Ninja Files: The Dissonance Arc

Chapter One: Chanson de la Lune

The village of Konoha has a slumber-like quietness over it. Almost everyone has turned in and closed up shop to prepare for the Moon Festival. There are, however, a few stragglers that were out and about, and we happen to be among them.

We are sitting in a local watering hole, one that is usually filled from wall-to-wall with people but due to the status quo is nearly empty. Lincoln, Duhamel and I are sitting at a table eating and drinking tea and sake. It's been a long ass week for us, and we deserve nothing more than to take off our shinobi hats for once and be regular people. We're here to spill the local tea and enjoy all the unnecessary drama that Konoha had to offer.

Lincoln scoops up some rice and pushes his glasses back from the tip of his nose.

"Y'all heard the news about Salmonella?" he asks as a he sips from his teacup. Lincoln is the straight edge one in our friend group, so you would never catch him sipping on anything other than tea, juice and water. Duhamel looks at him quizzically and squints through the thick lenses of his glasses.

"Salmonella? Since when did you work for the Konohagakure board of health?" Duhamel asks. Lincoln rolls his eyes.

"Duhamel, I believe you need to get your prescription for your glasses fixed because clearly you're not seeing who I'm talking about. I'm shook that you don't know Salmonella; Salmonella Uchiha." To be quite honest, I almost spit out my sake. You see, Lincoln can't stand Sasuke. I honestly don't know the reason behind it, but knowing him it could be pretty much anything.

"Leave that boy alone," I respond with a laugh, "Sasuke is, and always will be irrelevant in my mind. However, I'm here for the tea, so spill it and don't be stingy." Duhamel shakes his head and continues to eat. Lincoln dramatically clears his throat and straightens himself to speak.

"Word on the street says that Team 7 found Sasuke at Tenchi Bridge," Lincoln mentions as he sips tea. My eyes widen at this.

"Damn, I didn't even hear about this just yet. Did you receive this info from a credible source?" I ask as I take in more food. I need to get down as much as possible before I hear some more gossip and choke. Lincoln stares me straight in the face.

"Chey, would I ever take a bone from a dog breed I didn't recognize?" Lincoln asks sarcastically. I chuckle and continue to sip my sake. "Then there you have it." Duhamel clears his throat and glances at us both.

"I did happen to hear about the whole Tenchi Bridge mission. They talked about it at the medic meetings, and I'm assuming that Lincoln heard it at his as well. They'll probably bring it up at your meeting, Cheyenne." Duhamel mentions. I shrug and drink some more.

"To be quite honest, if I hear more about this boy then I'm fine to learn new info. If I don't then I'm not beat. What I do want to know is why they sent Team 7 out there when they know that Sasuke wasn't trying to come back to Konoha. Everyone and their mama knows that he made a clear-cut decision to leave this village. We're practically beating a dead horse at this point." I say, reaching into my pockets to fish out some money. The men look at me confused.

"You heading out already?" Lincoln asks. I nod.

"I gotta go take care of some things. I'm going on a solo mission at the beginning of the week, and plus I need to rest up for tomorrow because my dumbass volunteered to man the goldfish booth for the festival. I will catch y'all on the flipside." They both wave goodbye to me as I saunter out of the bar.

I decided to take the long way home. I needed some time to clear my mind and get my thoughts together. Being an ANBU shinobi is a great responsibility, and from time to time, it really takes a toll on me physically, emotionally and mentally. I live for these weekly, long walks home. I reside in a quiet but cute flat on the other side of the village. After spending most of my life on the expansive property of the Iwamura compound, I needed something small and manageable, something easy enough for my sanity's sake. After being inducted into the ANBU Black Ops and becoming a squad leader, I was treated like a celebrity by my own clan. Therefore, I needed to get out just so that I could live my life. I still pop in to see my siblings and parents, but I don't stay long enough to be bombarded by everyone else.

About forty minutes later, I finally reach my building. I lift up the bottom of my kimono and walk up the stairs to my apartment. Unlocking the door and sliding it open, I turn on the light to my small, tidy abode. Just like any other night, I kick off my sandals and walk over to my window to shut the blinds. I then walk over to the stove and put on a pot of tea. Like clockwork, I flop onto my futon and lay quietly, taking in the sounds of my neighbors below me coupled with the sound the cool breeze whistling through the trees outside my window. I sigh heavily and undo my obi. Due to being lazy and tired as hell, I lay in bed with my open kimono, not even bothering to change into my pajamas right away. Hell, I barely have any energy to deal with making this tea. I place my head on my pillow and stare at the ceiling, thinking about all the shit I have to do in the next few days. I feel my busy mind go into a trance-like state, causing me to drift in and out of alertness. I blink slowly and try to fight the weight that has been placed on my eyelids. My body begins to lose its fight to sleep, and I finally surrender to it, my eyes fully closing.

***Twenty Minutes Later***

TAP! TAP! TAP! I jolt up at the loud sound of something loud hitting my window. The teapot starts to whistle, and I quickly hop up to turn the stove off while rushing to tie my obi. I saunter over to the window and peek through my blinds. Lo and behold, looking back at me was a figure with a covered eye and grey bushy hair. I scoff loudly and pull up my blinds to open my window.

"Boy, didn't I tell you to stop popping up unannounced?" I ask with frustration, "For one, that's rude as hell, and secondly the amount of noise you make when you pop up here would wake the whole gatdamn town up. The last thing I need is all of Konoha in my business." He chuckles slightly.

"Cheyenne, don't be so paranoid. Move back, I'm coming in," he responds. Before I could stop him, he was already in the room, and the window and blinds were closed. I roll my eyes and prop my back against the counter.

"So what brings you over here at this hour, Kakashi?" I ask, my voice teeming with sarcasm. He laughs again and sits on the futon.

"I came to visit you. I haven't heard from you in a while, so I wanted to see what was going on with you." He responds matter-of-factly. I suck my teeth and pour some tea into two cups.

"You could have visited me tomorrow. It's late, and you know I got shit to do." I sit next to him, passing him a cup of tea and holding the other for myself. He nods and begins to sip. I drink my tea as well, trying to occupy my time to avoid dealing with the awkwardness of this moment. To break the silence, Kakashi attempts to put his free hand on my thigh and I slap him away.

"What did you do that for?" he asks. Annoyed, I blink at him and scoot over.

"You must think I'm dumb. I already know why you're over here, and to be quite honest, I want no parts of it. After you finish your tea I think it's best if you just crawl back to wherever you came from." I retort. Kakashi completely ignores my comment and reaches into one of his pockets. Confused and even more annoyed, I look at him with a cold stare. He pulls out a small box and puts it beside me.

"I got you something," he says. I sigh and snatch up the box, opening it to reveal small, triangular, silver earrings. On the inside I was pretty excited to have received a gift from him, yet my pettiness kept my elation from manifesting. I take out the earrings and put them on. I put my braids into a bun on top of my head so that he can see how they look in my ears. He smiles and laughs as I stare into his eyes. "So, are you going to say something, or am I just going to wait until you decide to let me know what you're thinking?" he asks. I immediately stop myself from smiling and blink at him.

"They're cute... I suppose." I respond. This makes him laugh harder.

"You're welcome, Cheyenne." he kisses my cheek softly, and I blush a bit. He stands up and stretches. He rubs my back lovingly and strips down to his boxers. He pulls the covers of the futon forward and gets into, tucking himself in. I clear my throat.

"Excuse me, who said you could sleep here?" I ask. He yawns.

"Come to bed. You've had a long week." Rolling my eyes, I change into my nightgown and get into the futon, finding myself stuck in the dissonance between being alone and intimacy, and somehow my heart still urges me to choose the latter. I feel his arm wrap around my waist and his chin nestle in the crook of my neck. I sigh peacefully and allow the warm feeling of someone else next to me and the soft whistle of the breeze to lull me to sleep. This is where my heart wants me to be. This is where I want to be. This is where I need to be.