Hey guys! I know, it's been a very long time since I've updated this… I guess I should say that I lied when I said it wouldn't take me a huge load of time to edit my story, because it sure did. I'm still not done though, but I'm going to put what I have up because I think you deserve it, after waiting so patiently. (That's seventeen chapters…)

In other words, you want to start over and read from the beginning, because some of the chapters are new, including the very first one, and some of the chapters weren't there before, and yet more have been elaborated on, or have had corrections fixed…

So instead of asking questions, go reread the story…I know, it's boring…

She's over bored and self assured ~ Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

My Solitary Hope

Chapter 1

Sasuke walked down the quiet hallway. It was a half hour after the end of school, and he had to find a way to get out of the arms of the frolicking, screaming fan girls that tried to get his attention after classes ended, especially Sakura and Ino.

'They never give up,' he thought as he ran his hand through his ebony hair. But he had more important things to do right now then think about his misery.

So as to not have to be followed home every day, he had begun extra lessons with Kakashi after school. He stopped at his locker and inserted his combination, opening the door, and pulling out his 2 books. Slamming the door shut, the noise echoed in the empty hallway. As the noise faded out, it was replaced by the tiny sound of a metal scraping metal somewhere far off in one of the classrooms.

'Naruto must be warming up with Kakashi,' Sasuke thought. Naruto was Sasuke's friend, though Sasuke would have a difficult time admitting it in public….

Naruto was just too…loud.

"Kakashi didn't tell me Naruto was coming after school today." Sasuke said aloud and subconciously, to himself as he came within sight of the door.

Not to his surprise, the scraping metal sound came from the class he was supposed to enter. The loud noise kept a steady beat. The sound itself echoed along the walls of the hollow training room. Whoever was fighting was keeping up a steady attack, without backing down. Whether is be Naruto or Kakashi, and Sasuke was leaning towards the latter (because he was pretty sure Naruto would never be able to keep up such an attack), that was attacking, he had endurance, not having faltered a single time for rest.

"You fight well. You should give up before I humiliate you."

Confusion suddenly washed over Sasuke. Naruto wasn't speaking normally… Though Naruto would say something that disrespectful to his teacher, his voice sounded odd. Maybe he was sick?... Perhaps Naruto was practicing with someone else and not Kakashi?...

Or maybe, someone was attacking Naruto after school. Being the nine tailed demon, it was very possible…Maybe assassins from another village had come to take him. It could even be someone from his very own village, Konoha.

It was a far fetched idea, but Sasuke could think of quite a few people that might hold a grudge against his friend. He wasn't the best of kids. When Sasuke got to the door, he peeked in the little window.

Sasuke was greeted with the sight of Kakashi squatting on the ground, panting heavily, and staring up at the wall. His gray hair was upright, as it always was, though it was obviously messy, as if he had just been fighting. Sasuke never realized that Naruto had become this advanced in the past couple weeks…Making Kakashi fight without his trade mark book was a difficult task at it was, but to be beating him without his book was on a whole new level.

Following his teacher's gaze, he soon realized that Kakashi was not staring at a wall, but at somebody, and though Sasuke couldn't see Naruto's face, he couldn't think of anyone else who would be fighting Kakashi. He quietly pushed the door open, and it didn't even squeak as he stepped in.

Kakashi suddenly jumped up towards Naruto. Sasuke looked to where he had moved and watched his teacher attack Naruto as he hid in the shadows. Not having been noticed yet, Sasuke decided to watch the fight, to see if he could find anything interesting to learn.

As his eyes fell upon Naruto's silhouette, Sasuke's face contorted in confusion.

That wasn't Naruto.

That--…SHE…had a chest…a rather endowed one at that… Not that Sasuke was looking…

And then Sasuke relaxed. Naruto must be using his 'sexy jutsu'… And then Sasuke realized that he'd been looking at "her" chest…Ewwwwww. He almost gagged at the thought and looked back up to Naruto.

It must have been a new variation of the jutsu, because Sasuke had never seen this one before. "She" had short black hair, that came down above "her" shoulder, hair that was too long to be a boys, and almost too short to be a girls. If it weren't for "her" slender shape, "her" chest, and "her" voice, Sasuke would have thought it was a boy.

"Give up... We're at about an equal stature. This fight has become a matter of stamina, and seeing as I'm younger, it would be technical if I won."

The voice of Naruto's jutsu rang in the empty room, ricocheting off the walls. The sound of "her" voice surprised him. It was brutally cold, yet calm, and mellow. Like sitting out in the slowly falling snow. Not necessarily uncomfortable, it just made your skin crawl like it was something unnatural about it.

He couldn't see "her" face, only "her" delicate outline and he saw "her" fingers move ever so gracefully, barley touching the pouch that rested on "her" leg, but Sasuke did notice the object "she" took out of it, glinting in what little light was present.

And then "she" stepped forward into the light. Sasuke immediately noticed that "she" was but a child, younger than him by maybe a year or so. That wasn't normal…Naruto always chose.... more mature girls and for very perverse reasons.

'Maybe it isn't Naruto,' Sasuke suddenly wondered.

Before Sasuke could take another glance "her" way, "she" suddenly disappeared, and Sasuke found himself holding his breath, realizing that not even Kakashi could move that fast, let alone Naruto. And then the room fell silent. It seemed hollow, begging for the familiar sound of metal against metal, lighting tiny sparks. And soon, that's exactly what filled Sasuke's ears. He could see the sparks that the small knives made as they hit each other, but the "girl" and Kakashi were moving too fast for him to see them.

Sasuke was shocked at how quickly the two where moving and wondered if he should step in. There was no chance in HELL that Naruto could fight this well, let alone pick a child as for his jutsu. This "girl"… was obviously not Naruto. He watched the fight, looking for an opening, and barely moving from where he stood in front of the door. Suddenly, he heard a dull thud as something hit the wall opposite him. Kakashi fell to the ground, the girl standing in front of him, a kunai pressed to his neck.

Sasuke was shocked to say the least, though his expression didn't show it.

This girl…this…this CHILD, had defeated Kakashi single handedly. No help what so ever. The only thing that went through Sasuke head, as a ninja was:

Danger.

Without a second thought, Sasuke grabbed a shuriken and dove for her, while her back was still turned to him.

His footsteps suddenly filled the once again silent room, and the girl heard him approach, turning around and swinging Sasuke's shuriken out of his hand, without any effort. The force of her hit threw Sasuke backwards and he used the momentum to back flip, using his hand to anchor himself, and landing on his feet, only to grab another knife and run at her, but she caught his wrist this time, holding it an inch from her face.

"Who are you?" she asked, monotonously, breaking the silence after several tense seconds. Odd, why would she want to know? An assassin doesn't need the name of her victim. Nor would she not have something that hid her identity, such as a mask. Meaning that she couldn't be an assassin… And why would she want to attack Kakashi?

"I could ask the same thing," Sasuke replied. She threw his hand away from her face and he once again slid backwards, only to sprint forward again, but this time, Kakashi stepped in front of the girl, stopping Sasuke in his tracks.

"That's enough, Sasuke."

Confusion over took him. They were just going to let her leave? And then Kakashi turned around and shook hands with the enemy.

"Very nice", he said, complimenting the girl in her efforts.

"So I pass?" she asked clearly.

"It's fine. I've never seen your style of fighting," answered Kakashi. He still seemed to be in shock after hitting the wall.

"I've made a couple moves myself, it's nice to have something only I can do. Like a secret weapon, or a trump card," she said now staring at Sasuke, who looked her straight in the eyes.

She had a slender face, and when ever she moved her head, he could see that her hair was not black but dark brown with almost red-like reflections. Her bangs fell on the left side of her face, above her right eye, and her hair was shoulder lengthed and filled with big bouncy waves. Sasuke thought that she was wearing peculiar clothes, but upon closer inspection, everything she wore seemed to have a purpose.

She had a long sleeved, white corset, tied together between her breasts. A short coat or shoulder covering lay on her shoulders, stopping after the chest. A circle was cut out of the back, and the collar came up to her chin. She wore a pair of black shorts, covered with a white skirt, a circle cut out of the front and back as well, ending in a scallop cut. The nettings on her legs opposed each other, one coming down to her mid thigh, the other coming up to right below her knee. Her boots were elegant, three black circles outlining each of the outsides of her shoes. It was quite a modern look on the younger girl, probably making her appear older than she really was. Crisp and cleanly cut, he was certain her cold and precise appearance wasn't just caused by the contrast of black and white.

Sasuke noticed something that looked like a dog collar hanging around her neck. A small, white painted medallion hung off of it, and every time she moved it clinked. His eyes would have skipped over it, seeing as it was half hidden beneath the mini coat she was wearing, but the light glanced off of it just right and shone into his eyes.

Something was etched into its smooth surface, but Sasuke wasn't close enough to see it.

She looked intimidating with her emotionless face. However, it was her eyes interested him the most. The pale white color was staring through him, giving him shivers. Surrounded by a think line of black along the pupil, they appeared to be flecked in gold, but Sasuke blamed the bad lighting, and looked away. She looked as if as if she could stare a hole through your head with one glance. A chill once again slipped up his spine when he stared at her…There was something unnatural about her. Something orderly, and robotic. Something empty.