Let this chapter unfold…

The last week for perfection slowly passed by, but the trio still pushed on with their training. On the last three days, they even took yoga class, just like Kakashi had told them to. "It relaxes the body before a tense situation," he had said. "Who knows, maybe you can use the flexibility during your match."

On the last day after their afternoon training, the festival started. Everyone in Konoha rejoiced, but Taya opted out on the fun. She sat on her roof, staring at the lights of the festival. She sighed with a small smile. "Time is so challenging to deal with. It moves fast and slow at the same time…" She asked herself. She didn't expect someone to reply, but she got an answer anyway.

"It's because your restless inside, isn't it?" Kakashi appeared behind her. Taya didn't even bother to turn around, she just nodded her head. He sat down beside her and stared out at the festival. For a while he didn't say a word, but his presence made her more uncomfortable than she already was. "Don't be so tense. I know it'll be a big day tomorrow, but if you can't relax, you'll be stressed and fatigued for your fight," Kakashi said again. Taya still didn't say a word. He was not offended at all however; Kakashi knew that his daughter acted like this at times. All he could do was to leave and allow her to think, and that was what he did. Before he departed, he put his hand on her shoulder and whispered, "If there's something you want to do, work towards that dream. You have the potential to make it come true. Don't let anything stand in your way. I believe in you and I'll support you all the way." He stood up, stuck his hands in his pockets, and left.

"How come you know more about me than I know about myself…?" Taya said to herself. She didn't know what her dream was, or even if she had a dream. In her uncomfortable state, she found that if she didn't move around after a certain period of time, the feeling would be unbearable. She had been sitting and thinking for a while, so she decided to go down to the festival jus to check it out.

At the festival…

She walked the noisy street slowly, as if she was waiting to see if anything would happen. Something did happen. All of a sudden her eyes started burn. Her eyes watered so much that her palms were covered in tears. She stood to the side in the dark to find the problem, but she found nothing. Two hands tapped each of her shoulders. As a response she jerked and whirled around to see who it was. It didn't surprise her; Rinji and Kado were standing there with grins on their faces. She couldn't even sense them in her vulnerable state. Now she felt a little ashamed of herself.

"Whoa, that's like, the first time we ever scared you! Mission complete!" Kado joked.

Rinji knew better. "Something isn't right…" he thought to himself. He also noticed that her eyes were red. "Is something wrong, Taya?" his once grinning face turned into a worried one. "You're supposed to enjoy yourself at the Chuunin Festival…"

"I know, right?" Kado joined in, now worried as well.

Taya grew even more uncomfortable. She never had the ability to express herself to the two of them. "I can't tell them. They'll worry about me," She knew that if she worried them, it would affect their performance the next day. "I'm just excited about the main matches is all. You guys enjoy the festival, I have other things to take care of," Taya gave them a weak grin and disappeared.

"That girl has something else on her mind… I should go with her-" Rinji took and step forward before he stopped himself.

He thought back to what Kakashi had told him when Taya was gone delivering lunch over to Kado.

Flashback: "I've always been protecting her, watching over her. But this is the time where she's learning on her own. She's become lost in thought. At those times, leave her be. She won't be able to grow if you help her. Only act if she for some reason fails."

Rinji thought that was the cruelest thing to do, but he knew that Kakashi knew more about his daughter than Rinji knew about her. His body shook as she stood staring at the ground.

"Dude, you should go after her. Even I can tell she's not ok," Kado suggested.

"No. We're not going to do that. Just enjoy the rest of the festival," Rinji commanded as he brought his head up. He couldn't move; his body was still trembling. Kado gave him the "what-the-hell-I-thought-you-cared" face. This time Rinji ignored it. The two of them tried to have fun, but failed. They both went home early afterwards.

After Taya left, she just wandered around the village, not caring about what was going on around her. Her eyes were slightly blurry still as she spent hours taking the long way back home. After a while she decided to sleep without saying a word to her father. Not that it would matter; he was out at the festival anyway. She didn't know what that he was worrying about her. He couldn't enjoy the festival at all, but he pretended to. Taya's body felt heavy as she dragged herself into bed. She quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning…

The sunlight softly brushed against Taya's face. Before she got the chance to sit up, a hand gently stroked her cheek. As she started to shift forward, the hand withdrew. She sat up rubbing her eyes to see Kakashi kneeling at her bedside.

"Sometimes I wish… that your mother would be here… to see how much you've grown…" he sighed. Taya had her head down. She couldn't remember her mother at all. As she sighed, her father ruffled her hair and smiled. "That doesn't matter now; we can't do anything about it. Hurry up, alright?" Taya gave him a nod as he walked out the door. She willed her body to move, but it moved three times slower than she wanted it to. Her eyes at this point seemed fine, they were no longer burning. She urged herself onward.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Kakashi was preparing a special breakfast made for maximum energy. He hadn't fixed anything up like this in a long time; Taya never needed it. But this time, Taya came down the stairs, practically dragging her feet. The spinning shuriken that she held in her hand seemed to be a lot heavier.

"Well, aren't you peppy today?" Kakashi joked without a smile. She managed to sit down and start eating, but no thoughts were rushing in her head. She was like a zombie, ready to strike if needed. She ate like she normally ate, but this time; breakfast for the Hatake family was silent.

"Thank you… for breakfast. I'll be on my way now," Taya said as she stood up and left. After he knew that door was closed, Kakashi sighed. Even though he knew that she would be alright, he still worried. Then he thought back to Rinji. Kakashi knew that he was talented, but he probably wasn't good enough to make it to the top. He regretted not teaching Rinji more. "Well, there's nothing I can do now…" he thought as he left his house and made his way to the stadium.

At the Chuunin Stadium…

The team members promised each other to meet outside of the stadium to exchange some final words. They each carried the same thing they had brought with them form the second exam. There wasn't much to say since there was nothing to say. The three of them went ahead and used the Silent Communication Jutsu so hopefully they could help out each other during their matches. They watched the villagers one by one enter into the stadium to watch the main matches. There opponents were already inside, waiting for them. Kado could even hear them chuckling. Rinji glared at them through the corner of his eye. Taya smirked. "You guys have no idea what's in store for you…"

When the three of them stood in the center of the stadium for the Opening Ceremony, they saw the weapons that there enemies carried. There was a tall guy with swords at his sides, a frail but confident looking boy, and a girl who looked ready for action. They all wore headbands from the Village Hidden in the Grass. Taya could even hear them whispering amongst themselves over the roar of the crowd.

"Bah, those losers look like they got ran over by a boulder," Kado groaned.

"Shut up. You really have a bad habit of judging people before you fight them…" Rinji knew that was one of Kado's many bad qualities.

"Well, I hope you guys will cheer each other on. I know I will," Taya smiled.

The examiner (or judge, in this case) explained the regulations. "The main matches only have a few rules. This year will be a bit different. If we find you interesting, then we'll ask you to fight in one more match. It doesn't matter if you win or lose, but if you lose and are unable to fight, that'll be all form you. Try to restrain from killing. I'll stop the match if it's necessary. Understood?" she used a firm voice that almost scared them. Each of them nodded. "Up first is… Rinji versus Ken. The two of you stay here, the rest of you head up to the waiting area.

"Good luck, Rinji," Taya gave hime one last smile.

"Looking forward to seeing your match man!" Kado cheered as he walked with Taya off the fighting ground.

Rinji faced his opponent, who had his hands ready to draw his swords. His hair was dark blue with brown eyes. Rinji could see that his body frame was a bit bigger than his own. "I believe in myself…"

This chapter… it ends here…