Kakashi's Daughter

by InigoShadow92

A young girl left at an orphanage goes to seek her father, the only relative she has left. When it turns out her father is Kakashi, her life is turned upside-down. And when she falls in love with his rival's student? Things only get worse.

Prologue

"Are you sure about this?" asked Horuka. "Yes." I said, sighing. "I mean, I know it's been your lifelong dream, but… the orphanage needs you! The only reason a lot of us haven't lost our minds is you." Said Horuka. "I'm sorry, but I really need to leave here, and now that I should be a ninja, I can without having to worry about myself." I said. "You know, you're more apt to being mugged because you're a girl." Said Horuka, trying to get me to stay. "But I won't because I'll use this." I said, slipping a knit hat on, with my medium-length wavy silvery hair in it so that I looked like a boy. "Kinashi… just be careful, okay?" said Horuka. "I will." I said, giving Horuka a kiss on the cheek. Then I picked up my bag and hopped the orphanage fence.

Chapter One: Family Reunited

My name was Kinashi. I had no clue where I had come from or if anyone in my family was still alive. Ever since my mother died, I had been shuffled around from family to family until I ended up at the orphanage. I barely remembered anything, though because I had been very little at the time. There was a rumor going around at the orphanage that my father hadn't wanted me, so he came there and just abandoned me. I didn't care. I knew that my father was out there. I had to find him. I had overheard that in the village hidden in the grass there was amazing technology that would tell you who you were descended from. My trek would bring me there first. As I came to the village, I kept wondering what it would be like to meet my father. I pushed my silvery hair behind my ear. I didn't know why I had that color hair, but I had seen people with weirder natural hair colors than me (*cough* *cough* Pink *cough* *cough*). I was only about twelve or thirteen (I didn't even know my own age) but I didn't seem to be from around here, so people stared. This made me feel awkward. I just reminded myself that I would only be here for the amount of time it took for me to find out who my father was. I walked into the place, and filled out a questionnaire that asked questions like "Your reason for coming here" and "birthplace", which took me a long time to answer them, because I didn't know the answers to a lot of them. In the end, I got it filled out, and they ran some "Blood tests". The person who ran the blood tests came out of the lab after a few minutes and told me something. "Your family is almost unknown, Kinashi, but according to the blood tests and questionnaire, you should belong to the same clan as a famous ninja named Kakashi from the village hidden in the leaves. In fact, you should be very closely related to him." He said. I took out my map and looked at the place I was going to go to. I marked the exact spot. About three days and I will be there. I thought. The doctor gave me a picture of Kakashi, and I left the village.

I left the village, and about a day later, I ran out of supplies. I knew that I should've stocked up in that village! I thought. Then I heard footsteps. I jumped up, and using my kunai knife, pulled myself into a tree. I looked on as a Jonin ninja and his team of Genin walked past. I recognized them by their Hitai-ate headbands. The Jonin looked at the tree for a moment, and then just walked on. I jumped to the next tree, and went out on a limb, if you know what I mean. "I am looking for a ninja named Kakashi. Have you seen him?" I asked, hanging from the tree limb using my chakra. The short one started to say something and then the girl covered his mouth. "Why do you want to know?" asked the Jonin. "I have been lead to believe that he is the only remaining member of my family." I said. The Jonin's eyes widened in…was that recognition? "I am him." He said. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying. I didn't want him to think I was some kind of wimp. That just wasn't going to happen. Is this really Kinashi? Thought Kakashi, she sure has grown since I last saw her. "Let's go somewhere private. I have some explaining to do." Said Kakashi.

"Your name is Kinashi, am I right?" asked Kakashi. "Yes." I said. "Well, you see, I'm your father. When you were sent to me after the divorce and your mother's death, I took you to that orphanage to keep you from harm, for I didn't want to lose you to the nine tailed demon fox the same way I lost your mother." He explained. "Oh, daddy!" I said, hugging him, my heart overflowing, "I missed you. You have no idea how unbearable it has been without you! Everyone thought that you had left me at the orphanage because you didn't want me." "I always thought about you." Said my daddy, stroking my hair, "I have always wanted to come for you, but I didn't think you would have wanted to come with me away from your friends at the orphanage." I began to cry. "Daddy, my lifelong dream was to find you!" I said through the sobs. I just sat there, holding onto my father. It was the most emotional moment of my life.

Chapter Two: Meet the Team

"Kinashi, you're going to have to let go of me now. I'm on a mission with the three Genin I'm teaching." Said my father. "Okay." I said, and I let go, "Can I go with you? Please?" "Kinashi………" he said, and then after pausing for a while, smiled and said, "okay, we're only on the way back, anyway." "Hm." I said, a way that I showed my satisfaction at getting my way. "What was that about?" asked my Daddy. "I've been training to be a ninja for a long time. They wouldn't let me graduate, even though I was at the top of the class." I said. "And now why is that?" asked my dad. "I disobeyed the dress code at the school. I accidentally dyed my white shirt pink when I did my laundry." I said, "I mean, how was I supposed to know there was a red T-shirt in there with the whites?" "I get it." Said my dad, "I guess you want to enroll in the academy at the village hidden in the leaves, and become a ninja." "No." I said. My dad looked shocked. "I only want to take the test. I've had enough classes to last me a lifetime." I added, "I know that any test someone gives me I will pass." "You mean you think you will pass any test." Said my dad. "You doubt my confidence?" I said, "I don't think I've ever heard of sparring in the village hidden in the leaves. At the academy where I studied, we sparred once a day, sometimes more. Even not being a Ninja, I still have the experience I need." She sounds like……me when I was a little younger. Kakashi thought, And when I knew almost nothing about the real world. I just hope she understands what she's doing. There was a strange silence. "Alright, we've left the others alone long enough. We've got to get back to them." He said, and I followed him back. "Sensei, who exactly is this girl?" asked the short one. "Uhh… well… let me introduce my daughter, Kinashi." Said my dad. "Your daughter?" said the quiet one, who hadn't talked at all before then. "Yes, she's my daughter." Said my dad, looking like he was very uncomfortable. "Am I going to have to call you person for the rest of my life, or am I going to learn your names?" I said. "Well, on this team, there is Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke is our most skilled student, Naruto is…" said my dad, being interrupted by the very short and loud one, who said, "The number one Hyperactive knucklehead ninja!" I laughed. "You're kinda funny, Naruto." I said. "Please don't encourage him. He's annoying enough as it is." Said the girl, "I'm Sakura by the way." "Nice to meet you, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura." I said, "And I don't think Naruto's annoying. He actually reminds me a bit of one of my friends." Can this girl be for real? Thought Sasuke and Sakura at the same time, someone who doesn't think Naruto's annoying? "Well, we should probably get going." Said my dad, and we started along the road. "So, where are we going?" I asked. "We are headed back to the village hidden in the leaves right now." Answered my dad, "We're on our way back from a mission." "Well, that's really cool. What was your mission?" I asked. "We were assigned to protect a bridge builder." Answered Naruto. "That sounds very interesting, but I won't pry any more." I said.

Chapter Three: A Love Interest

"That's good, because we're almost there." Commented my dad, and I looked ahead. There was a huge gate in front of us. It opened, and I got my first glimpse of Konohagakure No Sato. It was amazing. It was bigger than where I grew up, and the buildings were a lot taller than any where I grew up. "Welcome to Konohagakure No Sato, Kinashi." Said my dad, "Welcome home." I smiled. "I have some errands to do, so why don't you explore the village? Meet me back home. This is the address." suggested my dad. "I'll show you around!" said Naruto. "That would be great." I replied. We walked around for a while, and Naruto showed me the shops, the academy, and the training ground for the students. "Hey, who is that?" I said, looking at one of the students who were practicing. "Oh, you mean the guy with the dog? That's Kiba. His dog's named Akamaru. He's…" said Naruto, only to be interrupted by me, saying, "Not him,him, the one practicing his Taijutsu." "What, you mean bushy-brow over there?" asked Naruto, "His name is Rock Lee. He's a Ninja who can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. A Taijutsu specialist." "Wow." I whispered. A Taijutsu specialist? That's definitely a rarity, but we're not too different in that way. I was never too good at Ninjutsu, and was a complete failure at Genjutsu. The only thing I could do right was Taijutsu. It came so naturally. Even though I never knew my father was a Ninja before now, I knew that I was going to be one. I thought, and there is another like me, and from the same village too. He must have had a hard time in his past, not being able to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu at all. Even not being able to use Genjutsu made me an outcast. That's it. I'll talk to him the first chance I find him alone. "Uhh, Kinashi? Earth to Kinashi, can you hear me?" Asked Naruto. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking." I replied. "About what?" He asked, cocking his head to the side in a very childlike gesture. "Rock Lee and I… We're not that different. Taijutsu comes very naturally to me. I can use Ninjutsu, but it's difficult. I'm a complete failure when it comes to Genjutsu." I answered. "Wow. That's harsh." Said Naruto. "I think I'd like to walk alone right now, Naruto. Thank you for showing me around." I said. Hmm…She's weird. She acts almost like Sakura does around Sasuke except around Bushy-brow. She has that same look on her face. Wait a minute! She likes him!?! Thought Naruto, walking away, I will never understand girls. Ever.

Chapter Four: The First Meeting

I walked around for a while just to think. "How the heck am I supposed to talk to him? Someone like him must practice day and night, 24/7!" I mumbled to myself. I found myself back by the training ground. I may as well draw him if I can't talk to him. I thought. I pulled out a small sketch pad and a pencil. I tapped the eraser against the paper absent-mindedly as I watched for the exact moment I wanted to capture. He was kicking this tree stump so much he had whittled where he was kicking it to a notch. I decided that the moment I would capture would be the instant of impact. I flipped the pencil in my hand and began to draw as realistically as I could. I had something called a photographic memory, a memory that's so good that you can recall something so perfectly it's like you took a photograph. I drew the picture in less than five minutes, and I hated it. I flipped the page, and tried a different pose. This time it was the moment of impact when he punched the tree. I finished it in about twenty minutes, and liked it a lot better than the first pose. I smiled at my work of art, and closed the notebook. I put the pencil in the spiral and put it in my backpack. I got up and left. I got home just before dark. "Why were you out so late?" asked my dad. "I wanted to do some drawing before I came back." I answered. "Can I see them?" He asked. "I guess. I only did the last two today." I said, handing him the sketchbook. He flipped through the pages almost absent-mindedly. "Wow, Kinashi. You're a real artist!" He said. "Thanks." I said, blushing slightly. "You did the last two today, you said?" He asked, "Do you know who this boy is?" "Kinda. I know his name's Rock Lee, and that he's a Taijutsu specialist." I answered. "Yes, and he's my rival Guy's over-achieving student." My dad said. "I have to tell you something." I said, "Rock Lee and I are very much alike. We both can't use Genjutsu, and I can barely use Ninjutsu. We both are very good at Taijutsu, though." "You can't use Genjutsu, Huh?" he said, "As for your Ninjutsu, you probably just haven't practiced it enough." "That may be, because I always just used Taijutsu, because it came the easiest to me." I said, "But I still can't use Genjutsu." "It's okay. There are some people that can't do any jutsu whatsoever." He said, and he put his arm around me, "And know that I'll always support you in whatever you do, no matter what." "Thanks, dad." I said, and I gave him a hug. She can use Genjutsu alright, she just did, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing. He thought, She probably just can't control when it happens. The next day, I got up early. If I want to catch Rock Lee then I should start walking around. I thought. I wrote my dad a note, stating:

Dad –

Went for a walk. Be back in an hour or so. I didn't want to wake you.

Love ya lots!

-- Kinashi

"Time to go." I muttered to myself. I left the house without a noise, so as not to wake my dad. I walked down to the training ground, and found out that Rock Lee was already training. I pulled out my sketch pad again and drew another handful of poses of him training. I took as much time as I needed to perfect the poses before moving on to the next one. I accidentally went way over the time that I had written my dad that I'd be back at. Oops. "Kinashi, you said you'd be back in an hour or so, not all day or so." He said, giving me a look. "I'm sorry, dad." I said, "I had no idea that I'd be out for that long. I was just making some sketches." "It's alright. Just don't do that again, okay? You make me worry." He said. "Alright dad." I said, and I went into my room. I pulled out my sketchbook and looked at the drawings I made. I smiled to myself, thinking, Once you get past the eyebrows, he's kinda cute. "I'll meet you eventually, Rock Lee, and I'll be so excited about it until that day." I said to myself, and I fell asleep. I got up even earlier the next day, and I wrote my dad another note, saying:

Dad –

I went to go draw some more. I'll be back later. I'm sorry about yesterday.

I U, Dad.

—Kinashi

"See you later, Dad." I muttered under my breath, and I left. When I got to the training ground, Rock Lee was already training. When he noticed me, I was drawing another sketch of him. I had just finished when I noticed that he was watching me over my shoulder. "So this is what you have been doing for the last three days." He said. "Yes." I said, quietly, kinda embarrassed. "What's your name?" He asked. "My name is Kinashi." I said. "And what's your last name?" He asked. "Well, I never knew my last name until just a few days ago, but I guess it's Hatake." I answered. "My name's Rock Lee." He said, holding out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Kinashi." "Likewise." I said, smiling and shaking his hand. His grip was only a little stronger than my own. He must have noticed that, because his muscles shifted in his arm. I could feel that through his hand. "You would not, by chance, be related to Kakashi Hatake, would you?" Asked Rock Lee. I laughed a little. "I am. He's my dad." I said, smiling, "I've heard about you a bit, Rock Lee. You're a Taijutsu specialist. You've no talent for Genjutsu or Ninjutsu." "Yes, and please, call me Lee." He said. "We're not too different in that way, Lee." I said, trying out the name, "Taijutsu came very naturally to me at school, although I'm no good at Ninjutsu and am not exactly gifted with Genjutsu either." "It is nice to know that I am not alone." He said. "Lee?" I asked, "Do you have a dream?" "I do have a dream, and that is to become a splendid Ninja even though all I can do is Taijutsu." He answered. "I had a dream, and it became a reality." I said. "And what was your dream?" "It was to find my father. I had been left at an orphanage when I was small, and I never found out who my father was. At least until just a few days ago, when I found out that Kakashi Hatake was my father." "Do you think that a Taijutsu specialist can become a splendid Ninja?" He asked, looking me in the eyes. "I think that you will become a very splendid Ninja, Lee." I said, and I was still staring him in the eyes. I smiled, and suddenly I blurted, "You have beautiful eyes, Lee." I startled him a little with that comment, and unfortunately for me, there was a couple of Genin walking by at the time. The guy chuckled mirthlessly. "Looks like the baby's heart is yours for the purchase, Lee." he said. "I'm n-not a b-baby!" I said. I slapped that guy across the face. Very hard. I then ran off, leaving my Sketchbook lying on the ground. "Go ahead, Run away like the little baby you are!" said the guy. "Kinashi, Wait!" shouted Lee. He started to run after me. When I ran into the woods, he stopped. "Neji, you've gone too far. Look what you've done!" Lee said. "She's a failure, Lee. Worse than Hinata is. She hasn't graduated from the academy yet, and she's almost our age." Said Neji. "Maybe there's a reason for that. She's almost like me. She can use Ninjutsu, but it is difficult. She has no talent for Genjutsu, and Taijutsu is her God-given gift. You have no idea what she's been through." Said Lee. "She's probably very emotionally unstable now. It's a wonder that she isn't insane by now, especially if she went through something like what you did at the academy, Lee." Said the girl that had been with Neji. "Yes, Tenten. I think she went through something very much like what I did, and also something even worse." Said Lee, "I think she lived most of her life with rumors going around that her father had not wanted her. She told me that her dream had been to find her father. I am glad that it came true. Wait a minute, are you telling me that I am insane, Tenten?!" "Tell me, Lee, who is her dad?" asked Neji. "Her father is Kakashi Hatake." Said Lee. "You mean Guy-sensei's rival?" asked Tenten, ignoring Lee's question. "Yes." Said Lee, and he ran off to find me.

Chapter Five: A Ninja at Last!

I was sitting in a tree, crying about my stupidity. "Why did I have to blurt at a time like that!" I shouted at myself, "Lee probably thinks I'm an idiot!" "Kinashi!" said a voice from below me. "What do you want?" I said, with an acidic tone of voice. "Whoah, what happened to the girl who was always happy when I talked to her?" asked Naruto from the ground, "Why don't you come down here? We can talk about it." "Thanks, but no thanks, Naruto." I said, in still an acidic tone. "Alright. I guess you'll never know who was looking for you just a few minutes ago." Naruto said, and he started to walk away. "Naruto!" I said, Jumping down from the tree, "Who was looking for me?" "Bushy-brow was looking for you. I bumped into him just a few minutes ago. He looked kinda worried if you ask me." Naruto said. "Naruto, I made a fool of myself in front of him!" I said, "Now I bet he thinks I'm a loser, and then I'll never be able to talk to him again! I can't deal with this!!!" By this point I was shaking Naruto by the shoulders. "Well, who cares if he thinks you're a loser now?" said Naruto, "If you think you'll win old bushy-brow's heart like that you can just say goodbye to it ever happening." "What do you think I should do?" I asked. "I don't know." He said, very flatly. "WELL, YOU'RE NO HELP!" I shouted at him. "I don't know, but maybe Sakura does. She probably does, 'cuz bushy-brow tried to ask her out before." Naruto added. "Well, where can I find Sakura?" I asked. "How am I supposed to know?!" asked Naruto. "Well, I guess I can ask around to find out where she is." I said, "Thanks for the tip, Naruto." I left immediately. It took me over an hour to find Sakura, but I found her. "Oh, Kinashi, hi!" She said. "Hey, Sakura. Umm… I was wondering. There's this guy. I made a complete idiot of myself in front of him, and undoubtedly he thinks I'm a loser, and…and…I don't know what to do!" I said. "Well, I don't know if I can help you." Asked Sakura, pausing, "Who's the guy?" "It's Rock Lee." I said, blushing uncontrollably. "Well, I think I can help you there." Said Sakura, smiling. "Thank you. Thank you so much." I said. "Why don't you tell me about how you made a complete fool of yourself in front of him?" "Well, I accidentally blurted out that I thought he had beautiful eyes. Even worse, some people he knows were walking up to him right when I said it. They were a boy and a girl. The boy called me a baby and I slapped him. Then I ran off." "Well, I doubt that Lee thinks you're a loser for that. I think that he might think that that moment was awkward, but I highly doubt he thinks you're a loser. I think you should just go talk to him now. Who knows, he might be waiting for you." Answered Sakura. "You're right. I can't just hide. I can't be a coward. I have to, whatever the consequences, face my mistake and deal with it." I concluded, "Thanks Sakura." I left to go find Lee. I didn't find him that night. The next day I had school. I was going to take the tests to become a Genin. "Well, here goes nothing." I muttered to myself, and I headed into the academy. "I guess this is our new student." Said the Chuunin in charge of the class. "Well, I guess I am." I said, with an attitude that my dad would never approve of. "My name is Iruka. You can call me Iruka-sensei." Said the Chuunin, "Why don't you stand up and introduce yourself to the class?" I stood up straight. "My name is Kinashi Hatake. I have already trained enough to become a Genin, and I only came here to find my father and become a Genin officially." I said, and then I took a seat next to this guy. "Well, it seems that if you can pass the tests today, then you will become a Genin." Said Iruka-sensei. "Alright. Let me take the tests. I can promise you now that I will not fail." I answered. "Your first test is on the hand signs. When I call out a sign, you make it as quickly as you can. Ready?" Iruka-sensei said, "I, Ushi, Tora, Ne, Hitsuji, Tori, Ushi, Tatsu, U, Uma!" I waited until he had finished the string of names before I completed the hand signs in rapid succession. I was being a show-off. Five tests and a ton of luck later, I had my own Hitai-ate. I wasn't on a squad yet, but that was because of there not being any other graduates yet. I had to wait. I had to find Lee.

Chapter Six: Drastic Changes

I found him at the training ground. I sat down once again and pulled out my sketchbook. That is, until I figured out that I no longer had my sketchbook. He was training once more. Exactly how much does this guy train each day? I thought, watching him. "I thought that you would come here eventually." Said Lee. "I was so embarrassed after that little incident. I guess I just couldn't handle it." I said, looking at the ground. I was still embarrassed. "I am just surprised that Neji did not call you something else." Lee said, trying to put a bright side on it. "So that was the guy's name? Neji?" I asked. "Yes. He was the one you… slapped. Neji Hyuga. He is probably the strongest of all the Genin from this village at this point in time." Answered Lee. "That girl who was with Neji … …who is she?" I asked. "Ah, that was Tenten. She is a weapons master and is also on my squad. Neji is the third member." Said Lee. "I bet after that incident you think I'm a loser." I said, looking back down at the ground again, "I know I'd think I was a loser. I just ran off. I could have taken that idiot down!" I was majorly angry now. My fists were clenched so hard that they were turning white. "I doubt that, Kinashi." Replied Lee, "Ah, and by the way, you left this here. I picked it up after you left." "My sketchbook!" I said, smiling, "I hope you didn't look in it." "I did not." Answered Lee. "Yeah, cuz I want to be the one who shows you. I want to see your reaction." I said, winking. I showed him the several pictures I had drawn. "Wow, these are good…… wait one minute, what was that you skipped?" He asked. "Uh…umm………It was nothing. No, nothing at all." I said. "What was it?" "It's nothing, really." I said, blushing. Lee picked up my sketchbook from where I had set it down. He flipped to the page. "Wait one moment… It has vanished! I swore I saw a drawing on this page, and a very colorful drawing at that." His eyes widened as he realized why the drawing wasn't there. "Kinashi, did you do what I think you just did?" he asked. "I don't know. What do you think I just did?" I replied. "I think you just used Genjutsu!" He said. "Well, I did feel a little weird when you opened the sketchbook." I commented. "You did use it! That is so splendid!" He said. I laughed a little because of his word choice. When I laughed, the picture appeared again. "Wow. This is a great picture." Said Lee, "Where did you see this?" "In a dream. I didn't want you to see it because… well,… it reminded me of you. It was you in my dream, the one where I found my father and my true love." I answered, "I know it's a fantasy, but I believe in love at first sight, and when I saw you, somehow I…… I just knew it." "So, you felt it too…" he replied. "You had that same feeling, of the fact that this was the person you belonged with?" I asked, my eyes widening. "Yes, I felt that exact feeling." He answered. I smiled at Lee, and we shared a warm embrace. "Well, the Chuunin exams are to be starting soon. I am going to enter." Lee stated. "Don't get yourself killed, okay, Lee?" I asked, and he told me that he would come back. "So, how did it go with Lee?" Asked my dad when I got home. "How did you know? I didn't even tell you about that yet!" I asked. "I just know things." He answered, which just frustrated me. I did not see him or any of my friends until a couple weeks later. I found Sakura. "Hey, Sakura, Do you know how Lee is? I haven't seen him in a while because of the Chuunin Exams." I asked, and Sakura got this sad look on her face. "What? Nothing…Happened to him, right?" I said, scared. "He's alive if that's what you're asking." Sakura answered, that same look on her face. "What do you mean by that?" I asked. "You might want to sit down for this." Sakura said. She paused for a long time and then finally sighed and said, "Lee got hurt very badly during his match with the sand ninja Gaara. The muscles in his left leg and arm were torn to shreds. I'm afraid that Lee is now……a cripple." I was shocked speechless as I realized that she wasn't just playing a joke on me, albeit a cruel joke. I stood up and asked, "Where is he?" "He's still recovering in the hospital." Sakura answered, and I was gone in a flash. No, this can't be true!!! It just can't be!!! He'll never accomplish his dream now. What I have wanted most ever since I met him is for him to accomplish his dream. Now, it's broken, and probably his spirit along with it. This cannot be! I won't let it! I thought, and I reached the hospital. I asked the person behind the desk about Lee and they told me his room number. I got there as quickly as I could. Sure enough, there Lee was, looking as helpless as a newborn lying on the bed. His arm and leg were both bandaged even heavier than before. "Oh, Lee, how could I have let this happen to you? I should have stopped you somehow. I don't know how, but somehow." I whispered to myself, stroking his hair. "Kinashi?" asked Lee in a very weak voice. "Shh, Lee, you still need to recover. Sakura told me all about it." I said quietly. "So she told you about how I was passed out but I still stood up in the end?" He asked. "No, she didn't." I said, "but you've been through something horrible, and I have to find some way to help you. I don't care how long it takes me, just that I do it." "Thank you for the thought, but I do not think that anything can help me accomplish my dream anymore." Lee said. "What you need right now is to rest, Lee. Don't worry. Unless it gets too late, I'll still be here when you wake up." He sighed a little and eventually fell asleep as I sang a song in Spanish to him. As I finished singing the song and realized he was fast asleep, I slowly leaned down toward his ear and whispered into it in Spanish, "Tú es mi luz, Rock Lee." I saw it was getting rather late, so I headed back home.

Chapter 7: The Resolution

As I ate dinner with my dad, I thought about Lee. He had looked so helpless; not at all like the Lee I had known only a few weeks earlier. "What's the matter, Kinashi?" asked my Daddy, snapping me out of my thoughts and scaring the crap out of me. "Nothing." I said, still looking down. "You look so upset. What's the matter?" asked my dad again. I was silent, but somehow, my dad still figured it out. "Oh, it's because of Lee, isn't it?" asked my dad, "It's about him getting hurt." "Yeah." I answered, "If only there was something I could do about it… wait, that's it!" "What's it?" asked my dad, giving me a very quizzical look. "I know who to ask about how to help Lee! He's one of my best friends, and he knows more about all things medical than anyone else I know! Unfortunately, He lives back at the orphanage. I have to go to see him. I have to. If he doesn't know anything that could help Lee, I'll still be able to let him know that I'm alright." I said, "Well, I have to go, but I only can if you'll let me. Please, Daddy?" "Alright, but you should have Sasuke and Naruto go with you. I have no doubts in your skill, but sometimes having friends to guard your back can keep you from getting killed." My dad said, and I was out the door as quickly as I could, to go and convince Sasuke and Naruto to come with me.

I found Naruto at one of his favorite places to be; the Ichiraku Noodle shop. He was with Iruka-sensei. "Uh… Naruto? Can I talk to you for a minute when you come up for air?" I said, watching Naruto slurp up a huge amount of Ramen. "Sure, Kinashi." Naruto answered. I took Naruto off to the side. "I'm going to travel back to the orphanage." I said. "What?!" asked Naruto, shocked, nearly falling over. I laughed. "I'm not going back there forever, just to visit. Also, one of my friends there could probably help Lee." I said. It was Naruto's turn to laugh. "I knew you had some other reason!" He said. "Well, my dad will let me go, but I have to get you and Sasuke to come with me. Please, Naruto, I have to do this!" I pleaded. Naruto smiled. "Of course, Kinashi! Even if I have to be stuck there with that Sasuke." He answered. I hugged him. "Thank you so much, Naruto!" I said. "Yeah, well, don't be so huggy." He said. "Oh, you know you liked it." I teased. Then I realized that Iruka had been listening to every word I had said. I gave him a very dirty look, but then I told Naruto goodbye and left to look for Sasuke.

"That must have been an interesting conversation." Iruka said to Naruto when he came back. "Yeah. Girls get way too huggy when you do something they like." Naruto answered, "She was squeezing me so hard it felt like she was going to strangle me." Iruka laughed, and the two got back to their Ramen.

I found Sasuke walking down one of the streets. I sat down around the corner of a building, leaning against the wall. When he turned the corner, I got up. "Hey, Sasuke." I said. "Er.. Hi, Kinashi." He answered. "Ya know how Lee got crippled in his match with Gaara?" I asked. "Yeah." Sasuke Answered. "Well, I think that one of my friends at the orphanage would know how to help him, but my dad won't let me go unless you and Naruto go with me." I finished. "I'll go." Sasuke said. "You will? Thank you, Sasuke! Thank you so much!" I said, knowing that hugging him might make him change his mind, "I'll see you later then."

Chapter 8: Back to the Orphanage!

A few days later, Sasuke, Naruto, my dad and I all met at the gate. "I want you two to take good care of my daughter. I know she has good fighting skills, but she has never been on a ninja mission before, and you three could get in some serious danger. Look out for each other." My dad said, and we all nodded. Then we left. Although my Dad had said that the trip would be dangerous, it turned out to be very boring. I had made the trip from the orphanage to Konoha before, and I could do it again, even if I was alone. "What was your dad worried about?" asked Naruto, "There's no danger for miles." "It's because we haven't crossed the border out of Konoha yet." I said, "After that, we'll have to do one of two things. Either we hide the fact that we are Ninja, or we take the chance that some ninja stop us along the way and possibly kill us." Naruto went almost white when I told him the second possibility. "We should hide the fact that we are ninja." Sasuke said, "We can avoid confrontation that way." "My thoughts exactly." I answered, "All we have to do is take off our headbands and hide our shuriken holsters. It should be fairly easy." Naruto sighed. "I hate having to do this." He said, scowling. Despite what my dad had said, it was very easy to avoid Danger if you knew what you were doing. Having been raised in an orphanage, I did. We got to the orphanage in no time. I knocked on the door. "Coming!" called a voice from inside. The person opened the door, and I recognized them immediately. It was Horuka, my good friend. "Hello, Horuka." I said, "Do you remember me?" Horuka was stunned. "Kinashi?!" He yelled, "Kinashi, is that you?!" "The one and only." I replied. "I was worried sick about you!" He said, "Why didn't you write?" "It's because I was a little too busy." I answered, "Plus, I didn't have any pencils... "What happened this time?" asked Horuka. "Well, there's a friend of mine in Konoha that got seriously hurt in the Chuunin exams." I said, "He's probably crippled, but I was wondering if you knew anything that might help." "I just knew it." He answered. "Hey, who is this guy?" asked Naruto. "Oh, I'm sorry. Horuka, this is Naruto and Sasuke, two of my father's students. Naruto, Sasuke, this is Horuka, one of my oldest friends. He was like a brother to me at the orphanage, and still is now." "Now, whoever that person is, I'll have to take a look at them before I can say anything for sure." He told me. "Alright, be ready to leave in a week." I answered. Naruto, Sasuke and I all were going to stay at the orphanage until Horuka was ready to travel with us back to the village hidden in the leaves. "What exactly happened to this guy?" asked Horuka, packing a bit more. "Well, he was in the Chuunin exams, and he fought this sand ninja who was crazy strong, and he ended up tearing half the muscles in his body." I answered. "Holy crap, he did some damage to himself." Horuka answered, "Looks like I've got my work cut out for me." "You mean you can?!" I asked. "Well, I can't make any promises, but I'll try my best." Horuka answered. "Thank you so much, Horuka!" I yelled, throwing my arms around him. "Doesn't that just give you a warm, fuzzy feeling?" Naruto asked Sasuke. "Shut up, Naruto, you loser." Sasuke replied.

Chapter 9: Nothing Left to Lose, I Guess.

The trip back to Konoha wasn't as easy. This was for only one reason. It was because Horuka was now with us. "Hey, Kinashi, can we stop to rest here?" asked Horuka. "Sure." I answered, "I don't see why not." That was a mistake. I felt it almost instantly after I had answered. No one else had appeared to have felt it. We weren't alone. Seemingly out of the blue, I said, "You can come out. I know you're here." "Wait, Kinashi, what are you talking about?" asked Naruto. "Don't you feel it?" I asked, voicing my thoughts, "we're not alone here. We've been followed." "Heheheh. The girl has inherited the skill of her father… Hasn't she, Katsuto?" Said a woman's voice from in the trees. "Yes, she has, Tsunari." Said a man's voice from somewhere else. "You seriously overestimate me." I said, "You just snapped a twig when you were following us." I was seriously lying here. (It's bad, I know, but it was … oh, you'll find out in a minute.) Two people came out of hiding, a small, blond woman, and a large, muscular man. "Give me five minutes, guys. I'll take care of them." Naruto said, trying to make himself look cool. Naruto, you idiot. My taijutsu would work better. From what I can see, they've never fought someone who uses mainly taijutsu before. I thought, it would take them by surprise. Naruto used a full-frontal assault on them. It didn't work. "I guess I'll have to help out." I muttered, and I used extreme speed to get behind the girl without her knowing. "Hey, what happened to the girl?" asked the woman. "Behind you." I said, "KONOHA HURRICANE! LEAF WHIRLWIND!" I shouted, using two different taijutsu moves on them, taking them down partially. "You shrimp! You dare to do this to me?!" shouted the woman. "WHAT?!?" I yelled. Then, while everyone else watched, I beat the crud out of the both of them. "A tip for you…" I said to her unconscious body, "Never call me a shrimp or any other demeaning name for my small stature." Everyone was looking at me weird except for Horuka, who knew this was typical. "What?" I asked, "Did I do something?" "Yeah, you just took out two people with at least twice your experience within five minutes." Sasuke answered. "Heheh. I guess I got a little carried away, huh?" I asked. "Ya think?" answered Naruto. "Typical Kinashi, acting before you think, as always." Horuka answered, "She was even worse than this at the orphanage." I laughed at Naruto and Sasuke's expressions. "I thought I told you both that I had a knack for taijutsu." I said, smiling. "Yeah, but I didn't think you'd be THAT strong!" Naruto said. "I practiced about as much as Lee did, and combined with my talent, I'm nearly unstoppable." I said, smiling. "Well, we should get going." Horuka said, completely annoyed that I was acting in such a manner. "Right." Said Sasuke, "I don't want to be stuck with this loser for longer than I have to be." He gestured at Naruto. Then they started fighting… again. "What do you mean, 'loser'?!?" Naruto started, "I could whip you with one hand behind my back!" "Get real." Sasuke retorted, "There's no chance of that ever happening." "Don't get too cocky, Sasuke." I said, "Naruto has some powers that no one else possesses, or ever will possess, so, I'd not brag too much. If he learns to harness his abilities, he'll probably be stronger than anyone else." Pretty soon, we were on the road again, and there wasn't much to talk about. So, I was left to my thoughts of Lee. For some reason, he had seemed familiar even before I had been introduced to him. Where had I seen him before then, though? I don't remember much before the orphanage because I was so little… all I remember is that I used to get shuffled around from living relative to living relative, but they kept dying. My mother put me in the care of my uncle when I was very little, and then I went to my grandpa…That's it! I remember now! It was from when I originally started to learn how to be a Shinobi! Back then…

~ Flashback ~

I was about three or four, and I knew absolutely no one in Konohagakure no Sato. I was watching one of the other beginning classes run laps. There was this boy, and another boy was talking to him. The second boy was teasing the first one about his absence of ability in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. Then he asked him if he wanted to know what the other kids called him. I was watching from behind a tree in the schoolyard. Then the kids started chanting, "Do-ork Lee! Do-ork Lee!" and the first boy ran off, half shouting. I felt so sorry for him, and I wanted to help him, but I was way too shy at that time.

I now realized that that boy who was getting teased way back then was Rock Lee.

~ End Flashback ~

Soon, we were back at Konohagakure no Sato. "Wow. So this is where you call home now, huh, Kinashi?" Horuka said, "It's a pretty big place." "Compared to the orphanage, yeah." I answered, "But not really. Now, you have to come and see Lee. He's probably still at the hospital." I led Horuka to Lee's room, and I told him to go in alone. I didn't want Lee to be in more pain than he already was. (Although, come to think about it now, I probably should have just gone in with Horuka.) Well, anyway, Horuka went in alone. He found Lee, rolled over towards the window so that he wouldn't be able to see anyone that came in. "Lee?" said Horuka. "Go away." Replied Lee. "Now, why would I do that?" asked Horuka, "And after all the effort Kinashi put into finding me and bringing me back here to help you, you just throw away all her work. That's real nice. Just what I'd expect from her boyfriend." "I'm not her boyfriend! And she doesn't even like me…." Lee said, "She abandoned me…" Horuka laughed. "There's no way that she'd do that." "How do you know? It's not like you've known her for years." "Actually, I have. I live at the same orphanage that she had since she was six and they couldn't find her father." Horuka answered, "She talked about you a lot on the way here, and during the week or so that she was back at the orphanage. She showed a bunch of the girls her sketches of you. She's out in the hall right now so as not to interfere with anything. Now, can you sit up?" Lee sat up, and showed Horuka his injuries. "Well, looks like they pronounced you crippled quite a while ago. I don't blame them. Only someone of immense skill could even attempt to heal your wounds completely. It also seems that a lot of sand got lodged in them. That's causing your wounds to hurt more than they should, and doing additional damage. I'll have to see to that first." Horuka said, and then he went about his business, trying to coax the unseen sand out of Lee's wounds without doing more damage than he could heal. I peeked in, and Lee saw me. I smiled at him. He just looked at me, almost hurt. "Well, there's all the sand there, so now on to the harder parts." Said Horuka, snapping Lee's attention back, "I have to knit your muscle back together. If I don't get it right, then your limbs won't work, so I have to ask that you don't move whatsoever." Lee nodded and sat totally still. When Horuka was done, he said, "Okay, Lee, you should be fine now." Lee stood up without difficulty, and took a step, but then… his knees buckled and he fell. I raced in, catching him just in time. "Lee, Are you okay?" I asked, startled that Lee couldn't even support his own weight with his healed muscles. "I am okay." He said, a little depressed about it, "Thank you for trying, but I don't know if there is anything anyone can do now." "Lee, don't say that." I said, "There's gotta be some way to help! I'll find it. Even if it takes forever. This I swear." I said it while looking straight in his eyes, and eventually, he smiled. "Thank you." He said. For the next week or two (It felt like forever, but I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else) I visited Lee at the hospital every day, sometimes falling asleep in the chair that I sat in as I watched him. We talked a lot over that time, about our pasts, dreams from the previous night,(Which in Lee's case were more or less nightmares) and all kinds of other stuff. Lee kept having nightmares about his match and Neji and Naruto and Sasuke. Sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night to hear him crying in his sleep. Then I'd wake him and comfort him. The poor guy had been through so much just to have all his efforts blow up in his face. Lee had other visitors as well, though. Sakura had been visiting frequently and so had Guy-sensei. I didn't really like Guy, but Lee looked forward to his visits, so I did my best to get along with him. One night, when Lee woke up from another nightmare, He asked me, "Do you think I will ever become a splendid ninja?" From the tone in his voice, he was starting to have doubts in himself. "Lee," I said, putting my arm around him, "You have already proven yourself, at least in my eyes. You're the best kind of ninja there is." "And what kind is that?" He asked. "The kind that fights not only with his head, but with his heart." I kissed him on the cheek , making him blush like crazy, and convinced him to go to bed.

Chapter 10: The Darker Side

Not too long after that night, Orochimaru made his attack on the village. I had stuck around at the house and it was evening before it happened. First, there were these earthquakes, and explosions and I had no idea what was going on at the time. I stayed inside until everything stopped, keeping close to the window so I could see if any enemies were coming. Luckily, none found me and I wasn't hurt. I was really worried about Dad after it quieted down. It turned out that he was alright, thank God. He told me about everything that had happened, including the Hokage's death. The next day, the Hokage was given a funeral and everyone wore black. A lot of the people were crying. I didn't know the Hokage that well, so I wasn't as grief-stricken as most. The next afternoon, I found out terrible news. That morning, my dad had gone out on errands. I had no idea what they were, but when Guy showed up on the doorstep, looking scared, I feared the worst. "Kakashi has been in a fight with the infamous Itachi Uchiha." He told me, "Although he wasn't killed, his mind suffered heavy damage." "Oh my God." I replied, and I raced off to the hospital. My very soul was numb with fear. Guy somehow had kept up with me, and showed me where my dad was. He was passed out, worse off than Lee had been. "I really shouldn't have come." I said, "I'm sorry, dad, but I have to go. I can't deal with this." I kissed my dad on the forehead and left. I can't lose him! I nearly lost Lee to that infuriating Gaara. I won't fail again! I thought, then I came up with a plan. A plan for revenge.

I waited just outside of the village limits, looking for the slightest sign that Itachi Uchiha or anyone at all (I was hoping for Itachi) had been through here. Eventually, I found Itachi and began to trail him. He had a partner with him, a big guy with an even bigger sword. Suddenly, Itachi stopped. "What is it, Itachi?" asked the guy. "There's someone following us." He said. Then, turning around, he added, "Why don't you come out and face me if you want to fight? Or are you too much of a coward?" Instead of coming straight out, I threw a kunai at his head. He dodged it almost gracefully. I jumped out of the tree and began to use my taijutsu skills, throwing every move I could think of at him, keeping between time at a minimum. He could only dodge. Being defiant, I looked him straight in the eye. "You're either very brave, very stupid, or you have a death wish." Itachi said, and he used the sharingan, transporting us to the Tsukuyomi world. He tortured me for seemingly forever. When we were transported back, I could barely stand. "You're stronger-willed than the last person I used that technique on. What's your name, little one?" He asked. I had to think of something really quickly, or I would have given away my chance. "H-Horuka." I said, after a long pause. I silently hoped that Horuka would forgive me for stealing his identity. "Horuka, is it?" Itachi asked, "How would you like to come with me for a while?" His voice had a mocking quality to it that really got on my nerves, but I held it in check. "That is what I was hoping you'd say. I want to become your student. I know I don't have much talent, but I work very hard and learn equally quickly." I said. "Alright, but only on one condition." "And what's that?" "You obey without question any order I give you." He finished. I paused for a moment. "Deal." I said. "Looks like you've got yourself an apprentice, Itachi." Said the guy. "Shut up, Kisame." Itachi replied, "So, Horuka, tell me, what exactly do you specialize in? Just out of curiosity." "I usually use taijutsu, but I sometimes use Ninjutsu." I said. "Hmm… Then maybe there's help for you yet." Itachi said.

Chapter 11: The Headquarters

The next day, we were heading back to the headquarters in the sound village. It was fairly uneventful, except for one time that brought my true nature out. I saw this person in a ditch. "Itachi-sensei, wait!" I said, sliding down the ditch. Itachi only turned around, seeing the back of my head disappear. "Hey, are you Okay?" I asked. The person was sleeping. "Horuka! Get back here!" Itachi shouted at me, "We have no business with that stupid wretch." "But…!" I said, then looking down added, "I'm sorry, Sensei." I climbed up the steep hill, still feeling sorry for that poor person. Then I realized that I was being too nice for my own good. If I kept this up, Itachi would suspect me of the treachery that I was still planning.

Not too long after that, only a week or so, we arrived at the headquarters. The organization was the Akatsuki, and Itachi was one of the leaders. When I looked around, I noticed a kid with red hair and a gourd on his back, walking with the person that we had seen in a ditch earlier. "Hey, who is that guy, Itachi-sensei?" I asked, gesturing towards the kid. "That kid with the gourd's name is Gaara of the desert. He's …" Itachi said, but I didn't hear a single word after that. A picture of Lee, half-dead, flashed through my mind. Everything was that kid's fault. If he hadn't faced Lee, Lee wouldn't be in such a state. Lee would be perfectly fine, training or talking to me just like before. Lee would still have a chance at his dream. "YOU!!!" I shouted, pointing at Gaara, "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!" Gaara just looked at me, puzzled. I had lost it, and was on the attack. My taijutsu skills were heightened extremely, even more than when I fought Itachi. I was probably faster than Lee. I dashed at Gaara before Itachi could catch me, throwing every ounce of momentum into a single blow. It was all I had in me at the moment. Itachi had had me training my butt off from sun-up to sundown. The person (Who I now realized was a girl) jumped in front of Gaara, anticipating my attack. I didn't care. He had crippled my beloved Lee, and anyone who stood up for him would pay the price as well. I was going to go right through her. Except, well, …. Itachi caught me before I could land my punch. "WHAT THELL DO YA THINK YER DOIN'?" I shouted at Itachi, my voice turning into this weird slurring dialect. "I was going to ask you the same thing." Itachi said, trying to keep calm and avoid embarrassment. "HE DESTROYED 'IM!!" I yelled, half- crazed still, "LEGGO A ME! LEGGO A ME!" I was struggling against Itachi's grip in every way I knew. "Calm down. People are staring." He said. "YA'VE NO RIGHT TA MAKE M' CALM DOWN! THAT BASTARD DESTROYED 'IM!!!"I yelled at Itachi. "I DON'T CARE!!! JUST SHUT UP!!! PEOPLE ARE STARING, GODDANGIT!!!" He shouted back at me, finally letting go of one of my arms. "WHY DON'T YA TRY TA MAKE M'?" I asked, staring Itachi in the eye. Suddenly, another girl came around a corner, scaring the crap outta me. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU YELLING AT MY BOYFRIEND FOR?" She shouted. "AMAYLEI, DON'T GET INVOLVED IN THIS!" Itachi shouted at his girlfriend. "THE HELL I'M NOT GETTING INVOLVED!!!" she replied. I noticed Gaara and the girl backing away, and shouted at them, "YA'LL STAY RIGHT THER! I'M NO' DONE WIT YA YE'!" They rooted themselves to the spot. "DON'T YELL AT GAARA, YOU B****!!!" the girl yelled at me. We continued to argue for hours on end. It was dark when I finally said, "Fine, I give up arguing with you!" By the end, Gaara was nowhere in sight. "Dang it, the little punk got away." I muttered, and Itachi introduced me to his girlfriend. "Horuka, this is Amaylei, my girlfriend. Amaylei, this is Horuka. He's my apprentice." Itachi said. "It's very nice to meet you, miss." I said, trying to think of what Horuka would really say. But then I thought of what he'd say to me right now, so I didn't think about it anymore. "Likewise." Said Amaylei. Itachi wanted to leave as soon as possible, so we did the next morning, and Amaylei came with us. Almost immediately when we made camp for the night, Itachi had me training. I was not only training as far as like, pushups and the like, but I was training to improve my ninjutsu as well. Once when I got a break, Amaylei talked to me. She was much friendlier than Itachi. "So, where are you from?" She asked. "I was originally from the hidden leaf village, but I've lived all over the place." I answered, only half-truthfully. "Oh. Itachi has, too. Are you a rogue ninja?" "Yeah. I'd kinda have to be in order to be Itachi-sensei's apprentice." "How old are you?" "I'm about …. Fourteen." I lied, but that was about Horuka's age. "Really? I wondered when I saw how much of a gentleman you are how you could not have a girlfriend that you left behind." "Uhh…. Well…. I don't have a girlfriend. I have… a … boyfriend." I said. "Oh, so you like guys, then?" She asked, looking like the fact that her boyfriend had just taken on a supposedly gay apprentice didn't bother her at all. I know it would have bothered me. "Yeah. My boyfriend's name is Lee. He's just so sweet. That's why I went crazy back there. That kid made it so that Lee couldn't ever achieve his dream, and I will never forgive him for that." I said bitterly, "He was so helpless when I saw him in the hospital. I thought I could never bear it if anything else like that happened. Then my fears came true when my father went to fight an enemy ninja. He ended up in the hospital, in even worse shape than Lee, and …and…." I began to sob but held it back as much as I could, lest my identity possibly be revealed. I pulled out my sketchbook, which I had brought with me, and opened it to an unfinished sketch of my father. My hand shaking, I drew a little bit more of his face. I had drawn him smiling. So far, I only had one eye drawn along with the silhouette, but it was hard for me to truly capture the emotion in his eyes, so I just put it away for later. That was when I noticed that Amaylei was gone. After training so much for the next couple weeks, and getting so much stronger, I was finally going to make my move and blow my own cover. The time was right. Being so close to home again, I knew it was now or never!

Chapter 12: Now or Never!

I was unusually silent that day, preparing myself mentally for what was to come. "Horuka!" called a voice. It was Amaylei. "Horuka, why are you skulking around like that?" She asked, "In the couple weeks that I've gotten to know you, you've never been this quiet unless you were asleep! You're acting like your best friend just died or something." "No. Just … never mind. I've been thinking about things, that's all." I replied, still half-lost in my planning. I didn't know enough to predict Itachi's moves without looking him in the face, and he could transport us both to the Tsukuyomi world if I did that. I'd have to figure that out as I fought him. Now that I knew a few ninjutsu moves, I could combine them with taijutsu to attempt to defeat him. I just hoped that he didn't have the kind of insight my father did. If he did, I would be in serious trouble. He would know what this was all about. I was sure of it. "Hey, Amaylei." I said. Amaylei turned and looked at me. "How strong exactly do you think Itachi is? I mean, Ninja ranking-wise?" I asked, still contemplating if this was really smart. "Oh, I think about Jonin level, maybe a little stronger than the average Jonin." Amaylei answered, "Why?" "Oh, no reason. Just curious." I said. I went to get my sketchbook to finally finish my sketch of my father. I only had his other eye left, and it was turning out beautifully. Except, when I looked for it where I had left it, it was gone! "Looking for this?" asked a mocking voice. I turned around to see Itachi holding my sketchbook. He flipped through it almost absentmindedly. "It explains everything, you know. I can see that Kakashi is very close to you. Along with this boy." He said, flipping to and showing me pictures of my father and Lee, "I should have known that you would try something like this back when you wanted to help that girl. You had another reason, Horuka. Why don't you tell me?" "Shut up. You don't know anything about any of this. You barely knew that I was going to try something. You have no idea how strong I really am." I said, trying to keep myself confident, even though I had been found out. As soon as possible, I went on the attack. Even with the added strength and different strategies that my new ninjutsu provided, I lost miserably. I ended up just outside of the hidden leaf village's gates, only about half-conscious. "You never could beat me, not even if you really tried, Horuka. You're just a little boy who was in way over his head." I just smirked. If there was one thing I knew, it was that I couldn't give up now. I struggled to my feet. "You know, if there's a type of person I hate the most, it's the same type as you. The type that just thinks they know everything, but they don't. First of all, my name isn't Horuka. It's Kinashi Hatake, and I'm Kakashi's daughter. Second, I'm only thirteen. Third, I don't give up as easily as some!" I said, and I took another try at it, "Because of you, I wasn't able to avenge Lee's loss against Gaara of the desert. If I had been able to hit him, he would have been done for. I'm not going to let you take away the chance to avenge the loss my own father suffered!" Every punch and kick I launched, every attack I made, was completely useless. I could get neither the speed nor the power behind them, so I was blocked every time. Then, when he actually attacked back, I was helpless to defend myself. I had wasted every ounce of energy I had, and in doing so, sealed my defeat. The only thing that made the battle partially worthwhile was the fact that, for a little bit, I had forced him into thinking purely about defense. I was severely injured by the time Itachi had forced me to give up. I not only had bruises and cuts, but I was having trouble breathing anymore. Kunai had buried themselves in my ribs and torso. Although I didn't want to give up, I didn't want to die either. As I lay on my back where he knocked me down, he bent down to say, "You're going to die pretty soon. The wounds you've sustained are pretty serious. I think I'll leave you here alone, to die in agony. It would not only be a fitting punishment, but a great warning for any who would try to cross me after you. Goodbye, Kinashi Hatake. We'll never meet again." Then he set my sketchbook, which he still had, on top of me and walked away. Is this it? Is this how I meet my end? Am I truly finished? I thought. As my eyes flickered shut from the exhaustion, I saw someone in green coming closer to me.

Chapter 13: Back at the Leaf Village

When I woke from the pain, I was being carried to the hospital. My mind was kind of blurry, but I knew that Guy had found me. To admit something, probably if Guy hadn't come along when he did, I would be dead. The pain stabbed through me like the kunai were burying themselves within me again. The next time I opened my eyes, I was in a bed at the hospital in intensive care. I looked around the room and saw that I was alone. The kunai weren't buried in my flesh anymore, so I wasn't in quite as much pain as before. It was still difficult to breathe, but more because of the bandages wrapped around my chest than anything else. After I looked around the room a little bit more, thinking about my loss to Itachi, I got up. I took a step and collapsed, coughing uncontrollably. Soon, there was blood on the floor next to my bed. By the time one of the nurses came to check on me, there was a good-sized pool of blood and who-knows-what-else (Actually, I knew, but I'm not going to say it here. It's too gross even for me.) lying there. The nurse helped me get the coughing to stop pretty quickly, then cleaned it up. I felt sorry for her, having to clean up someone else's blood like that, but I couldn't have helped it. I remember that I figured that one of the kunai had pierced my lung or something, but I can't remember for a while after that. I think I fell asleep. The next thing I knew, I was back in bed and cleaned up, and I heard this noise. It seemed strange and I couldn't figure out what it was for a minute. Then I figured out that some of it was footsteps. The noises went like this: tap, step, step. Tap, step, step. Tap, step, step. There was another set of footsteps as well, other than that tap, step, step. I heard the door open and the nurse said, "Hello? Kinashi, are you awake? You have a visitor." "Hm?" I said. My voice seemed very strange. It was raspy and seemed to come from someone other than me. I had changed so much over the past few weeks and hadn't even noticed it. I had begun to mimic Horuka's real voice too much and had nearly forgotten my own voice. I turned my head and saw Lee standing there, using a crutch to keep himself up. There was a long pause after the nurse left, and then Lee said, "When you disappeared, I lost hope that I would ever see you again. I had no idea why you had left so I believed that it was my fault." "Oh, Lee." I said, the tears already building up in my eyes so much I couldn't see very well, "It was never your fault. I was such an idiot. I made you worry, and then I failed you. Both you and father. I had the chance to defeat those who had beaten you, and I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't do it. I could have defeated Gaara, who had crippled you, but I was held back because at the same time, I was trying to gather information on Itachi Uchiha, who defeated my father. I came so close, Lee. So close, and I still wasn't able to defeat them. I'm such an idiot. How could I have thought that I could even try? Forgive me, Lee. Please forgive me." The tears were streaming now. He gingerly sat down next to my bed. He nearly fell over, but he caught himself. "Kinashi, when I heard from Guy-sensei that there was a girl who looked like you fighting Itachi Uchiha right outside the village gates, I asked Guy-sensei to watch over you and help if he could. How I knew it was really you, I cannot understand, but I did, and I am glad of that." He said, "Because I love you, Kinashi. You are very, very precious to me." "You are just as precious to me, Lee. You and my father are all I really have. I'd do anything to protect you. I just wish I could have stopped you before you got to this state." I said, inching closer to him. "I wish I could have done the same for you, Kinashi." He said. Pretty soon, we were in eachother's arms again, and our lips brushed and then it escalated into a kiss. His own tears mixed with mine, and I realized that the old expression, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" was true, at least in this case. I heard the door open and Guy walk in to find Lee and I making out. Talk about embarrassing!!!!!!! I guess I'll just leave them alone for now. Guy thought, and left to wait outside the door. When we finally broke apart, we barely had anything to say. It was as if our desires to be together had all been voiced in that one, infinite, miniscule moment. "I love you. I hope you really and truly know that. I love you with every bit of my heart." I said, "When I got scared and started to doubt that my plan would ever succeed or I wouldn't be strong enough, I just thought of what you and Horuka and Father would say. And what you would do. And then I was able to keep going." I laughed a little. "I actually stole Horuka's identity for a while. He was one of the first people to come to mind that Itachi wouldn't have known about. Lee, you helped me to keep going because I remembered your determination. I didn't want to make you look bad. I have to be at least as determined as you are if I'm gonna be your girlfriend." I added. It was the first time that I had actually said that I was his girlfriend. I had implied it many times before, but I had never really said it. He almost looked shocked. Then a little smile crept across his face, eventually changing his expression entirely. "You should smile more often." I remarked, "It makes you look even cuter." "You think so?" He asked. "Definitely." I said, smiling back as he gingerly stood up. It was only a half-hearted smile on my part, however. It still dealt a blow to my heart every time I saw him with that stupid crutch. All it did was remind me of my failed attempt to at least wound Gaara. It was getting late, so Guy made Lee leave. "Goodnight, Lee." I said. "Goodnight, Kinashi." Lee answered. Then Guy made Lee leave, but hung around for a second himself. "You know, Lee says you're very precious to him, but don't toy with his heart like that! He won't be able to take it. I know how Kakashi was when he was your age, and if you act the same way with Lee…" He said, "Well, just don't." "What do you mean?" I asked. "When Kakashi was your age, he would change his girlfriends like he changed his clothes. Every day. It became very confusing." Guy explained. "You don't have to worry about that between me and Lee. We were meant for each other." I said, then smiling added, "I just know it." Guy left without a word. Over the next week or so as I healed, Lee came to visit me. When Sakura found out about me, she also came for a short visit to wish me well. Since she was the closest thing to a best friend I had in the village, I was glad that she came. Unfortunately for me, I also had to explain why I had left in the first place, and that was confusing, mainly because I barely knew myself. When no one else was there, I liked to try to draw more or look at my sketches. Looking back made me think of the past, though. As I began to flip through it this time, I saw the portrait of Horuka I had drawn almost immediately after getting my sketchbook. He was so little! Then there was the picture I had drawn from my dream, and the pictures of Lee from when I had first met him, which made me cry, because I knew that most likely, he would never be the same. Then there was the picture of my father without his mask, smiling. As I looked at that, all I could think of was how weak my father looked after the fight with Itachi. The next day, Lee visited me. We were just talking when the window opened and Amaylei came in. "Amaylei, what are you doing here?" I asked. "I'm here to rescue you, Horuka, what do you think?" She said. "Crap." I said. "Kinashi, who is this girl and why is she calling you Horuka? I thought that he was the guy who came because you asked him to help me." Lee said, puzzled. "I am in a deep load of trouble now." I said, more to myself than anyone else, "Lee, this is Amaylei. Amaylei, this is Lee, my boyfriend." "It is a pleasure to meet you , Amaylei. Kinashi has not told me much about you. In fact, she had not even told me you existed." Lee said frankly. "So you're the infamous Lee, huh? Horuka has really weird taste in boys. Of course, he is weird, so why not?" Amaylei said, "And why are you calling him Kinashi? He's not a girl, you know." "Amaylei, I wasn't exactly truthful to you and Itachi. My name is really Kinashi, and I'm Kakashi Hatake's daughter. Everything that I told you about Lee and my father was true, but I left out the fact that the enemy ninja that my father faced was Itachi." I explained, "I came along in order to defeat Itachi and avenge my father's loss. I'll understand if you hate me now, but understand that what I did I felt was right." "You… you were going to kill him?" Amaylei asked, shocked. "I was going to try, but I never could have, even if I had trained for years. He beat me single-handedly. Literally. I never stood a chance." I answered, "Love can make you do crazy things. It can blind you to people's faults, even when they're a mass murderer. It can turn you into a killer. I would have killed Gaara if I could have back there. I won't deny that. Love can also be a great big weak spot, though, Amaylei." I had gotten up and circled between her and the open window as I was talking. "He's going to have to come for you eventually, Amaylei, and although I consider you my friend, I have to embrace the full Shinobi way at the moment." I finished, "It will be best if you just come quietly. I won't have to use force." "Kinashi, what are you doing?" Lee asked, scared. "I'm only finishing what I started, Lee. I'm getting my revenge on Itachi Uchiha. By attacking not his body, but his heart." I answered, "The ends justify the means, and what Dad doesn't know until it's over won't hurt me." Lee was horrified by this point that I could be so cold-blooded. I was the one who had comforted him ceaselessly when he was too weak to leave the hospital, the one who almost acted like his mother to him. He was slowly backing away towards the door. "Amaylei, Itachi has done terrible things in the past that he has had no remorse for. All I'm going to do is punish him for the latest one. Relax. I'm not going to kill him, and you have yourself to thank for that. I don't want to see you in pain." I said. By this point, Lee was long gone. He had run away. I had scared him too much for him to bear. "Oh, Lee, where did you get to?" I muttered, then returned to the matter at hand, "If you stay here with me and my father, Itachi will eventually have to come here. That's when I'll make him understand. I will show him what it means to lose a loved one. Kinda." I winked. "What the heck are you talking about?" Asked Amaylei. "We're going to fake your death to make him understand. We're going to change Itachi for good." I said, a devilish smile across my face.

Chapter 14: Heartbreak in More Than One Way

Amaylei didn't really like the fact that I had tried to kill Itachi, but she forgave me. (Probably because I was pretty darn pitiful-looking even a couple weeks later. Horuka hadn't gotten around to helping me yet and I wouldn't let anyone else heal me. I was stubborn.) She knew as well as I did that Itachi needed a major attitude adjustment. Getting to know her was pretty fun, but I was worried about Lee. He had acted so scared when he had heard what I had tried to do and what I was going to do. Unfortunately, I couldn't leave until Horuka came, so I couldn't go find Lee. When Horuka actually came, I was really mad. "Where the heck were you?" I yelled. "Geez, Kinashi, you've never acted like this before, even when I never showed up in time." Horuka said, "What's bothering you?" I sighed as he began his work. "Lee became scared of me and ran off while I was trying to explain to Amaylei why I tried to kill Itachi Uchiha." I answered. "Who's Amaylei?" He asked. "She's Itachi's Girlfriend." I said, "I can't leave until you're done healing me, so I couldn't go after him and reassure him that I'm not evil." "So that's why. You're in a hurry to go make sure your Boyfriend isn't afraid of you." He said, "Well, don't worry, I'm sure that I could help you find him, at the very least." "Thank you so much, Horuka. I owe you big time." I answered. "Enough to give me a kiss?" He asked when he had finished healing what desperately needed it. He didn't have enough chakra to use a jutsu to heal everything, so he left alone the less major injuries. "I guess a little one wouldn't hurt." I said, going to give him a kiss on the cheek. I should have known that something like this would happen. He had been dropping hints that he liked me like that for years. I should have realized his feelings for me before they had built up to that extent. As I went to kiss him on the cheek, he turned his head so that I kissed him on the lips by accident. Then he brought me into his arms, holding me close. I resisted, but he was far stronger than I was, and I could not wrench free of his grasp. He finally let go as the worst person in the world who could see this did. "I knew it! You were just playing with his heart!" Guy said, misunderstanding the scene that lay before him, "You may as well just have killed him yourself just now, the way he's going to take this!" As Guy left, I shouted, "No! I…" Then I turned on Horuka. "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" I shouted, "I WANTED TO PATCH THINGS UP WITH LEE, NOT TURN HIM SUICIDAL!" "Kinashi…." He said, pausing, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to mess things up between you and Lee, but I know that you deserve so much better than him. I could be a much better boyfriend than he could." "HOW DOES THAT WORK? YOU JUST …. UGH!!!!!!!" I yelled, and I raced out of the room. The only thing that mattered was finding Lee. I looked for him everywhere, at the training ground, the academy, his place, everywhere that I knew that he might be. I asked everyone I knew if they had seen him, but no one knew. By the time I gave up, I was near the memorial stone which was close to the training ground. "Lee…" I said, finally crying after hours of searching the village, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, Dad. I know that you would have wanted to see me grow up into a great ninja, but I'm not going to. My purpose is lost without Lee, so I may as well die. I may as well be dead already." I turned my kunai on myself, ready to commit suicide. I pointed it straight at my heart and thrust it towards myself. My hand was stopped before I was able to completely plunge it into myself. There was just a little cut. For a second, as I saw the hand on my wrist, I thought, Lee?, but it wasn't him. It was Naruto. How I got him confused with Lee, I don't know, but I couldn't have put it past my state of mind. "What do you think you're doing Kinashi?" He asked, "You know that both Bushy-brow and Kakashi-sensei would half-die if you killed yourself." "Father might, but I doubt that Lee would. He's probably half-dead already." I said. "What do you mean?" He asked, confused. I hadn't seen him since we got back with Horuka, so he was so outta the loop he didn't even know there was a loop. I tried to explain everything that had happened as quickly as possible. "Whoah. So that's why. I can't blame you for being depressed, but killing yourself might be a bit overboard." He said once I had explained it all, "Best thing to do right now is go find Bushy-brow and try and talk it out with him." "Yeah, but how can I face him like this? I'm scared as… as…" I said, trailing off. "As scared as he is of you right now?" Naruto asked, "Kinashi, I may not know too much about bushy brow or even you, but I do know that he won't give up on you that easily. If he thinks that you've been stolen by Horuko or whatever his name is, he's gonna try to win you back. Besides, when we do find him, I'll be right there with you, if you want." "You will?" I asked. "Sure." Naruto replied smiling. "Thanks, Naruto. You're a great friend." I said, and we left to find Lee.

Eventually, we realized that it would be easier to find him if we split up and searched for him. Naruto was the first one to run into him. Literally. "Oh! Naruto. Hi." Lee said. "Bushy brow! Finally! I was looking for you! Wait right here. I'll be right back." Naruto said, and he left Lee confused and found me. When we returned, Lee was still there, thankfully. Seeing the sad expression on Lee's face, I blurted in my own defense, "Lee, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you back then, and then I couldn't leave to find you and explain and I'm so sorry!" Tears came to my eyes. "That does not explain why you left me for that Horuka guy." He replied. "I didn't!" I said, "Your sensei walked in right after Horuka healed me. I had told him that I owed him, and he asked me if I owed him enough to give him a kiss, so I was going to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he turned his head and made me kiss him on the lips and I should have known that he had feelings for me, but I didn't. Lee, I think of Horuka as an older brother. It would be like you kissing your sister on the lips. It's disgusting! And anyway, I never would have left you for him, because I love you, Lee. I'd do anything for you. When I couldn't find you, I tried to kill myself. If it weren't for Naruto, I'd be lying dead by that memorial stone near the training ground. He stopped me. I nearly stuck a kunai in my heart because I thought I lost you, Lee, and I would rather be dead than that." "R-really?" Lee asked, starting to tear up. "She's serious." Naruto said for me, "She was about to kill herself when I stopped her and convinced her to talk to you." "Kinashi, I will never doubt that you love me again, this I swear." Lee said, and we hugged. I kissed him on the cheek. "Lee, I promise that I won't kiss Horuka again. I at least owe that to you." I said, holding him close. "So, Naruto, why were you gone for so long? I mean, I know about the Chuunin exams, but what else?" I asked. "Well, Sasuke and your dad were both attacked by Itachi. Me and this Pervy sage guy left to look for this Tsunade woman. Yeah, Grandma Tsunade looks like a young girl, but she's really old. Anyway, we went to look for her so she could heal Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke and Bushy-brow." Naruto answered, "Which reminds me, did she take a look at you, Bushy-brow? I mean, we need to get you back to 100% so you can help out the village, too." "Yeah, she looked at me." Lee said, eyes downcast. "Wait a minute, Naruto, did you say that she was gonna heal my dad?" I asked. "Yeah. He should be on his way home right now." Naruto answered. "Sorry for rushing off like this, but I really have to go." I said, "Bye, Naruto! Bye, Lee!" What else did she do while I was gone? Naruto thought.

When I got home, Dad was already there. He had confronted Amaylei about my whereabouts, and she had answered honestly that she didn't know. When I came in, he turned around and sighed with relief. "Kinashi! Oh, God. I was so worried about you." He said, hugging me. "It's good to see that you're okay, Dad." I said smiling. Then Dad noticed something. "Why are you all bandaged up? What happened while I was asleep?" He asked. I sighed. "Well, I was an idiot. That's what happened in a nutshell." I answered, laughing in an embarrassed way. "Kinashi… Tell the whole story. I don't care if it's long, I've got time." He said, catching me in one of his little argument traps. I could do nothing but explain. "Well, once I found out that you were in even worse condition than Lee was, I kinda just snapped. I actually went after and fought Itachi Uchiha, became his apprentice for about a month, became friends with his girlfriend, impersonated Horuka, attempted to kill Gaara, and fought Itachi Uchiha again. After I fought Itachi the second time, I was going to die, but Guy saved me. I had passed out just outside the village, and when I woke the first time, Guy was carrying me." I explained, "I was stubborn about who I'd let help me, so the doctors got Horuka to come and help. Then He kissed me and Guy saw and he told Lee about it and I couldn't find Lee to tell him that it was an accident, so I tried to kill myself, but Naruto stopped me, and he helped me find Lee and talk to him. Then I had to come home to make sure that you didn't kill Amaylei because we're using her as bait to lure Itachi into putting himself into someone else's shoes." "Hmm. So you're going to teach Itachi a lesson, huh?" Asked my Dad. "Yeah." Said Amaylei, "Even I know that Itachi's got to have an attitude adjustment." "Alright, but if I have to step in and interfere, I will. Is that clear, Kinashi?" my father said, a little miffed about me trying to do something like this behind his back. "Yes, Daddy." I replied, hoping I wouldn't get in trouble. Thankfully, he left it at that. I didn't exactly feel like dealing with Horuka at the moment, so I avoided him. He was still in the village, though, so I could confront him as soon as possible. It would have to wait until after we taught Itachi a lesson. A few days later, while dad was out, I heard the door open. For a minute, I thought it was my dad, and said, "I'm in here, dad." Then I realized that the chakra I felt wasn't my dad's. This chakra was slightly darker, but a ton fiercer. Itachi. I thought. I walked silently over to Amaylei and gestured for her to go hide. Once she had hidden, I walked silently back to where I had been sitting. I played dumb when Itachi came in the room. "Hey, ….." I said, acting like I hadn't expected it to be him. "Where is she?" Itachi asked, seriously angry. " Wouldn't you like to know." I said, hoping I wasn't going to die. "I know you have her. I'll only ask you this one more time. Where is she?" He said again. "You're right. I do have her. You lied to her about why I had disappeared. She came to rescue me." I said insolently. "What the hell did you do to her?" He accused. "Relax. I didn't do anything to her. Yet." I said. Silently and out of sight, I made a clone of myself and transformed it into Amaylei. "She's right over there." I said, knowing that I had to make this convincing and quick. Itachi walked over to the shut door that my clone was standing behind. He opened the door and my clone said in Amaylei's voice, "Itachi, I was so scared! She's been keeping me hostage this entire time!" I threw a kunai almost nonchalantly at my clone's neck, where it cut deeply. "Oops." I said innocently. My clone, barely under control, fell into Itachi's arms. "Oh my God! Amaylei!" Itachi yelled, holding my clone. I almost felt sorry for the guy. But I knew that I had to keep my cool or this wouldn't work. I had to be as remorseless a murderer as he had been before. As my clone's heartbeat stopped, Itachi looked up at me, tears of rage and pain in his eyes. "How could you do this!?!" He yelled, "What did she ever do to you!?! She was nothing but kind to you!!! She listened to all your problems and accepted you back when you were my apprentice!!! How can you kill someone like that!?!" "The same way you killed your family, countless innocents, and even attempted to kill me. Do you realize how much pain you've caused? All those people who you killed had people close to them. Families, friends, lovers, but you didn't care. Why should I care about your feelings when you didn't care about theirs?" I asked, "I've done this to show you what happens when you're on the other end of a murder. Maybe next time you decide to kill someone, you'll think it through better." I then turned my back on him for what could have been the last time. It would have been. Itachi tried to attack me. Thankfully, Amaylei came out of hiding just in time to stop Itachi from killing me. "Itachi! Itachi, it's me, Amaylei! I'm fine! Turn around and look!" She yelled at Itachi when he struggled against her grip. He turned around to look, and when he saw her, he said, "Amaylei? What? If you're Amaylei, then who…?" He looked where the supposedly dead body of Amaylei had been. In its place was a clone of me. "So, you didn't really kill her. You had me fooled for a while there." He said, "You're not bad." "I'm not as cold-hearted as I had to pretend to be to get the message through that skull of yours." I said, "And if you had used the Sharingan, I would have been found out immediately, so there were plenty of risks." "Well, the message you were trying to get through to me was heard loud and clear." He replied, "I'm not going to kill without needing to again. I owe it to Amaylei and myself to try and get rid of the reputation that I have." "I wish you both luck." I said. "Don't think I've forgiven you for doing that to me." He said, and he punched me on the top of the head lightly. "Don't worry. As long as you keep true to that promise of yours, you'll both be fine." I said, smiling. The couple embraced and, Amaylei clinging to Itachi's arm, left. That's beautiful. I thought, Unlike what I still have to go through with Horuka. The boy needs to know where he stands with me, and he needs to know soon. It's getting late, though. I'll go see him tomorrow.

The next evening, I went to see Horuka. As soon as I stepped in the door, I realized that this was going to end up a screaming match. "So, did Lee reject you so you came back for more?" Horuka asked smugly. "No. I came here of my own free will to talk to you." I said, barely keeping my temper under control. His smug attitude was really getting on my nerves. "So you really liked it that much?" He asked. "I came to tell you to get your head outta your arse and realize that I don't like you that way." I said, completely angry. "Really? Did you, now?" Horuka asked, "Because from what you did when I kissed you, it seemed like you liked it." "Horuka, snap out of it!" I yelled, and I slapped him. It was so unlike Horuka to act this way. There had to be a reason for his being a complete jerk. That was when I spotted the pile of empty bottles in the corner of the small hotel room. "You're drunk." I said. "Yep. I'm completely wasted, actually. I wasn't before, but I am now, and I like it." He said. "When did you start drinking like this?" I asked as he opened another bottle. "Not too long ago. Was it Wednesday? I don't know. I don't know a lot of things anymore. It was the day after we kissed, anyway." He answered. He was pretty much in a drunken stupor. "Where the heck did you get all this?" I asked, seriously fearing for my surrogate brother's health. "Why, did you want some?" He asked, surprised, "I convinced some idiots down the street that I was 21." "You listen, Horuka, and you listen good. You are going to stop this idiocy right now!" I yelled. "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Horuka yelled back, "YOU KEEP ACTING LIKE YOU'RE MY OLDER SISTER OR SOMETHING, BUT YOU'RE NOT!!! YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER, EITHER!!!" "THIS S*** IS KILLING YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT!! YOU'RE A MEDICAL NINJA! YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT THIS F***ING S*** DOES TO YOUR BODY!!!" I screamed at him, "BUT, FINE!!! IF YOU WANT TO KILL YOURSELF, GO AHEAD!!! IT'S YOUR F***ING BODY, YOU DO WHAT YOU F***ING WANT WITH IT!!!!! I WAS JUST TRYING TO SAVE YOU THE WAY THAT I COULDN'T WITH LEE, YOU F***ING A**!!!!" All he did was stare at me as I ran out the door.

The next morning, I knew he'd be sleeping off a huge hangover, so I went to see Lee. He was in this odd place not too far from the academy. I faintly recalled him telling me something about sharing his dream with his teammates here. "Good morning, Lee." I said, trying to smile at least for him. "Good morning, Kinashi." Lee said, looking downcast. "What's the matter, Lee?" I asked, knowing in my gut that it was something horrible. "I do not really want to talk about it." He said, looking away. "Alright. If you don't want to, you don't have to." I said, "But I really wish you would tell me. Maybe there's something I could do about it." "There is nothing anyone can do. Not even a legendary healer like the fifth Hokage." He said. "It's about your injuries. I remember you telling Naruto that Lady Tsunade had taken a look at you. She told you that there was nothing she could do, didn't she?" I asked. "Not exactly." He said, not wanting to give me the information I sought. "What did she say?" I asked, prodding him along. "She told me that the only way for me to ever be a ninja again was to have this operation that she would have to do herself, and that I would only have a fifty-percent chance of survival." He said, finally telling me what was wrong. I then noticed that he was crying. "Kinashi, I do not know what to do! I have too much to live for!" He shouted, the tears pouring, "I have you and Guy-sensei and I have to fight Neji and Sasuke and Naruto, and… and… I am just so clueless, Kinashi!" "Lee, you can't give up on your dream. If you don't have it, then you're just not you. But if you don't want to risk it, I won't hold it against you." I said, trying to keep myself calm for his sake if nothing more, "Ultimately, it's your choice, Lee. No one but you can make it. I love you, Lee, and whatever happens, that will never change. Not everything hinges on your choice." I cradled him in my arms, trying to make him feel as safe in them as I always did in his. This was his time of weakness, and I was determined to be there for him as much as possible. He shrugged my arms off of him after a while. "I think I would like to be alone for a while." He said. "Alright. But if you need anyone to talk to, I'll always listen." I said, and I kissed him on the lips lightly. I left after that. As I walked away, I saw Guy looking for Lee. "Kinashi, have you seen Lee? He's been skipping his physical therapy sessions and I want to talk to him." Guy said. "Yeah." I replied, "He's that way. But… please… don't be too hard on him. He's been through a lot, and he's really depressed right now." "Don't worry." Guy said, and he left it at that. I silently steamed. Don't worry? Don't worry!?! Lee could die, and he's telling me not to worry! I thought, I'd better go see if Horuka is alright. I said some pretty nasty things last night, and I should probably go make sure he didn't kill himself or something. By the time that I finally got the guts to face Horuka again, it was already evening. I knocked on the door to his room. "Horuka? Are you in there?" I asked. "It's not locked." He said, acidic. I stepped inside. "It's you." He said, half-surprised. "I'm sorry, Horuka, yesterday, I just came to tell you that I didn't like you that way, and then I yelled at you." I said, "I mean, seriously. You're like my brother. I'm sorry, but it's kinda disgusting, you know." He just laughed. "Have you drunk anything since then?" I asked, "I'm worried about you." "No." He said, laughing again, "And it's all because a really nice girl said something really,… well, not-so-nice to me that snapped me out of it." Being the sentimental and emotional person I am, I started tearing up at that comment. I came over to him and hugged him. "I was so worried that you were going to hate me!" I cried. He smiled. "There's no way I could ever hate you." He said, "Even if I was so wasted that I couldn't see straight, let alone walk." I laughed. "You couldn't see straight?" I asked. "Yep. It was horrible. I wanted to go after you when you left, but I could barely move." He explained, "And I was such a jerk. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you, not the other way around." "Horuka, we've been friends for too long to let this get between us. I mean, you're such a close friend that you may as well have been my brother for years." I replied, "You're my best friend." "I'm glad." He said, "For a while, I thought that you would hate me for the way I acted. I was way outta line." "I can't exactly argue with that." I said, laughing a little to try and lighten the mood, "I just didn't want you to try to hurt yourself. We were both stupid." We hugged again and then he said, "Hey, why are you here with me still? Shouldn't you be with Lee?" Just thinking of Lee brought up memories of the conversation I had had with him earlier. I started to cry and buried my face in his shirt. "What? What happened? What'd I do?" He asked. "Lee could die. Lady Tsunade told him that he couldn't be a ninja anymore unless he got this operation. The chances of him dying from the operation are 50 – 50." I said. "That's horrible." Horuka replied. "What's worse is that I found out from him today. You should have seen the look on his face." I said, "He looked so scared. Like he was scared out of his mind." I paused. "I have to keep a brave face for him, but I'm just as scared as he is!" I continued, "How the heck am I supposed to deal with this?!" "Calm down, Kinashi." Horuka said, locking his arms around me and holding me close, "Everything's going to be just fine. I promise." "I'm glad that I have you, Horuka. There's just some things that I can't talk to Lee or even Father about." I said. Horuka just smiled.

Chapter 15: What the…???

The next day, I got up feeling irritated. When I finally woke up enough to realize why, I got mad at the person who was now the fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade. Cooling myself down as much as I could, I went to go have a, erm, word with her. Unfortunately, the Chuunin guards wouldn't let me through to see her. "Let me in! I have to see Lady Tsunade!" I shouted, struggling to get past. "Sorry, kid." Said one of them, "We were told not to let anyone interrupt her concentration unless it was an emergency." I shouted in frustration as they threw me back. Then I saw someone coming. "What's all the fuss?" Asked Lady Tsunade, "Don't you know I'm trying to study here?" "I need a word with you. In private." I said. "Fine, but make it quick." Lady Tsunade said. I followed her into this room. "Okay, now what do you want?" She asked. "Why the heck did you tell Lee about that stupid operation?!" I yelled, "Ever since then, He's been depressed and scared and who knows what else! What the heck are you trying to do to him, Give him a complex?" "And what does it mean to you what happens to him?" She asked, almost nonchalantly. "It means everything to me!" I retorted, "I mean, God! If I lose Lee… well then, I may as well not exist at all." "What are you, his girlfriend?" She asked. "Yes!" I replied, almost a little too fast. She just smiled. "Don't worry." She said. I was really getting tired of hearing that. "Look," She continued, "I'm researching a way to make your boyfriend's chances of survival go up, whether it's to 51% or 99%. So relax. There's really nothing you can do right now." With that, she made me leave. In a way, her comment both completely infuriated me and reassured me at the same time. When I saw Lee next, he seemed happier than he had been in months. "Hello, Kinashi." He said, smiling. "Okay, now, did the world go crazy? 'cuz I don't think that you're acting right for your situation." I asked. "No." He said, laughing a little. "This odd mood change is because of something that Guy-sensei said, isn't it?" I asked, getting worried. "Well, yes…" He said, kind of surprised that I figured it out so quickly. "You're getting the operation, aren't you?" I asked. "Yes. But that does not mean anything much, does it?" He asked. "Lee, you could die!" I shouted, "This is crazy!" "I know." He said, looking down, "I did not want you to worry about me." "Lee, no matter what happens, I will always worry about you. That's just how I am." I replied. "I really am afraid." He said. The rest of the time, we were almost completely silent. For the next couple weeks, I was so bored, worried and irritated all at the same time. I hadn't seen Lee since that day. I had the feeling that he was avoiding me. I didn't know why, though. When I talked to them about it, both Horuka and my dad told me that he'd come around eventually; that I shouldn't worry about losing him. I was so depressed. Eventually, I got wind that Lee was getting his operation soon. I went to talk to Guy. "I heard that Lee's getting that operation soon. Do you know when?" I asked. "Next week." Guy answered. "That soon?" I asked. "Yes. Lee said the sooner the better." He commented. I found Lee as soon as possible, meaning it took all afternoon. "Hello, Lee." I said, trying to keep calm, even though, if he kept avoiding me, I might never see him alive again. "Good evening." He replied. There was a long awkward silence. "Look…" He said with a sigh, "I know you are not too fond of me risking my life this way. But you said it yourself. It is ultimately my choice, no one else can make it for me. You have to understand." "I understand, all right." I said, really getting mad at Lee for throwing his life away, "I understand that you care more about your dream than you care about me!" "If that is the way you choose to think…" Lee said, this conversation hurting him as much as me, "Then perhaps we should go our separate ways…" I was stunned senseless. It was so unlike Lee to give up on anything whatsoever. He didn't know how! What the…??? I thought, silent, as Lee got up and walked away, leaning on his crutch.

Chapter 16:The Operation

Without Lee or anyone to talk to, the hours seemed to drag on and on. I couldn't bear to relive that conversation with Lee, but it kept replaying inside my head. His final words were what haunted me the most. "If that is the way you choose to think…Then perhaps we should go our separate ways…" That moment was the thing I had dreaded since I had met him. I had lost him. I had failed. And it was all my fault. My heart and mind kept flashing from rage to pain to confusion to whatever else. Lee had given up on me. Lee never gives up! I couldn't believe what kept playing in my head. It seemed to hurt him as much as it hurt me, though. I knew it then and there. Even though he had broken up with me, he still loved me. Now that I think about it, he probably tried to distance us from eachother because he cared. He didn't like seeing me freak out like I had been. It made no difference then, however. I still wallowed in my misery like some stupid little tot. The days and nights just faded into eachother, and I wasn't able to sleep. I worried far too much to fall asleep. My thoughts and Lee's voice in my head kept me awake. Pretty soon, it was the day of Lee's operation. I had wallowed in my misery for that long, barely talking to anyone, only coming out of my room to eat and… yeah. My dad started to worry by the third day of this. He had frequently come into my room, asking what was wrong and if we could talk about it. I had to lie over and over, telling him it was nothing, that I was fine. Truth is, I was completely torn. On the day of the operation, I came out to eat breakfast. "Lee's operation is today." My dad said conversationally, "Aren't you going to go wish him luck?" "That's today?" I asked, finally snapping out of the monodrone that had been my life since Lee and I broke up. "Yeah." He replied, and I ran back to my room and got dressed. If I was going to win him back, this might be my final chance.

Please! Don't have started yet! I thought frantically, running towards the hospital. I asked the lady at the desk about Lee, and she said that I had made it just in time, that if I hurried, I might be able to catch him before the surgery. She told me where he probably was, and I raced there. I got there just in time. He was still waiting in the hall for Lady Tsunade to show up. I rushed up to him and caught him in a hug. "Lee, I'm so sorry." I said. The expression on his face softened from surprised to bittersweet. "It was your choice. I love you, Lee. Like I said before, that'll never change." I said, holding him close to me. "Kinashi, I cannot just get back together with you after that." Lee said. "But, Lee!" I interjected anxiously, "It's been horrible without you! I can't take it anymore! I need you… I need you." I watched with tears in my eyes while his face broke into a soft smile. "I… I did not think you cared for me anymore. But I am glad to have you back. You were not the only one who was tortured. This is the best thing that could have possibly happened to me." He said, "Besides, like Guy-sensei said, we just have to believe in Lady Tsunade's skill and hope for the best." "I love you, Lee." I said. "And I love you too, Kinashi. Pray for me." He said. Then Tsunade showed up and took him to the operating room.

Those couple hours were probably the longest hours of my life. While I stood outside, waiting, wondering whether Lee was going to live or die, Guy showed up, and then we both waited outside the room together. To make the slightest noise could possibly make Tsunade lose her concentration, and then Lee would die. During that time, I prayed to every god, goddess, whatever that I knew about to protect Lee. Then I watched the clock, conveniently located not too far from where I stood. When it was over, Tsunade came out of the room, looking tired. Mine and Guy's attention both snapped instantaneously to her at once. She just smiled. "It was a success." She said, "He's just resting now. He's going to need to take it easy for a while before he can fight, but he'll be able to eventually." I nearly burst into tears. This was the best news I had gotten in a while. I smiled and said, "That's good." Before I headed home. When I got back, my dad asked me where I'd been. I could barely answer, "He's okay." I was so exhausted from all those sleepless nights. I went into my room. "He's okay." I repeated, collapsing on my bed. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillows.

Epilogue: 6 Months Later

I knocked on Lee's door. "Lee! Wake up!" I called. "I am on my way!" He called back. We were on our way to train together. Lee had healed pretty well after the operation. I was so happy that he was alive. Every time that I saw him without that stupid crutch, I thought of the Lee I had known then, the same Lee as I know now. We passed my father on the way to the training ground. "Training again?" He asked absentmindedly. "Yeah." I said, smiling. "Be careful not to hurt yourself." He advised. "We will." I answered, "You know that." I had come to the village hidden in the leaves about a year ago, hoping to achieve my dream of finding my father. And guess what? I found the love of my life as well.