It was the middle of June and Tsukinoko was resting in the shade of her tree, enjoying the cool morning air above the village before the heat of the day. Reading quietly, she suddenly heard barking below her.

  Sunifa, at the foot of the tree, held her travel bag prepared at the Colony's quarters in her mouth, come to warn her of the Ro squad's departure on a mission.

  She arrived at Hanamaru's entrance with Sunifa slumped in her arms, seduced by all the pampering along the way. K?, Kakashi and Kimaru were waiting for them. As Kakashi stared at the two of them with K? and Kimaru, Tsukinoko smirked as she caressed Sunifa's belly.

  - Would you like a hug too?

  All three take offense, rolling their eyes, blushing or grimacing, then leave while Kakashi explains the mission on the way

  The mission was to escort an assembly between the lords of the Land of the Sun, who were to confer with the lords of the Land of the Birds to maintain the peace treaty, as a courtesy. But rumors of betrayal had been reported, so the team was sent as a precaution.

  Finally, one of the businessmen from the Land of Birds had embezzled money on Hanamaru's back, and had been arrested safely as a result.

  On the way back after the mission, the squad climbs a river and arrives at the foot of a large waterfall in full sunlight. The day was drawing to a close, and Tsukinoko could no longer stand the heat. She slowed down her pace, complaining all the while, despite the annoyance of her colleagues.

  - Hey, slow down! You're walking too fast! And-

  - You're wearing me out with your jabber," K? complains.

  - But it's too hot!

  - Does it look like we're controlling the temperature?

  - Idiot! I was just going to ask if we could take a break at the waterfall over there! she shouts, pointing at it. Boss?" she insists. Eh... Boss!

  None of them paid any attention to her and she sighed as she set off again. They arrive in front of the waterfall to cross the stream, but Kakashi finally agrees when she sees that the heat is overwhelming them all.

  As the boys fill their water bottles in the hot sun, she removes her breastplate and guards to cool off further away.

  But she stands up and sees that all three of them are staring at her with their bags still on their backs, and she doubts how long the stop will last.

  - It's still daylight," replies Kakashi, "so we can get there before dark if we don't stop.

  - But... she moans. I want to swim! It's so beautiful here!

  - We

  - I can give you part of my paycheck to extend the return trip," she haggles, "I know you're cheap.

  Kakashi raises an eyebrow, offended, but ignores his blackmail. Kimaru approaches, exhausted and sweating profusely, and cries out.

  - Major Kakashi, I'll give you my pay too if you like.

  - What is-

  - I'm not giving anything away, but if we can stay here, that wouldn't be a bad thing," smiles K?, admiring the waterfall.

  - But yes, we've finished the mission!" she exclaims. But we're just having fun with each other in our free time, aren't we? Just because we work at the Colony doesn't mean we can't have fun with our colleagues, right? It's good for team spirit! Even if K? is old, we're all together and-

  - I'm not old, I'm twenty-six!" he says.

  - Old grandpa..." she mumbles. We're all under twenty here!

  - But no! The Major is twenty-one years old!

  - Huh?" she wonders. But it's The Boss, it's like he's forty years old anyway," she giggles.

  - What?

  - Hey, you old guys going to get arthritis if you spend a night out there or what?! she snaps. Come on, just for tonight!

  - Kimaru murmurs. Is that allowed?

  - I'm not so sure, but the mission's over, so I don't mind stopping off," K? continues.

  The three of them stare into each other's eyes, but Kakashi continues on his way. The latter stopped before crossing because his subordinates were no longer following him. He then heads for the foot of the waterfall and capitulates. The three of them silently perform a ridiculous victory dance behind his back, delighted.

  The waterfall was several metres high, flowing into a deep turquoise pool. The water tumbled down to a limestone plateau full of cavities, giving the appearance of small pools full of eddies and rapids, before continuing downhill, disappearing in the middle of the forest.

  At the edge of the pool, Kimaru was lying in the shade, blowing out a breath, Kakashi immersed in his book leaning against the cliff and K? rummaging in his bag. Tsukinoko, wearing a tank top and barefoot, silently climbed the waterfall, clinging to the roots.

  At the top, she enjoyed the view for a few moments. With her hair blowing in the wind, she recognizes Hanamaru in the distance on the other side of the hills. Just above the pool, she takes one last look down, and calculates her jump to land as close as possible to her colleagues.

  She hesitated for a moment, as it would be better not to damage Kakashi's book at the risk of an argument. With her aura stretching all the way down, she discreetly removed the book from his hands. He looks up sharply as his book flies away, but she leans over the edge and beckons him to be quiet. He then picks up his book and moves off a little further without saying a word.

  She gains momentum before leaping into the void, but can't stop herself from screaming as she feels the weightlessness in her belly. Kimaru and K? barely have time to look up when they hear her before they're splashed by her water bomb. She swims to the surface and bursts out laughing when she sees them both soaked, proud of herself.

  K? calls her names, fuming.

  - Why are you moaning, I thought you wanted to cool off too," she giggles as she floats to the surface.

  - Imbecile! My bag is soaked!

  - It's going to dry, it's 30°!

  She swims casually in the pool, enjoying the cool water. Her long hair covers her shoulders, and she swims to the edge, brushing the strands off her face. She finds K? alone, hanging out his things, grumbling into his beard the whole way.

  - Where's Kimaru? I thought he'd died," she giggles.

  K? laughs with her but shrugs in response.

  Kimaru's gear was neatly folded on his bag, and Tsukinoko barely had time to look up before he landed in the water right beside her. Even more explosive, his landing floods K? and her belongings again.

  - You bastards!" he snarls.

  They both burst out laughing, but K? jumps in to catch them.

  Tsukinoko abandons the game to take a rest in one of the cavities. Standing on the rocks, her feet in the water, she quickly rubs her head to loosen her roots and wring out her long, soaked hair. She sighs softly, the day's fatigue far behind her, but turns back to the two, wondering if they'd finally exhausted themselves, as they were no longer making any noise.

  This was without counting on their wide eyes, both motionless as they floated in the water, a look of bewilderment on their faces. Above them, Tsukinoko realized that her tank top wasn't as long as she'd hoped and offered a clear view from below.

  Her face immediately tenses in horror, and she throws her chakra into the pool to electrocute them. Not forgetting to call them nameless perverts, she electrocutes them as they convulse under the shock, stammering out pleas, before sinking.

  Kakashi, standing in the river just below, was fishing with a makeshift rod. Amused to see him in this activity, Tsukinoko decided to pester him a little. She sits down on the edge of the rocks, but as she watches him curiously, sitting in the stream and dangling her feet in the air, she sees him pull a fish out of the water, wriggling at the end of the line. She lets out a surprised exclamation, then guesses that he's smiling proudly at her, and smiles back as she watches the fish wriggle. The unfortunate fish finally manages to break free of the hook and dives back into the water to escape. She looked up at Kakashi. His gaze was lost in his amethysts, which glistened as they reflected the clarity of the river, translucent and bathed in the rosy glow of sunset. The splashing rapids behind Tsukinoko made the air seem light and sparkling.

  She drops into the water and he flinches before getting back to work, looking confused, as she timidly joins him in treading water.

  - Are you planning to fish something tonight, or are you just having fun?

  - I'll... I'll see," he mumbles, staring at his line.

  She questions his muddy answer with her eyes, wondering if he was blushing, or if it was due to the sunset lights. She watches the fish swim between their feet.

  - I went fishing once with my dad when I was little," she says in a small voice. But it took so long, I got fed up, so I came up with a trick. He had a good laugh when he saw the result," she smiles proudly, "but there were far too many fish for the three of us. Look, I'll show you!

  She runs out into the middle of the river and discreetly observes the fish below, then slowly kneels down when she spots a plump eel.

  With her hand on the surface, she sent a shock through the water to surprise the fish, but it seemed unaffected by her attack. She finally catches it with her bare hand, but the slimy eel waddles away and electrocutes her in return. She screams in surprise and falls into the water, with Kakashi sniggering on the shore. She ruminates in her beard, then pulls herself up onto the water again and signs the incantation of the kneeling tiger. She places her hands on the surface and eddies bubble up around her, followed by dozens of fish that emerge at the surface, floating on their sides.

  - That's a lot of fish, just for the four of us," he sighs in his corner.

  - Did you see that?! she exclaims in the distance with a big smile.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  He nods and they head off to take the catch back to camp.

  Around the fire, K? and Kimaru tell scary stories as night falls, then Tsukinoko cuts Kimaru's long hair to make him cooler.

  Tsukinoko couldn't sleep thinking about the mission, after all the diplomatic and cordial discussions that had taken place, wondering why her father and his rival hadn't been able to pull it off.

  As Kimaru begins to snore, she discreetly gets up and climbs the waterfall again, enjoying the view in the cool of the night.

  Eyes fixed on Hanamaru in the distance, she sighed sadly as she thought back to her parents without being able to hold back, and let her tears flow freely as she sat on the edge of the cliff. Leaning on her hands, she admired the stars, her nose in the air.

  Deep in meditation with Tenryū, whom she had hoped to catch a glimpse of in the sky, she is interrupted by Kakashi. Annoyed at being disturbed, she mumbles.

  - What do you want?

  - I was wondering where you were and if everything was all right. Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. I'll be right down.

  - No, wait...

  Tsukinoko had lots of questions about him running through her head. Maybe now was the time to talk about them, now that they were alone together. She looked up at him. He was admiring Hanamaru in the distance, hands in the pockets of his sweater, and she smiled anxiously.

  - Why aren't you sleeping?

  - Probably for the same reasons as you," he replies without hesitation.

  - Can I ask you a question? Sit down, you're stressing me out behind my back," she says shyly.

  He steps up beside her but remains standing, and she takes a deep breath before asking the question that has haunted her since her first mission with him.

  - How could you have a Negin?

  He doesn't answer, staring into the night.

  - I mean, I know how you got it, from what they say, it was on a mission, but... is it true?

  He still doesn't answer, and she immediately regrets asking the question, but he finally speaks.

  - Why do you think it's a made-up story?

  She hesitates for a moment but hurries to answer so as not to arouse his suspicions.

  - Because I know the advantages of this power. You may have taken possession of it for this... she hesitates. They call you Kakashi the cold-blooded, Kakashi the friend-killer... that's why I wonder if these nicknames come from there... No sorry, I don't mean to be disrespectful... I- forget... she sighs.

  Uneasiness had taken hold of her as she realized that he was nonetheless attentive to his team, despite the rumors, and that he cared for his late team more than he cared for his own life. In addition to the indiscreet question, curiosity and apprehension stung her.

  - They don't come from there," he answers at last.

  - Nicknames? Where do they come from then? she hesitates.

  She falls silent as he sits down beside her and avoids her gaze. But he holds out a handkerchief and she stares back.

  - You're crying," he said softly.

  Ridiculous in front of him again. She immediately takes the handkerchief from him and laughs away the embarrassment.

  - You don't have to apologize for that. And you usually apologize too much, too.

  - You say that like it's a bad thing," she grimaces.

  - It often hides a lack of self-confidence, or a lack of confidence in general. And those are things that are paramount to the stability of a team, so I just want to make sure that's not why you're apologizing so much.

  She was speechless for a few seconds, not forgetting that he still hadn't answered her, before reassuring him in turn.

  - Don't worry, Boss. I just don't want to disappoint anyone," she shrugs. I've picked up some bad habits, that's all.

  He insists on understanding what those bad habits were. Maybe by being honest, he'll be honest, and she'll get the answers she needs.

  Even with all the apprehension of discovering these answers, Tsukinoko had great confidence in her boss. Her father had taught her all about martial arts, and her mother about everything else, everything that mattered in life.

  When Tsukinoko arrived at Hanamaru, another world opened up for her, and she had to start from scratch. She did her best to blend in, apologizing for every wrong step, hoping not to be denigrated.

  - I understand. You're doing your best," he says gently. I can see you're trying, and I know it's not easy for you. Haruo Sato told me when you first arrived that you didn't even know what a balloon was. And with the situation and Sagi trying to corrupt you, it took you a long time to find your bearings.

  - Do you really think so... she hesitates. It's true that in my day there weren't any balloons!

  - Your era?

  - Er... Where I used to live, I mean.

  - That's why, then," he says reassuringly.

  After the slight scare, Tsukinoko is moved to tears, touched by her friend.

  Just with these few words, Kakashi had reassured her, as if these simple words were worth all the gold in the world, as if they recognized these years of effort.

  Tsukinoko smiles at him even though tears are rolling down her cheeks, and he returns her smile before looking up.

  - You spend your nights looking at the stars when we're on a mission," he says suddenly. You're always crying too," he adds. You should have more confidence in yourself.

  She was surprised by his gentleness, the impression that he was trying to reassure her, and thought he must feel sympathetic after seeing her cry.

  - You know, you don't have to feel obligated to reassure me, boss. Don't worry. You're very chatty tonight, by the way. Uh... I mean, in that case? You look after your friends," she sighs. So why do they call you Kakashi the friend-killer?

  He sighs again but she perseveres.

  - I know it must not be funny," she says shamefully. I'm not laughing, I'm just trying... not to be too... I mean... I want to understand you. I know this is a sensitive subject for you, I'm sorry. You can talk about it when you feel like it, if you feel like it. To talk to me about it... I'm sorry I asked all those questions, I shouldn't have. Here!" she suddenly exclaims. You know, when I met Hina, I went to sleep at her place for the first time, hoping I'd have more nightmares if I slept with someone. This was a few months after the G?me Attack. But it didn't work and I woke her up with yet another nightmare in the middle of the night, even her father was woken up... I felt so bad, but she took me in her arms and told me that I had to tell her about my nightmares to get them out of my head, and then go back to sleep. And that's what I did with her that night, and we went back to sleep together," she smiles. That night was the first time since my parents disappeared that I really slept well," she smiles wistfully. Where I felt a bit better the next day, more motivated. Since then, when I can't sleep because I've got too much on my mind, for example, I go outside to get some fresh air and clear my head. That's why I came here, to get out my pain and try to go back to sleep afterwards

  Tsukinoko smiled to herself as she thought of Hina. She realized she'd just been chattering without stopping and felt embarrassed by her unpacking, thinking she'd annoy Kakashi.

  - Sorry, I talk too much," she chuckles. If you've got too much on your mind, you need to get it all out before it boils over. Alone with the stars, or with a friend you trust, staring at the ceiling of your room before sleeping, over a drink with an old acquaintance... Whatever," she smiles. Sorry I insisted, Boss, you said you were here for the same reasons I am, and I'm bugging you with my questions... So it was a little advice that helped me a lot, and I hope it will help you too, to make up for my nonsense," she smiled tenderly, shrugging her shoulders. You don't seem to talk to many people about what's on your mind...

  Still no answer.

  Kakashi stared at the horizon during his monologues. Tsukinoko turned to lie with her head on the edge of the void, overwhelmed. The calm and serenity of the night enveloped them both. As she watched the constellations, Kakashi sighed softly, then spoke in a small voice.

  - I've told you before not to call me that, especially when we're not on a mission.

  - Kakashi then?" she replied, without taking her eyes off him.

  - Please.

  As if he'd just created a refuge in time with his request, protecting himself with their friendship, he looks back at the landscape and finally opens his heart

  With the story finished, Tsukinoko gazed up at the sky, unsure of how to respond. All her apprehension had vanished. Kakashi had lost everyone close to him during his lifetime, in one tragic incident after another. All her pain flowed through her, down to the very depths of her soul.

  - And to answer your question," he concludes, "they call me that because not everyone needs to know the truth.

  - You fight to protect those you love," she smiled in a small voice, "despite everything. What you said to me the other night, when we were arguing... were those your friend's words?

  - Yes.

  - Ah yes," she sighs heavily. He must be happy to see you applying it today. I've seen you standing in the cemetery a few times," she confesses. I was on my way to pay my respects, but you were always there when I was done, and you didn't seem to have any intention of leaving anytime soon.

  - When I go to collect myself, I always end up berating myself for my mistakes for hours on end. Like you, I lose track of time," he sighs. If I'd had the maturity I have today, I wouldn't have made so many mistakes.

  - If you hadn't made so many mistakes, you wouldn't be as mature as you are today," she continues.

  - I don't think I'm a good person today.

  - You're wrong," she smiles, "I love you like that. Even if you find me boring.

  He doesn't answer, and she can no longer decipher their overloaded emotions. She sits up with a gasp, glances around but he's still staring at the horizon, saying nothing, and she continues, letting the words flow from her heart.

  - You know, lamenting and dwelling on past mistakes won't change anything in the present. You have to accept them and move on. Even if it seems insurmountable, even if it's scary. It took me a long time to get there, and I'm still often scared... like tonight. That's the hardest part, really," she sighs. Most people think it's the missing them that's going to hurt the most, the not seeing them again. But it's the remorse and resentment that's rotting us, we feel guilty, we tell ourselves that if we hadn't done that, or if we'd listened to what so-and-so said, then maybe they'd still be there with us. We blame ourselves for everything, we feel responsible. Kakashi... You know, if you want to stop spending your time there, there's a solution. You have to forgive yourself, forgive yourself for leaving them. We ask them to forgive us, we ask ourselves to forgive them, and we get up again," she murmurs determinedly. We borrow the strength and goodness they had every day when they were still here, and we keep getting up every morning, every day more motivated than the day before. We learn from our mistakes instead of dwelling on them, and we reconcile with ourselves. Too often I see you alone, as if you've cut yourself off from others. It's not by rejecting everyone because things aren't going as you'd like them to that you'll get out of it, because after a while no one will reach out to you.

  She saw him glance at her furtively out of the corner of her eye but continued, hoping he wouldn't take her words the wrong way.

  - Keep up your efforts, and one day you'll wake up surrounded by friends again, she said, looking at him, or with a new family, she said, thinking of Hanamaru. It's been nine years and you've survived, and you'll survive for the decades yet to come, so you might as well make the best of it, right? I've been going through hell since my parents disappeared, and I'll miss them for the rest of my life too... But today I just want to say thank you. Thank you for everything they've done for me, and in return I've promised to do the best I can with what they've left me. Not to mope around as if their sacrifice meant nothing.

  She sighs sadly and he looks at her again for a second. Soothed after his beautiful speech, fatigue finally catches up with her and she decides to conclude on his advice.

  - The less you apologize, the longer and more painful the road will be. But if... she yawns, if you do all that, little by little you'll see the end of the road, and you'll free them along with you. They're waiting for that, they're watching over you from where they are and they don't need anything else. They don't need your excuses, they need to see that you're carrying their dreams with you, and that you're pulling through. And you're on the right track," she says softly.

  Curled up, his head resting on his knees, Kakashi was still staring into space, as if unable to reply, unable to defend himself, unable to nod, unable to admit the situation to himself.

  - Kakashi, you're not a monster or responsible for what happened to them, you know. Even if the rumors say that, even if I believed it too at first. I'm sorry. I hope you're not angry with me, and that you manage to sleep better, at least tonight," she smiled, closing her eyes.

  She crossed her arms behind her head, but the hardness of the pebbles bothered her. Lying on her stomach, nothing helps, and he lowers an eye to her agitation.

  - Go to bed," he said hoarsely, "it won't do any good to wriggle around like that, the floor won't get comfortable.

  - Nan... she moans. I'm better off here. I should have just taken my sleeping bag to make a pillow," she yawns.

  She fidgets again, then rests her head on her arms, flat on her stomach facing the panoramic view. Kakashi glances over as she quickly starts to nose down, understanding that she was applying his own advice. The night passes as he stands there meditating in the cool of the night, his sweater keeping Tsukinoko warm and his satchel serving as a pillow, gently laid down without waking her.

  The dawn and the fresh dew awaken Tsukinoko. While they are all still asleep, she silently makes tea, meditating on her discussion from the night before.

  Kakashi sat up slowly and she poured him a cup of tea, before kneeling beside him with a pout. With one hand, she tries to untangle his rough hair, but he glares at her before pushing her away

  While the other two are still snoring, the sun rises. In a good morning mood, Tsukinoko splashes ice water on each of them and joins Kakashi, trotting and giggling, proud of herself. Amused by her nonsense, he looks at her with an affectionate air, reassured to have her with them. He thinks back to his deceased friends, and recognizes that they got along just as well as before, but different in their own way, even if the beginning had been rocky with her. He turned back to the two who were still getting dressed before disappearing into the forest on the other bank, urging them to hurry as they cursed their comrade.

  Over the following weeks, Kimaru and Kakashi worked with Tsukinoko on the new formation, which they named "Formation T". In the meantime, Tsukinoko had gone on vacation for a few days with Hina and J?net in a trendy city, and the girls had given her the tattoos Tsukinoko had always wanted: a full-colour Daruma on the forearm, a nod to the Panthers on the ankle, a demon on the thigh

  After discovering her ability to master possession almost two years ago, Tsukinoko wanted to improve further in normal times so she wouldn't have to resort to this mode. While she was assigned to look after Haruo during the day, she went out every evening to train.

  But Haruo eventually noticed her efforts and then suggested she take some time off to train seriously, counting on her. So she packed a bag of belongings and headed for the mountains where she had met Tenryū, to be at peace with him.