Hmm. It's been a while...a long while. School ended last week-praise Jesus-so now I'll have more time to write. It's been so long I almost forgot about this lol...April was a hectic month of school, but it's over. Anyway...this chapter is pretty long, so I guess I'm technically making up for lost time.

A large explosion blew a hole in the wall of the second floor. When the smoke cleared, Itachi was holding Sasuke's wrist firmly, dissipating his Chidori. He stared at his younger brother coldly with his Sharingan; Sasuke stared up at him with the same contempt.

I have to do something! Naruto slammed his palms together, calling upon his chakra. Kaiya, as well as Itachi and Kisame, turned to the blonde. They could feel the dread of his chakra filling up the hallway.

If Naruto's going to use the nine-tails' chakra, then I'll use Jin's, Kaiya decided. She closed her eyes, and the dragon mark on her right arm appeared. When she opened her eyes, she revealed golden pupils and an eerie, ancient chakra of the same color swirling around her body. Itachi's and Kisame's eyes widened in alert.

Could she have really mastered control over that Legend? Itachi wondered. He turned to Sasuke, lowering his eyes.

"You're in the way," he told him, snapping his wrist. Kaiya and Naruto jolted as Sasuke screamed in pain. Now Kaiya was really pissed off.

"Sasuke! Damn!" she shouted. "Naruto, back me up!"

"Right!" the blonde roared back. Kaiya nodded, making hand seals.

"Fire Style…"

"Ninja Art…"

"Too slow!" Kisame declared, swiping his sword in-between them. All of a sudden, Kaiya's irises returned to their normal color, and the two of them stopped. Neither Kaiya nor Naruto could feel any chakra flowing through their body.

What the hell? My chakra…it's like it's all been sucked away. Kaiya stared at her hands, watching as the dragon seal dissipated.

"Heh, you damn brats," Kisame uttered. "You're persistent, I'll give you that. But it's useless now." He chuckled as Naruto fretted over not being able to sense any of his chakra, just like Kaiya. "My Samehada eats chakra. That means the two of you shouldn't be any problem from now on." He swung his huge sword over his head. "Now…I suppose I'll chop off a leg or two to keep the Jinchuriki from running away. And as for you…" The former-Mist ninja glared at Kaiya maliciously. "I'll just cut you in half!"

As Kisame swung Samehada, Naruto tried to call upon more chakra. Itachi stared at Sasuke, as the latter grimaced. Sweat trickled down his brow. "Kaiya…" he murmured. Only Itachi was able to hear him. His eyes narrowed questionably.

Kaiya knew she wouldn't be able to jump out of the way in time—not with an injury like hers. Besides, even if she escaped, Naruto probably wouldn't. So they waited, Kaiya getting ready to jump in front of Naruto if necessary.

When Kisame's sword finally collided with something, it wasn't either one of them. It was the arm plate of a toad.

Hold the hell up. A toad?!

Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto with an unconscious woman in his arms. Kaiya blinked, lifting a confused eyebrow. This has to be Master Jiraiya…the perverted sage training Naruto. What exactly is he doing with that lady?

"Pervy Sage!" Naruto shouted, pointing at the older man, once he had finished his introduction. As the two argued, Kaiya hit her face with her palm, shaking her head.

Eesh…this is even more ridiculous than Kioko and Ronin-sensei…

"Will you two please shut the hell up?!" Kaiya asked forcefully. "We're kinda in the middle of something here!" Jiraiya frowned, turning to her with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? And just who the hell are you, kid?" he inquired.

"Kaiya Umachi!" she declared proudly. Jiraiya's eyes lowered as he studied her. Hmm…she looks just like Yasuo. That must mean that she's the host for the six-tails, the one Orochimaru went after seven years ago.

"I see. Well, you should just stay back and let me handle things from here on out." Kaiya blinked, clenching her fists.

"But—"

"That's enough. You look like you can barely stand with that wound anyway." Kaiya looked down at her leg. She could practically see it throbbing. She didn't say anything more as Jiraiya conversed with Kisame.

"So…you really were after Naruto," the older man concluded. Kaiya's eyes drifted to the blonde, whose eyes widened.

"It's no wonder Kakashi knew about us." Itachi blinked, holding Sasuke firmly. Kaiya tensed, wanting to rush over to him. However, the fact that it took no effort at all for Itachi to wound him so severely made her hesitate. Damn…Uncle Asuma was right. There's really nothing I can do. They even managed to stop Jin's chakra without me actually using it… But still, I told Sasuke I'd always have his back. I can't just stand here.

Taking a deep breath, Kaiya tried to use Jin's chakra again. With Jiraiya distracting Kisame, she closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were gold, just like minutes before.

"Hey, didn't I tell you—" As Jiraiya began to scold her, Kaiya ignored him, going straight for Itachi. The latter dropped Sasuke to the ground like garbage, easily stopping her kick to his chest. But because of the force of Jin's chakra, he let go and jumped back, pulling out a few shuriken.

"Do you seriously think you can defeat me, even with the power of the phoenix?" he questioned. Kaiya frowned. "You're still weak, Kaiya. Nothing you do will save your friends. And you'll die along with them." Kaiya's eyes widened slightly, a scowl crossing her face.

"You bastard… I'll never forgive you for what you did to me. And I'll never forgive you for what you did to Sasuke. I won't let you hurt him anymore." She tried to make hand signs, but Itachi was too fast, even for the six-tails' chakra. He grabbed her by the collar and slammed her against the wall. "Ugh!"

Leaning in close, he smirked as he whispered, "How can you save your friends if you can't even save yourself?" Kaiya's eyes widened, and before anything else could happen, Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Kakashi chased Kaiya to the cottage, the seven-year-old laughing hysterically. She suddenly stopped running when she caught sight of the short, masked man standing beside the door, watching them behind his façade. Her smile faded, and Kakashi halted shortly after her, straightening up as he studied the young Black Op in front of him. His eyes lowered as Kaiya ducked behind his leg timidly.

"So…you're the one they assigned to be her escort?" he questioned. The masked man said nothing. "I see. Now that I think about it, I'm not surprised that you were the one who was chosen." Finally, the younger member bowed.

"Yes, Senpai," he replied. "As long as she's in the village, I'm to keep watch over her while you tend to your duties." Since Kakashi was being forced to leave the ANBU in a year, that meant the two of them would no longer be working on the same team. Kakashi let out a brief sigh. Kaiya looked from behind his leg, gripping his pants firmly; she stared at the masked man curiously. At first she had been afraid, because to her, when she saw men wearing those masks, it meant something bad had happened. However, she swore she'd heard a child's voice coming from behind this one's guise, and he was much shorter than Kakashi, which most likely meant he was younger.

Kakashi rested a hand on Kaiya's small shoulder. "Well, this is the perfect opportunity for you to meet, then. I have a mission briefing in five minutes, so I'll leave her in your capable hands. Take care of her." He gently nudged her from behind him, urging her to step forward. The ANBU bowed again, this time to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Kaiya," he greeted. She blushed, touching her lip with her index finger bashfully.

"H-hi," she replied. When Kakashi said his goodbyes, the boy held out his hand. Kaiya stared at it hesitantly, then glanced up at the mask covering his face. She couldn't see anything about him, other than his long, raven-colored hair in a ponytail past his shoulders. She looked down at the ground nervously.

The Black Op studied the girl closely, noting how she had clung to his superior possessively. She was shy, wary, and nervous around him, probably because he was a new face—well, mask. Kakashi told him that in order to calm Kaiya down when they first met only a year ago, he had to show her his face to establish trust. He retracted his hand after a few seconds of unresponsiveness from her, slowly removing his mask, even though he knew it was against regulation. He attached it to his belt, then smiled at the girl as she stared at him in interest.

Kaiya blushed as she was finally able to see his entire appearance: He had a handsome young face with onyx-tinted pupils and raven-colored hair, lines on either side of his face stopping underneath his eyes; his bangs were level with his chin. On his left arm, there was a tattoo of the ANBU Leaf symbol, just like she had seen on her father, Kakashi, Ringo, and Tzu—the same shape as her mother's pendant that was now fastened around her neck. The agent wore a tight, black muscle shirt with the collar covering his neck. Over this was a grey flak jacket. He wore black pants and sandals, and his ankles were wrapped in bandages; he bore arm plates that covered his forearms, and there was a katana strapped to his back. Kaiya had seen Kakashi in this attire many times before.

"Who…who are you?" she stammered quietly, averting her eyes to the porch they were both standing on. He grinned cheekily at her, and she relaxed slightly.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha," he replied. "You're Kaiya, aren't you?" His voice was kind and gentle, and she immediately let down her guard as he outstretched his arm once more. She nodded, lightly taking his hand. "I'm going to be watching you while you're in the village, so I wanted to show you my face. This way, you'll know you don't have to be afraid of me."

…

Crying, Kaiya sat by the pond behind the Nohara cottage, watching her tears fall into the water; they made ripples as they dropped, distorting her reflection. It didn't matter how far they took her from her original home, she could never forget what had happened there. It didn't matter to her how long they took her out of the village, the horrible nightmare she experienced would never leave her mind. It had been about seven months now since that incident; she was seven years old, and in one year she would enter the Academy, after all of her special training was completed. But that did nothing to comfort her.

She stared into the eyes of her reflection, the eyes her father had passed down to her. She blinked, and the image of a dark-haired boy appeared behind her. She gasped, but relaxed as soon as she spotted his calm, sympathetic expression in the water. She immediately knew who it was and wiped away her tears, turning around.

"Itachi…what are you doing here?" she asked, trying to hide the fact that she had been crying. He gave her a kind smile, studying her before taking a seat next to her.

"I thought you could use some company," he answered softly. Kaiya lowered her head so that she didn't have to look at him.

"What would make you think that?" Itachi smirked sadly.

"You must be lonely with them gone," he figured. "Even though you have Kakashi-senpai and Tzu and Ringo…I'm sure you never stop missing them." Kaiya's eyes narrowed as new tears began to form.

"Am I supposed to?" Itachi took a hand and placed it on her shoulder. She blushed at his gentle touch.

"The two of us are going to spend a lot of time together while you're in the village," he explained. "I want you to trust me. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. Please, don't keep it all inside." Kaiya frowned, swatting his arm away.

"Why? Why would you do that for me?" Itachi chuckled lightly, leaning back on his arms. Kaiya turned to him curiously, wondering why he didn't seem affected at all by her bitterness. "What's so funny?" she muttered. The twelve-year-old Uchiha glanced at her before staring into the water for a moment.

"I understand your pain, Kaiya." He took a deep breath. "I guess you were too young to know, but…your father was my sensei," he confessed. Kaiya's eyes widened.

"He was your…sensei?" she repeated. Itachi nodded. He ran his fingers through his bangs before closing his eyes in thought.

"I was a part of his first team, five years ago. Shortly before the tragedy, I was promoted to Jonin, and because of your father, I was drafted by the ANBU. Yasuo-sensei thought I had enough skills for the Black Ops, and I guess I should thank him." Kaiya's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why's that?"

"Well…" Itachi tapped his chin with his index finger thoughtfully, opening his eyes and turning his gaze back to her. "Because of him, I was able to meet you. And because of that, it's like he's still here and I never left his side. That's why I'll never leave yours, Kaiya." The latter's cheeks flushed, and she looked away from the young Uchiha, embarrassed.

"…" Itachi grinned at her reaction.

"I have an idea," he said a few seconds later, standing to his feet. Kaiya looked up at him. "Why don't we train to make you feel better?" She blinked, staring at his hand as he reached down to her.

"Huh?"

"I train to get things off of my mind. Maybe it'll work for you too." Kaiya's eyes lowered.

"I haven't learned very much," she admitted. "If I trained with you, I'd only slow you down." Itachi shook his head as Kaiya looked away.

"How about I teach you something special?" he suggested. "I heard you were fire-natured, right?" Kaiya nodded.

"Yeah. But Kakashi and Uncle Asuma won't teach me anything yet. They said I'm too young and I have to wait until I graduate the Academy." She gave him a disappointed glance.

"Well, then you're in luck." Her gaze returned to her guard.

"What do you mean?"

"It just so happens that I'm fire-natured too," he told her. "I'd be happy to show you a few things. We can work on taijutsu too, if you want. And when you enter the Academy next year, you'll be ahead of your classmates. It'll be our secret." Kaiya blinked, lifting her head in disbelief.

"You'd…you'd really do that for me?" Itachi nodded, chuckling as Kaiya jumped to her feet. Her lamented expression changed into a smile as she grabbed Itachi's hand with both of hers. "Thanks a lot, Itachi!" She giggled as they walked to the nearest training ground.

…

"Kaiya…Kaiya, where were you? Why weren't you there for me?" Yasuo asked, reaching out his hand. Kaiya tried to grab it, but the more she stretched, the farther away he drifted.

"Daddy!" she shouted. "Daddy, I'm sorry!" Tears ran down her face. The distance gaining between them didn't stop her from fighting to reach him. All of a sudden, darkness surrounded them; the sun fell, and the only light came from Yasuo. But even he was fading. Before everything turned to black, Kaiya heard evil laughter erupt all around her.

"You're such a disappointment," it cackled. "The villagers were right…you're the reason they're gone. It was your fault."

Your fault…your fault…your fault…

Kaiya woke up screaming, sweat matting her bangs to the side of her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks and onto her sheets, and she fought to unwrap herself from their grasp. Her window opened swiftly; the moonlight revealed a blurred figure jumping into her room. She screamed even louder, swatting with her hands as she turned away, scared that the person who had come after her family had found her.

"Get away from me!" she shrieked frantically. Sobs flared from her lips, interrupting her shrieks. Suddenly, two arms wrapped themselves around her tightly, pulling her closer to whomever they belonged to.

"Kaiya, it's me." The seven-year-old's eyes widened as the recognizable voice spoke. She at once relaxed in his grip, crying silently as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I-Itachi…" He held her until her wails died down. When her tears were dry and all that was left were shivers, he let her go.

"It was just a nightmare. You're ok." He showed her a soft smile. Kaiya sniffled as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. He stroked her hair gently as she leaned her head on his brawny shoulder. "It's ok," he coaxed. "I'm here now. I'll always be here." When the last of her shudders had disappeared, Itachi picked Kaiya up and placed her back in bed. He pulled the sheets over her, caressing her splotchy cheek lightly as he turned toward the window. He stayed beside her until she fell asleep, and then he returned to his post.

…

It was late now, past midnight; the moon shone with a silvery-blue light above. Itachi stepped into the moonlight momentarily as he reached the outskirts of the village, before the canopy of trees covered him completely. Blood littered his ANBU uniform; his forehead protector drooped out of place, sideways on his head.

Meanwhile, Kaiya woke up from a nightmare filled with blood and death. Drenched in sweat, she rolled out of bed and looked outside at the full moon; a sense of dread came over her. She quickly ran downstairs and put on her sandals, easily sneaking by both Tzu's and Ringo's rooms, thankful that the all-hearing and all-smelling Kakashi was on assignment at this time.

Kaiya stuck to the shadows as she slipped past the barrier, too focused on the chills running down her spine to notice that there were no ANBU guards stationed outside the estate. Itachi-sensei…what is this feeling? Itachi informed Kaiya that he would no longer be stationed outside of her home because he had been promoted to ANBU captain, even though he was barely a teenager. She was happy for him, but at the same time it didn't feel right. She hardly ever saw him, except when they had their secret meetings, and even then things were strange.

Lately, Itachi had been distant and his mind always seemed to be somewhere else. When Kaiya would ask him if he was alright, he would nod and smile, trying to pretend like nothing was out of the ordinary. But she knew better. She'd watched Itachi closely from the moment they met, and she could tell when he had been on a tough mission, or when he was stressed. She knew him better than he thought she did, and that's how she knew something was wrong at that moment.

She didn't know how or why, but she felt a disturbance inside, and all that came to her mind was Itachi's face. She knew he hadn't been acting odd for no reason. Is something wrong? Did something happen to him?

Kaiya ran to the Uchiha estate on the outskirts of the village, hiding behind a tree to stop and catch her breath. She wiped sweat from her brow, looking up just in time to see the Uchiha Estate overrun with ANBU Black Ops. Her eyes lowered.

Is that where Kakashi went…? What are they all doing there? Itachi…is he alright?

So many questions swam through her head, making her dizzy. She knew better than to enter the zone of an ANBU investigation, so she waited. She felt a sliver of Itachi's chakra just then, but she didn't understand why he would be heading towards the exit of the village in such a rush—and by himself, when the rest of the Black Ops were inside his home. She sucked in a deep breath and started running again, this time following the direction of what she believed to be her former guard. Is he going on a secret mission? she asked herself as she chased after him. But I don't understand why he would leave everyone else. There are so many shinobi in there.

Kaiya, Ringo, and Tzu had returned about three weeks before from their last training route. She'd been disappointed to find that Itachi would no longer be looking after her, since he had been promoted to leader of the Black Ops shortly before her arrival back to the village. However, Itachi met her in their secret place—an abandoned training ground where he taught her many things for the past year, whenever she was home. There, he told her that he was captain and things were going to be different, although he would still find time to meet up with her every now and then. He also told her that she'd be joining the Academy soon. At this time, she had less than a month before she was inducted.

Even though she was still young, Kaiya knew that the leader of the ANBU leaving his troops in the middle of the night—even for a secret mission—was very strange. Especially at the rate he was going.

Kaiya had never been outside Konoha on her own, and especially in the dark. Despite that, she trudged on, sensing Itachi nearby. He'd finally stopped, which meant that either he was waiting on someone, or he had reached his destination.

Ducking behind another tree, Kaiya turned her head in the direction she sensed him. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she was finally able to see his figure trek into the shadows.

"So, you made it," a deep male voice said. She'd never heard it before, so she couldn't identify whose it was. "Did anyone see you?"

"No," Itachi answered darkly. The man nodded.

"Very good. Let's go." Itachi lowered his head. He took a step, turning around even before Kaiya pushed herself into the moonlight between her tree and the ones leading to the forest outside the village. "Hmm?"

"Itachi-sensei, is that you?" The latter rested his eyes on her, staring at her coldly with his dark pupils.

He was silent for a moment before frigidly asking, "What are you doing here, Kaiya?" The stranger observed her quietly as Itachi began to step out of the shadows.

"I wanted to see if you were ok," she answered. "I saw all of the Black Ops in the Uchiha estate, then I saw you running so I followed you here, and—" Kaiya's eyes widened as the moonlight engulfed him and made evident the blood splattered across his ANBU uniform. At first, she thought the man standing beside them had hurt him somehow, but then she realized that the blood on his clothes wasn't his. Not a drop.

She noticed a difference in his eyes as he stared at her: no feeling, no emotion—like she didn't matter to him at all. The Itachi that she had spent time with on and off for the past two years had disappeared, and now a heartless robot was all that remained. Kaiya had never been so confused, so afraid. Her stomach knotted, and it felt as if a kunai had stabbed her in the heart repeatedly; it was the same pain she felt the night she found her father dead on their living room floor.

"Go home, Kaiya," Itachi instructed dully, turning to the silent man leaning against a tree trunk. Kaiya's gaze followed him, and that's when she realized that the man Itachi had been conversing with was wearing a mask. It wasn't like the one Itachi was required to wear as an ANBU Black Op. It was orange with a black, striped pattern and only one eyehole. His hair was dark and long, reaching all the way down his back. He was tall, but as far as if he was old or young she couldn't tell. "It's too late for you to be out on your own. Kakashi and the others will be worried about you, just like the last time. You could get lost…or hurt." Kaiya ran up to him and grabbed onto his pant leg.

"No! I'm not going back without you, Itachi. Something's wrong, I know it!" she shouted, as tears streamed down her face. She loved Itachi; there was no way she was letting him go, not ever. "Where are you going? Who…who is that?" Itachi bowed his head.

"Kaiya, listen to me," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder, refusing to meet her eyes. "I'm leaving, and I'm not coming back." Kaiya's eyes widened.

"But…why?" she stammered, crying harder. "Why are you leaving me? I love you." Itachi turned away, looking again at the man who was standing patiently near him. He was in no hurry, but the ANBU were close by investigating the mess the two had just made. "Please, take me with you!" Itachi gave Kaiya one last long look, all traces of emotion fading.

"You can't come with me, Kaiya, and you know that. You should just go home and forget about me. Holding on to me like you have been will do you no good. This bond of ours is only dead weight now."

At those words, Kaiya's world spun out of control. So much emotion and confusion was swirling around inside her, she didn't even notice when Itachi pried her grip loose and turned his back on her. Before he disappeared completely, he stopped, but didn't face her again. "Take care of my little brother, Kaiya. He needs you, and you need him." The masked stranger pushed himself off of the tree he'd been leaning on, turning to face her, waving in her direction.

"We'll meet again someday, little girl," he promised. And just like that, they were gone.

Itachi…I always saw you as my knight in shining armor. And then you turned your back on me and walked away. All that time, I meant nothing to you, but you were my world. You ripped out my heart and left me bleeding that night. And…I'm still bleeding today.

Kaiya wanted to scream as she was forced to remember how Itachi broke her heart, but instead, only tears flooded down her cheeks like two waterfalls.

Just so we're clear: shining armor = ANBU uniform. Get it? Ok. Just wanted to make sure.