I awoke in a cold cell, hands cuffed behind my back. Taking stock, I made sure that I wasn't injured, and explored my cell. It was small, almost tiny, and completely unfurnished. The only change to the smooth walls were the manacles on the back wall, and the chains in the middle of the floor. Neither of these restraints had been placed on me, though the handcuffs I wore prevented me from manipulating my chakra.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, causing me to sit up against the wall, wary. A strange shinobi walked by the cell. They too were wearing an animal mask, just like the strangers who had shown up with Kakashi. Thinking of Kakashi hurt, so I turned my mind to other questions. Why was I here? What did I do? This was definitely a prison of some sort, though where it was I had no idea. I was most likely still in the village, but somewhere hidden.

More footsteps approached, and this time the shinobi stopped outside my cell. I stared at the animal mask, determined to show no emotion.

"Why am I here?" I asked calmly.

The shinobi did not answer my question, but instead walked away. I slumped back against the wall, sure that no one else would stop to see me for a while. I was wrong.

"What are you doing in this village?"

Looking up, I shivered at the cold fury etched on Kakashi's face.

"What are you doing in this village?" he repeated, voice icy.

"Training to be a shinobi, to protect the village."

He asked again, and I answered the same. He kept asking and before long, I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What do you want from me?!" I screamed at him, glad to see him flinch a little.

"The truth."

"You're not listening to the truth!"

My screaming had brought me to my feet, and I sank back to the floor, denying my body it's desire to scream and shout and cry, to show any emotion at all. I had learned that from my time spent with Father, and it had served me well on many occasions. For a moment I thought I saw a flicker of something in Kakashi's gaze, a spark of emotion quickly extinguished and replaced with a cold mask.

"What are you doing in this village?"

I refused to answer, staring as calmly as I could at him. If he was not going to listen, I was not going to say anything. Instead I put up a wall, hiding myself behind it, leaving a cold and empty shell for Kakashi to question.

"I have to protect the village," he muttered to himself, catching my attention. He seemed distracted, possibly even upset, though it was hard to tell when he refused to show emotion. He walked away, leaving me alone in the cell.

I was not alone for long, however. Two more masked shinobi removed me from the cell and marched me, still cuffed, into a dark room. By this point I was pretty sure we were underground, as there were no windows anywhere that I had seen. The only light in the room was supplied by a single lamp in the middle of the table. Two chairs sat on opposite sides of the table, completing the furniture in the room. I sat at the table and rested my hands, still cuffed, on its old and scarred surface. Intrigued, I traced the cuts and burn marks left in the table, waiting.

The door to the room opened briefly, allowing someone to enter quickly before it was closed again, and locked behind them. I refused to turn my head, instead continuing to stare at the wall opposite me. If whoever it was wanted to talk, they could come to me.

"You need to answer some questions for me."

I stiffened a little at that voice, but said nothing. I was stubborn, and determined to give Kakashi as little as possible. I buried my fear and my reason behind it. Part of me thought that I was supposed to be here, that I had done something to deserve this.

"Why did you come to Konohagakure?"

"Father wanted to."

"Did he say why?"

"No."

"Do you know his friends, who he associates with?"

"No."

"Where is your mother?"

"Dead."

Kakashi sighed, sounding frustrated by my short answers. He was asking me questions that allowed it, and I felt no guilt about that.

"What happened?"

"Father killed her."

I was handed a glass of water. Drinking it slowly, I refused to show my appreciation for it, and dragged it out as long as I could.

"Who was your mother?"

"Mizore."

"No last name?"

"None that I knew."

There was a break in the questions, and I looked up from the table despite myself. Kakashi looked worn down, and conflicted. I felt sorry for him, before remembering who had put me in here in the first place.

"Your father, did he train you at all?"

"Yes."

"In what?"

"Everything."

I looked up again, unable to help myself. Kakashi was deep in thought.

"Get up," he finally said.

I stood, and walked toward me. He reached towards my hands and I flinched away slightly. He hesitated, and reached for my hands again. This time I let him uncuff me, rubbing my wrists where they had been rubbed raw.

"Come with me."

He led me out of the room and down a dark hallway. Pulling a piece of cloth from a nearby hook, he blindfolded me and led me up some stairs. I was walked quite a distance, making many twists and turns, before the blindfold was removed. He then had me follow him back to his apartment.

"Sit."

I obeyed, sitting on the couch. Kakashi rummaged around in his kitchen cupboards, and handed me his medkit. While I tended to my wrists he watched me, still looking conflicted. I took my time, trying to avoid catching his eye while I worked.

"Miya, we need to talk."

I stayed silent, though it was hard. A part of me was screaming to respond, to be heard. To explain everything to this man.

"I need to know about how you resisted the Sharingan."

Still I stayed silent, eyes downcast. I wasn't sure how to respond, and was using the extra time to come up with an explanation for something I didn't fully understand myself.

"Please."

Surprised, I looked up sharply. Never had I heard Kakashi use that word, and I doubt many others could say that they had either. It was enough, and I caved.

"I don't know what it is," I mumbled. "Father kept trying to train it when it was just the two of us, but no one ever told me what the training was for. I never fully understood what it was until recently, while training in the Land of Rivers."

Kakashi was silently watching me, weighing my answer. He looked relieved, like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I had not realised how much pressure he must have been under for quite a while now, though I had no idea where that pressure came from. I found myself leaning forward slightly, wanting to hug him, and sat back.

"We will need to talk about this more later," Kakashi warned. "But for now, that should satisfy everyone. Don't ask," he added, seeing the look on my face.

I kept my mouth shut. I was good at that. Well, mostly. Today seemed to be an exception.

"Were you watching us?" I asked quietly.

"You and your father, yes. Ever since you arrived at the village. You should know, that I still am. But…"

"But?"

"I don't think you need watching. I trust you. Your father, on the other hand, may cause some trouble down the road."

"Yeah, that sounds like him," I sighed, smiling in attempt to lighten the mood. "So, am I allowed to keep staying here, or did it just get too awkward?"

"You can stay," Kakashi chuckled, and the last of the tension in the room eased.


That night as I lay in bed I found myself questioning my choices. I had stuck with Father for so long, and had always obeyed him without question. Now I found myself staying with Kakashi, even after the poor treatment I had received. Was there something wrong with me?

Unbeknownst to me, I had been held by Kakashi and the strange, masked shinobi for 14 hours, and had therefore missed training the next day. Izumi-sensei had not been able to find me, and was frantic with worry. When I did find her, she was furious with Kakashi, despite understanding the circumstances.

I found it all rather amusing, until Izumi-sensei forced Kakashi to apologise to me formally. Seeing him on his knees before me, forehead touching the ground, was incredibly awkward. At first, I was flustered, unsure how to deal with the situation and grateful that no one else could see it. In then end, amusement won out, and I burst out laughing. Kakashi glared at Izumi-sensei from his position on the ground, and she too started to laugh.

Standing slowly, Kakashi dusted himself off with all the dignity he could muster and promptly vanished, leaves swirling to the ground in his wake. Izumi-sensei struggled to regain her composure.

"That's the most fun I've had in ages," she gasped, wiping a tear from her eye.

"He looked so undignified," I wheezed, and we burst into laughter again.

"Come on, you must be hungry. Let's get something to eat. I have some exciting news for you too."

She led the way to a relatively knew teppanyaki restaurant, and we sat at one of their outdoor tables. Picking up a menu, I pretended to study it, though I was more interested in Izumi-sensei's news. Finally, we ordered, and I couldn't wait anymore.

"So, what's the news?"

"Tsunade has assigned you to a team for the Chunin exams. I have the names right here."

"Who will I be working with?" I asked excitedly, practically bouncing out of my seat.

Izumi-sensei grinned at my enthusiasm. "You'll be working with Touma and Sora, from your class. Akari made Chunin last year, and they need a third for this exam."

"This is great! I have to find them and organise training and- "

"Calm down Miya!" she laughed. "You'll meet them tomorrow at the training field we use, I've already organised it. Just make sure you get some rest tonight."

Once our food arrived, we talked about the team exercise I had participated in with Haru and Shiori, and made fun of Kakashi a little more. Izumi-sensei still seemed rather mad at him, more so than she should have been, and I couldn't help but wonder why. Worry over her anger quickly vanished however, as we began to discuss training for the Chunin exams.

"Should we do more team exercises like the one with Haru and Shiori?" I asked, both excited and little nervous about the idea. The exercise had been a lot of fun, but the aftermath had been less than pleasant. Still, we had sorted that out, at least for now. Thinking of the cold cell and Kakashi's fury made me shiver. Perhaps I wasn't quite as over it as I thought.

"We'll do something a little different," Izumi-sensei answered, bringing me back down to earth. "There's plenty of time to get in training beforehand, don't you worry. We might try to get you guys on some missions too, those are always good for team bonding."

I sat up a little straighter, excited again. "Really? That would be fantastic!" I exclaimed.

"I thought you might like that," she replied, grinning at my enthusiasm.

After lunch, I decided to check out the village markets. Izumi-sensei had told me to take it easy that afternoon, and it certainly seemed like a good idea. Just as I remembered from the last time I had stopped by, the place was bustling. The stalls lining the streets carried everything from food, to weaponry, to trinkets. I found I was rather enjoying myself, and it was with a tinge of disappointment that I headed to Kakashi's as the sun began to set.

Arriving at his door, I hesitated. Was I still welcome here, or had he changed his mind? We hadn't spoken properly since the night he interrogated me. Fearing what I might find, I knocked instead of barging in as I normally did. After a moment, Kakashi opened the door, looking a little surprised.

"Since when do you knock?"

"Uh, well, I- I thought…." I trailed off, forgetting why I had been so nervous after all.

Kakashi just watch me, face back to its normal blank expression. "Are you going to come in?" he asked quietly, and I blushed.

"Yes, sorry," I mumbled, walking through the doorway.

He closed the door behind me and headed into the kitchen, where he was making dinner. I sat on the couch, still feeling a little awkward.

"Kakashi?" I called tentatively.

He turned to face me, spoon in hand. For a moment I was to giggling at the image, so different to his normal demeanour. Except for the mask. He always had the mask on.

"Yes Miya?" he prompted.

"Are you mad at me and Izumi-sensei for earlier?"

Kakashi didn't answer straight away, instead choosing to focus on the dinner he was making.

"No," he answered slowly. "But that's not what you wanted to ask, is it?"

I sighed. He was right. "We need to talk about it more, don't we?"

"Yes. Hold on."

As he finished preparing dinner I took the time to think about what I needed to ask, and what I needed to tell him. I always did have a habit of overthinking things. Problem was, I was coming up blank on what I needed to say. I knew there was something, I just could not think of it.

A steaming bowl of miso soup appeared in my field of vision, startling me. I took it from Kakashi and cradled it in my hands, savouring the warmth.

"Thanks," I muttered, and had a taste. "This is good!" I exclaimed in surprise, and had some more.

"Well I do know how to cook," Kakashi grumbled, amused. "So, what did you want to talk about? Specifically."

Carefully swallowing a mouthful of the hot soup, I took a moment to think about my answer.

"Did you always think I was part of Father's plans?"

Kakashi put his soup on the coffee table, thinking.

"At the start, I did. I could never decide that if you knew you were, or if he was just using you. The more I interacted with you, the less I believed you were a willing part of his plans. Perhaps I showed too much interest in you, your father was very careful."

"If you didn't think I was a willing part of his plans, if he had any, why did you kidnap me?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"You scared me."

"What?!"

"Do not tell anyone I said that, ever," Kakashi warned. "But yes, you did. That ability you used to combat the Sharingan was an experiment started by a small group, intended to provide an edge when in combat with an Uchiha. However, the project was deemed inhuman and shut down. Someone has kept it going in secret, and who knows what other experiments they've continued."

Kakashi paused to have some more soup, seemingly lost in thought.

"It wasn't just that," he continued. "Your fighting style is very similar to the style used by ANBU, our intelligence corps. For someone outside the village to be trained to use it poses a new type of threat. It means someone outside the village knows, and is using that knowledge for their own purposes."

I took in all the information Kakashi had provided, dumbfounded. I had not realised the extent to which my father had trained me, nor had I ever questioned where his knowledge had come from. No wonder we had people watching us, there was a lot about my father, and by extension myself, that would unsettle the shinobi in this village.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have used my ability on your Sharingan," I murmured. "It was only meant to be a distraction, I could have done that without it."

"Well, it worked," Kakashi said grimly. "If Haru and Shiori hadn't shown up when they did, I as going to take you in then and there. By whatever means necessary."

A shadow passed over his face, and I shivered. There was a side to Kakashi that I had yet to see, and I was not sure I wanted to. Well, most of me didn't want to. A small part of me felt a morbid fascination. Noticing my reaction, Kakashi squeezed my arm gently.

"If it means anything, I did and still do trust you. I just let doubt get the better of me for a moment."

I smiled. "That's a relief, other people haven't mattered much before. I'd hate to lose anyone now."


The day of the Chunin exams dawned bright and cool, with the sun promising warmth as the day wore on. I'd always loved autumn, thought I was not a huge fan of being cold. The warm days and cool nights made up for the lack of storms, as much as I missed their raw power. Perhaps another trip to the Land of Rivers was in order.

But first, I had to compete in the Chunin exams. Sora, Touma and I had only been training as a team for two months, but we were confident in our abilities and teamwork.

"Are you going to eat, or just sit there grinning like an idiot?"

I jumped slightly, face flushed red from embarrassment. I had forgotten what I was meant to be doing, so busy was I daydreaming about the exams.

"I'm going, I'm going," I grumbled under my breath, shovelling food into my mouth as fast as I could. I was out the door before Kakashi could admonish me further, racing to the administration building. It was there that I was too meet up with my team and register for the exams. Mercifully, the roads were clear, and I made it in good time.

"There you are Miya, we were beginning to think you were otherwise occupied," Sora teased, grinning. She winced when Touma elbowed her, rolling his eyes.

"Leave her alone, she's already getting enough crap from people who don't even know her," he lectured. "Besides, we both know it's all just rumour. Kakashi doesn't like anyone."

I grinned at that, still feeling a little embarrassed. It hadn't taken long for word to get out that I was rooming with Kakashi, and while friends and teammates were understanding, strangers were less so. Rumours had begun to circulate the village about our relationship, and many people had begun to judge the both of us, though I was their favourite target.

"You guys ready for the exams today?" I asked, eagerly changing the subject.

"We've got this in the bag," Touma grinned, Sora nodding her agreement.

"Then let's get our butts moving."

We headed inside and up the stairs, Touma grumbling the entire way. Once we reached the fifth floor, we paused to catch our breath and collect ourselves. Several other Genin were already there, standing in their teams and watching the others warily.

Moving towards the registration desk, I paused, and smiled. I tapped Sora and Touma on the shoulder, and nodded towards the stairs. They followed as I continued on to the next floor, trusting my judgement. We had bonded well during the two months we trained together, and trusted each other's judgement. Once on the next floor, Sora looked at me questioningly.

"Genjutsu," I murmured. "The real registration desk is up here. We weren't the only ones to see through it either," I nodded towards the other teams nearby.

"Thank Kami you're here Miya, neither of us is particularly good at spotting genjutsu," Touma exclaimed. "You should stick with us after the exams are done."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Sorry Touma, I have to help Izumi-sensei keep Asahi in line. Besides, you'd get tired of me beating you all the time," I teased.

We registered at the desk, receiving our instructions for the next step in the exams and congratulations for making it this far. The next part of the Chunin exams was a written test held in a building none of us had ever heard of. Thankfully, we had been given directions, written in one of several codes we had studied at the academy. So far, the exam had been rather simple, though I knew that wouldn't last.

The written exam was near impossible to complete on knowledge gained just from the academy. Thankfully, we had put in some study before the exam, based on Touma and Sora's experiences at their previous exam. Of course, as was intended, a lot of cheating was also involved. Thank Kami Touma was very accomplished in that department. The written exam brought the number of teams participating in the next part of the exam down to eight.

As everyone is probably keen for the actual one-on-one matches (plus I don't know what to write for the second part of the exam) I'm just going to skip ahead a little.

"Congratulations to the teams who have made it this far," Tsunade praised the four teams from her place overhead. "The third and final part of the Chunin exams is a tournament. Each of you will compete in one-on-one battles, with the loser being eliminated. This will be held before a panel of judges and an audience. Lots for the tournament will be drawn randomly. For those of you who do not wish to continue, please step forward now."

Four shinobi stepped forward, including Touma, each visibly injured and exhausted. One was even limping heavily on what appeared to be a badly dislocated knee. Once they had left the arena, the shinobi with a dislocated knee carried out on a stretcher, Tsunade continued with her instructions.

"You will have a month to rest and prepare for the matches ahead of you. Use that time wisely. You are all dismissed."

The end of Tsunade's speech was met with cheers from the remaining Genin, though they were a little subdued. Sora was eager to go see Touma, and find out why he had decided to drop out of the tournament.

"Are you alright?" she asked him the instant we met up outside the stadium.

Touma grinned from his seat on the ground, wincing slightly as he shifted positions. "My back is injured, it feels like it could be serious. Figured I'd be better off having it checked out, and besides, this is your show Sora."

Sora blushed at the compliment, and I grinned. I could not understand why these two were moving so slowly. Our reunion was interrupted by the arrival of Shizune, who looked concerned.

"Touma, we need you to come to the hospital. Right away please."

Sora and I glanced at each other, worried. Shizune looked nervous, and she was one of the best medic-nin in the village. We hurried after them, concern growing when we saw Tsunade waiting for us.

"We need to perform some scans and x-rays. Sora, Miya, wait out here please. Once we have something to tell you, we will."

Tsunade led Touma to an exam room, followed closely by Shizune. We waited for two hours before Shizune found us, looking relieved.

"Touma has a compressed disc, but we can fix it. He won't be training or doing any strenuous exercise for quite a while though."

Sora and I breathed a sigh of relief, and started laughing.

"Trust Touma to scare us like that," she giggled. I squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back.


The flow of the river calmed me, grounded me as I meditated on its banks. Touma's injury had affected me more than I cared to admit, even knowing that he would be fine. Sora had taken the scare harder than I had, and had gone home to recover.

"I thought I'd find you here."

I stretched out my legs and lay back on the grass, watching the canopy above me sway in the breeze. Kakashi sat beside me, waiting for me to say something.

"Is it supposed to feel like this?" I finally asked, counting the leaves falling from the trees.

"Yes," he answered quietly. "It will always feel like this. Once it stops, you'll know you've turned into a monster."

Something in his tone made me turn to look at him. There was something there, a pain or fear he had buried deep, resurfacing just for a moment.

"You should head over to Ichiraku's, you have some friends waiting for you there."

He left without further explanation, disappearing as suddenly as he usually does. I sighed, and sat up slowly, stretching. Uncertain of who would be waiting for me, I decided to head over to Ichiraku Ramen quickly. A surprise was waiting for me.

"Miya!" Aki practically tackled me in her excitement.

I laughed as I hugged her back, ecstatic to see her. Temari smiled at me from a nearby booth, and Kankurou waved. Gaara merely nodded, one corner of his mouth cocked up.

"What are you guys doing here?" I exclaimed.

"Gaara's team is in the exams, and he's also here to judge," Temari answered, chuckling. "We came with him to represent Sunagakure, and of course to visit old friends."

I joined them in their booth, Aki sliding in next to me. We had a lot to catch up on, and spent a good hour chatting about what had happened in the past year.

"We should train together again some time," Temari said, leaning towards me. "Oh, don't look at me like that, I'm not trying to give Gaara's team an edge here. No, this purely personal," she grinned wolfishly.

"Oh, you're on," I retorted. "Hope you don't mind if I save some surprises for the tournament though."

"Holding back on me? Someone's getting cocky."

Gaara and Kankurou laughed, and I blushed at my outburst. This only made Kankurou laugh harder, and Aki grinned.

"How about tomorrow," I said calmly, trying to retain some of my dignity. "There's a clearing near the river in the forest, it's a straight walk from the markets. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

"We'll see you there," Temari replied, and stood to go.

We left the restaurant together, and separated at the next corner. They were staying in the guest quarters available to visiting shinobi, and I was headed back to Kakashi's. It was still early, but after the day I'd had I wanted nothing more than to curl up with a good book and relax.

Apparently, Kakashi had had a similar idea. He was lying on the couch when I entered the apartment, seemingly asleep. He turned to me when I shut the door, eyebrow raised.

"You're back early."

"I'm exhausted, I need the rest. Besides, I promised Temari a quick match tomorrow. She wants to personally evaluate my progress. And no, she's not trying to get Gaara's team and advantage," I added before Kakashi could voice his concerns. "They won't be there. I'm not going all out anyway, I want to surprise her in the exams."

"Your new jutsu," Kakashi said knowingly.

"Yeah, I know you've seen them but Temari hasn't. Actually, very few people have. They deserve a big reveal, you know? It's too bad I won't have all my teachers there to see it."

"Who couldn't make it again?"

"Nice try," I snorted. "But I'm still not telling you who they are."

"Worth a shot," Kakashi mumbled, and rolled over.

"Since it's my turn to cook tonight, why don't I make my famous okonomiyaki?" I asked innocently.

"With the homemade soy sauce?" Kakashi asked, sounding almost excited.

"Of course," I answered, grinning, "It wouldn't be the same without it."

Kakashi sat up quickly. "I'm feeling energetic all of a sudden," he said drily. "Perhaps I'll go train a little, work up an appetite. You'd better make sure you cook enough," he added as he vanished through the door.

Laughing at his antics, I began dinner preparations. This meal always took a while to make, and I had to get it just right.


"What's with the audience?" Temari asked, nodding toward Kakashi and Izumi-sensei.

"You try getting them to leave," I grumbled good-naturedly. "Are you ready?"

"Always," Temari grinned savagely, and dashed forward.

I dodged to the side and kicked out, pivoting on my back foot. She avoided my kick and returned the favour, forcing me to twist away. Though I was keen to save my ninjutsu for the Chunin exams, I was more than happy to bring out my fans. I slid them out of their sheaths and opened them with a flick of my wrist, ready.

Temari nodded her approval and came at me again, kunai in hand. I deflected her strikes easily, using the blades on the fans' edges to guard against her kunai. I moved fluidly, remembering how the water in my Water Dragon jutsu flowed to form the shape. I connected all my strikes into fluid combos, attempting to strike from multiple directions at once.

It was different to when I had sparred with Kakashi for Iruka's class. Then my strikes had been sharp and I had relied on my speed. While sparring with my fans as my primary weapon, I had adopted a more go-with-the-flow approach to accommodate for the movements needed to wield them properly. It wasn't about speed anymore, it was about precision and balance. Eventually I caught Tsunade's kunai with a fan and disarmed her, in the same movement bringing the other fan to rest on her collarbone.

"I shouldn't have let my guard down," Temari conceded, grinning broadly. "That was well fought. I hope your ninjutsu is on par with your taijutsu."

Grinning sheepishly, I mumbled, "Not quite."

"Well then, I imagine some training is in order. I won't hang around for that though, wouldn't want to ruin the big reveal at the exams."

"Thanks, Temari." I turned to face Kankurou, who had also come along to watch the match. "Did you want a match as well?"

Kankurou raised his hands in submission, grinning. "No way, Temari kicks my butt enough already as is! Between her and Aki, I don't need more."

I grinned at him, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Maybe next time then."

Temari had wandered over to Kakashi to catch up on the news, and find out how Naruto and Sakura were doing. Naruto had been a great influence on Gaara, and for that she would be forever grateful. I smiled slightly as I watched, for a moment sharing in the bonds these people had formed.

"That was a quick match," Izumi-sensei said, startling me.

"She was holding back," I responded, still watching Temari and Kakashi catching each other up. "Probably because she didn't want to reveal too much about her own skills. I found that out the hard way," I smiled, remembering our training in Sunagakure. "She always had something to surprise me with."

Turning to talk to Kankurou again, I noticed Gaara was approaching us, three Genin in tow.

"Perfect timing," Temari smiled. "Miya, Kakashi, Izumi, this is Gaara's team, Matsuri, Yukata, and Mikoshi. Thanks again for recommending this area to train in, finding somewhere without spectators was proving difficult."

"Not a problem," I grinned. "I'm usually the only one here, and I'll move further upriver anyway."

Turning to the three Genin from Sunagakure, I smiled, studying them. It was possibly I would come up against Matsuri during the tournament after all. Yukata and Mikoshi both had dropped out at the same stage as Touma.

As I turned to Matsuri, I frowned. Her stare was almost cold, though I had never met her before and had no idea what I could have done to annoy her. Then her eyes flicked to Gaara, and I knew. Well, she had nothing to worry about there, I'd never looked at anyone that way. I hadn't been able to afford that luxury growing up, and it was so deeply ingrained in me I wasn't sure if I'd ever look at anyone like that for myself.

"Alright you two, let's clear out," Izumi-sensei called. "I'm sure they want to start their training, and they definitely don't need you nosing around."

I laughed, and Kakashi just stared at Izumi-sensei, face expressionless.

"Come on," I said with mock exasperation, grabbing Kakashi's sleeve. "You can lecture me about overdoing it, or teamwork, or something."

Kakashi complied, following at his own pace after detaching my hand from his sleeve. I didn't see the look shared by the Sand Siblings, or Matsuri's relief. If I had, I might have started asking myself the difficult questions sooner. Perhaps I would have even begun to wonder if the village gossips might have had the right idea all along.

It didn't take long for the clearing to disappear into the forest, obscured by the large trees and undergrowth. The three of us walked on in silence for a few minutes, each occupied with their own thoughts. For me, all I could think about was the upcoming final exam. Not paying attention to where I was going, I failed to notice we had arrived back at the village proper, and promptly walked into Kakashi.

"Why is it always you damnit!" I exclaimed, turning red from embarrassment. "Give a girl some warning."

"Now where's the fun in that?" he replied, and vanished.

"And stop doing that," I grumbled, unsurprised to hear a low chuckle from nearby.

"Ever the show-off," Izumi-sensei sighed. "What will you do now your training spot is occupied?"

"I'll just move further upriver. I don't want to get too close though, in case they get the wrong idea. Or decide to spy on me," I laughed. "I didn't even think about that until just now. I'm getting soft."

"You? Never," Izumi-sensei teased, grinning. "If this is you soft, I shudder to think of what you could be like."

"I'd rule the world," I responded, matter-of-factly. "Mwa ha ha ha ha!"

"Alright Supreme Overlord Miya, how about some lunch?"