Sasuke sighed heavily. This was the first time in a while that he had slept in his own bed. It felt a bit strange—so strange that he had trouble getting to sleep. Dark eyes stared up at his ceiling. If it was going to be like this, maybe he should consider moving out of his former home. He had considered it before. After the massacre took place. However, he could not bring himself to do it. He had been filled with so much hatred and sadness. He had willingly wanted a reminder of what happened that night as to not forget what he must do. There had been a time when the Third Hokage wanted him to leave this place. The old man had believed staying here would negatively affect his mind. He had been completely right.

In fact, the nightmares had not stopped until Mayu had forced her way into his home. Back when she had looked very much like a dark-skinned Hyuga Hinata. Sasuke found himself smirking. That girl had complained about his way of living, saying that his home had been as dark and depressing as he had been. She had said those things to his face. Admittedly, he had changed a few things after she had ranted at him. He must have cared about her opinion even back then. He wondered when that had changed to romantic inclination.

The young Uchiha finally shut his eyes. It did not matter when it had happened, only that it had. It was unfortunate that things had turned out the way they did, though. He had read a bizarre thing before. Distance could make the heart grow fonder. But, in the end, he was the only one to experience something like that. Mayu had forgotten his confession. She had become unaware of the memories they shared. Unfair. It was unfair. Though, he most likely was not the only one to feel this. He was not the only one to lose her. Hyuga Hinata was Mayu's best friend. She must have felt hurt, too. Sasuke sighed through his nose. Still, since it was Mayu, he did not want to get rid of his selfish way of thinking.

"Sasuke." The voice seemed to have come from nowhere, and yet it sounded so close. He opened his eyes to see blue irises staring back at him. Mayu was hovering over his covered form. The young Uchiha frowned, lowering his eyelids. She smirked, clicking her tongue. "What a dull reaction you had. Naruto usually screams like a little girl."

"How long are you going to keep doing this?" Sasuke asked. "It's annoying. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Apparently, my job of watching you doesn't stop when the moon appears. Then again, criminals do tend to become more active at night. If you are still working for Orochimaru, I'll definitely catch you in the act."

"You don't trust me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Understandable, really, but… it still grated on his nerves. Instead of responding to his question, she placed her hands on either side of his head. "Mayu…" Suddenly become conscious of their positions, the young shinobi's cheeks grew hotter. He realized that she was not wearing her hair in a high ponytail at the moment. Now, her hair, pulled into a low ponytail, hung over her left shoulder. "Kiss me." Despite the unplanned demand—Sasuke could feel his cheeks grow warmer, wondering where this boldness had come come—Mayu did not seem the least bit surprised. She lowered herself until her lips were centimeters away.

"Which? Kiss you as your precious friend? Or kiss you as your lover?" Mayu asked. "Which?"

"Both." Admittedly, he had always been bitter that Mayu had chosen Gaara over him in the invasion. Sasuke wanted to be the person she would always choose. No matter what. It was unlikely since the person in question happened to be Ishikari Mayu. She did not have a one-track mind. He sat up, forcing the girl to straddle his lap. The thin fabric separated them still. "I want both." Mayu chuckled lightly, smiling. Her hands touched his shoulders.

"You're so greedy, Sasuke," she whispered. Her head tilted to the side, breath stroking his ear. He did not shudder until she pressed her lips against his earlobe. She then slowly trailed kisses along his jaw until she came to a stop at the corner of his lips. The kunoichi grinned, crossing her arms around his neck. "But I cannot give the second kiss."

"Why?" His hands gripped her upper arms. Dark eyes bore into her blue ones. Still, she continued to smile. Sasuke's hold slackened. "It's because… you don't like me like I like you."

"I wonder if I like you at all right now," Mayu said. She smiled again, showing her teeth. "I'm sure I only see you as nothing more than a potential friend. That won't change until you do something about it."

"Do something about it?" Sasuke repeated. "This… This is a dream."

"Your mental capabilities kinda rival my own."

"Damn it."

Sasuke's eyes shot open as he sat up. He looked around his darkened room. He was alone. A heavy sigh came forth. His hand reached up, fingers pressing against his forehead. This was strange. He was Uchiha Sasuke. Most of this life, things had been handed to him. If not, he would find a way to obtain what he wanted. Jutsu, strong opponents, equipment, money—eventually, what he wanted had come to him without much effort. Mayu was different. She was not normal, nor was she an object to just give away and receive. For the first time in a long time, he would have to work hard. A smirk appeared despite the thought. He had never liked how easy things came to him, anyway. The rewards were so much more gratifying when great effort was exerted. Just like when he was finally able to perform that jutsu in front of his father, his pride would swell when Mayu fell for him. As a child, he had been hesitant, even in denial, about his feelings for the girl. However, years had passed, and things had changed. He was not a child anymore. And neither was she. A grinning image of Mayu appeared in his mind. Sasuke shut his eyes. This time around, he would not deny or hesitate. Holding back—this time, things would be different. Then a thought occurred to him.

How the hell did you woo a girl, anyway?

0-0

Mayu glanced at the Uchiha, walking beside her. He had remained quiet after greeting the rest of them. Sai, too, had become quiet after greetings. The kunoichi scratched her cheek. Perhaps the atmosphere was a bit awkward. Naruto wasn't with them now to break the ice either. At the moment, he was training with Kakashi and Yamato. It was special training that only someone like him could do. This had been explained yesterday while they were visiting Kakashi in the hospital. Naruto had jumped at the chance to get stronger, so it would just be the three of them. Now that she thought about it, it was more than a little awkward. It didn't help any that people stared as they made their way through the streets of the Leaf village.

Well, the treacherous ninja had suddenly returned home. It was no wonder why citizens and ninja alike stared. Could Sasuke be uncomfortable, or did he even care? Admittedly, she was still confused about the whole thing. Well, not confused. More like, she was still in transition. She imagined that everyone would be like that for some time due to the Uchiha's presence. "But… I'm his precious friend, right? I should try to make him feel comfortable, shouldn't I?" she thought. The kunoichi then glanced at Sai, whom was on her left side. "But being on a team where two people are similar… Will I be okay with them without Naruto?"

Before she knew it, they were standing outside the Hokage's office. Neither one of her teammates looked as though they were going to open the door, so Mayu took the initiative to knock. Tsunade's voice came from within, telling her that it was okay to enter. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see two other people in the room as well. She recognized them as Tenten and Neji, half of Team Gai. The other half wasn't there to her disappointment. She rather liked Lee. "Good, you're here." As usual, Tsunade sat behind her desk. The three walked into the office and stood beside the two who were already there. "As you've probably already noticed, both teams are missing members. Since that is the case, I am, for this mission, combining the two teams. Work well with each other. This is important."

"Important…?" Tenten repeated. "How so?"

"The client happens to be someone who donates to the Leaf village. The donation to our economy is smaller than most, but a donation is a donation. Our client is to be treated with respect. This is their first time in the Leaf village."

"May we ask the reason?" Sai spoke.

"You may ask yourself. They should arrive any moment now." As if on cue, there came a knocking at the door. After Tsunade gave the go ahead, the door opened. Three people made an entrance. The one in the middle was shorter than the other two. The person dressed in all black, form-fitting clothes, showing that she was female. However, she wore a black and red porcelain mask, hiding her identity. The whole mask looked like the yin yang symbol with slits where the eyes should be. The men behind her wore black suits and black sunglasses.

Mayu tilted her head to the side, examining. She didn't know why, but they seemed familiar. She couldn't put her finger on it, though. It was probably nothing to be concerned about. A squeal coming from her left snapped her out of her thoughts anyway. The squeal had come from Tenten and had gathered everyone else's attention as well. Her hands clasped together in front of her. Sparkles seemed to appear around the older kunoichi. "I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. "It's Mine-chan!"

"Mi… Ne?" Mayu murmured. "Who?"

"How could you not know?!" Tenten questioned, equipped with a scoff. Mayu's expression turned sour. "She became super popular a year ago when she came out with two singles. 'On Top' and 'Going Down' were so awesome!"

"So, she's a singer?" Neji crossed his arms. "I have no interests in those types of things." Tenten glowered at her teammate. He remained as stoic as usual despite the fact.

"Anyway, I heard she was coming out with an entire album this year! Oh my gosh!" She let out another squeal. "I'm so excited to meet you!"

"Thank you," the girl finally spoke. "I had no idea that my music expanded into the ninja world." She gave a humble bow. "Please take care of me." She lifted her upper body and gestured towards the man behind her. "This is my manager." She then gestured towards the shorter man. "He is my stylist."

"Stylist…? But you always wear the same outfit when you make public appearances," Tenten stated.

"That is because I plan to reveal my face in my music video for 'On Top,' which is debuting tonight. It's going to be a big deal, according to my company," Mine stated. "While I'm in this village, I hope you ninja won't mind if I use you for my safety and my benefit. You can do whatever until my video debut, but from then on, I'm counting on you."

0-0

She had not been expecting this. This situation irritated her a bit. Her desire had been to see the star of the show, not major side characters. Even then, there was no Rock Lee in sight. Apparently, he and his mentor, Gai, had gone to the mountains to train. That meant that she wouldn't be seeing either of them any time soon. Mentally, the masked teen sighed. There was always the other part of the plan, but… she had been looking forward to meeting her idol. It was a shame, indeed. For now, she would have to make do with these other people. Sai. Uchiha Sasuke. Tenten. Hyuga Neji. And Mary-sue.

Mine shook her head as she watched the dark skin kunoichi try her best to irritate Hyuga Neji. For a long time, she was a fan of Naruto. She knew, absolutely knew, that this chick wasn't a part of the cast. She didn't appear to be a filler character either since she seemed close. Also, what Zetsu had said regarding Uchiha Sasuke returning to the village… this Ishikari Mayu had to be Mary-sue! Mine scoffed as she continued to stare down the perfect character. As Kishimoto-sama as her witness, she would expose and dispose of the character that spoiled the plot.

Mayu suddenly flinched, feeling a shiver go up her spine. She rubbed the back of her neck and glanced around. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Well, except the place. She never thought she would have a mission, involving going to the movie theater. The mysterious idol, Mine, had led her bodyguards to this place. According to Tenten, who was apparently a die-hard fan, she had been preparing for this video after she had released her second single. She masked teen had spent a year working on the video and album. Still, Tenten did not know the name of the album, so she was just as excited as the rest of the people gathered. The kunoichi turned away from the impassive Hyuga, bored that he had no reaction to anything she did. Mayu glanced at her own teammate. He sat down with his back against a wall, giving off an unapproachable aura. His blank stare was a bit unnerving. At least Neji frowned. It was tedious to look after an idol, after all. Sai didn't seem to mind, though. Then again, he always smiled.

Right now, many people were fussing over the masked teen, having whispered conversations, so they had nothing better to do than to watch. Sai and Tenten were currently on the other side of the many rows of seats, surveying the area. Well, Sai was doing that. Tenten seemed to be trying to figure out which of the fans was the real idol. About half of them were dressed in a similar fashion. Mayu ditched the silent Hyuga and made her way over to Sasuke. "This is your fault, you know," she told him. He merely glanced her way. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be kicking ass right now." He chuckled. He chuckled! Mayu grinned. For some reason, that made her feel good. The kunoichi scratched her cheek, looking away from the Uchiha. She supposed that they had been close then. "But really…" She nudged him with her elbow. "How long are you supposed to be on probation, anyway? I really don't want to get used to this."

"You'll have to deal with it," Sasuke replied. "It's part of our job."

"Yeah. So is painting fences and pulling weeds," Mayu retorted. The corner of her lips dropped. "Hey… When it's a better time… I have something to tell you."

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"Because it's personal. I don't want a lot of people knowing about it. But… it involves you kinda, so I think I should tell you."

"Hm… I look forward to it."

"I wonder if you'll have that outlook once I tell you."

Dark eyes slid over in her direction, yet Mayu kept her focus ahead. She made it sound so ominous. Whatever she had to tell him, would his reaction be that bad? Mayu seemed to think it would be. Sasuke could not even begin to imagine what she could have to tell them. For nearly three years, they had been separated. In that time, she had lost her memories of him. She did not know him, and yet whatever she wanted to speak with him about had to do with him... 'kinda.' However, before he could question his teammate further, the event seemed ready to start. The crowd grew more excited when the theater became dark.

The sound of film rolling was heard even over the excited drone of fans. The white screen became black, leaving the entire auditorium in the dark. As quickly as it had come, the darkness—some of it—left due to the screen projecting an image of the idol everyone came to see. Cheers came forth from the crowd. The masked teen bowed her head before speaking. "Hello, everyone!" She waved with two hands. "It's me, Mine-chan!" The black-clad female raised her arm, holding her hand up in a gun pose, other hand holding her bicep. "Bang…!" Blue eyes narrowed, watching the screen. Had she just used… English? The image froze her pose. Sparkles and red petals appeared. The image's hue also became pinkish. In addition to that, 'Mine' appeared at the bottom of the screen. The cheers increased ten-fold.

"MINE-CHAN! MINE-CHAN, I LOVE YOU!"

"SHOT ME THROUGH THE HEART~!"

Mayu stared blankly at the screen. She was popular, after all, wasn't she? It was strange that she was even though she wore a mask. Perhaps she should have gotten more information on her client before coming to this place. The film unfroze. "Thank you so much for supporting me this whole time! It means a lot to me. As a treat, I will show you a song that made me popular in my earlier days of entertaining. I hope you enjoy." With an unnecessary drum roll, the masked idol's image faded. In its place was another crowd of people. They were smaller, but still a crowd. People clapped their hands to the same rhythm. Then the music started. A few seconds later, her voice was heard. "We… are…"

"FIGHTING DREAMERS!"

Mayu's mouth dropped open in surprise. That had definitely been English. "Just who is this girl?" Mayu thought, eyes wide. How did a random idol know how to speak a different language? And what's more, the crowd of people in the video knew it. Most likely, they didn't understand what they sang along with, but they knew the words, which meant they had been exposed to the song many times. Wait a minute… This song… She knew it, herself, though it was in English. If possible, her mouth would have dropped further. No way… She had no idea who this girl was, but she was definitely, definitely a Narutard. But what was she doing here? How did she even get here? What was her identity?

Nearby, Hyuga Neji had similar thoughts. Up to the point, he hadn't really been paying attention. He could be doing so many other things, after all. It had only been when he had heard that strange word had he finally look towards the screen. As more strange words entered his ears, he couldn't help but think he had heard them somewhere before. That shouldn't be possible. He didn't know of this person's career. "Ah… Could it be that I've heard Tenten humming one of this person's songs in the past?" he thought. That seemed likely. Multiple times, his teammate had tried to meditate with him. In the end, though, she had always gotten bored and had begun humming. Still, even with that logical explanation, Neji found himself intrigued.

The video ended, and then transitioned back to the masked teen. However, she sat differently. Before, the girl had been sitting with her back straight. Now, she was hunched over, elbows on her knees. "You like that? That was a song I performed back in the day when I was called Choko-chan." Even her voice and manner of speaking had changed. "If you haven't already guessed, this yo girl, Yasu. Make some noise for me." She extended her arm, both hands clenched into fists. Like before, the image froze. This time though, the colors were inverted. 'Yasu' appeared underneath the masked teen. As she commanded, the theater burst into cheers and applause. The picture unfroze again after a mere two seconds. "Jealous? You should be. Those people are the only ones who know what my face looks like. But don't worry. You'll be seeing my face soon enough. And you'll like it!"

"YASU~! SO COOL!"

"Until then, enjoy something my company has put together for you, with and without my permission."

Her last statement generated laughs as her face disappeared. For the next thirty to forty minutes, something akin to a documentary was shown. Mostly, it was people, who worked with the mysterious teen, giving their opinions in a comedic fashion. Other times, it turned serious and her sempai and kouhai alike stated that they didn't know too much about her. They had said the mask gave her an unapproachable feeling, so it wasn't a surprise that she didn't have friends within the company. Despite that, the documentary showed many clips of the masked teen working hard on either singing or choreography. Some of the other idols in the company looked forward to seeing her face, though the prettier ones worried if she might be prettier than they were.

Neji inaudibly sighed, shaking his head. He would never understand this type of world. However, what he could understand that this idol had two personalities. Though they had never seen her face, the people that gave their opinions of her had stated that they were there when she had suddenly switched from Mine to Yasu or vice versa, which had scared them a bit. The Hyuga recalled Tenten had told him about it before after they received the mission to protect her. Apparently, it had been something that made her popular. According to his teammate, Mine was the pop star and behaved politely, while Yasu was the rap star who had the danced skills. The combination in one person had added to the appeal, along with being mysterious. Perhaps the president of this company was a great image maker? Finally, it was time for the main event. The music video that everyone came to see, along with the big reveal of Mine/Yasu's identity.

Everyone's telling me

I should be

Somebody I don't wanna be

The video went on, opening with several young girls playing with toys. However, their toys were snatched away from them because of what they were. For example, one girl played with a toy syringe and wore a white coat, looking very much like doctor. Another child played with a toy sword. These items were snatched away by an unknown person. The unknown person then pointed to more 'appropriate' toys, which were dresses, teddy bears, baby dolls—more girly things. All that happened in slow motion.

I feel you watching my

Every move

The pressure's coming down on me

I'm much more than the girl next door you see

The young girls suddenly stood up, running out of the room they were in. They ran down a hallway in slow motion. The camera caught their front, back, and sides as they moved. Finally, they stopped in front of a large staircase. They exchanged looks, and then began to climb.

Don't you tell me what to do

Gonna make my decisions on my own

Are you ready?

Cuz I'm ready to move up!

The music video went on, almost randomly switching from the girls to the dancing scenes as the words flooded the theater. Many fans sang along. Neji subtly triggered his advanced bloodline to scan the audience. His client was still seating in the crowd, pretending to be a fan as well. It was an added precaution in case the big revealed caused a riot. His client suddenly clasped her hands together. His eyes looked back at the screen. Her sudden anxiousness meant that the reveal was coming up now.

You can't judge me by the way

That I look on the exterior—no

I~~

Just can't take it anymore!

An invisible force pulled the mask from the idol's face as the girl sprung her head back. The audience took inhaled sharply at the same time. However, the camera focused on her side. The slow motion effect and long brown hair hid the girl's side profile effectively. Then the music completely stopped, and the screen went black. Before disappointed groans could happen, the music began again. This time, it was a different sound. The idol appeared on the screen again. She was dancing alone now to the beat of the song. Even without the mask, her face wasn't visible because her head was tilted down as she danced.

All my girls on top

If you're feeling me

Throw your hands up high—yeah!

Go baby!

Girl rise up!

Throw your hands up

Do you like that?

Free your mind today

Don't be afraid to take the lead, girl!

Go baby! Go baby!

Yea~ Yeah!

And then it happened. Her head snapped up as she held the 'Yeah.' The entire theater was quiet, shocked at what they saw. Long dark brown hair, warm brown skin, and light brown eyes. Neji, too, stared in shock as the video went on. No longer did the idol wear her mask. She freely danced and sang, showing her face. Several blurred memories raced through the Hyuga's mind. One memory stuck with him.

You remind me of… chocolate.

I've never seen so many shades of chocolate, not on a person.

"It's her," he whispered. "Yaya… chan."

I'm gonna make this happen!

Who says it can't be girls on top?

Girls on top…

Girls on top…

Girls on top…

The video faded to black. It was over, and yet the audience made not a sound. No reaction at all? Was it that bad? Were they that surprised? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all? Just when all hope seemed lost, the entire theater exploded into excited cheering, giving standing ovations. The idol remained in her seat, breathing a sigh of relief. "Take that, Kakuzu-sama!"

Speaking of which, don't forget about them and stick to our plan.

"Yes, ma'am!"

0-0

"I was really surprised, seeing your face, Mine-chan!" Tenten exclaimed. "I never thought you would look so different!" The girl only stopped slurping her noodles for a moment and nodded. "Still, I bet your popularity will definitely increase with this debut. Congratulations on your success! Uh… I'm a really big fan… so I was wondering if I could know your real name." She replied, but her mouth was full of food. "What? Could you repeat that?" Tenten chuckled nervously.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I said my real name is Yasmine."

"Yasmine…?" Neji thought, furrowing his brow. Strange as it was, it didn't seem familiar to him. The only name he could recall was 'Yaya-chan.' So then perhaps it had been a nickname. Now that he thought of it, only a child would come up with such a thing. This girl, Yasmine, though, was the same girl he had known as a child. It had to be her. Despite remembering her after his first chuunin exam and wanting to find her, Neji had believed that he wouldn't see her again. After all, she had disappeared suddenly, leaving not a clue that she had ever existed in the first place. But here she was, right beside him.

Had she been hiding all this time behind that mask? Had she forgotten him? That seemed to be the case. If she had remembered him, then their reunion would have gone differently. Neji stared aimlessly into his broth as his teammate and old friend continued to converse. Yasmine had decided not to attend the celebratory party. Instead, she had come to a ramen stand, excitedly saying that she wanted to try the famous Ichiraku recipe. Admittedly, Neji had heard of this place through Hinata. She had visited often, sometimes suggesting that he go with her. He hadn't, however. The life of a jounin was more time-consuming than most believed.

In any case, because the client had wanted to come to this stand, five ninja had followed. She had even paid for their meals in excitement. Ishikari Mayu had happily accepted the offer. Uchiha Sasuke refused. Their pale teammate didn't seem to mind; though, he seemed not to mind pretty much anything. This Sai person was strange and mostly kept to himself. "So, what do you plan on doing after this?" Tenten questioned. Yasmine lifted her bowl and drank the rest of the broth. Releasing a satisfied sigh as she set the bowl back down, she turned to the kunoichi.

"I don't really know… I haven't planned on doing anything after the album is released. I've worked so hard this past year that I kinda want a vacation. Maybe a permanent one," she answered, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. "I'm sure all the hype about me will die soon, anyway."

"No way! Your first single empowered females everywhere! Because of you, there was an increase of girls enrolling into ninja academies all around the world!" Tenten gushed. "You're admirable!"

"Hey, hey, don't feed my ego. She has a big enough head already," Yasmine chuckled. She stood up, after giving thanks for the food. "It's late. I should head back to my hotel now. My manager's probably getting antsy not knowing where I am. See you guys tomorrow. Your real mission starts then."

"Hey, wait!" Mayu turned in her seat. Yasmine stopped her movement from leaving. "You're right. It is late, and you're unmasked. I'll walk you."

"That's not necessary. I'm sure all of you have more important things to do. Besides, you're not finished with your ramen. Put it in your mouth—enjoy that," she responded.

"I'll go," Neji volunteered. "Your hotel is near my home. It is no inconvenience."

"But I wanted to do it!" Mayu complained, frowning.

"I want to do it! You guys didn't even know about her in the beginning!" Tenten protested.

Whilst the two kunoichi began to bicker back and forth, Neji quickly finished off his bowl, stood up, and ushered the client into the street. "Allow me to escort you," he requested. "It is a part of my mission." Her brown eyes stared at him for a moment. Then she shrugged. For a few minutes, the two teens walked in silence. Neji glanced at his client out of the corner of his eye. She stared ahead with a small smile on her face. The Hyuga returned his focus to the path before them. "What made you decide to release your music video in the Leaf village?" She may have looked his way then, but Neji kept his stare straight.

"I thought you weren't interested in these types of things," Yasmine said.

"I'm only curious."

"Hm… Well, I guess I just wanted to come to this place—see the attractions."

"There are other attractions in other villages. What made you pick this particular one?" Neji pressed. He directed his gaze her way again. She was, indeed, looking at him as they walked. "Again, I am merely curious."

"I see… I suppose I can't really answer that then," Yasmine muttered. "I don't know why, but it feels familiar."

"You've been here before?"

"No."

The genius stopped. She moved a few paces ahead before she realized that he was no longer by her side. Her head turned, facial expression showing her confusion. "So then… You do not remember me," Neji stated. His eyes lowered to the ground, yet he could still sense her questioning gaze on his person. "You do not remember our shared memories." Finally, his gaze returned to her.

"I think…" She tilted her head to the side. "I think you're confusing me with someone else… Perhaps someone from the Land of Lightning?" No. He was not confused. The way she moved her head when bewildered about something—that idiosyncrasy was something only Yaya had done. Neji narrowed his eyes, and then activated his advanced bloodline. "Huh? Neji-san, what are you doing?"

Abruptly, the ninja rushed forward. Gasping, Yasmine's eyes grew wide. Instead of running away, the foreigner moved forward to meet his attack head on. Of course, he didn't use any chakra. He didn't intend on hurting her, after all. His right hand collided with her left hand. Then he moved to hit her with his other hand. Like before, her other hand blocked it. Now, the two were locked, struggling to push the other away. Then it happened. The determining factor to whether the foreigner was his childhood friend. He would allow it if it meant receiving confirmation of his suspicions. She, without looking away, placed her right leg behind his left, and then pushed. This effectively caused the Hyuga to fall to the ground. Though he knew it was her, Neji still felt stunned. After all this time, she had finally returned here.

"Why…?" she murmured. Her fingers clenched around his wrists. "Why? Por que?"

"I know for sure now… You're Yaya-chan."

In the middle of the street, ignoring the stares of bystanders, the two teens merely watched one another. Slowly, her eyes expanded yet again as she looked down at the shinobi. He returned her gaze, unwavering in his confidence. This person was his friend of the past. He had no doubt now. Her appearance, the strange language she spoke, her mannerisms and movements—these things all contributed to her being the girl that had disappeared from his life all those years ago. Did she realize now? The foreigner slowly sat up, removing her fingers from his wrists. Wide-eyed, she continued staring. Her lips parted and a sharp breath left her. Finally, she blinked. Slowly, recognition formed in her eyes.

"Oh…" Yasmine exhaled. "It's… you. Neji… Meji…"

0-0