Pain... Immense pain... Her whole body ached. Even a slight twitch sent her mind reeling in protest. She couldn't move, and yet she could feel the heavy rain fall, not helping to take away some of the pain she felt. She couldn't even remember why he had beaten her so badly this time. "Eh... Where am I...?" she thought. Her body shook. Her breath came out deep and ragged. She had realized she wasn't in her room. The rain was her first clue. This, of course, came as a shock to her. Normally, she would end up in her room. She tried to sit up, but... the pain... Something was wrong with her back.

Come back here, you lil bitch!

"Right... I tried to run away this time, but he threw something at me," the girl thought. "It was really sharp." The small girl tried to open her eyes, but the rain was making it hard. She had to turn over, and so she did. She slowly lifted her body off the ground. It hurt just to do that. She looked around. Grass... Trees... Darkness. "Nighttime," she whispered. "Woods..."

"Hey! It's a child!" an unfamiliar voice reached the child's ears. Not only was the voice unfamiliar... the language, although she had heard it before, was not English. She turned her head slightly to look back. What she saw was three masked people looking down at her. They didn't seem to mind the rain at all.

"She's bleeding...!" a woman's voice said.

"Wait... Daddy taught me some of this!" she thought, watching as the three moved closer to her. "What was it...? I don't remember!"

Kon'nichiwa, my little princess!

The girl's eyes widened. She felt arms pick her up. A hiss of disgust was heard. "She's bleeding badly. She seems too young to take a beating this bad." The voice sounded slightly angry. "And they just left her here?!" The girl realized what language these masked people were speaking. She had heard it numerous times before because of her father's work. He had been fond of teaching her.

"Japanese!" the girl suddenly shouted.

The one holding the girl reared back in shock. "She's a foreigner!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"What's a foreigner doing here? Can she understand us?" It was the woman's voice.

"Where are your parents, little one?"

"It can't understand you, moron..." another male voice.

"She's not an it!"

"Whatever..."

The girl's eyes narrowed slightly. She could understand bits and pieces of what the three were saying. All three of them were wearing mask. They looked so suspicion, and yet... What could she do? Her dad and mom always taught her not to talk to strangers, but they were adults, right? She could trust him... They couldn't be like her uncle.

"Y-Yasmine…" she said, voice quaking.

"What's a Yasmine?"

"Name... Yasmine…" she explained.

"... I'm taking her to the hospital," the one holding her stated. "You two go inform the Hokage. I think he needs to know about this."

"Right!" The two others said this in sync, and then took off. The girl watched in amazement as they did. They had seemed to just fly into the air!

"Superheroes!" she exclaimed.

"Uh... let's get you cleaned up... Yasmine."

0-0

A hospital. Yasmine had instantly recognized it. Almost everything was white. Outside, the rain still poured, but at least she was dry now. The masked man had brought her here. Almost immediately, nurses whisked her away. She had been cleaned; her back injury had been cleaned as well. They even gave her new clothes. "Nice people," Yasmine thought, staring at the ceiling. Her uncle hadn't come like she had expected. In fact, it had been well over three hours, and yet he hadn't come to claim her. Yasmine was glad for this. There was no telling how much trouble she was in.

The young girl turned on her side. Her back still hurt a little, so the doctor had told her not to lay on it. Well, that's what she hoped she heard. Her father had taught her some Japanese, but only some. But why was she in a place where they spoke in a different language? How did she get here? Before Yasmine could try to remember, however, someone suddenly came into the room. "Hello, little one," an old man came in, followed by two other, younger men.

"..." Yasmine stared as the three moved closer. She didn't know why, but the old guy looked important. But then again, the other two looked different as well. They had identical head wear. They seemed as suspicious as the people with the masks. But the old man had a kind face. But to Yasmine, all old people had kind faces... Well, except for old Mister Rogers. Though he had been nice, the scowl, seeming permanent, made many afraid of him.

The young girl shook her head a bit. This was no time to be thinking about Mister Rogers. "Can you tell me what your name is, little one?" the old man asked. Yasmine tilted her head in slight confusion.

"Ojisan... ano..." Her words felt strange, even to her. "Can you repeat, please?" Yasmine asked, bowing her head slightly, suddenly feeling shy.

The old man looked at the small girl in surprise. She had such a polite tone, not to mention her words. It was, indeed, rare to hear a child speak as if they're an adult. Whoever taught her the language must have talked in a polite voice as well. "Of course." The old man nodded his head, giving a friendly smile. "I asked for your name. I would be glad to know it." Yasmine blinked. She opened her mouth.

"Yasmine... Yasmine is my name, Ojisan," she replied. "I'm happy to meet you. Please take care of me."

"Okay, then... I am the leader of this village—the Hokage," the old man stated. "These two behind me are ninja, so you do not have to be afraid of them." The two ninja bowed slightly.

"Kohage...? Village...? Ninja?" Yasmine repeated in a confused manner.

"It's Hokage!" one of the ninja exclaimed, causing Yasmine to rear back in slight fright. It was the same voice from before. The one that called someone a moron. Despite clearly being a man, he looked like a woman. It seemed odd that his voice came out so deep. "He is the leader of this village!"

"Stop that at once, Jano! You're scaring her," the Hokage reprimanded, giving him a stern glance. He faced Yasmine again with a much gentler face. "Now, what village are you from? Where are your parents?"

"I am not from a village, Hokage-sama..." Yasmine said, still confused. "I'm from... a city. My mother and father are both dead."

The girl's brown eyes welled up with tears. Just the memory of her parents' death caused sadness. She, herself, had been there to witness it. And those images wouldn't go away... Not now, not ever. The Hokage noticed her downcast eyes right away. He coughed lightly, trying to get her attention. "Do you happen to know where you are?" he asked. The small girl shook her head. "You are currently in the Leaf village."

"And there are ninja here?" Yasmine asked, blinking her tears away. The Hokage nodded.

"Do you not hail from a ninja village?" he asked. Again, Yasmine shook her head. Sure, she had, at one time, watched movies with ninja. But they weren't real. Her mother always told her that the movies were never real. "Hm... How very peculiar..." the Hokage muttered to himself. The countries surrounding them, he was sure, had ninja in their villages. How could a child possibly make their way, alone, to the Leaf? Yes, she was hurt when ANBU found her, but still... To survive by herself—it did not seem possible. Could she be from the Land of Lightning?

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama..." Yasmine's voice made the old man look her in the eyes. "... I have to... potty..."

"Potty...?" Jano repeated. "What the hell is that?" Yasmine saw the confused looks coming from all three men.

"What's the word...?" she thought, looking deep in thought. "Oh wait!" Yasmine hopped off the bed. "Urinate. I have to urinate." The two younger men behind the Hokage choked on their own spit.

"Nani?!" Jano yelled. "Don't go saying things like that in a casual manner! What's wrong with you, brat?! Just say you have to pee like every other kid!" Poor Jano had never met a child who talked as if they were an adult. They were still supposed to be sucking their thumbs and calling out to their mama. Well, Jano was sure that that Uchiha kid didn't do that. He was way beyond creepy, so Jano was sure he didn't have a correct childhood.

"Pee..." Yasmine said. "I will remember this. Thank you… mommy."

"What? What did you just call me?!" Jano roared. "You little...!" The other ninja had to hold him back.

"I have one more question before you go about your business." the Hokage said, ignoring his ninja's outburst. Yasmine turned back to look at him. "How did you get those bruises on your body, not to mention the injury on your neck and back? Can you tell me?"

Yasmine flinched, and the Hokage noticed. "I... do not remember." she fibbed. She remembered how she received those bruises, alright. It was going to stay with her forever. "I fell asleep, and then woke up in the woods."

"I see..." the Hokage muttered, closing his eyes. "That's it then. You may go. Jano, show her the way."

Jano frowned but nodded his head. It was an order from the Hokage, after all. He had no choice but to follow. Yasmine hesitantly walked towards Jano. He nodded to her, and then turned to leave. The small girl quickened her pace in order to catch up with the man. The two left the Hokage and the other ninja behind.

"Hokage-sama... What are you planning to do about this situation?" the nameless ninja asked.

"I'm not sure as of now." the old man answered truthfully.

"Perhaps we should put her in the orphanage?"

"No, no... That girl is way too different. Putting her there would cause uproar, and besides, the orphanage is still too packed because of the Kyuubi's attack," the Hokage answered. He bowed his head. What an awful day and night that had been... "Although she looks different, for now, she is a part of this village. I do not know what is going to happen to her, but... From now on, her name will be Yasume."

"But why, sir?" the ninja questioned, confused.

"She, at least, has to have a name like ours. Perhaps with a name like ours, she will not be judged so quickly. Also, it is obvious that she has come from an abusive relationship," the Hokage answered. "If someone does come to claim her, a thorough investigation will be launched. Beating children with the intent to harm them will not be tolerated. Go—inform Jano of this."

"Hai!"

"And also..." the Hokage almost smirked. "Tell Jano that he is her guardian until instructed otherwise." The ninja didn't hold back his smirk.

"Right away, Hokage-sama!"

0-0

Two weeks had come and gone. Yasmine had quickly learned a lot more of the language, even some slang phrases. Jano had been an unwilling teacher. Despite that, Yasmine still learned quite a few things... when he wasn't on missions, of course. Though his teachings, she had learned enough to know not to call him 'mommy' anymore. Still, it was fun to tease him for some reason. Anyway, tomorrow, she would ask him what chakra was and how to use it. But for now, all she could do was wait. The man was currently on another mission. He usually was only gone for about half a day, so Yasmine would be alone for that amount of time. It wasn't bad, though. Jano had enough food in his apartment to feed an army. Not to mention that there was a park near his home, so Yasmine could go whenever she wanted. Wasn't that weird, though?

Why was she, a four-year-old, allowed to walk around without any adult supervision? Well, Yasmine had been only here and the park that was nearby, but still… It seemed as if adults didn't care about what the children did in the village. They were honestly being treated like young adults. Once, Yasmine even saw some kids her age playing with sharp objects. Kunai, she recalled them naming the weapons. Yasmine didn't think it was a good idea to have those, so she stayed away. Her parents would have had a stroke if they caught her playing with those things. If they were here, of course.

Yasmine sighed heavily as she stared out of the window. Here it was, almost lunch time and Jano still hadn't returned. This was the time he usually came home. Lunch time meant hot lunch. Yasmine could not cook herself a hot lunch. Everything was in a language she didn't understand. She hardly could read things in her own language, let alone this one. Yasmine sighed again. "Boring..." she muttered, forcing her eyes to stay open. When Jano was away, she would only speak in English. Outside, she saw a couple of children playing in the park. "Maybe... they could let me play with them."

The girl hopped off the chair she was sitting on. Struggling all the way, she pushed the chair over to the front door. She jumped back on the chair and stood up, so that her small hand could reach the lock. She unlocked it, and then turned the doorknob. The door opened, causing the girl to smile at her accomplishment. Yasmine jumped down, once again, from the chair, slipped on her shoes, and then opened the door fully, so she could get through. She closed the door behind her.

Outside of Jano's apartment was a stool. A stool meant only for her. Yasmine stood on the stool and leaned against the door. She pulled a key out of the pocket of her shorts. After she locked the door, she jumped off the stool. Maybe, just maybe she'd gain a friend or two. It had been two weeks, and she was getting lonely anyway.

0-0

A small child, known as Hyuga Neji, walked alongside his father, Hyuga Hizashi. There destination...? Well, they really didn't have one at the moment. Neji's father was only showing the young boy around the village. "Father..." Neji began. "Forgive me for asking, but... Why are you showing me around the village?" The boy had been quiet up until now, so he felt that he could ask his question.

Hyuga Hizashi stared down at his son, causing the boy's gaze to waver. "Neji..." he began. "A shinobi must always be aware of his or her surroundings. If not, the entire mission could go wrong. You, being my little genius and a Hyuga, must learn this earlier on." Neji nodded his head with a smile on his face. He loved to hear his father praise him.

"Yes!" he exclaimed in response, turning his eyes. This time, however, he took in everything in range. Hizashi chuckled lightly at his son's tactics. The two continued to walk around the village, side by side. Pretty soon, it was almost noon, and Neji's stomach began to growl. He knew lunch time was a half a hour away, so he didn't say anything. The young Hyuga blushed in embarrassment. Hopefully, his father hadn't heard that... Hizashi stopped, causing Neji to stop, also.

"I'm going to get us lunch, Neji," he said. The young boy looked up at his father in question. "I want you to go to Chigiri Park, and wait for me there. After we eat, we will continue with our observations."

"But..." Neji muttered.

"What is it?"

"You've never... left me alone," Neji stated. After all, he was four this year. "Why now, father?"

"Because I know my genius can handle it. You were paying attention earlier, right?" Hizashi asked. Neji nodded his head rapidly. "Then wait for me at Chigiri Park." Father left son, alone, in the middle of the street. Neji watched his father's departing figure until he completely disappeared with the crowd.

"I won't let you down, father!" Neji thought, turning his back. With a determined look in his eyes, the young Hyuga set off.

A lot of time passed before he made it to the designated park. Neji panted lightly as he sat on one of the park benches, near the playground. "Maybe I should've asked for directions… I would have gotten here a whole lot sooner," he thought, finally catching his breath. He had been searching for about fifteen minutes for one park. Once he realized where the park was, it also dawned on him that his father might be wondering were he was. After all, in his little mind, he was late.

Neji looked around. His father was no where in sight. Maybe it was his father who had gotten lost...? He instantly shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. "There's no way father would get lost! He's the greatest!" he thought, nodding his head. To pass the time, Neji looked around the park—the playground to be more specific, and noticed a bunch of kids, his age, playing. He felt a sudden urge to go play as well, but no! He had a duty—a duty to wait for his father.

So the young Hyuga settled to just watching the other children play. Then he noticed someone else. A lone child, sitting by herself, on the edge of the sandbox. Neji continued looking at the girl, and noticed that every so often, she would glance at the other children. He stared on in curiosity. Never before had he seen someone with that skin tone. Her skin was darker than the soft dirt she was sitting near, perhaps even darker.

The girl had short dark brown hair, and from what he saw when she turned, light brown eyes. She was different. Very different. The girl suddenly turned towards Neji, almost making him jump, but he kept his eyes on her. The girl on the other hand, quickly diverted her eyes. Neji was slightly shocked by her reaction, but didn't look away. Seconds later, the girl turned her brown eyes back to him. He gave her a friendly smile, and surprisingly, the girl returned it. The young Hyuga found himself getting up from the bench. His small feet moved towards the girl. As he walked over to the girl, she stood, and dusted her shorts off.

0-0

As it turns out, coming to the park to make friends was a bad idea. Yasmine had come, but the children there turned her down. They were boys, and they said she had 'cooties,' so she couldn't play with them. Yasmine sat down on the edge of the sandbox. It wasn't fair. Just because she wasn't a boy, she couldn't have a friend. Children were as cruel as adults sometimes... Yasmine sighed heavily. Every so often, she would glance at the boys that told her that she couldn't play. She still wanted to make a friend, even if they were being mean to her. She sighed again. It didn't look as if that were going to happen. Perhaps she should just go back to the apartment and wait for Jano.

Suddenly, Yasmine felt as if she was being watched. She turned back to the kids, who were still playing, not paying the least bit of attention to her. "It's not them," she thought. Yasmine turned her whole body sharply in order to catch her watcher. Who she saw was a boy, around her age, staring at her. He had long brown hair, and a pair of white eyes. He also had bandages wrapped around his forehead. Yasmine quickly turned her eyes away.

She hadn't seen eyes like those before. They were... pretty and yet a tiny bit scary. Was the boy still staring at her? Yasmine turned her eyes back to the white-eyed boy. He was still staring, except this time, he smiled. The boy was smiling at her. Since coming to this strange land, no kid had ever smiled at her! Yasmine bit her lip, and then hesitantly smiled back. The boy suddenly hopped off the park bench. He was moving towards her! Yasmine could have cried in joy, but that probably would've scared her potential friend away. She stood up and dusted off her shorts as he came closer. "Go-Good morning…" Yasmine greeted. She could get away with saying that since it wasn't noon yet.

"Good morning," the boy responded, nodding his head. A silence followed that. Yasmine honestly didn't know what to say. She never made friends back home since her father traveled a lot, taking her mother and her along with him. When they died and her uncle became her caretaker, Yasmine had been afraid of making friends. She was afraid of what her uncle might do. But her uncle wasn't here, was he? "You remind me of... chocolate," the boy suddenly announced. Yasmine's eyes widened, completely stunned.

"Ch-Chocolate...?" she repeated, confused.

"Yes! I've never seen so many shades of chocolate before, not on a person," the boy answered. Yasmine shifted her weight. What could she say after that? Was it even a compliment? Well, two can play at that game!

"Um… Your eyes are weird-looking," Yasmine muttered, staring at the boy. His eyes weren't white as she first thought. They were a very pale lavender. From far away, they just looked white.

"They're not weird-looking!" the boy protested. Oh no! Had she said something wrong? She thought it was a game. She didn't want to get him upset! "My father says that with these eyes, I'll become a genius!"

"A genius?" Yasmine replied, trying to amend what she had said. "That sounds nice."

"Yup! And what about you?" the boy muttered, slightly narrowing his eyes. "You're the weird-looking one... Are you a... a... for... for..." Yasmine blinked. The boy was trying hard to say something. It must've been important because he looked as if he was thinking hard about it. Yasmine hoped his brains wouldn't explode. Her mother used to tell her that if she thought too hard on something, her brain would explode and come out of her ears. Or maybe that was sneezes... "Foreigner! That's it! Are you a foreigner?" the boy finally asked, looking quite proud that he had used a big word. Yasmine didn't respond. She stared at him, waiting until he finished looking smug. "Well, are you?"

"Kohage... I mean, Hokage-sama said that I was..." Yasmine answered, cursing herself for messing up the leader's title. The boy probably would take it as an insult. "I'm not sure what it means, though. Do you?" The boy smiled.

"Yes! It means you're not from around here." he answered, feeling smart. "My name's Hyuga Neji! What's yours?"

Oh crap! What was her name again? The Hokage had given her a new name, saying that she had to give it to anyone who asked for her name. But what was it? Jano had always called her 'brat,' so she hadn't heard the name recently at all. "I thought mommy told me that I would never forget something!" Yasmine thought in dismay. She noticed that Neji was starting to look irritated, though he kept smiling. "I'm... My name is Ya-Ya... um… that is..." Yasmine was sure it started with a 'Ya' sound, just like her name.

Thankfully, the boy decided to help her out a little. "Yaya...?" he muttered. "Yaya-chan! I like it!" He stated, not paying attention to the horrified look that crossed Yasmine's face. She had not wanted to let him assume. That would be like lying!

"But...!" she began.

"That's a nice name," Neji continued.

Yasmine stared at his happy, smiling face for a few moments, and then shrugged. If he liked it, then she was fine with that. She didn't want to lose a friend just on a name. "Thank you, Neji... kun?" Yasmine hesitated with the honorific.

"Mm!" Neji nodded his head. He was being so nice to her. This could very well be her new, and first, friend. Yasmine smiled at the thought. Neji looked as if he was going to say something, but someone was calling his name.

"Neji…! Where are you?" a voice called. The boy turned his head away. Yasmine, in curiosity, turned her head in the direction of the deep voice. She saw an older version of Neji.

"That must be his daddy..." Yasmine thought.

"Excuse me..." Neji's voice made her look at him. He gave a slight bow. Yasmine did the same, not wanting to seem rude. He turned, and then dashed away. "I hope to see you again, Yaya-chan!" He waved.

"See you...!" Yasmine replied, waving back. She didn't put her arm down until he was out of her sight. She had a huge smile on her face. "Could we be friends now?" she thought, giggling. Suddenly, a pair of knuckles pressed into the side of her head. Yasmine squealed in slight pain.

"Where the hell have you been, you lil brat…?!" a familiar voice hissed at her. Yasmine quickly got away from the usual pain in her head.

"Why do you always do that to me, mommy?" she asked, rubbing her sore head.

"Stop calling me that!" Jano screeched, pointing a finger. "Anyway, how come you weren't home? I looked everywhere for you!" Yasmine blinked up at Jano. "Don't give me that innocent look, gaki!"

"You were worried." It was a statement.

"No, I wasn't!" Jano protested, and then grabbed her wrist. "Now let's go!" He continued, pulling her away. Yasmine followed him obediently. She smiled as she tried to keep up with the older man. She had a friend now, and someone who seemed to care for her. For now, everything was okay in the world.

0-0

"Why the hell are you staring out that window again, brat?" Jano asked. Yasmine found it amazing that he had his back turned, and yet he knew what she was doing. She turned her head away from the window to see that Jano was still making something. Kushi dango, she remembered him calling them. She turned her head back and stared out of the window again.

"I am… looking at the park," Yasmine answered.

"Well, stop leaning out of it already!" Jano said, still not turning. "One of these days, brat, you're gonna fall out!" Yasmine promptly sat back in her chair. She hadn't even realized that she was leaning over the edge. Was she really that raring to go? "Alright, let's go."

Jano had finished preparing the food. Yasmine hopped from the chair. The man stood near the door, which was open. He carried a small basket and a blue blanket. Yasmine noticed the delicious smell coming from the basket as she got closer. Jano was a great cook. And although he never mentioned it, he loved to hear Yasmine's praise about it. He was proud of what he did with a knife, either in a kitchen, or on a battlefield.

The four-year-old went out of the apartment first and Jano followed. He gave her the basket, muttering a "Don't drop it this time, you clumsy brat." Yasmine only nodded her head as he turned to lock the door. After locking the door, Jano quickly took the basket of food from her. He did not want a repeat of what happened last time they were to eat at the park. The girl had slipped on nothing, fell down the stairs—the nurses at the hospital were glaring at him just because of a swollen ankle—and messed up the entire meal. Needless to say, the two didn't get to go to the park to eat.

The two walked down the stairs, which were conveniently located near Jano's apartment door. Next, the two walked out of the front door of the building. As they walked towards the park, Jano stared at the small girl accompanying him. She was smiling so brightly, Jano was sure that she could replace the sun. He snorted, and then looked away from her practically bouncing body. "Why are you so happy?" he asked. Yasmine turned her brown eyes to her caretaker. "Come to think of it, each time we come here for lunch, you always seem to be in a good mood. Why is that, brat?"

Wow… Four days of the two going to the park for lunch, and he finally asks why. "I want to see a friend," Yasmine answered. "He was there once, maybe he's there again. Hopefully, he'll be here this time."

"He…?" Jano muttered. He snorted again. She hadn't told him about any friend. Not that he cared or anything…

"Yes, his name is Neji," Yasmine continued.

"Neji," Jano repeated. He almost scoffed. "Is he the reason I found you here that one day?" Yasmine nodded her head.

"By the way, mommy…" she began, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Don't call me that!" It seemed like a routine now.

"What is my name?" Yasmine asked, completely ignoring his protest. After all, it seemed like a routine. Jano glanced at her, confused.

"You don't remember your own name?" he questioned.

"No, I meant the one Hokage-sama gave me," the girl explained.

"Ah…! Clumsy and forgetful, eh? I really lucked out getting you," Jano joked. Yasmine didn't find it funny, and so she kicked him in the shins. "You little…!" He glared at her. She merely stuck her tongue out, and then ran ahead. Now, ordinarily, Yasmine would do nothing of the sort. But… She was getting used to Jano. She actually trusted him. It had been almost a month since she'd come to this place. Finally, she was warming up to her caretaker. It was slightly hard to warm up to anyone after her parents had died and her uncle took her in. Well, maybe it was really hard, but Jano had unknowingly brought down her barriers. Yasmine briefly noted that Jano had once told her about him being able to break barriers, saying that it was his job. Yasmine really didn't get that, nor did she try to.

Jano rushed after the girl, who had stopped under a tree. She had picked a shaded area to sit. Jano followed suit, and then set the basket down. Next, he laid out the blanket on the grass. Yasmine scurried on to the blue blanket and sat, slightly afraid that Jano would grind his knuckles into her head again. The man chuckled at her actions, and then crawled on to the blanket as well. He took out the food and spread it across the cover.

"So what is my name, mommy?" Yasmine asked again. Jano scowled as he pulled out chopsticks. He still didn't understand why this child just refused to call him by name. Instead, she called him mommy. He wasn't a woman, damn it. But… It didn't really bother him that much anymore.

"Your name is Yasume," Jano answered, handing her the chopsticks. "Don't forget it again or I'll teach you memory exercises for three hours instead of one."

"Ah, that's right! I knew it sounded similar to my real name!" Yasmine exclaimed. She ignored the threat. "Itadakimasu…!"

The girl broke apart her chopsticks. The man gave her a small plate.

"Itadakimasu…" he said, and then pulled out a plate of his own. "So why did you wanna know?"

"Hm…?" Yasmine looked up from her food. Noodles hung from her mouth, causing Jano to chuckle.

"Your name, I mean," he explained. "And don't talk with your mouth full." Yasmine quickly slurped up the noodles.

"Yes, mommy," she said. "I couldn't remember that name when I introduced myself to Neji-kun, so he thinks my name is 'Yaya-chan'." Yasmine smiled. She didn't seem to mind the mistake at all, Jano noted.

"So what's this brat look like?" he asked, curious.

"Neji's not a brat! He's a genius… Well, he's gonna be!" Jano rolled his eyes at her protest. "Anyway, he has weird, but pretty, eyes and long brown hair. It's even longer than mine!" Yasmine said. Pretty eyes…? Long brown hair…? Why did that simple description sound slightly familiar to Jano's ears?

"Yaya-chan~?!" A voice called, sounding slightly surprised. Yasmine nearly dropped her chopsticks in surprise. Was that…? Could it be him? Yasmine slowly turned to see a boy coming towards her. Jano nearly spit out his food in surprise.

"A Hyuga…?!" he thought, staring as the boy moved closer.

"Neji-kun…!" Yasmine waved him over.

"How the hell did she manage to befriend a Hyuga?" Jano thought as the boy stopped right behind Yasmine, causing her to turn to face him. As far as Jano was concerned, all Hyuga were stuck-up, high and mighty, egotistical, and anti-social when it came to anyone other than their own freaky clan.

"I knew it was you! I could recognize you right away, Yaya-chan!" Neji stated proudly. Jano's eyebrow twitched, noticing the faint blush on Yasmine face. Even with the darker skin tone, it was visible to his eyes.

"Neji-kun, how have you-"

"Neji…! Don't run off so suddenly like that," a new voice interrupted. Three pairs of eyes looked up at the newcomer. This man looked like a much older version of Neji.

"But then again, all Hyuga look the same," Jano thought.

"I'm sorry, father…" Neji turned to his father, looking slightly ashamed. "I suppose I was excited to see Yaya-chan again…" The boy's father finally took notice of the girl. His eyes then traveled over to Jano, who looked slightly annoyed.

"Forgive my son for the intrusion," he said, giving a slight bow.

"But-"

"Neji…!" The man's face became stern. The son quickly gave a bow of his own. Yasmine quickly stated that such things weren't necessary.

"Yes, it's quite all right, Hyuga-san," Jano agreed, waving away the bow. "Brat—I mean, Yasume has told me that your son and her are friends. There is really no point in apologizing." Neji's father nodded.

"Thank you... My name is Hyuga Hizashi," he stated.

"Jano."

"Jano…?"

"Jano," he repeated.

"ANBU…?"

"Not important."

The two children looked at their caretakers in confusion. The men stared each other down without saying anything else. The children could not understand what was happening between them. Both Yasmine and Neji turned to each other, hoping the other would know. Sadly, that was not the case. The two shrugged. Neji grabbed Yasmine's wrist and pulled her up. "Let's go play!" he whispered, pulling her along. Yasmine quickly set her things down before she was pulled away.

"Why are they staring at each other like that, Neji-kun?" Yasmine asked, trying to keep up with the young Hyuga.

"Oh, father always does that. I think he called it an intimidation tactic," Neji answered. He released Yasmine's wrist, allowing her to walk next to him. "You were eating lunch, right? I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Um… That's okay," Yasmine said, smiling. She was just glad that she was able to see her friend again. "Ne, Neji-kun…"

"Yes?"

"My name is Yasume… I didn't mean to confuse you," she said.

"Ya-su-me…" Neji tried out the name as he climbed up the ladder to the 'big slide'. "I like Yaya-chan better," he called down. "Can I call you that, instead?" Yasmine smiled brightly as she followed Neji up.

"Sure, I don't mind at all!" she answered. Neji smiled as he sat at the top of the slide, waiting for his friend.

Not wanting to make her friend wait for her, Yasmine went slightly faster. She reached the top, and then sat behind Neji. The pale-eyed boy wrapped Yasmine's legs around him. The girl, almost as expected of her, wrapped her arms around Neji's neck. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yes!" Yasmine said, nodding her head.

The two slid down the spiraling slide at, what seemed like, the speed of light. Their shouts of glee alerted their caretakers that they were no longer beside them. "Brat…!" Jano shouted, jumping up.

"Neji…!" Hizashi raised his voice as well. Both adults believed their children to be hurt.

Neji and Yasmine landed in a tangled heap at the bottom of the slide. Luckily, the sand cushioned their landing. The two had swirly eyes and crooked smiles on their faces. Jano and Hizashi rushed over to them. "Brat…! Are you okay?" Jano asked, kneeling next to the girl. Hizashi did the same to Neji. The two children stood, stumbling away from the adults.

"Let's do that again!" they both exclaimed, dizzy. Because of their dizziness, the two stumbled right into each other. Their foreheads collided and they fell to the ground, laughing all the while. The two adults turned to each other, blinked, and then looked back at the dizzy children, who were trying to stand. Surprisingly, it was Hizashi who released a light chuckle. Jano, slightly taken aback, stared at the Hyuga.

"Neji, have fun… while you still can," he murmured, a bitter smile had surfaced on his face. Jano was very confused by this, but before he could voice his thoughts, Yasmine's voice penetrated his ears.

"Mommy, can Neji-kun eat with us?" she asked.

"Mommy…?" Hizashi and Neji muttered, sounding incredulous. Jano flushed as two pairs of pale eyes turned to him.

"Don't call me that in public, you brat!" he exclaimed, embarrassed. And it did not help that Hizashi chuckled again.

"Yeah, can I, father?" Neji chirped.

"Well, we do not want to-"

"Please…?" both children asked in honey-coated voices. Both men groaned lightly. Why did that voice always work?

"Alright, he can join us, brat!" Jano muttered, standing. "That is… if Neji's father agrees."

Hizashi nodded his head as he, too, stood. "All right…!" Neji and Yasmine exclaimed, rushing back over to blanket. The two adults watched them go.

"Cute…" Jano muttered, rolling his eyes.

"But it won't last," Hizashi said, more to himself than Jano. "My poor genius…"

"Branch…?" Jano asked. Hizashi nodded, not caring that he knew or not.

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