((A/N: Hello! This one took longer than usual to get out. Sorry guys. In fifteen days, this story will be a full year old! Unfortunately, just like I've been busy with this story itself, I've been too busy to write the omakes as well. I'll get them done, don't you worry your pretty little heads, just don't expect them in the next few days. They'll be out before fifteen days is up, though. At least a few of them will, that is. Responses to reviews!:

Moonacre BunBun- I'm glad you love baby Jirouko! I'm having so much fun writing him as a cute lil baby boy. The only thing I find even funner than that is imagining him as he grows up. God, I can't wait to write his teenage years. Rebellious little shit, he shall be.

MrNoahall- hhh dude I love your reviews. You're very well worded and make a lot of good points. Also, you're very flattering. If you think your flattery will get chapters out quicker, then... well... you're kinda right. :I As for the time framing, you mentioned you were confused about it? It was morning when Rae went over to his apartment for breakfast with him. I tried to make that clear by stating what time she got up and how much time she spent in the market with Jirouko before going straight to his apartment. I'm pretty amused you say Kenta is an 'odd one' for whatever reason haha. I just find it so funny that nobody can quite tell what his motives/plans are. I suppose I've been writing his correctly, then! Thank you for the compliments, and don't worry about posting it twice(three times, actually). It's all cool.

Ori Heartlyng- You see, I would love to make an Omake with anybody's feelings for Rae, but I kind of want how they truly feel about her to remain a secret for just a little while longer. In the future, yes, it'll become apparent as to who likes her, who hates her, and who loves her, but for now they're all pretty much whiny little babies so love will have to wait for a little bit longer. And yes! Jirouko shall not be pressured by his Clan like both of his older sisters are(and were...), so he'll be able to end up making his own choices this time around! Hopefully. Maybe. Honestly, there's no promise he'll even survive (:

Readthishit- Hell yeah that kit will be seen in action in the future chapters! That's kind of why I described it and the necklace well, because I want to emphasize how important they were to Naruto. They are, after all, the very first time someone willingly gave him something for his birthday. They're super important to him.

orangana- Yeah, i'm seriously contemplating finding a way to get her to Suna soon. Maybe as a C-rank mission to another village? Perhaps. We'll see how it all works out in given time, I suppose.

Enjoy the chapter!))

Two more months go by with nothing important to show for it. Training resumed as usual, three days with taijutsu and ninjutsu and then three days with chakra exhaustion. That particular training went on for another month, then Rae decided not to do it for the next month. Constant chakra exhaustion made her feel weak and tired even when she wasn't doing the exercises, so she'd wait before doing some more of it. Besides, she had just enough chakra in store by now to summon three of her coyote pals before exhaustion would take hold of her. Pretty darn good, if she does say so herself.

Which she does, because there was really nobody else around to say it for her.

Kenta, now as an official Jounin of The Leaf, was required to train at least one team of Genin. Apparently it's a thing all Jounin do at some point in their career, and Kenta decided to do his early on. Rae was excited for him, and more than glad for all the juicy gossip his new team loves to share with her, but him having to spend time with his Genin team meant that he couldn't spend much time with her.

Manabu-sensei was gone, now, too. He was away on a long mission, and apparently when he'll be coming back is a strict 'need to know' basis - something of which Rae does not count as. She has no idea where he's gone or what he's doing, and it makes her anxious. She doesn't doubt his abilities, and she knows she can always contact the Coyotes if she was really desperate enough to know how he was doing, but she still felt... nervous. Like when Itachi left and she had nobody to be honest with.

Speaking of the prodigy child, however, is another issue. He's gone again. Right after she'd gotten him back, too.

Itachi joined ANBU.

He never came right out and told her, of course, because that would be against regulations. ANBU are supposed to be kept secret, their identities both as a Shinobi and as an ANBU Agent are kept hidden in the shadows to protect them and those they care about. So, no, he never came out and told her he was in ANBU. Not verbally, at least. He started wearing longer sleeves, however, and he always keeps a tanto on him nowadays. By the look in his eyes when he spotted her staring at his sleeve-covered shoulder, he knows that she knows. He seemed glad for it, glad to know he didn't have to keep it a secret from everybody.

Rae thinks that, perhaps, this honesty goes both ways. Maybe he was glad to have someone to be completely honest with, too.

Back on the topic of how alone Rae currently was, however.

Itachi joining ANBU was a huge career jump for him, and, like before, Rae was proud and excited for him. He was proud too, even if he didn't seem too excited for it like she was for him. Either way, being in ANBU meant he was even busier than ever. Rae hardly saw him. In fact, she only saw him twice in the last two months, and one of those occasions was just spotting him on the other side of a busy street at the market.

Her father was also gone, now. He'd taken up some missions in the southern part of the village, far away from where the Shimizu Clan Compound lay. Rae half thought that maybe it was just to get away from Emiko. She was six, almost seven months pregnant now, and while Kazuhiko had shown no small amount of excitement for the coming baby, he was still more tired than ever. Rae felt pity for him, when she sees him working late with bags under his eyes and graying hair. He sent her off with a smile and a 'I'm alright, Kei-chan' whenever she asked how he was doing. It was a lie, of course, and both of them knew it. If Emiko knew it, she didn't seem to care. She never commented on it, and only ever asked him where her current cravings were.

With every day she spent in that house, her care for her father grew, and her care for her mother dwindled. Emiko seemed to all the world as if she'd just... given up. On everything. Maybe it was Rae who caused her to act like this, and for that, Rae felt a stabbing pain of regret in her chest. She couldn't shake the idea that perhaps it was her who had torn this family apart. Emiko and Kazuhiko seemed like such a happy, young couple together when Rae had first arrived nearly two years ago. Now, Emiko seemed as if she didn't care about anything but this new baby, and Kazuhiko was driving himself into a frenzy trying to keep everything together.

Which is probably why she started learning more about her Clan duties.

She still hated it - the idea of being a Clan Heir. She would have told them outright that she refuted her own position as Heir long ago, if only she didn't know that if she did as much, it would all fall onto Jirouko's shoulders. She wouldn't want to put that kind of stress and prison-like mentality on anyone, especially not somebody she loved and cared for so much.

However, it was her growing regret for what she was doing to her father that caused her to start taking on a few of the duties. Small things, mind you. She sure as hell didn't intend to suddenly take over in the course of one night. Kazuhiko was excited that Rae was taking more of a role in the Clan, and Emiko... almost looked like she cared.

More than once, Rae had caught the older woman staring at her from across the room or out a window. She'd be silent for a moment, then she would look pained, as if suddenly remembering something that caused her so much hurt and heartache, and she'd cover her mouth and leave.

Rae and Emiko did not speak to each other again.

There was a tenseness in the house, now. To be fair, there was always a tenseness in the house, really. In the past, however, it was only due to her amnesia and her lack of care for the Clan she was supposed to love. Now, it was so obvious and thick you could cut it with a kunai. Kazuhiko hardly came home anymore. He was always busy with his missions or Clan work, and when he was home he was there to eat and sleep. Rae barely saw him sometimes when he was rushing out the door for work. Emiko seemed broken. She would sit on the couch, or stay in her room for days at a time, and Rae had to, on multiple occasions, bring food up to her room for her to eat. She seemed like she would refuse it, tell Rae to leave and never come back, but she would place a hand on her round stomach and accept the food anyway. Rae was... coping. She would never love this village like she loved Suna, and she would never consider it her home like the desert was, but that didn't mean she wanted to see these people hurt. She did, when she first came here, yes. And deep down, she still has a flame burning inside of her that begs to be released, to let the world know how much she hated them and how much she wished everything would burn just so she could go back home. But Rae was coping.

And Jirouko... well, he was the only part of the family that did not seem torn down and struggling to be rebuilt. He was crawling around, now, and every now and again Rae will spot him attempting to stand on his feet, only to fall over onto his rear end again. He'd either giggle about it or cry for his sister to come pick him up whenever that happened. She always complied, always dropped what she was working on to go help him back up again.

Jirouko was a bright light in the darkness of this broken family, and Rae would not allow him to become a casualty of this burning home. She would not let him, nor this new baby, be brought down with the rest of them when it finally fell. They would be safe, even if Rae herself would fall as well.

Rae hums a soft lullaby under her breath, patting Jirouko's back as he sits in her lap. His face was pressed into the soft fabric of her shirt, his small fists were clenched tightly into her shirt as well. He drifted off to sleep easily moment before, and Rae hummed a small, quiet lullaby to him every time he fidgeted in his sleep.

"What song is that?"

She didn't pause in her humming, nor did she start for the sudden voice, but she did turn her head to look at the voice behind her.

Kazuhiko stood in the doorway of the entrance of his home, staring down at Rae with a softness and content in his eyes that she hadn't seen him wear in a long time. He was dressed for work, and his blue cloak with the Shimizu Emblem stitched into the front and back was draped across his arm. Rae had gotten up early, far earlier than usual, when she'd heard Jirouko crying in his bedroom. She'd taken him outside to sit on the porch and watch the sun rise while she lulled him back to sleep. She hadn't known, however, that she'd gotten up even before her father had.

"It's a lullaby that Leo taught me."

And then the soft content in his features was gone, and he looked pained, as if she had just struck him. She might as well have, honesty. She knows that he knew who she was talking about. She'd spoken of Leo and Happy often in this village, especially when she was angry and wanted to shout at her parents for keeping her here. She knows it pains him to hear her still talking about them with fondness in her voice, and as much as it made her feel guilty for making him hurt like this, this was something she would not filter for him. Not for him, not for anybody. Leo and Happy had been her first family, and they will continue to hold that title in her head and heart.

"Le-o," he sounded slowly with an odd face, as if the foreign name tasted strange on his tongue. He was silent for a moment, then nodded his head. He began walking forward and he shut the front door behind him. Rae scooted over for him to walk past, mindful of the way Jirouko was shuffled in her lap. She waited patiently for him to walk past her, knowing he was probably a little late to work right now.

Imagine her surprise when he stops and sits down next to her.

"Tou-san?" She asked, uncertain. She didn't mind the company, of course, but she was confused. He had work and missions, and Clan things.

He let out a weary sigh and looked off at the slowly rising sun.

"I think... I'll watch the sunrise with you today, Kei-chan."

And he didn't say anything else. Rae stared at him for a moment longer, taking in his tired expression. His dark blue hair had grown out in the two years she'd been here, and it was tied back into a low ponytail behind his shoulders. It was the same kind of hairstyle Leo would wear when it got too hot inside for his liking. Perhaps that was why she thought it fit him, even if he was not the same kind of man that Leo was. Kazuhiko's dark eyes were faded, as if losing the light out of them, and he had stress lines etched into his features. He had recently shaved, she knows, but there was a shadow of a beard still on his lower chin. His back was hunched just slightly, and he looked as if he just wanted to rest.

Not just to sleep, but...

Rest.

And Rae feels another stab of guilt, knowing it was her fault he felt and looked this way.

So she turns her blue-red eyes back to the rising sun, and she doesn't say anything. Not until Kazuhiko breaks the silence first.

"How is Jirou-chan doing?"

"Fine," came her automatic reply. Her brows furrow immediately afterward, however, and she feels guilty again. He doesn't deserve to be treated that way. "He's doing fine. He's trying to learn how to walk, but he falls over every two seconds..."

He lets out a quiet chuckle, and Rae winces at how tired it sounded.

"How is your training going?"

She sends him a quick glance at the abrupt topic change, but answers either way.

"Alright. Kenta isn't here, so I've just been focusing on my fire jutsu training with Satoshi-sensei. He wants to teach me the Grand Fireball Jutsu, but he says it'll have to wait until I'm more experienced." Kazuhiko nods along with her words, quietly listening. "Manabu-sensei is away on missions, so I can't really train with him anymore until he gets back. Um... I've started learning how to pull water out of the air, but I can't really do it yet. Kenta says it's too difficult for someone my age, he says that not even he can do it most days."

"It's a difficult feat. I've only really done it once or twice. Kenta-san is very talented indeed to be able to do it on multiple occasions."

She nods.

"Yeah, he's really good with water jutsus. Oh, and Satoshi-sensei started teaching me some non-elemental jutsus as well. I've learned the replacement jutsu already, but I'm kind of struggling with the shadow clone one."

"Why is that?"

She shrugs.

"I don't know. I keep trying, but every time I end up making one, it looks completely different than me. Satoshi-sensei said it was amazing that I could do a shadow clone and a henge at the same time, but I didn't mean to do that, so I guess it's not really skill. Just dumb luck."

"I don't see why it can't be both."

She turns to look at him with a raised brow, and he grins down at her. He laughs, and she lets out a snort in an effort to not join in with him.

And maybe there was a little bit more light in his eyes than before.

They both settle down after a moment to laugh, and Kazuhiko lets out a sigh. He seems calmer than before. Happier, maybe.

"Hey, uh," Rae begins, but trails off uncertainly. He turns to look at her with a questioning gaze. She clears her throat. "I know kaa-san went to the doctors a few days ago to have them check on the baby... I was just, uh, wondering.."

His eyes light up a little bit, and he smiles when he realizes what she's trying to ask.

He takes a deep breath in.

"It's a boy."

She nods.

Truth be told, Rae wasn't expecting it. Really, she wasn't expecting anything, actually. Yes, there was a baby. Yes, it would be born as a boy or a girl. It wasn't as though she could change their gender, though. It wasn't as if she wanted to change the gender, either. She is silent for a moment and lets the knowledge sink in. Soon, in less than three months, her newest sibling would be born. A younger brother.

She smiled.

Jirouko will at least have somebody his age to play with, then. He'll never get lonely whenever Rae has to leave for training, as long as he has someone else to keep him company. The two children will only be about a year, maybe a year and a half, apart in age.

"Your Genin exams are in two months."

The smile slips from her face. Her eyes widen as she thinks over his words, and her head whips to the side to face him with wide, incredulous eyes and an open mouth. Her messy white hair, tied up in a high ponytail, hits her cheek when she turns, but she doesn't notice it much. She was much more interested in what the hell her father just told her.

"What?"

He sighs, as if he expected this.

"I take it Kenta-san failed to inform you of this..."

"Kenta is busy with his Genin team! I haven't seen him in weeks! No, he hasn't 'informed me of this'! When are the exams? What are they about? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Kazuhiko leans down and places a comforting hand on her shoulder, eyeing her with a knowing expression. She wonders briefly if perhaps he was this panicked when his Exams came up.

"Calm down, Kei-chan. You'll be fine. They're in two months, which is more than enough time for you to complete whatever you have to do next. The Genin exams are simple and easy, they're just to get you started on your Shinobi career. You don't have to worry about them."

She wants to shout some more, to push his hand off and yell at him for being so calm when something 'as simple' as the Exam that would decide the fate of her career as a ninja was coming up so soon. Instead, she pauses and hyperventilates for a moment. Kazuhiko smiles reassuringly and squeezes her shoulder gently, and she takes in a deep breath to calm her nerves.

It's alright, it's just the Genin Exams. They're simple, he said so himself. And he would know, right? Since he took them himself when he was younger? Good, good, then there was nothing to worry about...

...

She stands up quickly, holding a now fussy Jirouko out for her father to take.

"I have to go train!"

Kazuhiko looks startled for a moment, but takes his son into his arms either way. He watches as his youngest daughter runs inside the house to go change into her training clothing, a little bit panicked. What had he said that made her panic so much? He'd been trying to be reassuring, not dissuading. He furrows his brows and looks down at his fussy son, who had immediately started getting antsy when his sister's familiar warmth disappeared in the cool, early morning. Cradling the baby in the crook of his elbow, he attempts to calm him down by rubbing the baby's belly with his other hand.

A second later, Rae runs out the front door again. She barely breathes out a "okay bye!" and a haphazard poke to her brother's stomach before she's running off to the Shimizu Clan training grounds.

Jirouko lets out a happy coo at the familiar, but fleeting feeling, and Kazuhiko looks at the spot where his daughter's head of messy white hair was quickly disappearing.

My, she had gotten fast.

((A/N: Hello! Thank you for your patience, and I'm sorry this chapter took longer than usual. Y'all are so great to me, I don't deserve such nice people reading my stories ;~;

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Itachi has just joined ANBU and Rae is barely just starting her Shinobi career - in two months or so, haha. There will be more information about Kenta and his new Genin team in later chapters, and I will definitely be writing an omake for him(probably directly after posting this, I have so many ideas to write his lil team of genin). Emiko and Rae have officially just... stopped trying to have a relationship with each other and kind of just awkwardly live in the same house together. Kazuhiko is becoming a better dad and suffering from stress, and he's bonding with his two remaining children yay. Rae is panicky about a simple test. Poor babe.

Question!: What do you think Rae will specialize in when she starts her career as a Shinobi? Everyone has a specialization - infiltration, ninjutsu, spying(cough cough Kenta cough), taijutsu, kenjutsu, yada yada. What do you think Rae will be best at when she gets older?

That's about it for now. See you next time around! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))