Mitsuki woke up in a daze in the room she didn't recognize. It only took her a few seconds to remember the events of the night before, and her chest began to ache immediately. Her heart was telling her to go after Itachi, she had already wasted far too much time! But her reason forced her to stay with Sasuke. The boy was definitely going to need a familiar face after the disaster he had experienced. But first she had to fulfill her obligations to her host. He had welcomed her without her even having to ask, and owed her at least some thanks.

But as she quietly entered the small living room, she heard his steady, whirring breath. He was sound asleep, lying on his couch in the most casual shorts and T-shirt, one arm draped over his gray-haired forehead, and the temptation to look at what he was hiding behind his mask, which he probably wore even at night, grew in Mitsuki. But she just rummaged around in her cupboards, making up a breakfast with a few pieces of bread and energy bars, and left it on the table, with the coffee pot ready to go for when he woke up. Still trying not to wake him after the short night he'd had to watch her, she changed quickly and quietly left the flat for the hospital. There was no need to tell him her destination, the Jônin would certainly suspect that she was going to the bedside of the last Uchiha of Konoha.

It was still early, the streets of the city were silent, and its inhabitants were for the moment unaware of the tragedy that had taken place a few blocks away. They would wake up naively, embracing each other as a family or grumbling over a cup of coffee, living their lives simply.

Mitsuki felt another twinge of sadness as she thought about what she had lost. No one would be waiting for her at home anymore, and the carefree spirit had probably left her for the very last time last night.

She hurried to Sasuke's room, keeping her promise to return to him as soon as possible. The boy was still unconscious, his face had become smoother, as if he was finding a calmness through his dreams. Mitsuki took a seat next to his bed, taking his hand again so he could feel her presence. She rested her head on the mattress, looking at him with a worried look. And she was, worried. Worried about the boy's future, about the grief he would have to go through, the life he would have to continue and the future she feared would be dark and complicated. But she would be there, she had promised, she would carry him through all his difficulties.

She could never replace his mother, nor his father, but she would do everything possible so that he too could one day find a semblance of family with her, following the example of Aruna who had taken him under her wing a few years ago.

Two hours after her arrival, the door of the room opened on Kakashi, a paper bag in his hand.

"How is he?" he asked as he approached the bed.

"He's still unconscious...but he seems to be in less pain," Mitsuki replied.

The ANBU handed her the bag and grumbled gently:

"I guess you forgot to eat again..."

Mitsuki grabbed the bag to look at the contents. He had brought her a thermos of tea and some particularly tasty smelling pastries.

"Aruna used to blame me for that..." she admitted with a half-smile, her heart tightening again as she spoke of her tutor in the past tense.

"I see... I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again, in turn. You could have woken me up too!" Kakashi chided her, noting in his head this nasty habit.

"You're already doing enough for me. And you needed some rest, too," the she-wolf pointed out gently.

"I'm just doing what I've always been asked to do: look out for you," the ANBU reminded her.

"Sometimes I think you go way beyond a simple task order. Not many 'monsters' are lucky enough to have someone to ward off bad dreams at night and bring croissants for breakfast," Mitsuki laughed, before turning her gaze back to the young Uchiha.

"Don't say that..." sighed Kakashi, still troubled by the beautiful brunette's remark.

"Say what?" she didn't understand.

"You're not the monster you think you are. You deserve every bit of attention any of us could give you.

- It seems that from now on, there's only you... the she-wolf remarked sadly.

- You're forgetting Gai! He adores you," the young man said, earning another laugh from Mitsuki at the memory of this strange character, "Joking aside, I can only understand your pain, but you're not alone, don't forget that, even if I'm the only one left.

He eventually left her to watch over the little Uchiha. She ate what he had brought and fell asleep for a while with her head against the mattress, never letting go of the child's little hand that waved from time to time in his sleep.

When evening came, she decided to go out, choosing to get some fresh air before returning to Kakashi's house. She went to the cherry tree hill overlooking Konoha, giving her a view of the Uchiha district in the distance.

From here, she could only see the darkness and inactivity that reigned there. She sighed sadly, when a croak startled her. She looked up at the cherry tree and saw a huge raven.

"Hello, beautiful bird," she replied.

The black bird flew down from the branch and landed on her arm. Stunned, she saw a red pupil that she knew all too well in one of its eyes. So it was on this bird that Itachi had hidden Shisui's pupil.

"You shouldn't be venturing out here, Itachi, even in this form," she grumbled at him, still stroking his beautiful feathers.

He answered her with another croak, gently rubbing his head against the she-wolf's hand.

"Sasuke is fine, he should wake up in a few days... I'm very much looking forward to that moment when he realizes again that his clan is completely gone... And that he will come to... to talk about you. I hope I'm up to the task of helping him through this..." Mitsuki informed him, receiving another approving croak.

"I miss you, you know... If only I knew where you went... Ouch!"

The bird had nipped at her, as if to remind her that she should never find him.

"Tsk ... that's easy to say ... I remind you that you promised never to abandon me..." she reminded him dryly.

She could have sworn that a sad glint crossed the raven's dark eye.

"Sorry... it slipped my mind... I'd give anything to see you again..." she sighed as the raven abruptly took flight again.

As painful as this encounter was for her, her heart lightened a little to have been able to share a little with the elder Uchiha. He was still out there, somewhere. Would he come back often?

"Who were you talking to like that, Miss Hata?" a male voice spoke from behind her.

She gasped as she turned around, and saw the Root's leader walking slowly towards the cherry tree. She gritted her teeth, feeling her pulse quicken severely, before answering in the calmest voice possible:

"I was talking to myself. Or rather, I was addressing Aruna, wherever he is..."

Danzo wanted to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she pulled back by reflex. He winced at this gesture, which he considered an affront, but resumed his place before letting her hear in an icy voice:

"Beware, Miss Hata. There are ears everywhere in Konoha. Anyone who sees you scouring the area that has so kindly opened its doors to you might think you are up to no good. And crows don't have a very good reputation these days either."

He left without another word, leaving the she-wolf to swallow her anger, her fists clenched.She was sure of it, he was largely responsible for what had happened to the Uchiha. She would have liked to confront him right here, to clear Itachi's name, to avenge Shisui, and to expose what a horrible game the head of the special unit was playing, but she thought better of it, knowing that no one would take her seriously in front of this man of power, and that she had a promise to keep to the one who was always on her mind.

She raised her red eyes to the sky, hoping to find her raven there, but it had obviously evaporated, and it was better that way. Shisui's eye had to stay safe, away from the greedy hands of that despicable individual.

She returned to Kakashi's house, relieved to have had some of Itachi's presence, but sad that she couldn't really find him.

A few days later, Mitsuki was summoned to the Hokage. He told her that everything had been cleaned up in the Uchiha district, which she could join if she wished.

Also, a ceremony had been decreed to honor the victims of the massacre. The she-wolf felt nauseous as she listened to him talk about the people she had known. The bodies of Mikoto, Fugaku and Aruna, among other powerful ninjas who held the precious Sharingan, had remained unaccounted for.

Mitsuki asked to wait for Sasuke, the only surviving member of the clan, to wake up so that he could pay his respects, which seemed to go without saying to the old man as well.

She left the Hokage's office with a heavy heart.

The next day, she went to Sasuke's room early again. She kept talking to him, telling him how much she wished he would come back to her and how much she was afraid of this moment.

She fell asleep again, her hand in his. She felt him tighten his grip, and woke up, thinking it was another nightmare, but as her eyes fell on his face, she saw his dark gaze staring at the ceiling.

"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed as she hugged him, not hiding her emotion.

He didn't move an inch, his face closed and his blank stare still frozen in nothingness.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm here, don't worry... I'll...I'll call a doctor to examine you," she warned him, her voice trembling.

She stood up, but the boy's small hand grabbed her shirt, not looking at her.

"Sasuke-kun..." she murmured as she sat back down beside him, answering his silent request.

She stroked his hair tenderly, watching him patiently, until he finally opened his mouth:

"Itachi..."

The she-wolf's heart suddenly sank. She didn't know what to say to him, just gently ran her fingers down the young Uchiha's cheek.

He finally looked into Mitsuki's red pupils, seemingly searching for words that wouldn't come. The girl understood that he was trying to verbalize what had happened, as if to make sure he hadn't dreamed it.

"Take your time, my Sasuke-kun... I know that what you're going through right now is probably the worst ordeal imaginable, but I'll stay here, close to you, for as long as it takes." Mitsuki tried to reassure him tenderly.

Sasuke's face changed expression several times, from sadness to pain to anger. His nails were gradually digging into the flesh of the she-wolf who didn't flinch, powerless before this moment she was so afraid of.

"He killed them, he killed them all... They trusted him, and he betrayed them all, only to test himself," Sasuke finally muttered.

His pupils recoiled as he replayed in his head every gruesome scene he had seen upon entering the Uchiha district, and the entirety of the slaughter his brother had made him experience over and over again with his Sharingan.

The boy's breathing quickened as he thought of his parents, shot and then bathing in their own blood together. Mitsuki gently framed Sasuke's face with her hands, urging him to look into her eyes again. He snapped out of his thoughts, finally letting the tears flow down his soft, childlike face.

The she-wolf hugged him again, holding him as tightly as she could. Sasuke's sobs tore at her heart even more, but she didn't let it show as she did her best to support him, refusing to listen to her own sadness.

Eventually a nurse entered, before quietly leaving, signaling to Mitsuki that she was going to get a doctor.

A few minutes later she arrived. Sasuke refused to let go of the she-wolf to be examined, so she began to check the boy's vitals and condition as best she could, as he lay sadly in Mitsuki's arms.

"Well, we're going to keep you under observation for a few days anyway, Sasuke, but you seem to be doing fine," the doctor said, as the boy burst into tears again.

Mitsuki winced before replying curtly:

"Those might not be the words I would have chosen..."

Realizing her tactlessness, the doctor apologized, making it clear that she was obviously talking about Sasuke's physical health, but in the face of the boy's grief, she finally left them alone again, giving them privacy to expiate all the grief they could, not even knowing if they could ever reach the limit.

The little Uchiha eventually fell from exhaustion into Mitsuki's arms as she cradled him against the pillows of the bed, rocking him gently without ever taking her eyes off him. A few minutes after he fell asleep, there was a knock at the door. Kakashi walked in, and Mitsuki guessed a small smile under his mask when he saw the two of them.

"He woke up?" he asked, relieved.

Mitsuki nodded, but her eyes blurred behind tears that tried to escape her red eyes again. Kakashi's smile faded immediately, and he quickly walked over to the she-wolf. He sat down next to her and put a soothing arm around her shoulders. Mitsuki dropped her head against the ANBU's chest, seeking his comforting warmth.

"This is so hard..." she breathed sadly.

"I know..." Kakashi whispered to her, gently tightening his embrace.

Little Sasuke seemed more relaxed in his sleep, calmed by the she-wolf's proximity. His innocent face softened the two friends, and Mitsuki couldn't help but place a soft kiss on his forehead.

Later that day, Hiruzen Sarutobi came to visit the last Uchiha of Konoha. He entered and could only smile at the sight before him. Mitsuki had fallen asleep against Kakashi, Sasuke still curled up tightly against her.

"It looked like a nice family portrait," he remarked to the ANBU, who couldn't help but blush under his mask. "Thank you for taking care of them, Kakashi."

"I'm just following the mission order you gave me..." repeated Kakashi, as he had done for Mitsuki.

"Oh, my dear Kakashi, I think your actions lately go far beyond a simple mission order. I'm glad that Mitsuki finally broke through the shell that surrounded you. And I'm just as happy that she can count on you...after all this..." the Hokage teased gently before sitting down next to the bed.

Mitsuki opened one eye as she felt the man's presence.

"Hello Mitsuki. Forgive me, I didn't mean to wake you," the old man apologized softly. "I wanted to take advantage of you and Sasuke being in the same room to discuss some things regarding your future..."

"Our future?" repeated Mitsuki, not understanding.

"Well... Your wishes for where you live, for example," the Hokage clarified.

Sasuke stirred gently in the she-wolf's arms, before opening his eyes in turn. Mitsuki tenderly ran a hand over his face, before saying firmly:

"I don't care where I go to live from now on, all I want is for Sasuke to stay with me, and to be able to look after him and his education. Unless of course you don't want me, Sasuke-kun."

The little boy rubbed his eyes, barely awake, but still managed to say:

"I'll live with you, Mitsuki-chan, but I want to stay in my house."

Mitsuki's heart missed a beat. She hadn't expected to have to return to the Uchiha district, let alone under the roof of those who had meant so much to her.

"You could stay at my house for a little while longer, as long as you need to, before going to Sasuke's house," Kakashi tried to negotiate, sensing the wolf's confusion at the idea of returning to the scene of the massacre.

Sasuke's eyes grew cloudy again, but Mitsuki understood how much his request meant to him, and assured him at once:

"We'll go wherever you feel most comfortable, Sasuke-kun. And if that's your house, then I'll come live there with you as soon as you get out of here. Is that alright?"

The young Uchiwa nodded shyly, a grateful look on his face towards the one who now represented his last point of attachment to his old life.

"Very well, if that's what you want. You will be in charge of Sasuke's welfare, and you will also see to it that he continues to attend the Academy's classes. If you need anything, I will be there to help you as best I can. I must now leave you, I have work to do. Get well soon, Sasuke. Take good care of yourself, Mitsuki. And Kakashi, I'd like to see you in my office, as soon as you can," the old man greeted them.

The doctor then returned to tell them that visiting hours were over. Mitsuki categorically refused to leave her protégé alone, but as the doctor assured her that she would take her out willingly or not, Sasuke reassured her that he could be left alone. He thanked her for spending so much time watching over him already, and Kakashi led the downcast young wolf towards the exit.

"Go home, and take a nice shower to clear your head. I'm going to the Hokage's house and I'll pick you up right after, we're going out tonight," Kakashi ordered her, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Kakashi, that's nice, but I don't know..." the she-wolf tried anyway before being interrupted.

"I don't think I left you any choice. Sasuke is awake and well. He'll be out soon. Now it's time for you to think about yourself a bit, and maybe even have a good time. So I'll tell you again: get ready, I'll pick you up in an hour."

The ANBU disappeared right after, ending the conversation for good. Mitsuki walked in troubled, and did as the gray-haired man had asked: she took a nice shower, put on a nice dress, and quickly combed her hair. She then stood in front of the window to wait for the ANBU, watching the sky turn shades of red and yellow under the setting sun. A familiar croak made her look up.

"Itachi?" she asked hopefully.

The bird landed in front of her on the window frame, Shisui's eye confirming its owner's identity.

"Sasuke woke up, but I guess if you're here, you already know that... He's fine... physically... but he's devastated inside. I don't know if I can do this Itachi... But I got custody of him easily, I promise to watch over him every day, until he doesn't need me anymore..." she told him.

The raven cawed in satisfaction before rubbing its head against the wolf's hand. The girl then saw a piece of paper hanging from the bird's leg, she took it and unfolded it before reading:

"I entrust the eye of Shisui to you. You are the only one I trust enough to watch over him. Forgive me for adding a little more to an already heavy burden, but no one must find him. I'm sorry, this is the last time I'll contact you, Mitsuki. I love you, but your life must go on, without me. Take care of yourself, be happy."

The bird took flight for a moment, before flying straight into the throat of the she-wolf, who gasped and nearly choked. The raven had disappeared inside her, she was now the guardian of Shisui's powerful power. But she also understood that this was the last time Itachi would come to see her. Instead, he imagined that she would erase him from her life, enough to move on and maybe even love someone else, and that she couldn't accept.

"You're an idiot, Itachi Uchiha," she sighed, resting her elbows on the window.

"Who's an idiot?" asked Kakashi, smiling behind his mask, appearing upside down in front of the she-wolf, hanging from the roof.

Mitsuki gasped, before pushing him away with a laugh.

"I was late, sorry. You look beautiful tonight...let's go." Kakashi invited her down from his perch before holding out his hand.

"And where are you taking me?" the she-wolf inquired, curious.

"You'll see," Kakashi replied in a voice filled with suspense.

Mitsuki pouted, before following him impatiently.