Kakashi sat across from the suspect. The small room was dimly lit, and besides the two chairs the men sat in, only a small wooden table lay between them. There was a bloodstain on the corner of it, and the man's brown eyes stared down at it. Sweat beaded his face.

Interrogating a suspect wasn't his favorite thing to do, but he was glad to be out of Lady Tsunade's yelling range.

It had taken another ten minutes to wake the Hokage up and tell her everything that had transpired. She had been furious, to say the least, that someone had taken over her body easily. Even worse, she wanted to meet Chiisai first thing in the morning, in person, to go over everything.

Until then, Kakashi was left with the task of watching Chiisai's every move and making sure nothing happened.

After this interrogation, of course.

The man shifted his gaze to Kakashi as he rested his hand on the table. "So," Kakashi began, "you say you're innocent. You must have a convincing argument."

The man scratched his neck and replied, "I don't, but it's the truth. The woman- she, I don't know, she looked as if she were possessed." He rested his elbow on the table and added, "I was only trying to help her, but she kept slamming her head against the wall." He shook his head. "I know it sounds crazy."

Kakashi leaned back in the chair, and it creaked under his weight. It did sound crazy, and if it were true, then it meant someone else was at play. No normal person would hurt themselves in that way, and though Chiisai was a little odd, there was nothing that could lead him to see her acting like that.

His thoughts drifted back to early this morning, at seeing her vomit mixed with water.

Kakashi crossed his arms and asked, "Where were you headed before you crossed her path?"

The man met his gaze. "Me and a group of friends go to the Bar-B-Q place down the road every Saturday night. I was heading home when I saw her."

He didn't seem to be lying there. Kakashi asked, "You were also intoxicated."

The man glanced away. His voice was soft as he said, "I would never hurt anyone, let alone a young woman." The man shook his head, but met Kakashi's eye as he added, "I'm telling you, I know what I saw."

Kakashi tilted his head and replied, "You want me to believe that a woman beat herself up, and you, an intoxicated man, went to save her in an alley? Alone?"

The man gestured with his hands now. "Look, I told you, she looked like she was possessed, like she was under some sort of genjutsu!"

Kakashi sighed. The man certainly seemed sure of himself, and his tone spoke rationally. His posture and eye contact hadn't shown signs of falsehood, and his family had vouched for him. But his words didn't make sense, and the facts were there.

Perhaps her chakra really did have a mind of its own, like Chiisai said.

Slowly, he rose to his feet. "We'll see what the woman says when she recovers," Kakashi said.

Kakashi left and signaled to a ninja that he was done. He left the building and stepped into the sunlight, grateful for the breeze.

The Bar-B-Q place the man had mentioned was just down the road, close to Chiisai's apartment. He had a photo ID of the man in his back pocket, so hopefully the staff at the restaurant would verify his story.

Another two blocks, and Kakashi stepped in through the draped fabric and into the room that smelled of roasted meat and pickled vegetables. His stomach grumbled, but he ignored it and went to the host.

"Just one?" The man said. His smile was forced, his dark hair greasy. He picked up a menu.

"Actually," Kakashi replied, "I was wondering if you had any staff on hand that was present Saturday night. I'm on an investigation, you see."

"Oh, well, that would be me." He laid the menu back down and clasped his hands together. "What's the trouble?"

Kakashi fished out the photo and held it up. "Do you recognize this man? He usually frequents this place with a group of men every Saturday."

The host leaned forward and studied the picture. "Oh, that's Haruki. Yeah, he gets drunk with his buddies. They always sit over there," he said, gesturing with his thumb. "They love the short ribs."

Kakashi followed the direction of the man's gaze and stopped.

Because there, sitting in her attacker's usual booth, was Chiisai, Pakkun, and Tori. He thought he had smelled their scent, but knocked it off as leftovers on his clothing because the thought of her being outside was so idiotic.

Why the hell was she here?

"Thank you," Kakashi said. "You've been a great help. One more thing- has he ever been rough?"

"Rough?" He shook his head. "No, he's a stupid drunk. He'll laugh at everything you say, which is kind of annoying, but he leaves a great tip. I'd say he's more of a gentle...buffoon."

"Thanks," Kakashi said. He put the picture back in his pocket and headed toward Chiisai's table.

"Uh-oh," he heard Pakkun say. The back of Chiisai's head rose, and slowly, she turned to see him. Tori followed her movement, and the cat's eyes narrowed in on Kakashi.

"Come to collect me?" She asked. "Or do you want some of this delicious food? The lunch menu's a bargain."

Kakashi sat down beside Pakkun, and his thighs sunk several inches into the plastic seat. Meat sizzled on the grill, and small bowls of side dishes were strewn on the table. Tori had his own bowl of creamed corn and licked it incessantly.

He asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm eating lunch," she said. "You should have some."

Kakashi looked at Pakkun, who only shrugged. "You said to watch her, and I am. She bought me short rib."

"So she used bribery," Kakashi said. He turned to Chiisai and said, "Lady Tsunade wants to meet with you first thing in the morning."

"Splendid. Will I be quartered or hanged?" She asked. Chiisai tapped her stomach and added, "I already have an outline for quartering, so I'm leaning toward that one."

"Chiisai, this is serious." His voice was low as he said, "You did a mind-transfer on Lady Hokage. Do you know how bad that is?"

Pakkun's eyes widened. "You did what?"

Chiisai snorted and flipped the meat on the grill. "Do you know how seriously messed up it is to have the Hokage sleeping on the job? The first thing Shizune asked was if she'd been drinking too much again."

He sighed and said, "I was hoping to introduce you in a controlled environment, where I could show you as less of a threat and more as an ally."

"Oh, well that's out the window," Chiisai said. She picked up a piece of meat and laid it in front of Pakkun. She did the same with Tori.

Pakkun's teeth scraped against the bone as he said, "This is amazing!"

Kakashi said, "You'll only be seen as a threat now. She'll want you sealed."

She snorted, frowned, and rubbed the side of her head. "That'll be fun. You know, since I can't remember the seal."

"This isn't good," he shook his head. "At least you were quick to get into character with Lord Danzo," he said. "But now we have to worry about him."

"Wow," Pakkun said. "I missed out on a lot."

"Kakashi," Chiisai said, "eat some food." She pushed a short rib in the grill toward him. "You can share my rice. There's cabbage and eggplant, too. Just not the corn, though. It's for Tori." She gestured to the many bowls on the table, and patted her cat on the head. "I hear their coffee jelly is good here."

"Your calmness in this situation is staggering," he said. Then he stopped and added, "I don't like sweets."

"Huh." She shrugged and added, "More for me. Unless you want some, Pakkun."

"I'm good," he said. "Thanks though."

"Why are you so calm?" Kakashi asked Chiisai. This was definitely unlike her, in the short time he had been with her.

Chiisai bit into the short rib and swallowed. "Well, I've already accepted the fact that I'll probably die getting strangled by Lady Tsunade herself," she said. She held up the small bone and added, "So I'm enjoying what could very well be my last meal. I even put on my favorite outfit to celebrate, even though I feel like shit."

He flattened his brow. "You're not going to die."

Chiisai dropped the bone on her plate and replied, "Am I though? I hear she throws a mean punch, and I already have a concussion." She pointed to the side of her head and pushed the plate towards Pakkun. "Which already feels like it's killing me, by the way. Perhaps that will get to me first." She paused and said to Pakkun, "Here, do you want this?"

Pakkun grinned and licked his chops. "Thanks!"

The waitress stopped and refilled Chiisai's water.

Kakashi sighed as Pakkun bit into another bone. Chiisai was spoiling his highly trained ninken, and he'd never hear the end of it from the rest of his hounds.

When the waitress left, Kakashi said, "Chiisai."

"Hmm?" She blinked up at him.

"I don't think it's the concussion that's doing it. I think it's your chakra."

She yawned and asked, "Doing what? Killing me? Gods, I'm tired. Hey, do you know what happened to my wrists? They sting like crazy every time I move them. Same with my chest."

Tori raised his paw and tapped Chiisai's leg, asking for more food.

"No, I don't," he said. "And what about your chest?"

She pointed to her chest and said, "I have the same marks. It's incredibly uncomfortable." She handed Tori another slice of meat.

Kakashi wiped his hand over his face. "So you lied to me last night."

She lifted up her finger and replied, "Current Chiisai is not responsible for past Chiisai when current Chiisai can't remember."

He rested his elbow on the table, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now neither one of us have any idea where you received those burns."

"Wow. I'm causing you all sorts of trouble, aren't I? What about my chakra now?"

Kakashi dropped his voice and said, "The man that assaulted you said you were beating your head against the wall, and he tried to stop you. And this morning, after you took a bath, there was evidence that you tried to drown yourself."

She furrowed her eyebrows and pressed her fingers together in thought. "Well, I don't remember either of those, so..."

"Exactly." He flattened his hands on the table. "Don't you find that strange?"

"Not when this concussion causes memory problems," she said. "And I probably fell asleep in the tub or something." She picked up her chopsticks and asked. "Why do you believe the drunk guy?"

"Because everything he said checked out so far." Kakashi leaned back and crossed his arms. "He's not lying."

"Oh, well," she said, holding up a piece of meat, "you should probably release him then."

"I will," he replied, "after I see you home."

She shook her head, winced, and cursed under her breath. "I'm ordering the coffee jelly after this. So it's going to be awhile."

Kakashi rubbed his hands on his face. "You are impossible."

Chiisai certainly was putting in a good show. A layer of sweat covered her skin from the walk, and her right eyelid twitched every few minutes. And somehow, even with a concussion, she was chatting away like nothing was wrong.

Her lips formed a tight line, and she set the food down, much to Pakkun's disappointment. "I'm sorry, but have you almost committed treason before?"

He rested his hands on the table and replied, "Actually, yes."

"What?" She said. There was shock in her tone. Tori laid down on the booth, nuzzling against Chiisai's leg.

He sighed and replied, "I almost participated in a coup d'etat to overthrow Lord Third. Luckily, I came to my senses before it happened."

She was clearly intrigued by the information, and she leaned forward. "What did Hiruzen do?"

"He made me his right-hand man in the anbu."

The curiosity in her eyes vanished and was replaced with annoyance. "And what do you think Tsunade's going to do to me?"

Kakashi opened his mouth, paused, and shut it. Chiisai nodded and picked up another sizzling piece of short rib. "That's what I thought. Now, please let me eat my last meal in peace. It's already hard enough to focus when my body feels like it's about to collapse." Pause. "It's much more difficult than it looks."

Kakashi sighed and stood. "I'll be back. Pakkun, please keep her alive."

"Will do," he said. "Pass me another short rib."

Chiisai smiled and laid it on the plate. Kakashi left and headed back to the police station.

Everything was a mess. A complete and utter disaster. He was amazed at how everything had spiraled so quickly. He was used to cleaning up Naruto's messes, but this, this was far worse, and one Kakashi had made himself. If Obito was here, he'd be laughing at him.

Kakashi walked into the building and stood in front of the desk. "I'm freeing suspect 105," he said. "Can you get the paperwork ready?"

"Starting on it now," the man said. "Here's the key."

Kakashi nodded and took it. His steps were light as he walked to the cell he had just left earlier. The man was laying on a bench, and he didn't move when Kakashi inserted the key into the lock.

Something was wrong, and it had him suddenly alert.

Kakashi bent down and opened his Sharingan eye. The flow of the man's chakra had been disrupted.

Danzo must have heard everything that had transpired in the Hokage's office. And now one of his men was picking up on Chiisai's trail. Though Danzo and his men were efficient in their actions, this had appeared sloppy, as if they wanted him to know.

Kakashi cursed under his breath and released the genjutsu on Haruki.

Haruki finally opened his eyes. Fear crossed his features as the sight of Kakashi.

Kakashi raised his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm only here to release you."

"Really?" He asked.

"I believe you," Kakashi said. "So there's no use in keeping you here."

"Thank goodness," he said. The man stood and dusted off his pants.

"Can I have your permission for something?"

"What?"

He straightened and said, "I would like to look into your memories with my Sharingan. It's a bit unorthodox, but it will help clear some things up."

Haruki frowned. "I would have let you done that from the beginning if I had known."

Kakashi lifted his headband up and opened his eye. "Thank you. Now please look me in the eye. This won't hurt a bit."

Haruki did as he said. Kakashi took a deep breath before sifting through the man's recent memories.

Whoever had performed the previous genjutsu had erased himself well. There was no hint of a chakra signature, so Kakashi moved on to Saturday night.

Haruki had walked down the alley, humming a song. He stopped to see the shadow of Chiisai hit the brick wall. Haruki had taken off in a clumsy run towards her, and had yelled for her to stop as her head came down on an exposed nail in the wall.

Haruki grabbed her, but the back of her head dragged across the bent piece of metal. Chiisai had fought against him, and her eyes were half open.

It was difficult to make out any noticeable traits given the rain and the dark, much to Kakashi's relief. If Danzo's spy saw this, he'd only be able to make out her small stature and dark hair. The only thing else that marked her was her small cross body bag.

Kakashi pulled back and yanked down his headband. Haruki took in a staggered breath and said, "That's it?"

"That's it," Kakashi nodded. "Thanks for your cooperation. I'll just need you to sign some paperwork at the front desk."

The man stepped out of the cell and sighed with relief. "Thank goodness. I thought you were about to change your mind and keep me here."

"Have a good day," he said. The man smiled and left, and Kakashi flickered back to the restaurant.

Things weren't turning out like he planned.

"Oh, you're just in time," Chiisai said. The bowls and plates were gone, and Pakkun rested his head against the table, clearly full. Chiisai held up a small glass filled with a brown gelatin and said, "Coffee jelly! Also, Pakkun's really nice." The smile on her face was genuine, and it made him pause.

"They boys will never believe it when I tell them what happened today," Pakkun said. "Her head scratched are better than yours!"

"Oh? Is that so," Chiisai said with triumph in her eyes.

Before Pakkun could respond, Kakashi took the glass from Chiisai's hand and sat it down. "First, we need to leave. And second," he switched to Pakkun, "you will not tell them about this."

Six Paths forbid his hounds finding out there was a woman involved with him. Not that they were involved.

Chiisai frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Pakkun lifted his head as Kakashi said, "Too many things."

"Well," Chiisai stood, and Tori hopped down on the ground. "I've already paid the bill." She grabbed her bag and said, "Let me-"

Kakashi pulled her into his arms and held his fingers up. She gasped and said, "My coffee jelly!"

He used the flicker technique before she could reach it. They disappeared in a poof of smoke.

The dog blinked at the empty table and sighed. "Why does this alway happen to me."

The waitress walked towards him, and her hand gripped a bag. Pakkun stood as she said, "You're still here! I thought you would like the bones from other customers." She laid the brown bag in front of him and leaned against the table. "You know, this is the first time I've ever talked with a ninken before."

"Thanks, you're a real pal!" Pakkun grabbed the bag with his teeth. His tail wagged, and he held up his paw. "Want to feel my toe beans? They're soft and supple!"

Tori hopped back up on the booth and meowed quizzically at Pakkun, who paused. "Huh," he said. "They forgot you, didn't they?"

The cat's tail flickered with annoyance.