Kakashi felt his consciousness coming back to him when his head registered the familiar irritating beeping of his alarm clock. He groaned as he sloppily dived under his pillow, pulling it over his head in an attempt to quell the sound from his ears. It's a Saturday! Why is he waking up so early in the morning?! Oh right, he forgot to remove the batteries (which he always did to ensure that he could sleep in to his heart's content on weekends). In between exams and his (subtle) volunteers to their pink-haired teacher's aide, he, Obito, and Rin, didn't hang out as much as they used to. But of course, all those missed chances were compensated once their exams for the first term was over. After which they spent the rest of the day hanging out like the good friends they were by going to the arcade, the karaoke (much to his chagrin), and to their favorite restaurant. When he got home, he was so tired that he barely remembered taking a quick shower, changing into a shirt and a pair of boxers, and throwing himself on his bed where he fell into slumber the second he closed his eyes.

Unfortunately, his pillow did nothing to shield him from the alarm clock's incessant beeping. With a lazy arm, he searched blindly for the source of his morning misery. When he finally caught the surface of the vibrating object, Kakashi didn't think twice and threw the offending object to the nearest wall. A hum of satisfaction graced him upon hearing it crash and silence returned to his room. He pulled his head back and adjusted the pillow so he could lie his head on it as well as hug the cozy material at the same time. He was having such a good dream too. Specifically a dream involving pink and greens that reminded him so much of spring. A part of him deep inside knew that he should stop all this nonsense, that everything he did involving her was futile to begin with. Apart from school and her self-introduction months ago, he doesn't know nary a thing about her! But a greater part of him can't help it!

She's just so beautiful his heart aches just by looking at her.

Slamming his head onto his pillow, Kakashi struggled to sit up as if his back was piled on by his dogs. As much as he loved to sleep in and return to his blissful dreamland, once Kakashi roused from his slumber, it would be very difficult for him to sleep again. Swinging his legs at the edge of the bed, the young silver-haired took his time in rubbing the sleep off his eyes, not bothering to fix his already-messy hair. He grimaced at the sight of his alarm clock and he knew he needed to buy another one. As much as he hates the annoying thing, he has a clean record he has to keep up in school or else he will never hear the end of it from his old man. Besides, Haruno-sensei hates tardiness and she wasn't too shy to show her displeasure when a couple of his classmates showed up a few minutes late. The chalks that she threw dead center at their foreheads felt more like bullets out of a sniper rifle than anything before she started scolding them like an enraged mother.

Unfortunately for them, Haruno-sensei have this 'one for all and all for one' principle about camaraderie and looking out for one another more than just being simply classmates. Suffice to say they weren't off the hook and showed how serious she was in the form of a pop quiz. No one dared to be late (and hopefully, misbehave) in her class again. It was very scary to see the pinkette so mad when she's usually so calm and kind, but then again it's more amazing that she was able to pull her reprimanding off in a way that garnered her more respect than frowns and whispers behind her backs.

If anything, that incident only increased his view at how wonderful she was, but it also made him realize how out of reach she really was- that she was way of his league.

"The future is so bleak." He sighed before finally willing himself to stand and pick up the broken pieces of his alarm clock, taking the batteries that were still intact before proceeding to throw away the rest. He made sure to make his bed before groggily walking down the stairs.

"Ahh since you're up early, I guess I wouldn't have to worry about the crash I heard." His father grinned at him as he walked into the kitchen, already half-way done into his breakfast. "Good morning, little scarecrow."

"Good morning." Kakashi greeted sleepily, too drowsy to complain about his father's nickname of him.

He settled himself on the kitchen island across from the older Hatake where a plate of food was already prepared for him, thankfully- still hot. He gave his thanks before digging in and enjoyed the amiable silence as they ate their breakfast with only the sloppy sounds of their dogs eating from their bowls at their corner of the kitchen.

"So, any plans you have today Kakashi?" Sakumo started, taking a sip from his coffee.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully as he chewed before swallowing. He shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing really, but Obito and Rin might call and want to hang out."

"Well since your exams just finished, I guess I can't complain if you just want to laze around all day. But if you and your friends do have some plans for today, do me a favor and walk the guys first. It's been a while since they went out of the house."

He nodded, "Got it.

"The chief's gonna visit our precinct today so I'll text you when I'll be coming home." Sakumo said as he stood from his chair, taking the dishes with him to the sink before donning on his police vest hanging at the backrest of his chair.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Kakashi wondered, bringing his own plate and proceeded to clean the dishes.

"It just either means more work or an inspection, no big deal. I'll see you later, son." He ruffled his hair affectionately, making Kakashi groan to which he just laughed.

"Later!" Kakashi shouted amongst the collective barks as his old man stepped out of the door.

.

Tugging on the leashes hooked onto the vests, Kakashi nodded in satisfaction once they were secured. The eight dogs were all barking and jumping around, wagging their tails excitedly while some were already pawing at the front door as they waited for him to take them out for their walk. It'll be a great change of environment since he and his father were too busy to take them out beyond their backyard.

Making sure that there were no plugs plugged and the gas was securely closed, Kakashi inserted his fully charged phone inside his jacket before finally grabbing hold of the collective leashes in each hand. Three were linked to one handle where the dogs were evenly distributed for him to handle easily in spite of their strengths combined. The only one separated from the rest was Uhei- the brown greyhound but he's the best-behaved among all of them in disregard of his age.

Kakashi locked the gate behind him, double checking his dispenser of dog waste bags strapped at one of the leashes and his mask before tutting. The dogs automatically headed to the direction of the park with Pakkun in the lead- the small pug has always felt like the leader of the pack. Along the way, people stared back at him with a mixture of awed and weird faces- all of which he was already used to. After all, it's a bit weird to own so many dogs but as long as they don't make any snarky remark then Kakashi wouldn't mind the stares. These dogs were more than just pets, they're family. Each one of them is special and he loves them all equally- well maybe there's a bit of favoritism to Pakkun but he loves them all nonetheless.

Pakkun, Bull, Urushi, Shiba, Bisuke, Akino, Uhei, and Guruko; all different from their pure and mixed breeds to their different personalities. There used to be only three of them until his father decided to adopt more. They've been in the care of the Hatake family ever since. Kakashi owed these dogs simply by being there with them. They kept the deathly silence and haunting nightmares away. To Kakashi's opinion, it's his father's way of coping from his mother's death- he mentioned that she loved dogs and would've loved to have a house filled with them. They helped his father immensely, and they also helped him by keeping him away from loneliness while his father's out busy with work. All of them had been beside him since he could remember- they were his friends, his brothers, and an integral part his family.

So imagine his fear when he realized one of them had gone missing.

Sakura smiled in content as she listened to her boys bicker back and forth from each of her sides. She missed them so much. When she agreed to Hiruzen's proposal, the sneaky old man had made sure she had no chance of changing her mind by ratting out her return to one of her beloved brothers. The first time she saw Sasuke cry was when they announced that the war was finally over- all the stress and inhibitions had finally weighed down on him that he broke down with all their comrades in the middle of the battlefield, and the second was when he held her so tight after she stepped into the lobby of the airport. All the while sobbing at her shoulder and whispering how stupid she was. Sakura just hugged him back and let him cry, but she, too, started sobbing tear-less cries when he finally told her he missed her so much.

The reunion with Naruto was one she didn't expect and more heartbreaking than anything. With Sasuke at her side, she finally resolved to go to the Uzumaki household. Naruto was a free spirit, the ray of sunshine in the dark and stale trenches of death during wartime. He was their beacon of hope that drove them to keep fighting no matter how hopeless the situation had become. Everyone thought that nothing could break the sun in his smile, oh how were they wrong. But it wasn't the war that made him lost his shine, it was her. The first time she saw Naruto so furious was when he was torn between his morals and orders- he was given a choice whether to kill a child who wholeheartedly supported the terrorists or risk their entire unit being ambushed instead. The second was when she stood in front of him.

He didn't hit her, he couldn't, but he still hurt her by shouting all obscenities towards her. Naruto made sure to make her realize how angry he was for not telling them anything, how panicked he was when she suddenly disappeared, how desperate he was to find her that he was threatened to be stripped off his veteran rights and honor for demanding every military base for any information regarding her location, how sad and hopeless he felt that he couldn't do anything, how she broke her promise of celebrating their hard-earned peace as blood brothers and sister, and how she crushed him in fear of never seeing her again. Of course, Sakura took all of those words in face value. She couldn't blame him, he was right; it was all because of her selfishness that made her blind of the repercussions she unwillingly created when she up and left with the wind.

In the end, a heartfelt sorry could never take back the damage she had done. Still, it was enough to make her beloved brother cry and hold her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

"IDIOT! YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT, SAKURA-CHAN! DON'T YOU DARE DO THAT AGAIN! DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN! Please… just… don't leave us again…"

As much as she wanted to, she didn't cry- she couldn't cry, but her heart breaking as her boys held her was more than enough for someone as broken as her.

"Hey Sakura-chan, your hair's gotten longer." Naruto commented as they walked down the street to digest their brunch, lost in their memory lane. After that reunion, Naruto finally found his spark again.

Sakura brought her hand up, feeling the long tresses that had already gone past her shoulder blades. "Yeah I was planning on getting it cut. Wanna accompany me to the salon?"

The blonde grinned mischievously, "Sure! Then we can get teme a new hairstyle too! It's about time loses his duck-ass hair!"

The only time they ever saw the Uchiha change hairstyles was when they were mandated by the military since they enlisted and started boot camp.

Predictably, Sasuke glared, hissing between his teeth. "Touch my hair and I'll make sure you'll never see your beloved car again."

"Leave Kurama out of this!"

Ergo that incited another round of insults between them and Sakura let out another heartfelt laugh. It felt so surreal, this comfortable feeling, almost as if the tragedy of her past didn't happen and their bonds weren't forged in the wake of a war-torn field.

Their shouting ceased when a dog suddenly came running their way. The brown greyhound charged towards them with its insanely natural speed, its broken leash and blue vest flapped with the wind behind him. They side-stepped to let it pass but it suddenly jumped and nearly knocked Sakura down the cemented pavement at the force.

Sasuke and Naruto stared- bewildered, as the dog proceeded to jump, bark, and lick the pinkette's face. Its long tail wagged violently as it smothered her with its affection like it was a long lost dog finally reuniting with its master.

Sakura's eyes widened at the realization. She didn't need to look at the dog's name stitched on its vest as she hug the dog tightly like an old best friend.

"Uhei."

"Uhei! Uhei! Come here boy! Uhei!" Kakashi gritted his teeth behind his mask. His hand has been itching to call his dad for over an hour already but he was torn to continue finding his missing dog and bothering his old man at work. He spots Rin running towards him.

"Any luck?" he asked immediately with a hint of panic lacing his voice.

The girl panted to at least catch her breath to form coherent sentences, her brows furrowed apologetically. "I'm sorry Kakashi-kun."

"Dammit!" he bit back, surprising the brunette. Even though she knew he wasn't cursing at her, this was the first time she ever saw the usually calm and collected Hatake Kakashi so rocked from his saddle.

When they received a call from a desperate Hatake, they all but rushed immediately at the park where he told them that one of his dogs went missing. Obito and Rin at least understood why Kakashi was so frantic, those dogs were as good as family to him and even though they wanted to spend the rest of their Saturday lounging around the house, they knew their friend needed them more than ever. Especially when he rarely ever asked for a favor, much less help. They've been searching for a good few hours now, running around in circles in and out of the park asking everyone who could have seen a brown greyhound wearing a blue henohenomoheji printed vest.

"HEY KAKASHI! RIN!" Obito gripped the brakes of his bicycle and the wheels skidded to a halt just in front of them.

"Do you have any news, Obito-kun?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, I do…" The raven-haired furrowed his brows, lips pressed into a thin line as he looked at her and then to Kakashi. "I don't know if it's really Uhei, but I met a couple and they said they saw a brown dog wearing a blue vest at least an hour ago."

"Where?!" Kakashi stepped forward.

"At Founder's street…" Obito chewed on his bottom lip, indicating his hesitance. "They said they saw him with three people."

The surge of panic was palpable in Kakashi's wide eyes before he whipped his head around to direct his glare at his feet. His fists clenched at his sides as he willed himself to not think of the possibility that Uhei was dog-napped. He doesn't know if it's better or worse to think that the dog could be Uhei- it could be just another dog. Still… Founder's Street? Uhei's a smart dog and the most behaved one among the pack. Compared to the others, he's the only one who hasn't caused any mischief until now. So it doesn't make any sense for him to just suddenly run off, and to someplace far no less.

There's also the fact that he's going to get in big trouble if his father finds out Uhei had ran away. The greyhound was one of the last of his father's original pack. Uhei held a sentimental value as a loyal companion during Sakumo's military days.

"D-Don't think like that, Kakashi-kun." Rin tried to comfort, probably having the same line of thought as him. "If it was really Uhei, then maybe those people might return him."

"Y-Yeah! That's right!" Obito piped in, "Besides, isn't there a tag on his vest for your address? Maybe they went to the pound and filed a Lost and Found notice!"

"Obito-kun's right! Come on Kakashi-kun, why don't we go back to your place? Maybe they brought him there and if not, we could also try calling the pound."

"Come on Kakashi, there's no use moping around like that. Besides… you need to relax a bit. You look like shit."

Unfortunately, Obito's attempt to lighten up the mood was not enough to alleviate the thick tension on his best friend's shoulders, but at least it did the trick just enough for Kakashi to nod his head and walk back home- albeit dejectedly.

One moment he was spending the sunny afternoon at the park while sharing a few bags of beef jerky with the pack and the next thing he knew, Uhei suddenly started acting weird. His focus was directed at one section of the park, sniffing the air and barking loudly before he started to struggle with his leash. With the other dogs jumping around him in attempts to steal the bags of meat from his hands, Kakashi wasn't able to hold onto the leash well enough that it snapped, and with a speed that made greyhounds infamous- Uhei ran off without even bothering to look back despite his calls. He couldn't run off to follow him too since he's literally rooted to his spot, trapped with the other members of the pack.

The silence was unnerving and it didn't help when they returned to the Hatake residence and found no one waiting there as they hoped.

"Hey man," Obito started, careful with his words. "I think you should call your dad now."

Obito had a point. This was the extent of what they could do. Kakashi held up his phone, swiping away the missed call notifications he got from an unknown number and unlocked the screen, thumb hovering at his father's name on his contacts list. He'll be in very big trouble, he just knew it, but he'll worry about the repercussions later. Right now, finding Uhei is more important.

"Nohara-chan, Uchiha-kun, Hatake-kun?" came an all too familiar voice and they whipped their heads around just before Kakashi was about to press the call bottom.

Kakashi's eyes widened at the sight of their pink-haired teacher standing before them, flanked by Obito's cousin- Sasuke and the mayor's son- Naruto. Then an all too familiar bark echoed in his ears. Sakura let go of the broken leash and the greyhound immediately ran to his owner. Kakashi's body moved instantaneously, meeting the dog halfway with his knees hitting the cement as he held the canine close.

"Bad dog!" Kakashi shouted and the dog jerked his head back as he flicked his nose. "I was so worried about you! Don't you dare run away again!"

Sasuke snorted while Naruto grinned in amusement at the sight of the Hatake reprimanding his dog like how a father would scold a misbehaved son.

"H-Haruno-sensei? How did-" Obito started and the pinkette sent the three of them an apologetic smile.

"We found this guy while we were out on the street. He practically jumped at me and knocked me off my feet." She giggled as she approached Kakashi who was hugging the dog by now. Despite the overwhelming feeling of relief flooding inside him, Kakashi realized it too late when the pinkette suddenly squatted in front of him to meet his level. Her warm smile spiked his heart rate and the tips of his ears burned instantaneously like it always did- especially now when she's the closest she's ever been with him. "I'm sorry, Hatake-kun."

Heart thumping wildly that he could feel it in his throat, the silver-haired could only blink in question. He was too lost in her beautiful green eyes. "You must've been really worried. I tried calling the number on his tag but no one was answering. We brought him to your address but no one was at the house when we came. We also went to Nohara-chan and Uchiha-kun's houses but no one was there either, and Sasuke's out here with us. We couldn't just leave the poor guy alone so we decided to bring him with us. It's a good thing we caught you guys this time, or else I would've brought him back home with me. I'm sorry for hogging him all day."

Her hand fell on Uhei's head, petting him tenderly and the dog whipped his head around and proceeded to lick and bump his nose on her face. In his daze, Kakashi still found it suspicious that the greyhound acted so familiar with the pinkette. As if he hadn't seen her for a really long time.

"Sorry to butt in but we need to go." Sasuke interjected, snapping their heads to their teacher's companions.

"Yeah! We better get going now Sakura-chan or else we'll miss the movie!" added Naruto.

With one last smile towards them, Sakura then proceeded to pet the dog more affectionately and Uhei wagged his tail excitedly at her attention. It was quite odd when she kissed his head and held her forehead to his for a few seconds before finally standing up, even more so when Uhei made a move to follow her.

"You two did a great job helping your friend. I'm very proud of you three." Sakura addressed Obito and Rin, making them flush and laugh in embarrassment. "Well, at least we can rest easy now, huh? You kids have a nice weekend, alright? Be careful on going home. I'll see you three on Monday."

"U-Uhm… H-Haruno-sensei!" she stopped and looked back at Kakashi who now stood on his feet, hand gripping tightly on Uhei's broken leash. With her full attention directed at him, it was a wonder how he's still standing and can still (at least) form coherent words despite the butterflies in his stomach. Kakashi took a deep breath, straightened his back, and bowed waist deep at the pinkette. "Thank you very much for taking care of Uhei! A-And for bringing him back!"

He didn't need to look up to know she was smiling at him. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't trust himself not to faint if he does see that gorgeous smile for him.

"No problem."

Sakura gave them a final wave before sliding into Sasuke's car with Naruto as they sped off to the movie theatre.

"Wait a second!" Obito jerked. "I kinda get how Haruno-sensei knew where I live if she's friends with Sasuke-nii but… how did she know where you live, Rin-chan?"

Rin flustered, bringing her hands up in defense. "A-Actually, Haruno-sensei and I are next door neighbors."

"What?! Really?! How come you never told us?!"

"I-I-It's not like we're keeping it a secret! Haruno-sensei said that it might be an inconvenience for me if people found out our homeroom teacher lives next door to me. So we kind of agreed to never mention it unless it's fine for us."

"Oh. But still… oh wow, hey! That means Haruno-sensei's just lives one block away from you! Aren't ya lucky, Kakashi?!"

Kakashi took a deep breath for possibly the nth time that day as he stared up at the door to the teacher's lounge. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as he gripped the box of baked goods in his hands. Ever since the entire incident with Uhei, Sakura seemed to have established a permanent residence in the forefront of his mind. He was always thinking about her but that incident seemed to have only made it worse for him. From the moment he woke up to when he slept at night, he's been thinking more and more of her. It used to limit from just admiring her beauty but then it resorted to questions.

When he does the laundry, he wondered what color is her favorite; when he eats, he wondered what her favorite food is; when he tends to the dogs, he wondered if she preferred cats or dogs or any other animal; when he looks at the pictures hanging on their walls, he wondered what sort of past she had; when he slept, he wondered if she preferred the right or the left side of the bed; when he sees a random couple passing by, he wondered if she has a boyfriend.

Shaking his head violently, Kakashi willed himself to stop. He shouldn't let himself think further into this. He doesn't want to waste this opportunity after all. Whirlwind of emotions aside, he owed her a great deal and wanted to thank her first and foremost. Of course, he told his father what happened and the older Hatake was just relieved that nothing bad happened. But then he went up and found himself wondering out loud what he could do to thank her. He remembered the strange look his father sent his way before none-too-subtly mentioning that the pink-haired woman 'might' be fond of sweet baked goods- specifically vanilla flavored muffins.

He'll have to wonder what that was all about as Kakashi spent the entire day making the perfect batch of muffins while incorporating tips from his mother's recipes.

Knocking came easier than he thought but taking a peek and excusing himself was a whole other agenda. At least Haruno-sensei was alone in the lounge.

"Y-Yo!"

"Can I help you, Hatake-kun?" she looked up from where she was reading an article on her phone.

Kakashi flustered, "I-I was just- uhm… I- t-there's something I'd like to give you, H-H-Haruno-sensei!"

She blinked, and Kakashi swooned when she moved a stray lock of her newly-trimmed hair away from her face. "Alright, you can come in."

Granting permission, he made sure to make his steps even as he approached her at the center table. He took another deep breath and presented to her the box containing a dozen muffins.

"H-Here!"

Sakura blinked, gingerly accepting the box and taking a peek inside. "Ooh! Muffins! But… what's all this for?"

He swallowed, "I-It's a thank-you present. I-I'm really grateful for- for what you did, sensei. We have seven other dogs but Uhei's part of the pack. He's like family to us a-and I'm really happy that you brought him back."

Pink brows furrowed, "But I made you worry. I should've tried to contact you more. I'm sorry I didn't bring him back sooner."

"N-No! It's okay! Really! You don't have to worry about me, sensei. Besides, I'm more relieved because- because at least I know that Uhei was in g-good hands. And please don't try to give it back, I'm not gonna take it and besides I...! I…" he swore every visible part of his skin is colored crimson red already. "I m-made them for you…"

With his head facing on one side, Kakashi wasn't able to see the way her eyes widened, lips slightly parted, and the small layer of pink dusting her cheeks.

"O-Oh! Well, if you put it that way… I suppose I have no choice but to accept it now, do I?" blinking away her surprise, a mischievous grin tugged at her lips as she winked. "You didn't mix any love potion in these, did you?"

Kakashi felt he just had a heart-attack. He whipped his head back to her so fast it's a wonder he didn't get whiplashed. "W-Wha-?!"

Sakura giggled, waving her hand dismissively. "Relax Hatake-kun, I was just teasing you."

"Y-You're so mean, sensei."

A comfortable silence swept over them, and for once Kakashi relished the time with the pinkette. With his heart still beating loudly in his chest, at least this time he felt a sort of welcoming content for the first time among their interactions. It felt much nicer than the nervousness and anxiety. However the moment was cut (rudely) short (for his taste) when they heard a cough.

"Haruno-sensei."

Kakashi's eyes widened to see the older Uchiha standing by the open door. "Itachi?"

"Oh hello Itachi! Come on in. What brings you here today?" Sakura greeted and Kakashi blinked at the the pinkette's familiarity with the Uchiha- using his first name.

Taking the invitation, Itachi strode in with a small smile on his face as he presented a boxed lunch wrapped up in a cloth printed with the Uchiha clan's crest.

"I have brought you lunch, Haruno-sensei."

Her brows furrowed but kept her smile, "Is this your mother's doing again? As much as I appreciate the gesture, Itachi, you don't have to do this all the time."

All the time?

"You know mother can be a bit insistent, but I don't mind at all Haruno-sensei. I like doing things for you."

Something ticked inside Kakashi at that moment and it's something that he didn't like at all. Not one bit. He and Itachi always had a respectful relationship as he was best friends with his cousin- Obito and maybe even borderline friends, but at that moment it felt like all that respect just disappeared like a puff of smoke.

"Oh you've always been such a gentleman." Sakura sighed wistfully, "Your brother can learn a lot from you."

"Sasuke-nii just have some difficulty showing his affection. I do hope you like your lunch, sensei. I made this one myself."

"Really? Well aren't I lucky today! Hatake-kun here just gave me these muffins. He said baked these himself! Oh I can't wait to try all of them, thank you boys." Sakura giggled, finally giving in and decided to take a taste of the goods given to her.

"Ho?" Itachi blinked and finally set his eyes on the silent figure beside him, catching his narrowed eyes with his own pointed stare. "I didn't know you were fond of pastries, Kakashi."

"It's a thank you-present. I wanted to thank Haruno-sensei for what she did for me."

"Ahh is it about your missing dog? Uhei, was it? I heard what happened from Obito but isn't it a bit too excessive for you to bake them yourself?"

"Uhei is family, and I don't mind at all. I wanted to express how grateful I am to Haruno-sensei for what she did."

"I see. How very thoughtful of you. You must've put your whole feelings into those muffins."

"That I did."

"How interesting, so did I."

While Sakura happily relished on the delicious food given to her by her precious students, it made her blissfully unaware of what just transcribed between said precious students.

From that moment on, a silent rivalry has been set in stone between Kakashi and Itachi.

"Aww don't be jealous, Nyanko-sensei." Sakura cooed at the cat who stubbornly kept his head away from her. No doubt he smelled the scent of dog on her when she came back home. She pouted, "Now, now, don't be like that. Tell you what, why don't I serve you some sushi today? I bought some tuna, your favorite."

The cat whipped his head around at the familiar sound of 'sushi' and 'tuna'. Finally earning her cat's attention, she scooped the feline up in her arms and proceeded towards the kitchen, leaving the picture of her fifteen-year-old self hugging a young-adult Uhei wearing the vest of a service dog who became her close companion and shoulder to cry on during her lapses in nightmares while she trained under Captain Hatake's watchful eye.

I'll be following the 3-episode (in this case, 3-chapter) rule this time.

So once again!

I will continue depending on your responses!

Ciao~!