Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns everything about Naruto and all rights go to him, except my oc's.
Strangers Like Me
Chapter 9- Frozen Heart
After the Uchiha Massacre, things just weren't the same between the Shiros and Sasuke. Or should we say, Sasuke wasn't the same. He was more angry and quiet. He grew more and more distant, no matter how hard Anika tried to save their bond.
She went to his house every day to walk with him to school and he did walk with her but it was awkward, Anika making most of the conversation. That started to talk less and less on their walks to the point where they didn't talk at all, walking silently to school but Anika did consider the fact that he waited for her outside his house before walking a good sign. He did still want her as a friend then.
They didn't talk at all during classes anymore but they still sat next to each other, something the girls in class always hated. Naruto and Hinata began occupying her time more often now that Sasuke wasn't and she talked to them during classes. She wasn't allowed to come over to Hinata's house though because her father didn't think much of Anika so they wouldn't let the daughter of a disowned Okonawa into the prestigious Hyuuga estate.
Hitsuji had started the academy so there was no need to get a sitter for the girl. Anika couldn't believe her sister was so OLD! It made her feel old. Ugh! She was proud of her sister though; Hitsuji was so excited to start the academy. She wasn't doing very well though. She was struggling but Anika helped her as much as she could. So, knowing her sister was in the building somewhere close, Anika could focus complete on her studies. Well, she could if her situation with Sasuke wasn't bothering her so much. She missed him. She had already lost so many people, why did she have to lose him too? And he was still right in front of her!
As time went on Sasuke stopped waiting for her to walk with him to school and eventually he changed his seat, quickly being surrounded by fangirls. She didn't know why he was distancing himself so far from her and it hurt to watch him go. She tried to talk to him several times but he just shrugged her off or pretended like he didn't know what she was talking about. So one day she decided to give him a peace offering, a way of showing him she still cared.
She packed it before school and put it in her backpack carefully, making sure not to squish them. She went the whole day at school like normal, her surprise still concealed in her backpack. She knew Sasuke walked home really slowly and took the long way; he didn't want to go home so she made sure to get there first. She placed her surprise on the doorstep and ran to a nearby bush, waiting for him to get home.
As he made his way to the horrible place that reminded him of everything he hated in life he found something strange on the doorstep. Thinking it was something dangerous he approached carefully but upon inspection found an ordinary small basket of tomatoes. He looked around, and found no one. Maybe they were poisoned? Picking them up, a piece of paper fell out and he picked it up. Written on it was:
Thought these might cheer you up a bit.
The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile but it was gone quickly as he hid it with his hair in case she might still be nearby; watching. This could only be from one person; he recognized the hand writing. He brought them inside and closed the door.
She waited a good couple of minutes before sneaking from her hiding spot and making her way home. Mission Make Sasuke's Day: Success.
That summer started off pretty normally. On one particularly hot day Tomo had sent Anika to go with Hitsuji to the Konoha community pool. Not that it was much of a chore; Anika loved the summer and especially swimming. It was her favorite activity to do next to training and reading. So as the two girls made their way to the pool, Anika couldn't help but be excited. Her white skirt fluttered in the breeze, contrasting nicely with her blue shirt. Hitsuji, ever the tomboy though, was the total opposite sporting a red shirt and black shorts much in the same style of Sasuke's. It was almost comical seeing them walk next to each other. They were total opposites. Even more so since Anika had recently been to the doctor's to get glasses. They were thin dark blue square wired glasses that she hoped didn't made her look too dorky but she knew her classmates would pick on her anyway. They always found something about her they didn't like.
When they arrived at the pool they noticed everyone was standing around the edge, looking like they were waiting for something. Hitsuji grabbed her sister's hand and pulled Anika through the crowd as the older of the two periodically apologized to people for bumping into them.
"Suji! You can't just-"
"Naruto." The younger girl explained, the crowd thinning around the boy at the pool's edge.
"Hey Anika. Hitsuji-kun." Naruto greeted.
"Hey. What's everyone waiting for?" Anika asked, pushing her glasses up her nose.
"Since it's the first day of the season the pool's been opened, the water's not filled yet." the boy explained, pointing to the empty basin. "The guy who was supposed to come fill it earlier before the place even opened but he's like, three hours late. Bastard."
Just then a man came into view on the other side of the pool, people moving out of the way for him.
"Oh, that must he him. Took him long enough!" Naruto complained, glaring and crossing his arms.
The man looked familiar to Anika but she couldn't place where she had seen him before. He was fairly tall with gray hair that tilted to one side and a forehead protector on his-wait! The graveyard! That was where she had seen him. Graveyard guy. She wondered how one guy was going to fill this whole pool without it taking all day. Then he weaved a couple of hand signs and said,
"Water Style: Raging Waves Jutsu!"
Water shot out of his mouth and into the pool filling it instantly. At the Academy they had found out what element their chakra was and hers was water so since she had been determined to learn a bunch of water-based techniques. She had been wondering who to ask for help with this seeing as reading alone wasn't helping her but she didn't know who to ask. Now she did.
"Naruto, watch Hitsuji for a second."
"What, why?" he asked but she didn't answer him, leaving her sister in the care of the fox boy to walk around the pool to the gray haired man. He was already leaving so she had to run to catch up to him.
"Umm…Hello? E-Excuse me Mister!" she called, hoping she was loud enough for him to hear her. It seems she was because he turned and she almost ran into him. He looked bored and it made her even more nervous.
"Yes?" he answered. She just looked up at him nervously and before saying,
"That jutsu you just used. Can you teach it to me?"
He looked surprised for a second before chuckling and turning around, continuing to walk away.
"No now go back to whatever it is you were doing."
"Why?!" she demanded, exasperated and kind of angry that he was treating her like a kid. Okay so she was a kid but he didn't have to treat her like a pest.
"It's a C-rank jutsu so you couldn't do it if you tried every day for the next month. It's a Chunin level jutsu." He explained, looking back at her over his shoulder with his only visible eye. She looked angry but kind of embarrassed that she had even asked now and it made his want to laugh but he wasn't that mean. I mean, she couldn't be more than…what, 9?
"Then teach me any water jutsu. Please. I've read all about them but I've never met anyone in the village who's actually good at water techniques before." She pleaded. She knew she sounded desperate but she needed to do this. She needed to start learning more jutsus. That fight with those boys where she couldn't protect Hitsuji had really put things into perspective for her. She had promised her mom she would protect her and that was what she was going to do.
"I don't think so." He was so uninterested he pulled out a little orange book and started reading it, starting to walk away again.
"At least tell me your name!" Anika yelled after him as she watched him go.
"Kakashi." He called over his shoulder and as she watched there was a puff of smoke and he was gone.
Anika walked back over to Naruto and her sister, both looking very confused.
"Where'd you have to go all of a sudden?" Naruto asked.
"Oh um, I thought I saw Hinata for a second but I guess I was wrong." She lied quickly. Lucky for her neither of them questioned it. She had wanted to learn water jutsu in secret, getting stronger with no one knowing so that when she finally used her new power it really surprised everyone so she didn't tell them about her talking with Kakashi. Especially since he had rejected her proposal to teach her but she wasn't giving up.
It was a couple of days later and she was really annoyed. She had been walking around Konoha for the last hour looking for him. She had checked everywhere. Even though it was summer the first place she thought to look was the academy; he wasn't there. When she passed Ichiraku's she checked in there; he wasn't there either. Then she checked training grounds 1 and 2; he wasn't there either. At training ground 3 she decided maybe he was in the woods around the clearing so she decided to yell,
"KAKASHI!"
Nothing happened. Disappointed she walked a bit closer to town and sat on a bench, sighing.
"I'm never going to find this guy."
Hearing a rustling above her in a tree she jumped off the bench and into a slightly defensive stance. She was shocked to see the very man she had been searching all day for sitting in the tree reading that orange book.
"Kakashi!" she exclaimed, overly happy to see him. He looked up from his book for a second and just continued to read nonchalantly.
"Yes?"
"I've been looking for you all day." She explained exasperatedly. He didn't react and just flipped the page of his book.
"Why?"
"Teach me water jutsu." She said more forcefully than before. He actually looked up this time. She was looking at him determinedly. He sighed and shut his book.
"Look, I don't have time for this. I have stuff to do."
"What do you mean you have stuff to-"
With another puff of smoke he was gone. Anika gave a growl and decided to go shot some rounds with her bow. That would take her mind off how frustrating he was.
Anika had gone out looking for him every day for the next week but to no avail. He was nowhere to be found and it frustrated her immensely. One day in particular she decided to take a break from searching fir the illusive man to visit her mother.
Kakashi on the other hand had not actively been avoiding the little girl. He had just been conveniently (for him at least) at the right places at the right times, missing her by mere seconds. He swore he had seen the girl somewhere before but he couldn't place where.
At the moment he was on his way to go visit Obito and Rin, flowers in hand as usual. He stopped at Rin's grave first, brushing off some dirt and stray grass before replacing the dead flowers with the new ones. They had been her favorite. She had mentioned them to him in passing once, hoping he would get them for her but he never did. Now he got them for her all the time.
Pushing the thought out of his mind, he saw someone out of the corner of his eye at a grave of a love one of their own. He tried to ignore them, deciding it wasn't his business but as she began to speak, he couldn't help but over hear what she was saying. He felt wrong overhearing her conversation to whoever she was talking to but the grave to so close by; it was hard not to hear. Glancing over at whoever it was, he noticed it was the little girl that had been nagging him lately.
"Hey Mum. It's still weird not having you here. I don't think we'll ever get used to it, even though it's been a while. At least Mikoto's with you now so you're not so alone up there. I mean, Fugaku's there too so it can't be too much fun but still." She gave a sad laugh, looking down at her knees as she sat in front of the grave. "After the whole…well, you know, Sasuke won't talk to me anymore. He doesn't talk to anyone anymore. He's just so sad. I wish there was something I could do to help."
Kakashi recognized those names. She was talking about the head of the Uchiha clan, his wife, and their son.
"Anyway, Hitsuji's doing well. She doesn't have a lot of book smarts but her training is going well. You'd be proud."
Just as Kakashi was about to tune her out the girl said something that caught his attention.
"I met some guy named Kakashi. I want him to teach me water jutsu. I know you probably saw that fight me and Hitsuji got in with those boys over being Naruto's friends." Anika clenched her fists and her eyes filled with tears. "I couldn't protect Hitsuji like I promised. But I'll get stronger and protect her like I said I would. I promise Mum." With that she stood up, taking her glasses off to wipe her eyes on the back of her hands and put them back on, finished with a;
"I love you Mum. See you soon."
As she began to walk away Kakashi unconsciously decided then what he was going to do. He came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned in surprise and upon seeing Kakashi, looked confused.
"I never got your name." he said.
"Shiro Anika." She answered.
"Anika." He said, testing the name on his tongue. "So Anika, I guess I can find the time to teach you water jutsu if you think you can handle it but it won't be easy. Meet me at training ground 3 tomorrow at 8am."
She smiled wider than she thought she ever had and she had the urge to hug him but she didn't. She bowed and thanked him, running off in the direction of her house. She was so overly ready for it to be tomorrow it wasn't even funny.
Author's note: Hello everyone! Hope you like it so far! I've added Kakashi into it because who doesn't love Kakashi? Haha. And I did do my research; he's the only one other than Izumo that is a water style user in Konoha so that's why I picked him. Not only because I love him. So, yeah, fun times with Kakashi ahead. Some not so fun times with her dad too. Yay!
