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Chapter Text

Stinks...

That was her first thought as awareness set in. Cracking her eyes open to the immense darkness, the little blonde girl tried to move. She winced at the first signs of nausea. She felt sick. With each passing moment, despite the frigid dank air, sweat began to break on her forehead.

Something heavy lay across her chest, blocking her ability to sit up. She pushed it up a few inches before it stopped, trapped between something she couldn't see. Instead she tried to push it past her head. The object bent near the middle easily and she was free.

She shivered and moved to her knees, trembling. Without looking behind her she knew without a doubt it had been an arm that had trapped her. Taking a deep breath, she immediately regretted it as the raw stench of rotting flesh filled her lungs. She doubled over and vomited.

After regaining her senses she stood, slightly unstable on the squishy surface of a torso. Blinking into the darkness she was relieved to find that she could now make out her surroundings. Hundreds of corpses piled onto each other registered in her vision. They were of all shapes and sizes. Many small children like herself. They were deformed, torn open, some even in pieces. Some even appeared to be asleep.

They spread out as far as she could see. Feeling infinitely tiny, the girl crouched to her knees and shivered. Then, she began to cry. Why was she here? What had happened?

Who was she?

She didn't know how long she sat there, even after the crying stopped, but all at once a single word came to mind.

Siblings. It made something inside her chest ache.

She mused over the word. Siblings. Plural. More than one. A brother is a sibling right? There was something else as well. A...a sister! A sister was also a sibling.

Did she have siblings? Somewhere her mind answered. Yes. She did.

A shuffling of movement and a heavy thump startled her. She shot up, and scanned the area.

Nothing moved. Then, once again there was a slight shifting sound. It was coming from the other side of the...pile. Suppressing the uneasiness of her stomach, the girl stretched out and began to move toward the sound. She cautiously peaked around the shoulders of a corpse. The body of a boy not much older than herself was slumped to the ground, shoulders moving as if breathing hard. One of his legs was trapped between a pair of cadavers.

He raised his head, black hair matted with blood, to meet her eyes. With out the slightest idea of how she knew, for some reason she had known that his eyes would be red. A look of recognition crossed the boy's features, followed closely by confusion. Hesitatingly, the girl crawled over.

Together they freed his trapped leg in a short matter of time. Afterwards, the two sat side by side, in a strange sense of peace. The girl looked over, noticing the dotted lines that created a strange pattern on his face and joints, like a twisted sort of puzzle.

Glancing down at her own hands, she found that her nails were sharper than the boy's. There was a string of red blotches on the back of her hand and on the inner part of her elbow. The sight triggered a flash of images in her mind.

Pain. Struggling. Boiling fluid. Then, tubes, the sounds of animals screeching, a jumble of kanji on various labels. Finally, desperation.

She looked back towards the boy, they locked gazes. No words were needed as they stood and began to move.

It was an uneasy feeling as they set out, helping each other over obstacles, sometimes slipping when a foot hold was coated in whatever bodily fluid happened to be oozing there. Being barefoot made the experience all the more unpleasant.

The little girl was forced to once again empty her stomach when as she stepped on a rotting skull. The skin slid, making her tiny toes slide into the eye socket with a disgusting squelch. The smell had been the final straw.

She discovered as they traveled that a majority of the bodies were on top of animal remains. The sheer number of human remains were not as numerous as she had first assumed. However, this revelation did little to lift her spirits.

It was disorienting being in almost total darkness with no sense of time. She didn't know how much time passed before they spotted an exit ahead of them. As they moved closer, the number of bodies decreased until they could feel dirt being caked onto their slimy feet. The exit, or maybe entrance, was oval shaped and narrow.

A breeze swept fresh air over them, which was welcomed with a relieved smile.

Then suddenly they arrived. A few feet ahead of them was a cave entrance. Beyond that, moss covered trees.

A sniffling noise from the right caught the two toddler's attention. Two turquoise blue eyes stared at them in a mixture of horror and relief. The little girl's long silver hair dragged the floor behind her; it was matted with blood and dirt. With teary eyes and a shaking finger, she pointed towards the entrance.

The blonde girl looked forward once again and found to her surprise, a large spider web covering the upper half of the entrance. The spider itself was busily working away, oblivious to the three children. The raven-haired boy and blonde girl exchanged a glance and walked over to the silver haired girl, both extending a hand. After a bit of reluctance, she accepted their hands.

Without letting go, the three of them crouched, silently scooted under the web, and stepped out into the fresh air. The trees created a solid covering for them, the sunlight only touching the ground in rays. The ground was a mixture of moss, grass, and rotted vegetation. Various bird calls filled the air. The trees creaked under the pressure of the wind.

The blonde girl let go of her companions' hands and looked around, feeling something she had the distinct feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. Freedom.

xoxoxoxox

The earth steadily sloped downward from the cave, but the ground was even. Traveling over it was less tiring than climbing the terrain inside the cave. The three children didn't look around, too tired to be interested. Too scared to stay still. The plants had dwarfed them since they left the mouth of the cave. Tall ferns made them nearly invisible. As the blonde girl crawled over another tall tree root, she thought about the cave. Looking back, the entrance had been surrounded by ivy and heavy foliage with no hint of the horror that lay inside. For some reason that bothered her.

Then, deciding that she had other things to worry about, the girl shrugged it of and began to follow the boy and silver-haired girl once again.

Time passed, with no sign of another living creature. The temperature steadily dropping along with the sun. Fatigue and hunger began to take their toll on the children, who stumbled more often as their bodies gave out.

When the sun had disappeared behind a distant mountain, and breath became visible, the three fumbled their way under the shelter of a large fern. Curling up together for warmth, despite the filth they were covered in, they fell into a disturbed sleep.

Sometime during the night, the blonde girl woke to her heart pounding.

She swore the sounds she heard were feet surrounding the area. Noises merged together and became drums, the sound becoming painful. She covered them in vain to try to protect them from the noise.

Suddenly there was a scream like that of a women being mangled. Then, silence loomed over and she could hear nothing but the sound of flesh tearing, and smell the stench of blood. It took everything to keep from throwing up. Then, the noise stopped and all that was left was a new sound of something large in the sky approaching her.

xoxoxoxox

A warm, sticky hand on the blonde girl's cheek woke her for the second time. Blinking from the sunlight, she stared up into two sets of eyes, one scarlet and one turquoise. She sat up slowly and looked around her.

The fear from the previous night seemed like a distant dream. After the bird had flown over she had passed out. She smiled reassuringly to her two companions and stood, pushing the fern out of her way.

Without waiting, they began their journey once again. A thick mist clung to the air until the sun was high in the sky. The animal life reappeared as the air warmed. The plant life thinned out until they were able to see more than a few feet. The grass also shortened until it was only at waist height. Then, the trees opened up to a large valley. In the distance, a small village was surrounded by rice paddies.

After a moment of hesitation, the blonde girl started forward. She was stopped almost immediately by the sound of whimpering. Behind her the other girl had her long hair snagged by a bush of thorns. Tears dripped down her face as she tried desperately to free herself. However, every time she tried to pull away it tangled more. Darting forward, the blonde and the boy began to pull on the matted locks.

No progress had been made an hour later. The boy was trying to comfort the blue-eyed girl as she sobbed. The blonde stared at the thorns in disdain, her small brain scrambling for a solution. She barely noticed as the light began to dim. Finally, she looked up as a dark shadow fell over the area. Storm clouds filled the sky, rushing over their heads as if they were in a race to reach the mountain.

The blonde stood and began to scan the ground around them. She paused when her eyes landed on a medium sized stone. Then, she crouched to her knees next to it. It was round in shape, and, unlike others she had seen, it had an almost waxy appearance. She ran her fingers across its surface. Her brain supplied a name: flint.

She stood once again and found another medium stone. Running back as the first drops of rain hit her back, she sat on her knees and brought it above her head. Then, with all her strength she slammed the stones together. Raising it again she repeated the action. Her companions watched her silently, the steady sound of the stones hitting each other filling the air.

Minutes passed by before the first chip appeared. Shifting her angle the blonde continued her task. The flint began to come off in pieces. As her stone slammed into the already broken pieces, it shattered, shards flying into the air, one clipping her chin.

At last, a reasonable sized shard broke away. Breathing heavily, the blonde picked it up in her hand, one of the edges slicing her fingers in the process. She winced and took hold of the opposite side. Then she turned towards the other girl.

Taking a handful of the dirtied silver hair, the blonde began to cut her loose. The rain was coming down quickly now in fat drops. When the girl was finally free, the blonde dropped the shard and turned towards the direction of the village frantically. They needed to reach it before the storm worsened.

The meadow before them stretched downhill and ended in a break of trees. Beyond the trees, rice paddies. Then finally, would be the village itself.

The boy came up to stand next to her, and nodded. They would have to run. The blonde reached around and took the silver-haired girl's hand and ran out into the open.

Tall grass whipped at their arms and faces as well as the raging wind. Rain slammed into their little faces.

By the time they reached the trees, the storm released its wrath. With a vague sense of the village's direction, they stepped forward under the trees.

The canopy above shielded them from the brutal force of the tempest. As the pressed forward the ground beneath their feet became slick and unstable. The trees began to thin and as the trio moved closer, a steep bank appeared before them. Losing her footing, the blonde slid to a stop on the edge of the flooding river. Several feet below her, the gray-brown water raged to the right, taking small bits of debris with it. As her companions, joined her the ground beneath them shuddered.

Their screams were lost to the storm as the bank gave way underneath them plunging their small bodies into the frigid water below.

Chapter Text

Useless arms flap desperately in the murky water. Urgently trying to pull the tiny body to the surface. A flailing hand broke the surface, followed instantly by the blonde's ragged gasp.

The child's legs kick madly to keep her head above water. Fast moving water making the girl dizzy. She sank a bit as she tried to wipe water from her eyes. She kicks harder.

A glimpse of silver disappears into the grayness of the storm far ahead of her.

Her companions are gone.

Rain began to sting her eyes. A wave splashes in her face and she chokes on the inhaled water. She fights against the water, though her limbs are tiring quickly.

A loud clap of thunder makes her cry out, her focus lost in the shadow of fear. She sinks beneath the surface. Tumbling, churning, twirled around until she could no longer remember the direction of the surface.

The river pushes her into the air once more and the struggle begins once again. She can no longer feel her toes.

A large, dead limb floats slowly ahead of her. Reaching out as best she can, the blonde makes a desperate grab for it. Anything to hang onto. Catching one of smaller branches she pulls herself to its more secure, thicker part.

Finally able to rest, the blonde is no longer able to hold back the frantic tears. Scared, alone and in imminent danger. She clings to the limb as her only life line.

The first tug of the rapids pulls her from her stupor. Her grip becomes vice like as the limb is suddenly careening through unforgiving waters.

A sharp crash sends her flying. The limb has caught on protruding stones. The rapids immediately draw the child under. Dragging her across the rocky bottom. The speed is unimaginable.

The blonde can no longer hold back her screams of pain when her left leg crashes into a large stone. The crash sends her cartwheeling. Miraculously, before her lungs fill with water, she arrives at the surface.

She breaths deeply, latching onto another floating piece of driftwood. The river begins to smooth. She rests her head on the wood.

Hours pass. The only thing keeping the girl conscious is the rain on her head. The river's rage continues to subside until she is simply drifting along.

The storm's lightning is the only thing combating the inky blackness of night. The rain weakens until it is only a gentle drizzle.

The blonde hardly recognizes it when her feet touch bottom. The gentle current of the water eases her onto the bank.

Weakly, she drags herself into the shallow water. When her hands reach a mixture of grass and mud, she collapses. The storm continues quietly.

The water begins to recede. Leaving the child's motionless body three feet from the water.

xoxoxoxox

A slight fluttering of wings brings the blonde into consciousness. Golden eyes, glazed with exhaustion, slide open to glare at the unrepentant birds. Nonetheless they continue to hop around, looking for their morning meal.

The blonde sighs and shifts her arm, sending the birds scurrying away. The movement drains her energy but a persistent pain in her leg propels her forward.

Finally in a sitting position, the child draws her left leg towards her body. Just below the knee a dark red gash extends three inches downward. Gently she prods the skin around the wound, causing a jolt of pain.

Pushing the pain from her mind she turns her attention to more important matters. Glancing around her slowly, she takes in her surroundings. Directly ahead of her, the river drifts peacefully to the right for a few yards, before swirling around a large clump of debris caught on a sandbar.

A light morning mist still graced the area, making everything glow unnaturally. The only evidence of the horror from the night before was the markings where the water had risen many feet and had since died down.

Shivering, the child wrapped her arms around her knees. Her forehead connected with them and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep the tears at bay. She takes deep breaths in through the nose, and out through her mouth.

The sharp sound of a branch snapping startles her. Swiveling her head, her eyes land on the closest part of the debris pile that stretched across the sandbar. The silver haired girl was half sprawled across the debris where she had just fallen.

The blonde watched in awe as the girl straightened up and examined a scraped elbow. Tears stung the blonde's eyes and a strangled sound escaped from her throat. The silver haired girl head shot up, making eye contact in the process. She broke out in a wide smile and began scrambling towards the blonde.

Meeting halfway the girls embraced in a mix of tears, snot, and laughter.

The silver haired girl stepped back and wiped her face, "I- I thought I lost you." She blubbered.

The blonde nodded in agreement, "Me too."

The two stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Then the blonde looked back upriver. A strange feeling in her chest pulled at her. Motioning with her hand she urged the silver haired girl to follow her up stream. The urge to move far too unnerving to stay.

The silver haired girl lunged for the blonde's hand, wanting nothing to separate them again. The two began walking upriver, only stopping every now and then for a quick drink from its water.

An hour later, the sun had risen higher clearing away the mist and chill.

The two girls moved slowly, drained from hunger and exhaustion. A sudden pain from her leg, which had previously only been a dull ache, caused the blonde to sink to the ground, her eyes closed tight. The silver haired girl panicked, and began to pull on the her hand, "No, no get up! You got to get up and walk!"

The blonde fell over onto her injured leg after a particularly hard yank from her companion. The impact caused her to cry out in pain. Moving onto her back side, she pulled her injured leg close to her body.

The silver haired girl crouched next to the blonde, tears streaming from her eyes, "I'm sorry." She finally got a good look at the wound and wiped her arm against her eyes.

Standing up she rushed to the river's edge and scooped up some water in her hands. Running back over, spilling half the contents on the way, she poured the water over the wound, then stood up to repeat the process.

The sounds of plants moving made the girls freeze in their spots. The silver haired girl moved to the blonde's side as they stared at where they last heard the noise. Something had been moving. Both girls screamed when a shadow fell across them suddenly.

Turning around wildly, they stopped suddenly staring at the black haired boy who had also jumped back in fear. It took seconds for both girls to wrap their arms around him as they cried.

The boy pet their hair, murmuring comforting words to them, trying desperately to stop their tears. "Look, look, I'm ok. Everything's ok." He whispered, pulling away so he could see their faces.

The blonde grasped his hand, "I...I thought I-I'd never see you again." She sobbed.

The silver haired girl agreed through her hiccups. The boy smiled warmly and then perked up with a smile. "Come, come this way. There is something good!"

Pulling the two girls behind him, the boy lead them into the forest. Wiping her face with her hand the blonde found herself in front of a long row of shrubs. Large black berries covered them. The boy grinned, "See? This will make you feel better."

The two girls didn't take long to answer him as they began to grasp at the berries. The boy laughed lightly before joining them.

When at last the children had had their fill and drunk from the river, the three sat together in the shade of a large oak tree. Completely at peace the three succumbed to their exhaustion and full bellies, falling asleep in a ball of tiny limbs and warm, soft bodies.

Chapter Text

Standing at the entrance of the foul smelling cave, two figures stood hunched under the weight of large burlap bags. Lighting a torch, the two men stared down at the floor in confusion.

"Hey, Dai...those is footprints ain't they?" The larger of the two asked.

Quickly striking his partner over the head, Dai growled, "of course you idiot."

Leaning down, Dai took a closer look. Three sets of tiny, filthy footprints lined the ground beneath them leading away from the inner chamber.

"What do you think Dai?"

Scratching his head, the scraggly looking man dropped his bag. "Shigeo...I think that some kids must have somehow survived and escaped the cave!"

"Huh? Why do you think that, Dai? Couldn't it have been some kids from the village at the mountain's base exploring or something?" Shigeo asked, also dropping his bag.

Scowling at his partner, Dai spat out ,"Baka! First of all, the footprints only lead out! Not in! Besides we've got the entire village believing this mountain is cursed. Even on a dare no kid this small could make it all the way up here."

"Oh. But Orochimaru-sama doesn't throw away anything alive." Shigeo said, swatting a large spider onto the ground, then stomping on it.

"That he doesn't." Dai said, pressing a finger to his temple, "That means Orochimaru-sama must have made a mistake and put them in the trash with the rest of the experiments... Hey Shigeo, do you know what this means!"

"No. What's it mean, Dai?" Shigeo asked, managing to look like a large ape in the process. Dai was compelled hit him once more.

"It means that if we track these things down and bring them back to Orochimaru-sama, he'll reward us!" Dai said excitedly.

"You mean Orochimaru-sama will treat us better?" Shigeo asked, excitement lighting up his face.

Nodding vigorously, Dai motioned to Shigeo, "You go throw these bags in with the rest of them. I'll go take a look around."

Lifting the large bags onto his shoulders, Shigeo took a deep breath, held it, and trotted into the darkness. Dai turned his back to the cave and surveyed his surroundings. Almost directly in front of him he could see an area of grass that had been trampled on recently.

When Shigeo returned, gasping for fresh air, the two took off in the direction the trail led them. Now, the two lackeys had never been trained in the art of tracking. They hadn't been trained in anything actually.

So, progress was slow, and many times they had to retrace their steps before they would stumble across the trail once again.

The storm hit a few hours into their search. Together the two raced along the trail, only pausing every now and then to check the tracks. By the time they stumbled into the clearing the storm was full force. Growling in frustration, Dai attempted to wipe the perspiration from his forehead.

"We'll head to the village, Shigeo. The kids probably headed there anyway." Dai yelled above the raging wind. They walked with their heads tucked down against the rain along the edge of the forest.

"Um, Dai?"

"What, Shigeo?" Dai snapped, not bothering to stop.

"Um. Well I – you see, just now-" Shigeo stuttered, pointing over his shoulder.

"Aw, shut up Shigeo!" Dai hand's fisted at his sides and he began to stomp along his path.

Looking back over his shoulder, Shigeo shrugged at the long stands of silver hair flowing in streams from a thorn bush. He figured he'd just tell Dai about it later. But that chance never came because in that instant terrified screams filled the air around them.

With only a second's pause, Dai was already running full speed towards the river. In a matter of minutes the two shinobi stood on the bank, studying the collapsed bank.

Muttering angrily Dai crossed his arms. "We better go on ahead to the village. We'll head out and find them kids once the storm lets up. They'll wash up downstream.."

"Won't they drown, Dai?" Shigeo asked.

"We still got to retrieve the bodies anyways. They could have evidence against Orochimaru-sama." Dai said as he turned, shoving Shigeo aside in the process.

"Come on you dumb lug. Let's go get something to drink."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

A frown crossed the little blonde girl's face as she crossed her legs gingerly. She could hear laughter from the branches above her and smiled upwards when the voices were directed at her.

She wasn't sure exactly how far they had traveled down the river since they had woken up. Her leg assured her it wasn't happy with how she was using it. Eventually, she found herself unable to go any further and had promptly sat down where she had stood.

Seeming to understand, the two other children had moved her to a shady tree and even brought the girl some water. She couldn't blame them really. The tree they were resting under had low branches and she was taking an awfully long time to rest.

Still, she couldn't help but feel left out. She wanted to climb trees too. Stupid leg.

Somehow, between the blue-eyed girl and black-haired boy, climbing the tree had turned into a competition of who could end up higher. Then, a strange sort of game of tag ensued. The blonde rested her head in her hand and watched their two shadows dance along the ground, through those of the tree's shadow.

When her companions finally came down from their escapade, the blonde immediately stood and motioned for them to continue with their trek. It wasn't long until she was smiling again because the silver haired girl's enthusiasm was infectious.

The trio made its way along the banks of the river, scattering wildlife in their wake, and unable to keep themselves from playing when they had the chance. Somehow, the horror of the past day faded in the bright sunlight and sounds of the forest.

So the blonde found herself surprised when she looked around only to see long shadows. Her eyes were drawn to the sky and for a second she was spellbound by its blazing orange color. It was drawn away when the silver haired girl called out to her, and at that moment her heart was overcome with love. She reached out and instinctively both of her companions took her hand.

That's when their perfect moment was shattered.

Two tall figures appeared a few feet from them. The familiar stench of decay clung to their clothing and a singular fear took hold of the three toddlers. These adults weren't here to help them.

It was the boy that began to drag the girls into a run, straight into the trees. A strong rush of adrenaline flooded into the blonde's system. She tightened her grip on the other two toddlers hands and found herself praying to any being who was listening that they would make it.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Shigeo leapt forward instantly to chase after the three toddlers he had seen run away into the forest. He was stopped by a hand to his chest and a sinister grin from his partner. Dai then motioned with a finger and began to walk after their prey.

"Um, Dai, why aren't we chasing them?" Shigeo hopped to catch up to him.

"They're a lot smaller than I expected them to be. They're not going to be able to out run us. Let's let them tire themselves out and then they won't give us any trouble. Hurry up you lug-nut." Dai answered nonchalantly.

Shigeo shrugged, and followed Dai as they jumped into the tree branches.

They followed the children from above for what he figured to be about a mile. He had to hand it to them that they were determined little brats. Except, he could tell that the blonde kid was injured and she was definitely starting to slow down.

A small clearing soon came along, and he followed Dai to land on the ground. The trio were almost to the trees when the little boy of the group stopped and pushed the girls behind him. He could tell the three were arguing over something. The two girls were crying.

"Run!" The boy yelled, pushing them again. "Go! Now!"

He could hear his partner snickering next to him as he started to move forward. With an anguished sob the two girls turned and ran. The boy turned and glared at them with all the ferociousness a four-year-old could muster.

The boy held his ground as the two advanced on him. It was Dai who acted first, with a swift kick to the boy's abdomen. Shigeo rolled his eyes at that. Dai had always had a bit of a cruel streak.

Shigeo watched for a moment as Dai kicked the fallen boy a few times. That was before the boy latched onto his leg.

It took Dai at least a few minutes to pry the boy off. Wrapping a hand around his neck, Dai squeezed, until, despite his struggling and tears, the boy's eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp.

Dai tossed him disdainfully at Shigeo with a quick order to tie him up.

After wrapping a length of wire around the boy's midsection, they immediately set out after the other two, leaving the unconscious body in the clearing to pick up when they returned.

It took them nearly thirty minutes to catch up to the two girls. They had managed to do quite a bit of weaving in different directions to set them off track.

This time Dai dropped down from the trees before them. Already angry, he slammed a fist into the little silver haired girls face with enough power to send her flying into the nearest tree. Knocking her out cold.

The blonde girl screamed in absolute horror as blood began to pour out from the silver haired girl's mouth and nose. She turned and began to scramble away, rising to her feet she ran as fast as she could. Shigeo ran after her, leaving Dai to the silver haired girl.

Due to his large girth, Shigeo had a hard time catching the blonde as she seemed to change direction every time she looked over her shoulder. She zipped between trees and under bushes. He found himself shouting out in frustration.

Finally, the child tripped and face planted hard enough to bloody her nose. His hand closed around a filthy little ankle which was slowly crushed as he lifted her. He continued to yell out his anger as he shook her violently, completely ignoring her pained screams.

Throwing her towards the ground he pulled back his fist to fully convey his feelings. He was completely surprised when he found himself unable to move. His field of vision was suddenly engulfed by an entirely different view, and a fear of which he had only felt underneath Orochimaru's wrath filled his chest.

Those feelings of fear would be his very last thoughts.

Chapter Text

At the railing of the south-west wall of Konohagakure, Hatake Kakashi stood as lazily as always. Resting his head on one hand, the man glanced over the horizon, taking in the rapidly darkening sky.

"Beautiful sunset isn't it, senpai?"

Turning to the figure who had appeared next to him, Kakashi hmmed in agreement.

After a moment of silence, the second man laughed nervously, "well, I just came to get an update for Hokage-sama. Has anything interesting happened?"

"Maa, not a thing. Say Tenzo-kun, ha-"

Tenzo immediately noted Kakashi's sudden stop. He watched intently as the man straightened and slipped the ANBU mask hanging from his hip to cover his face. Kakashi motioned for Tenzo to follow, and then leapt over the railing. Following his superior, he quickly followed behind him.

On the forest floor below the two men crouched low to the ground. Tenzo concentrated on his surroundings, trying to sense what had put his senpai on guard. Then he heard it, the sounds that signaled someone approaching.

However what pushed through the bushes, in front of them, was not the dangerous enemy either of them were expecting.

In a heartbeat, Kakashi was kneeling at the side of a bound and bleeding child. He immediately gave out an order to the young man standing next to him.

The child, a young boy around four to five years old, stared up at him with wide red eyes. His face was badly bruised, and the remains of blood stuck to his clammy skin. Dark bruises lined his neck. Behind his mask, Kakashi frowned in disgust.

He deftly snapped the bit of ninja wire that trapped the boy's arms to his side. He could hear Tenzo in the back ground calling for backup. Tiny hands reached out and gripped his uniform.

The boy struggled to speak, tears streaking down his face. "P-please...help."

Kakashi placed a comforting hand on the boys shoulder, "Don't worry, you're safe now."

The boy only gripped tighter, "N-no...pl...please help, they're...in danger. Those bad men...are after...us." The boy coughed violently on a sob, "They...going to hurt her!"

"Kakashi-san?"

Turning his attention back to the small group of shinobi who appeared around him, he motioned to the nearest, "Raido-san, this boy needs to be taken to the hospital immediately. Keep on your guard."

"What's the situation, senpai?" Tenzo asked as Raido followed his orders.

"The kid said two men did this to him and they are 'after them'. He couldn't have come very far so whatever is happening, is close. We'll split up and see if we can find any traces of his attackers and whoever his companions are." Kakashi leaned down and quickly summoned a trio of tracking hounds.

"Genma, Tenzo, give the signal if you find anything." With that said, Kakashi turned and followed one of the hounds into the trees without waiting for a response.

Kakashi stretched out his senses, searching for any sign of movement. A low, short growl proceeded a change in direction as the canine in front of him picked up a trail.

Kakashi felt the cooling air sting his bare shoulders as he flew through the trees. The ground was still muddy from the recent storm in this area. Faintly he could hear the shouting of a man somewhere ahead of him.

The pained screams of a young child chilled his blood and he rapidly closed in on the sounds location.

Whipping out a kunai, he processed the vision in front of him with lightning speed. A large man with an Iwa headband was drawing his fist back, prepared to strike the huddled form at his feet.

Landing directly in front of the man, Kakashi raised his blade and deftly plunged it into the man's chest. The man fell dead at his feet and Kakashi rounded on the child behind him.

This one seemed to be a girl, judging from the long matted locks of blonde hair that flared around her. Kneeling next to her, he placed a gentle hand on her shivering shoulder. The child immediately began to sob and flinched away.

"Wait, it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently, raising his empty hands in a placating gesture.

Wary golden eyes, finally turned to him and the sobs died down to quieter little gasps. Trying again, Kakashi spoke as carefully as he could, "I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe now."

The strength simply drained from the girl and she collapsed onto the dirt. Kakashi quickly pulled her tiny body into the crook of one arm, observing the extent of her injuries. Standing, he heard a series of quick yips some distance away. Genma had found something as well.

Dismissing his summon, Kakashi leapt to the nearest branch. A flash brought his attention to the tiny being in his arms. Glazed eyes, barely open, stared at him in awe.

"Are...you an angel?"

The question brought forth a short laugh, and he answered as he headed once again towards the hospital, "I'm far from being an angel."

But the little girl had already fallen unconscious.

The Third Hokage's office felt heavy with tension. Dawn was beginning to peak over the horizon, but it had felt like much longer to the Hatake.

To his right, a Medic and a coroner stood, tired and grim expressions on their faces. A small number of ANBU acted as the audience to this particular session. Sarutobi took a long drag from his pipe and broke the silence, "ANBU Wolf has given me his report in full and has left many questions. Shuu-san, to what extent are the children injured?"

The medic stepped forward, "The young female child with silver hair received the worst of the injuries. Besides multiple bruising and shallow wounds the three share in common, she received severe blunt force trauma. We were able to reduce brain swelling to a minimum, but the child has fallen into a coma."

Pausing the medic lifted a file before him and flipped the page, "The young boy took a severe beating and his throat was nearly crushed. The blonde girl's ankle has been sprained, nearly broken, and has a light infection to a wounded knee."

"We estimate their ages to be three, four, and three respectively. There are also a multitude of residue toxins in their system's which are being taken care of. It...it appears they may have been tortured, or experimented on." The medic stepped forward to place his report on the Third's desk. "From the amount of malnutrition and other physical traits that the three were in captivity for quite a while."

The Third rubbed a hand across his forehead, voicing the one thought that was running through everyone's mind, "for someone to do this...to mere babes..." He heaved a sigh, "Takeshi-san I hope you have found something in your autopsy?"

The coroner stepped forward in the medic's place, "Hai, Sandaime-sama. The two men taken down by the on-duty ANBU squad were both sporting Iwa hitai-ate, and I confirmed their presence in the registry of wanted criminals. They were low lifes and had done nothing memorable."

After a pregnant pause the Third motioned for the man to continue. "I have reason to believe they were in service of, if not working directly for, Orochimaru of the sannin. I found mention of him within some personal documents on their person."

If possible, the lord Third Hokage seemed to age before their very eyes. "If this is so, it would explain the experimentation and captivity. If Orochimaru sent these men after the children, it's reasonable that he may try it again."

"I want the Barrier Team to be informed and security raised on all entry ways into the village. Contact Iwa, inform them of their criminals demise, in case they wish to retrieve the remains." The Third waved away a few men to complete the tasks. "Also, Wolf may I have a word with you alone?"

Kakashi waited until the rest of the rooms residents left the room to remove his porcelain mask. When the older man before remained silent for more than a few minutes, he was tempted to speak. "Sir?"

Sarutobi nodded his head, seemingly to whatever it was that he had been thinking. "Kakashi...I want you to begin a surveillance of the children. Stay close to them. If any of Orochimaru's men are able to slip past our guard I know that you, of all shinobi, will be able to keep them safe. You must understand what their existence in Konoha can mean?"

Kakashi crossed his arms, "Of course, they could lead us straight to Orochimaru. This is a large problem we are holding over his head. We could have a member of the Yamanaka clan to go through their memories and possibly be able to find his current base of operations."

"Exactly. I will let you get some rest first and clear up any loose ends. First thing tomorrow I'll have you permitted into the hospital to guard them full time." With yet another wave, the Third dismissed the wild haired ANBU.

As the puff of smoke cleared, where the man had once been standing, the Third Hokage turned to his crystal ball with a familiar gleam in his eye. Maybe, just maybe, these three children would become the blessing his village needed.

Chapter Text

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“Don’t be so testy, I bring gifts!” Gai said motioning to the large box in his hands.

Kakashi steps to the side and Gai tumbles inside. He sets the box on top of everything on the dining room table. Kakashi peaks inside.

“Toys?” He asks picking up a bright colored plastic block.

“And clothes, and some food too.” Gai says leaning against the table. “The Hokage had everything gathered for you to help you get started.”

‘Thank god.’ Kakashi thinks; he watches Gai fidget for a few seconds. “You want to meet them don’t you?” he asks deadpan.

Gai smiles brightly, “Why of course!”

Kakashi rolls his eyes and leads Gai into the living room. The two are right where he left them though now awake from the commotion that is Gai.

Mikeira and Maaku stare owlishly at them both. Kakashi introduces them.

Gai spends a few minutes gushing over them and the power of youth which Kakashi is sure the children don’t understand. They giggle anyways.

“Gai-san is ANBU too?” Mikeira asks.

Gai shakes his head, “Nope, I’m a jounin.”

Kakashi then gets to spend the next few minutes explaining the finer points of the differences between ranks of shinobi. Gai rolls his eyes, “Kakashi I’m sure they don’t care about that kind of stuff.”

Kakashi glares, “I was their age when my lessons started.”

“You’re a special case.” Gai says deadpan.

Mikeira and Maaku watch the exchange thoughtfully, soaking in the information and setting it aside. It was then that two tiny stomachs began to growl. Mikeira carefully crawled over to Kakashi’s side and tugged at his sleeve. “Kakashi-san, I’m hungry.”

That would make sense seeing as they hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Argument forgotten Kakashi turned pleading eyes to Gai. Gai nodded and they each picked up a child and moved them to the kitchen.

Gai dug around in the big box and pulled out two packages of instant ramen. “This will do for now.”

He handed them to Kakashi who set off to work boiling water. Mikeira and Maaku sat on the tall stools at the counter and Gai stood just behind them to make sure they did not fall off. The two children’s eyes wandered over the room, taking in the new sights.

When the ramen was done, each child got a steaming cup. Kakashi was once again surprised that he didn’t have to warn them about being careful; they seemed to already know to eat slowly.

Gai headed for the door, “If you need anything, you know where to find me. And not just me, I’m sure anybody would be willing to help.”

“Thanks Gai.” Kakashi said and looked back to the kids. “I may end up taking you up on that offer.”

When Gai had left and the children had finished eating Kakashi decided to bring into action the plan he had made earlier. He summoned the ninken and debriefed them on the situation.

He split them into two groups of four. He had Shiba, Guruko, Bull, and Urushi go outside and make a four sided perimeter around the house. Pakkun, Bisuke, Akino, and Ūhei were to stay inside and switch with the other four at midnight.

What he did not expect when he introduced Pakkun and the others was for the hair on Mikeira’s head to literally rise and she hide quickly behind Maaku. Maaku took her hand, “They are just dogs, do not be afraid.”

Pakkun stepped forward, “I am Pakkun, my team and I will protect you.”

Mikeira peaked from behind Maaku’s back and Kakashi caught a glint on her hand. Gently he uncurled her little fist from Maaku’s shirt and studied her hand. Her fingernails had sharpened to deadly points and as she calmed down, her claws blunted till they were normal again.

“Kakashi?” Pakkun questioned.

“I’ve seen this before. I might know who she is.” Kakashi said and let go of Mikeira’s hand. Kakashi quickly wrote a note and sent it on its way to the Hokage.

Chapter Text

The Sandaime sat at Kakashi’s kitchen table, “The Chītā clan…”

“Yes,” Kakashi nodded.

“You believe she’s one of them?” The Sandaime asked.

“I fought one of them before, their claws are pretty unique.” Kakashi answered.

“The Chītā clan was wiped out during the war; Even if there where survivors, they are in hiding. There is no way of contacting any family she may have.” The Sandaime sighed into his pipe.

“But at least now we may have an idea of her kekkei genkai that Inoichi discovered.” Kakashi said glancing across the hallway into the living room.

Mikeira and Maaku sat on the floor playing with the toys Gai had brought.

“That is true.” Hiruzen nodded following his gaze. “How are they doing?”

Kakashi thinks for a moment, “They have nightmares. Other than that, they seem to be doing well.”

Hiruzen is quiet a moment, “I will give you a stipend every month. I suggest you talk to the children’s nurse about their special diet. They won’t thrive on instant ramen alone.”

Eyeing the empty cups still sitting on the counter, Kakashi grimaces. Hiruzen smirks and puts out his pipe. He stands and goes to the door, “I would also suggest some house cleaning. It’d be nice to see the place spruced up.”

Kakashi nods, stands, and bows as the Sandaime leaves. Kakashi sits back down and puts his head in his hands. He groans and runs his hands through his hair. Pakkun’s claws click against the hardwood floor as he approaches. He sits and looks up at him with ‘the look’.

“What?”

“Kakashi, you need to pull yourself together. What is it about this mission that is bothering you so?” Pakkun questions.

Kakashi shakes his head, “I don’t know…what am I supposed to do with them?”

Pakkun rolls his eyes, “Taking care of young children can’t be that much more difficult than raising pups. You need to get it through your head that this is just another mission.”

Kakashi sighs, “I hope your right.”

Pakkun goes to check on the children, leaving Kakashi to make up a shopping list. He checks the time. 5:00 pm. If he leaves now he can just make it.

Kakashi looks into the box Gai brought and pulls out some clothes. He doesn’t suppose they can stay in the hospital garb much longer. He takes the clothes into the living room and sits down on the couch.

Mikeira and Maaku look up at him expectantly. So he explains his plan to change their clothes. They don’t fuss or throw a fit like he expected. It takes a little maneuvering, and he does have to help them a bit, but the two get their new clothes on without incident.

Kakashi herds them to the door, puts the tiniest set of shoes he’s ever seen on them, and walks them into town.

This time he gets a few strange looks. A few whispers behind hands. This, he thinks, this is normal.

Mikeira holds onto Maaku’s hand and Kakashi holds onto Mikeira. When they reach the shops, he gives each child the task of carrying something. He sweeps through the stores with hardly a word to anyone. Getting as much cleaning supplies as he can carry and what he thinks suffuses for a healthy meal for the night.

He doesn’t run into anyone he knows, and for that he is thankful. He notices that by the time they reach the house, the two kids are lagging. Worn out from the excursion, Kakashi sets them on the couch to rest while he puts everything up.

He begins with the dining room table. Folding up all the maps and scrolls and setting them to one side, he places the bags of cleaning supplies in the center of the table. Tonight he knows is going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

He wakes with a start, wondering when exactly he fell asleep, and what had woken him up in the first place. When his eyes adjust to the morning light, Kakashi comes face to face with Mikeira staring down at him. They blink at each other a few times then Mikeira asks, “What are you doing on the floor?”

Kakashi looks around himself, at the spotless kitchen where he presumably passed out next to a bucket of cleaning suds. He then spots Maaku, standing on the counter tops that he had just scrubbed, peering down at him also. “What are you doing up there?”

Maaku shrugs, “I was trying to get a glass of water.”

Kakashi sighs then stands up and snatches Maaku from the counter, then quickly fixes up three glasses of water. He hands one to each toddler and one for himself. He surveys the work he had accomplished overnight. Kitchen and dining room are shining examples of cleanliness. The entry way, hallway, and stairs were clean as could be.

He couldn’t work on the living room because that where the kids were sleeping so that was next on the list. He hadn’t even touched upstairs.

He sets Mikeira and Maaku up at the counter and fixes them some instant ramen for breakfast. He cringes a little and reminds himself to go shopping once again for food this time.

While they eat, he pours the dirty suds down the drain. In the living room he finds four of his ninken, having followed his orders and switched at midnight. He dismisses them and begins works on the room. He puts all the toys away in the box Gai had brought and places it in the corner. He takes down all the drapes and curtains and stows them away in the washing room.

He glances around the washing room for only a moment, seeing as that is where he stored most everything that he removed from the other rooms, it was a disaster. He climbs over everything and manages to start a load in the washing machine. When he gets back to the living room, Mikeira and Maaku are sitting on the couch.

He ignores them and goes to dusting. After a few minutes of this, Mikeira blurts, “We want to help.”

Kakashi eyes them warily, “What?”

Mikeira stand and walks over to him, tugging on his shirt hem, “We want to help!”

Kakashi thinks for a minute, wondering how bad it could honestly be, and agrees. He sets them up at the coffee table, dusting and polishing while he works on the walls and blinds.

They have lunch around noon, instant ramen again, and then Kakashi sets to work on the windows. Once polished, he puts back up the curtains and drapes, the same ones that have been hanging since he was a child. He summons the ninken once again to watch over the little ones while he spends a few hours in the washing room, polishing and putting away his weaponry and armor. A few more loads of clothes and the washing room looks like a different place.

About this time, Maaku rushes in and explains in a heated voice that Kakashi had promised to take them to see Hirari and because he hadn’t yet, Mikeira was crying.

Kakashi groaned a little and went to the living room, where sure enough, Mikeira was sniffling into a couch cushion. Maaku hops onto the couch and pats her on the back. Kakashi sighs, “When you get your shoes on, we’ll go see Hirari.”

The tears stop almost instantly and the two toddlers run to the front door to get their shoes. Kakashi waits semi-patiently and soon they are out the door and on their way to the hospital. Once again, by some miracle, Kakashi avoids seeing anyone he knows. They reach the hospital in a timely fashion and make their way up to the coma wing, where Hirari had been moved.

The little girl is the same as they left her. The bruising and swelling have faded but still there. Kakashi picks up and sets the toddlers on the bed and it isn’t long before Escu comes in to see them.

Maaku begins asking questions, Escu-chan this, Escu-chan that, and Kakashi tuned them out. He lets this continue until Escu begins to look frazzled. Then he calls her over and asks his own questions. Mostly about their diet.

In the end, Escu’s reply was simple. Plenty of fruits and vegetables. Plenty of protein and fluids. Watch the salt. Watch the sugar.

With that in mind, Kakashi tore the two toddlers away from Hirari’s side and left the hospital.

When they reached the grocery store, Kakashi grabbed a cart and placed both children inside. He took more time than usual, reading the nutritional facts on the food he was buying. Mikeira and Maaku studied each item that he placed in the cart with them.

It was while he was in the baby isle that he first heard it. On the next isle over he could hear whispering voices.

“Was that friend-killer Kakashi with those babes?”

“Who in their right mind would let him around children?!”

Kakashi met Mikeira’s eyes and couldn’t help but find himself agreeing with the voices. Mikeira tilted her head in confusion at the sudden change in his demeanor.

Kakashi went to checkout much quicker than he had planned and got everything sacked in paper bags. He got two small bags, one for each of the kids, so that they could carry something as well and they headed home.

Upon reaching the house, Kakashi unlocked the front door and let a pair of exhausted children wobble their way to the couch. They collapsed on it and while Kakashi was putting up groceries, fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Kakashi spent most of the night cleaning the upstairs, including his own room. He even changed his sheets before collapsing into bed.

It was a restless sleep and sooner than he’d like, it was morning. After a quick morning routine he went downstairs and tried his hand at breakfast. Mikeira and Maaku eyed his dish warily but once tasted, heaved it into their mouths at alarming speeds.

Once breakfast was over, Kakashi took the kids outside and summoned all his ninken to watch over them while he set to work ‘sprucing up’ the outside of his house. Around noon they had lunch and while he went back to work, Mikeira and Maaku worked up a sweat playing like they had never been allowed to before.

When it was starting to get dark and it was finally time to go in, Mikeira and Maaku were only tempted to leave their playing by the promise of food.

Of course, before they were allowed to eat, Kakashi made them take a bath. Strangely enough, they loved the water. After their affair with the river, you would think they would be terrified. But the bath was different he supposed. He sat with them while they bathed and helped lather their hair when the time came.

When their fingers were pruned and their bellies rumbling, he helped wrap them up in towels and lead them downstairs. He placed their clothes in the wash and fed them dinner.

Fish, he quickly found out, was like nothing Mikeira had ever tasted before and she wanted more. In fact, it was all she asked for, for about a week.

During the week, he once glanced inside the two rooms upstairs that had over time collected boxes upon boxes of…stuff. His old nursery and the old master bedroom, neither of which had he touched in years. Shaking his head, he told himself that cleaning out one of the rooms for the kids would be unnecessary. They wouldn’t be under his care for that long.

The couch would do for now.

At the end of the week, the Sandaime paid them a visit. He looked around the rooms and voiced is approval of the changes.

“You have done some hard, tedious work Kakashi. I congratulate you.” Sarutobi said as he eased himself into a dining room table chair.

Kakashi thought a moment, “It was a long time overdue.”

Sarutobi hmmed and smoked his pipe. “Bring the children. I would like to speak to them.”

Kakashi did as ordered and brought Mikeira and Maaku from the living room to the Sandaime’s side. Sarutobi smiled down at them and patted their heads. “How are you two doing?”

Mikeira smiled up at him, “Great!”

Sarutobi laughed at her enthusiasm, “How are you two liking it here? Has Kakashi-san treated you well?”

Maaku held onto Mikeira’s hand, “It’s been wonderful.”

Mikeira grinned, “Kakashi-san has been…an angel.”

‘Would she never let that go?’ Kakashi inwardly groaned.

Sarutobi seemed to sense Kakashi’s embarrassment and laughed once again. He dismissed the children and he and Kakashi talked strategy for a short while. Sarutobi quieted and watched the children playing from the corner of his eye.

“Kakashi, I’m working on finding them a suitable foster home. But it will be a few weeks.” Sarutobi spoke quietly.

Kakashi inwardly let out a hoorah. Just a few short weeks and then freedom. It wasn’t until after the Sandaime left that Kakashi let himself examine the other little voice in the back of his mind. The one that wasn’t so sure a hoorah was correct for this situation. A pang in his gut worried him. He couldn’t let himself get attached.

Late that night, Mikeira wakes up screaming from a nightmare. After putting away his weapons and settling his heart speed down. He stares down at the sobbing girl and her brother trying to comfort her. After a moment of deliberation, he gently picks up the crying girl and holds her like he had seen mothers do in the market.

She sniffles into his neck and hiccups as he begins to rock her from side to side. Without really thinking about it he pets her hair and shushes her. He does this until she falls back asleep. He tucks her into her side of the couch and sets to comforting Maaku who was shaken up after the experience.

Maaku takes much less time to fall back asleep and Kakashi barely makes it to the other couch before he collapses. Who knew taking care of a couple of kids would be this exhausting?

When morning comes, Mikeira and Maaku seem to have forgotten the incident. But it’s not long after breakfast that they start demanding to go see Hirari again.

Nothing of note happens on the trip there or while in the coma ward. It’s on the way back home that what he had been dreading finally happened.

“Kakashi-san?” A familiar woman’s voice sounds puzzled.

Kakashi, who is holding one child in his arms and holding the hand of another, cringes. “Kurenai-san.”

He turns to the woman and finds her not alone. Kurenai is standing next to Asuma and Gai. Gai, already knowing what to expect, is the only one who doesn’t give Kakashi a once over. Asuma chuckles, “Got yourself a load there, don’t you Kakashi?”

Kakashi looks down at the children and shrugs. Mikeira smiles and waves, “Gai-san!”

Gai, tickled at being remembered, wiggles his fingers back at her. “Mikeira-chan!”

Kurenai struggles to suppress a smile, “Uh, we were all just about to go out to eat. How about you…come with us?”

Kakashi is about to refuse when Maaku tugs at his hand and stares up at him with big red eyes. He thinks back to how many hours have passed since they have eaten and sighs his agreement. He introduces the toddlers to them.

At the restaurant, Kurenai begins to interrogate him. Kakashi answers calmly until she and Asuma know about everything he does.

“So, you’re on babysitting duty until further notice?” Asuma says bluntly.

“Technically.” Kakashi agrees.

“Well, technically, you’re on a very important protection detail.” Gai says as he pats Mikeira’s head.

“Where are you keeping them?” Kurenai questions.

“They’ve been sleeping on my couch.” Kakashi begins and immediately knows it was the wrong thing to say.

“They’ve been what?” Kurenai’s shocked expression is almost laughable.

“I know for a fact that you have a couple of spare bedrooms in that old place.” Asuma declares, “Why haven’t you used one of those?”

Kakashi explains the state of the rooms. “Besides, they won’t be staying with me long enough to-”

“That doesn’t matter. They need a real bed.” Kurenai remarks, “So we’ll help you.”

“Help me what?” Kakashi asks.

“Set up a room for the kiddos.” Asuma answers matter-of-factly.

xkxkxkxkxkxkxkxkx

Upon seeing the house, Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai congratulate Kakashi on his hard work cleaning up the place. Once inside, Mikeira and Maaku take off running into the living room. Kakashi sets them up with some toys and leads the others upstairs to the former nursery.

The room, unused since Kakashi was a child, is dusty and covered in boxes. Kurenai sets up a game plan immediately. She has Gai and Asuma move the boxes into the unused master bedroom across the hall, while she and Kakashi go through some of them.

Kurenai finds a box of Kakashi’s old clothes while he finds a box of his old baby toys. Stuff that Mikeira and Maaku might enjoy and wear. They leave these boxes in the hallway.

Soon, all the boxes are moved, leaving behind a mostly empty room. There is a small bed against one wall and a throw rug in the middle of the floor. Kakashi and Gai are told to dust the room and open the window to let it air out while Kurenai and Asuma go to town for some more furniture.

The job doesn’t take long and Kakashi and Gai take the box of toys down stairs to the kids. Mikeira and Maaku are fascinated by their hand-me-downs. They seem giddy over the fact that the toys once belonged to Kakashi.

Gai makes a quick snack and after they are done eating, Asuma and Kurenai arrive with large boxes in tow. Shortly, everyone but the children are busy putting together furniture for the nursery. Another bed about the same size as the old one, two nightstands, and a toy box for the end of each bed are rapidly put together and placed in the room.

Kurenai makes the beds with the sheets she bought and puts up some frilly curtains. With everything intact, Kakashi invites the children upstairs.

The reaction is immediate and full of squeals. Mikeira and Maaku run around the room, investigating every nook and cranny. Their excited chattering bring smiles to the adult’s faces. Mikeira collides with Kakashi’s legs and hugs him.

Asuma ‘aw’s’ at them and Kurenai smacks him on the head for it.

Not long afterwards, Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai take their leave after getting properly thanked by the children, who refused to leave their new bedroom.

With nothing left to do for the day, Kakashi cooks dinner for the toddlers and afterwards, puts them to bed.

Kakashi went to his room and undressed. As he lay on his bed, he felt exhausted. It was trying to deal with people. Even the ones he called his friends. He falls asleep thinking about it.

Chapter Text

The next month passes by slowly. Mikeira and Maaku take to visiting Hirari in the hospital once or twice a week. Kakashi continues to get restless but stomps down on the feeling whenever it arises.

To pass the time, Kakashi studies some scrolls and maps while the children play in the living room. It’s after one of these sessions of studying while he is cooking supper that he sees them.

Mikeira and Maaku have crawled up on the dinner table looking over the maps he had just been looking at. They are pointing and discussing what they see. Kakashi sets their dinner in front of them once he has them in their seats and Mikeira asks, “Where are we?”

“What do you mean?” Kakashi answers with a question.

Mikeira lifts a corner of the map with one hand and takes a bite of food with the other, “On here. Where are we?”

Kakashi walks around the table to her side and points to a dot on the map. “Here. Konohagakure.”

Mikeira hmm’s and goes back to her dinner. Maaku asks the next question, about the colors of the map. Kakashi explains it to him and quickly he is swamped with more questions about the map. He’s wondering what’s so special about it when it hits him, ‘they’re comprehending this.’

They’re learning and at a fast pace. Now that he really thinks about it…an aptitude test wouldn’t do them any harm.

He writes a message to the Sandaime about it. The response he receives from the Hokage the next morning agrees with him completely. In fact, Sarutobi went ahead and made an appointment with the Academy for Mikeira and Maaku to take the tests.

Kakashi checks the appointment time and goes about rounding up the children. They eat breakfast and then Kakashi helps dress them in clothes that Kurenai and been thoughtful enough to bring by after the nursery fiasco.

He explains to them what is happening while he walks them to the Academy. Mikeira and Maaku don’t seem troubled by the new development. When they arrive at the Academy, Kakashi lets them play in the courtyard out front while he meets with the Chuunin who will be testing them.

The man is named Yasuie and he’s a veteran at the Academy.

Yasuie leads the three of them inside the building and to the nurses office. The nurse, a plump lady named Haruna, first takes their height and weight. Then she checks their hair for lice. Finding none, she has the toddlers bend over so she can run her fingers down their spine, checking for any signs of Scoliosis.

Once cleared, Haruna sends them to the hearing and vision testing room. The toddlers ace these tests and are moved to yet another room. This time they are tested on their ability to read and write. What Yasuie finds is that Mikeira and Maaku are far more advanced at their age than most.

The first time the two children really struggle is with math and sciences. Yasuie isn’t truly surprised since the two have had no previous schooling in the matter. He concludes that they will flourish in a learning environment and recommends that they be enrolled in the Academy immediately.

Dismissed, Kakashi takes the two home and settles them down in their room for a nap. After what Yasuie had said, he is completely unsurprised when the Sandaime sends him a message.

At the beginning of the next week, Mikeira and Maaku were officially going to be Academy students. Kakashi had till then to get them ready.

The easy part is getting them supplies. He takes the two shopping once again and buys the necessities. He doesn’t bother showing them how to use anything after they figure out the pencil sharpeners on their own.

After visiting Hirari in the hospital the next day, Kakashi brings them home and sits them down on the couch. He sits across from them and begins to explain what is going to happen. The questions immediately begin flying and Kakashi ends up giving an impromptu history lesson on the origins of the Academy.

When the day finally comes and Kakashi is walking them to the Academy, he finds himself reflecting on his own experience at the school. He was Mikeira’s age when he began Academy. His father walked him to his first class…

It was no use in thinking about things like that.

Kakashi instead thinks more on the protection detail he had planned. He couldn’t exactly follow them around all day, not only would his brain pour out his ears from boredom, but he would be distracting to the students.

So, with permission from the Sandaime, the staff of the Academy had been briefed on the situation. An alert system had been set up between the teachers if they noticed anything abnormal. Mikeira and Maaku know wore electronic tracking devices around their wrists disguised as bracelets.

Kakashi was set up in an unused room on campus with monitors and cameras that allowed him to track the movements of the children.

When they finally reach the Academy, Mikeira tugs on his hand and uses her other hand to squeeze Maaku’s fearfully. Kakashi kneels down to their level and sighs.

“I know it’s hard.” Kakashi begins, “You’re going to be surrounded by older kids and they aren’t going to like the fact that you are younger yet smarter than them. They’ll be cruel…they’ll taunt and tease you…

Don’t fall to their level. You are talented and deserve to be here just as much as they do.” Kakashi can’t find more words and ruffles their hair instead. “You’ll be fine.”

He stands and walks them to the front doors, mindless of the other children who run amok in the courtyard.

“Mind your teachers!” He calls to them as they enter the school. Once they are out of sight he turns and makes his way to the room set up for him.

Chapter Text

Once inside the building Mikeira clutches to Maaku as much older children rush by them. After walking down a long hallway, the two are intercepted by Yasuie. Mikeira relaxes a little and begins to take in her surroundings. Yasuie shows them to a mostly empty room and begins to explain what is going to happen next.

Soon, other students begin to file in and take their seats. Most of them are around the five to six age range and they are all staring at the two toddlers standing next to the teacher. It makes Mikeira uncomfortable and Maaku squeezes her hand to tell her it is alright.

A bell rings somewhere and Yasuie begins the task of settling down the students. “Class, today is a special day.” He begins. “We have two new students joining our class today. Everyone, please greet Mikeira and Maaku.”

Mikeira bows to the class only when Maaku does and tries to ignore the butterflies in her belly. She hears one student complain, “But they’re babies!”

Yasuie ignores the voice so Mikeira does too. “Everyone, I would like you all to introduce yourselves. We’ll start with you, Habibi.”

Rather reluctantly the class introduces themselves. Afterwards, Yasuie turns to Mikeira and Maaku and asks, “Hatake-san has explained to you what happens next hasn’t he?”

The two nod and Yasuie brings out an old tattered book, “Alright. Mikeira, Maaku, raise your right hand. Do you both swear to love this village and do your best to preserve peace and prosperity?”

Mikeira feels a tingle go up her spine as she swears to do so.

“Do you so swear to have a mind that will not yield to hard work and training?” Yasuie reads and then looks to them expectantly.

Mikeira feels the tingling spread throughout her body and she hears her own voice answer affirmatively.

Yasuie closes the book with a snap, “I can attest to you both being healthy in body. You can now count yourselves as officially sworn into the Academy.”

Yasuie moves some grumbling students around until he has two open seats at the front and center desk. When Mikeira and Maaku go to sit, they realize they are too short to comfortably see over the desk. The class laughs noisily until Yasuie shuts them up. He gathers some old textbooks and sits them in the seats.

Finally, everything is settled and the class begins.

Once lunch is over and recess begins, Mikeira is eager to take a nap, but Maaku pulls her out into the courtyard with the other youngsters. The two find a shady spot under a large tree and take turns on the swing that’s there.

It’s not long before they are approached by a group of fellow students. “Where are you guys from?” The leader of the troupe asks snootily. “No one we’ve asked knows anything about you two.”

Maaku and Mikeira share a look. Maaku frowns and then shrugs as way of an answer. This displeases the leader and he turns to his sidekick, “They’re just babies.” He laughs and shoves Maaku’s shoulder.

A girl from the back of the group whacks him on the head, “Exactly. They’re babies. So leave them alone.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just ignore ‘em.” The leader laughs haughtily and leaves. Most of the group looks down their noses at them before leaving.

Mikeira hops off the swing and checks on Maaku, who is fine she finds. Mikeira clenches her fist and tries to remember what Kakashi had said that morning. Don’t fall to their level, he had said. Mikeira muses on what that means, when all she wants to do is go shove that boy back.

The rest of the day goes by uneventfully. Kakashi picks them up by the front doors and takes them home. Along the way he picks up Ichiraku ramen for dinner that night as a sort of congratulation on finishing their first day.

Mikeira and Maaku are sluggish in their nightly activities, thoroughly tuckered out from their day. For the first time in a while, they both sleep through the night without nightmares.

The next few weeks pass by without incident. Maaku and Mikeira excel in the Academy. Though they are continually ignored by their classmates, they rise above the immaturity and focus on their studies.

Before long Kakashi’s refrigerator is covered in straight A report cards and the occasional artwork.

To keep himself busy, Kakashi takes to giving Mikeira and Maaku some ‘supplementary coaching’. He spends many nights sitting at their bedside telling them about the history of the village. He even starts teaching them weaponry and trap setting.

Spring turns to summer and all is well. Kakashi finds himself settling into the routine of taking care of the kids. The itch to go back to the way it was fades to the back of his mind. It surprises him that he finds himself used to them.

It’s a rather peaceful day when he receives the news. At first he just stares at the message, unsure of what it means. A part of him is excited of course, for his tiny house guests.

Kakashi feels shocked at the fact that he is a little disappointed. He waits until after classes are over and he meets them at the front doors. He doesn’t tell them where they are going but having memorized the way, they figure it out before they get there.

Escu is waiting at the hospital entrance with a barely contained grin. The hospital staff have come to enjoy Mikeira and Maaku’s visits and there is a lot of whispering going on in the hallways.

Mikeira and Maaku share suspicious glances and follow Kakashi inside warily.

Kakashi just shrugs at them and leads them to their sisters room.

The door to the room is open. Mikeira and Maaku go inside and freeze, obviously not expecting the sight before them.

Because not only is Hirari awake, but she’s sitting up and staring right at them.

Chapter Text

There was a lot of crying and runny noses. The surge of high pitched voices left Kakashi’s ears ringing. He had very rarely seen Mikeira or Maaku this emotional. Hirari looked a bit malnourished and tired. She had no bruising left from her injury and Escu assured Kakashi that her injuries had healed.

What she didn’t touch upon and what worried Kakashi most was Hirari’s mental state. The memories from that night in early spring when Orochimaru’s henchman had nearly killed her were fresh in her mind.

After a few minutes the crying calms down and the three children start chatting amongst themselves. Escu leaves to attend her patients and Kakashi takes up a corner of the room. It’s Mikeira who takes the initiative to introduce him to Hirari.

She waves a hand in his direction, motioning him closer. Grinning, she says, “This is Kakashi. He is the one who rescued us.”

The little silver haired child looks at him and Kakashi feels suspiciously like he’s being sized up. Mikeira and Maaku begin to tell her about everything that has happened since she had been asleep. They tell her about new clothes and their bedroom, school, and the wonders of their favorite foods.

When the Hokage walks in, Mikeira and Maaku greet him with the proper respect. Sarutobi has a sad look in his eye as he greets the children in return. He introduces himself to Hirari and asks how she is doing. While the little girl is answering him, Kakashi notices a man trailing behind the Hokage.

The man was built like a barrel yet raggedy in appearance. Kakashi tried to remember if he had met him before but couldn’t recall him. Then Sarutobi turns to Kakashi and hands him a stack of papers.

“Kakashi, you are hereby dismissed from your position as bodyguard.” Sarutobi tries to hold eye contact with him but Kakashi finds his eyes drawn to the children. “The council has decided that enough time has passed…and it is time to put them in a foster home.”

Sensing the change in the air, Mikeira and Maaku look between Kakashi and the Hokage, their grins slowly fading. Mikeira asks, “Kakashi, what is wrong?”

Kakashi doesn’t answer her. Instead he bows as he accepts the papers. Sarutobi sighs, “If you can pack some of their things and bring it back here, they will be leaving with Kiriakou-san this afternoon.”

Kakashi nods and heads out the door. Mikeira and Maaku call for him and he can hear Sarutobi shushing them as they seem to realize what is happening. By the time he reaches the end of the hall they are screaming.

Kakashi goes home and packs a duffle bag full of their clothes and toys that had accumulated in his home. He brings the bag by the hospital but sends it up to the room with a nurse. He can’t seem to find it in himself to face them right now.

Instead he walks around the village for a couple of hours, until the moon is rising and he is forced to head home.

When he reaches home, he goes straight to his bedroom. His sleep that night is restless to say the least. When he wakes up the next morning, he heads to the kitchen and groggily begins to make breakfast. He’s setting food out on the counter when he realizes he’s pulled out to many ingredients.

He no longer has three mouths to feed.

His eyes trail over the drawings and report cards stuck to his fridge. Slowly he takes them down and carries them upstairs. He places the papers down on Mikeira’s old bed and looks around the room. Finally he shuts the door, which hadn’t been shut in months, and makes his way downstairs.

He eats a protein bar and changes into his ANBU uniform. Then he heads to Mission Assignment.

He picks an S-rank.

XKXKXKXKXKXKXKXKXKXKX

Oka Kiriakou’s home was smaller than Kakashi’s. It was dark, cluttered, and smelled funny.

The three children were led down a hallway to a room with bunkbeds built into the wall. Once the children were inside the room, Oka tossed them the duffle bag and closed the door.

There was an audible click as the door was locked.

Mikeira sniffled and Maaku pet her hair. Hirari began to explore the room. There was a door in the corner which led to a bathroom. Otherwise there was really nothing there. No furniture. No rug. Just a small window close to the ceiling that let in weak light.

Mikeira and Hirari eventually curl up together on the bottom bunk and fall asleep. Maaku climbs up to the top bunk and listens to the breathing of his sisters till he joins them in slumber.

The door stays locked all night.

When morning comes, Oka unlocks the door and shows them to the kitchen. He hands them a brown paper bag each and shows them out the back door.

As they walk to school, Mikeira asks Oka hopefully, “Will Kakashi be at the Academy?”

Oka sneers, “Let’s get something clear, Kakashi is done with you. You were just another job to him. He’s glad to be rid of you.”

Mikeira’s chest feels tight and she struggles to keep up with Oka as he stomps down the street. Instinctively she clutches Maaku’s hand. Hirari pats her sister on the back and wonders what it was about this Kakashi person that upset her siblings so bad.

When they reach the school, Oka disappears the way they came. Maaku shows Hirari around and tells introduces her to Yasuie.

Hirari ends up happily going through the orientation that her siblings had gone through their first day. The three of them are seated together in the front of the class.

Yasuie goes through lessons as usual but still notices the depression hanging over their heads.

At recess he approaches the three, “Mikeira-chan, Maaku-kun, what seems to be bothering you?”

Mikeira breaks down into tears and Maaku tries to explain while holding back his own tears that they were no longer under Kakashi’s care.

Yasuie nodded in understanding and let the children be.

When Mikeira had calmed enough, the three went outside and ate their lunches.

Over the next few weeks, things would not get easier.

They hardly see Oka. And when they do see him, he never says much.

The only time he lets them out of their bedroom is for Academy. When their second weekend with him rolls around, Oka lets them out of the bedroom.

Everywhere they look there are liquor bottles and stale take out boxes. The trash in the kitchen is overflowing and the place looks hardly used. Oka sits at the table reading a newspaper. Maaku asks gently if they were allowed to go outside. Oka glares at the boy and snarls out a no.

Maaku pulls back as if struck and leads his sisters away quickly. As they are leaving the room, Mikeira’s shoulder knocks into an end table. A bottle twirls to the floor where it shatters.

The effect is instant. Oka jumps from his seat, nearly turning over his table, and yanks Mikeira back by the back of her shirt. “Look what you’ve done you little shit!”

He turns and marches through the house, Maaku and Hirari racing after them. Oka stops at a sinister looking door and throws it open. A flight of stairs leads down into darkness. Oka tosses Mikeira down the steps where she lands with a thump at the bottom.

Maaku and Hirari rush down to help her. The three of them turn and stare up the stairs at Oka as he yells obscenities at them.

“It’s no wonder Kakashi wanted to get rid of you. No one but me would ever put up with you three. Now you’ll stay down there until I decide you’ve learned your lesson.” Oka slams the door shut and locks it.

Maaku holds his weeping sister close and looks around the cellar. It cold and damp and water trickles down the walls in some places. There is very little light coming through a small barred window too high for any of them to reach.

Hirari is shaking but still manages to find some cardboard. After Mikeira calms down, the three of them make a box out of the cardboard and crawl inside.

With the light slowly fading, the three listen to the sound of dripping water and their growling stomachs.

Chapter Text

::4 Months Later::

Kakashi is walking sluggishly home from the mission assignment office. The shinobi behind the desk had forced Kakashi to return home, denying him access to the new missions. Which, figures. He had probably been in the village a total of a week over the last four months. Taking only the most dangerous missions and barely taking the time to have his injuries treated before setting off on another. Sarutobi had decided to put an end to his self-destructive tendencies and put him on mandatory leave.

As frustrating as it was, Kakashi was exhausted. He was too exhausted to put off going home any longer no matter how he wished he could avoid it. He’s barely left sight of the building when a voice calls out to him, a desperate edge to his name. He lifts his head and spots Yasuie heading straight for him. The man reaches him breathing heavily, an arm full of books tucked against his chest.

“I’ve been trying to catch you here for months.” The man grouches as he tries to steady his breathing. “I need to speak with you.”

Kakashi takes in the man's frazzled appearance and nods quietly. Yasuie glances around himself, “It’s about the children. I think they’re being abused.”

It feels like a swift punch to the larynx. Kakashi feels his stomach drop to his shoes and his vision darkens around the edges. He’d barely allowed himself to think of Mikeira or Maaku, of their sister he hadn’t truly met. Despite spending the last few months keeping himself so busy he couldn’t think at all, just the slightest mention and everything comes rushing back.

“What do you mean?” He asks in a hoarse voice, rough with disuse.

Yasuie glances around and then motions toward the academy in the distance. “My office.”

::::

Kakashi stands in front of a desk, arms crossed as Yasuie drops into the seat behind it. “After you left the children were distraught. It was to be expected.” He begins.

“But then within a few weeks, I started noticing…signs.” Yasuie rubs the bridge of his nose, “They weren’t being cared for well. The girls' hair was tangled, and their clothes were stained. They smelled. And they were starving all the time. The lunches they would bring to class could hardly be called that.”

Yasuie sighs heavily. “They began withdrawing…missing class for days at a time, barely speaking. Their grades have suffered. I’ve spoken with the other teachers and Sandaime-sama himself, but his hands are tied. The council will not let him intervene because the man who took them, Kiriakou, is a respected veteran. Having him investigated would bring shame to his clan’s legacy.” Yasuie’s facade drops for a moment, his anger bringing a snarl to his lips. “And then they started coming to class with bruises.”

Kakashi’s blood runs cold, “How bad?” He asks lowly.

Yasuie turns pitying eyes to him, “Bad enough. I can’t tell if he’s only beating them or doing…something else.”

Kakashi feels sick but closes his eyes and uses a breathing technique to get the sensation under control. Yasuie’s expression turns pleading. “They haven’t been to class in days. Things have been steadily getting worse and I’m scared for their safety. Please, can you find them? Find out if they’re safe. No one else will listen.”

Kakashi nods, righteous anger making the hair on the back of his neck rise. He leaves the room silently, leaving a thick trail of killing intent behind him. He immediately takes to the rooftops, making his way to the Kiriakou residence.

He comes to a stop on the roof of the building adjacent to the dilapidated house. The windows are all dark, and there's no sign of movement. He jumps down and circles the building, slipping around the overgrown weeds to the back alley. The back door is hanging open. He listens for a moment and then slips inside.

The stench is overwhelming. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light in the kitchen, but already he can see piles of trash in every corner. There are locks on all the cabinets and refrigerator. He makes his way into the living room, past dozens of empty sake bottles, into a hallway. He checks every room methodically. When he comes to a door at the end of the hallway, with heavy locks he feels almost numb.

Inside the bare room, with metal bunks attached to the wall, he almost gags. There are little shoes tucked under the bed. There’s blood on the floor.

He wheels around and races through searching the rest of the house. There are claw marks on the basement door jam, and down the dank basement stairs, he finds a bed of cardboard, flattened and stained.

He falls to his knees as he summons Pakkun. His hands are shaking.

Pakkun takes one sniff and knows. The pug whirls around and searches the dim room with his eyes. He looks back to Kakashi, despair evident on his snout. He places a paw on Kakashi’s knee. “What do you want me to do?”

Kakashi jerks to his feet and flies back up the stairs to the back door. “They were here recently. There’s been a struggle and there’s fresh blood. Track them.”

Pakkun is already out the back door charging down the alley. Kakashi follows at his heels, blood boiling. The trail sneaks through back alleys, into the forest, and away from the village.

::one hour earlier::

Hirari barely flinches at the sound of a bottle shattering down the hallway. She blinks tiredly up at the ceiling and pets her fingers through Maaku’s hair where he lays his head on her lap, eyes glazed and unfocused. They hadn’t seen Mikeira since the day before. She was in the basement. Alone.

Though she doesn’t understand it, she knows that Maaku can sense their sister's pain in a way she cannot. She thinks she can’t form tears anymore.

The sound of the door lock slamming open startles the two toddlers and they scramble to stand at attention. Kiriakou slams the door open, his dark gaze landing on them. “I should have known. I should have seen it. You’re all one of them aren’t you?” He laughs darkly. “The gods have given me a second chance.”

Hirari knows better than to make eye contact. Knows better than to reach for Maaku’s hand. Kiriakou reaches around the door frame and pulls Mikeira into view. He throws the child to her siblings' feet. There’s blood coming from her nose and mouth, under her fingernails. Maaku jerks, barely managing not to lunge for her, a broken sound ripping from his throat. Hirari’s breath comes in quick little gasps. Mikeira struggles to stand wobbling over to her brother's side.

Kiriakou kneels in front of them, producing a roll of ninja wire from his pocket. He binds their hands and then gags them with rags. He produces three brown cloth bags, “Get inside and don’t make a sound or I’ll kill all three of you. Don’t want to insult anyone's eyes with the likes of you.”

Hirari steps into her bag first. The fabric is pulled up and over her head. She closes her eyes and listens as the same is done to her brother and sister. She falls to her knees as the bag is lifted from the ground. She closes her eyes and lets herself drift in the darkness. She can hear Kiriakou carrying her through the house. She assumes he’s carrying the others but she doesn’t know for sure. Then she can see sunlight through the threads of the bag.

She wishes she could smell the fresh air through the fabric too.

Kiriakou walks a long time, steadily away from the sound of people milling about their lives. Eventually, all Hirari can hear beyond her own breathing is birdsong. With a stomach-turning lurch, Hirari is dropped to the ground. She muffles a cry as she lands on large stones. The bag is ripped open and Kiriakou is ordering her to stand. Hirari is standing before her eyes even adjust to the blinding sunlight. She watches as Maaku and Mikeira are ripped from their bags.

Kiriakou binds Maaku’s feet and then her own. He then grabs Mikeira by the hair, “I knew there was a reason I hated you. I knew you were rotten to the core the moment I laid eyes on you. I should have killed you then. But it’s never too late to fix that!”

Suddenly Hirari can’t breathe. Tears rush to her eyes with understanding and Maaku screams through the gag, struggling and falling to his belly. Mikeira screams and kicks as she’s lifted off the ground. Maaku yanks a hand free, reaching towards her. Kiriakou lifts a foot and stomps down on her brother's arm. It snaps like a twig and Maaku screams in agony. Hirari falls to her knees and struggles against the bonds, the wire cutting into her skin.

“Don’t worry big brother, you’ll follow her soon.” The man sneers.

Mikeira sobs, hands gripping the wrist of the hand in her hair. Kiriakou wades into the water of the stream Hirari only just now notices. She feels bile rise in her throat. ‘No!’ She prays, ‘Please no! Somebody help us. Please, anybody!’

“Damn the Chiita! I fought those bastards during the war. They took out nearly my entire squad. I thought they’d been wiped out.” Kiriakou growls. “But I can fix that.”

He bends over and shoves Mikeira under the water.

::::

All at once, Kakashi is on top of them. He flies out between two trees along a stream’s edge. The clear water babbling over the rocky floor. On the rocks a distance away Maaku lies motionless, his arm lying at an unnatural angle, outstretched. He’s trying to scream through the gag in his mouth. Hirari is at his side, hands and feet bound, sobbing into her gag.

Kiriakou is standing in the river, a sick grin stretching his lips, madness in his eyes. His hands hold something below the surface. The tiny hands that are gripping Kiriakou’s wrist lose their hold and drift in the water lifelessly.

Pakkun goes for the throat, howling.

Suddenly the world starts moving again, the sound of the water deafening in Kakashi’s ears. His shock gives way to rage. Kakashi raises his tantō as Pakkun dives out of the way. With a clean sweep, Kakashi removes Kiriakou’s head from his shoulders.

Kakashi drops to his knees in the water and pulls Mikeira’s body into his arms. He brushes the wet hair from her pale face and for the first time in a long, long time, Kakashi prays. For a paralyzing moment, there’s nothing and then she starts coughing and gasping. Golden eyes flutter open and meet his own. Mikeira reaches her bound hands towards his face. “You came.”

Something in him breaks. Kakashi snaps the ninja wire around her hands and clutches her to him as he stands.

Kakashi quickly carries her to the bank and kneels in front of Maaku, still sobbing and gagging. He sets Mikeira down by Maaku’s side and uses a kunai to cut the ninja wire off him. He looks to the side and reaches for Hirari. She flinches and pulls away. Wide pale blue eyes flicker between her siblings’ and Kakashi’s faces. Kakashi reaches for her again, much slower this time. “It’s ok. I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

She stays still this time, and Kakashi unties the gag from her face. Then uses the Kunai to cut the wire tied too tightly around her wrists and ankles. Hirari leans to the side and vomits.

Kakashi lifts Maaku into his arms, the boy gritting his teeth and tears streaming down his face turns red doe eyes to meet his, “He said you hated us.”

Kakashi freezes, his eyes drawn to each face in front of him. He shakes his head, “No. No, I could never hate any of you. I should never have let them take you.”

Mikeira hiccups at his side and collapses against his side. Balancing Maaku against one arm, he reaches out a hand toward Hirari. “Forgive me.”

Hirari puts her hand in his.