Wow, how long has it been since I've updated? X_X

... Sorry, I know I said I would update at least twice a week, so that's my bad for being a slacker. I'm going to update a few more times this week and then hopefully get back to a consistent schedule.

Kaiya couldn't believe her ears. Her jaw went slack, hanging loose; her eyes were wide with confusion. She stood to her feet, slamming her palms on the table abruptly. "There's no way they'd do that!" Yoshino started to reprimand her, but Shikaku rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. She paused, turning to her husband in question. The look on his face indicated that he expected this reaction—well, actually, he expected much worse—and he knew how to handle the situation. She backed down resentfully.

"Kaiya, you know I'm not lying to you," Shikaku told her calmly, crossing his arms. His eyes were closed, his face set in a frown; his scars rippled as the veins protruded on his forehead.

Kaiya's countenance wavered, only for a moment. Her arms shook, and she lowered her head to keep the others from seeing her pained expression. She knew he wouldn't lie to her. She knew her family never cared about her, so there was no evidence that they wouldn't do something like this. She remembered her empty, rotting compound, how they had all been a part of something she wasn't. They all died together, leaving her alone to suffer the consequences of their actions.

She swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty, breathing heavily through her nostrils, trying to calm herself down. She held back the tears in her eyes. There was no way she was crying again.

"That night six years ago, when your family was first confronted by the ANBU, when they saw that there was no way out for them, they warned us that someone would be coming after you someday if they weren't freed—someone capable of terrible things. They claimed they were the only thing protecting you. At the time, it was thought they only said this to keep themselves alive for information, rather than the result we ended up with. But after considering everything that happened that night, Fugaku suggested we take measures to ensure that if their words were true, we'd have a way to protect you." Kaiya lifted her head slowly.

"Fugaku?" she repeated, blinking. Shikaku nodded. She sniffled as her heart wrenched. "So that's why…"

"Yes, Kaiya." Shikaku let out another deep sigh. "That is why you lived in the Uchiha Estate for those two years. Fugaku and the Military Police offered to watch over you, and the location of their estate was convenient for that. They believed in your innocence, as you know. They were also investigating this 'someone', but they were never able to find any solid evidence that they existed. The Hokage didn't want you to be paranoid the rest of your life, so he kept it from you. We planned on telling you eventually, when we were absolutely sure it was nothing but a farce. However, the circumstances seem to have changed. We were wrong."

Finally, Kaiya had calmed down enough to sit back down. She stared absentmindedly at the Nara's mahogany table, a solemn expression on her face. So that's why they did it, she thought, thinking back to the day she moved into the Uchiha Estate. The first few months were a little rocky, and most of them had paid her little to no attention. She knew they saw her as an outsider and probably didn't trust her like the rest of the villagers, and she wondered why they'd allow her to meander the estate if that was the case. But they eventually warmed up to her, and she forgot all about the why; they were kind and supportive up until that incident.

She'd always assumed she was placed there out of pity, so that the other villagers, who were violent and vocal about their distrust towards her, couldn't harm her. After all, most of the villagers didn't really trust the Uchiha clan, either. But Fugaku—Sasuke's father—had wanted to keep her safe from whoever was after her, even though there was no evidence that person existed. That just made her love the Uchiha clan even more than she already did, and it made her hatred for Itachi burn even brighter.

"So…what's going to happen to me now?" Kaiya finally asked, bowing her head again. She'd already been relocated twice since her family's betrayal six years ago. With this person coming out of the woodwork to capture or kill her, she figured that would mean she'd have to do it again. She wouldn't want the Nara clan caught up in all of this, anyway. But where would she go? The only place left she figured she'd be accepted was with the Hokage himself. But she didn't see that as likely. He had enough on his plate.

Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow. He was the only one, aside from the higher-ups and ANBU, to know about Kaiya's situation—most of it, at least. His father entrusted him with the truth so that he could befriend Kaiya, instead of pushing her away like all the other kids in their class. At first that had made her angry, but now she was thankful for it. He smirked.

"Heh. You're not thinking of getting rid of us that easily, are you?" he teased. Kaiya blinked, lowering her eyes before she bit her lip in an attempt to rein her sobs in; her chest swelled with melancholy and relief. She glanced up at her classmate, and then at his parents, who were all grinning warmly.

"Shikamaru's right, Kaiya," Yoshino added, giving her the closest thing to a motherly smile that Kaiya had ever received. "I would think that after four years, you'd learn that family sticks together." Family… Shikaku nodded, chuckling lightly.

"We'll see what the Hokage wants to do about this intruder who's after you, but I think he'd feel the same way as all of us: this is your home, Kaiya. You're not going to be relocating anytime soon, as far as we're concerned."

That did it.

For the first time in years, Kaiya didn't hold back her tears. She didn't care if anyone was around, and she didn't try to hide her sobs out of embarrassment. Resting her head on the table, she wept freely in front of her family.

"Thank you," she said, in between her cries. "Thank you."

"It's not really a big deal." Sasuke shrugged, leaning up against one of the wooden training dummies he'd just been beating the crap out of.

As revenge for their last training session, Kaiya had him work overtime on his taijutsu, since he 'wanted to surpass her'. As irritated as he was, he didn't complain. They did that to each other all the time, but it only made them stronger, so aside from the exhaustion immediately afterwards, it wasn't really a problem. He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his arm. "It was just an escort mission to the Land of Waves."

Kaiya, who had been working out herself, let out a deep breath as she rested on a low tree branch, after doing three hundred pull ups one-handed. "Not a big deal?" She scoffed, crossing her arms; she immediately winced at the fiery soreness that rippled through her left bicep. "Come on, Sasuke. It was your first time out of the village, right? And it was so far. You're telling me that nothing happened while you guys were there—at all? I have a hard time believing there wasn't a single exciting incident. Especially with a troublemaker like Naruto around." Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he turned away. Kaiya swore his eyebrow twitched.

"Why does everything have to be about excitement with you?" he murmured irritably. She frowned at his cynicism. "It was a good opportunity for me to test my skills, but there wasn't really anything exciting about it. It was just a C-rank mission, Kaiya. Like I said, it's not a big deal." Kaiya's eyebrow lifted in question.

"So, you're saying that all those injuries you guys came back with were from a bunch of bandits you met on the way?" Sasuke clenched his fists, gritting his teeth to keep from shouting obscenities at her. As he figured, he hadn't fooled her in the slightest. She'd noticed the damage Haku and Zabuza inflicted while his team was escorting and protecting Tazuna in the Wave Country. "If I ask Naruto, I bet he'll tell me everything, the blabbermouth."

She was just curious about the details, since the only thing her team had accomplished so far, aside from the usual D-rank missions, was defeating a few robbers trying to one-up some rich guy from the Grass Country.

"Just drop it," he warned her, his voice dangerously low. "I…don't want to talk about it, alright? You can ask that idiot if you want, just stop asking me." Kaiya sighed dramatically, pouting.

"Fine, Uchiha," she decided, giving him a half shrug. "Like I'd actually want to have a conversation with that knucklehead." It wasn't difficult to tell by his tone that something happened in the Land of Waves that affected him mentally—something he didn't even want to disclose with her. It hurt her a little, but she understood he had his reasons.

After all, she still hadn't told him about what happened the other day, when they'd parted ways and she was attacked by an unknown assailant. She didn't know if she would ever tell him. "I'm…I'm glad you're ok, Sasuke." The latter glanced up at her from the corner of his eye but neglected to respond any further.

"Hn." She left it at that.

They soon went their separate ways, earlier than usual, so that Kaiya could meet with Sarutobi about her 'situation' that happened about a week ago. She didn't know why, but she was nervous. She wasn't sure what it would mean for her, whether she would have to go back to being followed around by the ANBU and having to follow all those ridiculous, strict rules…and just when she was getting used to having a bit of breathing room.

Kaiya could smell the sweet scent of jasmine tea as soon as she arrived on the floor where the Hokage's office was located. She grinned. There was already an ANBU guard waiting for her at the door. He stood aside and let her enter the office, where there was a chair positioned in front of the Third's desk, a steaming cup of tea on either side. Sarutobi leaned back in his own chair, smiling at Kaiya as she took her seat. She returned the gesture.

"Hey, Old Man," she greeted lightly. Sarutobi chuckled.

"Well, Kaiya, I know how you don't like to be kept waiting, so let's just get right to it, shall we?" he suggested. She nodded. Hiruzen's lighthearted expression turned serious suddenly, and Kaiya gripped her warm clay cup tightly, wondering what he would say first.

After clearing his throat, he began: "Shikaku has already told you what we were told six years ago, so let me move on to the plans Fugaku, Shikaku, and I made, just in case this day ever came." Nodding again, Kaiya watched as the old man pulled out a manila folder, which held several pieces of paper in a neat stack. Sarutobi pulled them out and spread them across his desk.

They were crinkled and yellowing, indicating they hadn't been removed often in the past few years, but the ink was still as clear as when it had first dried. She nervously took a sip of tea, too anxious to speak as the Third's eyes darkened.

"First things first: a barrier will be set up along the Nara Estate, so that access is limited," he explained, reading the first slip of paper. "Everyone who steps in and out of the property will be monitored, and any unrecognized presence will be apprehended immediately." Kaiya nodded. Made sense. Most outsiders weren't allowed inside the forest anyway. "ANBU numbers will increase on the property, and they will monitor the path along the woods 24/7, not just when you leave and arrive. You will be accompanied by at least one ANBU guard at all times, though he or she will be hidden unless a threat is sensed nearby." She pouted in irritation. She thought as much.

"And I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, Kaiya, but your freedom will be limited as well—err, more so than before, I should say. At least until we can find more answers and this threat is apprehended. Your curfew will be dusk. Not a moment later." She groaned in annoyance, her head hung low.

"This sucks, Gramps," she murmured. Sarutobi chuckled lightly, nodding.

"I know. But you'll get through it, I promise. We'll be working nonstop on our end to find out who this person is, and what he wants with you. I'm sorry that we weren't able to discover anything before now." Kaiya smirked, despite the situation, waving him off.

"It's ok," she assured the Third. "I know that you guys did the best you could, and it's not your fault this creep was hiding out until now. I just wish…" Her lip trembled as she stared at her reflection in her half-empty cup of tea. I just wish I knew why my family would send someone after me…but it's not like I can ask them now.

The meeting with Sarutobi was short. When it was over, Kaiya walked over to the dock where she often sat with Sasuke, staring out at the water absentmindedly. It was late afternoon now, and the sun was beginning its descent into the western horizon, although there was still a bit of time before it set. Sighing deeply, she threw a rock into the lake, watching it skip over to the other side.

"I take it things didn't go well with the Hokage," a voice said, approaching her from behind. Kaiya straightened up, glancing behind her at the familiar presence. She scoffed but didn't have the heart to tell him off. She was too bummed.

"Tch. Don't you have something better to do than annoy me right now?" Sasuke grinned, standing behind her with his hands in his pockets. He didn't bother to sit down next to her.

"What was that meeting about anyway?" he wondered. "You didn't get in trouble with your team, did you? I thought you three were starting to get along." Kaiya's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Where did he get off asking her all kinds of questions, when he didn't want to answer any of hers earlier? What an entitled jerk, she thought, rolling her eyes.

"It's none of your business. I don't recall even telling you I was seeing the Old Man anyway." Her short, annoyed tone told Sasuke plenty. His grin widened as he shrugged indifferently.

"I deserve that." He sighed, bending over so that his face was right in front of hers, upside down. He studied her quietly for several moments. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was looking for the emotions in her eyes. She shoved his face away and turned her head, gritting her teeth.

"What is with you?!" she exclaimed in frustration, jumping to her feet and backing away. "Since when do you go around invading other people's personal space?" Sasuke's amused expression morphed into a frown.

"And since when do you go around neglecting to tell me when someone attacks you in the middle of the night?" Kaiya froze at his unusually sharp tone, her eyes wide. She trembled as she looked up at him, a few feet away. After staring at him for a second, she realized that he had somehow found out about that. She turned away from him guiltily.

"I…" Sasuke clenched his fists, removing them from his pockets.

"Kaiya…I was there that night, right before it happened. Do you not understand how that makes me feel? I felt uneasy about leaving you, but to think that I just walked away and something happened to you…why wouldn't you tell me?" It could have just been her imagination, but it almost sounded like his voice was quivering. He sounded hurt, like it was an insult that she had kept it from him. She released a shaky sigh, hugging herself as a shiver went down her spine, giving her goosebumps.

"Who told you?" she asked. It was supposed to be a secret between the Nara family, Third Hokage, and the ANBU. So how could he have known? Sighing, Sasuke turned back around to face the dock, his back to her.

"No one," he admitted, crossing his arms. "I overheard an ANBU messenger telling Kakashi today, after our training. The Hokage wanted him to check into a few things for him, and they mentioned you were meeting with him, so he would have to come by when you left. I didn't hear much after that." A small breeze blew their way from over the water; Sasuke's long, dark bangs swayed back and forth for a moment, before resting on either side of his face again.

When the breeze hit Kaiya, the scent of lingering sweat and soot from the dark-haired preteen's recent ninjutsu training was carried to her by the wind. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, inhaling what had become a familiar and calming aroma to her in the past year.

"I…I was scared"—not that it was easy to admit—"and I didn't want you to know. It's because you were there that night that I didn't want to mention it. I thought you might feel responsible, and I was right…" Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Kaiya's confession. He turned around to face her, his expression hard to read—as expected. He blinked.

"You were scared?" he repeated skeptically, his hands instinctively returning to his pockets. The only time Kaiya had admitted her fear to Sasuke—or anyone, for that matter—was the first time she ever spoke about her family's betrayal, and the chaos that ensued afterwards: learning about their deaths, discovering that she was alone—that she always had been; moving to a new place surrounded by strangers, being called a traitor by people who once adored her. For a six-year-old girl, of course that experience would be frightening.

But to hear her say she was afraid now, when her heart had all but hardened and she did all she could to keep her true emotions to herself…

Kaiya nodded, releasing a shaky sigh as her cheeks flushed; she turned when she felt the heat creep up her neck and settle on her cheeks. Sasuke let out a slow breath through his nostrils, taking the few steps necessary to approach her, their noses only inches apart; he was two inches taller than her, so he had to angle his head downward to meet her eyes. Kaiya couldn't keep his gaze, so she looked down at his chest instead.

"I should've walked you home."

Kaiya blinked, somehow finding the courage to look up at him again. "Huh?" This time, it was Sasuke who couldn't keep eye contact. His dark, clouded eyes averted to the edge of the dock on his right. His fists clenched inside his pockets, the fabric crinkling as evidence.

"I felt like someone was watching us from inside the forest, like I said before," he explained curtly, closing his eyes for a moment. Kaiya could feel the warmth of his breath against her cheeks, which did nothing to lessen the pink already highlighted there. "You seemed like you didn't want me to, so I didn't push it, but…I should have. And I would have, if I would've known you were scared. Next time I'll be there. I promise."

Kaiya didn't want to cry anymore. She hated it; it made her sick to her stomach. Most people felt better after they'd shed a few tears, but not her. So, she cursed her emotions when hot tears suddenly slid down her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered, and she bit down on it in an attempt to choke down a sob. Sasuke once again turned his attention toward her, embarrassment from his own confession disappearing slowly.

Hesitating, as neither one of them were high on affection, he lifted his arms and wrapped his fingers around Kaiya's elbows firmly. Neither one of them moved for a few seconds, unsure of what to do next. Then, Sasuke managed to swallow his pride, seeing as Kaiya had done the same; he pulled her against him and let her lean on his chest. Her eyes widened at the contact.

It had been years since someone held either one of them.

Kaiya's arms slowly wrapped around Sasuke's torso; she leaned into his embrace, taking in his strong scent as she rested her cheek against his collarbone. Being this close to Sasuke—closer than she'd ever been to anyone, in fact—made her nervous. She prayed he couldn't sense the slightest trembling in her bones as he held her with his strong arms, encasing her in his warmth, comforting her in a way no one else could.

Her goosebumps hadn't gone away; they'd become more evident, especially within Sasuke's clutch. She could blame them on the cold, but what excuse did she give for her labored breathing? Or the way her skin tingled when it came in contact with his? Or the fact that their embrace only lasted a few seconds, but to her it seemed to linger for an eternity? She never wanted Sasuke to let go.

Oh kami, what was happening to her?