Shadow stopped with a sign of welcoming travelers to the Land of Rice. Kakashi stopped as well and asked her gruffly "What is it now?"

She didn't bother to answer him and just ignored him entirely since they left the village. Then she turned her head forward and continued to walk. Kakashi groaned softly at the back of his throat and thought angrily as he followed her. *What am I going to do with this woman? This is the WORST mission I've ever encountered.*

Later that day, they took a small break in the forest to rest for the night. Kakashi dumped his bag on the ground gladly and flexed his shoulders as they felt sore from carrying a heavy bag since he left the apartment. He glanced at Shadow to see her back facing him but she was still as a statue and very silent; perfect as an assassin.

Shadow said to him flatly. "I'm going to hunt something for dinner. Just stay here until I return." She was going to go but she was stopped when Kakashi asked.

"How will I know that you won't run away?"

Shadow glanced at him over her shoulder with a small glare. But she couldn't deny that she was thinking about it. She sighed softly in defeat then put her bag down on the ground. She asked him unpleasantly. "Are you happy now? I have my things here so I'll have to come back."

Kakashi hated that she was treating him like he's a retard, a child. His hands turned into a tight fist while he gritted his teeth in anger and glaring at the back of her head as if he'll make a hole through it. He roughly replied her. "Yes..."

Shadow saw his anger and rolled her eyes to the sky. Before Kakashi could ask her of why she had done that, she dashed into the forest and disappeared in the deep crowd of the tall thick trees. When she was gone, Kakashi let out a long heaving sigh then suddenly turned around and punched a tree behind him; imagining that it was Shadow. He had never hated a woman as much as he hated Shadow. She drove him insane in anger and frustration yet he barely knew her.

Kakashi dropped his head down as he closed his eyes to calm himself mentally so he wouldn't beat the assassin to death when she returns. He could try but that will only end up badly for him. He heard rumours about her and her powers but he's not really certain if they were true or exaggerating. Although, there was this one rumour that caught his interests. He had heard that she had defeated an army alone at a very young age; he can't remember how old she was but it was impressive that she could have defeated an entire army all by herself. But these are rumours so there's a possibility that it isn't true. So, Kakashi will ask her – with a miracle that she'll talk to him – when she returns. But could he talk to her? A woman he barely knew yet he hated her so much?

Probably.

Kakashi let out another heaving sigh. He turned around after pulling his fist from the tree and slide down to the ground with his back against the tree. When he landed on the ground, he glanced at the path that Shadow had taken off to. *I wonder what's her past...*


Shadow was leaning against a tree while thinking about her companion. She couldn't help it. She had no idea that she could hate him this much. And it's rare for her to be so angry at someone. Especially at someone she barely knew besides his reputation as the Copy Cat Ninja.

She sighed heavily as she leaned her head against the tree. *What am I doing? Why can't we get along for just one moment? Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on him...but he makes me feel so vulnerable whenever he's near me. What the hell is that feeling whenever I'm around him?*

She heard a snap and she jerked her head towards the sound of it. She automatically pulled out three throwing blades and her katanna silently and swiftly from its sheath. She slowly walked towards the sound as a trained silent assassin. She took a quick look through the bushes and saw a doe eating some grass. She sighed softly as she hated to kill something so beautiful, but she needed something to eat for dinner.

She prepared herself to throw the throwing blades at the doe but mumbled softly. "I'm so sorry..." The doe jerked its head up and looked towards Shadow. But before it could escape, Shadow threw the blades at it in a lightning speed. She hit it in the eye, neck and stomach then it landed on the ground with a loud thump.

Shadow rushed to its side as it was struggling to bear with the pain. Shadow quickly aimed her katanna at its heart to end the poor creature's suffering. She quickly pierced its heart with her katanna and the sound of her cold blade piercing through its flesh gave Shadow a cold shiver up in her spine. She had to look away as she ended the creature's life, but it was better than a slow death.

She pulled her katanna from its flesh and placed it on the side. Shadow looked at the limp doe in her grasp and mumbled to it as she softly caressed its fur that isn't stained from its blood. "I'm sorry..." She had no idea why she always felt emotional when it comes to nature and its animals, but she was just born this way.

She sighed heavily as she grabbed her katanna and put it back in its sheath. She also put her throwing blades back to its place from the dead doe before she slung the dead creature on her shoulder. She turned to the direction of where she left Kakashi and dashed towards her destination as the sun was going down in the horizon.


Kakashi was taking a small nap but he had a kunai in his hand to protect himself. He shot wide awake when he felt a presence coming to him and her jerked his head towards the direction as every muscle in his body went tense. But he heard her voice as she appeared at his sight "Don't worry, it's only me."

He sighed softly as his body relaxed and he saw her putting down a dead doe on the ground but that wasn't the one that was surprising him, it was the look of sympathy from Shadow as she was looking down at the dead creature. He arched a brow at her and asked her out of his curiosity. "Shadow, are you...all right?"

Shadow took a quick glance at him, and then returned to the dead doe. "It's nothing..." she said to him softly and flatly but her look of sympathy was still clear in her eyes; even if her eyes were hidden under the shadows of her hood.

She breathed in deeply and pulled out a throwing knife. Then she started to cut little pieces of the doe but it was obvious that she was uncomfortable of doing so. Kakashi quickly got to her side and grabbed her wrist before she could tear another flesh of the dead creature. She tore her gaze off it to glance at Kakashi who was looking at her blankly.

"Hatake, what are you doing?" she asked him with a small growl.

Kakashi's jaw tightened but he said to her. "It's obvious that you don't want to cut it, so let me. Besides, you've already had your turn of hunting it down. Now, let me cut it for dinner."

Shadow hesitated for a moment and glanced at his hand that was gripping his wrist. She asked him. "Can you let me go now?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye at her "Then you'll let me?" Shadow nodded as she tore her eyes from him. She could feel her stomach fluttering with millions of butterflies and her heart racing in her chest. He didn't let go of her wrist but eventually he did. He softly took the bloody throwing knife and continued to cut the pieces out.

Shadow avoid watching the brutal sight of the poor creature being cut apart for a simple need of humans, it always made her feel nauseous whenever she thinks about it and the smell was not helping it at all.

Kakashi let out a small sigh as he was done and then glanced at Shadow. He saw her looking away from the brutal sight of the corpse so he said to her "I'll get rid of it while you make a camp fire. Okay?" His only response from her was a soft nod. He didn't bother to ask her another question. So, he grabbed the remains of the corpse and quickly went into the forest to get rid of it.

When Kakashi was gone, Shadow looked at the meat that they've cut off for dinner. *Hmm...this will be enough for two days at most...But poor thing...* She sighed heavily then stood up from the ground so she could gather some woods to make the camp fire.


Kakashi returned and saw Shadow forming a small fire jutsu at the gathered wood she found to make the camp fire. After it was ignited, she turned her head to him but she didn't say a word and just returned her gaze to the camp fire.

He arched a visible brow at her but didn't bother to ask a question because he knew that she'll just avoid answering it. He strode to her and kneeled down with the meat beside him. He put them in a long stick that he found nearby and put the meat over the fire to cook them for dinner.

Kakashi sat on the ground properly with his legs crossed while Shadow was doing the same thing but one leg was propped up and she used it to support her arm as a lazy gesture. It was awfully quiet as they watched the meat being cooked. Kakashi would have brought his book out to read it but he wasn't in the mood to read and he read the bloody book multiple times.

Shadow sighed softly and glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. Kakashi felt eyes on him so he glanced at her as well, but when they made eye contact with each other they automatically look back to the camp fire.

After 30 painful minutes, Shadow said to Kakashi "I think it's ready..."

Kakashi glance at her then look at the meat. He pulled a meat in a stick out from the fire and passed it to Shadow. "Here." Shadow glanced at Kakashi who was eyeing her blankly. She accepted the meat with a small nod as a 'thank you'.

Kakashi cursed mentally because the awkward tension was getting into his nerves. He grabbed the remaining meat in a stick, but he hesitated to eat it in front of Shadow. She's thinking the same thing because she glanced up at him again. But he got confused when he saw a small grin behind her black mask.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked wryly.

"The last time I remember, we agreed that whoever losses the race will show their face." Kakashi flinched and could feel his blood turning cold as Shadow's grin widened. "And since I've won..." she mentioned Kakashi to pull his mask down "Show me your face."

Kakashi glared at her with his visible eye and he growled. "No."

Shadow's grin disappeared and she glared at him under her hood. "Are you breaking your word, Hatake?" She shook her head in disappointment. "I thought you were a better man than this."

Kakashi growled at the back of his throat. That really hit his pride. He let out a heaving sigh of defeat and growled. "Fine."

Shadow arched a brow at his growl and asked in wonder. "What? Are you afraid that I'll criticize your face? Or take a photo of it and show it to everyone?"

"You wouldn't be the first one."

"Hatake, I give you my word that I won't tell anyone about your face? Look, I'll make you a deal. If you show me your face, I'll show you mine."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion and asked her. "Swear it."

Shadow looked at him annoyingly and grumbled as she asked him. "Are you serious?"

"Just swear it already before I change my mind!"

"Fine! I swear it!"

Kakashi sighed softly and grabbed the corner of his mask to bring it down. He finally pulled down his mask to his chin and looked at her flatly. "Well? Are you happy now?" he asked with such a flat tone.

Shadow stared at him quite blankly, but in the inside she was shocked. She expected a normal face, but this face was beyond normal. It was beautiful. Now, Shadow could understand why he covers that handsome face of his with a mask. It would drive any woman insane with just one glance. Kakashi waited for her reply but he couldn't stop a smirk forming in his face. "Well, Shadow? What do you think?"

She snapped out of her trace and looked at him directly in the eyes. Then she shrugged her shoulders as she looked at her dinner. "I think its okay."

Kakashi literally got his jaw dropped as she stared at the woman in disbelief. This is not what he expected. He was expecting some determination to kiss him or something like any other women would do, but this woman was repelling him. He couldn't help to ask her "Wh-What?"

Shadow glanced at him lazily but he could see a small smirk behind her black mask. "You heard me. I think your face is...okay. Sure, I can see why women would go crazy about you, but I expected something...more than that."

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye at her in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's not important for you to know."

"Now that's helpful..." he said in sarcasm.

"Hey, I'm just saying..."

Kakashi inhaled deeply to calm his nerves as his blood was boiling underneath his skin. He couldn't help it. He was furious. He said to her "Okay, not it's your turn to show me your face."

Shadow sighed softly and mumbled. "I suppose that's fair." Kakashi didn't realize that he held his breath as she grabbed the edge of her mask then brought it down to her neck. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the beauty as she pulled down her hood to reveal her entire identity to him.

She glanced at him and when she saw his shock expression, she smirked. "So, what do you think?" Kakashi was absolutely speechless as he looked at her face. Only one word could describe her face. Beautiful. Just absolutely beautiful. She sighed softly as she leaned her head back so she could look at the sky. She smiled as she looked at the beautiful sky. "Aren't they beautiful...?"

Kakashi let out a small sigh. "Yes you are..."

Shadow glanced at him with a small laugh and asked him. "Did you hear of what I just asked?"

Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts and asked her nervously. "Wh-What?"

She let out a small laugh and looked back to the stars above. "I was asking whether you think the stars are beautiful or not."

"Oh, the stars..." he mumbled and he looked up. "Yeah, they are..." Then he chuckled to himself as he dropped his head down.

Shadow arched a brow at him and wondered what is so funny to him, so she asked him. "What's so funny?"

Kakashi looked at her with a humorous smile and asked. "Where did we go wrong? I mean, how did we end up hating each other so much when we barely knew each other?"

"You know, that's a very good question..." she mumbled but she had to agree with him. She had no idea of how it came to this.

Kakashi let out a small chuckle then asked her. "You don't think that we should restart all of this? We didn't get off with a good start."

"Oh, we did but there was that moment when you made a fool of yourself and you made me feel..." she stopped when she realized what she was going to say. She looked at Kakashi to see him looking at her in surprise but he couldn't help but to ask her.

"What? I made you feel what?"

*Vulnerable. Butterflies in my chest and my heart racing like I've been running for days nonstop.* she thought but she answered him with this instead. "It's nothing, Kakashi. Just leave it at that."

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye at her but didn't push it. So, he asked her the same question. "So? Can we restart before we tear at each other's throats?"

Shadow let out a soft humorous chuckle and looked at him in the eye with a small smile. He smiled back and held out a hand for her to shake. She glanced at his hand and let out another small laugh as she accepted his hand with a shake.

"You got yourself a deal, Hatake."

His smile dropped. "Are you going to keep calling me by my surname?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Shadow." He growled her name as a warning.

She let out a heavy sigh of defeat but a small smile was still on her face. "Very well, I'll call you by your name...Kakashi."

He gave her a kind smile. "Good."

Shadow softly blushed when she realized that Kakashi was still holding her hand but she didn't want to pull away from his touch. The butterflies were fluttering in her stomach, but this time it was 10 xs better. Kakashi glanced at their hands as well and hesitated to pull away.

Everything went quiet once again but the tension between them was better than before. Shadow first took a small bite of the meat and she chewed it slowly to savour the taste, although she felt bad because it reminded her of the doe she killed. Kakashi watched her as she ate her dinner slowly but he soon ate his meat in the same pace as her.

After a while, Shadow was half finish with her ate until Kakashi asked her. "Can you tell me your real name?"

She stopped midway of taking another bite of her half eaten meat. She glanced at Kakashi to see him looking at her so intensely. "Don't you think showing my face to you is revealing enough?"

"I know, but if it's all right with you...?"

"...I don't know..."

Kakashi quickly said to her to earn her trust over this. "I promise that I won't tell a single soul of your name, without your permission."

Shadow narrowed her eyes at him then she said to him. "Then you're paying for the second dinner."

"S-Second?"

"Yeah! Remember that you would pay for dinner if I won the race!"

"Oh...that."

"So yeah, you owe me a second dinner."

He couldn't help but to smirk at her. "Is that a date?"

Shadow smirked at him. "Maybe..."

His smirk widened and he said. "All right, I'll pay for that second dinner. Now," he scooted a bit closer to her "tell me your name."

Shadow arched a brow. "What? Without a 'please'?"

Kakashi's smirk dropped immediately from his face and he growled at her. "Shadow"

She gave in. "All right, all right. I'll behave." Then she glared at him. "If you dare tell a soul to anyone, I'll cut off your balls. Are we clear?"

"Ouch..."

"Kakashi."

"Okay, fair enough. Now tell me."

She took in a deep breath as Kakashi was waiting for her to tell him her real name. She looked at him in the eyes and softly replied as she leaned her face close to his. "My name is Ordeyna."