Chapter 2

Coming to Terms

Yui's heart sank. She had just been told that she would be sent away again and suddenly the small room she'd been held in didn't seem so bad. She wished she could go back to the single bed and sleep. Maybe she would wake up and realize this had all been a dream. She wished, but she knew this was reality and she wouldn't be waking to any relief. She didn't seem to notice at all that Hideki was still talking. He was telling her how and when it would happen but she sat on the floor infront of him completely out of it. The jounin behind her seemed to notice and as he walked forward to her Hideki realized what was going on. He waved the man away, standing from his chair behind the desk and walked around to get her up on her feet.

"I've got this under control Denma. I'll escort her myself", he told the jounin who then left closing the door behind him. "Yui..Yui" He couldn't seem to get her attention by calling her name so he knelt down in front of her and lifted her chin to see his eyes. Yui's soft green eyes looked nearly blank and he could see the bags forming under them. 'She has probably punished herself enough for the lesson to stick', he thought. "Yui I know you are upset but this is for the best. For you and the village."

Yui didn't reply. She wondered how he could even say that. Once again she would be sent away because of her kekkeigenkai. Would she ever find a place to accept her? Hideki could see right through her silence as if she were thinking out loud. He knew her well and he knew what would get through. He gave her a smile before standing and pulling her to her feet. "If you'll just trust me I know it will be better for you soon", he said pulling her into a hug. This was a side of him that was the sensei that Yui knew. He wasn't mean or emotionless at all but rather selective to whom he opened up. "So will you trust me", he asked and she shook her head yes against him. "Good. Now we need to go and collect your things."

Yui sighed as his arms retracted. She didn't want him to let go yet. There was no telling how long it would be before she got to see him again after all. Never the less she let him go and then followed close behind him as they made their way out of the building.

When they got to the door they could hear the large crowd that had gathered. "Stay close", her sensei told her and they made the last few steps out into the sun. It was nearly time for the sun to set and so not quite as bright as morning or mid day, but after being in her box for two days it was bright enough to hurt her eyes. It tool a minute for her eyes to adjust and as she rubbed at them with her hands she started to make out the scene before her. Many people from the village had gathered and formed what one might call a mob as they pushed at the few jounin and chuunin forming a barrier between them. They were yelling and pushing and calling her all sorts of names like monster or demon. Someone started to throw rocks at her but with really poor aim and then a kunai and several shuriken, all of which were caught by Hideki's sand. The tip of the kunai stuck through the thin sand wall and Yui felt alarmed. She took her eyes uneasily from the blade to look up at her sensei who seemed as calm and collect as ever. Or so one might think if they didn't know him. He was obviously agitated to her. The signs were small but they were there.

"Quiet", he yelled at the bustling crowd and suddenly everyone stopped to hear what he had to say. "She is to be transferred to another village. You have nothing more to do here. Leave. Everyone." As though they were the very sand that he controlled, the crowd split and like little grains drifting away in the wind, they were gone all but three.

"Look what that mutt did", yelled a woman and Yui felt compelled to peak around the protective wall. She knew that term. Kohaku had been the one to first start calling her that. "Look what she did to my son!" Yui's stomach dropped as she now knew for fact it was Kohaku's family. As she took in the sight of them the sand began to fall back down to the ground. Obviously the woman was his mother and the small girl was his sister. Was the man his father? He seemed rather quiet when compared to Kohaku's mother. "She should be sent to hell for what she did, not be given a new start!"

'A new start?', Yui thought. She hadn't looked at it like that. Maybe it wouldn't be all bad. She looked up to the woman who was marching up with a rolling pin in hand and thought to herself that maybe if the woman was able to get a hit on her she would feel better. Maybe it might somewhat make up for what she had done but as she started to take a step forward Hideki placed his hand on her shoulder and began to speak.

"What good do you think that will do", he began to diffuse the situation.

"Momma", the little girl pleaded as she ran up to cling on the woman. She was starting to cry. Hideki looked down to at the girl and felt her pain. She was scared both for her brother and her mother. She didn't need to see any more violence.

"Go to your son. You can only make things worse here", he told them with a firm but gentle voice.

Yui looked back to her sensei and he seemed to have gone from agitated to sad. Then her attention was caught as the man finally spoke. "Let's listen to him. Let's go check on Kohaku in the hospital." He seemed to be the more reasonable one in the family. The woman on the other hand was rash and brazen as she stood there obviously debating whether to let it go and leave.

"One day you will pay for what you have done", she said as she took the girl's hand and turned to leave. The woman spoke with such conviction in her voice that Yui couldn't help but believe her. One day she would pay an even worse price.

When the family finally left Hideki dismissed the other shinobi and without a word put his hand on Yui's back edging her to walk with him. Her thoughts were still caught up in the scene of the mob as they walked and it had been eating at her. She had to know just how much damage she had caused and so she asked. "Is he going to be ok?"

"Are you wanting a yes or a no?", Hideki asked watching to see how she would react. Yui stopped walking and looked up at him, her light green eyes full of worry and questions. That was all Hideki needed to see. "He will make a full recovery", he stated and looked away continuing to walk. "Had I not showed up when I did I believe we may have had two fresh graves to dig."

Yui breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a quick thank you. She was genuinely glad he had made it in time. She wondered if she would ever be able to apologize to Kohaku and then she recalled all the things he had said. 'Screw it', she decided, 'He was a jerk and he asked for it, besides he'll be thrilled to hear I've left the village.' But even as she thought the words she still felt guilty.

When they finally arrived at her apartment the place was in complete disarray. As she led him up the stairs they heard a thunk followed by a slosh and Yui ran up to see the door ajar. Pushing it open her heart sank as she took in the spilled pail of wet paint and her eyes followed up to see the word monster painted on the wall, still fresh and glistening. Of all the times she had been called a monster this would be the one she felt she actually deserved.

"Looks like they left through the window." Hideki gestured to the broken glass. As she looked over to him he knelt down to pick up her tattered backpack which laid atop a mound of shredded cloths. After a quick view he dropped it back onto the pile. "We'll stop by a store. I'll buy you the things you need before we go."

Yui was quick to protest. "But sensei I have some money saved up." She didn't much like to take charity. So she turned and walked to a shelf before soon realizing her savings jar was missing from it's usual spot. Perhaps she had been too quick. Of course if they would go through the trouble of tearing up all of her cloths and belongings they would be sure to take the money too.

Hideki placed his hand on her lowering head to reassure her. "Don't worry. Think of it as a going away present.. And if you must, you can pay me back the next time we meet." He threw the last line in just to cheer her up and it worked.

'We'll meet again', she focused her thoughts.

"Will you stay here while I go and get the things?", Hideki asked ruffling her hair before letting go. He had thought and it didn't seem wise to bring her along.

"Yes", she replied nodding her head a bit.

"What kind of cloths do you want me to get?" Hideki could probably have guessed but just in case he thought he might ask. He took another survey of the room as she thought about her options.

'This is supposed to be a new start so.. I guess I'll pick a new look when I get to the leaf village.' Having made her decision she looked over to her sensei. "T-shirt and pants will be fine."

"Black I presume." Hideki cracked a light smile as she nodded. "I'll be back soon. If anyone comes use your water to defend and restrain only. Do not attack." He added emphasis on the last part as he walked out the door. Yui stood there for a minute not knowing what to do. She did know that had she been anyone else there was no way Hideki sensei would leave them there alone. It would be even more trouble if she had tried to run but she had no desire to do so. Where could she go? She had no friends or family and no money to live off of. Besides staying offered her a chance to start over and at that moment it was the hope that kept her going.

With another look around the room she decided to see what she could salvage. The ground was littered with torn scrolls and cloth and even some shuriken and kunai. Those were definitely worth grabbing. She picked them up, neatly placing them on the counter in the kitchen, not even realizing that she was being watched.

She heard the glass at the window crunch under the pressure of the intruder's weight and turned just barely in time to dodge the kunai that swung for her head. She ducked and tried to call any nearby water to aid her but the man was too fast and had kicked her across the room and into the hard wall. It knocked the wind out of her but coughing she rose to her feet and managed to finally collect enough water to work with. The man glared from behind his bandaged mask and charged at her throwing punches and kicks. Yui did her best to block the attacks with her water but it was no good. The water she had wasn't ripe enough. It hadn't been soaked with her chakra and so it moved too slow, leaving her with near-miss dodges. Yui wasn't particularly great at taijutsu but it was obvious to her that her attacker was.

She felt a moment of relief when the kunai from his had got stuck in the wall but then she felt the pain of his fist connecting with her face. She fell to the ground and her water fell lifeless on the floor. "You think you're so tough and that you can get away with anything you want?", the man questioned with a deep angry voice. He had hit her good and dazed her. "I'll burn you alive just like you did to him." Now the man was practically yelling. Yui pushed up with all her might and jumped as fast as she could behind the kitchen counter. She felt the heat on her skin and could smell her singed hair.

'How do I get out of this?', she thought trying to recollect her water. 'Should I run? I'm no match for this guy.' She only had a moment to think but decided if she ran he would just follow her. He was faster than she was so there was no way to get away. She steeled herself, stopping her shaking hands and tried to come up with a plan. If she could just make it to Hideki then she would be safe. She would run after all.

"Come on out little demon", the man taunted. Yui jumped up grabbing a kunai and dashed for the bedroom. The man quickly took notice and chased with a kunai in hand. As he stabbed the blade deep into her back a cloud of white smoke exploded in the hallway and another Yui leapt up from behind the counter. She looked down the smoke filled hallway and caught a glimpse of the man. Even with only seeing his eyes she could make out that he was smiling before he too turned into a puff of smoke.

She knew exactly what this meant and as she looked to the window she felt his grip catch her by the throat. "You're not the only one who can make clones." She could hear his cocky smirk in the way he talked and as he readied his blade she closed her eyes tight fearing what came next.

She felt herself fall to the ground and then with a thud she felt the full weight of him fall onto her. She laid still, waiting to feel the pain of where she had been stabbed when a hand reached out and lifted her by the arm. Her eyes opened in surprise to see Hideki pulling her out from under the man and back to her feet. "Did I take too long?", he asked as if nothing had happened. She looked from Hideki to the man and then back to his gentle blue eyes before tackling him.

"Sense", she cried out "I knew for sure he was going to kill me but you saved me." She hugged him tight wishing she could explain how grateful she was.

His hand found the back of her head and he noticed what she already knew. "Yui your hair.."

"Is it that bad?", she asked as she let go, trying to pull it over her shoulder. At least she wasn't fond of it and besides it would grow back. She would had checked in the bathroom mirror but she already knew it would be smashed as well.

"Come." Hideki walked to the door and Yui followed behind him.

"Where are we going?" She looked back to the unconscious man wondering if it was ok to leave him.

"He'll be fine." Hideki had obviously seen right through her. "You can stay at my house tonight so that nothing happens." He handed her a new black backpack that was stuffed with supplies and motioned to the now cluttered pile of weapons on the counter. She had forgotten about them. Quickly she stuffed them into the bag and tossed it over her shoulder proceeding to the door for them to leave. With another glance at the unconscious man she felt uneasy.

"Sensei", she paused "Am I being transferred so you don't have to deal with me anymore?" They had just made it down the stairs and he looked back at her.

"Why would you think that?" he asked with a pained look. 'How can she not know how important she is to me' , he asked himself as if some inner voice would answer his thoughts.

"You're always gone or busy", she explained looking down to hide the tears that had formed in her eyes. Hideki was shocked both by the comment and her tears. Had he really been so absent in her life lately. He knew that had he not been late none of this would had happened like it had, but he never realized she had been hurting like this.

"I should have been there for you more", he started and now she understood why he had said he was sorry. "With your ability to control water you remind everyone of the past Kazekage, Gaara.. and of me when I was young." Hideki recalled how much trouble he had been when he was her age. He had by far earned his seclusion but she had done nothing when they started hating her. "They are just scared", he paused and then decided to speak his mind. "You should have gone to Konoha from the start."

Yui thought for a moment about his last line and it made her wonder. "Was it you who wanted me transferred?" Yui looked up at him and he looked away, starting to walk again.

"Yes", he told her as she trailed behind. "They wanted to imprison you and I couldn't let that happen. Konoha will be your fresh start, where people won't cower at your abilities." She thought it over as they walked and finally thanked him. He had given her a way out, a chance to start over. "Hurry up if you want me to fix your hair tonight", he waved for her to pick up the pace and so she sped up with a smile. What would she do without him?

When they got to his house Hideki let her in and went searching for a pair of scissors. "How much do you want me to cut? Just the burnt part?", he asked, rummaging through some drawers. She thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that it was more trouble than it was worth. She didn't care about having long hair and never bothered to mess with styling it. Something short would be a nice change of pace.

"Just cut it all", she said, reaching back to try to gauge the damage.

Hideki looked up at her having found the scissors. "Are you sure?", he asked with emphasis. He himself had long black hair that went down as far as the small of his back and was rather attached to his. Yui had long hair since she first came to the sand village and he wondered, if she was so unconcerned with it, why had she not just gotten it cut off before. But then he happened to think that in all the time he had known her, not once was her wild hair tamed and he chuckled to himself. He should had realized she didn't care about it.

He pulled out a chair and told her to sit. When he tried to run a brush through her tangle it started to snag. "Don't bother", she told him, reaching for his scissors and he obliged. As she reached back, grabbing a hand full of hair, he watched amused at how uneven her strokes were. When she said to cut it all off she meant it. By the time she returned his scissors she had already cut off the back nearly to the skin. The top of her head she had left untouched. "How does it look now?", she asked him and he had to stifle a laugh.

When he had composed himself she had turned to look at him and see why he hadn't answered. He gave her a playful smile before forming a sign with his hands and transforming into a perfect replica of her. He only wished he could had seen her face when he turned around but her voice was amusing enough to picture it.

"Can you fix it?", she stumbled to get the words out fast enough. Hideki was now highly entertained as he puffed back into his smiling self. "Don't smile sensei. Can you fix it or not?", she fussed.

"You've cut it too short for me to use the scissors but I might have a pair of clippers around here somewhere." As he walked off to find them Yui got a good look around. She had not been to Hideki's house in what seemed like forever. He was a very organized person. Everything in his house had a proper place, a habit that had rubbed off on Yui and so looking down she felt compelled to sweep up the mess. Her hair did not belong piled up on his floor.

She sat when she was finished waiting for Hideki to return. Soon he walked back in with clippers in hand. "Sensei why do you even have those when you keep your hair so long?" She was genuinely curious with her question and hadn't expected him to blush even the slightest bit that he had. It wasn't like him to get embarrassed and she figured he would never say why when he told her they belonged to a friend. That was the best answer she would get out of him and she knew it so the topic died as he started chipping away at the uneven mess.

"There", he proclaimed as he finished. Yui reached back to feel the fresh buzz cut he had given. It felt good against her fingertips and she liked the way he had left the top untouched to hang down over it. "Well?", he asked, waiting for her thoughts. Excitedly she turned around in her chair and with a big smile asked if he would get the sides too. After a few more minutes with the clippers, he brushed the trimmings off her shoulders and was officially done.

"I can't wait to see how it looks", she told him with a huge grin as she jumped out of the chair.

"Oh no you don't", Hideki warned her while reaching for the broom. "You're not going to track hair all through my house. Straight to the shower with you."

"Thankyou sensei", she replied politely as she grabbed the loop on top of her new bag.

"Leave it. I forgot to get you anything to sleep in so I'll just bring you something while you're cleaning up." He was dumping the dust pan into the trash now and with that she dropped the bag and left happily for the bathroom.

When she finished drying off she slid open the door that separated the bath and shower from the rest of the restroom. She smiled seeing that Hideki had brought her one of his longer shirts to sleep in. It seemed to fit just right as a sleep shirt, going down almost to her knees.

Hideki looked up from this paperwork and files as she walked back into the living room and he patted the couch beside him. When she sat down beside him he pulled a bag up from the floor and handed it to her. 'He got me a present?' Yui was surprised.

"It's nothing much but it's your birthday tomorrow and I've been wanting to get you something you would use", he explained as she reached in and pulled out a small gourd that had been painted with black, silver, and a dark grey-blue. She flipped it around in her hands admiring the smooth intricate pattern of paint. It was a wonderful gift and he was right, she would use it. It would help her greatly to carry water that was already infused with her chakra. Hideki carried similar gourds on either side of his waist that were sometimes replaced by a single large gourd turned on it's side and fixed to the back of his waist by a belt. Now she would have one of her own. "Do you like it?", he asked after a few moments.

Yui turned to him with a flushed face and a growing grin. She was feeling embarrassed by how happy the gift made her. "Thank you very much sensei! I love it!"

"I'm glad", he patted her on the head. "It's getting pretty late and we have a long journey tomorrow. You should probably get some sleep." He pointed to the bedroom and she could see he had already sat her bag next to the night stand.

"Where will you sleep sensei?"

"I have paperwork to do", he gestured to the stack of papers and files on the coffee table in front of him. "I'll take the couch when I'm done."

"Are you sure. You need to rest." He reached for the papers as if telling her that the topic was sorted. He wouldn't be changing his mind. So she went to the bedroom, picked up her bag, and started emptying the contents out onto the bed. She wasn't ready for bed and figured she may as well check to see what the bag, which now contained all of her belongings, had hidden in it. The assortment was pretty standard. It had clothes, ninja tools, tooth brush.. and then she saw the book. It was a simple black bound sketch book, still wrapped with a pencil and large eraser under the clear plastic. Quickly she repacked the bag and laid it back onto the floor.

Hideki smiled when he heard the crinkle of the plastic and knew she had found the book. It made him happy to know she wanted to open it right away. He figured she would find it later but now was just as well. Quietly she tiptoed back to the couch with her new sketchbook. "Not ready to sleep?", he asked her with a smile.

"Not yet", she replied, opening her book to sketch. As he continued to do his paperwork she started to draw him out on the page. His long black hair with just a bit falling over his left shoulder, his smiling lips, and then finally as she started to fall asleep she drew his focused eyes.

Hideki could tell she had gone to sleep as the scritching of her pencil came to a stop. After a while he looked over and sat his papers down. Surely by now she would be out cold. He took her book gently from her hands looking to see what she had drawn. She was very good at capturing the things she saw with her pencil and paper. Quietly he sat it on the table and proceeded to lift her as gentle as he could. As he started to lay her down she snuggled against him as if asking him not to let go.

Hideki blushed slightly. 'The hair makes her look like a boy', he thought as he pulled the covers up over her. Silently he fetched her sketch book and placed a fair bit of money and a note in the further back pages before setting it on the nightstand beside her. He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead wishing her good luck and she rolled over with a muffled grunt. 'I hope this new start goes better for you', he thought, patting her on the head before walking out for the night.