Kakashi's Sister?!

"Sakura" Kakashi whimpered weakly. He could not look at Chikako's face for too long knowing that she suffered so much in just her short life.

"Please make some tea and find some warm food for Chikako" Sakura nodded and left the house in search of food and tea. Naruto was on fire duty. It was his job to keep the fire blazing. Every now and again he would toss in some logs and blow on it. Sasuke ended up falling asleep next to Chikako. Kakashi let him be, as it was helping Chikako warm up. He snuck under the blanket and laid next to her. His head was buried in her chest, much to Kakashi's distain, and his arm was wrapped around her waist.

The combined warmth was helping, and the color began returning to Chikako's face. In fact, her cheeks were slightly flushed now. She would have a fever when she woke up. Kakashi had no idea what she was doing on the back porch with just a flimsy white kimono on, but he knew it was not anything good.

Kakashi let his hands caress the scars around Chikako's eyes. Some were deep and others shallower. They all varied in size and shape. Kakashi felt throbbing from behind his eyes making them ache slightly. He got that feeling from just looking that the scars. He could not image what each one felt like. How old was she when she got her first ones? How many did she clumsily treat herself because she was alone and didn't know what to do? It must have been so painful. She lived through this for me. Kakashi thought, Feeling a new wave of guilt rush through him. He placed his large hand over her eyes to block the scars.

Sakura returned about an hour later with tea leaves and some food. Sasuke woke when Sakura came in and offered to help her cook. It was quiet in the house. The only noise coming from the clanking of pots and pans in the kitchen.

Time passed slowly until finally the sun rose over the waterfall. Team seven all gathered around to watch the colors bleed into the morning. They were now able to see a lot better. The trees, the waterfall, the snow, and the gravestone. Sasuke was the only one who went further than the porch the night before. They were all stuck in place by the wonderous sight.

The snowflakes were painted by the color of the sun. Orange speckles fell from the sky joining the pale landscape.

Kakashi felt movement on his legs, and he looked down. Chikako began to stir. Her breathing picked up slightly, but she was not opening her eyes. He could tell she was awake, but for some reason she would not move. In an attempt to get her to open her eyes Kakashi shook her shoulders gently while calling her name.

"Chikako? Chikako?" He called. She slowly opened her eyes. She looked around before sitting up slowly. Her movements were sluggish and weak, but when Kakashi tried to help her, she shot him a warning glance.

Her eyes were so empty and hallow. Chikako stood up and opened the door in a trancelike state. She didn't speak or make any unnecessary movements. It was almost as if she was gliding rather than walking. Not caring about closing the door behind her, Chikako went outside and sat down right in the same spot they found her in.

Every single one of them called out to her, trying to get her back inside where it was warm, but Chikako didn't reply. The only movement she made for hours on end was when she would tell them to be quiet. She would put a finger to her lips to silence them before turning to look out at the waterfall.

Sasuke remembered something he saw when he checked one of the rooms. It was Chikako's Mom's room, not that he knew that. The male stepped inside and scanned the floor for the thing he was searching for. His eyes quickly fell upon the piece of cloth and he grabbed it. Sasuke walked back to the living room and them outside. He draped the Uchiha cloak he got her for the winter festival around her shoulders and found a spot right next to her in the snow. Chikako didn't thank Sasuke, but she didn't rid herself of the warm cloak either. It was better than nothing, thought Sasuke.