The first time I met Kaiya, I didn't know what to think of her. It was the first day of the Academy, when we were all escorted to the big, red building in the center of the village by our parents and guardians. I noticed her, because her parents were well-known throughout the village, from the youngest to the oldest citizen. My big brother knew her older siblings, and they often went on missions together, before my brother was accepted into the ANBU. Our parents were acquaintances and had done some business together. I'd never met any of her family before, but I'd heard several members of the clan speaking about them.
Kaiya's parents were highly skilled architects in the village—non-shinobi. Even so, they were deeply respected by everyone, including the Hokage, and even members of my clan. Her brother was a Jonin at that time, her sister a Chunin. Kaiya didn't have big shoes to fill like I did, but because of her family's reputation, she had certain standards she had to live up to; people still expected a lot from her, both as a shinobi and as a person.
She was a goofy-looking five-year-old: scrawny, with short pigtails and a lopsided grin, holding each of her parent's hands as they walked her to the Academy building for the induction ceremony; her siblings were flanked on either side, their forehead protectors proudly reflecting in the sunlight.
Her parents were greeted by everyone who saw them, and Kaiya grinned as her parents doted over her being accepted, despite coming from parents who were not ninjas. Her siblings were praised for being talented as well. I didn't notice it then, but looking back at it, it was obvious how Kaiya's family felt about her: none of them ever sent a glance her way the entire ceremony.
The girls learned about botany that first year; it was pretty much all they studied. However, Kaiya hated it from day one—I could tell by the look on her face when class was dismissed. As I walked home, I caught a glimpse of her training alone in one of the training grounds. I glanced her way, and she glanced back briefly, showing me a small smile, revealing her missing front tooth.
Embarrassed, I quickly turned away and continued walking home. From that moment on, I made it a point to observe her from far away. She was different from the other girls: she wanted to get her hands dirty and train, and she wasn't obsessed with me. In fact, other than the smile she gave me that first day, she'd hardly sent a glance my way.
I remember thinking it was strange: that first day, Kaiya, her siblings, and her parents all seemed like a close-knit, perfect family unit. But that had been the only time I'd ever see Kaiya together with her family; I'd never see the rest of her family with her again. Back then, I thought it was just because she preferred to spend her time alone, training to live up to the expectations everyone had of her. I was the same way, after all; I thought that had connected us in some way. But I was wrong.
One year later, Kaiya's family was taken from her, after their plans to overthrow the Hokage and set the village in flames were discovered and intercepted. In their own home, while Kaiya was asleep, her father, mother, brother, and sister were all killed by the ANBU Black Ops. She didn't come to class the next morning. Rather, she had been taken into custody and interrogated about her involvement in the assassination plot. Kaiya had no idea what was going on.
It took two weeks to convince the higherups of the village of her innocence. She was allowed to return to the Academy, but by that time, the rumors had already spread. Almost every parent warned their children to stay away from her, calling her a traitor and a spy. The once-popular Kaiya had become the second-most hated villager in Konoha. Only two or three of our classmates dared to speak to her on a friendly basis after that, or even look at her without disgust.
There was a matter that had yet to be settled: who would take her in. Her parents, previously thought to be non-shinobi, had no clans or relatives anywhere near the village. She had no other family members, and no other family was willing to take her in, because of the rumors. She could live on her own, like Naruto, but she'd received several death threats from anonymous villagers, and there was no way to tell if those threats would be acted upon given the chance. She didn't have the protection of the Third Hokage like Naruto did.
After many failed negotiations, one man finally offered to take her in and protect her from all threats: Fugaku Uchiha, my father. A few days later, Kaiya moved in with the Uchiha. She was placed in a small apartment towards the back of the estate, to make it harder for outsiders to find her should they ever attempt to search. The Military Police escorted her everywhere, and she was assigned guards to watch over her in shifts every moment of the day and through the night.
I'm unsure of the details, but Shisui eventually became her personal guard, and he'd convinced his family to look after her. Up to that point, Kaiya was untrusting of most others, and just about everyone held distrust towards her, even if they vowed to protect her. But after moving in with Shisui and his family, she slowly began to warm up to the Uchiha clan. And, surprisingly, the Uchiha clan began to accept her.
After hearing about her family's betrayal, I was certain that Kaiya was a traitor, too. I was admittedly jealous that she spent so much time with my big brother and Shisui, even though she wasn't an Uchiha at all—especially since her family was an enemy to the village. Itachi scolded me for thinking that way, reminding me that if there was even the slightest suspicion by our father that she was an enemy, she wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the estate. I accepted in that moment that Kaiya was indeed innocent, though I was still annoyed at her for taking away so much of my brother's already limited time. I saw her on occasion, of course, but I neglected to speak with her for about a year.
I had been watching Kaiya from afar for two years now, mostly when she trained alone. I noticed how good she was at taijutsu, how she had improved from that first time I'd seen her, even though we hadn't started using it in class yet, and no one had been teaching her—at least not that I noticed. I was determined to prove to her that as an Uchiha, I was superior in every way. So later that year, when we practiced sparring for the first time in the Academy, I challenged her. However, it wasn't as easy as I thought. And that's how I came to respect her.
Sasuke watched the outsider as she waved goodbye to Shisui's parents, walking with him out the door of their compound. The seventeen-year-old grinned down at Kaiya, and she returned the gesture, her cheeks highlighted a bright pink. Shisui chuckled.
"Ready to spar today?" he asked her, resting a hand on her shoulder as they walked. She nodded, giving him a thumbs up.
"Sure am!" she answered gleefully. "I'm going to kick everyone's butt today, including Sasuke's." Before Shisui could reply, someone else beat him to it:
"Oh, really, Meathead? 'Cause I say that I'm going to kick everyone's butt—especially yours." Shisui's and Kaiya's steps slowed to a stop. They turned around to find Sasuke with his arms crossed, a smug smile on his face. Kaiya's cheeks puffed as she pouted and turned away in distaste. A sweat drop slid down the back of Shisui's head. With a nervous laugh, he held up his hands in surrender.
"Uh, morning, Sasuke. Say, why don't Kaiya and I walk with you to the Academy, since you're here?" Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, and the three continued their walk through the Uchiha Estate. "The two of you really need to learn how to get along, you know." Shisui made sure he was separating the two, keeping them as far apart as possible on either side of him. "You're comrades and classmates, and what's more, you're both under the banner of the Uchiha clan. You're always name calling and giving each other dirty looks, but maybe—"
"Maybe Sasuke needs to stop acting so conceited all the time," Kaiya interjected, placing her hands on her hips defiantly. Shisui blinked at being interrupted, an irritated vein popping out on his temple. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed.
"Yeah? Well, maybe you should acknowledge the fact that I'm better than you." Sasuke's bag swayed with every step he took; the bottom of his sandals squeaked against the sidewalk. Kaiya's nostrils flared as she reached across Shisui to get to her classmate, but the latter held her in place with a tight grip on the back of her collar; she squirmed against him, but it was no use—he was clearly stronger than her.
"We'll see, Uchiha!" she declared, clenching her fists, begrudgingly returning to Shisui's left side. "I'll wipe the floor with you, and then you can tell your dad that you got beat by a girl." She smirked as Sasuke's cheeks flushed in anger. He couldn't imagine the reaction Fugaku would have if he had to explain to him that he lost to Kaiya.
"Hey, you two, calm down." Shisui's voice hardened, making Kaiya wince. Sasuke frowned, watching as her shoulders slumped almost immediately. He raised an eyebrow in question but didn't bother inquiring about her sudden change of behavior. It was most likely because Kaiya hated the disapproval of others, especially those in the Uchiha clan (minus Sasuke, that is).
He figured it was because of everyone's change of attitude towards her in the past year. It was rare for her to be accepted these days, so when someone she looked up to disapproved of her, it made her feel like a failure. She relived that experience of mistrust all over again. Not to mention that Kaiya adored Shisui, and it scared her when he used a strict tone with her, since he was normally soft-spoken.
Not that Sasuke really cared.
"Hn. Just don't go crying to Shisui or Itachi when it's all over with. I won't go easy on you, Kimura," he muttered, sticking out his lower lip. He was still trying to get used to her new surname—one that she had taken only months ago from an old friend of hers, so he heard.
Kaiya's verdant pupils drifted to him in warning, but she neglected to spit out another insult or threat, since Shisui put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly, warning her to keep quiet. She turned her gaze forward again, though she hesitated as she did so.
Halfway through class, Iruka moved all his students outside, to the open field in front of the Academy building. The seven-year-olds squirmed uncomfortably; most of them were not looking forward to this.
After lining up his class shoulder-to-shoulder, Iruka stood in front of his students and cleared his throat. "Alright, class," he began, holding out his clipboard in front of him, "you know what today is: sparring day. You'll go up against each of your classmates. Feel free to use any hand-to-hand combat you know, including weaponry and clones, if you're capable. I'd appreciate it if you didn't kill each other, though." He murmured under his breath, "I'm talking to you, Kaiya." He tapped his clipboard with a pen. "Ok, who's first?"
Sasuke and Kaiya, who were standing next to each other, shared a look, and their hands immediately shot straight up.
"Me!" they yelled in unison. Iruka was surprised at their enthusiasm, since they were usually one of the last to volunteer for anything (aside from Shikamaru). He smirked. They both have high marks in taijutsu, not to mention they both live in the same estate. A little rivalry, maybe? This'll be interesting.
"Alright, you two. Come to the middle." Sasuke and Kaiya eyed each other warily, studying each other intently, anticipating the other's every move. The air was crisp in the early morning, the dew shining like tiny crystals on the grass; fluffy clouds shifted above them in the sky, occasionally casting oddly-shaped shadows on the earth as they passed under the sun, suspended low in the blue sky.
Ignoring Sasuke's fangirls shouting curses at her, Kaiya took in a deep breath as she faced her eager opponent, meditating on the smells around her, so that it would be easier to focus: the fresh, cleansing air; she could smell the damp soil beneath her feet, the dusty scent of pine trees towering above her. She could even smell some of her classmates nearby (and some had better scents than others).
Sasuke had a unique scent about him. He smelled like a mixture of faint sweat, soot, and dirt, and maybe even a hint of spicy rice balls—one of his mother's specialties. As strange as it sounded, it wasn't bad. She'd gotten used to the scent of sweat on her own skin, but Sasuke's was somehow different—less earthy and more like he'd spent time sitting around a campfire.
Kaiya wondered if it was because he trained all the time. He's fire-natured, I know that much, she remembered, her eyes narrowing. It's an Uchiha thing. Aside from the soot and rice balls, he blended in with her own body odor.
Kaiya relaxed a little, just like she was taught. "Don't get so wound up all the time. Loosen up a little, kid. If you're too tense, your reactions won't be as quick; you won't be as nimble. Just use your senses to take everything in, focus on your surroundings more than what your opponent looks like. Nature will tell you more than anything what's coming."
Sasuke was making his own conclusions about her, noticing how limber she seemed; for a seven-year-old girl, she had a good amount of muscle mass; it was no wonder the girls had all started calling her Beef Brains. He remembered how scrawny she was the first time he'd seen her, only two years ago. She'd put in a lot of work since then.
It was no secret, especially to him, that she trained consistently in hand-to-hand combat. This would be the class's first time sparring, so no one really knew what their classmates could do—and most of them didn't even know what they could do themselves—aside from the general physical training required for the class. But no one expected Kaiya to do poorly, even if they did hate her.
Of course, everyone (except Naruto) figured Sasuke would do much better than everyone else, especially against a traitor like Kaiya. But Sasuke wondered if she, who normally treated every lesson as a chore, could keep up with him. She seemed pretty sure of herself earlier that morning, and he'd seen for the past year just how hard she'd worked. How much of that was overconfidence, and how much of it could she deliver on?
Sasuke shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate. He'd figure her out soon enough. She seemed easy to read—it was all in her eyes, every little emotion she felt. He would probably be able to guess her every move and counter it accordingly. After all, that's what he trained for every day.
"Ok, begin," Iruka said from the side. "And try not to hurt each other too much." Kaiya and Sasuke nodded, but they weren't really listening, keeping their eyes trained on the other. Sasuke's brows creased.
Here I come, Kaiya. He reared his arm back, attempting to punch Kaiya in the stomach. She felt the air shift around her, and as if it was whispering in her ear, she quickly jumped back, easily avoiding the hit. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. So, she's fast, he noted, a grin appearing.
He hoped she was going to give him a challenge after all. If he was facing someone like Naruto, his victory would've been too easy. He wanted her to push him, so that he could prove that even when she made the effort, he would still beat her. There's no way she could stand up against an Uchiha.
He kept advancing, testing her maneuvering skills with each swing of his fist. She was light on her feet, watching him keenly with her dark, intensive eyes, waiting for an opportunity to counter. She was studying his movements, looking for an opening; she could anticipate the direction of his punches by the direction of the wind when he struck, or by the way his pupils dilated just before he attacked. That wasn't a typical sparring technique, or even something a child learned on their own—she'd been trained by someone with experience. Sasuke wondered who it could be, since anytime he'd seen Kaiya training, she'd been by herself.
Could she have had a master before being moved into the Uchiha Estate? It was possible, although he didn't know who would train her, since her parents weren't shinobi—or at least, no one had known they were shinobi. They had no known ties to any other ninjas in the village, and they weren't natives of the Land of Fire. Could it have been Shisui, or maybe even Big Brother?
No. If Itachi didn't have time to train his own brother, he wouldn't have time to train an outsider…right? The thought made Sasuke angry, and his swings became faster, harder. Jealousy roused in the pit of his stomach as his nostrils flared.
"Are you just going to dodge all day!" one of their classmates, a male, shouted. "Do somethin' already, Traitor!"
That was the trigger. Gritting her teeth, Kaiya made a move: She advanced at the same time Sasuke did. He lifted his leg to kick her in the chest, but she saw it coming and ducked; instead of jumping back again, she planted her right foot on the ground, locking her left foot behind his right, stopping it in midair. Iruka's eyes widened. She shouldn't be able to do that as an Academy student. And that speed…who in the world could have taught her that?!
While Sasuke was still in mid-kick, Kaiya reached up and grabbed his ankle, shoving him backwards, using her free hand to push on his abdomen at the same time. Since his foot was locked, he couldn't regain his balance, falling to the ground with a thud. Kaiya straightened up, a smug grin on her face as she took deep, slow breaths. The other students stared at the two quietly, their jaws hanging partly open in disbelief; Iruka was doing the same.
"…"
"Sasuke…was knocked down?" Ino gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
"N-no way! Kaiya must have cheated! That was a dirty move!" Sakura chimed in. Mutters from the class spread across the training ground, getting louder with each passing second.
"How is she that fast?" "Where'd she learn those moves?" "I bet her parents taught them to her in secret." "Sasuke just pretended to fall down, right?" "How dare she do that to Sasuke?!"
Naruto blinked, speechless as he watched Kaiya spar with his rival. He didn't think Sasuke was all that great—in fact, he could take him if he wanted to—but to think that he would have fallen so easily…
"Consider your butt officially kicked." Kaiya stood over Sasuke, smiling cheekily as she crossed her arms. Sasuke stared at his predicament, bewildered. But when he glanced back up at Kaiya, he smirked.
"Not so fast, Kimura." Kaiya's smile faded as a leaf fell from the tree above them, landing on the ground next to Sasuke. The latter poofed away, disappearing in a cloud of smoke, nothing but a log in his place. She cursed under her breath, looking up just in time to see the real Sasuke jump off a branch, right on top of her.
Kaiya was knocked down on her stomach, letting out an "Oof!" as her face kissed the dirt, sending it flying in all directions. The class's cheers faded in the background as she tuned them out, focusing on the task at hand. She felt her heart drum against her chest, reverberating in her ears. She could hear her breaths, slow and heavy, desperately suck in as much air as her lungs would allow. She couldn't use ninjutsu yet, so that was out of the question; she hadn't even thought that Sasuke might use a clone or a substitution. But she should've known, given his lineage and the fact that he would play dirty to get the advantage over her. Tch. Show off.
Wiping the thin line of blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, she showed Sasuke a toothy grin. "Heh. Good one," she praised, standing to her feet. Her breaths had returned to their normal pace, and though her muscles ached, she was used to the feeling, and it only served to heighten the adrenaline rush she was already experiencing. "I should've been prepared for that."
The look in her eyes had changed. Before, they were calm and intuitive, but now they were wild, excited, like an untamed predator cornering its prey. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.
Kaiya enjoyed fighting. She enjoyed straining her body and feeling pain. And as a young child, she had no one to test her skills to the limit—until now. This is getting interesting. She's better than I expected. He chuckled.
Kaiya jumped back into the fray shortly. She spun on her hands, swinging her legs to push Sasuke back. He blocked the kicks but was forced to retreat several steps. Her right foot connected with his ribs, sending him stumbling to the left. He quickly recovered and straightened up, returning to a defensive position. She jumped back to her feet and started throwing quick punches, jabbing him several times in the chest and shoulders; he managed to block a few of them, but not enough to escape injury. He couldn't read all her moves because they were sporadic, coming from all directions.
Sasuke tried to grab her arms, but the attempt allowed Kaiya to lock his wrists. They stood there for several moments, staring at each other, wondering what the other would do next. Their chests heaved up and down as they struggled for breath, their lungs greedily drawing in as much oxygen as they could. Their faces were smudged with dirt, dried blood smeared across Kaiya's chin; Sasuke's ribs hurt, and he could feel a few bruises on his arms and legs. Sweat stained their skin and their clothes, filling the air with its pungent odor.
Their clothes were filthy with grass stains and wet soil. Kaiya's arms shook slightly; Sasuke's legs trembled. They wanted to keep going, to prove to the other who was stronger—and to prove to themselves. But Iruka knew that if he didn't intervene, they wouldn't stop until they ran out of strength completely.
"Ok, you two. Stand down," he ordered, approaching them, his notebook resting on his hip. He'd been taking extensive notes on his clipboard. He was impressed with both children showing skills far beyond their age expectancy. They were both hard workers in physical combat and very competitive, even if that didn't reflect in the classroom.
Another moment passed before Kaiya released Sasuke's wrists and took a step back. They still stared at each other, but it wasn't in spite like earlier that morning. "Looks like it's a tie today, guys. Well done. You can make the sign of reconciliation now." They both reached out their right arms, their index and middle fingers extended. Kaiya had no interest in the formality normally, but she felt like this time was different. Sasuke wrapped his fingers around hers; she did the same. They grinned.
It was rare to see a grin from Kaiya these days, and Sasuke blinked in surprise when he saw it.
The girls in the crowd were seething, wondering how Kaiya—the daughter of traitors—had the nerve to do such a thing to Sasuke. Who did she think she was? And how could Sasuke smile at her—the traitor who dared to injure him? How could he see her as an equal, as a comrade? The only girl who didn't feel bitter towards Kaiya was Hinata, who was too busy staring at Naruto and blushing to notice the fight or anything else.
After class, Sasuke caught Kaiya as she was walking out the door. "You really are a good fighter, Kaiya," he admitted with a pout, avoiding eye contact. It was hard for him to confess such a thing, especially since he tied with a girl—a girl he'd promised to beat. But he had to acknowledge her, because she was good. Really good. Kaiya nodded.
"So are you, Sasuke—but you already know that, I bet." She grinned warmly, before glancing up at the Hokage Mountain. Sasuke could see the reflection of sadness in her eyes, like the monument reminded her of something precious she lost. "But ya know…" She turned back to him, the sadness suddenly hidden behind arrogance. "If Iruka-sensei had let us finish the fight, I woulda beat you." Sasuke blinked, crossing his arms.
"Tch. I doubt that," he retorted, frowning. Kaiya laughed.
"Doubt all you want—that doesn't mean it isn't true." Shrugging, she stared at the roof of the Hokage's Mansion next to the Academy. There was an ANBU officer with a porcelain monkey mask standing there, watching her with his arms crossed. Kaiya and Sasuke both knew that there were several more they couldn't see, leading to the Uchiha Estate. They'd both gotten used to them in the past year, so they either didn't notice them or just ignored them. Most of them stayed hidden, while a few remained visible for her and others to see.
Rumors had been spreading throughout the Academy since her parents' betrayal had become public. Supposedly, Kaiya was a runaway fugitive and a spy—a traitor to the village just like the rest of her family; however, there wasn't enough evidence to convict her, so the ANBU were placed to watch her every move, waiting for the moment she would drop her guard and her true identity would be revealed…
Kaiya did nothing to refute the tall tales, even from the beginning. Sasuke figured she was so shocked at how things had turned out that she couldn't even voice her feelings about it—not that she'd want to. Sasuke didn't blame her. If something like that happened to him, he wouldn't be able to talk about it with anyone either. But luckily, he was a part of the most esteemed clan in the village. He never had to feel alone or betrayed. And that would never change.
