Disclaimer: I don't own any original character, villages, techniques, or jutsus.

The giant gates loomed ahead of me. I instinctively put my hands behind my back and tried to fathom how large it was. I've never seen something so huge. I pulled out the sheet of paper my mother gave me before the incident. The memories came rushing back quickly, but I was quicker. I shook my head and looked at the paper. "Shoujiki, despite you were born a girl, you were raised a boy. You are the pride of the Kokoro clan. If you mess this chance for our alliance with the Konoha village, you are going to be disowned. Here are the directions." I skimmed over the directions making sure I hadn't gone the wrong way. "Be careful, you are only in training. If anything happens to us back at home, you will know." It was true, and I had known. I had dubbed it the incident.

I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn't acknowledge them. I was too preoccupied with shutting out the memories. I twiddled my fingers behind my back and kept staring at the giant gates ahead of me. They sort of reminded me of home. I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, are you ok?"

A male was the owner of the voice. He sounded almost like my older brother back home, before he died in battle. Just his voice made me want to hug the stranger. Instead, I just nodded. The person ruffled my already dirty mat of hair. "Good to hear. I wouldn't want a refugee to be feeling too bad." The hair on the back of my neck rose up. Refugee? What made him think I was a refugee? I started walking forward towards the gates, but I felt as though I was being followed. I was almost to the gates when I couldn't take it anymore. I spun around to tell the stranger off when I ran face first into a mass of chest muscle.

"Are you ok?" He asked. I muffled out "sure, whatever." but I don't think he heard me because he asked me what I had said.

I took a few steps back, bowed, and smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm ok." The stranger had silver aloof hair, as if he just let it grow that way. His eyes spoke warmth and trustworthiness. His facial features accented everything about his face. But what weirded me out was that he had a giant mask covering the lower half of his face. I could only see the bridge of his nose. "Is something the matter?"

I blushed when I noticed I had been staring. "Um, no and I'm sorry. I'm Kokoro Shoujiki."

"Nice to meet you, Shoujiki. Where are you from?" He sounded like he was interrogating me, totally opposite from his tone before.

"Don't worry about that. Can you tell me if this is the Konoha Village?" I asked as nicely as possible, or so I thought. The guy glared at me.

"I'll tell you when you tell me where you're from." He thought he had the upper hand, but he had another thing coming. I just turned away and started heading towards the gate. The man grabbed my arm.

"I wasn't finished with you." He sounded calm and yet still stern.

"Well, I was finished with you." He didn't let go. "I'd advise you get your hands off of me." He still didn't let go. Well, he had it coming. I started to jab at his side, but he just blocked me. I resorted to hitting a pressure point in his arm. He immediately let go, but he went into a battle stance.

"I never thought I'd ever fight someone I never knew the name of." I said.

"Hatake Kakashi." He lunged forward and started the dance of the duel. I dodged, blocked, and attacked on my own, but he was much stronger and quicker. He had me down on the ground after several hours. I was exhausted, but still I tried to stand.

"You should be knocked out after that last blow." He tried to calm his voice, but it didn't work. I had got in a few of my own blows, all to pressure points, but this Hatake man held his own.

"I have a mission to complete. If I don't complete it, I might as well be dead. If I lose to you, then my training is as worthless as that mask of yours." I lunged at him, hoping I could get in one last blow. Sadly, it didn't work out for me. He pushed one of the several pressure points in my neck. I was out quicker than you could say "Ninja".

I awoke to someone carrying me. I tried to move, but it hurt all over. I moaned and tried to forget the pain. I heard a young male laugh. After that I heard a quick reprimand from another male, someone much older. Then it hit me quick. That someone was the man—Hatake Kakashi—who had just knocked me out, and he was carrying me! I squirmed and yelped out in pain.

"You shouldn't move so quickly. You just survived a battle with the great Hatake Kakashi." Said a foreign voice. It sounded like a younger male, but sort of cocky and snide.

"That's enough Sasuke." That Hatake person ordered. He sounded calm and yet firm. Note: Get pointers from the Hatake person. "How are you feeling Shoujiki? You took some pretty hard hits. Don't worry though; we're almost to the hospital."

I tried to tell me I had to go see the Hokage first, but my voice wouldn't work. I shook my head hard, despite the raging headache I got afterwards. "No? Why not? Oh right, you're mission. Naruto had gone through your things after I brought you in Konoha. You're to see the Hokage, right?" I nodded, adding to the headache.

"Alright, to the Hokage we go." He said as if I had a choice, even though I couldn't move. He wasn't being carried around the village like a dead body. As we walked around the village, we had the attention of almost every person we saw. A few people waved, others just stared. A couple of women glared, but then started to laugh as they noticed what was going on. I was humiliated. I buried my head in his chest, trying to make myself invisible.

"Shoujiki, are you ok?" Kakashi asked. He had concern in his voice, but I couldn't tell if it was real or not. Who cared? I didn't answer. "Alright, but anyway we're here."

I shot my head up, inducing another headache. The Hokage's Building was immense, only slightly smaller than the giant gates from before. I looked away, knowing what came next. "Um, Hatake-san, I've got to go in alone. It's the erm…mission. I'll just need you to help me inside."

He chuckled. How dare he laugh at my seriousness? I glared at him. "I'm sorry, Shoujiki, but you aren't walking alone anywhere. Your nerves are shot just from the battle from before. You need time to heal. Going to see the—"He stopped abruptly.

"So, Kakashi, it looks as if you've finally found someone?" A young female voice said teasingly. I buried my head in Kakashi's chest again. After a few moments, I felt a poke in my back. "Hey kid, who are you?" She said fiercely.

"K-Kokoro S-Shoujiki." I stammered out.

"Oh, you're that brat from the Village Hidden in the Heart." She scoffed.

"The what?" Kakashi asked. I knew that people weren't supposed to know about our village, but I truly wanted to tell him. Instead, I just gave him a half answer.

"It's my home." Kakashi looked skeptical, but I couldn't tell him the whole truth.

"Anyway, Kakashi bring him inside. While you're doing that, tell me why he's so incapacitated that you must carry him."

I glanced at Kakashi, hoping he wouldn't tell her we had fought. I didn't know what Konoha did, but back home a ninja who fights firsts and asks questions later had to go through the most dreaded thing from home. The memories came flashing back and I heard the echo of screaming. I couldn't hear anything else, except for the screaming. I forced myself to not scream. Kakashi glanced my way, but he didn't say anything. I couldn't take it anymore. I buried my head in his chest, again, to muffle my soft screams. When I opened my eyes, we were in an office. Not that fancy kind, but a functional office.

"Alright kid, lay it on me. Tell me why I get a weird note saying that a young ambassador from the Village hidden in the Heart will be trying to form an alliance with our village."

I sighed and looked up at Kakashi. He put me down in a chair, getting entirely what I want from him. He leaned against a wall and waited for me to start. I sighed again. I put on my ambassador face, surprised they hadn't noticed that I was a girl. "It is true, I am the ambassador. My family, how should I say this, rules the Kokoro Village, hence why our last names' is Kokoro. A few months back, we were attacked by the infamous Akatsuki. My clan believes that you know more than we do."

I took a deep breath before I continued. "My father, Kokoro Ichigo, gave me orders to come here and ask for an alliance. Sadly, a few days after I left, my family was slaughtered by the Akatsuki. I am the only Kokoro left."

It was silent for a long time. I shifted nervously in my chair. I went for the easy way out. "Is there anything you want to know about my clan, our village? I will try to answer your questions to the best of my ability."

The Hokage sighed. "At the moment, we have no intelligence of your village. It of our utmost concern that if we are to form an alliance, you are to explain to us where your village is and what its intentions are." I groaned on the inside. I hated when leaders used the "village we". I then noticed that I had just used it before.

I opened my mouth to start, but nothing came out. I tried to remember where our village was located. Everything was fuzzy. "Can you give me a few minutes?"

Kakashi and the Hokage shared a look. The Hokage let me go. I tried my best to run outside the door, but Kakashi grabbed hold of my arm for the second time. "Are you going to be ok?"

I looked from his hand on my arm and then gave him an icy glare. "Why do you care?" I snatched my arm away and limped out the door. My nerves are not shot, I thought-yelled. I heard him sigh and close the door behind me. I fell against the door, trying to hold back the tears. It was just too soon to be thinking about home. I slid down the length of the door, only to bang my head on the doorknob. I hissed out in pain and buried my head in my knees. I wept silently.

After a few moments, I quieted down enough to be able to hear them talking. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was on the door. It was inevitable anyway seeing as how my forte was espionage and intelligence.

"He stopped crying Tsunade. Something about him isn't adding up. I don't know what yet, but I'm going to find out." Kakashi's voice is a forced whisper. "Give me the mission."

The Hokage sighed. "No. He'll tell us everything when he's ready. That's not exactly what an ambassador does, but he's only a child. I think he's a little younger than Naruto."

I couldn't hear what Kakashi said next, but I could guess it was something about my profile because the Hokage said, "We don't have much on him. All I know is what he just told us. By the way, why are you still here?"

"Because I want to know what's the kid's deal. Why is he so emotional, when he's supposed to be the ambassador of a foreign village? They are supposed to be the elite of their village. From what I just witnessed, that village can't exactly be that strong."

I knew the Hokage was mad, because her reply came out as a hiss. "What you just witnessed was a child thrust into an adult situation. He's now the leader of a whole village, and he's barely twelve." She sighed. "You can have the mission, but you better not do anything to make him not feel welcome."

I try to muffle my groan by stuffing my head between my knees. I didn't want that strange guy trying to get all buddy-buddy with me on false pretenses. If he thought I'd be an easy nut to crack, he's got another thing coming. I couldn't hear anything for awhile, but then the door opened. I fall backward on the floor, looking up at Kakashi's face.

"Good Marrow fine sir, wherefore art thou staring at me?" I quoted some old language I had to study when I was a young girl.

"Whatever. You're staying over at my place. Here's your stuff." He drops my bags right near my head. I growl and roll over.

"You know, if you tried being nicer to me, I might tell you something." He looked taken aback. I smirked and grabbed my bags. "Lead the way, fine sir."

He took the scenic route through the Konoha Village, which means he was going in circles to make me mad. I could have sworn we passed the same ramen shop twenty times, waving at the same blond haired boy. Finally, we reach his place. I look around and notice the Hokage's building is not but two blocks away. "You made me walk 5 hours when it would have taken ten minutes, JUST TO GET TO YOUR PLACE?!" I could practically feel the headache coming on. I sighed. He chuckled, like he had won the war. Sadly for him, there are many battles in a single war.

He opened the door and I limped over to the couch. I plopped down and rubbed my aching feet. I never walked so much in my life. He sat next to me and I could feel his gaze on him. I didn't face him and kept rubbing my feet.

"Are you going to look at me?" He asks through clenched teeth.

"Were you planning on asking me if I wanted to look at you?" I smirk and look at him. "What do you want?"

He sighed. "Housekeeping rules: You sleep on the couch, I sleep on the bed. Don't wake me up for anything, but I can wake you up for everything. Don't touch or go through anything of mine, but I can go and search through your things to make sure you are who you say you are." I gulp, hoping he doesn't learn my secret. "Lastly, when I go on a mission, you are to come with me, regardless of what you are doing."

I clench my teeth and try not to punch Kakashi in the face. "Shoujiki rules: I sleep wherever I feel like it, just probably never on your bed. Who knows what goes on in that filth? I have a biological clock set that only wakes me up. Nothing you can do will wake me up. If you go through my things, you will undergo severe pain because I have booby trapped my things to only open for me. I will never go through your things, unless I feel a pressing need. Any questions?" He shook his head, eyes wide. "Good. I'm going to sleep." I shoved him off the couch and situated myself. I closed my eyes closed, hoping that the old "out of sight, out of mind" saying worked.

After a few minutes, he still didn't leave me. He ruffled my hair and whispered "Good night, Shoujiki. Always trust your heart." He left me to go to sleep, which I did blissfully.

I awoke to the sound of sizzling food. Automatically my nose started to itch, because of its sensitivity. I smiled and stretched, reminding myself to snag a quick piece before going to meet my sensei. I stand up awkwardly, still disoriented from my sleep. "Mother, is that bacon you're making? Can I have some before I go to meet Sensei?" I wait for an answer. At first I hear nothing, but then I hear chuckling. To my complete horror, Kakashi came stepping out of his kitchen holding a sizzling pan of bacon laughing at me.

"First of all, I'm not your mother. Secondly, you can have some but I'm your sensei now." He went back into the kitchen, still laughing. I just stood there dumbfounded. Where was my mother? Why was I here? Then it all hit me. I remembered the previous day and I winced. Today was not going to be a good day.

I walked into the kitchen, rubbing my eyes. Kakashi was not going to be a very good person to live with. I'm going to have to get an apartment for myself, I thought I said to myself but Kakashi started laughing. "Don't worry; you'll be here until the Hokage says otherwise." He put some bacon, eggs, and pancakes on a plate and handed it to me. I looked at them and then back to him.

"Don't worry, I didn't poison them." He put the rest on his plate and sat down to eat. "Do me a favor and just eat. If you are malnourished the Hokage will kill me." He dove into his food as if he had never eaten in ages. I gave him a disgusted look and tried the pancakes. They were pretty good. Before I knew it, I had eaten it all.

"So, Shoujiki, why exactly are you looking for an alliance?"

I thought about it. Father just said to get an alliance, she never said why. "Before, I didn't think there was a real reason. Now, we need it for protection. We don't have many ninjas after the attack. That one guy with the red eyes was a formidable opponent for a lot of our ninjas, but they weren't good enough. We almost had him beat, but then that blue guy came out of no where and helped him out."

Kakashi gave me a weird look. I looked down at my plate and back at him. "What'd I say?"

"You mean to tell me that every single ninja in your village could've beat Itachi if Kisame didn't show up?" He asked me with an interested look.

"Who's Itachi and Kisame?" I asked.

He chuckled at my question. "Itachi was the red eyed man and Kisame was the blue guy in your story."

"Oh. Well, if just one of our ninja fought Itachi, then we would have lost because he would've picked us off. But, we all fought as a unit and as one, so we got him down on his back for a long time."

"Then Kisame showed up?" He asked. I wasn't fooled for a moment. I knew that if I told him everything, he was going to try to pry my secrets out of me. No chance of that.

"Yea, he was pretty good too, until he started using his Samehada sword. What a cheap way to win. If a ninja can't fight with his fists, jutsu, and wits, then he doesn't deserve to be a ninja. That's my ninja way." I smirked at him and stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to explore this fine village you call home." I ran out the door before he could say anything. After I was a few meters away from his home, I stopped running. Hopefully, today was going to be a better day than before.