Insecure
Clad in her clan's famous navy blue attire, Ayame's chest heaved up and down with every cold breath she took. Running relaxed her, and as she exhaled, an puff of white air was released from her mouth. She loved to run, but running in the cool spring weather made it so much better.
The sun hadn't come out yet, and the training grounds were still empty, with the exception of chirping birds and squirrels. Just as Ayame turned the corner of the local hot springs, she noticed a familiar figure crouched down. He had long gray, spiked hair and binoculars covering half of his face. The other end of the binoculars were plastered between a crack in the stone wall. Ayame could only presume that on the other side of the wall was filled with women bathing, privately.
Shaking her head in sheer disappointment at someone she should be looking up to, Ayame yelled at the top of her lungs, "JIRAIYA-SENSEI!" The name that was shouted aloud echoed throughout the small clearing. The women inside the bathing area was heard, fussing around, wondering why someone was yelling so early in the morning.
The old Sannin flew back in shock, he clutched his heart through his shirt for support, "Ayame? You scared the heck out of me!" His voice wasn't angry or upset, just surprised. He was shocked to see someone that he hadn't seen in a long time. Or maybe he was shocked to see how much his former student had grown.
Ayame smiled widely and scratched the back of her head, "Sorry, Jiraiya-sensei!" As she watched her old teacher recuperate from the surprise attack, memories started flowing into her mind. Nori and Ayame used to play pranks on Jiraiya all the time, and Hitoshi used to sit back and call them stupid.
Jiraiya grinned back and got up from the floor, "It's okay, I forgive my favorite student," he tucked the binoculars into the side of his coat, "How 'bout we take a walk, and you can update me on what's been going on?"
"Sure," Ayame agreed, and lead the path further into the forest. The trees were high and spacious and the sunlight was starting to peek through. Birds were chirping loudly and happily while the squirrels ran up the sides of trees, often holding nuts and berries. The two continued to walk, surrounded by the beauty of nature.
"So, how are Nori and Hitoshi? I miss my old team, the new genin are a pain... so immature," Jiraiya admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. He used to complain about the same thing almost five years ago, before Ayame's team grew up.
The dark haired kunoichi laughed at his last statement, "Everyone's fine, Hitoshi's already a jounin and now he's trying out for ANBU." Honestly, she didn't really agree with Hitoshi wanting to join the ANBU squad. The Special Assassination and Tactical Squad (ANBU) is nothing more than a group of killers. That's what they are trained and designed for. Killing.
"Really?" The great sannin asked, "I always knew he would do great things... he's a very skilled Hyuuga. He tries really hard to be strong, and I'm pretty sure he'll get the job too," he complimented, then turned to face Ayame, "So then are you and Nori still Chuunin?"
She looked down in embarrassment and nodded her head slowly, "Nori's being trained by her older brother for the Jounin exams." The feeling of rage and jealousy filled Ayame from head to toe. Nori was her best friend, and a good friend at that, but she had always been jealous of her best friend's beauty, long blond hair and outgoing personality towards guys. And one thing she will always envy her about is her family. Nori had the perfect "nice" parents, who owned a successful little flower shop in Konoha, an older brother who was a successful jounin and a cute little sister named Ino.
Ayame wish she had a family like that.
"And what about you?" Jiraiya asked, "Aren't you participating in the exams?" The Toad Sage knew that Nori and Ayame did everything together. They always ate together, trained together, went on missions together, and he figured that they were entering the exams together.
But she surprised him by shaking her head, "No, I'm not ready to enter. I haven't been training lately... I don't have anyone to help me, to teach me," they stopped walking and reached the huge pond that laid in the center of the training grounds, "I'm seventeen and I haven't even activated my sharingan yet... my parents are even doubting that I have it."
Ayame knelt down at the shore of the pond, and her hand danced between the waves of the flowing water. She noticed her reflection again, and it looked the same as yesterday. Pale skin, dark hair and even darker eyes. She looked soulless, almost like a zombie.
"I think I know someone with some extra time on their hands to train you, someone that could help you out before the exam." His voice was little excited, like if he had been thinking about this for a long time. The long red marks on his face curved as he smiled at the teenage girl.
Head shooting up in shock, Ayame released her hand from the water and stood up, "Really Jiraiya-sensei? You would get someone to train me?" Her voice was almost as ecstatic as she felt on the inside. For once, she felt special, she felt needed. Wanted, even.
"Of course, you're my favorite student, I'd do anything to help you," He grinned.
Compared to Nori and Hitoshi, she always felt like the weakest link. Hitoshi had his byakugan and Nori had her mind-body switch technique that never failed. All Ayame had was the blood of the Uchiha clan running through her veins, yet no sharingan. But there was something in that grin that made Ayame feel like he would going out of his way for her new trainer. And at that moment, she felt a spark of hope, true hope. Something that she hadn't felt for a very long time.
"Arigato, Jiraiya-sensei, I won't let you down!"
Ayame woke up the next morning with a different attitude, the kind of attitude she wished she had every morning. She had the sudden feeling like she wanted to accomplish something, to make a difference in her life today. And the young Uchiha girl rose from her bed, she remembered Jiraiya saying that her new trainer would meet her on the bridge at six am.
Excited, she hurried to get dressed. Throwing on her usual dark blue clothing, and signature navy sandals. Next was getting her weapon pouch ready with numerous sharp objects. Kunais and shuriken were the majority of the objects in the small pouch that hung loosely at her hip. In the end, she decided to tie her hair up into a long dark ponytail that flowed down the center of her small back.
She was ready.
It had been a while since she trained, like really trained for a purpose. Her recent missions had been almost embarrassing, mostly all C-ranked or lower. She helped paint a building here, helped deliver some papers there... missions that were better left for younger genin.
It was 5:55 when she left her small house, half-bitten apple in hand. She walked out of the compound with her hitai-ate tied around her petite waist proudly. There was a certain kind of atmosphere that surrounded her today. An atmosphere of anticipation and hope. And for a moment, it almost felt like Obito was there with her, walking side by side with her as she exited the complex.
An abrupt wind blew her ponytail from side to side as stray hairs tickled the side of her pale face. Ayame looked to the side of her, almost sensing the presence of someone else. But as she looked there was no one else there, no one but the wind, who kept her company.
The dark haired girl kept her feet moving, nibbling on the red apple every so often. She reached the bridge placed in the middle of the clearing in no more than six or seven minutes. The village was still empty, everyone was still sleeping.
The only sound that could be heard, was the noise her shoes made as it clanked against the floor of the arched structure that served as a connection between two lands. She above the water again, and as she inhaled, the familiar smell of clean water enveloped her senses. She loved it. And as she looked down at her reflection, like she always did, she noticed that it looked almost identical as those other times. Pale face, dark hair, and even darker eyes. But there was one difference. A smile.
As Ayame studied her watery image over and over again, pointing out little flaws here and there, she almost didn't notice the time that was ticking away. She was too engrossed with the imperfections she noticed about herself, like the few fly away hairs that stood up, the slight curves of her upper lip, the little arch of her eyebrows...
She waited alone for her new trainer to show up.
Twenty minutes passed.
Half and hour.
Her stomach was starting to grumble a little, and a part of her wished she ate more than just an apple. Her mother was forever begging her to stay home for breakfast, to eat a real meal. And as her stomach began to whine louder, she wished that for once she listened to her.
Forty five minutes passed.
An hour.
An hour and a half.
Ayame sighed deeply, leaving her mirrored reflection in the water, as her shoes clanked on the floor of the bridge once again. The little ounce of hope, the little spark of faith she had left was shattered. Gone. Ruined. The small amount of strength she had left within her small muscles was destroyed. Washed-up. Just when she thought she was special enough to have a trainer all to her self... someone that would pay attention to just her.
She knew that her luck wasn't that good. She knew that since she was a little girl. Since the first time she skinned her knee across the pavement of her house, or the first time she failed a test at the academy, or when her parents arranged a totally unnecessary marriage for her. If she didn't have good luck all her life, why did she think she would have it now? At least when she was younger she had an older brother to pick her up when she fell down, someone who tended to her skinned knees and broken heart.
Her foot left the stone flooring of the bridge and transitioned onto the squishy grass-dirt like mixture. Hope turned into disappointment. Faith turned into dissatisfaction. And her courage to want to keep on going was completely and utterly crushed. Why did she even get her hopes up in the first place to be let down?
"Going somewhere, Ayame?"
The young Uchiha's eyes widened as her back faced the recognizably familiar voice. Oh God, she hoped it wasn't who she knew it was. Please, let this be some kind of mistake, some kind of misunderstanding, she begged inside. There was no way in hell that he would agree to be my new jounin trainer.
He was a killer, a thief, a liar, and a whole bunch of other things Ayame couldn't put into words. He was a licensed assassin who served as an ANBU member for many years. But most of all, Ayame couldn't stand him because he was said to have stolen Obito's sharingan eye the same day he died.
After what seemed like an eternity, the kunoichi turned around slowly and regrettably. On her small pale face was a pout that made her look way beyond disappointed as she caught sight of the man in front of her. He was wearing his usual attire which consisted of the hunter green ninja vest and mask that covered half his face.
He was Hatake Kakashi.
