I woke up early in the morning, and slowly rose from my bed. It'd only been a month since I'd become a genin, and I was already bored with missions. I walked downstairs into my nearly empty kitchen, and the nearly empty fridge. I ate my breakfast alone and left the house
with no one to say goodbye to. I didn't really mind anymore. I'm used to living alone. Besides, my father left 7 years ago.

I got to the training grounds and found Lee and Neji talking to Gai-sensei.

"Good morning." I said cheerfully.

Gai smiled, "Well, now that everyones here we can start our mission! We will be traveling through the forest to find a band of thieves."

"So, in other words... another boring mission?" Neji remarked.

Lee shot Neji an angry look. Gai shook his head, "Actually, this is a B-ranked mission. These thieves seem to have strange and special powers. All of the Jounin are on missions so we're leaving it to the Genin." I grinned excitedly. This may finally be my chance to show off some of my better techniques. "Well, everyone get your things packed and meet back here in one hour."

I shoved extra clothes into my backpack and zipped it tight. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my right hand. "Crap..." I said clutching it tightly, "This is the last thing I need before a mission." I ignored it and set out despite the burning pain.

The four of us had been walking all day now, and there was still no sign of the theives. I was getting a little tired, but I didn't admit it to anyone else. I didn't want to hold them up. Finally Gai-sensei stopped, "This should be a good place to set up camp..."

'It's about time...' I thought.

"Neji, you find us food. Kyonai, you get firewood. Lee, help me put up the tent."

"Yes sir!" Lee said. Neji and I set off to do our jobs.

I picked up wood by a river as Neji used his Byakugan to easily throw kunais at fish. Lee and Gai were out of ear-shot, and Neji turned to me.

"You like Lee, don't you?"

I froze for a moment. I turned away from him and continued to pick sticks to he couldn't see me blush. After a few seconds I stuttered, "W-what do you mean?"

He gave me a sly smile, "You know what I mean."

"No I don't." I said firmly.

"I mean you 'like' him."

He had me. I couldn't lie anymore, "So what if I do?"

He nodded, "I knew it."

I sat sadly on a boulder, "Ok, I like Lee..."

"So why don't you tell him?"

I sighed, "I know he doesn't like me... why make things even more awkward then they already are?" Before hearing his reply I gathered up my sticks and walked back to camp.

Lee and Gai just finished with the tent. I put down the wood and began to make a fire.

Lee sat down across from me, "Why the long face?" He asked.

I looked up and faked a smile, "Oh, it's nothing."

"It's good to know your teammates," Lee told me, "You shouldn't keep secrets."

"Y-yeah..." I said gloomily.

Neji came back with the food and cooked it on the fire. I ate slowly, and the mark on my hand was starting to ache again. I reached for my backpack to get some water. When I opened it a smokebomb rolled out into the fire. I quickly snatched it and put it away as though nothing happened. But it was too late. Lee'd seen what just happened.

.:Lee's POV:.

I looked at Kyonai then back at her hand, "Are you ok?!"

She looked at me and hid the nervousness in her voice, "W-what do you mean?"

"You just put your hand in the fire!"

"It's ok..." she said turning away from me. I grabbed her hand, but she pulled it back, "Really Lee, I'm fine..."

There's something Kyonai isn't telling me, I know it.

.:Back to Kyonai:.

In a couple hours we were all asleep in the tent. Everyone but me. Lee know's I'm hiding something, but I can't tell him what it is. The mark on my hand burned. If I don't tell Lee about my secrets, he'll think I'm weird, but if I do... he'll hate me. Besides, no one could ever love a monster.