A/N: Chapter 5 is here (they'll reach the mission site soon, I promise). I wouldn't be surprised if this chapter gets edited once (or twice); it took me awhile to get going and I'm not sure if I really like the way it flows...but it's been finished for awhile so I thought I'd post it and move on. As always, reviews are welcome/appreciated.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5

"A Painful Reminder"

"Rest stop," Kintarou called, hopping down to the ground some thirty feet below.

Takeo and Kaori stopped their movements and leapt down to join him on the forest floor. It had been five days since the ANBU hopefuls had left Konoha. Traveling nearly without a break, the trio found themselves growing weary as the night wore on.

"Fine by me," Takeo replied, wiping his bandaged forearms across his glistening forehead.

"Me too," Kaori echoed. "There was a small inn a mile or so back along the road. Maybe we could head there and rest for the night."

"Good idea, Kaori-san," Kintarou nodded. "We've made good time so far and no doubt deserve the rest. I could use a freshly cooked meal, too."

"I just want to use the bath," Kaori sighed as she turned to follow Kintarou towards the inn.

"Right," Takeo yawned. "Far be it for Kaori-san to be a little dirty."

"Shut up, Takeo-kun," Kaori snapped, rubbing her exhausted eyes.

"Oi, easy Kaori,' Takeo replied. "I was just-"

"Kidding?" Kaori retorted. "I'm really sick of your stupid jokes and your constant teasing about how I look or about my personal life. Just stop it already."

"Kaori-san," Kintarou began. "I think we're all just tired from the journey. Why don't we just go-"

"No," Kaori responded, stamping her foot on the ground. "This has been bothering me for a long time, and I'm not going to stop until I've said what I have to say. You have no idea what it's like to have boys always ogling you, Takeo-kun. It can be a nightmare. And to have you always bring it up by teasing me makes it, well…much worse. I wish you'd just leave me be!"

Kintarou and Takeo both stood wordlessly as Kaori finished. The scowl on her face relaxed a little as she realized the uncomfortable silence she'd created. She glanced at Kintarou, who was doing everything he could to avoid her gaze, and then hesitantly over to Takeo. His face remained unchanged, displaying the same calm expression he always had. But his focused yet gentle eyes dropped as he replied.

"Fine, Kaori, I'll leave you alone for awhile," he said, turning away. "But don't just throw your anger and frustration all on me…for the things that you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she glared.

"Nothing," he sighed, hurriedly hopping back up among the tree branches. "I'll scout around for a bit and make sure our trail is clear, Kintarou."

Before Kintarou could respond, Takeo was again streaking through the forest canopy. Both Kintarou and a fuming Kaori followed the sounds of snapping twigs with their eyes until Takeo was no longer in range. Kintarou started to speak, but Kaori had already begun marching off towards the inn. When the two arrived at the cozy establishment, they were surprised to see several customers hanging about, happily drinking and laughing. While Kintarou spoke with the small elderly woman at the counter about a room, Kaori hastily grabbed a seat at the only open table. She plopped down onto the cracked wooden chair and rested her elbows on the scratched and worn surface of the wooden table. She sighed as she cupped her head in her hands, and blew a few wisps of hair out of her angry yet remorseful eyes.

"He just doesn't understand," she muttered to herself.

"Who doesn't understand what?" Kintarou asked as he took the seat across from her.

"Nobody…nothing," Kaori slowly answered." Did you get the rooms?"

"She only had one room available, Kaori-san," Kintarou replied.

"I see," Kaori nodded. "I know it's a lot to ask, Kintarou-kun, but would you mind letting me have it, just for awhile. My legs are really tired and I could really use a soft bed to rest in."

Kintarou smiled. "You don't have to turn on your charm, Kaori-san. I was going to suggest you take it anyway."

"Thank you, Kintarou-kun," Kaori said gratefully, her attention suddenly shifting towards the young children sitting beside them. "It's nice to have one polite man around."

"Don't be so harsh on Takeo," Kintarou frowned. "He didn't really mean anything by it. You and I both know that's just how he is."

"Hmph," Kaori responded, folding her arms and angrily turning in her seat. "Maybe, but that doesn't excuse his rude behavior. And what does he mean the things I do?"

Kaori crossed her left leg over her right and grumpily sat back in her chair. The kids nearby started talking as Kintarou hesitantly raised a hand.

"Well, to tell the truth, Kaori-san," he nervously smiled. "You do tend to, uh…use your charm to get men to…"

Kintarou's voice trailed off as he noticed Kaori intensely concentrating on the two children sitting a few feet away. A boy sat half-heartedly listening to the timid and nervous ramblings of a young girl. Kaori was blatantly staring, despite Kintarou's attempts to distract her gaze.

"And, um…" the pig-tailed girl stammered. "I just wanted to say that…um, I…um…I like you!"

She promptly covered her face in embarrassment.

"Oh," the dark-haired boy replied. "I like you too, I guess."

"Really?" the girl smiled, her lower lip trembling.

"Yeah," he continued. "I mean, as a friend…"

"Oh," she said solemnly, glancing at the floor.

"I mean, you're really nice and all," the boy offered before getting up to leave. "It's just that, you know…your sister is really pretty so I kind of like her."

The girl's eyes soon reddened and tears began to stream down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands. Unsure of what to do, the boy simply left her there alone to sit and cry. Kaori looked on with sadness, her gaze never straying from the little girl.

"Kaori-san?" Kintarou whispered.

Kaori didn't respond, a somber expression appearing across her face as she remembered that pain.

(FLASHBACK) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (FLASHBACK)

Her foot violently stomped on the ground, kicking up a wave of sand and debris. She lifted both arms out to her side and then, in a flash, thrust her palms into the cloud of dust.

"Doton: Nemurisuna no Jutsu! (Earth Element: Sleep Sand Technique)"

The millions of sand particles surrounding her hands began to glisten with a faint gold aura. Before the two shinobi surrounding her could react, she swiftly spun around in a small circle, guiding the chakra-laced sand into a large ring around her that hovered above her attackers. They had just enough time to glance up before the halo of sand rained down upon them. Though they tried to counterattack, the two could manage only a step or two before an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion swept over them. As the girl finished her spin, her two attackers fell face forward onto the ground, lost in a deep sleep.

"Hey, Kaori-chan!"

Turning at the sound of her name, the thin blonde-haired girl smiled at the group of Genin waving her over. She stepped over the two snoring boys and happily jogged over to meet them, the two short braids from her temples bouncing on her cheeks as her ponytail swayed from side to side.

"Hi, Megumi-chan," Kaori greeted the girl who had called out, a cheerful smile spread across her freckled face.

"Are you guys finished training yet?" Megumi snickered.

"Tsuno-kun and Yuji-kun are," Kaori laughed. "I guess that means Team 6 is, too."

"That was a pretty awesome move, Kaori-chan," a boy admired. "I've never seen an earth element Genjutsu technique…where'd you learn it?"

"Ah, well…" she stammered, nervously twirling a braid between her fingers. "Um, Kira taught it to me, Chozo-kun."

"Guess I should have figured that out," he smiled. "Does Kira-sensei have any cool moves she could show me?"

"Um…I'll have to ask," Kaori smiled sheepishly.

"Come on, Kaori-chan," Megumi pressed. "You wanted me to walk with you, right?"

"Oh, right," she nodded. "Um, I guess I'll see you later…er, I mean tomorrow Chozo-kun."

"Right," he grinned. "Oi, Megumi-chan. Don't forget about our training session tomorrow morning."

"I know," she replied, dragging Kaori away.

Kaori waved a quick goodbye to Chozo before turning and blending into the huddled mass heading away from the grassy training compound.

"Oi, Kaori-chan," a girl giggled softly. "We were just talking about your boyfriend."

A few of the other girls laughed.

"H-He's not my boyfriend," she retorted.

"She just wishes he was," Megumi whispered loudly, adjusting the glasses on her face.

"Megumi-chan!" Kaori snapped.

"What? Didn't you tell me yesterday you wanted Chozo-kun to ask you out," she teased.

Kaori's tanned cheeks blushed furiously as she fidgeted with her hands behind her back. The other girls giggled as Kaori stared with embarrassment at the dirt. The oversized short-sleeved robe that hung just below her hips flapped gently in the breeze.

"So…so what?" Kaori replied finally.

"I'm sorry, Kaori-chan," Megumi smiled apologetically. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Yeah," another girl added. "It's just that Chozo-kun is really, um, picky about girls."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaori questioned.

"Nothing," Megumi assured her.

As the afternoon came to a close, Kaori strayed from the group and headed off for home. With Megumi tagging along, Kaori enjoyed the chance to chat with her best friend. They hadn't had much time together since they both began practicing with their teams for the upcoming Chuunin Exams. Though only in their second year as Genin, both girls were confident in passing the exam and enjoying some well-deserved time off.

"Megumi-chan," Kaori started. "What did you guys mean about Chozo-kun being picky?"

"Kaori-chan," Megumi sighed.

"He's on your team," Kaori continued. "You're around him more than I am now, so if anyone would know it would be you."

Megumi shook her head. "Kaori-chan…they meant that Chozo-kun only goes out with certain kinds of girls…the prettiest girls…"

"Oh," Kaori replied with sadness. "So I'm not pretty enough…"

"Ah, Kaori-chan," Megumi smiled. "It's not that. Hey, you know Aiko-chan, right? She asked Chozo-kun out last week but he turned her down right away. Everyone knows how pretty she is, but he still turned her down. I…we just don't want you to get hurt."

Kaori stopped and stood thoughtfully, rubbing her navy sandals against the ground.

"Thanks," she replied. "But I've known Chozo-kun since we were little. We used to play together all the time at the Academy. So…so I'm not going to give up because of some bad rumors."

"There not rumors, Kaori-chan, it's-"

"I don't care," Kaori promptly responded. "I'll do whatever it takes to show Chozo-kun how much I love…I mean like him…"

"I don't know," Megumi sighed.

Minutes later, Kaori and Megumi said their goodbyes outside Kaori's home. As Kaori stepped inside and began to slip her sandals off, she spotted two men carrying large crates towards the back of the restaurant before heading into the kitchen.

"Just stack them with the others," a feminine voice ordered.

"Kira?"

"Oh, Kaori. When did you get home?"

"Just now," she answered. "Who are they?"

"I don't know," Kira snickered. "I met them at the market place, and they were kind enough to help me carry a few things home."

"You mean you flirted with them and made them do your chores for you," Kaori frowned.

Kira stuck her tongue out at her baby sister. "You make it sound so bad."

"I wish I could do that…" Kaori mumbled.

"What?" Kira asked.

"Um, it's nothing, Kira."

"Liar," Kira smiled. "Boy trouble?"

"Ah, no…it's…"

"Ha, I thought so," Kira nodded. "Is it Chozo-kun?"

"No, it's…yeah…" Kaori sighed.

"Well, good luck!" Kira cheerfully smiled, playfully patting Kaori on her head.

"R-Right," she stumbled.

Kira seductively pranced around in front of the two boys emerging from the kitchen, giggling and grinning from ear to ear. Kaori paused and couldn't help but shake her head as the two headed back outside, only to return minutes later with another heavy box in their hands. Both embarrassed and jealous over her sister's abilities, Kaori broodingly marched up the small set of stairs to her room. Throwing her knapsack on the floor, Kaori allowed herself to gently fall face first onto her bed. Burying her face in her pillow, she frantically bit her lower lip. After an hour of back-and-forth banter in her head, she hesitantly decided to wait until tomorrow to make her move. She was accompanying Megumi to her practice session in the morning anyway. If she and Chozo had the chance to be alone, she would definitely tell him.

After a night full of tossing and turning but absent of any semblance of sleep, Kaori found herself again walking alongside her best friend in the early hours just after dawn. Unusually quiet, Kaori and Megumi were soon standing around outside the Academy training grounds, waiting for the other members of Megumi's team. Before Kaori could mention her plan, Chozo and another boy appeared together on the horizon.

"G-Good morning, Chozo-kun," Kaori anxiously waved.

"Oh, hey, Kaori-chan," he yawned. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um…well, I …"

"I asked her to come," Megumi interjected. "I figured with four of us we could pair off and practice one on one."

"Ah, good idea," Chozo nodded. "Me and Ikkai then?"

"Actually, I was thinking me and Ikkai," Megumi replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "Kaori and I have practiced with each other too many times for it to be useful."

"Okay," Chozo nodded. "So Kaori-chan and I then?"

"Great," Kaori shouted, perhaps louder than she meant to reply.

Megumi winked at Kaori before turning and running over to her other teammate. As Chozo dropped his bag on the dew-soaked grass, Kaori stood anxiously fidgeting with her hands behind her back. She tried to suppress her nerves as she could feel her cheeks growing warm. She was sure her face must have been as red as the morning sun.

"Oi, Kaori-chan," Chozo said, waving a hand in front of her face. "You okay?"

"Oh…um, yeah Chozo-kun, I'm great…really great," she forcibly laughed.

Chozo looked at her oddly for a moment before shaking his head. He knelt and grabbed a handful of shuriken from his bag and placed them in the pouch at his waist. Standing, he turned and faced Kaori, who was still trying to maintain her composure.

"Ready?" Chozo asked her.

"Y-Yeah…r-ready," Kaori stumbled.

"You sure?" Chozo chuckled. "This is serious training, so I can't go easy on you."

'I know," Kaori nodded, reaching her slightly shaking hand into the holster bandaged around her thigh. "I won't either."

"Good," Chozo replied. "Whenever you're ready."

The words had barely escaped his lips before his hands shot forward. Stunned, Kaori's eyes frantically followed the two small orbs flying towards her. Hitting the ground a few yards in front of her, the tiny bombs erupted into a massive cloud of thick gray smoke. Kaori was blind to Chozo's movements. Before she could react, a shadow emerged from the cloud, brandishing a blade in its hand. Kaori cried out as she instinctively fell face first to the ground, avoiding the blow. Flipping over and then down upon her, Chozo ferociously drove his knee into Kaori's back. Her scream did little to dissuade his attack, as Chozo spun his kunai around his finger before clutching its short handle and bringing it down within inches of Kaori's trembling eyes.

"You obviously need work," he snickered.

Kaori crumpled her face in frustration. Digging her hands into the softened soil, she clutched at the earth beneath her and deftly flipped her long lanky legs up, knocking Chozo on the back of his head and distracting him long enough for her to fully somersault over and throw him completely off. Immediately, she sprang up and reached into her pouch. As Chozo regained his footing, several shuriken were flying right at his head.

"What am I doing?" Kaori shrieked to herself. "I don't want to scratch his face."

Luckily, Chozo swatted away the first few spinning projectiles before skillfully catching a pair in his off hand. He promptly tossed them back at Kaori, who leapt up out of the way. Gracefully, she latched onto the trunk of the tallest tree using chakra concentrated at her feet. Chozo was racing towards her, both hands drawn together behind his back before he released shuriken of his own. Pushing herself off from the tree trunk, Kaori narrowly escaped their razor-sharp teeth. She spun around as she landed solidly on the worn dirt, catching sight of Chozo again rushing towards her.

"I got him," she thought to herself.

The dust and debris that fluttered briefly in the air from her hard landing was soon aglow with chakra as Kaori's hands fused it into the cloud.

"But what if Chozo-kun gets upset with me for beating him," she quickly questioned herself. "How can I talk with him after this?"

Chozo, now only a few feet away, suddenly recognized Kaori's movements from the previous day. His eyes glanced upward at the sparkling sand rising above and around Kaori's head as both his fists shot forward.

"No, Chozo-kun would understand," Kaori argued against her own doubts. "He's…he said to fight serious…but what if I did beat him…would he…"

Kaori closed her eyes and grimaced, preparing for the pain. Her circular motion slowed slightly, leaving a gap in the sand halo. Through it came a charging Chozo, who thrust both fists into Kaori's midsection, knocking her back off her feet. She gasped as she crashed to the ground, landing awkwardly on her side. The faint taste of blood polluted her mouth, and Kaori was left struggling for air in between fighting back the gagging and crying. Relaxing his fists, Chozo jogged over and helped her to her feet.

"Almost had me," he smiled. "Guess I was quicker than you thought."

"Y-yeah…" Kaori coughed.

Taking a minute to retrieve her first aid supplies, Kaori collapsed to her knees in exhaustion.

"You sure you're okay, Kaori-chan?" Chozo asked.

Yeah," she nodded. "Thanks."

"Right," Chozo nodded. "Listen, maybe we should switch partners…I don't want to hurt you too bad."

"No," Kaori replied, violently shaking her head. "I want to be your partner, Chozo-kun."

"Huh?" Chozo responded.

"I, um…" Kaori stuttered, realizing what she had said. "I really like you, Chozo-kun. I always have, since we were kids and I…I just want to spend time with you and maybe…maybe go out together sometime…just us…"

"Oh," Chozo frowned slightly. "Um, I like you, too Kaori-chan. But, you know, as a friend."

Kaori's face dropped.

"I mean, you're nice and all, and have been pretty helpful since we were younger," Chozo continued. "But it's just that, you know…I'm kind of holding out for the really pretty girls."

Kaori's heart sank and she felt the pain inside her worsening. Her eyes began to tear up.

"Not that you're ugly or anything," Chozo quickly corrected. "I mean, you're sort of cute…but, I mean, your sister is really pretty. I guess if you looked more like Kira-sensei than maybe-"

The muffled sobs drowned out Chozo's final words as Kaori tearfully ran off. A speechless Chozo was left standing alone as Kaori ran away, the salty drops cascading down her cheeks. She clutched at her aching chest, unsure whether the pain was from Chozo's fists or his words. She ran past the few kids playing on the swing sets and headed into the nearly empty halls at the Academy. Sprinting down through the hallways, she inadvertently bounded headfirst into someone as she turned the corner.

"Hey, be careful – wait, Kaori? What's wrong?"

Kaori's sobbing face glanced up into the comforting eyes of her sister.

"Kira," she stumbled.

"I take it things with Chozo-kun didn't go so well," Kira said compassionately.

Kaori broke down completely and buried her head into her hands. Kira wrapped an arm around her neck and leaned her own head against Kaori's. After a few minutes, Kaori finally composed herself enough to recount the morning to her sister, who frowned when Kaori confessed to letting Chozo beat her.

"When I told him how I felt, he…he said that he was waiting for the really pretty girls," Kaori choked. "He said that if I…I looked more like you than he would…"

"Oh," Kira snorted. "Jerk…I'm sorry Kaori. But guys like that are jerks. Doesn't matter how old they are, I guess there are always a few."

"But he's right," Kaori solemnly replied. "If I looked more like you it wouldn't be-"

"Hey," Kira interrupted. "What are Mom and I always telling you? Wait a few years before getting all worked up over how you look, okay? You'll be surprised how much you'll change. Just make sure you don't let things like how you look go to your head."

"Like you do?" Kaori chuckled half-heartedly.

"Hey," Kira grinned, playfully tapping her sister on her head.

"Oi, Kira-sensei!" a voice interrupted.

(END FLASHBACK) -------------------------------------------------------------- (END FLASHBACK)

A warm, tender smile spread across Kaori's face as she fondly began remembering her talk with her sister.

"Kaori-san?" Kintarou repeated, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Ah," Kaori responded. "Kintarou-kun, I'm sorry. I was just thinking…"

"I noticed," he smiled. "Care to share you were so focused on?"

"Nope," she smiled.

"Anyway, it's nice to see you in a better mood," Kintarou grinned.

"Right," Kaori sheepishly replied. "Listen, thank you for the offer, but you can go ahead and have the room first, Kintarou-kun."

"Hm? Are you sure?" Kintarou asked.

Kaori nodded as she rose from her seat and walked over to the front door. She reached a hand out for the doorknob, but her fingertips clasped nothing but air as the door suddenly swung open. Kaori awkwardly stumbled forward and tried to brace herself for the fall, but almost immediately found herself caught in familiar hands.

"Ah, sorry Kaori," Takeo said. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she replied hesitantly. "Listen, um, Takeo-kun…"

"Right, right, I'll give you some space," he quickly replied.

"Actually, I…I wanted to apologize," Kaori admitted. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I was just tired and frustrated…"

"Don't worry about it," Takeo told her. "Sorry I keep teasing you about those things."

It's okay," Kaori smiled. "I know you only do it to remind me that I can get a little caught up with how I look…and that maybe I do take advantage of you boys too much."

"Actually, I do it to get back at you for tricking Kintarou and I into working at your family's restaurant during our first few missions together."

"What?" Kaori scowled.

"But also for your reasons," Takeo quickly added with a sly grin. "Even still, I'll try to lighten up a bit."

They shared a brief smile before Takeo hurried to the fire to warm himself

"Takeo-kun," Kaori chuckled softly. "Thank you…"

(FLASHBACK) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (FLASHBACK)

"Oi, Kira-sensei!" a voice interrupted.

Kaori and Kira turned to see a lean boy with a mop of messy brown hair approaching.

"Ah, Kira-sensei," he said. "We got a little worried when you didn't come back. Hokoji-sensei kind of messed up the technique you were trying to show him and…oh, sorry, I didn't know your sister was here."

"How'd you know she was my sister?" Kira giggled.

"I don't know. You look a lot alike, I guess" he replied.

Kira smiled as Kaori looked up.

"Thank you, Takeo-kun," Kira nodded.

"Eh? For what?"

"Nothing," Kira chuckled. "Tell Hokoji-san I'm on my way."

"Right."

The boy quickly ran back around the corner out of sight.

"Just wait, Kaori," Kira said. "Whether you grow into a beautiful woman or a plain and simple girl, the only thing that really matters is that you stay who you are. And when you do grow up, try not to get too caught up in shallow things like how you look, as I seem to, okay?"

Kaori nodded, the remnants of her tears drying on her cheeks.

(END FLASHBACK) -------------------------------------------------------------- (END FLASHBACK)

"I will, Kira," Kaori whispered softly, enjoying the crisp evening air for a few moments before finally returning to warmth inside the inn.