime was agony.

Her bed was the safest place for the both of them. She kept imagining horrible things happening to the infant. She imagined it rolling off the engawa into the koi pond. Perhaps the baby would ingest poison or find a stray kunai. The worst of her imaginings were from her own hand. Self-loathing had taken up residence in the Senju compound right alongside grief and depression. In her darkest daydreams, she thought about taking her own life and that of little Katya.

The medic heard someone enter the bedroom from behind her and recognized Kushina's chakra signature.

"There, there sweet thing," the younger woman cooed, lifting the baby from her cradle. "Tsunade-nee, you have to get up. You haven't left that bed in a week. Have you been feeding Kit-Kat when she's hungry, today? Oh my, aren't we a wet one?" She placed Katya on a changing table and went about her business while carefully masking how upset she was. "Here we are, a nice warm bottle for the sweetest girl in the world."

"No. I can't move. It hurts. Everything just hurts," she whispered to the wall. A new signature entered the compound boundary, and Kushina moved towards it with the baby. She sighed in relief as Sakumo Hatake came into view. As Minato had said, he would know what to do.

"Hatake-san, she won't move. I'm worried about Katya-tan when I'm not there. I have to take her with me whenever I leave… I think Tsunade might actually hurt her when I'm not here. And my emergency leave is over. I don't know what else to do. I couldn't even get groceries today without one of the toads standing by."

"You were planning on moving in with Minato-kun, right?"

"Well, yeah. But I can't possibly leave the compound now! Not with how Tsunade is acting! It's not safe, dattebane."

"I'll talk to her. You go ahead and finish feeding Kit-Kat, Kushina-chan," the gray-haired man responded as he walked into the building and pulled a chair next to Tsunade. He took her hand into his and held it gently before speaking, "Tsunade, you have to get up. Do not let this defeat you. I will take in Katya-tan until you can take care of her yourself. But you must move. Leave this compound. Leave this village. Do what you must to put these memories in the past. You cannot let your depression win."

"You'll take care of Dan's child?" she whispered, her voice rough with disuse.

"She's your child too. I see you struggling, kouhai. I think it would be best for everyone."

"I don't want Shimura to take her."

"He won't. I swear it. If you sign this, then the Hatake clan will have exclusive custody. Because our clan was a vassal clan of the Senju, it gives you the right to exclude any others so long as Kakashi and I are both living."

"Okay… I can't take care of her, senpai… I can't even stand looking at her eyes. They're his…They're his eyes…" Tsunade's eyes dilated and she began to shake in fear of the past.

Sakumo rested a warm hand on her shoulder and brushed away a strand of hair stuck to her forehead. "It's okay to grieve, Tsunade. It's okay to be depressed. Dan was your soulmate. It's going to hurt for years. But you have to go on living. He wouldn't want you to die inside and live as a zombie."

"I'll start later… I just want to sleep for now… Please, senpai, take care of her. Take care of her for Dan."

Sakumo squeezed her hand, "I'll take care of her for her. I'll have Kushina-chan or Minato-kun babysit when I'm out of the village. Please visit her, Tsunade. She will need you in her life. She will need a mother."

He got up from the chair and packed the baby's supplies into a storage scroll before picking her up from Kushina.

"I'll take her from here, Kushina-chan," he said kindly. "You needn't worry. I'm comfortable enough financially to hire a nanny when I'm gone."

"She's my family, Hatake-san."

"Understood. You're free to visit or take her whenever you like." His eyes smiled at the teenager before he walked out.

Kakashi was waiting at the entrance to the Hatake compound with his arms over his chest.

"Did you steal Kit-Kat?" the five-year-old drawled.

"What? No! Ah, Tsunade-hime is going to go out of town for a while. We'll be taking care of Kit-Kat for now. It's now our clan's responsibility."

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders in response as his father juggled the infant and unlocked the compound doors. Sakumo had no idea how this would work out; he barely managed with Kakashi and had only been able to pull that off because Kakashi was a genius. The Hatake patriarch resolved to go to Dan Kato's grave and pray for his help. He supposed he should also visit the Shodaime's memorial. As Katya Senju's great-grandfather, he should be able to hear his pleas on her behalf, right? It wouldn't hurt in any case. He would definitely be adding her to his nightly prayers to the great wolf, Horku Kamuy.

10 October 47, Hatake Compound, Kakashi

Kakashi glared at the ten-month-old baby before him. He had just lectured her on the virtues of vegetables and even went so far as to heat up the pureed spinach he served her. Truly, it was a luxury. Or at least it would've been in the field. She should thank him for acclimating her to a shinobi's life so early. In return, however, after screaming 'cookie, nii' at him, the infant decided to throw the green bowl of mush at his face with unerring accuracy. Said infant was now giggling uncontrollably at her brother as the goo ran down his mask.

"Ucky, nii! Ucky, nii!" the infant chimed while clapping like a deranged seal. The six-year-old felt his eyebrow tick in annoyance.

"No, Kit-Kat. That was bad," he said haughtily while whipping his face with a nearby hand towel.

"Nii-tan mad?" Katya asked innocently, her bottom lip quivering as though on the verge of tears.

"No, no! Nii-tan is happy! See! Happy! So happy!" Kakashi said emphatically, pulling his mask down to show a blinding smile. The baby still quivered her lip and looked up at the older boy. "Oh kami, please don't cry, Kit-Kat. Tou-chan's going to be home soon! Nii-tan is happy! Here, have a cookie!" He handed over two oatmeal cookies and placed them on the high chair tray. The baby rewarded him with a coo and a gummy smile.

"She sure has you trained well, Kakashi-kun." Sakumo smiled while leaning in the kitchen entryway. "I'd almost be worried about you falling for the manipulation tactics of a baby."

"Ne, tou-chan, she's too smart for her own good."

"She's only nine-months old," the older man said. He smiled at Katya before patting her head and lifting her up to his hip. "How is our little Kit-Kat today?"

"Ji! Ji!" the blonde whooped while holding onto his long ponytail for balance. The older man nuzzled the side of the baby's face and neck with his nose before planting a kiss on her temple. He then ruffled Kakashi's hair and attempted to pull the genin in for a side-hug before the boy huffed and resisted.

1 January 48, Konoha Square, Orochimaru

Orochimaru felt very out of place at the New Years Eve Festival. Sakumo-senpai had welcomed him to visit Katya whenever he had a rare moment away from the Research and Development department. Ostensibly, it was because Orochimaru was one of the closest things to family that a certain blonde had left in the village. After all, in Konoha a genin team was family.

For this occasion, Konoha's brightest scientific mind had spent his invaluable time delicately folding and refolding brightly colored washi paper into the shape of a lucky crane for his de-facto niece. He was not worried about the toddler swallowing the coins that were placed inside. She was only eleven-months old, and yet she was smarter than the average five-year-old. The amount of material that Katya was able to absorb in short periods of time fascinated the snake sannin. He was half-convinced that she was already able to read.

The blonde toddler was at the other end of the road near the goldfish stalls. She held onto an Irish Wolfhound's fur for balance while leaning over to look into the tank curiously. Orochimaru noticed that a small Uchiha toddler with unruly hair was standing nearby with Kagami Uchiha. The boy stared at Katya curiously with his head cocked to the side.

Orochimaru walked up to the toddler before scooping her onto his hip. She blinked in surprise before she began to pout. The snake sannin smiled to himself when he realized that she was pouting because he had ruined her observations. She would make a very fine scientific mind someday.

"Down, 'roji-ji!" she said, pointing towards the ground and kicking a foot for emphasis.

"No. Good evening and Happy New Year, Kagami-sama, Uchiha-chan." Orochimaru tilted his head respectfully in Kagami's direction. "Katya-tan, is there something you'd like to say? We must be polite," Katya muttered and shyly buried her face in the snake sannin's winter yukata.

"Good evening, Orochimaru-dono."

"Come now, Katya-tan, you must say good evening." He attempted to pry the small girl away from his shoulder but quickly gave up and nodded his head once more. Kagami smiled back in understanding before he herded his own small charge to another stall.

"Tsk, you must learn to be more social. How will you ever learn to be a kunoichi if you find it too difficult to talk to others?"

"Well, isn't that just the pot calling the kettle black, kouhai," Sakumo said as he walked up to the pair with a reluctant Kakashi in tow.

"Perhaps," Orochimaru acquiesced. He handed the two children the paper cranes and received a reserved 'thank you' from Kakashi and an enthusiastic chirp from Katya. He set the small girl down next to the nanny dog and straightened her winter yukata over the fleece leggings that she was wearing underneath.

"'Roshi-ji have to work?" she asked sadly.

"Yes, Katya-chan. We must always seek to advance our knowledge to advance the village. Happy New Year, Kakashi-kun, Katya-chan."

"Otay, Happy New Year. Kiss?" Orochimaru sighed before picking her up again and giving her a small peck near her hairline then set her down.

"Happy New Year, Orochimaru-sama," Kakashi stated respectfully, bowing slightly.

"Happy New Year, Orochimaru-san," Sakumo said kindly before escorting his family towards a taiyaki stand.

The scientist chuckled to himself at how easily his niece sold out for sweets. He glanced behind him towards the bustle of the festival before heading towards the ANBU headquarters. As he had expected, the blonde toddler's face was covered in chocolate filling from the pastry. Nobody dared comment on the small smile he had the rest of the day.

1 May 48, Uzumaki Shrine, Konoha

Kushina held Katya's hand as they walked up the moss covered steps to the Uzumaki shrine. Wildflowers grew along the neglected trail. The toddler made a game of tapping the tops of each flower as they passed by, sending the spring dew high into the morning air. The nineteen-year-old couldn't help but smile at her antics. She enjoyed taking care of Katya for days at a time-her heart knew that this baby was hers. It wasn't safe to leave her or even a genin like Kakashi alone while Sakumo was out of the village with a civilian nanny. An unfortunate fact of life was that clan children were often targeted and kidnapped from their beds if their parents were nowhere to be found. Kushina knew that lesson well from experience.

The nanny spent most of their days within the heavily warded and fortified walls of the Hatake compound. Wards could only last so long on ambient chakra and normally faded two days after being placed. The solution then was for Kakashi and Katya to stay in Kushina and Minato's apartment.

To Kushina, it always felt as though there was something off about the nanny that Sakumo had hired. Minato didn't trust her completely either, so they took it in turns. Sometimes Minato would work nights, while Kushina worked days or vice versa. They were almost able to completely eliminate the need for the nanny while Sakumo was gone.

Katya let go of Kushina's hand as they stopped in front of a puddle, put her feet together, and jumped in. She laughed hysterically and repeated the action again. The red-head was just glad she had the foresight to put the baby in rain boots instead of leather sandals.

"Come on, Katya-chan. I need to show you something." She waggled her fingers until the baby caught up with her.

"Otay, kaa-kaa!" Kushina smiled and shook her head. She secretly enjoyed being called that. When they reached the faded red oak doors, she placed her hands on the seals. Katya's eyes went wide in wonder as intricate blue lines of light shot out from the heavy doors when they opened. "So coo!"

"Yes, very cool." The strong smell of must and dust assailed their noses as they walked in. It had been almost three years since the last time she had come here. Apparently, that was also the last time any Uzumaki had come. She really was the last of her people. Shaking her head of her melancholy, Kushina grabbed the temple broom and began to sweep the room.

Katya put an experimental toe on the edge of the temple door. In response, Kushina pinned a gate seal to the temple wall. No one could walk in or out now. Katya tried it again and was pushed backwards onto her rear. The invisible barrier made the girl laugh as she got up and made another attempt. The young mother simply shook her head and went back to cleaning out the sacred space. The baby would get bored of her game eventually.

She unpacked fresh tatami mats from a storage scroll and sealed away the old ones. Lemon furniture polish filled the air as she dusted the ancient statues. Before she could place the statue of Izanami no Mikoto on the altar, Katya gestured to look at it.

"She pwetty."

"Izanami no Mikoto, goddess of creation and death. She's very important to the Uzumaki clan."

"Wha's that?" Kushina looked up from her current task and almost swore that the statue was glowing.

"How odd. It must be the jade. Sometimes it reacts strangely to people with earth-nature chakra," Kushina reasoned aloud.

"Wha's that?"

"What's what?"

"Shagwa."

"Oh, you'll find out when you're older. It's very important to all living things."

Katya shrugged and ran a small finger down the statue's face. Behind the treeline that surrounded the temple, a dark figure stood watching from the shadows. So far, the plan was on course and the board was set. The jade statue glowed again as Katya placed it at the feet of the altar.

19 October 48, Hashirama Park, Kagami Uchiha

It was a crisp autumn day in Konoha. Kagami adjusted his haori before helping his grandson put on his shoes. The little boy gave him a toothy grin before happily skipping out of the Uchiha compound with his hand in the older man's. It was rare that Shisui was allowed these moments. His grandfather lamented the fact that his son disparaged anyone who was not an Uchiha. In fact, it seemed that the younger man even extended his general dislike towards Uchiha women as well. It was not how he had raised his son. Kagami sincerely hoped that little Shisui would turn out better.

They arrived at the playground around noon. The birthday boy was munching on a stick of dango that they had stopped to buy at the main market. There were few children in the park and a great many of them were civilians. However, the Hatake boy and the little Senju were near the swingset. If anything, it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce Shisui to one of his future classmates. He prodded his young charge in the direction of the two before the little boy quirked an eyebrow up at him.

"Ne, jii-jii, why we play on swings?" the two-year-old asked before throwing the dango stick into a trash can with perfect aim.

"Why not, Shisui-chan?"

"Well, papa don't like me playing on swings… or with outsiders."

"Ah, well these two kids are going to be Konoha shinobi someday. In fact, the tall boy with the gray hair is a genin."

"Really?" Little Shisui looked at the six-year-old Hatake with stars in his eyes. He toddled over to the pair before waving hello. The little blonde girl that accompanied the genin and an Irish Wolfhound ducked her head shyly and backed up slightly towards the large dog. Seeing his sister's discomfort, the older boy stepped in front of her, directly blocking the young Uchiha's view.

"Um. Hi. Name's Shisui!" the little boy chirped, undeterred by the elder's scowl.

"Kakashi Hatake. This is Katya," Kakashi stated blandly.

"Wanna play together?" Shisui gave a huge grin towards the pair.

"No."

"Why are you so mean? You're a mean boy!" the toddler said emphatically.

"So?"

"Nii-tan, we can play…" came a quiet whisper from the side of the dog. The brunette grinned widely before reaching around the older boy and dragging the other toddler towards the sandbox.

"Oi! You can't just drag her around!" Kakashi yelled. In his enthusiasm to make his first non-clan friend, Shisui pulled Katya's arm so hard that her legs came out from under her. Her whole body ended up dragging on the ground by the time Shisui dared to glance behind him.

"Oopsie…" the brunette said, releasing the wrist in his hold. The blonde girl gave him a soft smile before she started to stand up. Shisui gave her a sheepish grin before rubbing the back of his head. He helped the other toddler stand up, but they both fell to the ground. The nanny dog that was accompanying the girl gave an amused huff before he nudged the children to their feet.

"'S okay. I'll still be your fwend. Wanna play shurigen? 'Roshi-oji made me the awesomest paper shurigens." The little girl produced several beautifully colored shuriken from her pocket before handing a couple to her new friend. Kakashi huffed before walking over to a nearby bench and pulling out a book. They spent the rest of the day at the park. On the walk home, Kagami asked the boy if it was a great birthday to which he drowsily replied that it was the greatest ever.

4 December 48, Hatake Compound, Konoha

A loud clatter resounded throughout the Hatake dojo as Kakashi crashed into a weapons rack. He had lost his balance, again. Sakumo gestured for him to restart his position. The six-year-old scraped himself off the floor and grimaced as he resumed his counter position. He hesitated a moment when he heard giggling from the other side of the room. Instead of finishing 'Hatake Kata I' like she was supposed to, Katya was practicing headstands. Her legs flared from side to side and she laughed until she fell down.

"Never drop your guard, Kakashi," Sakumo said, deftly moving a foot underneath his son's ankle, causing him to fall back to the dojo floor. "Especially around sweet little girls." His father winked at him while he rolled his eyes. To his surprise, Katya tackled him as he lay on the mat. Sakumo helped hold him down while the toddler tickled him. Kakashi laughed in surprise and tried to escape the duo's perfectly timed attack.

10 January 49, Konoha, Kushina

The Konoha bakery was busy when Kushina went to pick up two birthday cakes for her favorite toddler in the village. The little girl loved chocolate more than the jinchuriki loved ramen, which was saying something. Minato had been tasked with picking up the party decorations with Kakashi. It would be a small party. The list included Kakashi, Kagami Uchiha, chibi-Shisui, Minato and herself. Kushina had hoped that Orochimaru would celebrate with them, but he was far too busy with ROOT and the R&D department. Sakumo had been out of town on a top-secret mission for almost two weeks. It was a normal occurrence for him, but she had a terrible feeling about it.

With two cakes decorated with pink foxes, Kushina walked back towards the Hatake compound. Minato and Kakashi had been hard at work setting up pink and green streamers. She smiled when she saw the sheer amount of glitter that was decorating the usually cold and formal dining room. The small end table that held seasonal flowers now contained a small present wrapped with duct tape and pug-patterned wrapping paper. It appeared that Kakashi had bought the porcelain doll they had seen, after all.

Minato walked in the house and kissed his girlfriend gently after slipping a hand on her waist. "What'd you think?" he asked.

"Where'd you put our present?"

"Oh, got it right here." He pulled out a leather bracelet that had a hiraishin seal tooled on to the soft material.

"That's not the one I ordered, dattebane! This one is black! No little girl wants a black bracelet. Where's the pink one, with the beads on it?"

The blond rubbed the back of his head then held up his hands. "Well, love, I thought that this might be more practical… I mean, the other one was very reflective."

"It's BLACK! She's a two-year-old girl !"

"No, she's a kunoichi-in-training, Kushina-san," Kakashi stated as he walked into the room. "Tou-san already started her training six months ago. Orochimaru-sama helps in his spare moments."

"WHAT?! SHE IS BARELY TWO!" Her red hair seemed to lift itself into nine tails as her face contorted with outrage.

"Mah, mah. What's going on here?" came a tired voice from the engawa. Sakumo stood quietly, looking in on the scene before him. He looked more worn and haggard than he ever had before.

"Nothing, Sakumo-senpai. Just a small disagreement." Minato smiled at the Hatake patriarch while the other man nodded slowly. "You don't have to celebrate, senpai. Kit-Kat is a smart girl, she'll understand if you rest."

"What a polite way of saying I look like something the dog dragged in," Sakumo stated wryly. He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his eyes before walking to his bedroom and shutting the door. Not too long after that, Kagami Uchiha appeared with Shisui. Kushina's shadow clone returned shortly with the birthday girl.

"Happy Birthday!" everyone yelled in unison. The shy girl grabbed Kushina's hand and leaned into her warm body while smiling at the gathered family and friends.

"Thank you." Katya bowed her head in thanks. Her smile brightened when she saw Shisui. He grinned back and held up a small bouquet of field dandelions.

5 March 49, Minato and Kushina's Apartment

Artificial fragrance and soft rain filled the air as Kushina sprayed detangler into Katya's hair. She moved the brush slowly as she combed through the tangled mess. Toddlers shouldn't have to suffer for an adult's mistakes. Yet, Kakashi and Katya's nanny had quit without notice two weeks ago. The twenty-year-old burned with anger that the woman had just walked out on her, and that Sakumo was too proud to have told anyone what had happened.

Apparently, he had no idea how to take care of a little girl's hair. 'Oh he's about to see the red habanero if he doesn't get his head on straight,' she thought.

"Ka?" Katya looked at her curiously. It wasn't the first time Katya had called her that. Children often call their caretakers mother or father, since that's who they were to them.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Me do something bad?"

"No, baby. Never." She really should start kicking the villagers' collective asses just to remind them whose family they were messing with. Why could they not see that Sakumo did what he had to do to save his team? This was Konoha not Kirigakure.

Minato walked in and stamped his shoes on the welcome mat before putting them away. He had a slightly pained expression that he smiled through. "Ah, it's my two favorite girls!" The toddler smiled brightly at him and eclipsed Kushina's questioning gaze.

"Do you mind if I steal away your lovely kaa-chan?" He handed the toddler a small stuffed toad. Katya whooped and began to play with it. After ensuring that she was thoroughly content, Minato grabbed Kushina's elbow and pulled her into the kitchen. "We're at war with Iwa. It was made official an hour ago."

"Oh, Minato. We'll make it through this together. Is that where Jiraiya-san has been? He never comes around anymore."

"Yes."

Kushina shook her head before placing it on Minato's chest. They would make it through this war. If they didn't she would move heaven and earth to find her soulmate in the next life.

1 June 49, Konoha, Shisui

It had been six months since Shisui had last seen his non-clan friend at her second birthday party. At first he had wondered why he wasn't allowed to see her, but then he heard his father talking about the "Hatake traitor" and the "War-monger Fang." The perceptive little boy knew that Katya-chan was somehow related to the infamous White Fang.

Today, the two-year-old was accompanying his mother to the Konoha market. He didn't understand why, but she was limping and her ankle was wrapped tightly in bandages. He knew that she was even carrying extra makeup in her handbag. It struck him as odd. Even though his mother was a civilian, his father liked to spar with her in the house. She always made Shisui leave when that happened.

He saw a flash of pale blonde around the corner. Katya was being quickly tugged through the market by her brother while holding on to a shopping bag. The villagers were giving them dirty looks as the two rushed past. Suddenly, the bag broke, spilling eggplant, dry noodles and onions. The masses looked away and began whispering about 'no-good Hatakes and the decline of the Senju clan.' His sensitive friend's eyes were welling with tears as she stooped to pick up the spilled contents.

"Katya-chan?" the brunet asked gently as he began to help her. When they were finished, he hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Kat. Please don't cry."

"Shisui?" he heard his mother's voice. She quickly pulled him away from the girl. "Do not spend any more time with that Senju," she spat as they walked away.

"Why? Katya-chan is nice."

"She's a Senju. And she is a ward of the White Fang. He is a disgrace. Your father will be terribly upset if he were to find out." Shisui's mother pulled him to the side before crouching down to his level. "Shisui, my love, do not let your father find out. Please. It's important."

"Okay, kaa-chan." He spared a look behind him at his friend's retreating form. He didn't want to stay away. His heart was telling him that she was important.

Later that day, Kagami came by and retrieved his grandson. The small boy smiled as he bounced along on his grandfather's shoulders. It was nice to be away from his father's temper, if only for a few hours.

Shisui reveled in his grandfather's attentions. His grandfather was a kind man. He had a smile and a kind word for everyone that they came across, no matter who they were. Kagami's gentleness with his grandmother was so different from the harsh way his father treated his mother. Today, he was told, they were bringing her flowers.

The smell of antiseptic embraced them as they walked into the warmly lit civilian hospital. Shisui saw bright pamphlets with pictures of equipment and diagrams of the human body against the wall of the north wing.

"Jii-jii? Why we here?"

"Shisui-kun, your obaa-san has been ill lately. But we're going to brighten her day a bit. Her appointment should be done in…" Kagami paused dramatically as he lifted his wristwatch. "Right now. Hello, my love! How are you feeling today?"

"Baa-baa, you have owie?" The old woman smiled softly at him and nodded.

"Yes, lovebug. Sometimes a woman's body just doesn't age right. And well, even though they removed the source, they say I'm still ill."

Kagami understood the cryptic message and stiffened. His wife's breast cancer had returned. This time, there would be no cure. Shisui saw his eyes glow red before his grandfather swiftly shut them. A tear fell as Kagami realized that soon his wife of thirty years and the love of his life would be gone.

The older man held his wife in his arms with the toddler squished between them. "I love you, Izumo. I will always love you and no other."

The little boy held tightly to his grandmother's light green kimono. He didn't understand what was happening, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to. One thing he knew for sure is that he wanted to be exactly like his grandfather when he was a grown-up.

15 September 49, Konoha, Kakashi

Rain poured in relentless sheets and turned into steam as it hit the clay roof tiles and streets outside. Kakashi ran through the advanced kata that Minato-sensei had taught him. He began to speed up and tripped over a stuffed doll that had fallen from the ceiling. Growling in irritation, he picked up the offending object and walked to Katya's room. It was apparent to him that Kushina had given the girl sticky tags. It was also evident that she was practicing walking on walls already.

Kakashi slammed open the bedroom door covered in glittery foam flowers before throwing the rag doll at the small blonde. "Keep your toys out of the dojo!" he yelled.

His little sister blinked owlishly at him before answering with a petulant, "No." She turned back to her tea-party and began to pour fragrant jasmine tea for the assembled crowd of dolls.

"You shouldn't be wasting your time with dolls. It's ridiculous. Shinobi rule number fifty-three: A shinobi must always train for combat."

"Nobody cares about your stupid rules, nii-tan."

"Oh yeah? We're about to go to war with Iwa because Father didn't put the mission first. The rules say a shinobi must put the mission first! The rules are rules for a reason. Shinobi who follow the rules bring honor to their clan name. Those who don't are scum… like Father."

"The rules are stupid. Oji-chan is not scum," she replied quietly, looking towards the tea set. She huffed before pouring the genin a small cup. "Happy seventh birthday, nii-tan."

"Thanks," he said resignedly. Neither child heard the retreating adult footsteps in the hallway.

"Why aren't we the same clan? You're my brother."

"You're from the Senju clan. The Hatake clan were their vassals before Konoha was founded. I'm not your biological brother, imouto. I'm your blood brother."

"How?"

"Ah, don't worry about it for now, Kit-Kat. There's a lot of paperwork to go with it." Kakashi gave her a tight smile before ruffling her hair and returning to the dojo.

1 December 49, Konoha, Katya

The entryway to their home opened and Katya looked up into her brother's shocked eyes.

"Oji-chan has an owie… he's not waking up…"

White chrysanthemums sprouted from every wooden surface in the room. They glowed and pulsed in the dark of the room as chakra pumped through them. Kakashi felt as though he could almost hear them crying. It was a moment that would haunt his memories for the rest of his life.

AN: Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review, I try to reply as soon as I get them. :) If you liked this fic be sure to hit follow to have update alerts!

For those new to fandom: Your comments and reviews help motivate authors to keep writing. As one of my friends said, "I already have the story in my head, why would I bother writing it down if it weren't to contribute to the fandom." It doesn't matter if it's in another language, if it's a keyboard smash, emoji bar. Anything helps. It takes hours upon hours to write a single chapter. Personally, I struggle with social anxiety and understand that reaching out in words is hard to do. I get that. But even just an emoji to show how it made you feel is great. Follow your authors on tumblr, talk to them on Discord. Fandom is a community similar to a farmer's market, not a Walmart. You stop and chat with the vendors rather than pretend we all live in a bubble.

Fun fact: The light green kimono here is what Katya wore in the prequel, 'The Stolen Soul'. It's Shisui's grandmother's favorite.

White chrysanthemums mean grief in flower language.

It's my understanding that in Japanese Kit-Kat translates loosely to never fail and is a common good luck charm, so in essence they're calling her Lucky Charm

Horku Kamuy is the wolf kami, btw.

Keep in mind that ROOT is still a legit organization at this time.

Also if you want to see more of Sakumo's Irish Wolf-Hound, then check out Ch. 27 of Anchor Me by WritersXBlock101 on ffn and Ao3. He's the same puppy; we agree on that headcanon. She named her version Kenta. Mine's unnamed, for now. :)

Some Birthdays:

Katya Senju 10 January 47

Shisui Uchiha 19 October 46

Kakashi Hatake 15 Sept 41

Minato Namikaze 25 January 28

Kushina Uzumaki 10 July 28

On Depression:

Severe depression is no joke. It definitely drives people to do things that they otherwise would not think about. Get help and reach out as soon as possible! If you are experiencing any sign of mental illness contact your healthcare provider, therapist, priest, other clergy or counselor.

Some emergency contact numbers:

US Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Canada Suicide hotline: 1-833-456-4566

UK Suicide hotline: +44 (0) 8457 90 90 90

Austrailia Suicide Hotline: 13 11 14

Online chat: suicidepreventionlifeline .org there's a chat option in the top-right corner of the page.