Chapter 36:

After Kakashi's visit, the Third Hokage found himself unable to focus on anything but thoughts of his ex-student. Spending the whole day rummaging through the old box that held all of Sayomi's past trinkets he had collected throughout her life in his village, a weight slowly settled in on his heart.

The snapshots taken from Sayomi's childhood were scattered in a display across his desk along with other papers that in their own way, held a piece of her essence in them. Picking up the oldest photo he had of her, the old Hokage found himself smiling.

She had been such a tiny child-tiny, cute and quite the activist with her uniquely open mind.

Inch by inch, sadness crept onto Hiruzen's wrinkled face. Why hadn't he noticed it sooner?
"The years have indeed changed her..." Drastically so, that the girl he was looking at in photos really was no more than a ghost compared to her present self.

Placing the picture back down on his desk, he reached back into the box and dug around till his fingers brushed a few, old pieces of parchments that remained lying inside, down at the very bottom. A small, used glass candle sat beside them. Each one, crinkled with age, had been neatly folded to preserve whatever secrets it contained.

With gentle fingers, the Third Hokage took first folded parchment that rested on top and carefully opened the square up. Staring down at the paper in his hands, the old man's eyes widened with recognition at what he had stumbled across.

"This was..." Great Buddha . He remembered it now.

How many years has it been since this had been created? Or more importantly...used.

This was perhaps the most important and valued ornament that use to belong in Sayomi's possession. And yet here it now laid...forgotten in a dusty box.

Maybe...just maybe...this would be the key he needed to help Sayomi break out the icy shell she had built around herself. As her closest friend and childhood-mentor, it was his duty to try.

Tenderly, the old man quickly refolded the piece of parchment and grabbed a final article from the box before he safely tucked them away inside a robe pocket before he slowly got to his feet. Grabbing his wide-brimmed hat, he placed it over his wrinkled, white-haired head then with a determined step in his old stride, the Third Hokage left his office without a glance back

Sinking down into the heavy froth that sat on top of the steamy water, Sayomi closed her eyes and released a sigh of placidity as the hot bath began working its spell. Her body's muscles, tight and aching with a relentless tension that seemingly never eased up, finally lowered their guard and allowed themselves to melt into the heated bath.

"This is just what I needed..." Sayomi inaudibly thought to herself. Nothing like a little peace and quiet to gather her thoughts and collect her self-control-especially after the incident with Kakashi this afternoon.

"Kakashi..." Sayomi eyes swept open to stare numbly up at the mint green ceiling that hung above her head. Even now, she could distinctively remember the way he looked at that moment- trapping her in the cage his arms had built around her, he had leant in, leaving barely a few inches of space between their bodies. Sayomi could even still feel the coolness of his metal headband as it had pressed against her forehead,

"I want you feel...really feel." His words echoed hauntingly in the back of her mind.

That pushy-stubborn-troublemaking Jounin...

Why can't he just take the hint and leave her alone? It's not like she ever expressed interest in him or in anything of the sort, for that matter. But no...this man kept insisting that she was to 'feel' ...and for him no less!

The absolute nerve.

Sayomi softly scoffed at the idea, "Imagine..." She spoke out loud as if needing to prove a point, "Kakashi and I...together on willing terms." Holding hands, going on dates-doing things only a couple would do. The thought seemed absurd; Sayomi rolled her eyes as she sat back against the smooth porcelain tub, "Simply laughable..."

The young woman closed her eyes and attempted to push all thoughts of that silver-haired Jounin from her mind. But the more she tried to forget him...the more she was remembering-like the way he had looked dressed in his pajamas on that first night of their mission together. Or the way things felt lying beside him at night only to always wake up in the morning lying, somehow, in his arms.

And such thoughts really could only lead to further considerations. If she took a step back from everything and thought about things logically, was the idea that far-fetched?

After all...they have known each other since childhood. It wasn't exactly on the warmest of terms but they still had been aware of each other. Furthermore, even Sayomi couldn't deny that there has always been a certain kind of vigor between the two of them. Perhaps that was why her stomach always jittered with self-awareness when he would draw near...or why her heart quickened its pace every time he stared so intently into her eyes. Sometimes it felt as though he was trying to see down into the very depths of her soul...

However, what really left the young woman secretly reeling was that touch of his. Whether it was an accidental brush or an intentional grab, Kakashi brought forth feelings to Sayomi that she had been left to only read or dream about. And if that wasn't bad enough...the longer she hung around him, the stronger the sensations she felt.

Bringing a hand up out of the water, palm up, Sayomi eyed the flat, empty plane for a long moment. Then, without a single word, she raised her other hand and slid it on top, moving it back an inch or so till upon first glance, her hands appeared to be two different sizes-one being, more importantly, Kakashi's size.

Recalling their mission a few weeks back, the young woman found herself pondering the way it had felt when Kakashi took the initiative to hold her hand in public when they were stuck having to act like a soon-to-be-married couple. His hand, partially covered by his fingerless, black glove, was about twice the size of her own. It had a ruggedness to it that was no doubt the result of his many years training as a Ninja while at the same time, it had an unspoken gentleness that Sayomi could feel radiating in its warmth as he had intertwined their fingers together...

The harmless act felt so odd to her then-foreign and yet strangely...nice.

So maybe...just maybe it was possible that...

"I do feel for Kakashi..." The words had slipped out before Sayomi could stop them. At once, she dropped her hands back into the mountain of bubbles with a softly plop while a burning heat ferociously stained her cheeks.

"This can't be happening..." With a soft groan, Sayomi closed her eyes before sinking deep down into the tub until her head was fully submerged under the frothy water.

With his hands tucked casually into his front pockets, Kakashi strolled down the dirt pathway that led into an area of trees. The moon was full tonight, its gleaming shards of light, the ones that dared to show themselves through the top branches of the trees, lit the Jounin's way.

But to where, he wondered silently-and why?

As Kakashi neared the path's end which would spill out into a small clearing, a womanly figure that had cloaked itself in the shadows stepped out into view just ten feet away.

The silver haired Jounin slowed to a halt as his one visible eye took in the woman's every detail. She stood wearing a black top, cropped just above her navel, and a pair of snow white shorts with no shoes on her feet. The two colors, opposite in every way, went well against her ivory skin while also proudly showing the exotic black stripe markings that ran along the lengths of her body from shoulders to ankles. Her long, aqua green hair that nearly reached her lower back, hung in loose curls about her figure and her face, haunting with its loveliness, stared stoically back at him with her two eyes of rich indigo.

The woman's name immediately slipped from the tip of his tongue, "Sayomi..." Kakashi breathed out in awe.

At her name, her chin raised itself slightly in a silent acknowledgement as the corners of her mouth turned up in a teasing smile. Then without speaking a single word, Sayomi turned away and took off running into the clearing.

Kakashi didn't need words to understand what she had wanted. Her eyes had said it all.

'Chase me...' They said. And so...the Jounin did.

In pursuit of the fleeing woman ahead of him, Kakashi followed Sayomi across the small opening surrounded by foliage, watching as she abruptly veered off and gracefully rounded the base of a thick tree before disappearing from view.

Skidding to a halt beside the tree, Kakashi leaned around it one way in search of the missing woman. She wasn't there. As he went to check the other side, like a reflection in the mirror, Sayomi revealed herself once again, standing opposite of where the Jounin was.

She brandished a small smile upon her face now...it was a smile unlike any other Kakashi had seen from her before. It held a genuine fondness for the game she was obviously playing with him now.

Pulling back, Kakashi ducked around the tree, moving as if he was trying to catch her from behind. But as he drew within reaching distance, Sayomi moved herself, stepping about in a small turn as she circled the front of the tree and spared an alluring glance back at the silver haired Jounin before she continued on fleeing deeper into the surrounding trees.

Compelled by the look she had for him in her eyes, Kakashi was quick on her trail, following the woman's motions with ease as he refused this time to let her get too far away.

Whether Sayomi had slowed down or if he had simply sped up, Kakashi wasn't sure. But one thing he did know was each stride he took carried him closer and closer to the woman he was after. When only feet remained between them, Kakashi reached out and caught Sayomi by the hand. With a firm tug back, he forced the woman to turn halfway around until he was able to pull her right into his arms and bring the chase to an end.

To his complete astonishment, Sayomi neither spoke, nor did she resist him. Instead, she stood meekly in his embrace, keeping her hands flat upon the broad, earth-green vest he wore across his chest as she stared up into his masked face, softly catching her breath.
Fearing she would pull away at any given moment, Kakashi's hands tightened around the small of her back-if just for a little while, he wanted to keep her as close as possible.

Staring down into her eyes that were twinkling like the stars above, Kakashi found himself asking a question that has long been in the back of his mind, "Why do you always run from me, Sayomi?"

The young woman remained unmoving-her eyes unwavering.

"Why won't you accept me?"

A moment passed and Sayomi's eyes swept low, allowing her dark lashes to barely graze the tops of her cheeks. With a heavy push against Kakashi's build, Sayomi freed herself from his arms and stepped away. " It's too risky...too dangerous..." Sayomi continued stepping back until she was beginning to fade back into the shadows once more, "It'll ruin me."

"No..." The Jounin reached out for the young woman again...but right as he had extended his hands, Sayomi had completely vanished...and Kakashi was once more alone...

Kakashi's eyes swept open in a fluid motion before they landed on the site of his bedroom ceiling hovering above his bed. It took a moment to process everything, but eventually, things fell into place.

"Man...what a dream..." he spoke out loud into the darkness as he reached a hand back and ran his fingers through his mane of wild silver locks.

Turning onto his side, Kakashi found himself staring up at the widow next to his bed-his eyes fell upon the full moon just outside. Just like in his dream...

Call him crazy, but he was sure the nightly vision had carried with it a secret message.

The problem was figuring the damn thing out. What did Sayomi mean by calling him dangerous? Of all people, she should be the last one to worry about getting hurt by him. The thought was simply unthinkable.

And yet, clearly she did find something threatening about him...otherwise, she wouldn't have tried to put him through a fence earlier this afternoon.

Poor Sayomi...

Was she really that afraid of attachment, like the Third Hokage had said?

...Or was she just simply afraid of him?

Drying off from her bath, Sayomi slipped on a long, silk robe of royal blue which she fastened securely around her waist with a simple knot. She left the bathroom a moment later and entered her meek bedroom, halting fast in her step when her eyes landed on the figure who was sitting at the foot of her bed-and quite comfortably so.

"Hiruzen..." the young woman appeared more than slightly stunned at the sight of her old Sensei, "I...I did not expect you to be visiting." she confessed carefully, her eyes squinting with light suspicion as she picked up her feet and crossed the room to where a small dresser stood tucked away in a corner.

The old man followed the woman's movements and gave a half-smile, "You mean to say you didn't hear me come in?" The soft chuckle he emitted instantly told Sayomi he was teasing, "...Well now...that's not like you at all. Is there a lot on your mind, my dear?"

Keeping her back towards him, Sayomi opened the smallest drawer of the dresser that resided on top and pulled out a simple, black ribbon, "What makes you say that?" The young woman quickly swept her long aqua green hair, still damp from her bath, over her left shoulder and set to work on weaving it into a tight braid.

"Sayomi, I know you..." The Third Hokage replied like it was the most obvious answer in the world, "...and I also know that the only time your keen senses become foggy is when you're deeply distracted to not even realize what's going on around you..."

The young woman tied her hair off with the ribbon and smoothly turned around, "I can't afford any distractions right now, Hiruzen...you of all people should know that, considering certain...circumstances."

The false air of calmness that shrouded her like a cloak was almost believable. But Hiruzen knew better, "Mm-mm..." The old man slowly gave a nod of his head; not in agreement, just in comprehension, "Is that why you're trying so hard to shut Kakashi out?"

Though his tone had been temperate, his question carried with it an unseen force that knocked the very breath out of Sayomi's body. There weren't many times she could recall being completely caught off guard like this, and the expression on her face clearly showed it-her eyes had widened...her mouth dropped open ever so slightly as if to respond yet no words could come forth.

"Do you find Kakashi a distraction, Sayomi?" Her old Sensei pushed for an answer carefully, knowing full well he would be walking on thin ice.

Like flipping a switch, the young woman's eyes narrowed fully into two frosty slits. Long gone was the cool composure she had learned to master from the many years of solitude. Vanished, was the expression of shock. And in its place, stood pure sullenness. "Kakashi this...Kakashi that..." Sayomi muttered an incoherent curse under breath as she blatantly shook her head, "Why must everything now be made about that damn Kakashi?!" Without even realizing it, the young woman had raised her voice a little higher every time she had spoken the Jounin's name.

"Don't misunderstand me, Sayomi..." Hiruzen replied as he slowly rose from his seat, "This isn't about Kakashi per say...it's about you."

"Me?" Sayomi repeated as an almost bitter frown began pulling down on her mouth, "Holding an intervention now are you, Hiruzen?" Great...just what she needed-another lecture.

This time, it was her old Sensei's turn to glower, "Easy Sayomi..." His tone now had taken on an all too familiar fatherly ring. It was the kind of tone Sayomi use to hear whenever she'd get chastised throughout her childhood training. "There's no reason to get sour. I'm just here to talk."

The young woman turned her nose up softly as her arms came up and crossed themselves over her chest, "If it's about what happened this afternoon..."

Hiruzen quickly cut her off by raising a hand, "I'm not looking for an explanation, Sayomi." he told her, "I already know exactly what happened."

She tossed her head irritably, "Then what seems to be the problem here?"

The old Hokage sighed, his eyes closing gravely as he took a seat once more at the foot of the bed. "The problem my child... is you and how you have undoubtedly lost yourself over the past years..." he answered. "...it's time we put an end to this charade, Sayomi..."

The aqua haired woman stared hard at her old Sensei for a long moment, her brows softly furrowing with instant confusion, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Hiruzen..." she returned.

The old man gestured over to her with his hands, "This..." He paused for the right words, "... cool nature that you have grown into...the one that does whatever it can to push away anyone who dares to get close while remaining at a distance itself..." he explained, "..Now I know for a fact, this isn't suppose to be you, my child."

The woman frowned, "But it is me, Hiruzen..."

"No." the old man raised his eyes to hers as he replied firmly and swiftly. "You've hidden the real you away...who you are now is just...a shadow of your former self, if even that."

Sayomi scowled and shifted defensively on her feet, "What the hell are you trying to say, old man?"

Sighing, the Third Hokage reached into his robes and delicately pulled out the folded parchment from earlier. "I want you to take a good look at this..." he replied as he held it out for Sayomi to take.

Sayomi rolled her eyes before she stepped forward and swiped the paper from his outstretched hand. Immediately, she felt the brittleness of the paper in her palm and noted how it had turned yellow with age. "This looks old..." she stated out loud as her fingers carefully began unfolding creases that had been set into the frail parchment.

The old man nodded his aged head, "It is..." he confirmed.

"And what is it's point exactly?" she threw back with a deeper frown as she finished pulling back the final fold and opened the paper up in front of her face. Sayomi took a long moment trying to study whatever this thing was. It appeared to be a painted drawing...or at least it was at some point in this life. It's shadings were dull and vague as its once bright colors had been reduced to bleached pastels.

"I want you to remember..." Hiruzen answered in that timeless fatherly voice Sayomi had grown fond of at some point during their strange relationship.

Looking harder, Sayomi made out a fair, hand-drawn smiling face...round , like her own that had been framed with cascading waves of gold. The rest of the details had blurred and smudged with age but one detail about the drawing had remained almost intact, thanks to the way the picture had been folded and stored.

Staring into the set of painted violet eyes, Sayomi found the breath instantly stolen right out of her body as if she had been repeatedly struck in the chest. Her spine went rigid...and her knees suddenly lost their strength forcing the young woman to collapse into a sitting position on the bed beside her old Sensei.

Memories of her bleak past, visions she had spent years trying to forget, came rushing forth in a great flood of emotions and images that seemingly danced before her very eyes.

"Wh..." her mouth tried desperately to form words but the simple act of speech greatly started affecting her ability to draw in air. It felt as though someone had plunged their hand deep into Sayomi's chest where they proceeded to viciously seize hold of her heart only to slowly twist the beating organ into an excruciating knot.

Her fingers lightly clenched the parchment in her grasp, "Where did you get this?" When at last she was able to find her tongue again, her voice was nothing more than a mere whisper.

"Found it amongst some old and forgotten childhood possessions that belonged to you many years ago." Hiruzen answered, as he continued observing the young woman's body language alongside him. She seemed unable to move an inch, unable to pull her eyes away from that old paper she held in her unbending hands. "Do you know what it is?" the old man asked gently.

After a long moment of silence had passed between them, allowing the young woman to gather her thoughts, a tiny sarcastic smile tugged briefly at a single corner of her mouth before she nodded slowly, "Of course..." Sayomi answered as she scoffed at herself quietly, her eyes carefully retraced the faded and indistinct picture, "...I made this myself."

This was good, Hiruzen thought to himself as nodded his wrinkled head. She was loosening up. "It was a portrait, wasn't it?" he supplied kindly.

Sayomi felt her mouth run dry as a thick lump of sentiment built up inside her throat. She swallowed hard and nodded her head, "Yes..." she confessed quietly.

Her old Sensei gave another encouraging push, "Of who?" No matter what happened, he just had to keep her talking-he had to break through that wall of ice she has surrounded herself with.

Her fingers moved on their own accord, reaching out and touching the painted face before sweeping down the page in an almost caressing stroke. "My mother..."

"Weren't you like...eight maybe nine years old when you drew this?"

Sayomi's head finally turned to look over at her oldest friend sitting beside her, "Seven..." she corrected almost immediately as if the event had just taken place the day before.

Hiruzen's mouth twitched with a small, affectionate smile. It was working. "Are you sure?"

"Completely." Sayomi returned as she averted her gaze back down onto the precious picture she held, "...I'd never be able to forget that day..." Even though she had tried desperately to before.

"And why's that?"

The young woman started to answer, "Because it was my 7th birthday...and also the first birthday I had to face without..." Her words faded out, like some unseen force had slowly closed her jaw shut as she came to terms with what she was saying.

Seeing her obvious emotional struggle, the Third Hokage reached into his robes and pulled out the tiny, half-burned candle in its glass casing which he then placed in Sayomi's lap.

The young woman eyed the familiar little trinket before she reached down with a hand and gently picked it up, bringing it to eye-level. As she drew in a steady breath to help keep herself in check, she rediscovered her voice allowing words that ran as deep as a river to flow out of her mouth. "You know...when Minato brought me to this village...it wasn't until my birthday, a month and a half after her death, that I realized I didn't even have a single picture of my own mother-the woman who had given her life trying to protect mine..."

Sayomi closed her eyes as her memories recalled that very same day...13 long years ago...

She had risen from sleep inside her lonely bedroom which was inside an even emptier house. No one had been there to greet her with a smile or warm embrace as she walked herself to the kitchen and found her breakfast in a simple bowl of fruit that sat upon a petite table that was big enough to hold a setting meant for just a single soul.
She ate in solemn silence and once she was done, she proceeded over to the bathroom where she got herself all cleaned up and put on her nicest clothes, a simple tradition her mom use to do with her on all her previous birthdays. Only this time, instead of a brand new sundress her mother would always have laying out for her in her bedroom, this year she found herself clothed in faded blue jeans and a pastel pink blouse-like shirt with short sleeves.
As she stared at herself long and hard in the mirror that morning, standing alone and in complete silence, she came to conclusion that something very crucial and irreplaceable was missing and that's when the idea struck her right in the face. Wasting no time, she hurried about, scrounging around her house till she found a decent piece of parchment and some dull and used art materials, which she silently thanked Minato for bringing over the day before.
With the supplies in her hands, she went back over to the kitchen table, laid everything out neatly the way she had seen her mom do countless of times when she worked, before she sat down and began her assignment. Hours flew by. Sketching here, retracing there, her hand glided over the sheet of parchment as she etched her masterpiece down in the finest detail she could muster from scratch. Once she was satisfied with the mediocre shading, she reached for the tiny pallet of oil paint, complete with a fine tipped brush. Using the appropriate colors, a blaze of yellow, a dash of purple, a touch of pink...she slowly breathed life into her picture.
It was around noon when she finally set her paint brush down and carefully lifted the parchment, still drying from the paint, off the table so she could fully assess her work with a careful eye as she recalled the simple check-list her mother had taught her long before she could remember.

" First.." she would say, "... look over all the shapes..examine their size, are they proportionate to the scene you are trying to capture? Second..." she would go on, "...the colors...these are the most important part as it is the colors that will tell the picture's story." And once Sayomi would go through all of that, if she was happy with her creation, then her mother would proudly display it on the kitchen fridge or even on one of the walls of their home for all to see.
Likewise, Sayomi had never been so proud of a picture like the one she was holding in her hands. Her fallen mother's portrait was seemingly flawless underneath her young scrutiny-the fair round face she had inherited, her mother's rosy smiling mouth and loving violet eyes which held a never ending sense of warmth and compassion...even the mass of golden yellow waves that draped from her head like a silken curtain, framing her face. It was all perfect. To Sayomi's small mind, she looked like she could have been alive. And in her memories, she was. But only in her memories...
She smiled at her mom's picture faintly, getting up from the table, she walked the two of them over into the living room where she then took a seat, curled up in an armchair as she cradled the portrait in her lap.
"Hi mommy..." she spoke out loud, talking down to the picture as if her mother was alive and could actually hear her. "Guess what..." Sayomi found herself sniffling softly as she smiled again, trying her best to copy the loving smile that stood staring up at her from the piece of parchment, "It's my birthday today..." she informed gently, her voice cracking slightly as hot tears of sorrow built up in her indigo eyes, "...I'm seven years old..." She swiftly rubbed at her eyes which were starting to burn, keeping the tears at bay, "...and I live in Konoha now, the Hidden Leaf village...I have my own house and everything." She forced a curt laugh, "...it's a nice house too...very big. There's even an extra room that could've been used for all your paintings. Mine too." she sniffled again as she continued staring down into her mother's silent and forever smiling face which grew blurrier by the second, "...but just so you know..." she raised the portrait up as if she was sharing a secret in her mother's ear, "... I still like our old house better." she whispered sadly as her eyes flooded over with tears that ran in unchecked streams down her plump child cheeks.
Sayomi took care not let her tears spill onto her mother's painted face and continued holding the portrait at a safe distance as her soft whimpers of anguish echoed throughout the house as she wept...

A shimmering rain drop fell onto the fading cheek of her painted mother. Sayomi blinked, suddenly free from her thoughts as she eyed the tiny silver droplet upon the parchment. Her eyes were wet, one had even left it's streaming mark down her left cheek.

Astonishing both herself and her old Sensei who had watched the touching display of emotion grace her otherwise stoic features, she disregarded herself entirely and instead tenderly used a finger to brush the single fallen tear off her mother's face, frowning gently when it left a small smudge on the painting.

A warm, fatherly hand came to rest upon her shoulder, and Sayomi automatically turned towards the old man sitting beside her. "In all my years of watching you grow from a small child, into the woman you are today..." he spoke, his eyes filled with a welcoming sympathy, "...I have never seen you shed tears-not once... until now."

A second tear fell from her eye, this time on the right side, forcing Sayomi to set aside the candle so she could reach up, and used the back of her hand to quickly wipe the tear streaks from her face, "Yes well...took lots of practice." she returned quietly before she fixed him with an inquiring gaze that was neither angry or cold. In fact, it was completely calm, "So...is that why you came here tonight Hiruzen? To try and evoke a sob fest from me?"

Hiruzen's mouth lifted in a half smile before he shook his well aged head, "No...that is not my purpose...but it is good that we talk about this finally." Then, he surprised her by reaching around till he himself picked the tiny glass candle up and held it in the palm of his hands. "Minato gave this to you didn't he?" he asked.

Sayomi eyed the half used candle, "Yes...he surprised me with a visit on that same day...he saw me grieving and my mom's portrait and at some point, got the candle and picked up a nice wooden frame for my mother's picture. After mom was framed, we carried her to my bedroom and set her on that old nightstand beside my bed...then Minato placed the candle before her and helped me light it in her memory..."

"And you would continuing lighting a candle for her every day from that day on, right?"

An aqua green brow rose into a curious arch as her head lightly inclined itself the side as she studied her old teacher, "Yes...but how did you...?"

Hiruzen chuckled quietly as a sad smile pulled at his mouth, "I know I wasn't as involved if your life as Minato was when he was still alive...but I still made sure Minato gave me steady reports on your well being. And I always found it very admirable that a child as young as you had kept that small token of dedication to your mother's memory alive the way you did." The smile on his face faded slowly, "...and then something changed in you a few years later..didn't it?"

The young woman gave a faint huffed sigh before shaking her head, "You say change...I call it adaptation."

"Well that's an interesting thought in its own way...care to elaborate more?"

Sayomi fixed Hiruzen with a questionable look, almost as if she had expected him to already know the answer. "I never had a lot of close friends in the village when growing up, Hiruzen. " she softly pointed out, "... The only people I really knew were you, Minato and his team of students."

She went on explaining, "... Minato's presence was like the well placed foundation of a home...and soon his student Obito entered my life as the support beams...through them, I felt like I could start rebuilding my world...and find a sense of family again with Minato and Obito...I even use to imagine that... if I ever had an older sister, she would resemble a lot like Rin."

"And what about Kakashi?"

Sayomi rolled her eyes, remembering in fine detail how the silver haired Jounin's character had been as a child, "Well...every family has at least one brat..."

Hiruzen brought a hand up to cover his eyes as his hid his obvious merriment at her choice of words. "Go on..."

The young woman sighed, "My mother's death was one terrible thing to cope with...but then Obito got killed in action on a mission...and...Minato perished a couple years after..." The young woman shook her head and lowered her eyes, "... just like that, walls came tumbling down and my once stable foundation crumbled beneath my feet..."

Hiruzen lowered his hand and nodded his head solemnly, understanding her perception now. "And because you lost so much then...you're worried you may lose again now, right?" Sayomi didn't answer...but the look in her face said it all. "Sayomi...you asked what my purpose in coming to see you tonight was...tell me, do you know what my answer is?"

Reaching a hand up, Sayomi brushed a loose stray of damp hair back from her face as she gave an exasperated sigh, "I can't say that I do...but I'm hoping it's not because you're taking another go at matchmaking..."

The old man chuckled, "Not this time..." he answered, "Tonight...I came here simply to remind you of one thing."

Her brow rose into another curious arch, "Which is?" she inquired.

The old man took her completely by surprise when he suddenly reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace. "That despite everything you've been through... and everything that's makes you who you are...you're still human, Sayomi. " he answered with an unshakable certainty, "...So stop trying so hard to hide or run from it...go out, be human. Take chances and live. Make new bonds, find a man...get married, have children. You deserve far more in life than what you've been giving yourself, my child...and before I leave this world, it is my wish to see you find your happiness."

His words carried with them a passion that only a true father figure could possess-they sent chills of emotion running up and down her spine as his message left its mark on her conscious. Laying the painting in her lap, Sayomi allowed her arms to return her old Sensei's paternal embrace, "You crazy coot..." she verbally jabbed, affection, however, coated her voice as she gently shook her head, "...It will never be that easy for me..." Perhaps now, she thought, would be a good time to inform him of that one other little secret she had been keeping buried...

"Oh, nonsense." Hiruzen returned directly as the two pulled away, "...that's just your stubbornness talking."

Sayomi shook her head, "No, Hiruzen it's my..." Her words cut off. Beyond her bedroom's wall, right about where the bane window hung over the head of her bed, a twig had snapped outside- Sayomi's ears perked at the noise, alerting her of a nearing presence while her old mentor kept on chatting away.

"After all...I deeply believe Kakashi is quite infatuated and you two really do make an adorable couple..."

Sayomi turned in her seat till she was staring over at the glass window five feet away that had adapted the night's black color. Something suddenly and unmistakably did not feel right, at all. "Hiruzen..." Another stirring from outside reached her ears...only this time, its vibrations were heavier...almost thick. Its sound did not come from just a regular footstep belonging to a human or tread of an animal. The rustling movement was too low to the ground...too smooth...too fluid.

The young woman slowly rose to her feet, allowing the old portrait of her mom to flutter to the ground at her feet. "Just like a..." So entrapped in her thoughts, Sayomi hadn't even realized she had spoken out loud.

"Like a what, my dear girl?" The Third Hokage questioned, bearing an expression of complete puzzlement now.

A lanky silhouette moved right outside the glass window. Without blinking, Sayomi quickly reached down and hauled Hiruzen up by his arm only to shove the old man far behind her. "Hiruzen, stay back!" she ordered, snarling at the window as her fangs dropped out of their sheaths and her nails grew into lethal claws.

Before the old Hokage could further question his ex-student, her bedroom window suddenly shattered into thousands of glass fragments and splinters as a monstrous reptile figure, a good 10 feet in length with its shining black body, slithered inside the room and dropped on top of her bed cover with a loud spraying hiss. It displayed its long white fangs that glistened with a putrid yellow liquid that dripped from its mouth onto bed- the color of its venom matched its beady eyes almost exactly.

The snake sat up to its full height as it continued staring Sayomi down, its black scaly head just inches from the bedroom ceiling now.

Hiruzen's eyes went back and forth between them-as terrible as it probably was to even think, but it was quite the site. Sayomi clad in her nightdress facing a massive snake head on without even a blink of fear in her eyes. But even he knew that their staring contest would only last a few moments more before it escalated into a showdown of two predators.

The black snake's bluish tongue flickered out at Sayomi menacingly who in return, had her hands already reaching for the tie at her waist.

"He's challenging me..." Sayomi announced, reading the reptile's body language before sending a low rumbling growl of warning back at the monstrous snake. "...one guess as to who was so kind enough to drop this piece of work off." she added on, "...I must be the popular one tonight, huh Hiruzen?" she laughed sarcastically as her body inwardly prepared itself for battle.

If Sayomi had the opportunity to glance back over her shoulder, she would've seen the old man's face pale softly at her suggestion. "Sayomi no...you promised me you wouldn't turn again while the Exams are taking place in the village." Hiruzen frantically reminded. "If he is the one behind this, this may be exactly what he wants to have happen."

The young woman tugged her robe's tie at her waist free, its silky sleeves already starting to slide from around her shoulders, "I'm sorry, Sensei..." she apologized formally, and a part of her did mean it on the grounds that she was breaking her word...nonetheless, "But this scaly bastard just broke my favorite window...so now I'm going have to break his neck with my teeth."

"Sayomi!"

Hearing the almost appalled tone of her oldest friend, the young woman gave a short laugh as she shook her head, "Sensitive much, old man?" she jested, "...no worries then...I'll just take him out back. Oh, and by the way...whatever you hear, Hiruzen..." Sayomi warned protectively, her head turning over her shoulder slightly but without breaking eye contact with the massive snake before her, "...Stay safely inside and if the ANBU comes along... keep them out of the way."

Throwing the royal blue robe of silk off her naked body, Sayomi unleashed a rumbling roar and charged forward. Before the flimsy article of clothing had even hit the ground all the way, Sayomi's womanly body had morphed from human into her wild and much larger feline state that leapt up onto the bed, and hurled herself full force into the reptile's front, allowing her claws to cut into his snake skin like a hot knife against butter before she sent both their forms crashing right through the jagged window gap in her wall and out into the night's darkness.