Long...very long...enjoy!

Minato anxiously twisted his fingers over his lap, a habit he had as a child whenever he was worried about something. He smirked, realizing what he might have looked like in front of his former pupil: like a toddler seated in front of his parent anxiously waiting for a scolding.

He looked up as the tea cup clicked subtly against the wooden center table between them. Guilt filled his chest at the sight of the gray shades below the lower eyelids of his guest; the tired slump on his shoulders, and the forlorn look on his exposed eyes.

It was three in the morning and Kakashi thankfully dropped by to see Minato first before heading to the hospital. It was selfish of Minato to be grateful of the gesture since Kakashi's only remaining blood relative should matter more than his own concerns, but he couldn't help but appreciate the gesture.

The gray-haired special ANBU operative made the non-stop journey back to Konoha in record time, no doubt losing much of his chakra. The cost of the travel was clear on Kakashi's slow movements: his hand still trembling a little after sipping barley tea and practically inhaling the small serving of mochi Minato offered him.

The Hokage received his message the night before; the muddled circumstances in Konoha making a tad bit more sense to him and bringing about unsettling predictions. This wasn't just about keeping the sanity of the autonomous villages. It also involved people terribly close to his heart, which was why a part of him hoped Kakashi came back immediately to talk to him.

"I guess I'll skip the pleasantries of asking you how your trip home went," Minato began, knowing his wife and child were still out of earshot and in the comforts of slumber.

"I'm sorry for breaking into your home so early in the morning," Kakashi said though his tone didn't hint on any regret; partly because he was too tired to express anything clearly.

Minato smiled. "To be honest, I'm grateful you're here despite how urgently you need to see your niece," he replied.

"She wouldn't have forgiven me if I did otherwise anyway," Kakashi said.

Minato sighed, looking down at his hands and remembering the selfless act that put Kio in a coma. He owed so much to Kakashi and his family, and now this. "I owe you and Kio."

Kakashi shook his head. "We owe more to you," he said. "But if you'll insist, let's call this even."

Minato smiled lightly and looked up at him. "Thank you," he said. "So this incident…" he went on, opening the floodgate to the conversation he both dreaded and anticipated.

Kakashi leaned back on the couch to relax his muscles a little. He had to admit he was grateful for whatever magic Orochimaru did to him because it did wonders to his fatigued physique. He could imagine how dead he would have been the minute he reached the gates of Konoha if he didn't get to meet the Sannin, no matter how creepy the encounter was.

"It is as you think," Kakashi continued, knowing what had gone through his mentor's mind upon reading his report and weaving it with the details of the most recent incident that involved his and Fugaku's sons. "A precedent to something bigger. Hikari, whoever they are, is aware of the power of the Sharingan and it's only a matter of time before they realize the truth of the nine-tailed fox."

Minato winced, closing his eyes as the migraine he had been having since yesterday throbbed once more.

"Orochimaru isn't sure how or where they are getting the information up their sleeve," Kakashi went on. "But they are getting closer to the truth. He's betting on someone helping them – someone we aren't aware of yet who knows more about the past than any of us, Hikari included."

Minato heaved a heavy sigh. "Is he on our side, at least?"

"He'll aid us to an extent," Kakashi answered, recalling the conversation he had with the supposedly missing Snake Sannin. "He seems to be busy trying to disappear from whoever this unknown person is."

"He thinks his involvement can expose him," Minato deduced.

"He seems to be on the verge of achieving something very important to him so he can't risk the exposure," Kakashi said. "So if we need his help, we need to seek it."

"He can't come out of his hiding place for us," Minato said.

Kakashi nodded.

"Well this would be tricky," Minato began. "I suppose Rin has filled you in on what happened to Sasuke?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi answered. "I don't think Tsunade-sama would be available to help us now. From what Orochimaru told me, she's already got her hands full with giving aid at the border. Jiraiya-sama is also still in Sunagakure busy tracking down Hikari. I've sent him a message to come here though, given the…possible circumstances."

Minato shut his eyes and nodded in defeat.

"You're sure Naruto is fine?" Kakashi asked. Rin said the boy only had cuts and bruises making it clear that the target was undoubtedly Sasuke but he had to be sure.

Minato shook his head. "He's too fine," he said. "His bruises are healing in less than a handful of days. His wounds are disappearing, albeit slowly, but they're like melting away. Kushina's worried."

Kakashi nodded. Whatever transpired in the woods must have triggered something in Naruto. The boy hadn't been in any sort of life-threatening danger before that one and it was possible that the sudden shock woke up something inside of him while he stood at the brink of death.

Still, these were assumptions and the only way to know for sure was to have either of the three Sannin examine him.

"We'll have to do something for him at the same time as we do something for Sasuke," Kakashi said, leaning forward – his eyes imploring. "We still haven't located the mole in our midst. If that mole notices that we're moving one of them out of the picture after what happened, Hikari will notice that they might have missed something."

Minato glanced behind him: at the hallway that led to bedrooms. He imagined his wife and child sleeping calmly in their beds unaware of the dark clouds overhead. He had to protect them. He had to keep them safe.

He had to make a decision.

"We still have a day or two," Kakashi said. "We can wait for Jiraiya-sama's return."

Minato turned to look at him and nodded. In his mind, however, he knew he had to decide before his former mentor arrived. The sooner he made a decision, the less time he would have to waiver and the sooner he could craft an acceptable excuse for his wife.

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss?" the Hokage asked. "I don't want to keep you away from Kio any more than necessary."

"That would be all for now," Kakashi said, bowing. "I'll see you in the morning."

Minato chuckled. "Do get some sleep, Kakashi," he said. "I don't mind meeting you tonight or even sometime tomorrow. That was an exhausting trip."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied, bowing one last time before taking his leave. Once Minato was sure Kakashi was out of earshot, he sighed, slumping back on the couch and staring at the warmly-lit ceiling.

"Is this the part where I get the boys kidnapped?" he muttered. Kushina would kill him.

Rin was walking down the hallway after a quick trip from the restroom when she felt the familiar presence in Kio's room. Her heart skipped in recognition. As she walked closer to the door, however, a wave of guilt washed over the feelings of excitement and relief she had.

She took a deep breath and opened the door revealing Kakashi seated on a chair next to Kio's bed; his back to the window. It was still dark outside and the light in his niece's room was dimmed just enough for her to see the strain and exhaustion on his features. He must have been forcing himself to stay awake for a long time.

She walked inside and locked the door behind her to make sure no one could interrupt them. The window was open, making it clear that Kakashi slipped into the room to avoid anyone's attention. Rin took a seat across from him.

"My quarters should be secure enough for you," she began, pertaining to the underground quarters she kept as an employee of the Archive Ministry. It was situated next to the underground train station and she was sure Kakashi had been to the location a few times when he worked under the organization's command as special ANBU. "I had it prepared."

"Thanks," Kakashi quietly replied, his eyes still fixed at Kio's sleeping face. She didn't seem to be having any bad dreams but she didn't look like she was having good dreams either. Her face was blank, robbed of the innocence her uncle remembered from when she was a child.

"I'm sorry," Rin said, looking sadly at Kio.

He turned to her, brows raised in confusion.

"I should have been here for her," Rin said, guilt lacing every word. She was scheduled to go back to Konoha to care for her a month after Kakashi left, but she should have moved earlier.

Kakashi sighed. So that was why she looked depressed. He sensed her presence in the hallway, the way her aura spiked at the realization he was there, and then the sudden drop of her mood – regret and guilt overthrowing her happiness. "She's my niece, Rin," he began. "If anyone should be blamed, it's me."

"But you—" Rin protested.

Kakashi shook her head to cut her off. "If I let her in on what her mother had prepared for her, she wouldn't end up like this," he said. He turned to Kio. "I was afraid of the danger she would be in, that I forgot how my sister protected her. Sakuma broke her seal when she was an infant. It could have been a decision she made out of panic, but the fact remains that the seal had been broken albeit just enough for her to be ready to wield chakra for protection growing up. But I kept Kio from it for a very long time. I chose to hide her and skirt around her intelligent questions about how different things seemed to be for her. I forced her to learn on her own. It wasn't until it was too late that I offered my guidance. If I taught her well early on, she wouldn't be like this."

Rin sighed. Kakashi was making excuses to protect her. His arguments made sense, sure, but still. If she was there with Kio, things might have been different. "I care about her a lot too, you know?" she bitterly said. "She's like a little sister and daughter to me."

Kakashi looked up at her. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to say you didn't," he said.

Rin turned to him. "I get it," she said. "You're trying to protect me again but I'm telling you, you don't have to. I'm don't feel responsible because I'm with you. I feel responsible because I care about her."

Kakashi nodded in defeat. "Thank you."

Rin smiled and nodded at him. They turned to look at Kio once more in a moment of comfortable silence. She then looked at him again, eyes worried. "What do you think will happen now?"

Kakashi blinked. "A lot of things will happen," he answered before looking back at her. "The question is to whom."

Rin smiled, realizing this was Kakashi she was talking to: a genius who had no doubt deduced what will happen next. "Then let's start with Kio," she said. "I'm positive she'll wake up because she's strong, though I still can't help but worry."

"She'll wake up," Kakashi answered, nodding. He turned to Kio. "I can sense how low her chakra is so I'm guessing she's exhausted and recuperating. As for the injuries, I'm worried about how the blood loss affected her brain. You did say her brain scans didn't show anything serious. So I'm sure she'll wake up. Whether she'll remember what happened or not like the kids is the question."

"If she doesn't remember anything?" Rin inquired.

"She'll be in the same state as the kids," Kakashi began. "Itachi will be relieved but he won't be satisfied until he avenges her, so he'll continue his personal investigation. Kio will worry and being the worrywart she is, she'll look for ways to remember what happened: most likely revisit the crime scene. There's a high chance she'll remember bits and pieces and the way she ended up in a coma instead of six feet under would be a dead giveaway for her. She'll rummage through her mother's things realizing the incident was related to chakra somehow, and she'll sign up to be a special ANBU."

Rin frowned. She wanted to laugh at how wild Kakashi's imagination was but knowing Kio, his deductions might just come true. "And if she does remember?"

"Then we'll skip the whole worrying and rummaging part," Kakashi answered.

"She'll still sign up to be a special ANBU like you?" Rin sadly clarified.

Kakashi nodded. "She's a Hatake, after all," he said. "No matter how many times we try to run away from things like this, it always ends up swallowing us whole."

Rin stared forlornly at her lap. There it was – the fate he had been struggling with. He had been blaming things on himself; had stayed away from anything that could make him happy for fear that they would eventually disappear. This was why she couldn't force him to put a ring on it even if she wanted to. This was why she had to let him do whatever he believed he should do before telling him to stay with her for good.

"Rin," his voice jolted her from her musings, and she blinked to look up at him. She noticed his resigned look at Kio; his eyes flooding with shame, fear, and uncertainty. "Yes?" she asked, smiling reassuringly at him.

He looked up in time to see it and took a deep breath. "I'd like to ask you another favor," Kakashi began.

Rin chuckled. "As long as it doesn't include breaking up with you, I'll be happy to oblige," she replied.

Kakashi winced, bowing and scratching the back of his head. "I'm afraid I've reached my limit on that one myself," he muttered, the tips of his ears red.

Rin snickered. "Good," she leaned forward. "So what is it?"

Kakashi looked up at her. "When Kio decides to undergo the training," he said.

"You want me to take care of her," Rin supplied, smiling warmly. The special ANBU training that Kio would have to take was only offered in Sunagakure: in the underground confines of the Archive Ministry. Once she makes that decision, she would have to leave Konoha. She would have to forget about going to the Police Academy with Itachi.

And heaven forbid, she would have to let him go.

"Again," Rin said. "I love Kio. I will take care of her regardless of what kind of decision she makes. My place can accommodate us be it here or in Sunagakure."

"Thank you," Kakashi replied. "I'll appreciate it if you convince her to stay with you too. Boarding in the academy might not help her cope with…the changes."

"The breakup," Rin mused, reading his mind. She nodded. "I still have plenty of ice creams and chocolates there too so we'll have a party."

Kakashi snorted, knowing it was a slight jab at him too. "Ice creams and chocolates, huh," he muttered. "Did it…help?"

"A little," Rin answered. "Not as much as kissing you though."

Kakashi snickered. "Stop teasing me," he said. "I'm trying to behave in front of my niece."

Rin laughed then. "Oh Kakashi," she crooned playfully. "And here I thought I'd at least get to have you tonight before you leave."

Kakashi's exhausted shoulders dropped slightly; a glint of desire in his tired eyes as he looked straight into her eyes. "Woman, you're the death of me."

Izumi found it easy to adjust in the academy as she caught up with friends she met back in kindergarten. She was lucky to be placed in the same class as some of them and by lunch time, she had enough company to not feel like she hadn't been away from the village for a long time.

The only thing that kept her from feeling utmost happiness was not having Itachi in the same classroom as her. He was in another class, one that he apparently shared with Kio. Despite leaving the same compound that morning, Izumi didn't walk to school with him. She tried to. She walked to their house early in the morning to fetch him, but Mikoto told her he had left earlier for an errand.

"Are there any cute guys in Sunagakure?" Chiho whispered, her wide brown eyes bright with interest as she leaned over the window next to Izumi in the hallway. Her light brown bob bounced against her shoulders as she nudged Izumi's arm with her elbow.

Izumi chuckled.

"Yeah, Izumi-chan," Fujie asked, flanking Izumi's side as the three of them stood in the hallway. Her blond hair draped over her shoulder in a braid; green eyes wide with interest. "Did you leave anyone lonely back there?"

Izumi rolled her eyes, inwardly saying it was the other way around. She left someone in Konoha when she went to Sunagakure, and when she returned…well…

"There are some cute ones, sure," Izumi answered. "But nothing beats the boys we have here in Konoha," she went on, winking playfully at them.

The girls giggled. "Are you saying you didn't see anyone more handsome than Itachi-kun?" Chiho teased.

"You're an Uchiha though," Fujie said, frowning. "You grew up surrounded by good-looking people so you're bound to have higher standards than us."

Izumi shook her head. "I did say there were cute ones there, right?"

"Cute, not handsome," Chiho and Fujie complained, pouting.

Izumi laughed. "Oh, but maybe you'll think they're handsome," she said.

The girls laughed. Chiho straightened up, catching sight of a tall long-haired man that stood out in the crowd of students spending their remaining lunch time by lounging in the hallway like them. "Itachi-kun," she muttered, catching her friends' attention. Students had long used first names to address kids from the same clan in school with their first names to avoid confusion.

They turned to watch him at the end of the hall. He had just reached the second floor where they were in and a group of boys crowded around him – worry all over their faces. By the way they patted his shoulders and conversed, Izumi deduced the group was friends of his.

Itachi was forcing out a smile, reassuring them. They were probably asking about Kio's condition and how he was coping.

When Izumi walked down the halls to locate her classroom, the buildings were buzzing with gossip mentioning Kio's name. Many of them expressed dismay and worry at what happened to her; some came up with their own deduction on who attacked her and how; and a handful spitefully said she deserved it for trying to keep Itachi for herself. Chiho and Fujie themselves had been chatting about the incident with worried faces before her unexpected presence replaced their anxieties with excitement.

"He looks horrible," Fujie mumbled, noting the grey shades under his eyes. The noon light was bright enough to show that he had become paler than usual and the smile he was sporting wasn't fooling anyone.

"He's devastated, isn't he?" Chiho said.

Izumi frowned, the familiar bitter ache throbbing in her chest. She wanted to run to him, comfort him: protect him. She knew he wouldn't like it though.

Itachi nodded and bowed slightly toward the group before heading further upstairs in haste.

"So Kio," Izumi said, earning curious glances from Chiho and Fujie. "What's she like?"

The two girls glanced at each other. "Right, you might not recognize her because she was in a different class from us back then," Chiho said.

Izumi was always in the same class as Itachi when they were in kindergarten. With them were Chiho and Fujie. Izumi was always with the two girls if she wasn't with him, while Itachi stayed with the rest of the boys if he wasn't following Shisui around the playground the kindergarten students shared with the elementary kids. They rarely had the chance to meet kids from the other kindergarten classes.

"Her name is Hatake Kio," Fujie explained. "Niece of Hatake Kakashi."

"Oh! Hatake-ojichan," Izumi exclaimed in recognition.

The girls nodded. "That school year you moved away, I became classmates with Itachi-kun and Kio-chan," Fujie continued. "No one thought they'd end up together. They were extremes. Itachi-kun had always been nice and friendly, whereas Hatake-chan was more outspoken and aggressive. Unlike Itachi-kun who wouldn't outright fight unless really provoked, she wasn't afraid to put bullies in their place if they get into her nerves. She was sent to the guidance counselor several times for hitting a boy or making them cry. But it was never because she was mean. In fact, in all those instances, she was defending someone."

"She always kept her hair in a ponytail back then," Chiho added, remembering the times she visited Fujie in breaks. "She acted like a boy that some of the girls said she was a prince like Itachi-kun," she said chuckling.

"Oh yeah!" Fujie agreed, laughing. "She didn't wear dresses back then either. She liked looking like a boy and had more guy friends than girls."

Izumi smiled, trying to imagine the sleeping girl in the hospital looking like a tomboy. She couldn't quite reconcile her feminine image with a masculine one. And if that was case, how did Itachi fall for someone as boyish as her? "So she didn't like Itachi-kun?"

"Oh no," Fujie said, laughing. "She was probably one of the few girls in class that didn't have a crush on him. We even thought she was in love with a girl."

"So…how did they..?" Izumi shyly prodded.

Chiho and Fujie laughed. "We're not entirely sure but," Fujie said. "Rumor has it that Itachi had always liked her."

Izumi's eyes went wide. "S—since when?" she exclaimed.

The girls laughed. "I knew you'd react that way," Chiho commented. "Wait 'til you hear this: they said he had been in love with her since we were in kindergarten."

"Kio," the name echoed in the air, perking her senses slightly to focus as her eyes gazed curiously at a photo in her hand. It was worn, the color a tad bit faded and blurry for her liking. But the images on the smooth paper in her stubby little hands peaked her interest the longer she looked at it.

People: two people smiling happily at her. One was a woman with the same shade of gray hair her uncle had. Her dark grey eyes seemed to be similar to his too, but they were…happier…cheerful. There was a glint of excitement in there too. And her lips; she was smiling so widely…freely. She didn't hide the lower part of her face like her uncle did. She seemed more carefree too.

The other person in the picture stood next to her. He had dark brown hair like she had. His dark eyes seemed so soft and gentle. There was also a glint of happiness in his gaze but it was mixed with feelings of…gratefulness.

She felt her heart throb, somehow feeling the warm emotions that she was sure the people in the picture had. It felt so familiar to her. Their images felt like she had known them somewhere.

She flipped the photo to see if their names would be written at the backside of the image but found only the words "see you soon" and the characters that she remembered meant "love you, okay?"

"Kio!" the call echoed louder behind her. She blinked, surrendering to the sense of urgency that the voice brought in her veins. She looked behind her: the open door of her uncle's room. He was a gentle uncle. He was rarely mad at her but she still didn't want to upset him. Sadly, there was nothing else she could do to avoid it.

She looked at the scattered papers and books surrounding her. They were so many; too many for her little self to gather quickly back into the splayed open box that had fallen near the door.

She was only trying to steal her uncle's orange book as a prank. He always kept it on the top of his wardrobe, too far for her to reach. She had asked him so many times to read it to her instead of her fairy tale books but he insisted that she was too young for its story.

She was already four years old! She wasn't too young!

So while he walked out to feed the dogs in the backyard, she climbed up the chair to step on the desk; scaled the edges of the window frame and stepped on window bars to reach over the wardrobe. Just as her fingers touched the spine of the book, she lost her balance and in an attempt to keep herself from falling, her unthinking fingers gripped at the brown box next to her target; toppling it with her onto the floor.

The ache in her limbs urged her to cry but she forced herself to reduce them into silent tears as she sat up to survey the damage she made. It was then that she found the photograph strewn over her lap with the rest of the box's contents scattered around her.

"Kio! What happened?" her uncle's panic-stricken voice called out from the living room, his footsteps telling her he was close to catching her in the crime scene. She bit her lip and turned to the door; wide eyes moist with tears knowing she would receive a scolding.

Soon enough her uncle appeared in the hallway – his face in shock at the mess she made. "Kio!" he called out, running to her side. He didn't hide his face on weekends so all his anxiety, fear, concern, and anger was clear for her to see.

"I—I'm sorry," she choked as her uncle's eyes scanned her from head to toe looking for injuries; his fingers gently prodding on her squishy arms and urging her by her pudgy waist to turn around so he could see if she had any injuries on her back. Satisfied that there wasn't anything serious, he turned her around to face him: eyes narrowed at her.

"What were you doing, Kio?" he snapped.

Kio winced. "I…I just wanted to read the orange book," she said. "I…I can read now." She learned how to read on her own at two years old. She could read to herself if her uncle was too busy to do it for her. "I'm old enough."

Her uncle stared appalled at her for a moment, making it hard for her to suppress her tears. She took a shaky breath and blinked, tears spilling over her plump cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.

Then her uncle sighed. He bowed his head for a moment, taking his own shaky deep breaths before looking up at her; one corner of his lips trembling slightly. "Do you know why I snapped at you?"

"You're…" Kio began, narrowing her eyes as she sought for the right answer. No, "angry" was never the answer to this question. He said he would never be angry with her, ever. "…upset?"

Her uncle nodded. "Why was I upset?"

Kio blinked, bowing her head in thought. "Um… I did something wrong..?"

"Why was it wrong?" her uncle prodded.

Kio's lips pouted. She hated this game. That was why she didn't want to upset her uncle. He always asked her questions that were difficult to find answers to. She preferred hearing answers from him, not questions. "…Because…" She glanced up at him, eyes begging for a hint.

He only stared back at her, not giving her any.

Kio took a deep breath and sighed. This was giving her a headache. Her thumbs drew circles on the photograph still in her hand. Why was it wrong? She looked back at the instances when her uncle gave her this annoying series of questions. It was wrong because… It was wrong because…?

She looked up. "You're…worried," she quietly said, realization sinking as she matched the scenario with previous memories.

"And why is that?" her uncle asked, tucking a stray lock of hair draped over her nose so it was hidden behind her ear.

Kio guiltily looked down at her bare feet. "You love me," she said.

Her uncle sighed. "And what were you doing, Kio?"

"I climbed up and fell," the girl answered. "And it h—urt," she choked, tears rolling down her face as her lips contorted into a frown and her eyes squinted. "You don't want me to…h—urt," she struggled through the ragged hiccups and streaming tears.

Her uncle pulled her to his chest, holding her tight and gently rubbing her back. She wound her arms around his neck, finally tucked in the safest place in the world. She wailed, not because her butt was sore but because she had worried her uncle. She caused him pain by putting herself in pain. And she didn't like it when he was in pain because she loved him, just as he loved her.

She felt warm lingering kisses on the side of her head. "Is this in pain?" she heard him ask, his hand gently patting her behind. She nodded shyly against the crook of his neck, finding it hard to speak through the hiccups.

"We'll make that go away, okay?" She nodded in agreement. She leaned slightly away, giving him space to blow a puff of gentle air over her behind, the yellow dress covering it ruffling slightly. "Go away, pain," he commanded, narrowing his eyes at the ache she was feeling. She knew by experience that it would take some time for the pain to pack its bags and disappear so she snuggled back to her uncle's neck muttering thanks despite the pain still being there.

"Let's fix this mess, okay?" Her uncle said after she had calmed down. She nodded, leaned away and looked at the scattered papers. "Do you like that?" She blinked confused at him and realized he was looking at the photograph still in her hand.

Did she like it? She nodded. "She has your hair," she said, showing him the photo. She noticed a hint of sadness in her uncle's eyes despite the warm smile on his lips. It was as if he was going to cry. It was odd because the photo didn't look sad at all.

"Ah, yes," he said, his voice thick. "You have her eyes, you know?"

She blinked. "I do?"

Her uncle nodded and gently urged her to sit on his lap, the pain on her behind gone. "Can you guess who they are?"

She thought for a moment, staring at the woman who she realized, aside from having the same shade of hair color, resembled her uncle. "Friends?"

"Family," her uncle answered, chuckling. He pointed at the woman. "That's your Okaa-san," he said. "My sister. And that one is your Otou-san."

Kio blinked. She had heard kids call adults that way in school; had heard teachers talk about them – parents. She learned early on that her uncle wasn't her parent. He was her guardian and there was a difference. She couldn't call him "Otou-san" the way her classmates called adult males in their family because he wasn't a parent.

"They made you," her uncle went on. "They wanted to be with you, but they had to leave so they asked me to be with you instead."

Kio looked curiously at him. "How did they make me?"

Her uncle chuckled, lips in an awkward smile. He scratched the back of his head as if he regretted something he said. "They…loved each other so much," he playfully said. "That's how they made you."

Kio blinked. "So if we love each other so much, we'll make another me?"

Her uncle choked a laugh as he looked away, his face red. He was biting his lip as he thought for a response. "No, Kio," he said. "It takes a different kind of love to make another you. What we have is the kind of love that makes you feel safe and at home, wherever you go."

Kio thought it over as she stared at the photograph. It was…confusing.

"When you're older, you'll understand," her uncle explained.

"How much older?" she asked, looking up at her.

"When you're as tall as me," he answered.

"How long until I become as tall as you?"

Her uncle frowned and looked away in thought. "Well, how old did you say you were?"

"Four!" she proudly replied, raising four shaky fingers to his face.

"Right," her uncle said, nodding as if he had just remembered. "Twenty more years and you'll understand."

"Twenty?!" Kio let the photograph go to count her fingers. Her teacher had only taught them how to count to ten. "Is that a number?"

"Oh yes," her uncle answered. "You count it like this," he said, pointing at each of her stubby fingers as he counted to ten. He then pointed at each one of her toes, citing numbers she hadn't encountered in school yet; each touch making her giggle. "…Twenty," he finished, playfully squeezing her small toe for emphasis.

She gasped. "That's a lot of numbers!" Then she remembered that it took a very long time before she blew a cake that added to her age. She stared up at him. "Can't I understand it earlier? Like…in ten more years?"

Her uncle shook his head. "Nope, twenty."

She pouted. "Nine?"

"Twenty."

"Eight?"

"Ask a number lower and it will be thirty."

"Thirty?!" Kio exclaimed, staring aghast at her uncle. "What's thirty?"

Her uncle moved her to sit between his legs and stretched his limbs so he could wiggle his toes in front of her. He continued counting from twenty, pointing as each toe until he reached thirty."

Kio shook her head. "Twenty," she decided. "I'll understand after twenty years."

"Good," her uncle said before kissing her cheeks and giving her a playful squeeze.

After that, her uncle hid the box and its gathered contents in the deepest recesses of the wardrobe but left the photograph on his desk. He would later put it in a frame and display it in the living room next to her pictures so she could look at it when she wanted to.

The other contents of the box would peak her curiosity. Her uncle didn't tell her what they were, though some of them looked like pictures and storybooks to her. He didn't show them to her either, even when she asked in the polite manner that Aunt Rin taught her.

He told her, "when you're older, Kio, I'll give them to you" but his sad eyes told her he didn't want her to have it at all.

"Be a good girl, okay?" her uncle said as she crouched to face her at the doorway. He was off on a mission and Aunt Rin was waiting for him on the side of the road. She always fetched him and gave her sweets and hugs and kisses before they left.

She nodded. This was the drill every time he left for work. She hated it when he went away because she missed him, but he told her it was the only way he would get to buy food for them. He left her in the care of Grandma Mako, their next-door neighbor who would stay in the house with her so she wouldn't get too lonely. The old woman stood behind her smiling. Her uncle never left her until Grandma Mako was there to be with her.

Her uncle's eyes smiled at her and she knew he was smiling under his mask. "I love you, okay?"

She smiled. It always made her smile when he said it. "I love you too, okay?"

He chuckled, ruffled her hair and placed a kiss on her forehead before giving his last set of pleasantries to Grandma Mako and walking away with Aunt Rin.

She didn't mind being with Grandma Mako. She tended to what she needed and she fell asleep watching TV, which gave her enough time to start her expeditions around the house: ones she couldn't do while her uncle was with her. So that noon while Grandma Mako slumped snoring on the couch in front of the TV, she rummaged the wardrobe for the box.

She found books and notes and pictures. She decided to borrow one of them to read every time her uncle went away, starting with the thickest book in the pile. It was dusty like the other contents of the box and the paper was brown and crinkled like it had survived many rains.

When she flipped it to the first page, she found scribbles that mentioned her name. Frowning, she tried to recall the lessons she had in school, from her uncle and from Aunt Rin about how to read. "To…" she mumbled, recognizing the characters. "Kio…from Okaa-san."

She blinked. So the woman in the picture left the book for her? Why didn't her uncle give it to her then? Was he planning to give it to her after twenty more years? That was too long!

She read it page by page in the days that followed, careful not to let her uncle know that she had stolen her gift from the box. The narration, unlike in her storybooks, was different. It was like the book was speaking to her: talking to her about chakra and breathing and concentration and controlling herself… She secretly practiced the exercises in the book realizing it was doing something within her. At night, she even dreamt of her Okaasan speaking to her and continuing the lessons as she hugged the book close to her chest.

She would find herself writing down the lessons on her notebook while in school: her ability to remember things just by looking at them making it easier for her to re-write her own version of the old one in case her uncle found out what she was doing and decided to hide the book away. She remembered every illustration, every pose, every symbol though she didn't quite understand what all of them were for.

She especially remembered the intricate pattern of symbols that were supposed to seal something, whatever that meant. It said that it had to be drawn large enough for a person to sit at the center of it. She had tried to make one, placing Grandma Mako to sit at the center of their backyard while she drew the symbols around her using a stick. But the old woman easily got tired an impatient of waiting and they often headed back to the house so she could watch TV and nap.

Then one day, her uncle brought her to the park so they could play outside for a change. Someone found him though and he ended up caught in a conversation. Sighing, she looked around. There were kids laughing and playing about. She didn't know any of them, probably from classes outside her own in school. She wasn't in the mood to play with them though.

"You want to play with the other kids, Kio? I'm sorry, this might take a while," her uncle told her as he crouched apologetically at her.

"Okay," she said, pulling her hand away from his to walk to the playground. She blinked a few times at the kids wondering if she should join them.

Then she noticed the large bald spot at the center of the playground: a patch of earth devoid of the green grass in the playground. The soil was still a bit moist from the light showers that morning, soft enough to dig based on the group of boys digging for earthworms in a corner of the field.

Her eyes went wide with excitement. She went into the patch of ground and walked around, wondering where the very center of it was.

"Need any help?" she heard a boy ask. She had sensed his approach earlier and opted to focus on her work because it was more important than a curious kid.

Then she blinked, realizing something. She turned around to look at him, not quite paying attention to what he looked like but determined and excited for what she was about to do. "Only if you'll give one," she declared.

The boy smiled, his face looking oddly relieved. He had dark eyes that reminded her of her Otousan and long black hair that was tied at the back of his neck.

She grabbed his hand, which oddly made his face red, and urged him to stand at the center of the empty spot. She half dragged him a couple of times before ordering him to sit still on a particular spot. He patiently obeyed and watched her as she fetched a sturdy stick that had fallen from a nearby tree and quickly began etching the intricate symbols from memory.

She didn't know how long it took but by the time she was finished, a crowd of kids were watching her. She wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead before approaching the boy again.

He smiled. "What do we do next?" he asked, seemingly happy to have her attention back. She found it odd that the boy didn't even try to leave the circle of symbols around him. She thought he would find it boring and leave. She wouldn't have minded, really. She just needed him to mark the ground for her.

She blinked, remembering how to use the symbol. "I seal you," she said. She made a set of hand seals she had also learned from the book. Then she placed her hands to touch his shoulder, his face blushing again. She tried to focus on the chakra that her Okaa-san said was inside her, flowing…growing…alive. She imagined the chakra flowing into the ground, creeping into each symbol she made, and pulling it back to make a seal—

"KIO!"

She gasped, suddenly in midair and caged in the tight embrace of her uncle. She felt his heart pounding quickly and harshly against her back.

"Kaka-Oji—"

"We're going home," he declared. He placed her back on the ground, erased her hard work from the patch of earth and grasped her hand tightly in his own. He half dragged her away from the playground, leaving the boy there in the center of the empty spot.

That was how her uncle discovered what she had been doing: how she was studying behind his back, how she was practicing in the shadows, how she was seeing the woman in her dreams and learning from her. She thought for sure that it would make him angry, but he cried instead and she felt horrible.

The next morning, he invited her out to the backyard and taught her exercises she could do to better control her chakra.

"I was trying to protect you, Kio," her uncle said, his eyes red and raw from crying the night before. Her eyes were sore for crying with him too. She wasn't sure why, she just knew that she did something terribly wrong and felt guilty. She also wanted her uncle to stop crying. She didn't mean to hurt him. She didn't want to hurt him. "I'm sorry, I didn't explain things to you clearly," he went on. "I will, I promise. Just not… Just not at this time, okay? I don't know how to yet."

She pursed her lip, guilt blossoming from her chest again. She was awful. She accused him of withholding things from her, of taking away something from her when really, he just didn't know how to give it to her. She blinked, tears once again trickling silently down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'll be patient. I promise."

Her uncle blinked at her for a moment before laughing. "Come here, Kio," he said, picking her up so he could cradle her in his lap. "I love you, okay?"

She giggled, feeling the warmth that the words brought to her chest. "I love you too, okay?"

Kio smiled, slowly feeling herself ease away from the toddler still laughing in the younger Kakashi's arms as she struggled against his tickles. She saw a dark void surround the scene, reminding her that she was a spectator.

"Boo!" she heard a familiar voice from behind her. She turned around and smirked, seeing a young Shisui in front of her six-year old self. The boys in school had been playing pranks on girls by surprising them out of nowhere. The culprits were usually boys in Kio's year level and Shisui was two years above hers.

She blinked at the silly face she was making and he frowned. "You really can't be surprised," he began. "Are you sick or something?"

She raised a brow at him. The truth was she sensed his presence the minute he started following her a block away. She had always sensed people that way.

When she was younger, her Kakashi-ojichan told her it was a special gift that she could do like magic. He could do it to. After reading her mother's book, she realized it was her chakra at work. She had heard bits and pieces of her family history from her uncle: that the knowledge about controlling chakra cost the life of her parents, that the ability to use chakra was supposed to have been hidden away for protection, and that her ability was awakened by her mother when she was a baby. He had taught her some tricks ever since he discovered that she had been studying on her own, but he didn't give her enough enough knowledge to understand everything that she remembered from her mother's notes.

Seven-year-old Kio closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. Kakashi-ojichan said she inherited her mother's temper and she should learn how to control it so she could meet more friends. Her reputation of punching boys like had made her seem scary after all. He also said it helped control her chakra better so she did her best to follow his advice. "Aren't you too old to play pranks like this?" she asked, eyeing him sharply.

Shisui smirked. He was a popular kid; he and his cousin, Uchiha Itachi. She heard girls giggle giddily as they talk about them. Even the few friends she had found them attractive, though she herself couldn't see it. "You know me then," he said.

"Everyone in school knows about you," she coldly retorted. "And you're taller than me by a few inches, if you haven't noticed."

He raised a brow at her. "Are you saying I'm old?"

"I'm saying you're older than me and you should be old enough to be beyond this…lunacy," she answered.

He blinked and stared a moment at her before bursting into laughter. "You are one special girl, aren't you?" he said before offering her his hand. "Uchiha Shisui," he went on. "You're right that everyone in school knows me but I don't make myself known to everyone."

She stared at his hand for a moment before deciding to shake it out of courtesy. "Hatake Kio."

He smiled and pointed to the boy hiding in a lamp post behind him. "And that right there is my cousin, Uchiha Itachi," he introduced.

The boy gasped and slowly revealed himself, his face and the tips of his ears scarlet. "H—Hey! I—I can introduce myself," he argued before running to stand in front of her. They were just about the same height. He smiled at her and offered his hand. "Uchiha Itachi," he said. "Um…We're classmates."

Kio blinked at her for a moment. "I know," she replied. It was hard not to when almost every girl in their classroom was hoping to get seated next to him.

"R-Right," he whispered, head bowed in dejection. His face went even redder.

Shisui snorted a chuckle beside him.

Deciding it wouldn't hurt to introduce herself back since he bothered, she took his hand and shook it. "Hatake Kio."

The boy gasped, eyes wide and looking back at her before smiling brightly.

She frowned. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, no, I uh…"

"On the contrary, Kio-chan," Shisui interrupted. "You just made his dreams come true."

"Stop it, Shisui!" Itachi snapped, making the older Uchiha laugh even harder.

Kio's brows furrowed deeper.

"Um no! What—What he was trying to say was that I…" Itachi stammered, before biting his lip no doubt searching for words in thin air. "Um I…" He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and squeezed the hand that he still held. He opened his eyes and smiled brightly at her again. "Let's be friends!"

No, that wasn't when they became friends. For a long time after that, Itachi tried to walk home with her.

"Kio-chan, wait!" she would hear him call from behind her. She would roll her eyes before turning to face him. "What?" she snapped.

He would smile happily at her. "Let's walk together," he said. "We're going the same way anyway."

"No, we're not," she argued. Technically, they were going the same direction but they would have to separate on a fork in the road up ahead.

Itachi frowned. "I was planning to head to the bookshop," he said. "Buy my brother a book."

Ah…the bookstore alibi. Yesterday it was dango. The other day was the library. And the day before that was the park.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Shisui?" she asked.

"He's busy," he answered.

She took a deep breath. "Then hurry, I need to feed our dogs."

He smiled and pranced next to her so he could walk alongside her. He would talk to her about what they did in school, ask her what she thought about it, or ask her if she saw a show on TV and what she thought about it. Kio was a talker but for some reason, when she was with him she just wanted to shut up. She couldn't find it in herself to tell him outright that she didn't like him.

Oh yes, she hated Uchiha Itachi. He was just so kind to everyone and anyone, even those who were obviously faking stuff to get his attention. He acted so confident in reliable in class, pleasing everyone and helping whoever sought his help. The teachers loved him: the model student. He acted almost the exact opposite around her: following her like a sick puppy, unsure of his actions, and he seemed extremely happy whenever she spared him something as simple as a glance. Her friends thought he liked her, but Kio felt like he hated her back and was simply annoying her with his constant presence.

Shisui was his opposite and though she didn't like him much either, she enjoyed arguing with him a lot. He was the type of person who would be honest enough to say she looked ugly that day or she was too unrefined to be a girl. Heck he even called her a "freak" just to get into her nerves and though she hated him for it, she liked how it forced her to think of a witty retort.

"Do you…miss Shisui?" Itachi asked, suddenly sounding sad.

She blinked at him. "What?"

His eyes were sad too, like he was about to cry but he was trying his best not to. "You're always quiet when he's not around."

She swallowed. She didn't want to make anyone cry. Heck! She punched bullies who made girls cry because it was wrong to make anyone cry. And now this?! "N—no, I… Shisui annoys me, you know."

He looked away, still seemingly broken.

She took a deep breath and sighed. What was it with these weird Uchihas anyway?! "I'll admit I enjoy arguing with him, but I enjoy quiet times like this with you too," she explained. It was true. Arguing with Shisui exhausted her but walking with Itachi made her calm despite how annoying he was.

Itachi's face lit up, hope blooming from his chest. He looked up at her. "You mean that?"

"Yeah," Kio answered, shrugging.

He smiled.

Kio stared at him. Yes, she hated him but she realized she also liked it when he smiled.

Then the incident in their field trip happened. She found herself falling over the cliff at the age of ten, Itachi jumping to follow her. Gravity let him reach her: his arms caging her waist against his own before they rolled over the rocky edge expecting certain death. Then they bounced off of a protruding patch of earth that was wide enough to support one person; her bloody hands gripping an old tree root sticking out from the side of the mountain to keep them from rolling off of it.

When they stopped, Itachi was underneath her gasping for breath and still securing her against him. Her ears were ringing, the only sound she could hear were racing heartbeats. Pain began to seep through her senses as sounds from the top of the cliff echoed like sound rippling into the water. They stared at each other, eyes frantic and aghast as they tried to process what happened to them. Itachi was the first to blink, clarity slowly seeping into the shock and confusion in his gaze. He shakily lifted one of his arms away from her waist to grab at the root that she grasped on her left.

"Let go, Kio," he breathed. "I have you."

"W—Wha—t?" she croaked, her sight suddenly blurry.

"I'm not letting you go, Kio," he said. "We're not going to die here, so let go. Let go and let me hold you."

She was trembling now, the shock making her weep; hiccups keeping her from properly giving him a witty retort. He was already holding her, wasn't he? What the hell did he mean?!

"Please, Kio," he continued, the hand he placed on the root suddenly brushing against her hand coaxing her fingers away. "We won't fall now, Kio," he went on. "Just let go of the root, slowly…"

She frowned, still not understanding. Pain suddenly bit down on her arms. She turned to look at her limbs and gasped; her left arm had been bent at an awkward angle as it desperately hooked itself on the root. Her other hand has lost a nail.

She gasped and almost cried out in hysteria if it wasn't for Itachi's other hand pulling her head to sink against the crook of his neck, hiding her from the sight that was churning her insides.

"Let go, Kio," he said. "We can't fix your arm until you let go."

She complied gritting her teeth tightly and slowly, to the best that she could amidst the pain that was making her cry out in agony. When her fingers were free, Itachi grasped the root tight and slowly maneuvered them closer to the side of the cliff; enough for him to sit up slightly.

"Do you think you can sit up?" Itachi asked, his voice firm amidst the chaos.

She feebly nodded, still suppressing her wails against his collar.

"Okay, we'll sit up," he said, gently moving so he sat up with Kio on his lap. The position allowed her to cradle her twisted arm closer to her; as close as the pain allowed.

Shisui was suddenly there, sliding down to stand next to them: his feet planted on the side of the cliff as a rope running back up the mountain was wrapped around his waist. "Shit," he muttered, seeing Kio's arm. "Medic is on their way but if we're going to get you out of here, we need to fix that."

Kio nodded furiously against Itachi's neck. She had read enough medical and rescue books to know what Shisui meant. She also figured that the sooner her arm was fixed, the sooner the pain in it would ease even for just a bit. It came at a price, of course.

Itachi bit his lip, eyes narrowing at her arm. "Kio," he began.

"I know you need to twist it back to shape so just d—o it!" she snapped against his neck, choking slightly.

Shisui took a deep breath. "Thank you for the vote of confidence," he muttered, eyes grim. He had told them stories about how he patched up a broken arm in Genin training so she was confident he could fix her arm. "Itachi?"

Itachi secured her head against his neck, bracing her body against him to support her.

Shisui approached them, not daring to put another weight on the piece of earth they were on. "I'll count to three, okay, Kio-chan?"

She swallowed.

"Everything will be alright, Kio," Itachi whispered against her hair. "I promise, we'll get out of this."

"Ready?" she heard Shisui ask.

"Just hold on to me, okay? You'll be fine," Itachi continued, pulling her closer just as her body jerked toward him in anxiety."

"One," Shisui began.

A frightful whimper escaped her lips and she hated herself for it.

"It's okay, Kio," Itachi soothed, gently brushing her hair with his fingers.

"Two—" "I love you" Snap—

Kio's eyes went wide, she gasped at the sudden surge of pain but her mind was busy trying to make sense of the "I love you" Itachi muttered at the same time Shisui counted "Two" while her arm was forcibly snapped into place.

"Huh," Shisui said, cutting the tense silence that followed. "Well…I guess this is okay. I mean, it's a bit crooked but you can still use it. And look at the bright side: you'd be able to join a circus now."

Kio snapped away from Itachi and gasped at her arm. It was back to normal despite the throbbing pain that was no doubt better than it had before. She blinked before turning to Shisui who was smiling impishly at her.

"I'm going to twist your arm when I get better, Shisui," she whispered in the most menacing way she could muster, earning laughter from the two boys.

The "I love you" was forgotten after that and her friendship with the two boys was set in stone. She and Itachi would find themselves together a lot more than usual, even as they go into separate classes. Recess was a time for their other friends. Lunch was a time for the three of them, or just her and Itachi if Shisui was out on ANBU training. She even found herself in the Uchiha compound on weekends when her uncle was out for work; Itachi her host and Shisui the plus one.

Students would gossip about their non-existent romantic relationship, muttering about how they were making out in the rooftop every lunch hour or how his habit of fetching her for lunch and walking home to school with her was proof of their love. Girls would confront her: either threaten her for her closeness with the apple of their eye or seek her help in courting him. Itachi would dismiss their advances even if she urged him to give them a chance.

"I don't want to give them any false hopes," Itachi told her when she asked about his plans on his relationship status one time when they were walking home togather; Shisui already busy with ANBU preparations.

"But won't you need to give them a chance to fall in love with them?" she asked.

He looked at her; dark eyes set and deeply looking into her soul. "I'm already in love with someone, Kio," he answered. "I'm falling more in love with her everyday even when she hasn't given me a chance…yet."

She blinked unsure if the twitch in her gut was due to excitement, intrigue, or jealousy. But she dismissed it, teasing him to tell her who the lucky girl was. He didn't budge, only told her to stop helping the girls trying to get his attention.

They both signed up for Genin Training, running errands here and there on weekends, doing complex exercise drills, and completing different missions that sometimes got them hurt despite not being life-threatening situations. By hurt, it was usually just minor scrapes and bruises: ran too fast and tripped, slipped on something while carrying something, fell because of clumsiness... etc. They didn't receive injuries from any fights or arguments because the tasks were menial compared to real police work.

And yet Itachi's injuries – the boy had a knack for blocking Kio from getting hurt when she was more than capable to save herself, slip underneath her to cushion her fall, and the lamest of all reasons for him to get wounded…

"Itachi, you idiot!" Kio scolded. They were in one of their Genin training missions and the cat he had saved from a tree scratched his cheek in panic, leaving marks on his fair skin. "Why weren't you careful?!"

Itachi only smiled shyly at her. "I honestly didn't think it would scratch me," he said, his eyes wistfully glancing at the direction where the cat went. Kio sighed seeing how hopelessly in love he was with the animal.

"You and your affection for cats," Kio muttered as she leaned closer to inspect the scratch marks on his skin.

The distance made him blush. "A—affection?"

Kio's eyes caught his own in a deadpanned look. "You think I haven't noticed how you blush around cats?" Kio snapped, fishing a handkerchief from her pocket. She took a bottle of water she carried in her backpack and drenched the cloth with water.

"I—I don't blush around cats," Itachi defended.

"Please," Kio said, rolling her eyes. "You do, and you have this look like you want to pet them no matter how dirty they may be." She dabbed the wet cloth on his wounds, gently wiping the traces of blood away. "Why don't you just keep a cat at home?"

Itachi looked shyly away. "I…can't keep pets in the house."

"Oh," Kio said, leaning away from him. "I see," she said before fishing out a strip of adhesive bandage from her pouch. It was a lesson from Aunt Rin: always keep first-aid things on hand in case of emergency. And seeing how many times Itachi injured himself from, for the most part, cats, she made sure to keep a box of them in her pouch. "Still, next time please be careful." Kio gently covered his wounds with the bandage.

Itachi nodded, his eyes cast down in embarrassment.

"I'm not sure if I can keep cats in my house," Kio said. "But we have dogs. If you want, you can come pet them with me. They're very nice. My uncle trained them really well. I even sleep next to them on the couch sometimes."

He looked up at her with wide eyes. "A—Are you…um…inviting me to…visit your house?"

"Yeah," Kio said, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I should have invited you and Shisui over sooner since we're friends but I guess I forgot to. And you guys didn't seem to mind."

Itachi blushed. "S—so Shisui and I need to visit you?"

Kio chuckled. "You can come on your own, if you want," she said. "Kaka-ojichan wants to meet you too."

"Kaka-oji—Oh! Hatake-san," Itachi realized.

"Yeah," she said. "You want to go with me now? We can buy dango on the way there."

Itachi smiled and nodded.

After a long secret talk with her uncle, he became a frequent visitor. Sometimes he came to pet the dogs. Sometimes he came to check on her because her uncle was at work. Sometimes he came with Shisui. Sometimes he came to ask her to go somewhere with him: a store, a park, dinner at their house, a fair, a study session. He became a constant figure in her life as Shisui got busier and busier with ANBU.

"Admit it," Shisui suddenly said as he stared at her from across the center table of her dining room, a bowl of potato chips between them. Itachi was busy with a group activity in his class – an assignment they had to finish before summer break ended so only his cousin was there with her. "You miss him."

She frowned at him. "What is this about, exactly?"

Shisui grinned. "You love him."

She froze, heart jumping at the thought. She felt blood rush to her cheeks. "N—no I…"

"Oh quit it," Shisui said, flicking chip straight to her nose.

She winced as the chip crumbled on impact before falling to the carpet. She frowned at the mess and realized she could ask Pakkun to have it later.

"You and I are the same," he said. "I can read you like a book, Kio-chan. And there's nothing wrong with loving him."

Kio snorted. "Then you're in love with someone too, aren't you? It's all over your face!" she retorted. She had sensed it: the way he opted to remain single instead of jumping from one relationship to another like he did in the past. He wasn't playing around anymore.

Shisui snickered. "But you can't guess who I'm in love with."

Kio stuck out her tongue. "I'll find out soon enough."

"No, you won't," he proudly said, leaning back to rest his arms behind his head. "You never will."

"I'll ask Itachi."

He rolled his eyes. "Itachi doesn't know. He'll never know either."

Her eyes narrowed at him, trying to find clues of the mysterious lover he was hiding. "Is this an older woman?" she asked.

He snorted. "I wish," he mumbled.

She gasped. "A man?" she whispered. "Shisui, we love you. We accept you for who you are. I just feel sorry for the poor soul because of all the handsome and decent guys out there, he had to have you."

A throw pillow slammed on her face, pushing her back flat down the carpeted floor.

"You know I don't swing that way!"

"There's nothing wrong with swinging that way though," she protested.

He burst into laughter, rolling over the floor before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Kio-chan you're the death of me," he sighed, covering his face with his arms. "Tell him, okay?"

She raised a brow at him. "What?"

He moved an arm away from his face so her could peak at her. "Tell him in the summer festival, okay?"

She bit her lip, blood filling her cheeks again. "Tell him what?" she mumbled.

Shisui sat up and draped his upper body over the table so that his arms could reach her. "Tell him you love him when we go to the summer festival," he answered, playfully ruffling her hair.

"Ouch! Stop it! Why do I need to tell him?" she snapped, still blushing and leaning away from Shisui's long limbs.

"Because he needs help in that department," he answered. "You of all people know that."

She snorted. "Why don't you help him then?"

"I already am!" he snapped, smiling playfully at her.

"By telling me to confess first?!" she snapped.

He rolled his eyes. "If none of you start talking, you'll both be stupid sitting ducks until you grow old and die," he said.

"Aren't we still young though?" Kio asked, uneasily trying to fix her ruffled hair with her fingers.

Shisui folded his arms under his chin. "It doesn't give you an excuse to be stupid," he argued. "You've been in love with each other for years. Do you think that will ever change in the future?"

She looked away, thinking about the answer to his question. She couldn't really imagine anyone other than Itachi making her smile or holding her hand or hugging her or… She swallowed, imagining Itachi doing those things to her. It didn't feel awkward or disgusting at all, the way the image of another classmate of theirs doing those things to her did.

"Exactly," Shisui said, nodding. "Besides, your uncle already knows what you idiots have been skirting around these past years. He won't mind if you two just get on with it, as long as you don't go too far. I bet he's fed up with all your sexual frustrations."

"I do not have sexual frustrations!" she snapped, face scarlet at Shisui.

Shisui snickered. "Weren't you imagining him kissing you just now?" he teased.

She gasped. "Why you—" she stood up from her place on the floor, clutching the pillow he threw at her, and hit him several times in the head; Shisui bursting in laughter and pleading for her to stop. When she complied, she sat back down on the floor with a pout on her lips.

Shisui smirked at her. "Seriously though, haven't you noticed how he lets Itachi stay with you a lot?"

"I'm with you a lot too, in case you haven't noticed," Kio retorted.

"Not as often as you're with Itachi," Shisui corrected.

"Because you're always busy with ANBU!" she insisted, leaning forward in emphasis.

To her surprise, Shisui covered her face with his palm. "Then ask your uncle what he thinks of Itachi," he said, lightly pushing her away from him before letting her go.

She glared at him, confused at the gesture.

"If he tells you he hates my cousin, you'll confess to Itachi in the summer festival," Shisui went on smiling at her. "If he doesn't, then I'll tell you who I'm in love with."

Kio wasn't sure what made her agree to the bet. Years later, she would figure she was also fed up with not having the right to glare at the girls trying to catch Itachi's attention. But at that moment, she wasn't even sure how she would broach the subject to her loving and protective uncle.

The three of them made plans to meet at the shrine for the summer festival. Itachi wanted to pick her up from her place, but Shisui insisted they just wait for her in the shrine for a change as he playfully winked at Kio. She figured he was giving her a chance to prepare herself for the confession or give her enough time to grill her uncle for the bet.

Anxious, Kio opted to take a long walk in the park before heading back home to prepare for the summer festival. Girls often wore yukata in such events, though she hadn't worn any in the past years that she went there with her friends. She also didn't have any that fit her. The last time she wore a yukata, she was seven and visiting the shrine with her uncle for the festival.

She opened the door and found her uncle without his mask and suddenly seated on the genkan. He was supposed to be out on a mission and he still wore his worn out uniform as he sat there looking at her.

"Welcome home!" she excitedly greeted, rushing to hug him as usual. He gave her an affectionate squeeze in return.

"I have something for you," he said, the scent of the sun and dry dessert lacing his usual forest green scent.

She let him go and he urged her to look at the thick sheet wrapped in brown paper next to him. He gently unfolded the wraps, revealing a yukata with deep blues that seemed to turn into black behind vibrant red and white spider lilies. She couldn't help but gawk at the cloth and shakily feel its stiff texture.

"It was your mother's," her uncle solemnly said.

She turned stunned at him and noticed how his dark grey eyes stared longingly at the yukata.

He looked up to smile at her. "Now it's yours," he said.

"M—Mine?" she stammered.

"Come on, let's get you dressed up for the festival," he urged, standing up and gently lifting the still mostly wrapped yukata from the floor. "You wouldn't want to miss the fireworks."

"Y—Yes, but…" she caught up to him as she walked to her room. "I uh…Don't know how to…"

He turned to frown at her. "You don't trust me enough to help you wear your yukata?"

Her eyes went wide at the image of him helper her dress up. The last time he did so, she was early in her primary school. "Um…Y—you know how?!"

"Of course! If I know how to take a woman's yukata off, I might as well know how to put it on," he answered, already busy unwrapping the clothing.

"Kaka-Oji!" she complained, cheeks scarlet as she playfully hit the back of his head. Her gaze was blurry. Suddenly, he was being sweeter than usual.

After a few more banters, her uncle successfully helped her wear the yukata. She walked to the wardrobe mirror not quite sure who the woman clad in the dark blue yukata staring back at her was. The spider lilies crept upward from the bottom left corner of her skirt as if swaying to the breeze that swept the colors from blue to black. Her bright red obi was secured by a white obijime that mimicked her uncle's rowdy tresses.

"Ah," her uncle mumbled, sighing from behind her. "Almost but not quite," he went on.

"What do you mean?" she asked turning to look at him.

Her uncle only urged her to look straight into the mirror; his fingers already releasing her long locks from its ponytail confinement and combing it gently. To her surprise, he gently held her hair up into a bun securing it with pins and making sure there were a few locks that strayed against her cheeks to frame her face. He then faced her; a small makeup pallet in hand which made her laugh and weep.

"Dry your tears, or the colors won't stick," he complained looking seriously at her. He seemed like a soldier determined to finish his mission, which make her laugh even harder.

"I can do that much, you know," she mumbled in between tears as he patted a powdered puff on her cheeks.

"And you think I can't?" her uncle said, feigning offense.

She rolled her eyes and let him finish his task, saving her questions about his new found talent for later. After swiping a stick of rosy pink lipstick on her lips, he stepped away from her face and let her see herself in the mirror. She expected to gaze back at a clown in a yukata but ended up staring wide-eyed at the beautiful woman staring slack-jawed at her. She blinked, baffled at how her uncle made her skin bright and slightly flushed using light makeup; the lipstick rosy enough to make her lips pop but not standout.

"Uncle," she breathed. "I know what business we can do when you retire."

Her uncle snorted. "Don't even think about it," he muttered.

She smiled widely at him. "You learned all of this for me?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't be a perfect uncle if I didn't," he said.

She chuckled, gently wiping the tears daring to ruin her makeup. "You would have been perfect for me even if you didn't," she retorted. "But I'm really happy that you did. Thank you," she caged her uncle in a tight embrace.

He squeezed her back, sighing before kissing her cheeks. "My little girl is all grown up," he bitterly whispered.

"I'll always be your little girl, I promise," she whispered back, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Good," he said, placing a lingering kiss on the side of her head. "Now go head to the shrine. You have enough time to get there without running so for heaven's sake, Kio, don't run."

She burst into laughter and leaned away nodding. "I'm going to show off the makeup you gave me so I won't," she declared.

Her uncle nodded before leading her to the door. They were about to part in the doorway when she remembered the bet she made with Shisui. She turned around to face him, which made her uncle look curiously at her.

"Kaka-Ojichan," she began. "What do you think of Itachi-kun?"

To her surprise, his face soured. "I hate him," he said.

She blinked. "You…why?"

He took a deep breath and sighed, his fingers brushing against her cheeks. "Because one day, he'll take you away from me," he answered, eyes suddenly sad and lonely. "…For good."

She blushed. "W—What do you mean? Why would he—?!"

He chuckled. "He promised me," he said. "He promised me the first time I met him." He winked playfully at her then. "And Uchihas are hell-bent at keeping their promises."

She stood stunned there gawking at her uncle as he urged her to start walking. He had to half-push her to the road before her legs found the energy to walk.

"I love you, okay?" her uncle said.

She finally recovered from the baffling conversation and smiled tearfully at him. "I love you more, okay?"

He chuckled and bid her goodbye.

When she reached the entrance to the shrine, she found Itachi uneasily standing next to Shisui. They were clad in the Uchiha yukata they always wore in festivities: Itachi in the deep greyish blue shade like his casual clothes, and Shisui in a black shade that was the first time he wore.

"Kio-chan!" Shisui greeted first, waving excitedly at her from Itachi's side.

Itachi turned, eyes widening at the sight of her as she approached.

"Hey," she greeted, suddenly concerned at the speechless Uchiha in front of her. Perhaps he didn't like what she looked like. "Um…Sorry I'm late. My uncle decided to dress me up."

"Late?" Shisui chuckled. "You're just on time! I was just about to leave my idiot cousin here because my friends asked me to hang out with them this year." He hooked an arm around Itachi's neck, nudging him from staring at Kio. "You take good care of her okay? No funny business! And get her back in time for her curfew."

Itachi blinked as if waking up from a trance. He looked up at Shisui and nodded. Shisui then winked playfully at Kio and turned away. "You look awesome, Kio-chan," he said before disappearing into the crowd.

Itachi blinked again and turned to Kio. He immediately cast his eyes down, his cheeks suddenly scarlet. "Um…You… You're beautiful."

It made her heart skip a beat. Her eyes stared down at her clog-clad feet. "T—Thank you," she stammered. She sensed him sigh before offering his hand to her. She looked up at found him smiling warmly at her.

"Let's go?"

She smiled and gave him her hand.

The night had been a bit odd without Shisui challenging her every now and then but she liked having Itachi to herself, his hand locking her fingers with his so they didn't separate while trudging through the crowd. She found it amusing how he tried to win a stuffed toy she liked for her but he couldn't seem to hit the right target. So she played the game and happily won it herself. He bought her favorite skewered grilled squid but as he was about to give it to her, a group of kids running around slammed against him, causing him to drop the food on the ground. She reprimanded the kids before smiling at him and buying them another set herself. He tried to buy her a comb she was looking at only to realize he must have dropped his money when the kids slammed at him. He was especially conscious about how comfortable she was with her clogs, asking her a few times if she wasn't hurting yet or if she would let him carry her but she hadn't felt her feet hurt enough to be carried.

Itachi had always been attentive with her, but he was being extra careful with her that evening for some reason. Then the time for the fireworks approached and Itachi was determined to get her to the perfect spot he picked for the two of them, only to find that it was already crowded. Dejected, he heaved a heavy sigh, his head bowed in shame as they stood under a cherry tree.

She couldn't help but laugh. She urged him to walk her back home instead, stopping at the bridge in time to see the fireworks display.

"I'm sorry," she suddenly heard him say as he stood beside her. She curiously looked up at him and found guilt in his pained eyes, his head bowed in shame. "I wanted you to enjoy this despite not having Shisui with us."

She blinked, confused at what he was saying before chuckling. "I had fun," she said.

He looked up at her, still looking too dejected to accept her statement. "I screwed up," he argued. "I didn't get you that stuffed toy you wanted."

"I won it though," she said, showing him the plump purple squid tucked in her arm.

"Exactly," he insisted. "I didn't even get your favorite ikayaki for you! Shisui wouldn't have messed up like that." He looked away. "Even the spot I chose was a failure. Shisui shouldn't have left us."

She blinked baffled at him for a moment before laughing. "Itachi, you idiot," she said. "If Shisui was here, he would have teased me all evening and I would have had to let go of your hand to hit him."

Itachi looked confused at her.

She took a deep breath knowing her cheeks were flushed but she realized Shisui was right, the idiot Uchiha needed a little push. "And I liked holding your hand like this," she said, smiling at him.

His cheeks turned scarlet under the glum light of the lamp post. "Y—You did?"

She nodded. "I have fun when it's the three of us, but being with you like this is special."

"Do you mean that?" he asked, dark eyes suddenly fixed into her own that it made her heart skip.

"O—of course!"

He smiled then, the smile that made her blush from afar and the one she hoped he wouldn't give to any other girl. She then felt his hand squeeze hers, tugging her forward a little. Then he leaned forward, quickly pressing his lips against her own.

Her eyes went wide seeing Itachi's closed eyes just inches away from her. She blinked when he leaned away, a proud smile on his lips. It took her a moment to recover and when she did…

"Itachi, you idiot! You should tell me you like me first before kissing me!"

The memories slowly slipped away, Kio feeling herself ease away from the scene and back to becoming an observer in a void full of familiar hazy images surrounding her.

"You've had quite a happy life, haven't you my dear?" she heard a familiar voice say from behind her. She turned around and saw the woman in the photograph that she discovered when she was a child – the one with the same hair color as her uncle.

"Okaa-san."

Izumi found Itachi on the roof top splayed carelessly on the floor near the door and deep in sleep. Her friends said this was where he spent lunch with Shisui and Kio when they were around. He was probably there out of habit, or was he missing them that much?

She could see the paleness of his skin and the gray patches under his eyes clearly in the shade next to the door that led to the rooftop.

Chiho and Fujie said he had been following Kio a lot secretly since they were in kindergarten. There had been instances when kids found him watching her from the classroom window as their class had PE classes in the playground. He often lent a hand to everyone and appeared confident and composed as any Uchiha did when he was in class. But there had been several instances when kids noticed him hiding either behind a tree or a wall with his cheeks flushed and his eyes sneaking glances at the odd Hatake girl.

After she moved to Sunagakure, he started chasing her after class so they could walk home together probably because Izumi always asked him to walk home with her in the past. At Shisui's urging, he sparked conversations with Kio instead of just watching her from afar. She rejected his advances many times, but he didn't give up.

The incident that almost killed them both forged a strong bond of friendship between Kio, Itachi, and Shisui. After that, Kio walked home with the two of them – Itachi and Shisui insisting they make sure she didn't overuse her injured arm. They spent weekends together and with Shisui in ANBU, Itachi and Kio became closer.

It wasn't until around a year ago that rumors about their official relationship status surfaced. Shisui declared it out loud in the school grounds after meeting them in the first day of class and Itachi proudly held her hand as they walked into their classroom.

Izumi frowned bitterly at him. So had he always liked her and she didn't like him back until recently. Did he prefer to win someone like that? If she played hard-to-get like Kio, would he have looked at her? If she acted boyish and argued a lot with Shisui, would he have fallen for her too?

If she—

She winced, shaking her head. She stared at him again. He didn't seem like he was enjoying his sleep. The worried expression on his face looked like his dreams were exhausting him further.

She knelt next to him and pressed her lips against his own.

Itachi opened his eyes to see the small shade overhead ruining the sight of the bright blue sky across from him. He felt his lips quiver at the memory of his first kiss with Kio, the only thing he could still clearly grasp from the whirlwind series of dreams he had woken from.

He blinked, his body feeling stiff and sore from lying flat on the concrete floor. His senses slowly awakened with his consciousness; a quiet buzzing sound echoing in his ears and something trembling madly at his pants pocket. He fished out his phone and stared at the screen.

A call…from Rin-san. He pushed the Accept button and stiffly sat up, placing the phone against his ear. "Rin-Obachan—"

"She's awake!" he heard her cry out in excitement.

His eyes went wide, not quite sure if he heard it right as his heart skipped. "W—What?"

"Kio! She's awake!"