Today, I sit alone at the edge of the woods, three years later, waiting for the man who has since become a monster. The man who is selfish in everything he does, who believes himself to be better than his peers and his elders. I asked him to meet me here, in our usual spot, and I am going to tell him I do not want to see him anymore in a romantic way.

I sit on the damp ground, practicing hand signs as a nervous habit. I still have not been able to use my wood style in battle and it frustrates me greatly. Everyone else shows their full range of their abilities, and I am seen as a mediocre soldier since I can't show what I can do. I am great at doing water and earth techniques separately, but I know the combination is what will set me apart from everyone else.

A familiar hand touches my shoulder and I jump to my feet. I am disappointed I did not hear him approach from farther away. I guess I was in deep thought. I whirl to face him and his covered face. I can tell he is smiling and it breaks my heart. Maybe this is not the best place to meet. There are too many wonderful memories here, from when he was the broken boy who needed healing.

I squeeze my eyes shut and focus on the man he has become, the man I do not want to be associated with, and the man who has become self absorbed.

I get right down to business.

"Kakashi, listen to me-"

"You know it's not just Kakashi. I'm a Sensei now to lower level students, so your should address me with respect".

I resist rolling my eyes. He left the Foundation, by order of our leader, to act as a Sensei to the freshly graduated young ones of the regular forces. I crinkle my nose in disgust.

"I have called you Kakashi the entire time I've known you, and you are not my Sensei. Remember?"

He looks to the sky, "yeah, but we shouldn't give special treatment to each other anymore. It could be dangerous."

I shudder, and pause, frightened.

"Are you embarrassed of me, Kakashi?" I emphasize the Kakashi.

He places a hand on his chin to ponder.

"I think I am. You know me. I am honest. Your mediocre abilities make me look bad when people see me standing next to you, and you're a useless burden on missions".

I'm stunned. "W-what?"

He sighs, frustrated.

"Reni, you are the only one in our class who never mastered your skills. You are a poor soldier. Your only strength was being able to take me out of my horrible state when I was young, so that the village could be blessed with a soldier like me. I can lead these people into the future. So this is what I want to do-"

He goes to one knee, ignoring my outraged look.

"Reni, you helped me through the worst of times. Since you are sure to be killed in an upper ranked mission, due to your lack of skills, will you marry me? You will live a comfortable and safe life. I love you-"

What is he thinking?

"Stop. First of all you don't love me, you only love what I did for you. Secondly, I would never marry someone who thinks I am not the best thing in the world, and you know my situation with my abilities. I am not permitted to use my wood style!"

I am seething with anger.

Kay looks up in thought.

"Exactly. You aren't permitted, so I am assessing you on what you actually do. So nobody will ever think you are the best, because everyone can see you".

I know he is wrong, but I defend myself anyway.

"Well someone will see my potential. And if nobody ever does, then I would rather be alone, fighting, and doing what I love, than to be strapped to you. You have become a selfish bastard."

I take a deep breath, not wanting to waste energy on him. When I exhale I feel another surge of fiery anger that I cannot hold in.

"Kakashi I loved you! I helped you when you were nothing! When you were broken by what you did during the war. For getting your friends killed." He stiffens and sucks in a breath. Good. "We gave each other a home, we loved and held each other. We dreamt of what the ideal future would be. We were inseparable! We always admired each other's abilities, so I do not know where my mediocrity comes into the picture you swine!"

I stop because his face from his kneeling position is one of pure fear, something I have not seen on him before.

My yelling cannot be that scary.

Maybe I got through to him though?

On closer inspection, I see his eyes are trained behind me. I swallow in fear, knowing I must have released my wood style somehow through the anger, and slowly turn around.

I gasp.

Behind me is the thickest, tallest tree I have ever seen or created.

Not only is this tree huge, but it is outfitted with sharp, metal, knife-like branches, poised for attack.

I turn completely around, and the branches sway with me. I lift my hands to my mouth to stifle another gasp, and the knives jerk to point towards me. I quickly move my hands to my sides, and they move back to a relaxed position.

Well, I guess I can make a metal tree.

I am shocked, and so is Kakashi, because this tree just blew him and his fluff out of the water. His argument is nullified with my metal tree.

Well, almost, because I do not know how to disarm it. I perform my usual releasing technique, and it begins to work. I sigh a breath of relief. So it is controllable.

I turn to Kakashi. He is still looking behind me at the disappearing tree, visibly shaking.

As shocked and scared as I am at my new ability, I revel in his look.

"Well, Kakashi, who is mediocre now? Certainly not I, because I just performed the most deadly technique I have ever seen".

"I had no idea-"

"Save it. I wanted to meet here because I am not yours in a romantic sense anymore. Not now, not ever. I despise the person you have become, and I do not want to speak to you again if I can help it." He jumps up from his kneeling position.

"Reni, this changes everything, though. I will not be embarrassed of you or-"

I interrupt him, preparing myself to walk away and process this tree thing.

"Kakashi, obviously I should not be with a man who only loves me for what I can provide him. Good-bye. I need to train."

I leave him dumbfounded in the woods, the place that used to be a haven for us.

I wake up, in a cold sweat. A glance at the clock tells me it three in the morning. I woke up an hour ago with the same nightmare about the tree.

I move into my private room a year ago, upon receiving my elite soldier title rank.

My feet carry me to the sink, where I turn on the faucet.

I look in the mirror above the sink, the moonlight illuminating the contours of my sleepless face. I see tears that I did not realize were there before. Everything crashes down on my at once.

I have nobody anymore. I am nothing, and I do not even know how to control or bring about that powerful technique again. Damn my pride! I would take Kay, even in his state, any day.

After I calm, I look at myself again.

If I weren't in the blasted Foundation, I would have been able to be a full time medic. At least I could have helped people instead of training to use my wood style for no reason. In the foundation, we only learned basic medical skills, of which I excel at.

A knock on my door clears my thoughts. I race to it, and rip it open.

Kakashi stands there, dressed in full gear. My heart skips a beat. No. I would not take him back.

"What are you doing here?"

He tenses.

"Save your questions. You are being assigned a mission right now with two others and me. A group was dispatched earlier today to aid in the rescue of the Kage of the mist village. The group that was planning on his assassination made their first move tonight. They were intercepted by one of our teams a quarter of the way there. We are to rescue them, and then I am to go with the survivors and carry out the mission."

I squint my eyes at him.

"You only? Then what am I to do?"

He sighs in frustration. "You have to tend to the injured and take them back to the village."

Of course I do. He will not admit it, but I know I am talented in my medical skills.

Used to obeying and understanding orders in an instant, I nod, and turn to don my external gear. I wear a black tank, black armor, elbow length gloves, a face shield and mask, boots, and my weapons. I have poisoned knives and bombs for hand-to-hand combat.

Our battle gear is designed to conceal our identities. Concealment of identity is so important to the Foundation that if we end up in a critical state, we are to kill ourselves before the enemy can take information out of our bodies. When we kill ourselves, we dissolve completely.

I return to Kakashi, waiting in the same place.

"Let's go."

"I can see you, Reni, Saka, Magu, Master Kakashi. Slow your pace. You're 300 metres from the land mines". Our team heeds the warning given by our lookout through our portal communication devices.

"Let's take higher ground and travel from there," demands Kakashi. As much as I do not want to listen to him right now, I know I have to. He is the captain. I glance at him.

His ever-present mask covers most of his face, but his eyes look cold.

Kakashi walks towards the nearest tree.

Even though I have been surrounded by trees for the past hour, as soon as I put my gloved hands onto the tree I will climb, my mind flashes to earlier. I shake it off.

We easily climb up, and expertly begin to travel from one tree to the next.

The trees in this forest are so close together that it is very easy to accomplish.

We were forced to train in tree travel in the Foundation, since it comes in handy when land mines are present.

When sensory soldiers are not present, it is nearly impossible to detect mines, though. The team we are rescuing was dispatched without a sensory soldier, and they were caught in the blasts of the mines.

We get close enough to smell the smoke from the outskirts of our neighboring village, the Mist.

Our sensory soldier, Saka, reaches out to our commander through the communication device.

"Ok. We are ready to act. Kakashi, come to control center with me. Reni, start looking for survivors with Magu." I glance at Magu, and he nods at me. I nod back in acknowledgment.

Saka continues. "We are still missing two members of the originally dispatched group. Keep high ground until you reach the explosion site". We voice our consent, and split up.

The explosion site comes into my vision three seconds later, and I make my way down a tree. I reach the base and quickly turn, slamming into someone. I look up, and see a Foundation member. One of us.

"Sir. Are you all right? They are looking for two more soldiers. Have you checked into the control center yet?"

He shakes his head. "No I haven't. I'll check myself in. Where is Commander?" After checking him for injuries, I seen him perfectly fine, and direct him.

I call out to the commander on my communication device.

"Come in, sir."

Static ensues, but he responds. "Yes Reni. What is it?"

"I just sent a soldier to you. He is one of the two that were lost. I have one more to find." He voices his approval, and then disconnects.

I search the grounds, and find nothing. Not even clothing.

Could he have sensed the blast so quickly and dissolved himself? No. There is no way.

I widen my area, and then widen it again, traveling in a spiral pattern around the blast site.

I am a great tracker, so I am becoming angered that I have not found anyone after ten minutes.

I glance to my right and notice a steep cliff with a long drop into the river below. I swallow the lump in my throat, feeling the effects of my intense fear of heights.

Could the other soldier have fallen in there? The blast did spread to the cliff's edge.

Every fear I have slams into me in the form of a huge piece of wood as another large land mine explodes before my eyes.

The wooden object that had slammed into me pushes me down, covering me.

Only, I never hit the ground. I fall, almost in slow motion. I know I am off the edge of the cliff and my heart stops pumping as my eyes slam shut.

I never thought of what it would feel like to die, as I am always so focused on the present, but all of those thoughts are inundated with my fear.

I hear a low humming sound and feel my skin prickle. I feel as if I am floating in slow motion. My eyes frantically search the dark, begging for a source of light.

None comes, but the low humming stops, and almost instantly, I land and hit my head, becoming dizzy.

I drift in an out of consciousness as I hear buzzing in my communication device.

I must be out of range for them to reach me.

I wonder if Kakashi is trying to find me.

My last thought is interrupted as my mind crashes into an even darker place.