Akiko's grave was silent, but they were not.
Obito had started crying before they had even left the house. Shisui was trying his best to put on a strong face, but his eyes had been red-rimmed since he'd stepped out of his room that morning, and he couldn't stop sniffling as he clung to Kagami's sleeve. Kagami himself had done his best to keep himself as a solid foundation for his children, but his wife had been gone for a year, and he missed her. He kept himself from speaking as much as he could because his voice shook and broke and came with the threat of tears every time he said anything. Even when they tried to be quiet, sounds of sorrow kept tearing out of their chests as they stood before her headstone.
Akiko's grave was silent, and so was Kyoko.
His daughter had brought yuzu along, though she'd had to ask about Akiko's favorite food despite the dozens of jars of yuzu marmalade he still kept about the kitchen. After he'd given his answer the night before, she'd run to the market for it. She'd come back with the fruits as well as some white chrysanthemums. Common for gravesites, but the rest of them had brought shobu because they had been Akiko's favorite.
"I'll start," Kagami said as he poured the water over the stone, desperate to stop thinking about how Kyoko was staring at her brothers intently but hadn't looked at her mother's headstone once. He cleared his throat and hoped his voice would continue to work. He knelt and placed his incense. After he'd lit it, he pressed his hands together and started his prayer. Once he'd opened he eyes, he said, "Thank you for protecting our children. I know you're looking over them every day. I only wish—" His voice cracked as tears threatened to overflow. He had so much to say, but he said most of it every time he visited. "I know you're proud of them, but I miss having you here beside me as we raise them together. They've always needed their mother."
Obito choked out a cry. Kyoko shifted towards him, frowning, and adjusted her hold on her flowers so she could hook her arm through his.
Kagami kept speaking as he laid down his flowers and the yuzu mochi he had made two days prior. He'd barely finished and stood before Obito had dropped down in his place, almost knocking Kyoko down as he went. He started talking—rambling—through tears about the things he missed the most as he lit his incense and laid out his flowers and cookies.
"I miss you," he managed near the end of several minutes. "It's not fair. I don't want to miss you. I just want you here."
When Obito turned away and dragged both Shisui and Kyoko into a hug, he started sobbing. It was a while before he pulled back and rubbed at his eyes while apologizing.
"You don't have to apologize," Kagami rasped. "I'm proud of you." He held a hand towards his son and caught him as he collapsed into his hold.
Shisui tried to light his incense with shaking hands, but he couldn't get the match to strike. Kyoko knelt beside him, gifts set aside, and lit the match for him with a touch of chakra in her fingertips. Then she helped guide his hands to the incense bowl, and Kagami realized it was probably the first time she'd looked at the grave itself. Kyoko stayed at Shisui's side as he spent most of his time crying and clutching the flowers to his chest. By the time he managed to get out a few choked words about missing her hugs, the flowers were irrevocably twisted. Nevertheless, he put them down with the others.
Eventually, Shisui shuffled back and hid his face away in his arms. Kagami crouched beside him and put a hand on his back. "Kyoko," he croaked. "Go ahead."
She looked up at him with wide eyes as if the fact that she was next had blindsided her. She looked down at the grave, brow furrowing. Then she carefully placed the incense, lit it, and said a traditional prayer. She laid out the flowers delicately and then stacked the yuzu atop each out carefully so they wouldn't fall. She sat back seiza and stared at the stone for a long moment. Kagami nodded to her, hoping that would given her whatever encouragement she needed.
Kyoko took a breath.
"Akiko—" Kyoko's mouth snapped shut, and she blinked as if she had surprised herself. Kagami held his own breath, pushing his confusion aside as he watched the frustration that pulled sharply across his daughter's face. She took another breath, this one deeper. "Kaasan," she said tentatively, as if it was something she was testing. As if she hadn't called Akiko kaachan when she'd been alive.
Kyoko stared at the grave. Her hands twitched against her knees. After several moments of silence, during which Kagami could hear his own heartbeat, she said, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Kagami said softly. "Take however much time you need."
She shook her head. "No. I— I can't. I'm sorry." She got to her feet and took a step back.
"It's alright," he said again, unsure if his priority should be comforting her through the clear distress in her eyes or should instead be figuring out what was going on. He reached a hand for her and watched as she hesitated before stepping towards him. Pulling her into a hug, he tried his best to murmur words of encouragement. Assurance that things would be alright. But when they pulled apart, his eyes were stinging, and hers were dry.
"Let's head home," he rasped to all three of them.
"I need to meet with Tsunade-shisho," Kyoko said. She was frowning at the grave.
He took a breath. "Okay."
Before he could say anything else, his daughter disappeared in a shunshin.
Mikoto had set Shisui up a good ways away from the targets, meaning that collecting his two dozen kunai each time he wanted to restart took quite a while between the walk there, picking them all up, and the walk back. Kagami highly suspected that she had done that on purpose like she did with so many things. It gave them the opportunity to talk without anyone overhearing except for Itachi, who was managing some words but was still far from understanding their conversation or being able to repeat it. Despite all of that, however, it still took him a while to speak. When he finally did, he opened with, "Something is wrong with Kyoko, and I don't know how to fix it."
Mikoto hummed, not looking away from where Shisui was searching for his one stray kunai in the brush. Itachi was toddling circles around her as she constantly switched the hand he was holding from one to the other and back. "Maybe I've missed it," she said. "But what makes you say such a thing?"
"She does nothing outside of training unless I ask her to stop and sit for tea."
"She does do that." She finally glanced towards him.
"She's five, Mikoto. And there are things a five-year-old should be reacting to that she . . . doesn't. Like her first kill." He paused. "Kills," he corrected. "Or unlocking her sharingan."
Mikoto's brow creased. "She does seem different."
"And you didn't see her at Akiko's grave this morning."
"Everyone grieves differently."
"I know. But Kyoko used to grieve how you would expect a child to grieve. She cried and asked questions and missed her mother. And then she didn't. If this is grief, I don't recognize it."
They both paused as Shisui returned. Kagami stepped forward to help adjust the angle he was throwing at. Several minutes later, Shisui ran off to gather his kunai again.
"Maybe she isn't grieving anymore. Or maybe it just looks different now."
"Or maybe I've missed something important," he said, staring at where Shisui was excitedly examining his kunai groupings on the target. "And my daughter is suffering because of it."
"Maybe." She leaned down to pick up Itachi. "Have you asked her?"
Kagami huffed. "Have I asked Kyoko to tell me what's wrong with her?"
Mikoto narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't play dumb, Oniisan. Have you asked her to tell you what's going on?"
He looked away, dragging a hand through his hair. "Not in so many words. I've gotten her to talk to me about some smaller things, but . . . even with those conversations, I get the feeling that she isn't telling me everything." He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Do you think I did something that made her not trust me?"
"I don't know," Mikoto admitted.
"Obasan!" Shisui yelled, rushing back over to them with his kunai all packed away. "Can we try tree-walking now?"
Mikoto glanced briefly at Kagami. "I'm not sure if we're quite there yet."
"But I told Kyoko I was going to!"
"Ah." She smiled. "Well, if you told Kyoko-chan, then of course." She handed Itachi off to Kagami and ushered Shisui towards the closest tree. "We can't risk letting her down, can we?"