Around the shortest chapter I've ever posted... I know, this has to be the meanest thing to do after all of thoes great reviews...enjoy!

Second Chances

BattleStations

Houdini

Kakashi was starting to think Samma hadn't been egoistic to say he wouldn't find any evidence. He never knew he had such a low expectation of her before then. Well, it wasn't necessarily low, but rather just because she wasn't ninja trained he never expected her to be able to compete at their level. He supposed that wherever Samma had come from, they had met—or even surpassed—their level in his ninja world. Kakashi was then drowned with the reminding fact that he hadn't any evidence. He'd stayed an extra few weeks in Kusagakure, and there he slummed in his apartment months later with not a single lead. He wanted his Samma back.

Kakashi slid his head between pillows and hid his bare face from the site of the empty apartment. He felt like he was never going to get her back. He almost had his hopes up at the prospect of her coming back years early, and him the man to do it. He daydreamed of her return. And not the brief meeting they'd had in Kusagakure, for then he was still on duty then and they weren't home. It wouldn't feel the same until he had her home in his arms with Ukki-kun in the background. He'd be happy even if a couple angry, overprotective children were thrown into the mix.

Kakashi knew it wasn't very adult of him to distance himself from Samma's beloved Naruto and Sasuke. The sight of them off on the other side of the street made him depressed, even more then he had been before sighting them. He didn't want to think what his appearance would do to the two kids, especially since all of his free time was spent drunk or lost in a hangover.

--

Whoosh!

Naruto catapulted out of bed and grinned to his ceiling. He knew very well that dreams weren't real—he being the smart nine-year-old he was—and that they couldn't tell the future. But he'd have to override his new senses as an older kid and put his whole heart into believing.

Samma-chan was coming home. And soon!

--

My presence out on the streets was met with a gracious wave of displeasure. My nose scrunched in distaste, people could be so unforgiving. And I hadn't even done anything for them to treat me so; life was never truly fair to me. Stupid life.

Nothing was particularly new around town. It was still colder then my freezer outside and a misty fog blanked everything inside city limits. I was almost afraid to hurry through the streets in fear of running down someone—gaining more disproving stares—since I could only see ten feet around me. Anything could pop out and I would have hardly any time to react.

I tightened my coat around me and my brand new sword was pushed into my hip. I glanced down at the lump and smiled despite the glares and grumbling stares I received in my ten foot radius. Kyoki Montai, my only friend in this hell hole, had bought it for me. I never knew we were those kinds of friends. I felt obliged to buy something just as meaningful for him.

Kyoki happened to be one of the seven infamous swordsmen of the mist here in the Land of Water and one of only three still faithful to their village, the Mizukage included. The seven had been the strongest ninja in the village, thus obtaining their titles. He'd told me their title's before, but I was hardly paying enough attention to care, really. Kyoki presented me the unwrapped sword after two months of brushing up my sword skills with him. Back at the dojo, the sword had been my absolute favorite weapon to use. I was better then my father back then. And I was even better after my sparring with Kyoki and his huge sword.

He'd said he had a feeling I would be leaving them—the Land of Water—soon, so he wanted to give me something to remind me not everything in the Water country was cold and blurred with mist. He earned himself a real smile from me that night, and the sword has proceeded to get one from me since. The beautiful piece rivaled Kaimon's workings.

I turned off the main streets and into the smaller less crowded ones that seemed to repel the brute of the Mist jutsu. The Mizukage had honored me with the full story behind his mission bestowed upon Kyoki and me all those months ago. Kusagakure, in the Land of Grass, was my brother's number one buyer for his particular merchandise. That was because they planned to turn around and resell his beautifully crafted tools. The problem: they would be reselling to the Land of the Waterfall, who happened to be pressing themselves on the Land of Water for war.

The Mizukage had told me the simplest answer, kill the craftsman. But of course, I wasn't going to kill my brother, not even the prospect of going home could make me do that. And then there was always the fact that it was too late to kill the maker. In seven days Kaimon would be finished with his order to Kusagakure. With the craftsman dead or not, Kusagakure had their merchandise. And once Kaimon was finished, the remaining nin of Kusagakure would transport the three cart loads to the Land of the Waterfall. It took at least eleven days to reach the Land of Grass….

It started to snow then.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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-BS