Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just my OCs.

Pre-team 7

That day – the day he had been assigned her – had been a most unexpected and unwelcomed moment. And it wasn't as if he could refuse. No, it wasn't an offer and there were no alternatives or ultimatums he could choose to do or take instead.

…

Their group was in the middle of training when their leader, Shimura Danzō, summoned him to one of their barely used interrogation rooms; barely used because their division's missions primarily focused on assassinations. Upon entering the dimly lit room, he found Danzō sanding and staring into the room on the other side of the two-way mirror. His half- bandaged face was as stoic and straight as ever but his single exposed eye strongly stared at whatever was there. At first, he didn't think there was anyone in there, but when he moved further into the room, he saw a child slowly aimlessly walking around the plain, barren room after the puzzles and brain teasers no longer interested her.

"Danzō-sama," he greeted with a kneeled bow.

"You are being assigned a new mission, Isao," Danzō spoke without looking away from the glass.

"Hai," he stood back up. "What is my mission, sir?"

Danzō's gaze still didn't break away from the glass. "Her."

Isao followed his commander's stare. He couldn't help but furrow his brows. What kind of mission could revolve around a child that looked to be no more than two years of age? Why would his skills and talents be needed?

"A child?" he was almost insulted.

"Not just any child, Isao. Look closely."

Isao did as he was told. She was small, scrawny, and pale with dark hair and striking purple eyes. And he was a little surprised by how developed her motor functions were. She walked with little to no stumbles. It wasn't until she walked back by the various puzzles did, he notice that they were all correctly solved and assembled.

"A prodigy…"

"She is so much more than that."

If the research and tests were true, then she is the future – his future. Danzō pulled out a sealed envelope and held it out to Isao. His soldier opened it to reveal different forms and documents that he quickly looked over.

"This can't be…" Isao gasped.

"More research and tests are being done."

"How is this possible?"

"I don't know, but I won't question it – not with the evidence I have."

"Where did she come from?"

At that question, Danzō reminisced about the last two years. He had gone to the village orphanage after receiving word from Nonō about a woman that had given up her newborn child moments after giving birth. His involvement with the orphanage was one of his many dark secrets. It wasn't the first time Nonō called him about a child, and it wouldn't be the last.

When he saw the baby firsthand, he didn't think much of it. Because she was born underweight with weak cries, he didn't think to seek out the woman who bore her. He didn't want a weakling in his division. It wasn't until she turned a year did, he becomes reinterested in her, and it was only because Nonō called him back.

The baby was unlike any Nonō had ever handled. She was developing so fast, too fast according to the former Root member. The child was still learning to speak verbally but was comprehensive in the basics of sign language. She knew how to count and identify colors and differentiate animals.

And another year later, here she was solving three-dimensional puzzles with promising traits that would fit someone of the shinobi lifestyle. He had grossly misjudged her then, but no longer. She was his now and he would do whatever it took to keep it that way.

"Her origin is of no importance."

"And the mother?"

The moment Danzō disregarded the child in question, he also disregarded the woman that birthed her. Too much time had passed and even with his resources and authority, there was no longer a trail to follow. After questioning the medics that worked that day, the only information he got was that the woman somehow made her way into the village under a false name and pretenses, gave birth, and left the village just as quickly as she came.

"The investigation is ongoing."

"And what do you need me to do?"

"She needs guidance and a proper upbringing." He wanted her raised by his ideals, standards, and morals. "Because of the duties that are tied with my position, I'm not able to do that. But you, Isao…" he stared at his soldier with a strong look of expectation. "… you are exactly who I need to make sure she will become the perfect shinobi. I am entrusting her – my future – to you: my strongest warrior."

Isao could only bow. "She will become everything you expect her to be."

"Don't disappoint me, Isao."

"I won't," he promised.

"From now on until your mission ends, you are Lee Norio. And she…" Danzō turned back to the two-way mirror to look at the girl once more. "… she will be your daughter: Lee Jai."

"Understood."

…

Norio looked at her pitiful form that was sprawled out on the floor in the middle of her room. A thick layer of perspiration developed over his body and matted her hair to her forehead as her body slowly evened out her breathing into something deeper and relaxed.

Genjutsu was her weakest skill, but not because she had no talent in it. Danzō wanted her weak-minded and weak-willed. "Easier to control", was what he said. Danzō wanted a weapon, which is what he was going to give him.

Two years had slowly gone by since he started the mission and her overall development was extraordinary and frightening to witness. He had to be cautious. With every new serum she was injected with, her skills and power would only grow. Making it only a matter of time before she quickly surpassed him.

'And even Danzō-sama'

Norio often wondered if there was a limit to it, or would it only continue to grow?

Her eyes started to flutter before they eventually closed as she let the exhaustion overtake her mind and body.

'She can never know who she really is'

When she came to, the ache in her head was unbearable and throbbing. The skin of her right cheek felt like it was going to rip when she slowly lifted her head from the hard floor; breaking the dried saliva that pooled around her. Her whole body was stiff and ached from her punishment and from falling asleep on her floor.

Still, in a daze, she managed to get herself up from the ground into an upright seated position to slowly take in her surroundings. She was in her room and was still wearing the same clothes as the day before.

It was a small room with neutral-colored walls that were barren and devoid of any type of decoration. The twin-sized bed was neatly made and was beneath the only window in the room. And, like the walls, her sheets and blanket were also in various neutral shades. An old, small desk stood across from the bed; the surface barely visible due to the many different sized books that were stacked on it.

After she shakily got on her feet, she left her bedroom to make her way to the small kitchen to get some water. With no sign of her father, it was safe to assume that he was either out and would return at some point or he had left for another mission. Either way, Jai paid no mind. It was a normal occurrence in their household.

She helped herself to four full glasses of water before she felt properly hydrated. After she washed and dried the cup, she returned to her room and grabbed a new set of clothes to change into after she finished bathing.

The sound of their front door sliding open indicated that Norio had come home.

"Jai," he called for her in his deep and firm tone.

She quickly emerged from her room to meet him at their small entryway of the house. "Yes?" Was he still mad at her? She swore to herself that if she ever came across Kakashi and his father again, she was just going to turn and go in the opposite direction because she didn't want to be punished again.

He looked at her with his usual strict expression. "I will allow you to interact with that Hatake boy." Because Danzō said it was okay… for now at least. Because she had unknowingly picked him to be her final test when the time came.

Jai's eyes widened in surprise. He was allowing her to have a friend?

"I have been told that he is a prodigy."

"I am not sure…" she said.

"Do not lose to him."

'No, not a friendship…'

His words were commanding and laced with warning.

'… a rivalry…'

She gave up her favored spot by the riverbank and spent more time in the library. Whatever she could do to keep herself from meeting Kakashi again, she did. Life before him was simpler, and she wanted to go back to it regardless that Norio allowed a relationship between her and Kakashi.

Why the sudden change of mind? Was she now in competition with the boy she never intended to meet? Why was it okay now after all this time? Many questions started to rise in her mind and didn't dare ask for answers.

She decided to distract herself. Which was why she was now standing in the middle of one of the village's training fields. Her focus today was practicing her handling with different weapons. After an hour of training with the staff, she traded it for a pair of sai.

Most of the weight was in the handles that were wrapped in brown strips of leather to allow for better gripping. Unlike the traditional sai, the main prong was forged to be a mini blade that was very sharp. A weapon that was normally balanced for both offensive and defensive maneuvers had now been altered to be used more offensively. With the length of the blade being longer than her entire arm, she knew this weapon would take her a little longer to master.

After twisting and turning it between her fingers, she started to go through the different styles of Taijutsu to determine which would be best to use with the sai.

"Bukijutsu training… interesting…"

When she looked over and she saw none other than Kakashi – the boy whom she gave up her normal routine to avoid him – standing nearby and observing the ground where her various weapons were scattered.

'Is this really happening now?'

She could only stare in shock and mild horror.

'Is he really standing there right now?'

"I also noticed that you changed your fighting style every time you changed weapons."

'Go away!'

The sai in her hands were thrown down to be embedded into the grown before her hands moved into a seal causing all the weapons to disappear into a puff of smoke. She scurried over towards him with her head lowered to grab her scroll from the ground but stopped when he did it for her.

"Sealing scroll…" he finally looked at her but instead of his usual impassive expression, there was curiosity that lit up his eyes. "… you're full of surprises, Jai."

She held out her hand. "Give that to me." She needed to leave.

"Did you do this yourself?" he asked as he continued to study the scroll.

"Yes, now please…" she emphasized her… was is agitation she was feeling? "… give that to me."

He was courteous and rolled it back up before finally handing it over. "Since you said "please"."

She hastily grabbed it and started to store it safely away.

"In a hurry today?"

"Yes, I have…" she stopped and tried to quickly think of something. "… a prior engagement…" she lied and she had a feeling that he knew it was a lie.

It was another coincidental meeting for them. He had come to practice some new Jutsus he learned and was just as surprised as she was when she saw him. It was only for a couple of minutes but after watching her, Kakashi wanted to spar with her. For weeks, his curiosity about Jai and her skills nagged the back of his mind. And after today, he was ready to satiate it.

"Let's spar," he said.

"We should not…"

"Why? Afraid I'll beat you?" He hoped to bait her to rile her up into impulsively agreeing.

"For your safety, Hatake-san, it would not be wise…"

His brows twitched in agitation from her words. "You don't even know what I'm capable of."

"I have no interest in finding out."

"Is this because of your father?"

She remembered when she told Kakashi about her father's thoughts on relationships. "He has made an exception."

"Then what's stopping you?"

A good question considering she didn't have an answer.

"Okay."

Kakashi was…

'Blown away… flabbergasted… astonished… amazed… overwhelmed…'

All of that and more. Jai was so much more than he thought. During their spar, the docile doll was replaced by a fierce warrior. She was focused and relentless, and every one of her strikes was intended to hurt.

All the times she told him how she would eventually be a kunoichi for the village wasn't just talk. She was well on her way to that path; a path that would lead to her goal sooner rather than later if she continued at the pace she was going.

Her form in Taijutsu was perfect and her knowledge of different styles was expansive. And then she did what her father was renowned for; she used her skill in Iryō Ninjutsu as a weapon. That was what made their spar suddenly end.

She had deliberately injured him which made him call for an immediate halt to their – what was supposed to be a friendly spar – aggressive altercation and glared.

"What the hell was that?!" His hand wrapped around his shoulder in comfort.

"Pardon?"

It was like a person switching masks. One moment she was baring a look of aggressive determination and then the next she had her usual indifferent expression as she stared at his crouched position.

"My shoulder!" he hissed when he tried to move it. "What did you do?!"

"I severed the muscle," she said in a matter-of-fact tone while keeping an emotionless face.

"Are you crazy? We're just sparring!"

"But…" Now she was confused. She had upset him and she wasn't sure why. "… this is how my father and I spar."

They both had different perspectives when it came to this. Was she supposed to apologize? She almost told him that he insisted upon it but thought better of it.

"We should not have done this," she said.

She should have stayed firm in her decision then left the moment she had her scroll in her hands. Deciding to go ahead and end the spar, she walked up to him and reached towards him with her left hand.

Involuntarily, he flinched and tried to away from her.

"Let me heal you."

Kakashi watched her every move with caution and alertness when the familiar green glow enshrouded her hand and she slowly lowered it to his shoulder. The pain was quickly receding as the muscle started to heal. When she was finished, she turned around and started to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

Her father was right: relationships are complicated. Life was simpler before she met Kakashi.

"But our spar-"
"We are not compatible, Hatake-san," she was looking back at him. "it would be best if we never did this again."

He offended her when he yelled at her. "Wait," he quickly got up to stop her from leaving. Before he realized it, he had grabbed her wrist. "look, clearly we've got different ideas of what a spar is. So, we'll just have to set some boundaries."

"Boundaries…" she mumbled and looked at his hand that was still gripping her wrist.

He quickly let go and took a step back. "Yeah, like not cutting me up. We're just testing ourselves against each other. This isn't a real fight."

Her father would say otherwise. She was relentless because he was relentless. He told her to treat every fight like her life depended on it because one day it would. The wise option would have been to just let this spar be their first and their last. But if she were, to be honest with herself, she liked having him as an opponent.

"Agreed, Jai?"

While she was lost in her thoughts, Kakashi had continued to talk and lay more boundaries and was waiting for her to either accept or reject the terms.

There was no denying that Kakashi was a worthy partner and there was much they could learn from each other; they could better each other.

"Agreed, Hatake-san."

"I think we're well past that," he said with a flick to her forehead. "call me Kakashi."

She winced and immediately rubbed the stinging skin. "Ka-ka-shi…" she said each syllable slowly as if she were trying it out.

Maybe… just maybe…

'Having a friend is not that complicated…'

It was strange at first for her: companionship. It was strange to talk – to have conversations that didn't revolve around the shinobi arts. It was strange for someone to ask her questions and for her opinions. It was strange for someone wanting to know her interests.

But the strangest thing of all was that she didn't have any answers or opinions because she was out of tune with the world that she lived in. She didn't have any interests or hobbies and saw no point in having a favorite color or food. She realized how strange it was for a human like her to be so inhuman.

But even with all the insecurities, Kakashi never judged her for it.

It was unwelcomed at first. Any type of change is. Then she realized that it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Companionship was…

'Nice'

They sparred together, aimlessly walked around the village together, and sometimes they just sat by the riverbank. She noticed that her days went by more quickly and realized that she was, indeed, lonely. But now she had something to look forward to. Her dull and colorless world was now a little brighter and warmer. And she allowed herself to fall into it.

She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She still looked the same on the outside but knew she wasn't the same on the inside.

A single knock from the door broke her from her thoughts.

"Let's go, Jai."

She exited the bathroom and met Norio at the entryway. Today they were going to the hospital; like they did every year on her birthday.

It didn't take long for them to reach the large building. Upon entering, she followed Norio to a part of the hospital that seemed more secluded and less busy than the rest of the building. They entered a private room where she would change into a hospital gown before sitting on the bed. From there, she would lay back as Norio attached wires all over her head and upper body.

Standing over her, he drew a vial's worth of her blood when three knocks sounded from the door. A nurse walked in with a small container in her hand.

"Lee-san, I was told to give this to you when you came in."

He was storing her blood away in the small refrigerator in the room. "Place it on the tray."

Even though she was laying down, she could see the container perfectly and her heartbeat started to increase. She knew what was going to happen next. Norio returned to her side and started to strap her body down to the bed before pushing a rubber mouthpiece into her mouth.

He opened the container to reveal a short glass bottle full of a cloudy pale liquid and started to fill up a syringe.

Another knock came from the door before it opened.

"I was not expecting you, sir," she heard her father say. Unfortunately, she couldn't see much with her head being strapped down.

"I was around and thought I would stop by and see for myself."

The voice was deep like her father's and even more commanding.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, I was just about to start."

Norio came back into her field of vision with a cotton ball in hand and wiped the crook of her elbow. Her body tensed as her mind braced for what was coming next. The sting of the syringe's needle was short and passing and it didn't compare to what she was going to feel next. Pain – intense, muscle contracting, and stiffening pain would soon course through her entire body. A minute went by before the serum started to take effect.

Her body seized and with some muscles twitching. Her jaw was tightly clenched and locked; her teeth digging deeply into the mouthpiece while her screams of pain were being muffled. Then her head started to violently shake from side-to-side until it was being stabilized by Norio's hands. The rapid beeping from the machines that monitored her heart rate and brain activity mixed with her cries of pain.

"I don't think her body can take it!" Norio yelled while looking at the screen of the heart monitor.

"She's made it this far! Give it a little more time!"

And just as quickly as it started, it stopped. Her body instantly relaxed and laid motionless on the bed with only the loud drawn-out beep from the ventilator making noise in the silent room. It didn't register a heartbeat.

Norio grabbed the large syringe and readied to jab it into her chest.

"Wait, Norio!"

He followed his superior's command and waited what felt like minutes but was only seconds. Then relief flooded over him when the heart monitor changed from the single long-drawn-out beep into multiple beeps.

A heartbeat. It wasn't steady, but it was there. Give it time and it would become even. Norio looked back to the monitors to check her vitals. "All signs are slowly stabilizing."

"Good. Make sure you take another vial of blood."

Danzō stepped up closer to the unconscious girl. "A fine asset she'll be. It won't be long now."

"Yes, sir."

"You've done well in raising her, Norio. Your assignment will be coming to an end. I trust you didn't get attached."

"Not at all."

"Good."

The older man took one more look at Jai before turning and exiting the room.

Three days went by before he decided to look for her. It was difficult and took some time, but after asking around he finally managed to figure out where she lived and made a point to stop by when Norio wasn't home – which was not difficult considering the man was a workaholic and spent more time outside of the village than in it.

The traditional house was small and primarily made of wood with a foundation made from stone and cement with a stone pathway that leads to the front shōji door. He heavily knocked three times and waited. A few moments later, the sound of slow footsteps pattering could be heard approaching.

The door slid open with a small gap then was quickly slid the rest of the way. Her purple eyes stared up at him with surprise.

"What are you doing here?"

"I haven't seen you around for a few days, so I came to check on you. Have you been sick?"

She certainly looked like it. Her fair skin looked pasty and there were dark shadows around her eyes.

"Yes…"

Truthfully, she was worse than sick. At the peak of it, she felt like she was going to die. It hurt to breathe and every muscle ached and throbbed whenever she attempted to move. It seemed like the fever would never break until it finally did the day before. And today, she felt that she was nearly back to her normal self.

"As you can see, I am fine, Kakashi-"

'GUUUUUR'

"Right," he sarcastically replied. "When did you last eat?"

A good question. She thought about it for a minute before replying. "Four days ago, but there is not any food in the house right now. So, I must go to the market to replenish our supply-"

Kakashi grabbed her wrist and started to drag her out of the house. "C'mon, we'll get you something."

"Kakashi, my basket. I need my basket-"
"No time for that. And we're not going to the market," he responded in his cool and even voice.

"What?"

"It's already late in the day. After shopping, prepping, and cooking, it'll be even later before you can eat."

"I have food pills to stabilize me."

"No. You just got over being sick, you're going to need something heartier than food pills."

"What are you suggesting?"

"You'll see."

Jai looked down at the steaming bowl of ramen in uncertainty before looking at Kakashi.

"What?" he asked.

"I…," she thought over what words she would use.

"You don't like ramen?"

"I have never had it to this… caliber…"

It was a large bowl that was filled and topped to the brim. Scallions, corn kernels, a halved boiled egg, and slices of pork that had been heavily marinated garnished the noodles that sat in the aromatic broth. Tonkotsu broth was what he suggested for her; a rich and lightly creamy broth made from the boiled bones of a pig. Her palette and senses were overwhelmed by the dish and the overall appearance intimidated her.

"You've never had ramen?"

"I have," in an almost indignant manner. "though it is usually just the noodles and plain broth…"

"Sounds bland. This is way better."

"I should not and I am certain this is not within my diet. The market is around the corner-"
"Just eat it, Jai. It's already made. Besides, if you don't it'll just go to waste."

She gave the bowl and its contents one more stare before she picked up the spoon. She slowly dipped the utensil and ladled some broth to bring to her lips. The hot broth washed over her taste buds with a smooth, savory, and balanced flavor. And it was delicious. The one sip of broth was the most flavorful thing she had ever tasted.

Soon after the first sip, she had separated a pair of chopsticks and moved onto trying the broth with some noodles and pieces of pork while making sure to get some scallions and corn kernels to make a perfect bite.

"Like it?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes," she said in between bites and sips.

She then noticed that his bowl was already empty after only about five minutes of receiving their food. When she looked at him, he sat by her in his usual calm, nonchalant demeanor with his mask perfectly in place – as if he hadn't touched his meal at all. It almost seemed like the ramen just instantly ended up in his stomach without having to go through the necessary acts of ingesting it.

"What?" he asked.

"You eat fast."

"Yeah," he casually responded and silently wondered if she was going to ask about his mask.

"If there is someplace you need to be, you do not have to wait for me."

Kakashi was taken aback in surprise by her lack of questioning over his eating habit and mask. He smirked, but no one could see it. "I wouldn't be sitting here if I had to be somewhere."

"I will eat quickly."

"What for?"

"You are just going to sit there while I eat?"

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No, but-"
"It's fine, Jai. It's just how I eat so, take your time." He noticed that she was already starting to look better – more energized – while eating the ramen.

A few more minutes went by before she finished. The bowl was empty, except for the small shallow puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl, and she felt better. She felt… bad – no, embarrassed because she failed to bring any money which resulted in Kakashi having to pay.

He waved it off. "It's fine. It's my fault for literally dragging you out of your house. You can just get it next time."

They were now aimlessly walking around the village. Sparring was out of the question considering her current physical state and that they had just finished eating.

"You said you were sick?"

"Yes…"

"With what?"

How was she supposed to answer that? She didn't know and was certain that she wasn't supposed to.

"I do not know," she lied. "perhaps it was a flu or a very bad cold."

He seemed to believe her since he didn't push it any further. He suddenly stopped walking when he noticed they were outside a wagashi shop.

"Wait for me," he said. "I'll be right back."

She did as she was told. After a couple of minutes, he walked out but was now carrying a small box.

"Here," he held it out for her to take and she complied. "I wasn't sure what you like, so I went with mitarashi dango."

"This is for me?" she asked in surprise and confusion.

"Yeah," he said.

"What for?"

"Your birthday passed… a few days ago, right?"

She was too stunned to properly respond. "Uh- y-yes…"

"And you were probably too sick for your father to do anything, and I'm just now seeing you so, this is your gift from me."

"A gift?" she peeked into the box and saw that it contained three skewers with three rounded balls of white dough that were covered in a dark sauce.

"What?" he asked when he couldn't figure out the look on her face. She looked at the bag in wonder and confusion. "You don't like it?"

She had reached into the bag and was now inspecting the dango. "It is not that… I have never had it…" She brought it closer and sniffed.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Yes, my father does not allow me to eat sweets."

His face fell. "First the ramen now dangos. What do you eat?" he let out a frustrated breath.

"My apologies," she had put the skewer back into the bag and held it out towards him. "but I cannot accept your gift."

"I can't exactly return it, Jai…" he sighed.

"You can eat it," she resolved. "you did pay for it."

"I'm not a fan of sweets and I'm not in the mood for dango right now… can't you just eat it?"

Jai quickly shook her head. "I have already broken my diet restrictions by eating the ramen-"

"Good point! Since you've already eaten the ramen, why not just eat the dango too?" He pushed the arm that was holding the bag back to her person.

"I cannot." She held the bag back out but this time tucked it under his arm.

Kakashi sighed and opened the folded over opening and grabbed one of the skewers. "We can share it," he suddenly suggested while grabbing another.

"Kakashi," she stated with a tone of finality. "I already told you that I-"
"Open up!"

Her mouth was suddenly filled with something round and sweet, causing her to choke on her words and missing air. It took her mind a moment to register what was happening, but when it did, she moved to shove Kakashi's hand away from her face. But he wasn't budging.

Now with no other choice left, she quickly chewed and swallowed the sweet doughy treat. The pressure of Kakashi's hand relented and she quickly shoved it away while grabbing the now barren skewer he had left in her mouth. Her face was flushed and contorted into an angry look, but Kakashi couldn't tell if it was out of frustration, embarrassment, or the momentary suffocation.

"Kakashi!" she coughed while trying to scold him.

"One for you," He said with a mouth full of dango while ignoring the look she had on her face, "and one for me…"

She threw the thin piece of wood at his head that he completely ignored. "Why did you do that?! I was choking! And I told you multiple times that I am not allowed to eat this!"

He couldn't help but laugh at her while she was yelling at him. It was amusing because it was the first time, he had ever seen her act so... animated. "Well, it's too late now. Did you at least like it?"

"Yes, it was delicious but that's beside the point-"
"Then you can have the last one since you liked it so much and because it's your gift."

He placed the last skewer in her hand then started walking again, all while ignoring her outburst.

"No- Kakashi!" Jai yelled after him.

She glared at his back and looked at the treat in her hand. The frustration that ran through her veins was a foreign feeling that she wasn't sure how to process.

"You comin'?" Kakashi called out over his shoulder to her.

She took a slow deep breath to calm herself down. "Yes…" she mumbled in defeat and ate the last dango skewer as she caught up with him. "… you are a bad influence…"

Another visit to the library meant another day of walking out of the large building with her arms full of books. But, unlike the other days, she couldn't sit and read at her favored spot. Her father was away and there were still chores that needed to be done before he returned.

As she made her way back home, she had to quickly side-step away when she sensed a presence quickly approaching from behind. Even though she attempted to move out of the way, their shoulders still collided and the books were now scattered on the ground.

While she was gathering her things, she couldn't help but question how she always ended up in this predicament.

"Oh, man! I'm sorry! I was in such a rush that I didn't even notice you!"

He was about her age with black hair that was short and a spiked style. Square shaped Goggles with orange lenses covered his eyes while the connected ear protectors hid the shell of his ears. When her eyes fell on the fan-shaped symbol on the back of his dark blue jacket, she immediately knew what he was.

'Uchiha'

He stood around the same height as Kakashi but unlike the Hatake, the Uchiha had a kind and innocent face.

"That's a lot of books…" he muttered around the lollipop stick that protruded from his lips. "I'll help you carry them."

"Uh- no – thank you…" Jai said as she made to grab the books from his hands.

"I insist. It's the least I can do for running into you."

"It is not necessarily. I am fine and you have already verbally apologized."
"You were walking in this direction, right? It's on the way to the park – which is where I'm going anyway." The Uchiha spoke over her and proceeded to walk.

"I am fine," Jai reiterated and made to grab her books again.

"Obito!"

Obito's expression brightened when he saw Rin running towards him.

"There you are!" Her cheeks were puffed and her narrowed eyes looked at him in slight agitation. "What are you doing? We're all waiting for you!"

"Sorry, Rin! I swear I was on the way, but I accidentally bumped into this kid here and knocked over some of his books!"

The brunette finally saw who Obito was referring to and realized who he had run into. "It's you… Jai, right?"

Jai nodded her head.

"I figured I would help him carry some of the books since we were both heading in the same direction, but then you showed up, Rin."

"I see," Rin said. "sorry about him," she smiled at Jai. "He can be clumsy sometimes. Honestly, I don't know what he'd do without me. By the way, Obito…"

"Yeah?"

"Jai is a girl."

The Uchiha's face flushed in embarrassment. "What?! You are?!"

Jai nodded again.

"G-Gomen! I didn't know! Your hair is so short and you don't dress like one-"
"Obito!" Rin cut him off before he could say anything else. "I'm sorry about him!"

"It is fine. Your confusion is understandable." Jai spoke in her even and monotone voice.

"And sorry again about earlier." An idea came to him and he quickly reached into his jacket pocket. "Here," He smiled a wide cheeky smile. "want one?" he asked while holding out a lollipop. "My neighbor gave me a handful of them."

"What is it?"

He and Rin giggled at her question but when her face remained the same, their eyes widened.

"You're seriously asking?" Obito asked.

"Yes."

"You don't know what a lollipop it?" Rin asked.

"I do not." Jai looked at it. it was round with a red plastic wrapper covering it before twisting together at the stem. "What is it?"

"It's a type of candy," Rin said.

"Candy…"

"Yeah, y'know… sweets…" Obito added.

The word sweet was all she needed to decline it. "No."

"No?"

"No," she said with a tone of finality.

"Is it the flavor? I've got others…" he hastily rummaged around his pockets.

"She doesn't eat sweets," Kakashi's voice startled Rin and Obito since they didn't notice his presence. "so, stop trying to force it down her throat."

With that last part spoken, he ignored Jai's bold eyes. She was remembering the day he had shoved the dango skewer down her throat – nearly choking her in the process.

Obito's face turned sour as he turned to look at Kakashi. "And how do you know?"

Rin silently wondered the same thing. How would Kakashi know? And more importantly, why would he know?

"And what are you doing here?!" Obito continued to snap.

"Looking for you two," Kakashi replied. He noticed that Obito was carrying books but after reading the spines he knew who they belonged to.

"Sorry, we're on our way," Rin apologized.

"Don't bother. Everyone got tired of waiting and ended up leaving."

Obito looked away in guilt.

"I see… well, how about we all do something instead?" Rin suggested.

Kakashi shrugged. "If you want."

"No," Jai bluntly replied before taking her books back from Obito. "I have to go."

"What?" Obito whined. "Why?"

"I am not allowed."

"Not allowed? What does that even mean?"

"Leave it, Obito," Kakashi said when Obito continued to bombard Jai with more and more questions. "She said she can't so, she can't. You don't need to know why." He rounded back to Jai and said, "see you later" before turning back to walk away in the other direction.

Jai followed Kakashi's actions after giving him a nod and started to walk away in the opposite direction. Obito and Rin looked from Kakashi and Jai in curiosity. Rin followed after Kakashi which caused Obito to follow Rin. Both had the girl named Jai on their minds. To Obito, curiosity formed. And to Rin, growing jealousy.

Six months had gone by since Kakashi was allowed to be in her life. In the beginning, it was strange and almost unwelcomed. But now, if she were to describe it, she would say that it was welcome and comforting. Even Sakumo was a nice change to her once monotonous life.

Friendship had weaseled its way into her life and changed her, and now it suddenly disappeared when Sakumo took his own life.

She had been away for two weeks on another monthly survival session when he did it. And after she completed it, another week went by before she saw Kakashi. The park with the playground she always walked by on her way home was where she coincidentally found him.

He was sitting on the ground with a faraway look in his eyes. She stood before him for a minute before he seemed to finally realize that she was there. He looked at her with a cold and empty stare then furrowed his brows.

"What do you want?" Like his stare, his tone was just as cold and harsh.

"I heard about your father," she started but didn't know how to continue. "I…" What was she supposed to say? What does one usually say regarding a situation like this?

"You're what? Sorry?" he rolled his eyes. "Do you even know what that means?"

"No…"

He scoffed. "Why are you here?"

"To see how you-"
"To see how I'm doing?"

"Yes, because I am your friend…"

He quickly got to his feet and made to leave. "Who needs those?" he walked by her without another glance. "Just leave me alone, Jai." His final words to her as he left alone in the empty park.