Lady Tsunade removed her glowing hands from Chiisai. "She will be out for several days and the detoxification will be hard on her body."

Kakashi's eye was still locked on Chiisai, his hand still on hers. She looked so pale, her cheeks hollow. Her skin was stretched over her bones too tight, and her hand felt too fragile against his. He hadn't known how to react at seeing her awake, but now relief washed over him, as well as worry. She had finally made it back to him, but now came the fear of losing her again.

Lady Tsunade pulled on some gloves, and changed the needles on the machine out."Are you still okay concerning the arrangement we've made?"

He nodded towards Tsunade as he spoke. "The plan will keep her close and safe." And that's all that mattered.

She readjusted the machine again before moving Chiisai's arm. "It will also cause unwanted attention."

Letting go of her hand, he said, "It poses a good distraction." he paused, watching Tsuande insert new needles back into Chiisai. "But Chiisai won't be too happy about it."

The Hokage regarded the man she had known for so long. "You care for her, don't you Kakashi?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I do."

She pulled the gloves off and replied, "I would advise setting aside your personal feelings, but given the circumstances, you will be able to use it to your advantage."

His eyes wandered back to Chiisai's face. "Convincing everyone else might be a problem. I've never done anything like this."

She crossed her arms. "I've read the report. The relationship you two share is what will make it believable."

He didn't deny it, but what really was their relationship? "She's going to be a hassle."

She arched her eyebrow and smiled. "You've managed worse."

He merely nodded at her words, only feeling that this time everything would be different.

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Chiisai's head buzzed. No, not her head, something else. Her eyes flickered open. Lying on her side wasn't her normal sleeping position either. Her body felt too heavy to move and she was afraid moving too much might cause her to throw up. But something tickled her hand and sent chills up her arm, making it hard to remain still.

Opening her eyes, Chiisai looked to see someone's thumb tracing circles on the palm of her hand. The skin was calloused, and the person had fingerless gloves on. Her gaze traveled up his arm. Dark blue sleeves. Green vest. The person held a rather scandalous book up, hiding his face. But she knew that spiky silver hair. Farm Boy sat beside her, his head stuck in "Make-Out Paradise."

Groggily, she whispered, "You real?" This didn't feel real- it was like she was heavy but floating at the same time. Maybe for once she was having a good dream.

His hand went still. The book slowly came down, and she finally saw his eye stare down at her. There were dark circles under it.

"You look…really tired." Her throat hurt, and she frowned. When was the last time she had water?

He placed the book on his lap, his movements slow and cautious. "We thought you'd wake up sooner. Your body's very susceptible to ninjutsu."

"Yeah," Chiisai forced out. She moved her arm, but something pulled against the inside of her elbow- a needle and a tube. "How's your day, Farm Boy?"

His voice was soft. "Better. You had me worried." She glanced up at him and saw his slumped posture, his creased eye. It wasn't difficult to believe him.

Kakashi leaned closer as he shook his head. "Knowing how stubborn you are, I'll never get this chance after you wake up." He hesitated and added, "Answer me truthfully."

"Yeah," she nodded slowly, "I'm a truther." She pulled the sheet closer to her, shivering under the thin blanket.

His hand stroked her hair, brushing her bangs aside. "What are your feelings toward me?"

Was she getting head scratches? Gods, that felt good. "Hmm," she said. "You...annoy me."

An anvil might as well have hit his head. He pulled his hand back and whispered, "I see."

She smiled through the nausea and added, "But…I like you more than you annoy me." Her eyes opened slowly. "I'd put a book down to talk to you, even if I'm at the good part."

He glanced down at the numerous books littering the ground. He replied, "You must like me a lot then."

"Mmhmm." Yawning, she closed her eyes and asked, "Kakashi?"

"Hai."

Her finger tapped against his gloved hand. There was that heavy feeling again, and her hand now rested in his. She liked the feel of him, she realized. "You kinda like me too, don't you?"

He watched her for a moment, noticing how pale she had gotten in the past week. "Very much."

Lowering her voice, Chiisai responded sluggishly, "I won't tell anyone. Trust me, I'm good with secrets."

Sighing, he leaned back in the chair, saying to himself, "Too bad the secret's already out."

She didn't hear him, but said, "Farm Boy?"

His eye flickered back to her, resting on her lips. "Yes?"

"Can you scratch my head again?"

A small laughed escaped him, and he leaned over, kissing her on the forehead. "Of course."

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It took two weeks for the worst of the withdrawal symptoms to disappear. And when Shizune came in during her daily check-up, she was concerned to find Chiisai in an unlikely place.

She sat on the floor, her forehead resting against the corner of the pale white walls. Knees drawn up and head bowed, Chiisai didn't bother turning to the the sound. Shizune was left standing in the doorway.

"Umm…Chiisai?"

"Hmm."

Her dark eyes shifted away. The piles of books had still been untouched. "It's time for your check-up. Is everything alright?"

Slowly, Chiisai shook her head. "No."

Her hand lingered on the door. "Should I get-?"

Dragging herself to her feet, she mumbled, "Preferably no."

Shizune observed her patient, worry growing in the back of her mind. Chiisai stood like a ghost, her skin matching the walls that surrounded her. Her hair hung flat, hiding the red under her glazed eyes. Her body was having a hard time without the medicine it had depended on for so long. And her mental health had been suffering just the same. She looked like a walking ghost.

Chiisai trudged back to the bed so Shizune could begin the usual procedure: check heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature; then medical ninjutsu to see how her body was fairing. It was a robotic routine done with little conversation. How could Chiisai even make conversation- hello, I've seen your worst fears and desires, but hey, you've read about mine?

Shizune glanced at Chiisai and said, "I'm worried about you."

Chiisai glanced at Shizune. It was the same look Kakashi had given her last time he was here. She must look like hell. She sure felt like it. "...How so?"

Shizune blinked in surprise. She actually hadn't expected a response from Chiisai- she was always so distant. Shizune replied, "You have been drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. Having to isolate you in this place doesn't help you either."

Chiisai's gaze flickered back to the wall. Still no clock, no windows. She could only tell the time by when they brought her her meals. "I've been testing myself by taking away nightmares. I take away their terror by letting me feel it instead of them."

Shizune only nodded, still shocked at the woman's sudden openness to her. "That must put a strain on you."

It was a few moments before Chiisai spoke again. Her voice was low and sounded distant. "The one I absorbed last night was from a friend. He dreamed of being forced to kill cats." She closed her eyes, and Shizune noticed her body go still. "The thing is that actually happened. My father forced him to kill my cat while he was asleep. And it finally sunk in that Tori's dead and I don't even care that my father's dead."

Her hands stopped glowing green at Chiisai's words. She searched her face. There were no tears in her eyes as she stared blankly ahead. Chiisai was a shell- hollow and devoid of life. Procedures be damned- she couldn't let her patient live like this.

Shizune stared down at her hands. "Though Tonton is Lady Tsunade's, I don't know what I'd do without her. It's amazing the bond formed between humans and animals." They were quiet for several moments before Shizune finally rose to her feet. The wooden chair scuttled back against the linoleum.

Looking down at Chiisai, the woman extended her hand and asked, "Would you like to go for a walk?"

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Laughter entered his ears. It was a sound rarely heard in the secret stone-cold bunker. And it especially confused him when he recognized who it belonged to. He knew they had been taking walks since last week, but he had little hope that Chiisai would voluntarily open up to others. She barely even spoke a kind word to him now that she was awake. Sometimes, it was painful to see her, locked away, suffering silent in her own memories. He had done the same thing after Rin had died. But Chiisai's body had barely endured the withdrawals from her medicine, and she looked so different from when they had first met.

"And I couldn't get him to wake up!"

"So that's why Lady Tsunade's been so angry at him!"

Shizune and Chiisai turned the corner, both grinning. However, they both stopped on seeing him.

The artificial light bore down on them, casting long shadows. Kakashi's eye softened at finally seeing her smile. She looked significantly better and the color had slowly returned to her skin, thank the Sixth Paths. He lifted a hand up at them. "Yo."

Chiisai crossed her arms. "I heard all of my dream journals miraculously made it into Lady Tsunade's hands."

Even when she was angry she was cute, and he fought back a smile. He replied evenly, "You should have hidden them better."

"Kakashi," Shizune frowned, "I thought you had a meeting with Lady Tsunade?"

The jonin nodded. "I've been sent to bring Chiisai."

"What?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

"ANBU have been lurking around unauthorized recently. It's becoming a problem."

Shizune shook her head in frustration. "She hasn't fully recovered yet. Surely Lady Tsunade isn't going to do what I think she is."

Kakashi nodded. "It's time."

"Time for what?" Chiisai asked. Her voice was hard, her eyebrows furrowed.

He placed a hand on her head, his fingers sinking into her hair. "Get changed. I'll be there in five, whether you're dressed or not." He turned her around with his hand and nudged her forward.

"I don't appreciate the manhandling, Farm Boy," She growled back as she stumbled.

"Don't care."

Giving him one last glare with a string of incoherent words, Chiisai slowly turned the corner and muttered, "Just wait until you fall asleep, you little bastard."

When she was gone, Kakashi turned his attention back to Shizune. "She seems recovered enough."

Shizune shook her head and replied, "She has improved significantly, but her body still has symptoms left by the medicine. She sometimes has seizures on our walks and it takes her a few minutes to come back around. That's what I worry about."

His eye narrowed. "No one mentioned that to me."

Shizune didn't meet his gaze. "She didn't want you to know."

Sighing, he shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "The situation is as fragile as it is already."

Frowning at his departure, she asked, "Are you getting her right now?"

"Hai."

"It hasn't even been two minutes."

He turned the corner after smiling and saying, "I know."

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Lady Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the two standing in front of her desk. Chiisai silently fumed beside Kakashi, who didn't seem to notice. Shaking her head, she finally addressed the woman in front of her.

"Chiisai," the Hokage began, "you said at one time that you would like to work with us. Does that offer still stand?"

Her eyes found Tsunade's. "Yes."

Nodding, she replied, "Good. There are only four people who know your secret, and I want to keep it that way. How did you hide working under the Third?"

She closed her eyes, remembering her life ten years ago. "The Sandaime had regular open meetings with me after my parents' deaths. We made it look like he was just concerned for my post-traumatic stress." Chiisai shifted her feet, not looking any of them in the eye now. "Later, my information was mediated through a ninja. So I'd say there's five people who know."

Tsunade and Kakashi exchanged glances. "Who was that ninja?"

She scratched the back of her hand, shifting her feet. "Itachi."

The Hokage's eyes widened at the name, her grip tightening around the pen in her hand. "Uchiha?"

She nodded. "He has no concern for my power though. Itachi won't be a problem."

Kakashi shook his head, noticing the intimacy she used with the Uchiha's name. This wasn't good. "He was the one that discovered your power, wasn't he?"

She shifted her gaze to the window, but her body language spoke for her.

Tsunade crossed her arms. "That's not good news, but we'll have to discuss it later. For now, I would like you to know the arrangements we've made."

"Arrangements?" Her eyebrows creased. "What do you mean?"

"Keeping you safe is the number one priority. We cannot let you fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, you do not have the training or the experience to ensure your own safety, and we haven't found any information on your seal."

Her shoulders sank. "I don't know anything about the seal," Chiisai replied. "Just that Hiruzen created it for me, and I think it takes two people to do it? I can't really remember." She needed to contact Itachi.

Tsunade nodded. "We will keep looking. Now, normally, we would place ANBU to monitor you, however, Danzo would be sure to get wind of it. We plan on having you hidden in plain sight. You need to have a guard with you at all times."

"And that's Kakashi, I assume," she said as she glanced up at him.

"Yes. In order to remain discrete with your missions, Kakashi will be the mediator between you and me."

Chiisai shrugged, her eyes going back to the window. The Sun was bright outside, and she desperately wanted to feel the sunlight on her skin. What she wouldn't give to be back at her apartment right now, curled in the bed with Tori nestled beside her. "Sounds simple enough."

Kakashi sighed. "There's more."

There was silence, and Chiisai immediately noticed the tension in the room. Finally, the Hokage said, "You will be living together."

"What?!" Her eyes glared daggers at the jonin, who only shook his head. Chiisai's body went rigid at a new thought. Her head fell in her hands as she realized, "If I'm living with him, then that must mean-"

The Hokage nodded, amusement now showing on her face. "You two will be posing under a romantic relationship."

She scowled at the ninja beside her. "Did you suggest this? Why would you agree to such a thing?"

Kakashi extended his hand, stopping Chiisai from attacking him. "Look, it's the only thing we could think of to ensure the safety of you and the village. I'm not too happy about this either." He added gruffly, "Especially since I've seen your cleaning skills."

Her fists tried to find their target, but she was too short and his hand was pushing her head back. "It's organized chaos! And why do you have to be so damn meticulous about everything?"

Tsunade interrupted their argument. "Your things are being moved into Kakashi's apartment."

She came to a halt, gaping at the Hokage. "Don't I have a say in this?"

"No. You'll still be working at the library if that helps," Lady Tsunade shrugged.

"It sounds like I'm already Leaf property. I mean, doesn't this sound a bit rushed? How long is this going to last?" She still gawked at the Hokage, trying to figure out how they came to this unanimous conclusion without her. Was this normal protocol?

"You are not property, but we do need to keep you safe. Kakashi's Sharingan is the only way to protect you." She glanced at the jonin.

"Or keep me in check," Chiisai replied.

"Enough. This is my decision, and you agreed to work under me," the Hokage said. "Understood?"

Sighing, Chiisai hunched her shoulders in defeat. "Yes. But I'll have to socialize, won't I?"

Kakashi crossed his arms. "You've already made friends with Shizune surprisingly."

"I hate this," she seethed.

His eyebrow flattened. "It won't hurt to make some friends, Chiisai."

"Friends, I can probably handle." She raked a hand through her hair as she finished, "A boyfriend, however, is an entirely different matter."

Tsunade reassured her, "Remember the reason why we're doing this, Chiisai. If Danzo or anyone else knew about you, it would be catastrophic."

"I understand, whether I like it or not." Chiisai rubbed her forehead. She couldn't remember ever seeing Danzo's dreams, but one look at him had her glad she never had. But living with Kakashi? Would there be separate rooms? Separate showers? Gods, this was a disaster- she wouldn't even be able to walk around the house without her pants on. "Can we at least have some sort of contract? Because I'm not having sex with him just to "ensure the safety of the village.""

Kakashi raised an eyebrow in her direction, surprised at her words. Was she already thinking about sex between them? Interesting. He rested his hands behind his head and responded, "I don't think you'll need an excuse like that to have sex with me."

Her hands tightened to fists. "Just wait until you fall asleep, Farm Boy. You're gonna have a hell of a nightmare."

"It would probably be sex with you," he said in his emotionless voice.

"Shuttup! You and your damn comebacks piss me off!" She looked up at him and added, "Are you laughing at me?"

"Already bickering like a married couple," Tsunade huffed. "Alright, we will make a contract for your benefit, Chiisai."

"Fantastic," she shot back. "I can't wait to get started."

Kakashi and Chiisai glared at each other, both thinking the same thing:

This was possibly going to be the worst mission ever.

END OF THE DREAM DEVOURER

Hey guys, author here. I really hope you enjoyed this story. Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks for reading!