Chapter 1: Meet the Squads- Part 1

Nighttime was upon the Hidden Leaf Village. Some stars could be seen in the darkened sky if one looked hard enough, but mostly, the stars were hidden by the amount of light below in the village. The streets were full of people, since a lot of the markets and shops were still open. People were bustling about, in groups or alone, chatting the night away and laughter being emitted from some people because of some joke that was told. They were also going into or coming out of the shops and markets, sometimes stumbling over one another and almost falling onto their faces, but never did they swear or curse at one another when this happened. Instead, they smiled and laughed, just having a good time.

Beyond the liveliness and joy in the streets of the village, the Uchiha estate stood out at the outskirts of the village. There was no light coming from the estate, so that meant that no one was living in the place at all...or are there?

One house, out of all of the other houses, had a few lights on, indicating someone was living there. This person was bustling about; making sure that every single chore was done for the day. They didn't have a job and had to rely on the Hokage himself to get the money they needed to survive. Who was this person living in the Uchiha estate all alone? It was the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha. He had somehow had been brought back to the village after a fight with Naruto (and he's still pretty pissed about it). He had no contact with the villagers outside of his home, which was good news to him. He didn't want to see anyone. However, one villager was an exception to this rule, the only one besides the Hokage that came to his house and stayed with him sometimes; a young girl by the name of Akahana Yamazaki.

Akahana was a young girl, only about seven years old, when she first heard of Sasuke. Her mother had told her about him, and she had said some very negative things about him. Her mother had told her that he was an evil person who didn't think of others and had abandoned his village when he was only thirteen years old. He had also wanted to destroy the village for reasons unknown to her and had an older brother that killed off the entire Uchiha clan in one night. She told her daughter that, whatever she did, she was not allowed to go near Sasuke or the Uchiha estate. Usually being a good girl, Akahana had done so for a while.

However, a little dastardly feeling called curiosity crept up on the young girl and she went over to the Uchiha estate late one night when she was supposed to be in bed. She didn't go in it, but stared into it, and it somehow fascinated her. She went back home and didn't dare tell her mother of this. She went back to the estate a couple weeks later at night, but this time, carrying a basket full of apples. She had found his house because the lights were still on and she left them by the door. She ran away afterward, not wishing to be seen. The next day, she returned to the house to find that the basket had been emptied. She somehow got onto one of the windows and peered inside. What she found delighted her; the person had taken the apples and stored them in their own basket on the small table in the kitchen.

She came back a few weeks later with a loaf of bread (that she stole from her mother's kitchen) and left it by his door. She ran away again back to her house and came back the next day to see the loaf of bread in the person's kitchen. She did this every couple weeks, making it a habit of bringing food to the house and seeing if the food was taken. She never left a note on the food, secretly fearing that the person might come after her and kidnap her and do horrible things to her. She kept this habit up, never telling her mother what she was up to. However, her streak of not being seen by the person living in the house was about to be broken.

On a clear summer night, Akahana sneaked up to the house with a bag of freshly picked grapes. She had gone grape-picking earlier that day with her mother and the two of them had picked a lot of grapes. Akahana had gotten some into a paper bag without her mom knowing and snuck out late at night to go to the Uchiha estate to give them to the person living there. She had just placed the bag down and was just about to run off when the door slid open behind her. She stopped suddenly and looked behind her, her olive green eyes filled with fright. A black-haired male was standing in the doorway in a dark blue sleep kimono, rubbing his eyes. Akahana didn't move from her spot; she was paralyzed where she was. The man looked down at her and then down at the bag full of grapes. A very small smile curled up onto his lips and he spoke in a deep voice,

"So, you're the person that's been bringing me food all this time. I kept thinking Naruto was being extra nice to me." Akahana could only nod numbly. The man stifled a laugh, thinking that the girl being frozen with fright was somewhat hilarious.

"Do you know who I am, child?" She shook her head meekly, unable to actually speak. She was afraid, actually afraid, something that she didn't feel that often. The man sighed softly and spoke again,

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." Akahana recognized the name instantly and began to think back to the time when her mother talked to her about the man named Sasuke. She turned around to face him fully and looked him in the eyes. She noticed how dark his eyes were, and not just of color. His eyes seemed to be devoid of emotion. It drew her in and wanted to make her run away at the same time. Despite the fear within her, she managed to speak in her soft voice,

"...I...I've heard of you before."

"A lot of people have heard of me and what I have done."

"I've never seen you around the village."

"That's because I'm not allowed to."

"Why not?"

"Because the Hokage ordered it so. And besides, I don't really want to come into contact with the other villagers." Akahana thought about this for a moment, sorting through the details. She knew, from her mother, that she wasn't allowed to go near him because he was evil. She didn't know anything else about him other than what her mother told her. She wanted to ask so many questions, to want to get to know him, but she resisted asking. Instead, she nodded once, which seemed to satisfy the man. He turned around and was just about to walk back into the house when Akahana asked,

"Do you mind if I keep doing what I'm doing?" Sasuke stopped dead. He turned back around and saw her eyes, nearly pleading. It's almost as if she's begging for her life. However, that wasn't the case this time. He sighed and leaned against the doorframe.

"Do your parents know you're doing this?" He asked.

"...No. I sneak out when my mother's asleep." This surprised him a bit. A young girl, who was no older than seven or eight years old, was sneaking out of her own house when her mother went to bed just to come over to his house and give him extra food. He had to admit, he was slightly impressed. He smiled a little bit and knelt down to be eye-level with her. He placed a hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair.

"Alright, I'll make a deal with you. As long as you can keep your mother from finding out what you're doing, you can keep on doing this. However, if she finds out that you're bringing me things, you tell me so I know and the deal's off. Agreed?" Akahana nodded, a smile finally coming onto her face. He took his hand off of her head and stood back up, leaning against the doorway again.

"Now you better run off home before your mother worries about you."

"Right!" Akahana turned back around and ran off. He sighed in relief. He could finally go to bed. But...wait a minute...he forgot to ask her for her name! He ran out of his house and skidded to a stop in the pathway. He couldn't see her. Apparently, she runs and disappears quickly. He sighed and walked back into the house, shutting the door behind him. He went upstairs to his room after passing by the hallway that led into the kitchen. He went up to his bed and immediately collapsed onto the bed face first. He pulled the covers out from underneath him and placed them on himself. For some reason, he didn't even feel sleepy, and sometimes it took him a long time to fall asleep. He groaned into his pillow. Why...? It was going to be a long night for him.

Akahana sat on the windowsill, staring up at the night sky from her house. She breathed in deeply and smiled as she exhaled. She always loved the nighttime for a few reasons. She loved how the stars twinkled against the midnight blue sky. She loved how the world was enveloped by a blanket of darkness that told people that they could rest then. She also loved the moon, especially when it was full. When it was full, it shone brightly, but not as bright as the sun, and it didn't hurt when you looked up at it. The moon had its own beauty to it that would capture anyone's attention and place them in serenity. She smiled a bit more and turned her head so she was looking inside of her darkened room.

One of her teammates, Zero, was sitting on her twin-sized bed, playing with bits of skin on his fingers. She knew that he had a lot of trouble at home with his parents and often snuck out of his house at night so he wouldn't have to face them the next morning when he got out of bed. She had offered for him to stay at her house whenever he wanted to. Her mother had gotten used to him being over and loved him, especially when he became shy and blushed deeply as he slowly backed away. Akahana had somehow convinced him to not be afraid of her mother and eventually, he stopped backing away from her. He still wasn't that much of a talker, though.

Zero was always nice and respectful to people, even if they were his enemies. He would also try to get out of situations that he didn't want to be in by talking his way out. It was a rarity that he would have to fight his way out of it. Akahana and her other teammate Akihiko had seen this play out quite a few times back when they were in the ninja academy. It was always a shocker to her how Zero could talk his way out of something. She had never been able to do that. She envied him in a way, but never let it show. She didn't want to hurt him more than he already was.

She knew that she must've been staring at him for some time, because Zero was now looking at her. She couldn't see his eyes, since they were hidden by his dark green bangs. He had told her that his eyes were blue, and that made her even more curious. She even went to the point where she tried to peek under his bangs while he was sleeping. That plan had failed because he had woken up. She never tried it again.

A sigh escaped her lips, making Zero tip his head to one side slightly.

"What's wrong?" He asked in his soft voice. His voice had always been soft and did not have that touch of 'man' in it. It was soft, like velvet. Akahana had always liked how his voice sounded whenever she heard it. It was calming, in a way.

"Nothing, really. I was just thinking of the past, that's all." She replied.

"Oh." Was all Zero said before the room was enveloped in silence again. Akahana turned her head back so she was staring at the stars once again while Zero went back to picking pieces of dead skin off of his fingers.

Akihiko studied the painting in front of him critically. He was trying to figure out what else he should add to it to make it more complete. He held the thin brush in one hand while the other was holding a circular wooden tray that held small amounts of paint in assorted colors. His eyes searched the painting carefully. The painting was that of a sunset on the beach with two silhouettes walking across the sand by the water. He had already completed the sky with its different shades of purple and pink. The sun was also finished (and it didn't take all that long, since only a third of it was showing), and the water was finished as well, along with the silhouettes. What was missing from the piece? He pondered the thought, closing his eyes and focusing on the problem at hand.

A figure jumped into his room effortlessly, since the bedroom window was wide open to let fresh air in. They noticed Akihiko behind the canvas and the wooden stand that it was perched on, thinking about something. They walked over to where Akihiko was and studied the painting. A smile curled up onto their pale lips as they looked the piece of artwork over.

"Hmmm...your piece looks fantastic, Akihiko-kun." The boy nearly jumped off of his stool when the voice spoke to them, causing him to drop the brush onto the wooden floor. His eyes flashed open and his head turned to see who it was. Akihiko breathed a sigh of relief and placed his free hand over his heart.

"Ah, sensei, you scared me for a second." The figure beside him laughed a bit at this. They calmed down and stared at Akihiko with their deep red eyes.

"You should know your own sensei by now, Akihiko-kun." The sensei placed a hand on Akihiko's head and ruffled his shaggy red hair some. Akihiko didn't exactly like this, but he withheld it. He just didn't have the guts to defy his sensei. The sensei took his hand off of Akihiko's head and it fell immediately to his side. The red-haired boy looked up at his teacher and asked,

"Williams-sensei, why are you here? You're usually in bed by this time." The figure was surprised at this, their eyebrows up. They then tried to come up with an answer, but all that came out were pieces of words. Finally, after about a minute of stuttering, they gave up and sighed in defeat.

"I'll admit, I couldn't sleep because of my neighbor."

"Your neighbor, George?"

"I told you not to call me that."

"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, what about your neighbor, sensei?"

"They're just making a ton of noise, that's all. Your house seems nice and quiet, and you were up painting again. You're not going to do this when the Chunin Exams begin, now are you?"

"Not painting, but drawing."

"Ah, you're so predictable." George replied. Akihiko smiled a bit at this before turning back to his painting. He studied it again and George noticed this after a few seconds. He too began to look at the painting, studying its content once again. He knew that Akihiko would study his own paintings and try to add things that sometimes weren't really necessary. However, George never had the heart to tell him. He'll figure it out on his own eventually. He stopped looking and stood up so he was upright again, since he had been leaning over to study the painting more thoroughly. He lifted one of his hands until it was parallel with the floor and looked at the golden wristwatch. Crap! It's 1:26! I've gotta go!

"L-look, Akihiko-kun, I would love to stay, but I have a meeting tomorrow with the Hokage regarding the Chunin Exams, and I can't be late."

"Okay. See you tomorrow, sensei."

"Good night. And tell Akahana-chan and Zero-kun to meet me at the dango shop tomorrow at high noon sharp. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Alright. I'll see you then." And with that, George disappeared into thin air. Akihiko looked over the painting one more time before deciding that he just couldn't come up with anything after about a couple minutes. He picked the brush up off of the floor and noticed a purple paint stain on his floor.

"I'll deal with that in the morning." He placed the brush in a water cup that had been sitting on a small table next to the painting and placed the wooden paint tray on it as well. He stood up from his stool and maneuvered around the canvas and stand and went over to his bed. He pulled the cyan-colored sheets to the side so he could get in. Once he was in, he pulled the sheets over himself and closed his eyes. Another day gone, and another will come. The thought ran through his head as he closed his eyes and soon fell into a light sleep.

A ninja fell out of a tree and down into a small clearing, landing with a solid thump! Blood seeped from the fallen ninja's chest quickly. Three shadowy figures then jumped down from the trees and landed next to the bloodied man, each of them in a crouch. All of them stared at the newly-made corpse with emotionless eyes. One of them spoke in a female voice,

"Aaawww...I wanted to play with him a little more."

"Stop your whining." A deep male voice replied back. The person that just spoke now stepped into the moonlight, revealing a pale-skinned boy with medium-length, shaggy black hair. His onyx eyes had bags underneath them from not sleeping for two days. They searched around, looking for any more possible intruders. A girl then stepped out into the moonlight and looked at the male.

"Haruo-chan, what'cha doing?" The girl asked. The male turned to her, an annoyed look on his face. A sigh escaped him and he pinched his nose in slight frustration.

"First off, Ayane, don't call me Haruo-chan. Second, I'm looking for any other intruders. Got any other questions?"

"...No..." Ayane pouted and walked back into the darkness. She walked up to the third and final person, a male that was sitting alone by a tree, and knelt down beside him, gently touching his shoulder. He turned his head and stared at the girl calmly with his visible onyx eye. His left eye was covered with black bangs that hung to about halfway down his face. He didn't say a word, but instead placed a hand on top of Ayane's. The two stayed like this for a bit while Haruo searched the forest for more enemy ninja.

The sun was beginning to come up, and Haruo still wasn't back. Ayane had finally given up on trying to talk to her other brother, Lee, so she sulked away and slept in a tree nearby. Lee was sitting in the middle of the small clearing, his eyes closed. A lone bird sat upon his left shoulder and watched him quietly, tipping its head from side to side every now and then. He didn't seem to notice the bird; he was meditating. It helped him get through stressful situations. He knew that his siblings (Haruo and Ayane) knew about this little habit and just left him alone unless they needed to go on a mission or just out on an outing. Lee wasn't exactly the most chatty or social of all people. He had never been, preferring to stay in a corner and watch his sister and brother enjoy themselves, and his brother wasn't exactly the most sociable of people, either.

Lee opened his eyes and turned his head, noticing the bird for the first time. He smiled softly and tipped his own head to the side, mimicking the bird's movements. The bird followed his movements, tipping its head to the side.

"Well, isn't this nice." Lee whispered to the bird. It didn't respond, but instead tipped its head back up. He turned his head away and lifted one of his hands up, extending one of his fingers. The bird noticed this and flapped its wings, lifting itself off of his shoulder. It landed on the extended finger and chirped at him. He laughed to himself quietly and lifted his hand higher into the air, causing the bird to fly away. He watched it as it flew away into the tops of the trees and beyond. I sometimes wish that I was a bird. Then I could fly away from anything and just be free, having the sky be my limit. He stood up slowly, straightening out his black shirt and red hooded sweater and his jet black pants so they wouldn't have wrinkles. Sometimes Ayane flipped out on him just because his clothes looked as if they had been taken out of the dryer an hour after they had finished being dried. He had dealt with it in his own way, like he always had.

He immediately found Ayane's tree and walked over to it, placing one of his feet on the tree's trunk. He lifted his other foot and put it in front of the first. He kept doing this and soon, he was walking on the trunk of the tree. He went up a fair distance before seeing his sister, sleeping in a sitting position on a thick branch near the top of the tree. He stopped a foot away from her and watched her as her chest puffed up and then deflated in a rhythmic motion. He smiled slightly at this. At least she's still alive. He thought as he continued to watch over her.

"I swear, sometimes I think she's going to get herself killed, doing that." A silver-haired woman said in annoyance. Haruo sat next to her, letting his legs dangle off of the branch. He nodded once in agreement. The two of them were in a tree not too far from where Lee and Ayane were located. Haruo turned his head to look at the woman, an emotionless expression on his face.

"Well, she is my sister, after all. Even I can't tell her not to do that. She'll just do it."

"She's going to get herself killed in this world if she keeps doing that. She should know better by now."

"However, Amaterasu-sensei, there's a problem with that."

"What?"

"She knows, but still does it, regardless of what anyone else says." Amaterasu sighed in annoyance. Haruo couldn't exactly blame his teacher for doing so. Ayane would sometimes even ignore their sensei and do whatever the hell she wanted to do. She wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the box. And I'm still surprised that she hasn't wound up in a hospital more than she has, and that's happened only twice. He noticed that Amaterasu was pinching the bridge of her nose. He laid a hand upon her shoulder gently, something that was a rarity for him. She flinched somewhat and turned to stare at him. She then relaxed and averted her eyes away.

"Don't worry, sensei. Lee's keeping an eye on her. He won't let her escape that easily."

"I sure hope so. I sure hope so." Amaterasu said, fatigue clearly in her voice. Haruo removed his hand and set it back in his lap. If he knew Lee as well as he think he did, he wouldn't let Ayane escape so easily. He knew of her habits as well as he himself did. A devilish smile came onto his face and Haruo made sure he hid it from his sensei. He wouldn't want his sensei becoming suspicious of him, now would he...?

So, that's the first chapter. Wow, I thought I'd never finish this. It took me a while, but I completed it.

Please review and be on the lookout for the next chapter. ^^