Secrets Discovered

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Kakashi flipped through the pages, scouring for more information, to make any sense of what he was reading. Chiisai dreamed Obito's dream, and she dreamed other people's dreams, if this journal was true. But that's absurd. A kekkei genkai perhaps? But no, she didn't need hand signs. An experiment?

And there, toward the end of the book, was one of his.

'He allways stops, his hand on the door, noing its to kwiet. He opens it and it is dark. Shadows like monsters are on the walls but he doesn't notiss. There's a person on the floor, and the white-haired boy is scared because he nose the person should be standing, should be smiling at him. The boy steps closer and bends down and touches the persons neck. There's nothing and the white-haired man is cold and the boy shakes in the kwiet and theres tears and pain and his face is hot and his chest is full of pressir and he chokes because he does not want to be alone but he is and he nose he allways will be. The pressir is more now and it bilds and bilds and bilds until he can not breethe he is dying too and then I wake up, and then I am sad all day.'

The words blurred, and his hand shook as he stared down at the journal. Quickly, he snapped it shut and looked up, inhaling a sharp breath of air. Tori blinked up at him before leaning forward and nudging his arm with the top of his head.

Kakashi stroked the cat's fur, fighting back the memories, the nightmares, the past that constantly clung to him like a second skin.

He now understood why Chiisai looked at him the way she did. There was pain in her eyes every time she looked at him.  And the fact that someone knew of his nightmares...She knew him intimately, and he barely knew who she was. The thought made him nauseous and for some reason, ashamed.

These dreams were his personal demons, and Chiisai had seen every single one of them with her own eyes. She had seen and pretended not to even know about them.

And back when he had first met her- she had looked at him, and a tear had slid down her cheek, and her knees had buckled. He had thought it had been from her own traumatic past, but maybe...maybe it had been his. She had looked like someone had died because she was seeing everyone die in his dreams.

Kakashi put the book back in the cabinet and massaged his temple. She wasn't haunted by her own past, but his, and his heart twisted at the new knowledge. What must she think of him? And why did he even care? Anger bubbled beneath the surface from the invasion of privacy.

No, there was no need to think like this. His thoughts were spiraling, and he needed more information on her. This wasn't about him. Because if these journals were true, then she must know everything about everyone in the village. And judging from what she had read, her abilities weren't something she could control.

He grabbed another book. The handwriting was neater, the spelling correct. And this time, she cataloged dreams under each person's name. What she had seen, what they had revealed. Elite shinobi were on the list, including his former sensei, who had dreamed of the nine tails breaking out of Kushina and killing her.

This was sensitive information just waiting to be discovered.

At the end of the journal, there was a different type of organization. A list of shinobi with their major strengths and weaknesses, their fears and desires. Secret love affairs, of murders hidden behind KIA's, of political alliances and betrayals. These weren't from dreams, but of memories.

But Chiisai's handwriting was still that of a child's- maybe ten or eleven years old. He doubted she had used this information for herself. It was likely someone has used her abilities for their own purpose, directing her on what to write and how to write it down. But the question was, who?

He thought back to what Kaori had said. Chiisai's parents had died under mysterious circumstances, and he suspected it wasn't a coincidence. Kakashi needed information on her family.

Kakashi placed the book in his pouch beside Icha Icha. He stared up at the cabinet and sighed, scratching his head.

She was a librarian, a woman of small stature, someone one could pass by every day and go unnoticed. Her physical prowess was practically none-existent, and she held top secret information in her kitchen cabinets as if they were recipe books. She dreamed people's dreams, manipulated them, and looked into people's minds through them. There was no anbu guarding her, either, which meant if anyone found out, she could easily be taken.

Of course, if Lord Hiruzen had been involved, and Chiisai did have a seal, perhaps she didn't have access to this power. All these journals were old, and nothing new had been added in years. But why leave someone with so much forbidden knowledge unprotected?

"Well this isn't good." Kakashi scratched his chin. It was only a theory of course, but the logic made sense. She did have abnormal chakra, that was for sure, and she had mentioned dreams and memories. It was obvious she didn't want them. That was promising, at least.

What would she do if the seal broke?

Seals were meant to limit power. He didn't have the first clue as to why she had been sealed, and that filled him with unease.

Scratch that- this entire situation had him unsteady. She could be selling information to enemies of the Leaf, for all he knew. She could have even helped with Orochimaru's attack.

The phone rang, cutting off his thoughts. After a minute of debating, he walked to the other side of the room and picked it up.

"Hello? Chiisai?" A male's voice came through, and the man seemed on the verge of panic.

Kakashi already regretted his decision in answering. "She's...not available right now."

"Who is this?" He asked. "She never misses work, and she never lets anyone in her apartment."

Wasn't the library closed on Sunday?

The man's voice was protective, he noted. Judging by his words, he must be a coworker. "Kakashi," he replied. "I'm afraid she's in the hospital right now. I stopped by to feed her cat."

He glanced at Tori, who was currently staring across the room at him with an intensity that made him squint his eye back, as if in a challenge.

"What happened? Is she alright?" The man's words were rushed, his tone concerned.

And Chiisai said she didn't have a Might Guy. From Kakashi's viewpoint, the man cared a great deal about her.

Tori finally glanced away and began licking is leg.

Kakashi leaned against the wall and replied, "Well, she was assaulted last night, and I happened to be walking by. I took her to the hospital."

"Assaulted?!" The man cursed and said, "Don't tell me she was walking through alleys again."

"Yes, actually." Kakashi asked, "Question- how long has Chiisai worked at the library?"

"I'd say about seven years? Why?"

"No reason," he replied. That would have made Chiisai a teenager when she started working there. "She just seemed very dedicated to her profession. And she's just a regular librarian? No ninja skills or past?"

The man paused, and then said, "She's pretty closed off when it comes to her past, I guess. She always avoids the subject. As for ninja skills, Chiisai can barely aim at the trash can. Besides, she doesn't like ninjas. No offense."

Kakashi pushed further. "So, she has no enemies? No relationships gone south or angry family members or friends?"

"I doubt it," he replied. "She doesn't really...allow people in her life. Believe me, I've tried, and so has Mizuki. Why do you ask?"

"Just narrowing down the attacker's motivation, is all," Kakashi said with a smile. He tone was light, but his thoughts were drifting towards Chiisai. She was apparently like him when it came to making friends.

There was another pause, and muffled voices spoke in the background. The man's voice came back and said, "We'll head over to the hospital right away. Thanks for helping her- she means a lot to us."

"No problem," Kakashi replied.

The man hung up, and Kakashi sighed. Her coworkers obviously had no idea of Chiisai's potential abilities.

With the situation the Leaf was experiencing, having someone with Chiisai's abilities would reestablish some power over the other villages. However, if word got out of her skill, then the Leaf would be on the brink of war. And if the Akatsuki had control of her...

What he needed was more information.

He needed to get her to talk.


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