Kakashi took a step back in Chiisai's mind. The silhouette of a man appeared before him, buzzing with chakra. It's voice was unlike anything he had heard.

You've been here before.

This wasn't a genjutsu, this was something else entirely. "You live in Chiisai," he said. "Why do you want her death?"

I am trapped here because of her, and I want my freedom. I will take everything from her, as she has done with me.

"You said she trapped you. Is it the seal?"

You are curious.

"Who are you?"

I am her reckoning, her judgement. And you are no longer welcome.

The figure stepped forward, and Kakashi, on instinct, flexed his Sharingan. The figure was pressed back into Chiisai's seal as pain erupted in Kakashi's eye.

Kakashi pulled away from Chiisai and took in a haggard breath. He was back in reality, and his chakra was spent. He rarely used his Sharingan to look into memories, but he had used it twice in two days.

Chiisai looked up at him, searching his eye. "What did you see?" She asked. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. And I met your friend," he said. "He's a real charmer." He paused, studying her face.

Their faces were inches apart, and Chiisai's gaze flickered to his mask. A strand of her hair hung over her face, and he had the sudden urge to brush it back.

"So," she said, "you saw my memories, huh."

That was the cause for her anxiety, he realized. Which was preposterous, given all that she had been through recently. She cared about how he thought about her.

And what were his thoughts, after seeing those memories? Chiisai had been manipulated most of her life, being a prisoner in her own home, neglected and abused by the people that were supposed to love her unconditionally. There was a fury deep inside him, he realized, of being unable to protect past Chiisai, of having to watch her life unfold and being helpless to intervene.

His tone softened, and he stared down at the book on the table. He opened his mouth, paused, and then said, "I saw some of your childhood, yes. " His gaze shifted to her abdomen. "How are you...How can you act so normally when so much has happened to you?"

She snorted and said, "I don't act normal, Kakashi. I can't stand crowds, or a restaurant with more than five people in it. I take side alleys so I won't have to interact with anyone, and I don't cook because I physically cannot handle the market and the noise of a crowd."

Kakashi leaned back on the couch and tilted his head up to the ceiling. "Why don't you pay someone to go to the market for you? A teenager could even do it, so you wouldn't have to see their dreams." He paused and added, "And you should really learn how to cook- it's an essential life skill."

A laugh escaped her. "You're still worried about that? I'm pretty sure I won't have the time to learn anyway, Farm Boy."

He didn't respond. She was already planning to die, wasn't she? Chiisai was a threat to the village, but in a way he had never anticipated. He wanted her to live, he realized, and he hated that her thoughts had already settled on the opposite. She had been so determined to free herself in the past, but now, she seemed...jaded.

"Sometimes people have to die, Kakashi," she said. Chiisai paused and then said softly, "Sometimes it's a sacrifice worth making. And sometimes, well, maybe they deserve to, and it's just a consequence of their actions."

Memories flickered back to Obito, to Rin, to his sensei. Had their sacrifice been worth making? Kakashi shook his head. "I understand your words, but I refuse to accept it. You feel guilty for something you shouldn't."

She shook her head. "You don't know how much information I gave him, Kakashi- like the Hyuga Incident. Hiashi's blood is on my hands, and countless others have suffered and died because of me."

He placed his hand on her leg and replied, "Because of your father, not you. Parents are supposed to love and support their children, Chiisai, and they only hurt you, manipulated you, and neglected you. You're not to blame for their actions. You're not responsible for them."

"I know...I just...It took so long for me to fight him, and if I could go back-"

Kakashi cut her off. "You can't though, so don't torture yourself with what could have been. Believe me, I've done it enough times to know," he said. There was conviction in his voice as he added, "And what matters is that you fought back. And I need you to keep fighting, alright?"

Their gaze held, and after a moment, Chiisai nodded.

"Good," he said. Kakashi pulled away. Tori meowed and hopped up on Chiisai's lap. She raised her arm, and though her fingers twitched, she was able to pat him on the head.

Kakashi narrowed his eye, remembering how her father had pat little Chiisai on her head, her toothless smile wide, and all the while, Kuroi had been using her for his own devices, manipulating an innocent child to spy on the village.

"Are you alright?" Chiisai asked. "You look...displeased."

"Hm?" He lifted his gaze up and said, "I was just thinking about the mess in the kitchen. I need to clean it before I start cooking breakfast."

Her eyes lit up, and she said, "You're cooking?"

He braced his hands on his knees and stood. "Someone has to."

"Well," she said, "I can help clean, at least." Tori hopped off of her as she forced herself up. Chiisai took a step forward, and her muscles gave out. Kakashi appeared in front of her, and she fell straight into his padded vest with a cry of alarm.

"This needs to stop becoming a regular thing," she breathed.

"Easy there," he said. His arms wrapped around her, and he straightened her. She blinked up at him, and he looked down at her. There were no more scratches or bruises on her forehead, and her dark eyes shown clearly. His hands slid from her shoulders down her arms, and she parted her lips. His eye followed every movement of her mouth.

Perhaps Lady Tsunade hadn't been wrong after all. He didn't want to let Chiisai go, to stop feeling the smoothness of her skin, the hot air of her breath. Perhaps, he had finally let someone in, only to realize just how lonely he was, how starved he was of someone else's touch.

No, he hadn't let her in. She had stormed her way in, knowing his past, his nightmares. She had confronted him, had asked him the hard questions, and had empathized in a way no one else could. And he was grateful for it.

He was starting to think that the look in Chiisai's eyes reflected his own. Their pasts had been entirely different, but why did he feel like they were the same? She had let him in, had shown him her history, and now, he wanted to protect her even more, to care for her, to show her that there was good in this world, and she needed to experience it.

His thoughts were spiraling into unknown territory, and the alarm was going off in his head again. She had just been through something traumatic, and by doing anything at all, Kakashi would be taking advantage of her. Her normal acting was only a ruse to cover for herself. After all, he had done the same before.

She had been tortured, electrocuted over and over. Though it had been minutes in reality, he had seen how time had spread, like Itachi's Nightmare Realm. Chiisai's energy was spent, and her mind wasn't at ease. She needed rest and a good-cooked meal. Judging from her past, he was starting to think she had never had one.

So he dropped his arms and pulled away.

Chiisai steadied herself. The spell was broken, and time snapped back into place.

She said, "Thanks. I'm going to try to walk into the kitchen now- without falling flat on my face. "

He smiled and replied, "I'll make sure you won't fall."

She nodded, and slowly made her way to the kitchen. "Hey," she said, "do you think the Hokage's going to reimburse me for my table?"

"Unlikely." Kakashi followed behind her, keeping his eye above her waist.

She sighed. "I thought you'd say that."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

After Lady Tsunade had left, Kakashi had helped Chiisai clean up what was left of her table. It sat in a heap in the corner of her kitchen. Then, they had spent two hours brainstorming about their current situation. Fuinjutsu, memories, possible allies- and then there was Danzo, and her chakra, and the fact was, they were in a bind.

They had gotten little accomplished that day, and there was this awkward tension that wouldn't go away. In the end, she had barricaded herself in her room, writing everything down in her journal, trying to come up with some sort of plan; and trying to not feel like she had done this before.

Sitting alone in her room, with a journal in front of her, facing a future she wanted to fix.

The only real idea she had was to go into the dream world and consult with different shinobi in their dreams, but with her chakra acting out, she couldn't rely on it. Her books hadn't helped either. With writings on the history of the Leaf, to military strategies, to books on kekkei genkai and sealing techniques- nothing looked helpful.

She still wanted to visit Itachi though, to question him, to get answers. But falling asleep wasn't coming naturally anymore.

She hadn't slept at all last night, and the coffee hadn't helped ease the tiredness out of her eyes. If anything, it had only made her more anxious- especially since she hadn't kept dinner down. Kakashi had cooked again, and it was freshly grilled fish, and she was beginning to wonder if there was anything Kakashi couldn't do well. It was almost annoying, how good he was at everything.

Her leg spasmed, and a sliver of pain shot up her spine. Her body was still recovering, and phantom shots of electricity would hit her at a moment's notice. It was frustrating, and her body still felt too heavy. Perhaps that was only because of the lack of sleep. At least the pain kept her awake, and seemed to hit just before she dozed off.

Tori lay sprawled on her lap, and she absentmindedly stroked his dark velvet fur as she glanced at Kakashi.

He sat on the other end of the couch, his posture relaxed, and his head tilted toward Icha Icha. It was an old paperback, well used, and Kakashi glanced up, meeting her gaze.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. His tone was casual, a bit curious, and Chiisai instantly looked away.

"No," she replied quickly. Her attention turned to the book, and she struggled not to move, to breathe irregularly, to not think of Kakashi. The page she was on depicted a giant turtle, and it was said to live around the land of lightning, housing giant creatures, helping shinobi train.

It sounded crazy, is what it was.

What sounded more crazy was that her seal was breaking, and Kakashi Hatake was in her home, sitting next to her, breathing in her coffee-scented candle.

Because Farm Boy had seen her past yesterday, and she didn't know how to adjust. Was this what it was like for him? To have someone know something so personal about you, you didn't know what to think? Better yet, to know what they were thinking?

And the way he had looked at her- what was this charge in the air? She hadn't felt anything like this in years, and it scared her.

Because this was the least of her worries, and it was something she shouldn't worry about, because nothing was going to come from it.

But she couldn't sit here like this. The silence was suffocating, and her mind was in too much chaos to enjoy the comfort of her own home.

So Chiisai set the book down. The cat huffed as she stood, stretched, and said, "I'm going to go to a coffee shop."

Kakashi furrowed his brow and looked up at her. "I don't think that's the wisest course of action."

She scratched the side of her head and replied, "I can't really think right now, and I really need to clear my head."

Truth be told, she wanted to go to bed and sleep for an entire day, but the thought of going to the dream world made it impossible. She was exhausted, mentally and physically, and she was sure she showed it.

Kakashi laid his book down. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Is was hard to decipher his tone or facial expression, and she didn't want to lie to him. "...This entire week has been uncomfortable," she replied. Her eyes brightened, and she gestured as she added, "Look, you can follow me sneaky-sneak like, like this is a real mission. And I won't be in danger, because you'll be right there."

"'Sneaky-sneak like?'" He didn't sound impressed.

"Yeah," she yawned. "Like shadowing people on rooftops and stuff."

"For someone who reads so much," he tsked, "your vocabulary could use some improvement."

She pursed her lips as she smoothed out the wrinkles of her shirt. "I'm tired is all."

"It means you need to sleep," he said as he stood. "Which you didn't do at all last night, did you?"

Chiisai took a step back and looked up at him. She had forgotten how tall he was, and she was sure she looked child-like next to him.

"Of course I didn't sleep. Would you, if it meant your chakra could take hold of you and kill you?" She held up her finger and said, "Also, you're wrong about the sleep- it only means I need more caffeine."

He flattened his brow. "That's not how that works."

Chiisai strode past him. "Wouldn't you think this is an opportunity for you? You can spot if I'm being tracked or spied on, watching their movements and all that."

"You'd put yourself as bait for a cup of overpriced coffee?" He crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed with her logic.

"Yes," she stated as a matter of fact. Her hand spasmed, and she hid it at her side. Chiisai tilted her head back toward him. "You coming or not?"

He sighed and placed his book in his back pouch. "This is a terrible idea."

She shrugged. "C'mon, I'm sure you miss the exercise."

"Oi, you're a hassle."

Before she could open her mouth, Kakashi flickered out of view.

Finally. Chiisai breathed a sigh of relief as she put on a clean jacket, grabbed her purse (with a book and journal, of course), and headed to the door.

Tori meowed and followed her, hovering in front of the door.

"Look, baby, I'll only be gone for a little bit." She bent down and scratched under his chin. "Be a good boy, alright? I love you."

He meowed again, and she sighed, moving him out of the way with the tip of her foot.

She shut the door behind her, and she heard him scratching at the door.

"I'll be back soon," she said to him, but that only made him whine louder. She sighed, shook her head, and headed down the hall and downstairs into the open air. Gods, it felt great to not have headaches, to not worry about vomiting or not remembering.

It was sunny, with a light breeze, and Chiisai welcomed the warmth on her skin. She hadn't jogged in a few days, and though her body was tired, if felt good to be moving her legs, to pretend that everything wasn't falling apart.

Although, her body was still freaking out- her leg muscles were twitching, and she had to pause and lean against the wall until it passed.

Instinct took over when she started walking again, and she grabbed the book from her purse and opened it up. It was the perfect excuse not to look at other pedestrians, and the dirt road was empty enough for her not to worry about running into anyone.

Huh, she had grabbed the romance novel. The one Kakashi had recommended. She hadn't even noticed.

Oh well.

It was a short walk, and the smell of roasted coffee beans drifted through the air.

The coffeeshop was small, and the windows were cracked open, letting in the breeze. Her shoulders relaxed, and she stepped into the minimalist atmosphere and headed toward the counter.

"Hey Chiisai. Iced vanilla?" the barista asked. It was Yui, and her long dark hair was pulled back today.

"You know me," she said with a smile.

Chiisai had discovered the business was run by a family who had moved to Konoha three years ago, which had meant no dreams for Chiisai. It was the only place she could call herself a regular at, not including takeout.

The girl nodded, and Chiisai paid in cash. Soon, she had her drink, and the ice jingled against the glass as she walked outside to an empty metal table. Drops of cool condensation slid over her fingers.

There. She was outside, in plain sight of Kakashi, she was sure.

Chiisai took a sip of her cold drink and settled in, pulling back out her notebook. She looked down at the recently used page that said "story idea notes."

It was a cover, of course- she was trying to brainstorm ideas for her own problem- how to stop her seal from breaking and destroying everyone in the dream world.

The words on paper sounded so crazy, anyone who saw it would have to believe it was for a work of fiction.

But as she stared down at the page, sipping her coffee, the more she realized just how little she knew of the situation. Between the seal itself, Itachi, her powers, and Danzo- she didn't know where to begin.

The fact was, in order for her to be a help to Kakashi or Lady Tsunade, she needed to know more. And the only one she could ask was Itachi Uchiha, the boy who had betrayed her.

But if she did go to sleep tonight, and was to enter the dream world- she could find him.

That was a terrible, horrible, ridiculous idea. He was far stronger than she was, and she knew Kakashi would kill her if he knew what she was thinking. But even knowing what the seal looked like, she had no idea how it was performed, or how many seals were within it. It was like putting together a puzzle with only half the pieces.

But she also couldn't remember why she had been sealed. Something bad had happened, she was sure, but the more she remembered, the more the memories grew fuzzy. And if it was true that her memories had been tampered with, could she trust them at all? Maybe her exhaustion was getting to her, though.

And what if the reason her chakra was trying to kill her was because of Itachi? Maybe he could break it. No- that was farfetched, only a desperate attempt at hope. She could try to force him, but his dojutsu outweighed anything she could do.

But there was something else. Small Crow- the nickname her father had for her- why had her chakra called her that?

Unless-

A shadow fell over her, and a gruff voice said, "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Her dark eyes widened, and she wondered how she hadn't heard the distinct clinking of his cane.

Danzo smiled and said, "Is this seat taken?"