Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

New story! Yay! This is the fourth one in the series I'm making! Remember Kirei in the last one? Well, she's been put in this next story!

Enjoy!


Hidden

A twelve-year-old girl with ebony bangs hanging nearly past her chin, the rest of her hair plaited to her waist, looked up at the gates of Konohagakure with her dark eyes. She gave a slight smile as she held a forehead protector in her hands. Her dark dress made her seem depressed, along with her sandals.

The lookouts saw her and called, "Little girl, this is a ninja village! What do you want?"

"Sirs, I was told this is where my family originated and that I should find any who remained!"

"Your name, little girl?"

She turned around and pulled her thick braid over her shoulder, exposing the red fan with white handle. "Uchiha…Kirei."


The whole village was abuzz at the news that there was another Uchiha who had survived the genocide. She seemed to be the same age as Sasuke, but had no ninja abilities whatsoever. Yet she was pure Uchiha, capable of holding the Kekkei Genkai, Sharingan. She had yet to see him, even though her heart pounded to think of it.

Uchiha Sasuke…the other surviving member of the clan they belonged to, save the one who had destroyed it…Uchiha Itachi. She had been promised by her parents that if she married a member of her clan, that the Kekkei Genkai would appear in her babies. And she would give her firstborn the forehead protector she cherished.

She had inherited her mother's beauty yet her father's quiet personality. She kept herself beautiful: her hair glossy, skin soft and clear, body firm and toned. She used every beauty product she could and ate the right foods so she wouldn't get fat or mess up her complexion. She knew that her looks were her best tool, even though she didn't have the confidence to show off.

Whenever she walked through the streets, every teenage male turned to look at her. She was just shy of thirteen and looked it. Her mailbox was always full of love letters and gifts from admirers, asking from dates to marriage. She eased each into a let-down, one at a time. Yet she was completely ignored by the one she wanted…not that he gave special attention to any girl, let alone her, who he probably hadn't met or seen.

In a village full of ninja, she was the normal one, who couldn't do anything at all. She probably wouldn't appeal to Sasuke at all. He probably liked kunoichi with short hair…light-colored hair and eyes…outgoing and not afraid to voice her feelings.

"Hey, Uchiha-chan!" a boy called to her.

She turned and blinked, seeing that he was from the ninja academy, because she knew that they'd just graduated. "Yes?"

"I heard that you've always wanted to see Sasuke-kun. I could let you meet him, if you…" The boy blushed, bashful.

"If I what?"

"…kiss me," the boy finished.

She bit her lip, and then leaned forward as if to kiss him. But, instead, she kissed his cheek. He opened his eyes, disappointed. He pouted a little, but knew he hadn't said on the lips, so it counted.

"Follow me; I think I know where he's hanging out."

They wandered through the streets, until they saw him wandering towards the academy. The boy called, "Sasuke-kun!"

The dark-haired boy froze, and then turned. He looked slightly nervous. "Yes?"

"Sasuke-kun, there's someone I want you to meet. This is—"

"—Kirei. Uchiha Kirei," Kirei introduced, bowing a little. "It's nice to meet you, Uchiha-san."

When she raised her head, he stared at her, before becoming red in the cheeks. "P-pretty…" he stammered, taking a step closer to her.

He was about to reach for her face, when he suddenly spasmed. He blew past them, out of sight. Kirei blinked, wondering why all he'd said to her was her name.

"Usually Sasuke-kun isn't that bashful, Uchiha-chan. He must be feeling shy or something today."

She nodded, placing a finger against her cheek in thought. "Yes…strange…"

(Her name, "Kirei" means "pretty" in Japanese.)


The boy whom she'd seen Sasuke with walked her home. "My name is Yuki, by the way, Uchiha-chan. I'm sorry your meeting with Sasuke-kun was so short. Are you a ninja? You look about my age…"

"No, I'm not. But my father had the Kekkei Genkai. He said it skipped my generation and should appear should I…" She turned red and gave her head a quick shake. "Um…thank you for walking me home, Yuki-san. I appreciate it."

Yuki grinned, and then looked at her over-stuffed mailbox. "Oh here, I'll get your mail for you."

She took the stack of letters and packages offered and knew that she would have to check off some of the boys on her list, which consisted of five categories: just mentioned, one denial, two denials, three denials, ignoring. Each check told her what to do if the boy persisted. Some boys were rather stubborn, yet didn't have the guts to come to her house themselves. It was rather annoying, but she was too nice to say so to them. "Thank you. Um…"

"You sure have a lot of mail for not being a ninja, Uchiha-chan. What is all this, anyway?"

"Love letters, fan mail, gifts signaling affection…it seems that I'm one of the most popular girls in Konohagakure."

Yuki laughed. "I can see why. You're gorgeous. How do you keep yourself so beautiful?"

"Um…it's a secret?"

"I get it, you don't want anyone to find out how you do it, especially other girls, right?"

"Oh, yes."

"With how you look, you're gonna be even more beautiful once you grow up, Uchiha-chan. I think the only guys who wouldn't drool at even looking at you are Sasuke-kun and Neji-san."

"Neji-san?"

"Hyuga Neji, he's a year older than us. He's not popular with girls, just because of the indifferent, almost cold personality he has. He doesn't even look at girls, so don't worry about him ever looking at you twice. You look really beautiful, but one thing I might suggest that might make you even more stunning."

"Yes?"

"Clip your bangs back, with maybe hair clips. Do you have any?"

At her head shake, he reached into his pocket. "Here," he offered, holding out a pair of silver clips with sparkly blue butterflies on the thick ends. "I stole these from my sister, but she has another pair so she won't miss them. Let's just say they're yours now."

She took them and smiled. "Thanks, Yuki-san. I'll wear them when I do my hair tomorrow."

"Oh, before you go."

"Yes?"

"Good luck with Sasuke-kun. He'll be a really tough nut to crack. He's never showed any preference to anyone, even the prettiest girls in my year, Sakura-chan and Ino-chan. And they've got nothing on you, believe me."

"Once again, thank you. Good night."

She carried her fan mail inside, dumping it on the table in the front room before going to her bathroom to untie her hair and take a shower. She looked at the clips and knew that she only hid behind her bangs so that she wouldn't have to look at any who she had to reject in person. But now, if she wanted to catch Sasuke's eye, then she would have to appear a little more confident.

Smiling, she got ready for bed.


There you are, chapter one! Did it work for the new story? Did it suck?

Please review!