This time when she awoke, it was to a familiar soft mattress and cocoon of blankets. Ko untucked the sheets from around her and stumbled to the ground, falling into the arms of Nara-san, who was still there.

"Am I going to have to get used to being stared at in my sleep for the rest of my life?"

Instead of releasing her and leaving, what she really would have preferred so that she could go back to pretending that everything was fine and her life was great and she totally knew what she was doing, Nara-san tightened his grip and tucked her underneath his chin, in an uncomfortable paternal way.

Ko didn't have parents. She didn't want them. She had a family, they died, and eventually, she would meet up with them again.

"Have you ever heard of the Kinokawa clan?"

Ko shrugged in a limited fashion and fought the urge to do anything ill-advised as something cold brushed over her,

"They were a small civilian clan. Yoshino's family. And she would always say that she saw a piece of herself in every person that she loved. And she loved you. So, you're family. And that's why we're taking care of you. So next time. Please tell me, and just stop suffering in silence." Nara-san spoke low and slowly. Carefully picking his way across a minefield.

And despite the feeling in his voice, something about what he was saying rang untrue. Maybe it was the minor slipping of his chakra masking. But unfortunately, through the tang of copper and feeling wholly healthy for the first time in years, and scores of free time and nothing to look forward to, Ko felt a new flood of curiosity and a new hint.

And a civilian born ninja with a father who worked for the records department of the civilian town hall.

Standing in silence for another minute and a half was too awkward even for Nara-san and within the half hour Ko was sliding up to Sakura-san at her overburdened work table.

"You know, I don't think oak is supposed to bend that way. Can't you put some scrolls on the floor?"

Sakura-san shrieked and jumped out of her chair, banging her knee harshly on the underside of the table. Ko had to stifle a huff of amusement at the supposed ninja's fumbling.

Sakura-san pushed her hair back and turned to Ko with a tight smile, "Is there something I can help you with Ko? Are you even supposed to be up? It hasn't been that long since you escaped from the hospital after regrowing vital organs."

Well she offered, "I guess Nara-san was stealthy. Can you introduce me to your father?"

Sakura-san's face froze and then developed a twitch in the corner of her mouth, "Um. I mean I guess. I assume you mean at his work, I don't really want you as a stepmother. Ino's got that whole thing going for you and I don't want to step on her vibe."

Feeling incredibly old, Ko stared blankly at the younger girl, vibe, thing, why do young children sometimes make absolutely no sense.

Taking her silence evidently as confusion, as it was, over who Ino was, which was another random thing that meant nothing to her, Sakura-san tried to explain, "She knows you, you don't know her. Um, you know how Yamanaka techniques are all taught between family members? She says that dreams bleed over sometimes. So yeah."

So yeah, Yamanaka are weird. Groundbreaking.

Ko tilted her head and asked, already having fully dismissed that nonsense conversation, "So. Are we going?"

"Oh right now? Right! It would be still work hours! Right! ...ha" Sakura straightened her hair nervously and made a beeline for the door, Ko falling in step behind her.

Although Konoha liked to project the air of civilian and shinoni sectors of the populace working together in harmony, they tended to be rather segregated, which also translated into their important places. Thus, the civilian town hall was across the village from the Hokage Tower, and in the epicentre of the civilian sector, markets and housing extending around it in rings.

The woman at the counter barely paid the two going through staff doors a second glance after spotting Sakura-san's distinctive coloring.

Ko glanced down at Sakura-san's stiff walk and suddenly reflected on the entirely silent journey. Was that weird? Torune hadn't seemed to mind the silence earlier.

Sakura-san suddenly chimed out gleefully, "Dad!"

The pastel girl and pastel man hugged tightly, and the man peered over at Ko, discerning what he could through thick dust covered bottle cap glasses.

"Why do I have the honor of my brilliant daughter visiting me at work?"

Sakura-san babbled a bit before getting to the meat of the purpose, "This is Ko! She wanted to talk to you about work! And I do have to go back before Lady Tsunade comes out of her meeting! I'll see you at home!" Sakura-san and her father hugged on more time before she skittered out the door on a poorly constructed excuse.

Haruno-san sketched a quick bow, "What can I help you with Ko-san?"

"I wanted to see the Kinokawa clan documents, if I can."

He cocked his head and thought for a long moment, "There are no surviving members of the clan and no flagged subjects, so I believe that genin clearance is more than enough to view them, I'll bring you over to the files."

Soon enough Ko was settled at a table in the back room with a thick set of many thin folders with her and left alone in silence.

Yoshino's folder would be stored with the shinobi files that she wouldn't be able to access, but her civilian clan, not so much.

Minutes slipped by. The loud ticking of the clock above her echoed through the room as she paged through file after inconsequential file. Nothing was out of the ordinary, nothing was off. Which was weird in and of itself, not one incident?

Ko put her current file down and stared at a checkmark in the right hand corner of the page. Did all of them have that? What was it for?

She reorganized her pile and went through them once more, focusing only on the checkmark and separating them into piles of have and have-not. The piles heavily favored the have, the have-nots all seeming to be bastard children, distant cousins, those that didn't quite fit the mold of the main clan.

Ko gathered the folders and moved back towards the shelving units where Haruno-san was working and returned them. Squaring her shoulders she asked, "What do the checkmarks mean?"

Haruno-san hummed lightly and flipped open the first page of the top file, a note of recognition escaping him, "Ah. This clan carried a certain technique through full or mostly blooded members. Not to the extent of being a true bloodline, but nifty enough. I think it had to do somewhat with marking a target, I heard they used it to keep track of small children in the clan. Sakura would know more about this certain one than me I'm afraid. She had a bit of a research spree on it a while back."

Right on cue, the woman from the front walked back to inform Haruno-san that his daughter had dropped off some food for him.

Haruno-san waved Ko away, "If you leave now you might catch her."

With Sakura-san traveling at civilian speeds through the district and Ko not, she was able to catch up to her readily.

"Sakura-san! I hear from your father that you did a little bit of research a few years ago?"

Sakura-san startled and dropped the grocery bag in her hands, Ko catching it before it hit the street and handing it back, "Ah! Um yes, thank you. I tend to get caught up on things. What are you looking for?"

Ko examined the street quickly but it was so very civilian and the only taste of sweetness was from Sakura-san, "Do you know about the technique from the Kinokawa clan?"

A dark, deeply annoyed expression stole across Sakura-san's face, "Yeah. I do. I suppose you want to hear about it?" At Ko's answering nod she sighed heavily as they walked, "Fine. But don't repeat any of this to the Nara's you live with, even though it's their fault i know so much." Sakura-san fiddled with her grocery bag, much more overtly examining the street before continuing, "It's kind of a tagging system. When a member of the family gets attached to someone, friend, child, lover, they unconsciously split a piece of their chakra off which integrates usually into the recipients. I've never read or seen it happen to an enemy shinobi, so I think it's restricted by positive emotions. It doesn't do much, just gives them a general location within proximity, and if someone has their chakra activated, if it flares in distress they're more attuned to it and hi Shikimaru." The last few words were said behind gritted words as the boy blocking their way lazily waved.

"Hi Sakura. I was conveniently going this way and thought you might need some help with your bag?"

Ko had to hide her expression behind a curtain of hair quickly. Dear Kami, how had this boy been allowed to become such a terrible liar.

Sakura-san grinned cold and sharp and suddenly Ko had a vision of just what enemy nations might come to fear one day in this tiny slip of a girl, "Oh? How Convenient."