Moonlight Sonata

Midnight Rendezvous

Kakashi waited until Yamato arrived to watch Lee and Phoenix before leaving for the cemetery.  It was a rather ghoulish location for a meeting; however, it made sense considering his own pattern of regularly going to the grave.  No one would find it out of place for him to be going there.  That gave him a chill in itself.  They had been watching him for quite a while to know that much.

He went to Rin's grave to wait, assuming that would be where they would appear.  He knelt in front of the grave and dusted the top off.  He had not been by there in a little while now.  He had been so caught up in his new life with Lee that he had forgotten to pay his respects.  He smiled slightly at that.

"I'm sorry I haven't been by in a while Rin and that I'm not really here for you now either," he spoke softly.

Kakashi had just placed his index and middle finger on the smooth stone when the air began to blow and got a charged feeling to it.  He felt the presence long before they spoke, his senses stretching out as he evaluated them just as they were evaluating him.  He turned his head finally towards them, seeing only a hooded figure at first.  He watched them closely as they approached, prepared to fight if they turned out to be a foe after all.

"So you're Phoenix's voice..." he spoke softly.

A soft chuckle echoed on the wind before they stepped towards him and slowly peeled back the hood covering their face.  "Kakashi Hatake, it is good to finally meet you in person.  My name is Moira.  Riley was my son."

Kakashi froze at the words and narrowed his eyes slightly.  He could see it as she stepped into the moonlight.  Her features were very much the same as her sons had been.

"Lee told me that Riley's family shunned her," he responded softly.

"Those treasonous snakes were not Riley's family," she hissed in obvious anger.  "They were supposed to be guarding him and in the end, they betrayed and killed him.  My heart almost stopped beating the day they killed him."

"What world are you from?" he asked her softly.

"Not this one and not the one they came from," she answered softly.  "Our society is very far advanced in comparison to both of your worlds.  Our powers are very similar to your peoples.  A few are very strong such as your Naruto... my husband was that strong.  Riley, unfortunately, took after me.  Phoenix... she will be strong like my husband.  I have seen this in her future."

"Your powers are precognitive?" Kakashi asked.

"One of them, yes.  I have various skills but nothing that would be too remarkable.  I also cannot always see what I want to see, only what I am allowed to see.  Believe me, Riley would be alive had I been able to see what was coming."

"Why was he in their world?  Why Lee?"

"Riley was heir to our kingdom.  There was a number of attempts on his life, so we sent him to their planet until closer to the day of his coronation.  As for Lee..." Moira's face took a sad look in the moonlight.  "She was not planned.  Riley was actually betrothed to someone else but he fell in love with Lee there and married her in secret.  Those sent with him had no idea what he had done and he explained his long absences from Lee as work related."

"You said they killed him."

"Yes, we did not know it but our youngest son was responsible for the attempts on Riley's life.  He was resentful that Riley would inherit the kingdom.  He is a general in our world and powerful like his father.  He swayed the hearts of those that were meant to protect Riley and they killed him, making it look like a suicide... suicide!"  She was visibly angry.  "Unfortunately Lee called his 'family' and mentioned Phoenix..."

"Did they kill her mother?"

"No, thankfully," Moira responded.  "She actually did die all on her own."

"Why is your son trying to kill Phoenix?  What benefit does it have for him now?  He is the heir now isn't he?"

"He is a man of war, Kakashi.  You should understand why he wants to eliminate Phoenix without me explaining it to you."

Kakashi closed his eyes and gave a long sigh.  He did understand.  Phoenix could always come along in the future and demand her place as an heir.  By eliminating her now, that would never happen.  

"How did he find her here?"

"That was my fault," Moira responded softly.  "When Riley died... I knew instantly.  Him and I were connected very deeply.  I almost died myself but then... I felt Phoenix.  She was so tiny... I went to her and planted a tracking device on her.  So that I would always know where she was at."

Kakashi cursed beneath his breath, "And he accessed that device?"

"No, I'm not foolish.  The device I used only I can access.  Unfortunately, after she came here I stopped in to check on her and apparently he had a tracker on me."  She cleared her throat, "It was the night the you and her mother were together."

Kakashi felt his face flush with color all the way up to his ears.  She had been there that night?  "Why did you tell Phoenix I was her Daddy?"

"I first saw you the night I came to Phoenix as a baby.  When I touched her, I saw your image so clearly and I saw the way you would come to love her.  I knew you were the man that could not only protect her but also love her as his own.  I am connected to Phoenix like I was Riley, telepathically.  When I saw that she had a vision of you, I told her that you were her Daddy."

"That was taking a rather large chance that I would fall for her mother," Kakashi muttered.  "I was pretty content where I was at."

Moira laughed softly at those words and clapped him on the arm.  "You only thought you were content.  I did a lot of research on you, Kakashi, when I determined you would fill the role Riley never got the chance to do.  Had you continued on in your life, you would have met death in ten years.  You would have died alone, with no heirs of your own.  A lonely, broken, and battered man.  A man with no family has no qualms with taking missions that could lead to death.  This you should know as you've already died once. Yes, Naruto and the others would mourn you.  Those from Lee's world would have mourned but in time... your legacy would have faded into nothing.  Having never known love... isn't that an awful fate?"

Kakashi stared at her for a long time and then lowered his head.  "Did Phoenix open the portal or did you?"

Moira smiled, "That was all Phoenix.  She will be powerful, Kakashi.  Train her well in both empathy and wisdom.  Be her guide."

"You should come and see her," Kakashi stated bluntly.  "Lee would want to meet you, too."

"I don't dare right now," Moira responded.  "I have no doubt they are still tracking me.  Make sure they don't follow you back to where you have stashed them.  I know you have a plan in your mind for defeating them but be careful, Kakashi.  My son is powerful and accustomed to killing.  Make sure your strength will match his in this encounter."

Kakashi gave a nod of understand.  "Thank you... for everything."

He started to turn to leave and she reached out and stopped him.  He turned to look at her in question.

"I have a gift I want to give you.  It will help you when you face my son."