Disclaimer: I don't own any characters and claim nothing for myself!

Prologue:

I woke up very excited today; as soon as I awoke I was out the door. I did not even stop to say good morning to nii-san. Of course he scolded me as soon as I came home.

(Note: Nii-san needs your constant love, remember to treat him better.)

But still I do not regret meeting my team today. Of course everyone in the academy knows that the weakest genin is always put in the same team as the strongest genin and so the whole class knew Neji and I would be on the same team. Only I wish I were a little stronger or that Neji was a little weaker, he seems to hate me very much.

I want to put the animosity of my classmates in the past, but I do not feel that will happen with Neji.

Gai Sensei has already named us rivals. This is the farthest thing from the truth, as Neji does not even seem me as a speck of dust on his toe. Besides that things went fantastic as Tenten is also on the team with me. I have always had a great fondness for my friend ever since she came to my eight-birthday party when no one else in class would. I pray her happy attitude will be an adequate buffer between Neji's stoicism and myself. I would hate for things to turn truly ugly between us.

(Must make a special wish tonight.)

As great as being a genin is I am still unsure about Gai Sensei. I remember first meeting him at the academy when I was near giving up. His smile helped me keep pushing myself, but from such a short meeting I could not tell just how strange the man was.

He was very loud and overly happy. I wonder if on a mission something went wrong and he hurt his head badly. It would explain the strange antics and wording. Tenten seems to agree with me but of course we were careful not to have this discussion in front of Sensei.

Nii-san seems to think Gai Sensei is strange because life is so harsh for him. The life of a jounin is full of tragedy, a lot of death and violence and the only thing that might keep Gai Sensei sane is being stranger than life its self. Nii-san looked sad when he said this. I know he never wants to talk about them, but I wonder if when he says things like this if he is thinking of okaa-san and otou-san.

I have no memories of them, only what nii-san tells me. What he does say is not much only that they were not very nice to me. I wonder if he is being honest with me or if he is only saying this because he is hurt. Does he think that by dying that they have abandoned us?

At night I look up at the sky after a long day of training and it makes me feel better to think they are watching. That they twinkle in the stars and smile fondly as their youngest son who knows nothing of them works tirelessly so others will not die. So that others may be saved from a terrible end.

Nii-san is leaving on another trip tomorrow. While he's gone I think I will search for pictures of them again. I know he is angry and sad but no matter how angry with them he might be he could not bring himself to throw out all of their pictures. Through those live the few happy memories he has of them. And that cannot be something so easily disposed, so I will find them. I will look twice as hard for them tomorrow.

AN: They'll be a time skip after this chapter. Don't worry I'll say what episode so that you won't get lost ;P