"Neji… Meji…"

Because of her whisper, the Hyuga's body tensed a bit. That name… It was the nickname that he had both disliked and liked simultaneously as a child. She remembered. "Yaya-chan… You remember now?" Neji asked. The foreigner actually smiled down at him. He almost could not believe it. After years of separation, he was finally able to reunite with his childhood friend. Was his father proud of his efforts? The Hyuga let a tiny smile cross his face. The teen idol on top of him grinned, and then cupped his cheeks. The same nickname came from her mouth. Her hands slipped lower to his neck. Then she strangled him.

Eyes expanding in shocked, Neji might have remained frozen there had his instincts not taken over. He swiftly thrust his palm towards the foreigner's abdomen. Even without the use of chakra, the force had been enough. With a sharp gasp and grunt, she released his neck, allowing the Hyuga to breathe again. The idol grabbed her stomach, and then fell over at his side. Neji sat up, wheezing to take in much needed air. Despite her build, she possessed greater strength than anticipated. Any longer and she might have crushed his esophagus. "Wh-Why?" he croaked, hand cupping his neck. Coughed out laughter entered his ears, causing him to turn.

"Neji Meji… Neji Meji," she repeated through spiteful chuckles. "Is that what you wanted to hear, huh, he-bitch?" Her hair covered her face, yet there was no doubt in his mind. This was not the same person. Neji narrowed his eyes. This must be the alter ego—Yasu. Finally, her laughter subsided and she sat up as well. Her eyes appeared sharper than they had been. In addition, there was an uncharacteristic smirk on the idol's face. It appeared menacing. She slowly stood, causing Neji to do the same. It felt as though he was in the presence of an enemy. Still clutching her stomach, Yasu showed her teeth like some feral animal. "Too bad for you… I have this ability."

"Ability…?" he repeated.

"Yes. Traumatic experiences are my trigger—forces me out to protect her," she explained. "You can call me a defense mechanism. If you'd like."

"I would like to speak with Ya… Yasmine," Neji retorted. Yasu merely raised a brow, an amused smirk on her face. He lowered his gaze. The name felt strange on his tongue, but it was her true name. Yaya had been a nickname from their childhood. And yet he was being denied by her alternative personality. He had never felt such a disappointment before. "Why did you send her away?" Neji questioned, returning narrowed eyes on the girl. "There is no need for your interference."

"No need? Ha! Did you not hear what I said?" Yasu asked tone as sarcastic as her smile. "What about this situation doesn't seem traumatic, Neji? You are the very cause of her lifestyle. The way she carries herself. The way she treats others. She does not remember you, but her body remembers and recoils at the thought of friendship." The biting hiss of the word cause a flinch in Neji's resolve. Yasu tilted her head and hummed lightly. "Truthfully, I didn't think you'd remember. After all, it was thirteen years ago. I barely recall that time, so surely the genius, Hyuga Neji, would not keep such trivial memories. I suppose it was my mistake. Since it was my mistake, I'll give you a fair warning. Only the once, I think. Forget your relationship with the girl you knew. She's gone."

"My relationship with Yasmine does not concern you," Neji said. "You did not exist back then."

"I might have been forming long before you," Yasu admitted with a shrug. "She didn't exactly have a... peaceful life before coming to this village, you know." Neji clenched his teeth, unable to refute the words. Yasmine had never spoken of where she had come from back then. His four-year-old self had only known what Yasmine had chosen to share. Most of her tidbits centered on her guardian and her activities in between meetups. "Every wretched memory she has took part in forming her coping and defense mechanism. I suppose you are the glue that held me all together, so thank you. Then again… maybe not. Who can say where exactly the final piece clicked into place? Whatever the case, that is how Yasume came to be."

"You are… You are playing foolish games," Neji muttered. "I do not wish to hear anything else from you. Allow Yaya… Yasmine to resurface. We will settle this matter ourselves."

A loud, grossly exaggerated, sigh left her mouth. The alter ego crossed her arms, looking entirely annoyed. "There is no matter to settle. Those memories are locked away. I made it so. She doesn't remember you. She doesn't want to. So end this foolhardy notion of redemption. Never speak that name in her presence again. This is your only warning."

"You… You have no right to do that to her," Neji replied. "As this is between the two of us, you shouldn't…" He swallowed hard. "I have to apologize to her, so release your hold on her memories now." The alter ego merely blinked. "For over three years, I have searched for her," he explained. "I did not know if I would ever find her. Truthfully, I had my doubts. However, she has appeared on my path again. I must apologize for the mistake made. She must remember so that we can both have the chance to move on. You halting the process only-"

"Don't be so selfish!" Yasume nearly hissed at him. Neji almost took a step back because of it. "She has… already been through enough. She doesn't need those memories added to what she's already going through. She was pretty messed up before she met you… all those years ago."

"All those years ago…" he repeated, glancing elsewhere.

Neji's face took on an expression of nostalgia. Yasume rolled her eyes. She almost didn't believe that triggering a flashback would actually work on someone like Hyuga Neji. She had used this tactic several times in the past with others when she cornered. Despite living in this world for so long, the phenomenon of flashbacking still bemused and amused her. However, as she turned away, she felt her wrist grabbed. His flashback apparently had not taken as long.

"If you don't let me go now, you'll know the meaning of going straight up ghetto!" Yasume threatened. He ignored the threat completely. His fingers tightened around her wrist, causing a grimace. "You son of a bi-"

"You can't keep me away from her," Neji announced. "Our shared memories will come to light eventually."

"Is that a challenge…?" she wondered, turning to face him. The amused smirk returned. "Because I like challenges."

"I care not what you may like," Neji retorted.

"Then how about a wager?" Yasume asked. The shinobi's hold on her slackened, allowing the girl to snatch back her limb. "In two days, we will leave this village. Of course, with the reveal and the official album release, we're going on tour to all the countries. Perfect for a deadline since you won't be seeing her again. I'll allow her memories to return. Bet she won't forgive you."

"You… You do not know that for certain," Neji said.

"That's why it's a wager," she stated. "If you can get her to forgive you in two days, I will not lock away those childhood memories again. But she begs to forget, that will be the last of it, and you won't get a second chance."

Neji frowned deeply. Her utter confidence of the matter caused guilt and doubts to bubble within him. The last words—foreign words—he had heard from his childhood friend echoed in his mind. Although he had not understood what she had yelled, the pain had been clear in her voice. "If… If I explain to her clearly," Neji began in an effort to convince the alter ego and, perhaps, himself. "She should-"

"Should what? Accept you with open arms?" Yasume interrupted. "Do you honestly expect things to be so simple? Fine, believe what you want. In two days, it won't matter. Let's see if you can persuade her to accept you again, he-bitch."

With a wicked laugh, she walked away. He watched her go until she was no longer within his sight. Admittedly, he had not really thought about anything beyond finding his childhood friend. After he had remembered her, only finding her had been a goal. He had not thought things would be problematic like this. Neji shook his head. No matter. It changed nothing. Despite what her alter ego had said to him, he had to go through with his. Not only for himself, but for Yaya-chan as well.

0-0

Mayu released a frustrated shout into the night, causing her teammates to focus on her. Without a word of explanation, the kunoichi released another. This time, Sai moved to strike her head. At her indignant way of asking why he did it, he explained. "I read that physical contact amongst friends is critical," he stated with a smile. "Hitting could be a sign of affection. I have witnessed Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun… This situation seemed appropriate. Was I wrong?" he asked. Before Mayu could answer, Sasuke answered for her.

"No, you weren't. Nice one, Sai," he said. "Truthfully, I was going to do the same." The Uchiha ignored the girl's exclamation of 'Don't listen to this guy, Sai-chan!' and crossed his arms. "Why are you making so much noise, anyway?" Mayu huffed.

"If it hadn't been for Tenten, I would have escorted the idol back," she muttered. "That slick Neji…! I'll get him for this!"

"Why are you suddenly so interested in someone you had no clue about in the first place?" Sasuke asked. The kunoichi appeared as though she was about to answer. However, her mouth suddenly closed tight. She shook her head, causing a brow to rise. Her antics were suspicious. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"… There's a lot of things I'm not telling you," Mayu answered with a wink and a cheeky grin. Sasuke glowered, not amused. Outwardly. Inwardly, a rush of nostalgia swept through him. The banter was the same. "But seriously, though, don't worry about it."

"It's hard not to when you're shouting out your displeasure."

"Oh, Sasuke, I had no idea you were so affectionate!" Mayu replied, wiggling in place and puckering her lips. "Allow me to reciprocate from now on!"

"Can you not?" Sasuke flatly stared.

"Oh, fine…" Mayu stuck her tongue out. Then she wrapped an arm around Sai. "I'll save all my affection for my baby and my future Hokage." She emphasized her point by pressing a sloppy kiss to Sai's cheek. Sasuke glowered. "Isn't that right, Sai-chan?"

"I… am your… baby in this scenario?" the pale ninja questioned. Mayu enthusiastically nodded her head. "I suppose I will accept my new role then." His small grew just a bit. For his efforts, Mayu gave him another kiss on the cheek, equipped with a 'muah' sound. Sasuke rolled his eyes, only somewhat annoyed by it. He realized the type of affection she gave to both Naruto and Sai. It differed from what Sasuke truly wanted, so he could accept the motherly, brotherly kisses she gave to their teammates. As long as her romantic kisses were reserved for him alone, he could wait to receive her affection.

Eventually, Sai left them as his current residence came within sight. Mayu waved him off and blew a parting kiss his way. It annoyed Sasuke to no end that the pale ninja had moved as if catching her kiss. Despite his earlier thoughts, it irritated his senses. Still, it was fine. Sai was the most socially inept person Sasuke had ever come across. Most likely, he did not understand the affection at all, and was only reacting as a courtesy. Sasuke figured he would have to one day set the pale ninja straight, though. Mayu stretched her arms up high and yawned. "So you heading home or what?" she asked. "It's pretty late. You're not going to train, right?"

"No. Not tonight," Sasuke answered. The kunoichi breathed a sigh of relieve. "Why?"

"Did you forget so soon? I'm watching you for a while. If you're going to sleep that means I can get some shut eye, too," Mayu explained.

"Should you be telling me this?"

"Probably not, but they didn't really give me the specifics on this chore."

With a shrug of her shoulders, Mayu continued walking. However, she did not head in the expected direction. "Where do you live, anyway?" Sasuke questioned. Now that he thought about it, he had not been to anyone's home other than his own since he had returned to the village. "Take me there." At the demand, the kunoichi gave the Uchiha an incredulous look. "What? It's not like it's a big secret, or something." An expression that seemed like it said 'Oh shit!' appeared on his comrade's face. Sasuke had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. This is why Mayu would crack under interrogation. She chuckled nervously and scratched her left cheek. "Could it be… that you're living there—at that Ishikari place?"

"So you know about that, huh?" Mayu asked.

"We discovered it together when we were younger," he stated.

"Oh, then I guess there's no need to hide it from you. Yeah, I live there now. It is my birthplace, after all," she shrugged again. "I've cleaned the place up pretty good, too! Hopefully, it won't be long before little Ishikari babies are crawling around." Sasuke's lip twitched at the thought.

"… How many?" He cleared his throat. "How many are you planning on having?"

"As many as I can, of course!" she answered without a second thought. "My genes must go on! I'll repopulate the world with Ishikari! And we definitely won't be a secret anymore!" She raised her fist as she made the proclamation.

"We could do that together then," Sasuke said. Mayu stopped walking and turned his way. He halted his steps as well. By now, the two were away from the town. So far away, in fact, that only the sounds of nature could be heard. "I mean, that's also one of my goals." Despite the fact that his voice was completely steady, he realized that he could not fight the reddening of his cheeks. Mayu stared blankly at him for a moment longer before smiling. Without warning, she closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his torso. Her sudden affection had always puzzled Sasuke. He could not understand why she would show public displays of affection—almost randomly, too. Still, he could get used to it. Smirking, the Uchiha wrapped an arm around her as well.

She sighed. He could feel her breath warming his skin though his shirt. "I'm glad," she murmured. This reminded him so much of that time… The last time before they were separated. "Sasuke… You're… kinda amazing." Her whisper came equipped with holding him tighter. "I assumed a lot of stuff about you based on the stories I heard. I'm glad that my assumptions were wrong. You don't have a one-track mind, after all." Mayu's hold loosened and she shifted her head, moving to look him in the eyes without putting too much distance in between them. Could it be that her body reacted to him even without knowledge of their shared memories? "I only wish that I knew the reason."

"You are my reason," Sasuke told her. "You better not forget that again." Her eyebrows knitted together, and then she slowly nodded her head. Then she grinned and nodded her head again as though she had become more eager to keep that promise. "Good." He released her, and then started walking again. Calling for him to wait, Mayu rushed to walk by his side. It would probably take some time before catching her. Claiming her as his. However, for now, he could be satisfied with this.

At least until tomorrow.

0-0

"… And that makes you larger than life!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. For the past four minutes, his teammate had been singing some strange song that he had not heard before. Still, this was Mayu. She liked singing randomly even if she was bad at it. He already knew this about her. At the moment, they—Sai as well—were heading towards a training spot. Their client did not need them so early on in the day, so it gave them time to do what they wanted until the idol made a public appearance. In the beginning, it had only been he and Mayu, but they had run into Sai while shopping, so now he was tagging along. The two of them, Sai and Mayu, decided to see how Naruto's training was going.

The Uchiha supposed he was a bit curious as well. According to Kakashi, the training would make him stronger in a short amount of time. However, the jounin also stated that only Naruto could perform this type of training. Sasuke assumed that it was because of the demon dwelling within him. Either way, Kakashi did not give a reason. He did not seem to realize that Sasuke already knew about it. Even though Mayu stood next to him, he had been the only one to receive the cautious glance. Could Mayu know even without her memories? Perhaps Naruto told her… Well, why had his best friend not think to mention how cool Uchiha Sasuke was? It might have done wonders in wooing Mayu beforehand.

With a shake of his head, Sasuke quickly pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Even if Naruto tried to do something like that, Mayu was not the type to judge without seeing the other's actions. Since she truly had forgotten him, then she had no opinion of him other than the facts. And in her mind, he had been a traitor. It was fortunate that Naruto had met her earlier and that she believed him. Otherwise, that entire mission could have ended horribly.

Mayu suddenly stopped. The two shinobi stopped as well, turning their heads to look back at her. Her nose twitched before she covered it up with the palm of her hand. She grimaced a little as though she was uncomfortable. Sai asked what her problem was. "I can smell Naruto from here." Sasuke looked around. "Oh right… You wouldn't know that I have that ability," Mayu continued. He looked back at her. She tapped her nose. "I have all sorts of scents that I can recognize." The kunoichi grinned. "Kiba taught me."

"Do you not like Naruto-kun's scent?" Sai asked.

"It's alright… I'm just saying that he's probably got like-" She sniffed a couple of times. "-Like a hundred clones out or something." Mayu shrugged. "Shall we pick up the pace?" Before receiving an answer, the kunoichi did as she wanted and continued walking forward, going slightly faster than before. Sasuke watched her go, tongue sliding across his two front teeth. This feeling… It was as though he knew her, but did not know her at the same time. It was frustrating to feel this way. Why was she… so far away?

"Sasuke-kun, may I ask a question?" Sai's question caused the Uchiha to glance his way before walking forward again. The pale shinobi easily matched his pace. Still, Mayu continued ahead of them. "It's been a few days since we found you… I was curious of the relationship between you and Naruto-kun." He smiled. "My expectations—they were surprisingly exceeded. Observing Naruto-kun and the relationship you have with him causes me to think of a time when the person I viewed as my brother was still alive." Sai, apparently, was more socially awkward than he had been. He did not know that it was annoying to drag things out. Still, Sasuke managed to keep the straight look as he walked, hoping that the pale ninja would get to his point. "However… There are things that I had assumed that is not true… I had believed that since Naruto-kun and Queen are friends, and yourself and Naruto-kun are friends, then the friendship between yourself and Queen would be the same." Sasuke finally stopped, which made Sai halt his steps as well. Mayu walked on unaware, blissfully singing about how she was 'feeling so fly like a G6.' What the hell was a G6? "Would it be possible to know the reason why your gaze for Naruto-kun is different from your gaze for Queen?"

"Gaze…" Sasuke found himself repeating. Ah, he should have realized sooner. He had only known Sai for a couple of days, but it was obvious to him that the pale shinobi was an observer. Sasuke would ultimately figure things out without having anyone tell him. Sai, though, was curious about many things, and felt no shame in asking questions concerning something he did not understand. In that aspect, he was similar to a child. "That's because I like her."

"You do not like Naruto-kun?" Sai narrowed his eyes.

"It's not the same, Sai. Liking someone has different levels," Sasuke explained. "No, more like different circles… Sometimes, those circles overlap."

"I…" He seemed at a loss for words. Then he sighed, shutting his eyelids. "Perhaps I should read more…" Before Sasuke could reply to Sai's remark, Mayu called out to them, having had noticed that they were not following anymore. The two teens hurriedly caught up with her. She had stopped before she had reached the clearing where Naruto was training. They could see the numerous clones of their teammate.

"Naruto's working hard… I kinda don't want to interrupt," Mayu told them. She leaned her shoulder against the nearby tree. She stared for a moment before speaking again. "So this is the method Kakashi-sensei was talking about… Makes sense since it's Naruto." Sasuke nodded his head in agreement. Right off the bat, he could tell what type of training Kakashi was having the blond do. By using clones, it would not take long for mastery. One clone's memories transferred to the user. Not many ninja used this method, though. However, because Naruto was able to make hundreds of clones at a time, the type of training was probably the best for him. "Maybe we should just leave him be?"

Naruto did not give them the time to decide because one of his clones had spotted and recognized his watchers. Immediately, the clone broke out into a grin, and then shouted out Sasuke's name. This, of course, caused all of the clones to grin widely and turn their heads in their general direction. The Uchiha visibly flinched at the attention. Every clone shouted out his name before dispersing. The real Naruto stood in the middle of the large cloud of smoke and leaves left behind. He then ran towards the three, excitedly waving.

To everyone's surprise, though, Naruto's pupils moved, seemingly to the back of his eye sockets before he fell forward. Sasuke moved so fast that the others could not see him. Before Naruto hit the ground, the Uchiha managed to catch him. Sai and Mayu rushed forward as well. "You fool," Sasuke remarked, rolling his eyes. Kakashi leisurely walked over.

"Don't worry… He's fine," he stated. The jounin then called over to Yamato, saying that they were going to take a break while Naruto recovers. "What are you four doing here?"

"Four?" Sai murmured. Kakashi pointed behind them. Yamanaka Ino, with a frown on her face, walked towards them, arms crossed. "Ah… Yamanaka-san…" The pale ninja shifted his gaze elsewhere and subconsciously touched his cheek. Hearing her surname come from Sai made Ino openly glare at him as she came to a stop. The two were not exactly friends. Hell, Sasuke would be surprised if the kunoichi considered him a comrade after what happened yesterday.

Kakashi had been released from the hospital, and so the team had gone to visit him. They had met Team Asuma along the way. The two jounin had something to talk about, so the younger ninja had decided to eat at a restaurant. Sai had tried hard to be friendly towards them, but in the end, he had almost called Chouji a fat-ass, and had succeeded in calling Ino 'Ms. Coyote Ugly.' She had not taken that nickname too well. The entire business establishment had been leveled due to Sai's attempt at being friendly.

"We came to see how Naruto's training was coming along," Mayu answered.

"I came because I knew that Mayu would be here," Ino huffed out. "Didn't know she was going to bring this guy, too."

"Eh? Ino, you're looking for me? Why?"

"I want to finish up our thing. One more time ought to do it," she replied. "I was bored, so I thought why not."

"… Fine," Mayu rolled her eyes. "Let's finish then." She turned to the confused males. "I'll be back, but if I don't, I'm probably sleeping in a random place, so come find me. No, on second thought, that could take too much time, so I'll just head over to designated place after I wake up." Ino hooked her arm with Mayu's, trying to urge her along. No doubt that having Sai in her presence for so long was grating her on her nerves. The dark-skinned kunoichi hurriedly waved before allowing herself to be dragged away.

Sasuke watched the two leave until they disappeared among the trees. Mentally sighing, he dropped Naruto. Ignoring the pained grunt from his friend, followed by the shouting, the Uchiha frowned. This was not the first time Ino had appeared, only to disappear with Mayu. Yesterday night, in fact, before he could persuade Mayu to show him her home, Ino had appeared. After having a conversation that he had not understood, the two kunoichi left him by himself on the road to the Uchiha district. This was strange. He would not think anything of it if it had been Hyuga Hinata. She and Mayu were best friends, after all. But Ino…? When had they interacted before?

"Sasuke, shouldn't you be a little nicer?" Kakashi's familiar drawl brought Sasuke from his thoughts.

"No," he answered, which caused Naruto to go on another tangent. "Are Mayu and Ino friends now? I thought I told you to tell me everything you knew about her." The blond shinobi blinked several times.

"… I don't know," he finally said. "There was that mission where they went after the Kazekage, though. They were together when all of us were separated. But that's about it. We left the village again soon after that mission, so…" He trailed off, probably running out of words. "So anyway, what type of mission did you guys get?" It took only a few minutes to explain the details of the mission. Sai finished up the explanation by saying that they had to meet with their client for a public appearance before two.

"That's cutting it pretty close," Yamato remarked. "It's already fifteen minutes past one."

"That's plenty of time," Kakashi murmured, rubbing his chin. "Sasuke, let's talk for a moment. Naruto, you rest." A groan of displeasure came from the blond, but he made no move to protest. The jounin walked away, motioning for Sasuke to follow. He stopped once he deemed it safe enough to talk without the others listening in. This would be the first time in years that he would have a conversation with his former sensei. "It's been awhile since we've spoken alone," he began, closing his book. It wasn't the usual book the man read, but it seemed to be another in a series because the titles were similar. Sasuke forced himself not to roll his eyes. Had this man changed over the years? Probably not. "Do you remember our last conversation?" Bits and pieces.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied.

"Had that plan of yours already been in your head?" Kakashi asked. The younger ninja nodded. For a few moments, the man didn't respond. He was probably mulling over what to say next. "Why didn't you tell me?" That seemed to be the question on everyone's mind. First Sakura, and now Kakashi. Perhaps this would be the last time then? After all, they both felt that they should have been a part of the loop.

"Before you came over to my house that night, I had already finalized my next actions," he said. "As you spoke to me of friendships and comrades, I was a few steps ahead regarding the protection of my friendships and comrades. I thought about telling you, but I'm sure you would have forbidden my plan. I could not allow that. Orochimaru had sent for me. I could not waste the opportunity for the sake of my village. Infiltrating the most elusive rogue ninja from our village. Accepting his invitation to the Sound village instead of seeking him out gave me the perfect cover."

"What if Naruto hadn't gone on that mission?" Kakashi wondered, narrowing his eye. "Surely, you thought of that, too?"

"Of course I did," Sasuke replied, smoothly. "I could have gone immediately after receiving the invitation. However, the timing needed to be perfect. Many chuunin and jounin were preoccupied with missions, you included. I knew the Hokage would have no choice but to send those available. Her faith in Naruto was a plus. Still, no matter what, I knew Naruto would come for me. And Mayu, too. In the end, my plan—my role—was a success."

"I've noticed that you haven't clearly stated what you were after, coming up with such a plan."

"Then let me make it clear to you now. My intention was to protect my village and every single one of my comrades."

"I… see…" Hearing such earnest words coming from his former student, Kakashi seemed at a loss. "You… You have grown so well, Sasuke."

"I guess I should apologize," he continued. "On some level, you must have thought that you failed as a sensei." The twitch of the man's finger spoke volumes. "You should know that that was not the case. We all just… grew up." Kakashi sighed, long and heavy. It was as if the jounin had been holding back this sigh for almost three years. Utter relief is what that sigh told him.

"I am proud of the man you've become," Kakashi said. Sasuke kept his neutral expression. However, he felt himself flushing at the praise. "I'll admit that I was worried, but I see now that it was for naught." For a moment, both ninja were quiet, and then the jounin spoke again. "Could this growth have a little something to do with a certain kunoichi?" Sasuke pursed his lips, averting his gaze elsewhere. A light chuckle came from the older ninja. "So you do have a cute side, after all?"

"Shut up."

"I'm glad we had this talk, Sasuke," Kakashi smiled.

"Don't expect another heart to heart conversation. I hate shit like this," Sasuke muttered. Despite the sincere words, the young Uchiha remained the same at his core. "Anyway, if we're done… then I'd like to-"

"To what? Look for Mayu?" Kakashi interrupted. The poor boy actually stammered out a negative response. "No need to deny it, Sasuke. Hm… Should we have the talk? I imagine no one has told you yet." The young ninja gave a blank stare. Now that he thought about it, Sasuke had been socially awkward as a child, naïve, too. Kakashi doubted that he would know anything about that sort of thing. Now, at fifteen, he was as innocent as ever. The masked ninja could not imagine Orochimaru, sitting down with Sasuke to have the talk with him. "Tell me, does Mayu seem… different to you?" The blank stare remained. "Physically, I mean?"

"Of course. She has her own body now," Sasuke answered. He furrowed his brow. "What does that have to with this talk?"

"Oh, you'll find out," Kakashi answered. Behind his mask, the copy-nin could not help the smile that had surfaced. It would not hurt anyone if he told the young Uchiha about the Kunai and the Shuriken. He was about that age, anyway, so as his sensei, it was really his duty to explain… in detail. And tease him about it later on. It would be his personal amusement. "Listen well, alright? This information I'm about to tell you will definitely help in the future." Thus began the corruption of Uchiha Sasuke's mind.

0-0

Unaware of the storm coming her way, Mayu yawned loudly, and then lowered her head again. She blinked slowly, and then yawned again. It appeared that she had been left alone again. Yamanaka Ino had ditched after training. It wasn't her fault she fell asleep. However, it was a bit annoying to realize that she was the only one experiencing this side effect. "I wonder how long my nap attack lasted this time?" she murmured. Her body uncurled from its sleeping position. The kunoichi yawned again as she stretched. She slid a finger underneath her nostrils and stared at her fingertips. Good. No blood this time. Good. Her body was finally conditioning itself. Slowly, she stood up, stretching her arms up high. "I should probably head to that place now."

Again, a jaw-popping yawn left as she walked away from the destroyed clearing.

Mayu crossed her arms and furrowed her brow as she moved. It was time to focus on her mission. It was simple enough. Protect the client. However, it wasn't that simple in this circumstance. The client was a foreigner not of this world. Somehow, some way, she had managed to come here. An image of the girl's true face came to mind. She had known the language well enough. There was barely an accent when she spoke. "How long has she been here?" Mayu wondered. According to Tenten, the first single had been released a year ago. Knowing that information didn't help to narrow down the date of her arrival in this world, though. In addition, it bothered Mayu a bit to realize that the foreign person was a Narutard.

Well, she could be assuming things too much, but the girl obviously had some knowledge of the show. What type of fan was she? Could she be the type who hadn't liked a few things and would work to change an outcome or event? Or could she be the type who believed Kishimoto to be a genius and would mostly stay out of conflicts so that things would happen according to his will? Did she know the series or did she know of the series? There was a difference.

Admittedly, Mayu would choose to change. Having an effect instead of just being there would make her feel relief—relief because, in some way, she mattered. When Sakura had asked her how she felt about the mission involving Sasuke, she had lied. She had steeled herself in taking care of things, knowing that Naruto and Sakura would not have the tenacity. Their former teammate was an enemy, but she knew they had not cared. However, inwardly, Mayu had been angry with herself. She, herself, had been his former teammate. Hadn't that meant interaction between the two of them? Then why had Sasuke gone down that same path? Had her younger self not attempted to change anything whilst inhabiting another's body? It had not sounded like her, but at the time, she could not see any change to the path Sasuke had taken.

Then the truth came back. Mayu had been so relieved to realize that things had turned out differently. He had left the village, certainly, but his mindset—his reason for leaving—had greatly differed from what she had known. Sasuke had been one of her role models—someone she admired for his fighting prowess despite his age. Mayu didn't think she could forgive herself if she had the opportunity to change something, and yet didn't. The type of fan she was wanted alternatives. Nothing should be set in stone.

Anyway, depending on what type of fan this Yasmine girl was would make this mission either easy or hard to get through. The kunoichi narrowed her eyes. "I should find out quickly what I'm up against," she thought. Nodding her head in determination, Mayu headed into the building where her client temporarily stayed. Few knew about this hotel's special guest. The foreigner stayed on the fourth floor. Before the kunoichi headed towards the stairs, she spotted the clock in the lobby. Time was on her side. She had about ten minutes before the idol headed towards the designated location. It was enough time. She could speak with the client freely. Coming to her room, Mayu knocked softly.

Hearing the lock slide, the kunoichi lowered her arm. Seconds later, brown eyes stared at her. Standing right in front of her like this, Mayu could see that they were about the same height, though she was shorter. Under artificial light, the girl's shade of brown was lighter. Seeing her like this, Mayu could not help the fleeting thought of familiarity. "So you've come?" Yasmine spoke as she stepped aside, allowing Mayu access to her room. The kunoichi frowned as she moved into the room. The foreign idol closed the door. "This must mean… you know, right? I mean, if you didn't know, you would you have shown up here?"

"Good. I don't like beating around the bush, anyway," Mayu replied, turning towards the foreign person. "Yasmine, right? How long have you been here?"

"Long enough," she answered with a sigh. "You won't believe how hard it's been for me! It's pure luck that I've gotten to where I am now!" Mayu blinked. This was… a bit unexpected. Truthfully, she expected to coax the truth out of this foreigner. However, it appeared that it would not take much. "I'm glad that I've found someone like me… Could we be friends?"

"Uh…" Really, she hadn't been expecting that either. "Su-Sure. Yeah, I guess."

"Great! Because of what I look like, people think I'm from some remote village in the Land of Lightning, but I can't exactly tell them the truth," Yasmine said. She walked forward and sat down on the floor, motioning for Mayu to do the same. "Even with your dark skin, you look similar to the people here in Konoha… So how did you get here—some faulty appliance? Maybe the refrigerator exploded?"

"It's… actually a bit more complicated than that—long, too, so maybe at a different time," Mayu murmured. Yasmine visibly pouted, but didn't complain. "Can I ask how you reached this position?"

"Like I said, it was pure luck. The village I dropped into accepted my presence despite my foreign tongue. It took a while, but I learned this language and, eventually, landed a job at something similar to a club." Yasmine shrugged her shoulders. "One night, I got up on stage and started singing one of the Naruto endings. The owner, as well as the audience, was intrigued because I had sung in English. After that, my boss, put me on the stage every Friday night. After a while, an agency scout came along. The rest is history."

"Wow that is pretty lucky."

"Yeah, and I can't even sing that well! Not to mention, the lyrics I use belong to people in our world."

"What? Really?!"

"Of course! You're Asian, right? You know BoA? That debut song is hers."

"Well, I don't know the song, but I do know of BoA. She's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I can't do anything original, so my entire album bites off of other artists that this world doesn't know about," Yasmine continued. "I'm pretty tired of it, actually, so that's why I'm really calling it quits."

"Tenten's not gonna be happy about that."

"I imagine a lot of people won't be happy about it—especially my manager. He does love his money." She chuckled as if thinking of an inside joke.

"Speaking of your manager, where is he? And your stylist?"

"Oh, they, uh, had something else to do," Yasmine answered. "They're probably doing stylist, managing stuff." She shrugged. "But hey! Are you a fan? Do you have a favorite?" Mayu scratched her cheek and averted her stare for a moment. "Eh… Don't tell me you're one of Sasuke's fangirls!" She frowned as though disappointed.

"No way!" the kunoichi protested. "I mean… Well… not in that sense. I think he might be a good friend. But I'm only Gaara-kun's fangirl!"

"That's cool. I couldn't decide between him and Lee-kun for the longest time, but in the end, I couldn't resist the Green Beast's charm. I don't know what's wrong with that Sakura girl! He'd obviously treat her right and never hurt her!" Yasmine crossed her arms and shook her head. "She's a very strange character that my alter ego loathes!"

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you. Is Yasu real, or just a thing your company came up with?"

"Oh no, she's real. Her name is Yasume and she has her own opinions about stuff, but I guess a lot of people believe that she's a gimmick," Yasmine muttered. "Split Personality Disorder is pretty rare in this industry and never for entertainers."

"Do you hate Sakura?"

"Meh, I don't really care much about her development, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I hate her," Yasmine replied. "But I won't lie and say I don't absolutely love LeeSaku. The people who write for that pairing are a godsend!" She clasped her hands together as her expression took on a dreamy look. Mayu chuckled. "What about you? Do you have a preference?"

"NaruHina, of course" Mayu admitted, smirking. "It is a beautiful pairing that deserves full canonship! So many tropes I hate would be glorious with them! NaruHina is the best one true pairing!"

"Me, too! Me, too! Kishimoto-sama is definitely a genius if that became canon!"

"I know, right?! I can hardly believe it, Yasmine. We actually have a lot in common," Mayu beamed. "Let's be great friends!"

"Best friends!" Yasmine agreed, grinning. She held out her right hand. The kunoichi nodded and held out her left hand. After their palms hit once, they brought their hands back, snapped their fingers, and made a 'pssh' sound with their mouths. The two giggled. "How do you know Fresh Prince?"

"My grandmother has an entire collection of the series. When I would visit her in American, I would watch hours of her collection."

"My parental unit would let me watch her collection, too," Yasmine responded. "It was a pretty good show, wasn't it?"

"Definitely," Mayu nodded. "What-?"

Before she could finish, someone knocking on the door interrupted. "Just a moment…!" Yasmine stood up and moved towards the door. The foreigner glanced back. Mayu could not be sure of the reason. Still, it was just a glance. The foreigner opened the door. "Ah, it's you! I thought it was going to be someone else!" She moved, letting the visitor into the room. Mayu stood up as well upon seeing who it was. Hyuga Neji had come into the room. He was by himself, though. The genius ninja nodded his head in acknowledgement towards Mayu. "Is something wrong? I would think you and the others would be at the event already."

"Someone has to escort you," Neji replied. "I didn't think Mayu-san would have the same idea."

"You're not insulting me, are you?" The kunoichi stood up, placing her hands on her hips. "I have you know I'm a brilliant thinker." Neji ignored her, choosing to focus on their client. "Hey…!"

"Shall we go, Yasmine-san?"

"Yes!"

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