The newly created Chapter One is now up and running.

Disclaimer: I, in no way, own Naruto nor its characters, but I do own the fictional characters created in Blind Destiny.

Chapter One:

Return of the Avenger

Life. It was interesting to think that one four letter word held so much importance. Importance in everything. However, life can create misfortunes to anything and everything, breathing or inanimate, without a single bite of guilt. It is then realized that this one word is cruel, but along with its fits of destruction includes prizes of euphoria in unexpected circumstances.

However, a person can never be picky with what life has given his, her, or it. Acceptance is the only thing that can be done with what had been dealt.

Konohamaru, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, is going through just that: accepting a person that had just reentered its gates after traitorous acts that had come full circle so many years ago. Five years ago to be exact, but this person did not return to his home village in a willing matter. But that just makes things harder to forgive and forget for the people of Konoha, mainly the former Rookie Nine…And a young kunoichi who must also face a past that she had thought to be long dead.

But it is true that a person cannot forgive without first forgetting the hate that caused the need for forgiveness in the first place. And such an action is often hard to try and even harder to pull through completely.

--O--

This was definitely not the best situation to be put in. But who is a kunoichi to question the orders of an older woman, especially if that older woman is both your sensei and the Fifth Hokage.

Akemi Kamiya is a seventeen-years-old kunoichi with long, unusual dark gray hair and steely, but soft, silver blue eyes, and now, she has the current mission to guard Sasuke Uchiha.

Sure, if you were one of the crazed fangirls of Konoha you'd actually find this to be the absolute greatest mission a kunoichi would ever get. But if you were Akemi, you'd think otherwise.

The said girl sighed for the fifth time that morning as she set her gaze on the back of her ward's dark head. They had been walking around the village, or rather, he'd been leading and she'd been following wherever he decided to go. Apparently, that was the mission: to follow him every second of every day of every week of every month, or possibly of every year.

'I don't even know how long this mission will last,' Akemi thought as she looked back to a moment not too long ago.

- Flashback -

"Akemi. Sasuke Uchiha," a blonde woman greeted behind her large mahogany desk.

"Lady Tsunade."

"Hn."

Ignoring the Uchiha's amount of respect, or lack of it, the Fifth Hokage looked at the pair in front of her, and with unquestionable authority, stated her decree.

"Now, as the Honorable Fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, I am entrusted with the sole duty of evoking a suitable punishment for the crimes committed by the formally known missing nin, Sasuke Uchiha."

The medic beauty paused, expecting a trace of defiance, but when there was none, she continued.

"For the murders committed throughout the Five Great Shinobi Nations, as well as the treacherous betrayal towards Konohamaru, Sasuke Uchiha, you are sentenced towards suspension as a shinobi for an undefined length of time. You are to stay within the confines of our village until your trial is withdrawn and any offenses you commit under your probation shall result in a much harsher consequence."

'That's all,' Sasuke questioned mentally after he had expected a much more severe punishment for his actions, 'No Anbu? No imprisonment? That's it?'

"Sasuke," Tsunade broke through his thoughts, "You already met Akemi Kamiya."

The onyx-eyed teenager set his gaze upon the mentioned girl before answering with a "Hn."

"Good. Because she's the one in charge of this mission."

"I understand," was the simple reply.

The woman held a questionable appearance for the Uchiha's calm demeanor for his trial. She was surprised that he was so willing to accept the ordeal.

"Alright, then. Akemi, here, will be your personal guard day and night, as well as observe your actions, behavior, and attitudes. She will stay with you at one of the Uchiha houses that we've found suitable for the two of you since her job requires it as thus. This mission of hers has no time limit and will only end until she and I both approve our trust of you. Anything she says, goes."

A small nod resulted from the Uchiha.

"Hm, well, if there is no problem, then both of you are dismissed."

- End Flashback -

Another sigh.

Feeling her body bump into a muscular form, Akemi took a step back before meeting the gaze of a pair of piercing dark orbs.

"I'm sorry."

She hadn't realized that he had stopped.

"Whatever," was his harsh reply.

'I shouldn't space out like that when I'm with him,' she reprimanded herself as the heartthrob walked towards the center of the training ground that they were now in.

In mild curiosity, Akemi watched as the guy in front of her turned around before lowering into a fighting stance.

Silver clashed with onyx depths.

The contact broke apart as he began executing a deadly, but fluid, dance consisting of several kicks, punches, and jutsu aimed at nothing but thin air. Confused as to what she was supposed to do now, the young kunoichi continued to stare in secret awe at his movements.

'The way he moves, they're so quick but precise,' she observed, 'It's as if he's been doing them everyday of his life. No mistakes. Just perfection.'

The part of the forest they were in was much quieter than it usually was. Probably because all the Rookie Nine, minus Sasuke, were still in the hospital after fighting the Akatsuki members in order reach the missing nin of their village. Akemi was ordered by the Hokage to heal the Uchiha of all the injuries he'd sustained from fighting his brother so that he could start his life in Konoha as soon as possible after five years of absence. But she only did so when the ex-avenger was deep in sleep. She was not intimidated, nor scared, but rather, she was afraid of what she'd see as to how much he had changed.

Just then, Akemi noticed a lily towards the eastern side of the open space. She had always had a soft spot for flowers. This one just so happened to be pure white with deep red streaks. Sauntering towards its location, she squatted down and fingered the smooth edges of its petals. It was reminding her of her childhood best friend. She had always seen him as a dark angel.

"Watch out!" Sasuke's voice sounded in alarm.

'I didn't even sense her move there,' he added in his mind.

Several kunai were headed towards her, their deadly points glistening in the morning sun. With no more than fast reflexes, Akemi took hold of the lily before twisting her body to dodge the incoming onslaught of weapons.

Just when she landed on her feet, Sasuke appeared in a flash in front of her.

"What are you doing over here," he scolded, as if it was her fault that the weapons were coming towards where she was.

Before retorting, the gray-haired female saw a hidden target mark just behind where the lily should be.

'Okay, it is my fault,' she admitted once she looked around, finding kunai pinned to every bull's-eye at all of the hidden targets of the training area. Well, every bull's-eye except for that one.

"Um," Akemi whimpered, her head bowed down. She couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I'm sorry…again," her apology began, "I'll be more careful next time."

"Just don't get in the way, aga-"

'Why'd he stop?'

She took the chance to sneak a peek at his reaction, but what she found was not a look of anger, but a plain blankness. His eyes were concentrated on the lily that's tightly grasped in her hands. Just as fast as everything took place, he was back to training.

"I'm such a klutz," he heard her say.

--O--

After putting the flower in a vase filled with water in her room, Akemi headed towards the back courtyard of the Uchiha mansion to train.

Setting herself in direct view of her room, the almost young woman surveyed the large house.

"I guess this is going to be home for I don't even know how long," she said in a thin whisper, "I might as well get used it."

Knowing full well that her ward was still inside, she began her own dance. It was much more feminine than Sasuke's, but nonetheless, it was still the same. Precise. Quiet. Quick. Deadly.

She was supposed to be focused on her training, but her mind wandered off. And even though her thoughts were elsewhere, her body performed the exercise as if it had memorized all there was to it.

- Sasuke's POV -

I went out to the balcony adjoined to my bedroom. I'm actually back in Konoha now.

As I stared in front of me, all I saw was the gloomy neighborhood of my clan. No one was anywhere near here except for me and my new so-called guard. And as I looked towards the entrance of my family's compound, I could see it - the brighter side of Konoha and the opposite of this place, my old home.

The people in the main streets with their naive smiles on their faces, so completely unaware of the pain and suffering just outside their happy lives went about their way. But deep down, I know I couldn't deny it. I want that same happiness. And I intend to find it here in Konoha.

Itachi's finally dead, so now I can focused on my other goal: to resurrect my clan to its formal glory. The Uchiha's have lived in Konoha ever since the first one of us was born, and I won't let that tradition end.

But there is one thing standing in the way. Trust. I need the villager's trust before anything can happen. I will get it no matter what.

And maybe, I can find that girl. I shoved my hand into my left pocket to feel the ice blue ribbon she'd given me. Even after everything, I still couldn't remember who she was. I hardly remember anything about her. The only thing I have to keep myself from thinking that she was just a figment of my imagination was this ribbon, and my faint memories.

As for right now, though, I have to deal with this Kamiya girl that's supposed to watch me. So far, I can say that she's definitely not as annoying as Naruto and Sakura. But there was also definitely something…off about her. I feel like I'm missing something. And I can tell that she's a pretty good kunoichi from how she dodged the kunais earlier on.

My senses felt uneasy. They suddenly told me that someone was in the back of the house. I walked down the stairs since their was no point in running. If it was an enemy then they would've attacked already.

As I reached the glass door that lead outside, I saw that just beyond the transparent barrier was her.

Akemi Kamiya. That was her name.

I looked at her face and her eyes, and I could tell that she wasn't even paying any attention to what she was doing. But still, her stances and her taijutsu were close to flawless if they weren't perfect already. Every move she made had importance. She made absolutely no unnecessary attempts.

Is this why the Hokage chose her to be my guard?

- Akemi's POV -

I was intent on training. But apparently my thinking interrupted my concentration. I don't even know if I can handle this mission. I already made a complete fool off myself and it's only been the first day.

Plus, it's so strange that Sasuke got off so easily in terms of him coming back. I would have expected more, but Lady Tsunade did mention that she was grateful to him for killing both Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha.

And another thing, why did Lady Tsunade place me on this mission? If anyone was supposed to do this, it should have been Naruto, Sakura, or maybe even Kakashi. Someone from the original Rookie Nine should have done this. They've spent more years with him that I ever have.

And then I remembered something.

No, she couldn't have.

She wouldn't have placed me on this mission unless…

Unless…

Unless, she did this because…

- Normal POV -

Akemi suddenly felt the eyes of Sasuke Uchiha burning her face, and stopped the movements that her body executed unconsciously. She looked automatically towards the entrance leading to the house and found the brooding teen. He had been silently watching, analyzing her movements.

'She's…good,' he struggled to admit it to himself, 'She's fast, too.'

The two stared at each other for the longest time, both thinking.

'She did this for my friend…and for me.'

Walking pass the shinobi without so much as a look in his direction, Akemi had mixed emotions. Anger. Irritation. Confusion. Relief. Happiness?

'Lady Tsunade, you're…you're…' she didn't know what she was even saying.

Finally, she had it.

"Thank you."

--O--

"Aacchooo!"

"Bless you."

"It must be the dust in all these papers," Tsunade reasoned, rubbing her nose, "Shizune, maybe we could throw them out. I might be allergic."

"Nice try, but no dice, Lady Tsunade."

"Not even one…for my health."

"Nope. Besides, I doubt you'll die that easily from an allergy."

"From the looks of things, it seems like you're the Hokage around her…"

A sigh was her only answer.

Then looking at the moon that she'd seen Akemi stare at numerous amounts of time, Tsunade smiled.

'Be happy, Akemi.'

--O--

Well, here is the version of Chapter 1 that I decided to use as the basis of my story.

Hope you guys or girls enjoyed it.

Please review, also.