Disclaimer: Don't own the anime/manga this is based off of.

A/N: I apologize if this chapter is not up to par. It's a shopping chap and I'm not a clothing person. I just want to note that this specific story is going to have a couple of time-skips. Since I like the characters (never thought I'd become so attached to Sei and Kyu) I'll probably write other fics with them during the periods I skip over (will include missions, chuunin exam, jounin promotion, etc.) This is because I want to go from now all the way to Yondaime's fall and adding everything will make this a veeeerrrryy long story. So I promise to fill in the blanks with future fics when this one comes to an end.

Thanks for your reviews. They really do help me go on.

Since their meeting with the Hokage, the weeks seemed to fly by for Sei and Kyu. Living together was easier than most would have expected, but their comfort in each other's company only made sense. One had no one he could call family and the other had lost her memory of the past. Was it really wrong to for two children to console each other's pain?

The Hokage increased Sei's stipend to provide for two livelihoods and the boy used an advance to pay for an extra futon. It was a wasted investment since the girl snuck into his bed every night and snuggled close to him. Sei knew this would be a problem as they grew older, but was grateful for his ignorance as a child. He honestly did not mind having someone close by.

Sei also used his money to pay for equipment they would need for their academy days. The boy's small apartment was littered with scrolls, kunai, shuriken, first aid supplies, and other essentials for a shinobi. Sei sighed heavily and ran his hand through his blond hair when he thought about the life he had signed on for. Yet one glance of the reddish-brown haired girl smiling was enough to convince Sei that he had made the right choice.

Then there was the problem of buying Kyu new clothes. The only clothes she had were the ones she wore when Sei had found her. Since then, she had been wearing a combination of Tsunade's old outfits and some of Sei's clothing. Kyu once commented that she preferred the scent of Sei's shirts to that of the medic-nin. Sei was shocked by the remark and was thankful that Tsunade had not been around to hear it, since she would never let him live it down. He also realized he would have to teach Kyu about what was appropriate to say around others.

Back to the problem at hand. Sei needed to find a suitable outfit for Kyu to wear when she performed her duties as a shinobi. Unfortunately he knew next to nothing about what the kunoichi of village wore nor was he friendly with any of the girls his age. He had two options and he liked neither. Get the super-pervert's advice or the raving mad-woman's.

The first option would not have been his first choice, but fate seemed to enjoy tormenting the boy. As Sei walked with Kyu to find Tsunade, they came across Jiraiya trying to hit on three very attractive village women. The carefree toad-man was pulling out all the stunts, but it was clear that the woman were simply leading him on. Sei was prepared to ignore the situation, but the hormone-driven ninja had other ideas.

"Sei! Kyu! What a lovely surprise!" Jiraiya shouted in their direction. When it was clear he had their attention, he turned to face the women once again. "Let me introduce you ladies to my adorable niece and nephew. Aren't they cute?"

Sei could not believe how low the toad sannin had fallen. Did the man really lack any sense of dignity? What was even more unbelievable was the effect it had on the three girls. Awestruck by the power of the children's level of adorability, all three women began taking turns pinching and probing Sei and Kyu, ooing and awing as they went about it.

Jiraiya cleared his throat and put his plan into action. "It's sad really. My dear sister had to leave them in my care while she went off to find their father who went who know where. Now it's up to me alone to raise them the best way I can. Sure, the boy is an easy matter, but I'm afraid I just don't have the skills needed to raise a daughter properly. If only there were a woman in my life willing to be a good role-model…." His voice trailed off in preparation for a response.

There's no way a dirty trick like that can work, Sei thought. To his surprise all three of the women began fawning over Jiraiya, telling him how cruel his sister was for leaving the responsibility on his strong shoulders and promising to do everything they could to help him raise the girl into a splendid woman. Sei could not bring himself to think straight. Were all women this fickle? He turned to see how Kyu was responding and was frightened by the look in her crimson eyes.

Jiraiya should have been paying attention. He might have been able to diffuse the girl's anger immediately with a simple promise of a trip to Ichiraku. Unfortunately, he was too busy with his beauties to notice. Kyu was seething. It was bad enough that the gray haired man had not been keeping up with his promise of all the ramen she could eat, but she knew she had been used. Not only that her cheeks had once again been pinched…repeatedly…by three women…at the same time. There would be hell to pay, and Kyu intended to beat the man at his own game.

"Waaaahhhhh!" Kyu buried her head in Sei's chest as she cried loudly. The tears were real enough and she had the cheek-pinching women to thank for that. "I was so scared. I didn't like being alone in that nasty house. Wasn't it bad enough that mommy left to run off with daddy! I don't wanna clean anymore! My hands and feet hurt!" Kyu's hands were indeed dirty, but that was due to the weapons training the two of them had done earlier.

Everyone was speechless. The women that were huddling over Jiraiya had yet to formulate a thought, not quite sure what had just happened. Whatever came next would decide how the women would react and Jiraiya was at a loss for words. Sei on the other hand also resented being a tool and was eager to play along.

"You'll have to excuse my sister," Sei said with a sad look on his face. "She gets cranky when she hasn't eaten and there's no food around the house. Our uncle here was supposed to bring back food, but he hasn't been back for a long time." Almost as if on cue, Kyu's stomach growled. Sei fought desperately to keep his laugh from escaping.

Jiraiya on the other hand was not so fortunate. Having heard her stomach for the first time, he could not help but laugh so loud and hard that scared the surrounding people. The women were furious.

"How dare you laugh at that poor girl's suffering?" All three seemed to yell together. They then proceeded to beat the accomplished shinobi senselessly. When they were finished, they strutted away from their opponent and left, but not before hugging Kyu and offering their condolences.

Seeing as how Jiraiya was no longer conscious, Sei decided he needed to seek advice from Tsunade. She was indeed a better help than Jiraiya had been. They did, after all, enter a clothing store. However, Tsunade's taste in clothing conflicted with Kyu's and neither could come to a solution. Times like these made Sei very glad he was a guy and lacked any care for fashion.

The two girls were about to give up when Kyu caught site of a familiar face. Instinctively, her hands went to her cheeks as if they meant to protect them with all they possessed. That reaction alone was enough for Sei to figure it out, but he turned his head to make sure. Indeed, it was Koharu who had his friend in a panic.

The woman smiled at her ex-teammate's student asking if she was well and what she was doing with Sei and Kyu. As Tsunade explained their situation, Kyu relaxed and bravely brought her hands back to her side. Koharu laughed gingerly when the medic-nin had finished the explanation.

"I see," she said looking down at the dressy-type outfit Kyu was wearing. "Well it's no wonder you're having difficulty. Every woman dresses to suit their personality, and Kyu-chan is being dressed as if she were you!"

Koharu looked the girl over and thought deeply about their first encounter and how the girl had acted. Koharu remembered Kyu as a timid thing when they first met, but quickly realized that the girl was wild with strong convictions and had only kept them hidden because she did not want to cause a scene. She took Kyu's hand and led her to a different section. Koharu grabbed several items and then quickly shoved Kyu into a changing room.

Several minutes passed before Kyu came out. Sei's jaw dropped and Tsunade's hand closed it for him. Kyu was wearing a blood-red jacket-vest, zippered up half way, over a dark brown long sleeved shirt. The pants she wore were loose fitting and of a similar color to the shirt she wore. Her footwear was also heavy duty. If Kyu had been less attractive, most would have assumed her to be a boy by her clothing alone. However, the clothing only seemed to complement her features, both in beauty and fierceness.

Kyu smiled happily loving her new attire. Sei had thought what Koharu had said about clothes needing to match the personality was nothing but nonsense, but he had to admit that his judgment had been wrong. The deadly outfit she now wore seemed suited for Kyu.

"What's this?" he heard Koharu ask, snapping him out of his trance. He looked over at the older woman and his blood ran cold at what he was looking at. The same reaction could be seen on Tsunade's face.

Before she had changed into her new clothes, Kyu had been wearing one of Sei's loose sweaters. What Sei did not know was that underneath it Kyu had hidden her fox pelt. Apparently, when the girl changed clothing, she had tried to wrap the fur in the sweater she had changed out of, but a small section was sticking out and this was what had caught Koharu's attention.

Sei and Tsunade both tried to come up with explanations, but Kyu beat them to it with the truth. "This was the only thing Sei found me with when I almost drowned. I was hoping keeping it near me would help me remember something. People have been telling me that I shouldn't be seen with it since they might think it's a bad sign."

"Tell me, child. What do you think or feel when you look at it?" Koharu asked, holding the tan pelt in her hand.

"I feel sad for some reason, but I feel that it was given to me so that I remember something important." Kyu looked glum, but she had learned to hide her tears. "I don't know what I'm supposed to remember though."

Koharu patted the girl's head and smiled. She then took the fox pelt, wrapped it around her neck, and tucked the ends into the front half of the partially open vest. "Something so important shouldn't be kept hidden. The people who told you differently did so with good intentions, but you should be true to yourself."

Kyu's eyes began to water from Koharu's gesture and the words she had just heard. Unable to voice her gratitude, Kyu took the older woman's hands and placed them on her cheeks. She forced Koharu's fingers to pincher her cheeks, until the woman did so on her own. Knowing how much such a thing irritated Kyu, Sei and Tsunade were stunned. It was not until Kyu and Koharu began giggling did they feel comfortable to relax.

Sei sighed, glad the day had been a success. After saying goodbye to the two women, Kyu and Sei headed home, arms filled with the Kyu's shinobi outfit, as well as other things Koharu thought she would need. Tomorrow would definitely be interesting. Tomorrow, their academy days begin.