Between the immaculate walls of a room that had become far too familiar for the Genin's taste, Mitsuki was pulled from unconsciousness by the annoyed taunts of a voice she knew just as well.

"Let me see her! Damn it! I'm her BROTHER! You can't forbid me to enter this room!!!"

Memories of that dismal day resurfaced in the little girl's mind. Soga ... Tomomi ... and ... Maeda. Were they all...? She shuddered as she faced the fact that her entire team had been decimated before her eyes, by this man, she had witness it with her own hands. Slowly, she released those of the impeccable sheet which covered her, and raised them in front of her dull glance. These hands ... Unable to save the lives of her closest allies... If only she had been faster, stronger, more... intelligent.

With a crash, followed by the ANBU's remonstrances, Aruna forced his way into the room without giving them a choice. Mitsuki didn't even flinch, drained of all emotion, she just let him arms grab her, not enough to comfort her.

"I'm here Mitsuki. It's going to be okay..." the Uchiha assured her as he held her close.

If he measured the extent of her pain, he could not help but let the relief wash over him to see her safe and sound. When he had been told about the failure of their mission, only Fugaku managed to keep him in the village, by force of authority, while he threatened to go and get the girl himself. He had imagined so many horrors, but he knew that even if physically she came out of it unscathed, the psychological damage would have marked her in an indelible way. And unfortunately, that was not all...

"We will return...", murmured Aruna, inciting gently the girl to rise.

He was unable to tell her about Itachi at the moment, fearing to irreversibly break the light of his pupil. It would surely be days, weeks, or even months before she could recover from such carnage. It was part of their life, as Ninja, but she was still so young... How could such a mistake have happened? 

"We haven't been able to interview her yet, Aruna. And it's probably not safe to let her out in this state," the Hokage's big voice interrupted him from the hallway.

The Sensei paused, supporting the drained body as best he could. No, he wouldn't let them do it this time.

"She's fine. She just needs some rest, and she can do that just fine with us. You just have to come ... alone."

The firmness with which the brown one imposed these conditions left no opening for any negotiation, and this, Hiruzen understood perfectly well, simply raising his hand to signal the ANBU to let him go.

"I'll come tomorrow, then," the old man assured, granting the Genin this delay, hoping that she would be more talkative after a night's sleep.

Once they returned home, Mitsuki simply shuffled back to her room. She took off her clothes covered in the dried blood of her teammates, leaving them on the floor, and ran into the shower. As he heard the water running, Aruna entered in his turn in the room and collected the things to throw them, eliminating any trace which could remind her what she had just lived. He then waited patiently for her to come out, but the water was still running. He knocked softly on the door, and when he got no answer, entered the foggy room.

"How are you doing, Princess? "he tried in vain.

He saw her kneeling in front of the bathtub, her skin reddened by the excessive heat of the water.

"It won't go away... ", sobbed Mitsuki, rubbing again and again his forearms bruised by force of relentlessness.

Aruna leaned towards her and gently grabbed her hands.

"What won't go away?" he asked her softly, even though he couldn't see.

"The ... the blood ...", the genin stammered before starting again in a fit of tears.

"I'll take care of it ... We'll make this all go away, okay?", Aruna tried to convince her, recognizing all too well the post-traumatic syndrome she seemed to be suffering from.

Mitsuki let out a groan of pain that tore at his heart. He grabbed a sponge and started to gently wipe her forearms to remove the invisible blood. The girl could not regain her composure, and as he helped her up after a moment, he held her close again, placing her head against his heart, hoping to ease some of her pain. He felt so helpless at that moment.

Minutes passed, and Aruna did not let go of her until her tears and screams had subsided. When she finally seemed unable to get out a drop, he led her to her bed, handling her almost like a doll as she seemed to be drained of all energy. He lay down beside her, and stroked her hair until she finally closed her eyes.

As expected, the Hokage appeared at dawn the next day, alone. Aruna held back a grimace of disagreement and let him join his ward on the other side of the building. Sitting on the edge of the wooden terrace, she was contemplating the sky, her eyes even more darkened than the day before. No doubt that the night had been agitated, how could it be otherwise?

The old man sat down peacefully at her side, looking in the same direction, patiently waiting for the right moment to start this painful conversation.

"You had the most difficult experience in the life of a Ninja, Mitsuki. It is difficult for you now, and will remain so for years to come, but it is up to you to decide how it will dictate your future. You can stay here and let time heal your wounds, or you can draw new strength from this ordeal and use it to continue to rise in the way of the Shinobi."

A long silence followed his speech, and he respected it, giving her time to digest those meager words.

"It was my fault...", Mitsuki murmured, lowering her head.

"It wasn't your fault, I already know that. Although we found the battlefield destroyed by your abilities, it was only in a very small area... And the autopsies of your friends ruled you out as a suspect."

Mitsuki met her elder's eyes this time, horrified by his words. So she was the one they had investigated first? How had she not thought of that... A feeling of injustice added to the outburst of her emotions, and her jaw contracted before letting out a few more words:

"You do not understand! This man ... It was me he was after! If I wasn't with them..."

"Take it easy, Mitsuki. What man are you talking about? Who was it?" the Hokage inquired, sensing the opportunity to loosen the Genin's tongue.

And despite the difficulty of the exercise, she told him everything she had seen, not leaving out a single detail, from the moment Maeda had felt the threat, to the moment she fell unconscious.

"And now...?" she inquired shyly, after the Hokage had listened to her entire story.

She didn't know what would become of her, or what to do. She didn't have a team anymore, and that was severely compromising her future as a Ninja.

"Now, I'm going to put this matter, as well as Team 2's, in the hands of our best Ninja. Your teammates' farewell ceremony will be in three days... Take time to care for yourself, Mitsuki, it's important. And the rest ... We'll see in due time."

Because once again, Hiruzen Sarutobi was going to have to convince the council to let this innocent wannabe full of promise to let her continue her training.

"Team 2? What happened?", Mitsuki questioned, suddenly much more lively.

"Well... They were attacked, too. But your testimony doesn't match theirs. It looks like we're dealing with two separate attackers. By the time we get to the bottom of this, the Genin will have to settle for the usual C and D rank missions. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Looking genuinely sorry, the old man stood up, announcing the end of this exchange. And as soon as his back was turned, Mitsuki rushed to his friend's house.

"Mitsuki! Sweety, I was so afraid that something had happened to you!", Mikoto greeted her.

"Mitsuki-chan!", Sasuke's small voice called out behind her, "Come and see! Big Brother's new pupils!"

He was so proud! But in Mitsuki's heart, everything went haywire again. Itachi was there, alive and well. But if he had activated the Sharingan... She followed the little boy without letting her worry show. With a closed face and dark eyes, Itachi met her gaze, pausing in the large room.

"Itachi...", Mitsuki whispered, before rushing towards him.

He let her embrace him, letting himself go against her frail body, as if they were both the key to finally letting their pain out. They understood each other, and as Mitsuki guessed what was behind the Sharingan, she simply asked:

"Who...?"

"Tenma ... He sacrificed his life for me. But you... How?" stammered Itachi, already aware of his young sidekick's story.

"I... I've talked enough about it for today... I am... I thought..."

"Me too ... I'm relieved you're okay.", Itachi helped him.

Yes, they understood each other, and once again they would get through this together.

A few days passed, Mitsuki hadn't said a word since she came home and hardly ate anything, leaving Aruna distraught. She looked very bad, pale and surrounded. And the traditional black outfit of the shinobi for the funeral did not help her at all.

They both went to the Konoha cemetery, joining the collapsed parents of the dead Genin, some friends from the academy and of course Itachi and his family. He looked at Mitsuki with his big onyx eyes, but against all odds, she looked away when she saw him. He didn't know how much time they had spent thinking about their situation on their own, but still, he felt a twinge of sadness, not expecting her to reject him now. As he took a step in her direction anyway, his father held him back, urging him to give her some time to take it all in.

"She'll come back, when the time is right. That's how you gain strength," he assured him to finish convincing him.

Itachi looked bitterly at the ground, wishing only for one thing, to be with his friend to support her.

The Hokage spoke, praising Maeda and his team, as well as Tenma Izumo, and then the Sensei of Tenma Izumo, who invisibly mourned the loss of one of his students in front of the respectful silence of the audience.

The rain began to fall on the crowd, like an echo of the grief that everyone felt, dispersing them little by little.

"Good morning, Mitsuki," the Sandaime greeted her as she was engrossed in contemplating the portraits of her teammates.

She looked up at him, as he passed an umbrella over her head.

"I know you're going through a difficult ordeal..." he continued to take the temperature of her emotions, though Mitsuki didn't respond to him, "But I also know that you did everything you could to help them..."

"That's not true," Mitsuki cut him off curtly, her voice hoarse and her fists shaking.

Aruna and the other Uchiha, who had been chatting amongst themselves, had turned in their direction at the sound of his words, still echoing between the cemetery slabs.

"That's not true! And you know it very well!" she ranted as her whole body began to shake.

"Mitsuki...", Hiruzen tried to temper as he placed a hand on her shoulder, which she immediately rejected with the same vehemence.

"If I wasn't limited in my actions, if I was allowed to use this damn chakra, if I could have had all my means to fight and save them! They wouldn't be in this situation!" she screamed, out of her mind, "What's the point? What's the point of going the ninja route if I can't even protect the people I love!"

She was shaking more and more, and the tears flowed unabated down her cheeks.

"I could have done so much more! But I have been nothing but a burden! They were sacrificed because of me! It should never have happened! They should never have died!!!" she shouted again as the wind picked up around her.

Yes, she had had time to think, and during these three days of prevarication, it was always the same conclusion that presented itself to her: she was responsible for the disappearance of her peers. Her breathing became more and more difficult and her eyes turned red in an instant. The anger rising in her did not seem to worry the Hokage, who signaled the incoming ANBU to stand back.

"We have no choice, Mitsuki, and you know it..." he reminded her, keeping his voice calm and fatherly.

"And WHY? I never hurt anyone! What's the point of keeping me here, keeping me alive, if it's going to keep me so weak and useless!!! How many times do I have to witness the death of my companions ?! I can't, I can't anymore...", Mitsuki collapsed, making the gust of wind that had formed fall back as her eyes regained their normal hue.

No one moved, no one spoke. Faced with this lack of responsiveness, Mitsuki wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve and dashed towards the rooftops of Konoha, escaping their worried stares.

"Master Hokage, once again, I agree with her... Wouldn't it be more reasonable to help her master the strength of the Hata, rather than making a time bomb out of it... Konoha would have a lot to gain from this...", Fugaku pointed out as he had not missed a moment of this sad spectacle.

"Konoha could also have a lot to lose unfortunately... This attack is proof of that," sighed the Sandaime.

While the adults were arguing about the girl's seal, Itachi had slipped away quietly in pursuit of his friend. He activated his Sharingans in the hope of finding her more easily, and finally spotted her standing over the Hokage rock, her eyes closed and her hair waving in the wind.

He gently grabbed her hand as she tried to escape when she detected his presence. He then forced her to face him, and with a look filled with sadness asked:

"Why are you running away from me? I'm here too, you know ..."

"Next time, it could be you...", Mitsuki replied with a broken voice, pointing to the cemetery with her eyes.

"But I'm here today, Mitsuki-chan ... And I'll still be here the next few days, I won't let anyone separate us, you don't have to worry about that," Itachi reminded her.

"I can't go on, Itachi. I couldn't bear to lose you too... Having your blood on my hands... I can't go on like this, I'll never be a kunoichi," she declared, her body shuddering at the thought of giving up her calling.

"I can't let you do that, Mitsuki-chan. You are destined to become a great kunoichi. You have already mastered so much, and with practice you will master so much more... I can't let you give up your goal and your dreams of peace... and... please... don't give up on me either... I need you by my side..." Itachi almost implored her, barely containing his emotion.

"Itachi..." sighed Mitsuki as she lowered her head a little more, unable to face it.

This was the first time the Uchiha had ever expressed himself so openly, and it only confused her a little more. How could she ignore him, when he himself was asking her to stay for him? She was simply unable to do so.

"You're not weak, Mitsuki," the boy said in a dryer tone, "You fought until the end, you did everything to help them, I know it. And they knew it too! I couldn't bear to lose you either. I promise you, Mitsuki, it won't happen again. I promise to watch over you every moment and protect you no matter what."

Tears escaped from his dark eyes despite himself. He had tried to hide his emotions to preserve her, but what had happened to him made him suffer, and like Mitsuki, he had this horrible feeling of having failed. She then took a step in his direction, slowly, then another one, before throwing herself at his neck to hug him again. They cried together for many minutes, letting out all the pain they could feel. Ninja should never show their emotions, but this time they allowed themselves a truce, in the intimacy of their tight duo.

Itachi's hands gripped the young Genin's back as he breathed in her cherry scent that he had missed so much these past few days. As they began to calm down, Mitsuki whispered in the boy's ear:

"Congratulations on the awakening of your Sharingan..."

With a thin smile, he squeezed her a little tighter before releasing her, wiping his cheeks, quickly imitated by the girl.

"I'm asking for a little time, Itachi-kun. But you're right... I can't just sit around waiting for you to come back from a mission to make sure you're okay... I'm scared, but the best way to look after you... Is to train, again and again... I just hope I can gain strength so I never have to ..." she choked as she thought back to the scene.

"We'll get through this together, I'm here, I'll always be here," the boy promised her, looking at her with determination.

He took her hand and they left together towards the Uchiha clan. Their families were all waiting for them at Itachi's house. They sighed with relief as they returned, their eyes reddened, but looking a little more serene.

Mitsuki hugged Aruna, who shivered with emotion as he got a little bit of his dear sister back. Sasuke joined them, an angelic smile on his lips.

"Stay and eat with us!" offered Mikoto, still reeling from seeing their children so sad.

Aruna glanced at Mitsuki who nodded without hesitation. They ate dinner together, their hearts a little lighter despite the pain that persisted. Mitsuki ate, relieving Aruna who was sincerely worried about her health. They toasted all together in memory of the deceased, and more cheerfully, Fugaku raised his glass, brimming with pride, in honor of his son who had awakened his Sharingan, at the age of only 8 years.The evening ended in a good mood, and Aruna and Mitsuki went back home arm in arm.

"I won't give up, Aruna-kun," she announced to him.

"I'm glad you were able to talk about it with Itachi. I have to admit that I'm not serene about you going back on missions, after what happened... But I was also afraid that you would give up, after all the efforts you made to get there. I have faith in you. Take the time you need," Aruna encouraged her.

"But I still don't know if I can ... I don't have... no team anymore."

"Well, I was going to tell you later, because nothing is decided yet but... Given the situation, the Hokage is planning to integrate you in team 2, until we find a definitive solution for everyone..."

Mitsuki gasped. It was so fast, and especially sudden... But at least she could keep her promise to Itachi, and this time she would try harder to become the best she could be and never live such a nightmare again!

A few weeks passed, and once the mourning was over, Mitsuki joined her new team. They just trained at first, Itachi learning his Sharingan, and Mitsuki learning her medical techniques and trying to adapt to her new teammates. It wasn't easy for anyone, taking their friend's place didn't help the apprehension that Sensei, Yuki, and the third Genin, Shinko, had about her identity. But she was used to it, and only tried her best to prove to them that they had nothing to fear from her.

After a day where she was told by Shinko that she would never be able to compete with Tenma, Mitsuki went to the graves of her dead teammates, as she did almost every day after her training. This time she noticed the gray-haired ANBU deep in thought a few slabs away with a flower in his hand. She approached him slowly, not sure how to approach him and whispered:

"Hello, Kakashi."

He barely looked at her out of the corner of his eye, before grumbling:

"Weren't you ever taught not to bother a person who is collecting himself?"

"I was just coming to say hello, forgive me..." she apologized, confused that she had been disrespectful.

As she wanted to return to her friends, the ANBU caught her by the wrist before sighing:

"No, it is me who is asking for your forgiveness... You only surprised me... My reaction was inappropriate."

He looked over the Genin's shoulder, and continued:"I heard what happened on your last mission ... I know how hard it is to lose a partner. These are things that are unfortunately a part of ninja life. Don't let your emotions get the better of you, it doesn't do any good, believe me. And if you need to talk to someone... neutral ... well ... know that I'm here... often ..."

He rubbed the back of his head, obviously embarrassed.

"I don't know if I can really consider an ANBU who has orders to kill me whenever the opportunity arises as someone neutral, but your compassion goes straight to my heart," Mitsuki teased gently.

"And you're breaking my heart", Kakashi replied, offended.

Mitsuki laughed for the first time since the drama. She surprised herself in her spontaneity and blushed instantly:

"Sorry, it's not too appropriate here..."

Kakashi smiled behind his ANBU mask before whispering to her:

"But it looks so good on you though."

Mitsuki stifled a hiccup before awkwardly walking back to her Sensei's grave, greeting the ANBU with one hand as she stammered:

"See you later Kakashi!"

The teenager looked at her amused before leaping out of the graveyard.

Quickly, the Hokage assigned missions to Team 2, settling for D ranks, even a few small Cs occasionally. Their abilities were growing, but Itachi was the one who easily surpassed his teammates with his Sharingan which he quickly mastered. Mitsuki complained about her limitations but finally gave in to the idea of removing the seal, the Hokage not giving in, and having told her about the delicate situation of the Uchiha clan, since they had defended her during the previous attack on Konoha.