Hidden Love

Chapter 2: The Warmth of the Sun

Flamecaster15: Hahaha Yes! I think it was a pretty good start as well.

PrismRootStarlight: thank you! I figured that there wasn't anything really told from this point in the Naruto story or this side of it, so it will be something new and fun to explore.

moonlight46: Yes, Sota is VERY much like Naruto, just i think a little bit more intelligent and less head strong, if you know what I mean? Nothing against Naruto or anything to that nature, however, i think you will just have to keep reading :)

A/N: Ahhhhhhhh *Internal author screaming* Well, first off, I just want to say that I hope that you are all staying safe in these confusing and weird times. Unfortunately, I am marked as a critical employee due to my work in the defense industry, however I am staying safe and only essential; personnel are around, so there is only a few of us in the office space. However, I know that if I couldn't go into work, then I would probably go stir crazy. I am just happy that I am one of the lucky few that I have a great apartment and food in the refrigerator to come home to. I hope that you are all staying safe.

Secondly, my schoolwork is going, keeping me very busy and I have had little to no free time—as you all can probably tell. So, thirdly, I am sorry that I left this story for so long. I think I honestly just needed a break from a lot of things in my life and I haven't yet decided to return to my other fic, Serenity, but I think it is a good start that I am back and writing again. Hopefully I can update this in a timely fashion, but I will not make you guys any promises. Anyway, as of now, Author-san is back *insane author laughter*.

Kimiko walked around the village of the hidden sand, which was completely different from what she was used to. Everything that she had grown up with was replaced by a sandy exterior and a bazaar landscape. Her schedule was completely different than what she was used to. If she was still back with her grandfather, she would have been in the fields helping him harvest crops or till the land to make it fertile for the next season. She enjoyed the backbreaking work of being on the farm. Even though she was there to protect the territory that the sand held there, it didn't excuse her from helping where she was needed. She remembered how the sun beat down on her while working the land and now, she realized, it was nothing compared to how the sun felt here in the middle of the desert. It astounded her how the villagers didn't seem to be fazed by this type of heat.

Looking up towards the cloudless sky, Kimiko tried to block out some of the sun's rays with her hand. It didn't seem to help as she squinted her eyes against the harsh light. This climate felt almost as if it was draining the life out of everything that tried to live here. She joked with herself saying that even the villagers appeared to be lifeless and distant. She was used to the happy community she was in and over night that instantly changed. She went from a small community to a huge hidden village practically over night and she noticed that what she thought was normal, may not be so normal. The kunoichi had the feeling that she needed to keep her guard up wherever she went here. If she ever faltered, she had a feeling that someone wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of the situation. Kimiko was happy that she at least had Suta and Yuto with her to ease her sense of dread.

The two came from a big family, them being two of nine children, and the twins had to leave just like Kimiko with her grandfather. However, the twins had lived there since birth and when they became the first nins in their family, they were forced to leave everything they knew behind. Kimiko was in a different situation than them. When she was a newborn, she lived here in the Suna, but shortly after her third birthday, her grandfather took her in. The only good thing for their families was that both Konoha and the Suna held up the ideal that those who lived there were on neutral ground, that they didn't belong to one nation or the other allowing them to continue with their livelihoods. However, with the trio being nin belonging to the Suna, it was a different story for them.

Shaking her head, Kimiko tried to get the past out of her head. She knew that she had to take this as a chance to improve herself as a shinobi. She was sad that she had to leave the man that raised her, but at the same time, the two of them grew apart the moment that she decided to become a kunoichi. Her grandfather thought it was a cry for help, that she shouldn't become one even though it ran through her blood. Her grandfather was a retired nin and both her parents were, but her grandfather thought that the Matsuda name was tarnished. That her father's name in the shinobi world was toxic, unworthy, and dirty. Her grandfather wanted to change Kimiko's name to his surname but while her mother was alive, she wouldn't allow the change. Now, with her being a shinobi herself, she figured that she could prove it to not only her grandfather but everyone else that spat in her face just because of her last name.

She looked around and realized that she was walking around the outskirts of the town. How the Suna was set up was that it was layered in a way where the Hokage and his family were in the middle of the village and the rest of the wealthy or high and noble families circled and surrounded them. Then, spiraling outwards in rings, the closer to the walls of Suna one was, the poorer and more criminalized the area became. Bars were on the windows and there were plenty of trash that littered the streets were clear indicators of this. Plus, the looks she received from people loitering in corners made this even more apparent. She knew that they were trying to size her up, trying to find any indication that she was with the police. She took a deep breath and kept her head down, trying not to draw any unwanted attention to herself and continued walking. There was no way that she could go home right now, or what she was supposed to call home.

Kimiko stretched and thought about the twins. They seemed to be getting on well, even with everything that happened, and she would be lying if she didn't feel flashes of envy because of it. They seemed to be adjusting to this life in a few days better than she ever could and she was also jealous that from the first day they came to village, their family was making sure that they had everything that they needed. She wished that she had a sibling or someone she called a close friend, but she was an only child and her closest friend in the world left. She was the type that it took a while for her to talk, to warm up to someone, but once she did, she never could find the time to be quiet. She enjoyed her solitude, but sometimes even she could get lonely.

However, she didn't mind being guarded when meeting someone, it hadn't failed her yet. She chose to watch other's and their dynamic before she started to intertwine herself into places. It made her transition to the village easier in a way, because like now, when she saw people frown at her, even scowl, it didn't faze her as much. With the sideways glances she was sure that it was more than just the hesitant thinking that she was a part of the police force. She was sure that the rumors that had started about what happened the night that Konoha invaded the farmland were starting to spread. She knew she just heard the tip of the ice burg at the classroom filled with chunin, however, no one knew what really went down that night besides her and the twins and Kimiko was sure that the twins would never speak of that night again—out of respect for her.

That did, however, put her in a predicament since false accusations and false accounts were thrown out and reported, making her probably one of the least like persons in the village. Maybe her grandfather was right, maybe there was no way to redeem her father's name, even if her father still wanted to drag it through the mud. Clenching her fists, she knew that the nastiness was just beginning, that the worst had yet to come. She could deal with a few rumors and some ill-minded shinobi. Picking her head up, Kimiko decided that she would just work as hard as she could with her tenure in the Suna. If it was at all something, at least no one could say that she wasn't trying.

Trying to occupy her time by exploring the village, Kimiko's feet had brought her to a dead end. There were only two options, go down the side street that was tucked away in the corner, or, come back the way she came. With nothing else to do until the early morning hours, she figured that maybe it would be an adventure worth taking. Turning down the beaten path that seemed to be relatively clean compared to the main street, she took a few steps and was about to turn around thinking that this was just a private residential street when she saw a convenience store sign and some good smelling processed food being microwaved. Curiosity got the better of the young kunoichi and so she didn't hesitate to go inside. With the store being off the beaten path, one would have expected the store to have minimal activity, but as far as Kimiko could see, it was a popular business site.

Some of the personnel in the store wouldn't necessarily be the best the village had to offer, but it seemed as if they were there to get their things and leave, that they weren't there to harass anyone or rob the establishment. The kunoichi realized that in the middle of this poor neighborhood this was the neutral territory that everyone subconsciously agreed to. Kimiko perused the aisles and noted what was available down each one, noting where the instant food was. She had a feeling that this would be most of her nightly meals, if not all of them. She knew that instant meals were high in sodium and weren't that healthy, but it was always a good meal when there was nothing else available and boy did, she love food. Maybe it was because she grew up around her grandfather who loved to cook, or growing up around a farm, but her favorite hobby was scarfing down food.

Kimiko then went over to the reading and literature section which mostly consisted on magazines and books that featured adult content. She knew that was an area of purchase that probably kept the small shop running. Most stores weren't allowed to sell that sort of material or if they could, display it so openly. It made Kimiko think that it was more of a back room purchase that no one seemed to want to talk about. This store had a hodge podge of things, and Kimiko knew why: out of sight, out of mind. That is also why Kimiko's attention was brought to the cat that was bathing in the sun. He seemed fluffy and soft, relaxing in the sun's rays. She shuffled closer to the cat, trying to seem interested in the some of the actual books that the cat was around. When she approached, the cat opened its eyes, keeping its steady blue gaze on her.

The kunoichi could tell that the cat had been through more than a few things in its long years of life. The cat's coat was shiny and fluffy, noting that it was well taken care of, but it still showed its age. The cat's hair was gray, and its whiskers were bent at weird angles, almost as if young children had tried to pull them out. She had a feeling that the cat was a grumpy old thing, but if it ever warmed up to someone, it would be the most affectionate creature. Kimiko knew better than to directly reach her hand out to pet the cat, and instead, keeping her eyes trained on the book in her hand, she offered her already bandaged hand to the cat, allowing it to be acquainted with her scent. She could feel the cat's little breath on her fingers as it tried to make sense on if she could be trusted. Carefully, Kimiko lifted her eyes to the cat. In the same instance, the cat's eyes widened and the cat bit down on Kimiko's finger, hard.

However, instead of a normal reaction of trying to yank her finger out from the cat's mouth, Kimiko just winced and remained calm, blood now staining her off-white wrappings. It was her fault, she either moved too fast, or with her making eye contact with the cat, it may have felt threatened, like she was an issuing a challenge. When Kimiko stayed still, the cat realized that she wasn't going to retreat or advance towards it with anger, the cat simply let her go. It was almost as if the cat spat out her finger thinking it tasted bad. The cat continued to eye the young kunoichi curiously, not knowing what to expect from the abnormal human behavior the feline was witnessing.

"Don't worry about him, he will eventually warm up to you," Kimiko turned to look around, searching for the voice that was addressing her.

Directly behind her stood a short, elderly man who offered up a polite smile. She didn't say anything to the man, and instead she shuffled to the side when he came to stand next to her. She didn't mind the random company, but at the same time, she was trained to never let down her guard, to try to find things that were out of the ordinary.

"I don't think that I have had anyone in my store react that way to him biting someone before. Usually he bites someone, and both the victim and the cat run off," the elderly man chuckled.

Kimiko connected the dots, now knowing that this was the owner of the little convenience store. Finding no ill will or intent from the older man next to her, Kimiko decided that it wouldn't hurt to be cordial to the man.

"I like cats. When I lived on a farm, we had a bunch of them around to keep unwanted pests away."

"Is that right?"

"Yes Sir. They are helpful when it comes to things like that. They are a good partner to have, even the ones that are grumpy," Kimiko softly smiled at the man.

The man laughed and then pointed at the book that Kimiko had in her hands, "that is a good one."

"I've never heard of it."

"I think you will find it interesting."

Kimiko placed the book back down onto the other copies, "I guess that it will just give me an excuse to come back now, won't it?"

The man gave Kimiko a delighted look knowing that the kunoichi would be back again. The store owner knew that many young adults around this girl's age typically hung around other parts of the village, ignoring corner stores like these. It was unusual that she was here, let alone a shinobi, but it was a welcomed sight. However, Kimiko realized that maybe the store wasn't so hard to find after all, because before the store owner could say anything in response, the other two in Kimiko's team rushed into the store with red faces. Their chests heaved almost as if they just finished running a marathon. She wished that this was her place, but, as she knew better, the twins would always be able to find her.

"Yuto, Sota, what's wrong?" Kimiko asked, slightly worried given their appearance.

In a rush of words, Sota excitedly explained, "We were coming to find you to go explore the village, but here you are, thinking about reading."

Yuto rocked back and forth on his feet as if he was nervous and Kimiko looked back to the shop owner. He simply held a pleasant smile gesturing her towards her friends. She nodded her head towards the man, the two having a mutual agreement and understanding that she would be back. The three exited the store and per usual, Sota started talking his head off, trying to explain how his day went and exclaiming about how big the village was, that there was always something going on and something to do. Unlike Kimiko and Yuto, Sota never liked living in the outskirts of the world and tending to crops. He was destined for life in a bigger, more populated, area, so Kimiko knew that he would have no issues or complaints living in the Suna.

As Sota continued his tirade, Kimiko looked at the other twin. Yuto was more reserved and distant. Again, like Kimiko, he liked to keep his distance from others, but, unlike Kimiko, he never spoke up much more than he did now once he decided to let them into his life. He had always been the quiet, book smart one of the trio. He had great attention to detail, and it showed in his work. It was what made him a great med nin. However, Kimiko had known both twins for as long as she could remember, and for her, it was easy to tell when one of them wasn't feeling well, or if something was wrong. When Yuto fixed his glasses as they fell down the bridge of his nose, dragging his feet as they walked around the village, that was when the kunoichi asked the younger twin if everything was okay.

"Are you okay, Yuto?"

"I…I don't know if this was such a good idea for us to come here… I mean… to the village… we should have just stayed closer to home…"

"Oh, come on Yuto," Sota said with his voiced raised to an obnoxious volume, "this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We finally have the change to get out of that small town and here you are, trying to take this chance away from us."

Yuto clenched his fists and dropped his voice so only Kimiko could hear as they continued to walk, clearly fed up with his twin.

"I just, I feel that with everything that happened, how we left, how they treated you at the end of it all... Kimi… I just… I have a bad feeling about this place…"

Kimiko took a deep breath and looked up at the sun again, the rays making her eyes water and blinded by the intense light as she tried to find the right words to say.

"It will take some getting used to… that is for sure. We will be homesick, but we have been away from homes on missions before. We have been relocated before. We will work it out."

"But how do you know?" Yuto tentatively asked.

With a small smile and without falter, Kimiko used her shoulder to bump into Yuto's, "because we still have the best genin group, now chunin group in the whole region."

Yuto chuckled at Kimiko's corny sentence, however, it was what he needed to hear. As the two returned to Sota's non-stop conversation, he directed a question at Kimiko.

"Well, I suppose this is technically home for you, isn't it, Kimi?"

"Sota! You know how she feels about this place."

Sota huffed, putting his hands up in the air in a mock of displeasure, but he put his hands on the back of his head, trying to fake his displeasure.

"Yuto, thank you, but I will be fine. It will just take some time being back here. As I am sure my grandfather has already warned you, I don't have many fond memories of this place."

"You better take care of yourself and get on a normal sleeping schedule, you hear me?"

"I will, Yuto."

"I mean it. You can't just sleep the day away in class—"

"Yuto lay off of her, you aren't her mom. Unless, wait… now I have to check…"

Sota turned around and tried to pull down Yuto's pants, trying to show the world what was really between his brother's legs. The two brothers fought, Sota calling Yuto a girl and Yuto yelling at Sota that he was being a child. Kimiko rolled her eyes and kept walking, waiting for the other two to realize that she was leaving them behind. She eventually heard footsteps behind her, indicating that the two were finished, for the time being, with their brotherly spat.

"I'm telling you Yuto, sleeping in exactly what class is for."

"No it isn't. I mean you just talk the whole time. Thank god that this group has me, if not none of us would know the details of the tests that are coming up to train our skills."

"We are already chunin, there isn't a single test that the three of us working on together couldn't ace," Sota shouted, rubbing his nose.

"Sota, we need to make sure that we hone our skills. We just can't rely on Kimi for everything."

"We do not rely on her for everything," Sota started to pout.

"Oh, come on. She makes sure that we are always okay, and she always has her back. She is the glue that keeps us together and you know it."

"I would like to think that the thing that keeps us together is our brotherly love... but… I see how it is," Sota placed a hand over his heart in mock sadness, teasing Yuto to no end.

Yuto ignored the jab and continued with a statement that he knew would make his brother's blood boil.

"Plus, she had the hardest job when we left… she was tasked… she had to do the thing that no one else could…"

Sota stilled.

"You don't have to bring that up, Yuto. I know she had the hardest job and that… that…" Sota's voice tapered off as if he couldn't find the words.

"Guys!" Kimiko shouted at them, bringing them both back to reality and gaining their attention. "That is all in the past, okay? Let's try to look forward, to move forward. Yuto, I know you are nervous, but Sota has a point. This is our life now, and you are going to have to get used to it."

Sota started to smile, almost as if he just caught his sibling getting scolded from their mother instead of him.

"And you," Kimiko turned and directed her speech towards the louder brother, "treat your twin with respect. He is scared and you are not helping the situation by distancing yourself away from him. Both of you need to start working together again instead of being at each other's throats. We need to start working together as a team, just like we used to. The only people we have here is each other, and I don't intend to lose either of you because you decide to do something stupid because you can't seem to work together."

There was a strong silence that fell between the three of them, and then they all started to laugh. Sota grabbed his brother and Kimiko, putting his arms around their shoulders and pulling them closer to him. The three made fun of Kimiko's small speech and teased her as if she was their sister, telling her that they were just fighting like all families do. As they walked down the street enjoying each other's company, they were able to forget about their troubled past and ignore most of the dirty looks they received by onlookers, with most of the whispers and rumors still being directed towards the young kunoichi rather than the twins.