"We'll be working on chakra control today," Kakashi informed his students.

"What are we gonna do, then?" Naruto asked.

"Climb a tree," Kakashi said with a chuckle. Kokoro's earlier nervousness drained from her body and was replaced by annoyance. She already knew how to climb a tree. It was one of the things her dad made sure she had down pat. She needed to have a better grasp on her chakra.

"Climb a tree?" Sasuke and Naruto asked simultaneously.

"Yes, but there's one catch: You have to do it without your hands," the jounin said.

"You're kidding," Sasuke deadpanned. Kakashi gave them an eye smile and gestured towards Kokoro. She smiled and jumped at the opportunity to show them up. Really, she just liked to show-off what she already knew. It gave her the satisfaction to be able to do things others couldn't.

She channeled chakra to her feet. She imagined a pole of chakra running the length of her legs, and at the bottom of it, her feet, she imagined a cloud of chakra rushing around in circles. It was an unorthodox way of imagining it, but it helped her with her chakra control. She walked up to a tree and placed her right foot on it. When she felt her foot latch onto the bark, she lifted her left foot. She walked all the way up the tree until she found a sturdy branch to sit on.

"Woah! You never did that when we trained together dattebayo! How'd you do it?" Naruto asked.

"Focus your chakra on the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree," Kakashi told him. After he explained it a bit more, he let them free to figure it out themselves. Kokoro walked down the tree and walked up to her dad. She tried to sweep his crutches away from him with her leg but failed miserably.

"Nice try," he said. She grunted and observed him. He was still pretty banged up. He had bandages wrapped around him in certain areas and he was using crutches to help him walk around. He looked tired and worn out.

"So, what am I gonna do?" she asked him. He hummed before he looked out at the lake. He glanced at her and gestured towards the water. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.

"I don't want to practice that. I've already mastered that. You made sure of it."

"You shouldn't slack off," he scolded her.

"I want to learn something new," she complained. "I've been doing these exercises ever since I could mold my chakra. I'm bored!"

Kakashi sighed and glanced at his other two students. They were moving at the same pace and probably wouldn't finish until late. He could send her to protect Tazuna, but it was kind of moot. Zabuza wouldn't be stupid enough to attack so soon after their battle.

"Why don't you work on your jutsu. It needs improvement if you want to use it in battle," he suggested. She contemplated his words before she agreed. She really did need to work on it. It wasn't as strong as she wanted it to be. She left the area they were practicing in and walked through the trees until she came across a small clearing.

She walked until she was in the middle of the clearing to give herself ample space to practice. She made the correct hand signs and the ground around her was disrupted by ice spears. Ice Release: Ice Spears. It was the only other ice release jutsu she knew how to do. Unlike her Ice Prison, however, it wasn't strong enough to be used on an enemy. She touched the tip of one of the ice spears and it immediately shattered. She pouted at her results and flopped to the ground.

She didn't know how to remedy it. She wanted to make it stronger, but she didn't know how to. She didn't know any other ice users. Her dad said that the strength of her jutsu corresponded to the amount of chakra she had and her control over her chakra, but she thought she had a good hold on her chakra. Plus, she knew she had a lot of chakra; she could feel it inside of her.

She sighed and bent her leg so it could hold her arm up. She leaned her cheek against her hand and stared at the remaining ice spears. There were only four more, which wasn't a lot. She wanted to be able to make enough to cover an entire field. The feeling of being watched invaded her and she stiffened.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you," a light voice said from her left. Kokoro swiveled her head and locked eyes with a person around the same age as her. She couldn't identify if they were male or female. They had long black hair and large brown eyes. Their voice was slightly masculine, but still, she couldn't tell.

"No worries," Kokoro answered. She didn't feel any danger coming from the person. They looked like a regular citizen.

"Pardon my prying but you seem frustrated," the person said.

"Just a little," Kokoro admitted.

"May I ask why?"

"...I'm having trouble with my jutsu."

"You have a unique jutsu," the person said, referring to the ice spears peaking out of the green grass.

"Yes, you could say that," Kokoro said. "I haven't met anyone with the same jutsu as me. I almost feel like I'm the only one with it."

"You're not the only one."

"What do you mean?" Kokoro asked suspiciously.

"What's wrong with your jutsu?" the person asked. Kokoro narrowed her eyes at the subject change but let it go. She wasn't going to pick a fight with a citizen. It would be unfair of her to do so.

"It's not strong enough and I can't make enough. I've tried countless time but nothing ever changes," Kokoro said while looking down. She picked up a twig, snapped it in half, and threw it back to the ground.

"May I see you do it?"

"Why?"

"I'm curious."

Kokoro sighed and stood up. She brushed her pants off and went through the motions. Before she finished the jutsu, the person stopped her.

"You're forgetting a sign," they informed her. She scoffed and turned her head to the side. She knew she had it right. The few scrolls her dad had on ice release were informative. How could they be wrong when they were in writing?

"What would you know about it?" she asked a bit snootily. They smirked before performing a number of hand signs. They slammed their hand against the ground and ice spears broke through the ground around them. Kokoro stumbled back and accidentally touched one of them. She backed away from it, but stared at in inquisitively when it didn't break. Experimentally, she touched one with the tip of her finger and was amazed when it didn't fall apart.

"How did you do that?" she asked excitedly. She looked at the person with stars in her eyes. She rushed up to them and grabbed their hands in hers. They chuckled and smiled at her enthusiasm.

"I'm an ice user myself," they confessed. Kokoro gasped and stepped back from them.

"Are you - I mean, are we...related?" she asked. She bit her lip and waited impatiently for an answer.

"I'm not sure, but it's a possibility," they said. "Tell me: who are your parents?"

"I don't know who my mom is, but I know she's from the Land of Water."

"Kirigakure?"

"I don't think so. Dad said he met her in one of the smaller villages."

The person hummed and observed Kokoro intently. Their eyes roamed her face and stopped from time to time on specific facial features. A small sliver of recognition entered their eyes and a tiny smile formed on their face.

"You look like her," they mused.

"Like who?"

"My mother."

"W-what? Are you saying that we're -?"

"Not quite," they said. Gracefully, they fell to the ground and sat cross-legged. They patted the spot next to them and Kokoro sat down as fast as she could.

"My mother was very open with me and she held no relations with anyone besides my father. Our jutsu is feared throughout the nations. For this reason, our clan was hunted down and slaughtered. Those who were able to escape scattered to live regular lives. Our grandparents, along with our mothers, were very fortunate in escaping.

Our grandmother wanted to marry off our mothers. She said it would protect them and ensure them safe lives. My mother had already met my father and had fallen in love. Before she knew it, she was pregnant with me. That left only your mother. Our grandmother set up a marriage between my aunt, your mother, and a wealthy man.

Before your mother married, she became pregnant. Your mother had to go to the Land of Tea to collect something for her upcoming marriage and had relations with a man. Our grandparents were outraged and made your mother keep her pregnancy a secret. They moved back the wedding and used illness as an excuse.

When you were born, I was already two years of age. I was able to see you once before you were sent to live with your father. Your mother was given a month to recuperate before she was sent off. My mother and I never saw her again," they finished. Kokoro remained quiet as she listened to them recount what had happened. She had no idea her ice release was feared. Was that why her father was the only person who knew of it? Is that why her father told her to never practice it in front of others?

"What clan were we from?" she asked quietly.

"The Yuki clan."

"So, we're cousins?"

"Yes."

"What's your name?" Kokoro asked.

"Haku. And you are Kokoro."

"How?"

"I was too young to remember you, but my mother often spoke of you and your mother. Before she died, she told me to reunite with you one day," Haku said with a fond smile.

"She died?" Kokoro asked in shock.

"Yes. The village we hid in was destroyed. I was the only survivor."

Kokoro encompassed Haku in a hug and held them for a few seconds before she let go.

"I'm sorry that happened to you. I can't imagine losing my dad."

"It's okay," Haku said softly. "I've found someone."

"I'm glad," Kokoro said. Abruptly, she stood up and held out a hand to Haku. She pulled them up and smiled widely at them.

"So, can you help me out? With my ice release?" she asked.

"Like I said earlier, you're missing a hand sign," Haku reminded her. They showed her how to do it and had Kokoro practice it until she got it right. After her tenth attempt, she threw her hands up in frustration and pouted.

"I don't understand!" she shouted. "I'm doing all the right signs, but it's not working!"

"You're focusing too much on the hand signs. You have to think about how dense you want them to be, how sharp, how tall, how many."

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Kokoro shouted.

"Practice," Haku said, stressing the word. "Go again."

They practice together until the sky started to darken and Kokoro's dad was shouting her name looking for her. The cousins looked in the direction of the voice. Kokoro's chest inflated and deflated at a fast tempo, indicating the intense training she had.

"You want to meet my dad?" Kokoro asked. "I'm sure he'd be happy to."

"Maybe another time," Haku said. They started walking off but stopped when Kokoro called out tot hem.

"Will I see you again?" she asked with sadness. Haku smiled and told her he would not be far. She sighed in relief before a look of urgency overtook her face.

"I have one more question!" she yelled quickly. Haku looked back at her.

"Um, well, are you a girl or a boy?" she asked shyly. "I don't mean to offend you, but I just don't know...how to...address...you."

Haku laughed and said, "I'm a boy."


Dear Gaara,

I met some of my long lost family. I never thought I'd meet any of my mother's family. I met my cousin. He's such a soft person compared to me. He's less pushy and tends to keep his opinions to himself. Thinking about meeting my family makes me think about you and your family.

I hope your relationship with your sister and brother is okay. I know they were mean when you were little, but family is family. Hopefully, they understand that now. Just forgive them when the time comes. I don't know if I could right away, but eventually, I'd be able to.

Kokoro


"Who were you talking to earlier, Koko?" Kakashi asked. They'd just finished eating dinner and the two of them were sitting in a room together.

"Just someone passing through," she said. She wanted to tell him that she met her cousin, but Haku didn't want to meet her father. He had to have some reason for not wanting to.

"Don't lie to me," Kakashi said sternly.

"It's no one important."

"If you're in danger-"

"I'm not, dad," she said forcefully. "I promise"

"Just be safe. I can't be around you 24/7 during this mission and with Zabuza still alive..."

"We all agreed he wouldn't be attacking for a few days. Besides, tomorrow I'm on Tazuna duty."

"Just be ready. I'm almost healed, and I have no doubt he is too."

Hi everyone! I've been gone for a bit and I'm sorry for that. Everything is a little hectic with the virus going around. Anyway, Gaara will be returning to the story in two chapters. I'll be focusing on their relationship more once he does.