-PROBLEMS AND ISSUES-

I groaned and rolled over in bed, turning off my alarm clock and blinked drousily when somthing crumbled under my hand. I wrapped my fingers around it, a piece of paper, and sat up, rubbing my eyes. I blinked and walked over to my light and flicked it on. For a second I jumped slightly and looked in the bed to see if I had disturbed Evelyn's sleep, but she wasn't even there. Huh....

I looked back to the paper and read it, smiling a bit at the overly fancy-ish handwriting.

~Good Morning Sunshine!!!! I knew I would be gone before you woke your lazy butt up, so I wrote you a note explaining a few things.

Yesterday, while you were out with.....ummm MSA right? Yeah...I think that's it. lol Your dad took us, us bieng everyone but me, to the hotel with the boys to get checked in. He said he needed the extra space at home for up-coming business guests that would be staying there soon, but I'm sure he'll talk to you more about that when you see him. As you can see, I'm staying. I told your dad....well actually I didn't have to, he just knew. I did have to explain to everyone else though, but oh well, they'll get over it soon. They're not your bestie and they're surely not sharing a bed with you either. That's for me to do. =)

Speaking of which, that brings me to another subject. Today, after you get back from school, get ready for the best day ever! That's all I'm gonna say!

So get up, get dressed in the outfit I put on your bed, and have fun at school today. I love you bree-bunny.

XOXO Lady Bug~

I smiled slightly, remembering what today was, and put the paper down on my desk top looking to see what she picked out for me and frowned. "Leave it to you, to make me look all girlie..." I mumbled and shook my head at the blue, purple, and white plaid skirt laid across the bed with black tights, a blue longsleeve shirt and a purple short sleeved Aropostale t-shirt ontop with my purple hightop chucks on the floor beneath it. I chewed my lip. Everything was fine with me, but the skirt. I mean it was cute and I would wear it, but today I wasn't in the mood for it.

I shrugged, picking up the said item, and sighed. "I guess I'll just have to get over it..." I sighed again and got dressed.

XXXXXXX

"Hey girl!"

"Sup Bre?"

"Hey Bre!"

"Hey Bre!"

"Hey!"

Everyone greeted me at the same time in their own way. I smiled. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"We could ask you the same thing." Moose nodded towards my clothes. "You tryin' to look cute for someone?"

"Yeah chika? What's with the get up? Got a date today?" Missy teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, with my way too girlie best friend. She picked out my outfit for today." I sighed and sat. "This skirt has been killing me all day!" I groaned and ran a hand through my hair.

Monster snorted and I resisted the urge to glare at him.

Andie nodded. "Yeah, you look uncomfortable. And I think I speak for everyone when I say this is a surprise for all of us, you know. So different from your usual choice of clothes."

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah I know what you mean, and it'll only get worse tonight I know. She'll prbably make me wear make-up and everything else." I groaned and put my hands on my face and everyone laughed.

"Aw, you'll be ok, lil' mama." Moosed tried to comfort me. "The worse that could happen is she can't put on make-up and you'll end up looking like a clown."

I spread my fingers and stared at him, not saying anything. Just giving him a look. His eyes widened.

"Aw man, short stuff....I feel for you."

I groaned again and covered my face. Today was going to be a long one.

XXXXX

"So shrimp, where you goin' today?"

I rolled my eyes. "Not that it's any of your business twirp, but I honestly don't know. It's supposed to be a surprise."

Monster nodded and sat next to me on the bench outside. "A surprise date with your best friend. Don't know where you're going. Dressed up all cute.....yeah right. Sounds like a date with some guy to me."

I glared at the boy next to me. "It's not...and even if it is, what's it to you?" He faltered for a second, my guess was really thinking on the question, then shrugged. My glared deepened. I didn't know why it was so important to him whether I had a date tonight or not. And....did he say I was dressed cute?? Ok, things have definitely changed sinced yesterday.

I shivered lightly at the memory. Oddly enough, it was a shiver of excitement.

Monster caught the movement and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his warm, built chest. OK...I have got to stop that.

"Are you cold?" he asked softly.

I couldn't talk. I just shook my head and shivered lightly again. He chuckled. "Yeah right..."

There was a car honking across the street and I managed to look up from my twitching hands to see who it was and felt an instant rush of relief and yet disappointment. I grinned at the dark girl waving her arm out of the drivers window. "Come on crazy and get in!" she yelled.

I nodded and stood, Monster dropped his arm with a defeated sounding sigh. I knew the feeling. I glanced back at him. He was looking down at his shoes with a wierd expression on his face, I smiled slightly. "Hey dork," he looked at me. "Told you I wasn't lying." My smile turned into a full flash smirk when his eyes narrowed. There was a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Whatever dork." I laughed and so did he. "By the way..." his face had gotten serious in a soft sort of sentamental way that made my curiosity buzz. "If your friend tries to get you to wear make-up, don't do it. You don't need it."

I blinked, not sure of how to respond to that. I just stared at him. When I finally found the strength to say something Evelyn honked the horn again,, making me jump slightly. "You should go."

I nodded slowly as she honked again. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" I yelled running to the car and hoppiong in the passanger seat. "Hey girl!"

"Hey!" she beamed and hugged me. "Are you...are you blushing?"

I blinked. "Nooooo?" I answered in a slow/unsure way.

"Mmhmm." She looked out of the window past me at Monster who waved and she smiled and waved back. "Anyway..." I was happy she decided to change the subject. "I see you wore the outfit I picked out! I didn't think you would."

I nodded. "I had the right mind not too, but I decided that I might as well just to make you happy for today."

She laughed. "Well thank you for that. And you look cute too.""

I smiled a bit tightly and nodded. "Uh-huh..."

She sighed. "Ok, ok. I know the skirt's killing you, you can change into the skinny jeans then we can go and enjoy the day."

I smiled. "Thanks Ev."

She smiled, finally putting the car in drive and drove off. "No problem."

XXXX

"So...."

I blinked and looked up at the girl as she poked at her spegettie. I was confused, it was her favorite dish in the world and yet she was toying with it instead of eating it like I knew she should be doing. Was something bothering her so much to that extent?

"You and that Monster guy huh?" she asked wriggling her eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes. "Not you too..." I groaned.

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It's just my dad thinks that he and I will get together but he just doesn't see that he's a jerk." I said stabbing my steak.

Evelyn watched me. "Uh-huh....you like him don't you?"

I blinked, my face beginning to heat up. "What? What?! No!!! No way would you ask me that?" I said sipping on my Sprite hoping it would cool down my face.

She blinked. "I didn't at first but now I do! You like him and you know you do! Just admit it, you were blushing after you were done talking to him." she said tryumphantly pointing a finger in my face

I glared at her, my eyes tingling a bit. "I do not, I will not, I was not, now drop it and eat."

She sighed. "Geez, ok, ok. Just relax and put those things away, they freak me out." I knew she was talking about my Sharringan. I only showed it to her whenever I got pissed and wanted her to shut up or just when I wanted to scare her crapless.

I let out a deep breath as she poked at her food. "What's wrong Evelyn?"

She blinked and looked up at me. "Nothing. Why do you think something's wrong?"

I looked at her. "Well ...you've been complainging all day that you were starving and now you're not eating. Are you sure you're ok?"

It was true, more or less. Since she picked me up from school we'd been skating, to laser tag, and to the movies. The entire time she'd been saying how she could eat a horse and now we were finally getting something to eat and she was toying with her food.

"Oh, I'm fine I promise I'm just...not hungry anymore..." she said softly.

I looked at her, a bit confused. "But you were just talking about eating enough to feed an entire village and now you're not hungry? I don't understand."

She glared at me. "Yeah well, I'm not hungry anymore so get over it."

I blinked. "Whoa, whoa. Chill out for a second and just tell me what's going on. And don't give me that crap about you just not bieng hungry anymore. I know you, and I know there's more to it than that."

She sighed. "Sorry...I just....I don't know, it's hard to explain." I blinked and looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Since you left...no it's been going on before then...." She sighed. "Since me and Andrew broke up..I don't know. I just haven't been really wanting to eat much lately. And when I try to, I end up thinking about him and either I don't want to eat anymore or I throw it back up. And I know you know I've always been skinny but now I just feel like I'm a little stick. I've lost so much weight, Bre...and I hate bieng this way but it's hard for me to change it." She drew in a shaky breath. "And when I'm with you, I can eat again and he's not on my mind, but if I see something that reminds me of him, even you can't keep away the hurt for too much longer. I just I don't know what to do...everything I see and here reminds me of him."

She put her face in her hands and I really didn't know what to say or do. I put a hand on her shoulder. "Go and wait for me in the car. I'll pay for the food, and I'll drive home ok?" She nodded and stood leaving. I called the waitor over and paid for the food, my ears still ringing from what I had just recently heard. I walked out to the car to see Evelyn curled in a ball in the passenger seat crying and gaging. The smell of spegetti and stomach acid burned my nose and I knew exactly what just happened.

I crawled over in the passenger seat and took my best friend in my arms and tried to calm her down as much as I could. It was hard for me to keep a strong face with her shaking and trembling in my arms but I think I did a pretty good job.

After about 30 minutes she was asleep and I carefuly snapped her seatbelt and crawled back in the drivers seat. I started the car and drove us home, picking Evelyn up and laying her in the bed before going back out to clean the car. My body was moving a bit robotically and I could only think about one thing at a time or my mind would fry to bits.

When I finally finished everything, and glanced at myself in the side view mirror I noticed I had been crying the entire time. My tears were flowing in constant streams down my cheeks and I looked stripped of all the color in my face, my eyes were blood shot red and all I could think was My life.....is a living hell..burning on fire... and I don't know how to cool it down.

I felt a red hot burning sensation in the back of my throat and I just wanted to scream so badly but the only word that was itching to come out was, "Mommy......."

My voice cracked and I had to get away. I slipped off the stupid heels Evelyn made me wear, a punishment for changing out the skirt for jeans, and searched for the most secluded route possible. I ran, jumped, and swung through the trees, sticking within the darkness as well as I possibly could. I just wanted to get away from everything if only for just a few minutes.

XAT THE HOUSEX

"I'm home!" Bre's dad yelled walking in the house. "Did you girls have fun?"

He was answered with silence. "Girls?" he walked up to Bre's room and saw Evelyn asleep but no Bre.

It didn't take him long to realize what was going on.

XXXXX

I found the lake that I rescuded Sakura from and walked along the shore of it, looking out at the dark waters as images of my mom's smiling face passed by eyelids everytime I blinked. I sighed, sitting in the wading part of the waters with my hands clutching my heart. I'd never really realized how much I missed her before because I was too afraid to go back and pick at the wound it made when I watched her die.

I heard footsteps behind me and I turned around, glaring in the darkness. I saw my dad walk out and I started blinking really hard to try and control the emotions dwelling within me, trying so desprately to run over and escape the fire burning my insides. I had to hold on to my pain, I had to keep it locked away. I had to keep a strong face, if only for a few more weeks until I handled the people coming for me. I couldn't afford to break down anytime soon.

"Hey kid." he said sitting next to me.

"Hey.." There was silence but not the ackward kind where your parent wants to ask you something and don't know how to say it so they keep saying "Ummm soooo..." No, not that kind of silence. It was more of the silence that screamed, "Whenever you're ready to start talking, I'm ready to start listening."

I let out a deep breath. "Evelyn.....she's been going through a hard time and...mixed in with everything else going on....it's really starting to weigh down on me....I don't know what to do about it."

"You mean her eating problem right?"

I looked at my dad and wondered just how intuitive he really was. I mean he picked up on everything. "How did you-"

"She told me. Well after I figured it out for myself. Do you remember ho win the note she explained I had taken everyone to the hotel? Shortly after eating breakfast with everyone, Evelyn excused herself to the restroom. She rushed past me in the hall and in the bathroom. I heard her gagging and coughing. I waited for her to come out and make sure she was ok, she asked me not to tell you, she said she was going to tell you herself." I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "She doesn't want you to worry about her, she knows you already have a lot on your plate with...our situation and everything. So respect her wants and don't stress yourself, she'll be fine. We'll help her to be fine."

I nodded.

"And you have got to remember, you cannot solve evey problem that comes your way immediately and at the same time. It takes time, some issues more than others. So focus on one thing at a time, ok?"

I nodded again and my dad hugged me tightly. I sighed and hugged him back. "When are your students supposed to be getting here?"

"Now. We have to go and meet them at the airport."

XXXXX

I stood by my dad, happy that he had brought me a pair of changing clothes, and waited with him patiently. It had been a few minutes when I noticed 11 teens walking our way with 3 adults. I sighed slightly when a spiky blonde haired boy ran up to my dad. "Kakashi-sensei!!!"

He and I both covered our ears and glared at the boy who was hugging my dad happily. "Hi, Naruto."

The boy looked up and smiled, his blue eyes bright. "It's been a long time since we've seen you. I see you lost the....." the boy's sentence drifted off as he stared at my father's face intensly.

"Naruto, quite bieng yourself and be normal for on..." the girl with blonde hair ended her sentence in a drift as well. "Hey guys," she called out to the others behind her. "you have got to see this! Kakashi lost the mask!"

"WHAT?!" everyone rushed over immediately and stared at my dad's face. I sighed. Good thing the airport was fairly empty.

"Yes well, I had to. I have a very demanding daughter and-"

"DAUGHTER?!?!"

I glared up at the white haired man standing next to me. "You didn't tell them about me?" I hissed.

He shook his head. "No. I mean, I've told them about you, they just never asked if you were my daughter or not." My glare deepened. "Well I figured it would've been pretty obvious. I mean they new I was married and suddenly I started talking about this little girl I was training nonstop..."

I sighed again at his weak excuse and shook my head. I was getting ready to say something but the blonde haired girl cut me off. Really? What is up with everyone cutting each other off today?

"Is that her?" she pointed at me. My dad nodded and she squinted. "Are you sure? She sorta looks like a he, with clothes that doesn't fit. I mean look at what she's wearing."

I blinked and looked down at myself. I just had on a pair of my dad's sweat pants and a t-shirt. Yeah, the clothes were extremly baggy but come on! My hair is down my back. But then again, so is that blind looking boy stading behind her.

I sighed slightly as I choked back the urge to spit fire at her face. I'm guessing my dad sensed my change in mood and looked down at me. "Bre...maybe you should go and wait in the car."

I looked at him and shrugged. "Alright." I said in my best male voice, causing the others to blink in confusion.

My dad shook his head and I laughed a bit, leaving to do as I was asked. It took me to get outside to remember that we didn't drive to the airport. Gosh, I am so slow.

XXXX

I was jumping through the trees in the dark again, but with others following this time. We all glided through the air together, moving swiftly with the wind, to me and my father's house. When we arrived, I helped my dad get everyone situated in their rooms. Some of them wanted to talk to me but I just wasn't in the mood for it. "Maybe tomorrow after school." I'd said. Luckily for me they agreed.

As I finished assigning rooms to the teams, I noticed a dark haired boy watching me the entire time. Finally, I looked back at him and even though his eyes were just as black as his hair, I felt like I've seen them once before but just in a different way. But the weird thing was, he was looking at me as if he'd already seen me before.

I quickly finished getting things ready and said my goodnights, going to my own room to get cleaned off. After a nice long shower, and a thourough scrubbing of my hair, I decided to just tie it up in a bun and go to sleep with it wet. I went into my closet and pulled out a thick blacket, drapping it over myself as I laid out ontop of the bed's conforter. Evelyn was in the bed and she's my bestfriend and all but, she reaked of vomit.

I sighed, looking at her smelly peaceful form and rolled over, turning away from the smell that burned the inside of my nostrils, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep and be rid of the stench for at least a few hours, all I had left was about 3 to catch up on sleep. But the fear of closing my eyes and having that night play back over my eyelids again was crippling and I wondered if I would ever shale this feeling.

A/N:: Not one of my best chapters but I guess it's ok since it's CHRISTMAS DAY!!!! Well it was christmas but I didn't really get to post this when I wanted....Ne-whoo XD I hope you all had a rockin' Christmas, mine was. And my gift to you, is a double update! That's right, two chapters at once! And this is prt 1! ^_^

Ne-whoo!! I love saying that! I hope you guys are enjoying the storyline so far. And right about now, I am currently open to any ideas that you may have in mind. My brain gets a bit fuzzy at times and I just don't know what to do...=/ But other than that, have a HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS and go easy on the egg nog!