Ellainna Jinto

by Deidarasbabygurl

Ellainna is just a regular, run of the mill Kunoichi trying to live her life. She likes pork buns, hates the rain, and just wants to promote to Jonin. Unfortunately, she is required to partake in remedial training with a newly formed Genin team to learn teamwork and partnership. She agrees, reluctantly, and begins on a path to a life she never expected. KakashiXOC Little SasukeXOC

12. Training in the Calm

Ellainna and Kakashi spent their walk talking and joking, not stopping until they had arrived at Ellainna's home.

"Oh," Ellainna said. "I didn't even realize-"

"Neither did I," Kakashi responded.

They both chuckled.

"I guess we're just so used to taking this path when we're together..."

"I guess so."

Ellainna playfully shoved Kakashi's shoulder.

"Don't act like you don't enjoy it," she chuckled before turning to unlock her door.

"Whatever you want to tell yourself," Kakashi responded.

After Ellainna opened her door, she turned and bent her torso so she was looking at Kakashi upside down.

"Thank you."

Kakashi nodded his head and raised his hand in acknowledgement and to signal his departure. Ellainna walked inside and closed her door, locking it back. As she took her shoes off, Tamryn poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Hehh," she called, her mouth full. "Thatheh thof oo uff?"

What?"

Ellainna walked towards the kitchen and Tamryn swallowed the food she was chewing.

"Sasuke drop you off," Tamryn repeated. "You're home kinda early."

"Oh," Ellainna said nonchalantly as she leaned against the kitchen entryway. She filled Tamryn in on all the excitement from the exams.

"Oh wowwww," Tamryn said after Ellainna had finished. "When does Sasuke get out of the hospital?"

"I don't know. I'm going to visit him again tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be awake and the nurses will know more. Or at least tell me more."

Tamryn nodded in agreement with her.

"I'm sure he's just fine. It'll end up being no big deal and you guys can get back to toeing the boogie line."

"Tam!" Ellainna chuckled and playfully shoved Tamryn's shoulder. "However, the exams have fired me up!"

"Reliving your glory days," Tamryn responded, poking fun at Ellainna.

"Before I got stuck with these genin," Ellainna whined.

Tamryn chuckled at her and scarfed the rest of her food down.

"You feel like training with me," Ellainna asked. "I want to spar with someone I don't have to dumb down my skills for."

"So you'd rather I dumb my skills down?"

"Oh ho ho, don't underestimate me! I've grown!"

"You've grown on all those little D rank missions?"

"I'm going to go change!"

Ellainna spun on her heel and headed up the stairs towards her room.

"Then you'll see," she called from the stairs. Her dress was off by the time she had made it to her room but a gift left in her room stopped her in her tracks. On her window sill was a huge bouquet of yellow zinnias and coral pink camellias. She didn't have to guess who had left them as this was his trademark calling card. She nervously clasped her dress to her body and hesitantly entered her room. She glanced around to see if that was all there was waiting for her.

She checked all around her room for the culprit. The closet, bathroom, behind every door, under the bed, and outside the window...It was all clear. She shoved the flowers and loose petals out the window, into the bin beneath it. She made a mental note to go out there and burn them after Tamryn was asleep. Ellainna shut her window, locked it, and drew her curtains closed.

By the time Ellainna had changed her clothes and calmed her anxiety, Tamryn was far into a food nap at the kitchen table to do much of anything else. Ellainna ambled down the stairs and upon realizing this, tried futilely to wake her up. After failing to do so, Ellainna grumbled to herself to remember not to cook such full, heavy meals, and stubbornly decided to go outside anyway. She considered going out to sketch some more but chose to train like she originally planned. It was too late in the day for her to have enough light out to get any decent art in.

She grabbed her two ninja pouches and left for one of the training grounds in the Leaf. She hoped her 'secret admirer' was too preoccupied with his own training to bother her. Hours later, Ellainna found it comforting that Tamryn had eaten herself into a coma. She had been entirely to distracted to be anywhere near top peak form. She missed easy targets and hard targets alike. She grumbled in frustration and decided to settle in for the night. It would do nothing to force herself to work through her anger just for her to be a rattling, jittery mess. Every chitter, leaf shiver, or poking animal limb made her. She felt irrational.

Ellainna packed up all her tools and trudged towards town to pick up a few treats from the store before she retired at home. She was about halfway to town when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, its owner embracing her from behind and nuzzling their nose against her neck. Unphased since she was expecting it to happen at some point, Ellainna stopped walking and crossed her arms. She was annoyed she wasted her initial rage on the training field.

"It was so nice to see you again after so long," Ebisu whispered into her ear.

"I'm sure," Ellainna scoffed irritatedly, shoving Ebisu out of her way and walking away from him. Now that he was there, she felt her irritation returning. He was a lot more like an inconvenience than a threat and she ignored his advances.

"Aww, don't be like that," Ebisu crooned as he followed after Ellainna. "I hope you got my gift earlier?"

"I didn't appreciate it. At All."

"Why not? I thought it was a beautiful. Cost me enough."

Ellainna rolled her eyes and continued walking.

"I told you before, I don't want anything from you," she said dryly.

"Oh come on," Ebisu continued, trying to win Ellainna over with a cool, seductive tone. "How about we just go to that cute little spot off the road and see where the night takes us? I have no doubt I couldn't convince you to leave that young boy alone in favor of-"

Ellainna spun around to face Ebisu and waved a finger threateningly in his face.

"Look, I am not interested anymore. I don't understand how many times I have to say it for you to understand."

"I just-"

"You nothing! It's over. It was over the second you decided I wasn't enough."

"But-"

"And you can't convince me otherwise. Got it?"
"...Yes," Ebisu mumbled, defeated.

"And stop following me around. It's creepy," Ellainna added as she spun back around and stormed off.

She arrived home an hour later relieved and stuffed. Her treats didn't make the trip to her house, but she was prideful in the small amount of self control it took to not eat Tamryn's slice of cake. She unlocked and relocked her door after she entered. Tamryn was still asleep at the table so Ellainna left her desert there as well. When she went to toss the wrappers, the overflowing trash bag reminded her that she had some flowers to burn. She grabbed a pack of matches out her miscellaneous drawer and quietly rushed out the back door.

She approached the metal can and mentally congratulated herself for investing in it as it had come in handy more than she initially expected. Ellainna lit the match and reached her arm out, poised to let go when she heard a familiar voice that made her spine shiver.

"Oh, Lainny, did you not enjoy my gift? I picked them out especially with you in mind."

A harsh wind blew, knocking the flame in the match out, and carrying with it the scent of ripe pear fruit. It probably would have knocked the air out of Ellainna's lungs if it wasn't already gone. Her breathing became ragged and difficult and everything seemed to stop in time for her. Nausea caused her stomach to turn and flop, bile bubbling in her throat. She didn't want to see him, but she couldn't stop herself from turning around.

There he was, standing five steps away from her. It was like no time passed at all. His slicked back blonde hair fell silkily to his shoulders. Blowing just as softly as she remembered. His commanding gait prevailed in intimidating her as it once always had. He took the five steps towards her, standing over her. The hard, deceptively inviting features of his face were even more 'him' than he remembered. His perpetual smirk as he loomed over her, exuding an air of menace.

It was one thing to think of every attack she could make, every venomous word she could spout, every instance of payback she could exact upon him. But having him right there in front of her, in person, brought her back to her trembling knees. She felt exactly how she felt when she saw him last. Her limbs felt like jelly. Her words took the last train out of her mind, express. She felt like the young girl she was when she met him.

"Aaiden..."

The air that Ellainna was finally able to breathe whooshed out and the only thing her lips could form was his name. It was a whisper. It was all she could do. It was all that she could think of: his name.

Aaiden smirked and took his hand to Ellainna's face. He cradled it and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. It was a simple gesture that one might do with someone they loved. However, this 'loving gesture' was perverted by his intentions, his actions in the past. This wasn't an act of love and devotion, but instead one of manipulation and control. Ellainna knew that but she couldn't help but fall prey anyway. It worked flawlessly and she was a trembling mass of malleable putty.

"Oh, Lainny, you did miss me."

When Ellainna didn't, or rather couldn't, answer his question, Aaiden quickly took his hand from her cheek. He instead squeezed her chin with his pointer finger and thumb, causing Ellainna's lips to pucker out. Aaiden pulled Ellainna's face towards him forcefully.

"Didn't you?"
"Yessss..."

Ellainna breathlessly answered, falling back into the pattern of what was.

"Of course you did. You can't stay away from me."

"Wha...what are you doing here," Ellainna stumbled, her mind beginning to unfog.

"If I remember correctly, you took something that belongs to me."

Aaiden pulled Ellainna's face towards his as he bent down closer to hers. He intended to kiss her but was stopped just shy of it, only grazing her lips with his instead.

It took all of the strength Ellainna had to shove Aaiden in defiance, thought it didn't do much.

"Of course," he whispered seductively to her. "You could always just come back and your debt would be instantly erased."

Aaiden rubbed his lips against Ellainna's again, more forcefully this time, but still refusing to kiss her. He wanted her to drop the rope and fall. He wanted her to crack, to give up control. He was good at what he did.

Ellainna inhaled harshly and shook herself out of his mesmerizing grip enough to shove him again. This time he conceded and let go of her face before stepping back. He wanted her to let her guard down.

"No, I meant what are you doing here? Don't you usually send one of your buddies? How's Ton?"

Aaiden smirked and adjusted his suit sleeves needlessly.

"His eye is still healing. No thanks to you."

Ellainna smirked and cocked her head, trying to cover her weakening will with bravado.

"Besides, I wanted to see you in person, Lainny. Makes more of an impact, don't you think? I even got those flowers you always liked."

Aaiden cut his eyes to Ellainna and another chill slithered down her spine. The only person who gave her flowers was Ebisu, especially the combination of zinnias and camellias. It was his calling card, how he would apologize. He'd often be waiting there for her. That means Aaiden on some level was watching her, and that was nerve wracking. Did he know about Tamryn? Did he know who she was? Ellainna was more nervous than she was before. Aaiden always seemed to be a step ahead, always somehow knowing information that gave him another upper hand.

"And what's to stop me from making sure you can't drop in for another in person visit," Ellainna asked, flashing a kunai Aaiden hadn't noticed she had retrieved. Nevertheless, he shrugged confidently.

"Because we're not alone. Besides, I know you really wouldn't hurt me."

Aaiden stepped back up to Ellainna and pulled her close, his hand on her lower back. He leaned down and grazed his teeth against her neck, something he knew would normally make Ellainna melt to the floor. However, this time Ellainna had steeled herself enough to not crumble. Instead, Aaiden pulled away, gripping his now bleeding hand. Ellainna shook his blood away from her kunai threateningly. Aaiden chuckled as he grabbed a cloth from his pocket and used it to apply pressure to his wound.

He chuckled and wrapped his hand, seeming to take a hint and prepared to leave. In a flash, however, he had Ellainna by the hair and pulled her head forcefully, chuckling.

"I told you, I told you when we first met, didn't I? I said, 'Don't be stupid. Don't be a stupid girl.' And look where we are now."

He shoved Ellainna and bent down in her face.

"You were the one I was going to give everything to. Give everything up for."

Of course, Ellainna didn't believe this and wordlessly expressed as much. She spat in his face. Aaiden remained unphased and stood back up.

"Okay. Game on." He turned to walk away and called out to her. "I'll see you again real soon, Ellainna."

Ellainna waited until he was gone until she exhaled and rose to her feet.

Well, that's another string I'm going to have to tie off.

The back door opened and Tamryn spun Ellainna around to face her.

"Are you okay?!"

Ellainna didn't have to be turned around to know it was Tamryn. She sighed and shook her head.

"You could've came out and helped," she responded in annoyance.

"We can't blow your cover. He doesn't know you're working with me yet. We need to keep it that way."

"And you couldn't have just come and captured him and we be done with this whole mess?!"

"The two of us alone could not take him down. And you heard him, he wasn't alone."

"It was a bluff," Ellainna said as she shrugged Tamryn's hands from her shoulders. She returned to the barrel and continued her task of lighting the contents inside of it ablaze. She realized then that if Aaiden bought the flowers, then she was in the dark about what Ebisu bought her. She made a mental note to figure that out. And probably return it. Tamryn joined Ellainna by the barrel and crossed her arms worriedly.

"How do you know that," she asked her.

"He doesn't hurt me in front of people. I don't know why. He did everyone else."

"Well, thank you for helping in my case regardless. I appreciate how strong you've been through this whole thing."

Tamryn made a point to put meaning behind the latter half of sentence. Ellainna rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"I'm not wavering if that's what you think."

"I'm not! It's just," Tamryn turned slightly to analyze her friend's face before she continued. "I know how alluring a handsome face can be. He tells you what you want to hear, acts gentlemanly, buys you things-"

"And you think I'm that easily swayed," Ellainna fired back.

Tamryn's following silence answered Ellainna's question. She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"If you think that, then why did you ask me to be on this case, anyway?"

"Because you're the only one who I knew could work it. For whatever reason, he likes you. More than anyone else," Tamryn said, stopping herself from elaborating. She knew why he liked her.

Ellainna rolled her eyes. "I didn't ask to be liked by him, you know. He's not the one I have my eye on," she responded, also holding back some truth. No amount of wishing otherwise would make the fact that Aaiden had an effect on her untrue.

The two girls watched the fire to die down to its embers before they retreated inside and discussed a plan for capturing Aaiden. Ellainna remembered about Ebisu's gift and went searching for it while she spoke with Tamryn.

"So I'll have to call in part of the task force. Hopefully we can get this done before the chunin exams are over. Easier to hide covert ninja if they can be covert and I really don't want to wait to catch this asshole by submitting paperwork."

Tamryn use quotation marks to emphasize her dislike. Ellainna chuckled in agreement with her as she finished searching the drawers in her kitchen. Ebisu only

"Yes, it would be easier to explain why a bunch of Cloud ANBU are in the village if the chunin exams were still going on. They could be late arrivals to watch."

"Exactly."

Ellainna moved to the shoes by her front door and started shaking them out. It was then that Tamryn noticed she was searching for something.

"Losin' your mind there, El?"

"No," Ellainna replied on an exhale as she stood upright. "Ebby supposedly left a gift somewhere."

Tamryn made a face in repulsion.

"Oh, that. He stopped by while you were out. Thought he was an intruder at first. Would've been better if it was." Tamryn shrugged and Ellainna refrained from chuckling.

"Did he drop something off?"

Tamryn shrugged again.

"I don't know. He was snooping in your room. Honestly, who cares. I thought you dropped all your dead weight?"

"I don't want to wake up tomorrow to any surprises," Ellainna replied, again half lying. She didn't want any surprises, but she also was pretty curious what he got her since it wasn't the flowers. Ellainna tried to walk up the stairs to her room in the most unenthusiastic way she could without giving herself away. She knew exactly which drawer Ebisu would've put the present. He never missed a chance to be a pervert given an option.

She opened her underwear drawer and sitting right on top was a neatly wrapped and bowed gift box. Ellainna reveled in her self-proclaimed 'genius skill' and unwrapped the present. Inside was a pair of beautifully carved twin daggers. Just above the hilts, at the bottom of the blades were carvings. One was a moon, the other a sun. Ellainna was impressed with the amount of thought that had to have gone into this gift. The sun and moon were a calling to her twin blades, Helios and Selene. As she admired the craftsmanship on the blades, she knew this wasn't a gift that he got that same day. He had to have been sitting on these for a while. He really did spend a lot on these.

Inside the lid of the box was a note:

HoneyBon,

I had this made for your birthday the last time we were together, but, well...you know what happened after that. But after seeing you again today, it was like a dream. I forgot how enchanting your beauty was.

That moment, despite its brevity, lit a fire in my belly! I am determined to win your heart back if it's the last thing I do!

With Love,

Misu

Ellainna's cheeks turned red as she read the note, remembering how and why they chose those nicknames for each other. She flipped the blades over as she admired them more and noticed they were inscribed there too. Suddenly, there was a knock on Ellainna's doorframe. She shoved everything in her drawer and slammed it close in alarm before turning around to face her friend.

"You ready for bed," Tamryn yawned.

Ellainna calmed her quick beating heart and chuckled.

"You're still tired? You were sleep all day!"

Ellainna crossed the room to unmake her bed, inviting Tam in to distract her from the dresser.

"No, I was interrupted from sleeping all day," her friend replied.

Ellainna rolled her eyes.

"What'd he give you anyway," Tamryn continued, nodding towards the dresser as she climbed into the bed.

"Nothing worth talking about," Ellainna replied, trying to appear nonchalant as she slid into her bed as well.

"Yeah, okay," Tamryn shot back jokingly as she got comfortable. "Nothing worth talking about but your face is red."

"Let's just go to bed," Ellainna said, unintentionally squeaking her voice.

Tamryn chuckled and they both settled in for the night.

Tamryn pretended to sleep beside Ellainna until she heard the telltale sounds of her friend slumbering away. She hovered over her friend to confirm she was in fact asleep before climbing out of bed and getting dressed. She deftly made her way down the stairs and put her shoes on. She slipped out the door and into the night. When Ellainna awoke the next morning, Tamryn was still gone.

Ellainna sat up in her empty bed and stretched. She assumed Tamryn was downstairs eating again and got prepared for the day. She showered and dressed, hoping Sasuke would be awake by the time visiting hours started. She tried to take her time in doing her hair but it repeatedly ended up terrible so she slapped a headband on and stalked out her bathroom in frustration. She spent some more time deciding between a dress or something more casual. She ended up deciding to save her dress for another day when Sasuke was for sure awake and put on a casual outfit.

Ellainna slid on pair of capris like fishnets, shorts, and a flowy tank that she tucked into her shorts. She attached one ninja pouch to her back pocket and floated down the stairs. She floated down the stairs into her kitchen expecting to see her friend. She was surprised when she wasn't. Ellainna went around the house looking for Tamryn but realized she was gone when she noticed a pair of her shoes were missing. She was confused where she would have gone, or when, but decided that it didn't matter too much. She'd see her later that day and they didn't have to be attached at the hip the entire time she was visiting.

Ellainna ate a quick breakfast of eggs and rice before she pulled her shoes on and left into town. She momentarily debated if it was safe to leave with Aaiden back in town but it occurred to her that she was safer in public surrounded by crowds versus by herself at home. On the plus side, she was confident last night was more of a scare tactic and not the new norm. Her first stop was the hospital, where Sasuke was still being guarded by Anbu members. She stopped by to see Sasuke but nurse at the desk had informed her that he unfortunately, had not woken up yet.

Ellainna insisted on seeing him for a few minutes anyway. She sat in the chair beside his bed, held his hand, and spent a bit of time talking to him. Thirty minutes later, she stood to leave. Before she left out, Ellainna looked over him fondly and brushed his hair from his bandaged forehead. She kissed it softly goodbye and left, waving to the nurses.

"Thanks!"

She noticed Sakura on her way into the hospital on her own way out and fought the strong urge to bump her. Instead, she pushed past her apprehension to be helpful, spun on her heel, and called after her.

"Hey...he hasn't woken up yet."

Sakura turned around to face her and gripped the vase she held.

"Oh..okay. Thanks."

"Mmhmm..."

They stood there silently in awkwardness for a few minutes before Sakura held the vase up.

"I'm just gonna leave these in there for him anyway."

"Okay," Ellainna responded and shrugged her shoulders.

She put her hands in her pockets as she turned around, beginning to walk away. She waved her hand carelessly behind her. She was gonna call out a goodbye to Sakura but she was cut off.

"H-h-hey! Wait! I...I have a question. Something I don't understand."

Ellainna turned halfway towards Sakura and placed her hands lazily back into her pockets.

"Yeah?"

"I just...I like him a lot...More than you. So why does he choose you."

Ellainna sighed heavily and waved her arms listlessly.

"Honey...I have known Sasuke far longer than you've had a crush on him."

"So..?"

"Soooo...? What do you want from me? You want me to give you advice on how to get my boyfriend to like you?" Ellainna chuckled a little at the absurdity of Sakura's question.

"But you don't even like him," Sakura huffed heatedly in return.

Ellainna turned away and waved her hand in farewell to her comrade.

"Goodbye, Sakura."

Ellainna whistled her way into town and decided it was as good a time as any to replenish the eggs and rice Tamryn had eaten up. She stood outside the grocery store and thought on what she should do next. She had to get the eggs home or they'd spoil, but on the other hand she needed to be as surrounded as possible. She didn't have to spend too long on her dilemma as she saw Tamryn walking by.

"Hey! There you are!"

Tamryn turned and saw Ellainna waving at her. She slowed her stride and waited for Ellainna to catch up and fall in line with her gait.

"You're wearing that walk of shame well," Ellainna joked.

However, Ellainna's chide fell on deaf ears. Tamryn was too lost in thought to really focus on much. Ellainna noticed this and waved her hand in front of her companion's face.

"Hellooooooo. Calling Tamryn's brain cells. Anybody home?"

"El, come on." Tamryn knocked Ellainna's hand away, annoyed. "What do you want?"

"Jeez," Ellainna pouted. "I just wanted to see why you were so distracted. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," Tamryn replied heatedly, annoyed.

"Well, then where'd you go?"

"Nowhere!"

Ellainna rolled her eyes. "Look, you're supposed to be my bodyguard through this. That was the agreement. I did not take the risk of seducing and then turning on the third biggest slumlord so that I can be taken out buying some damn eggs."

"You were never in any real trouble," Tamryn said, waving off Ellainna's concern.

Ellainna stopped in her tracks at this new revelation.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Shit

"Nothing, Ellainna," Tamryn responded. She glanced in her direction for a brief moment but continued walking. Ellainna rushed her way in front of Tamryn and cut her off.

"No, cut the crap, Tamryn," Ellainna responded, noting the fact that Tamryn said her full name; something she only did when she was trying to hide something and distract her.

"I had an ANBU agent in the village since before I got here," Tamryn lied cooly. "I've been tracking Aaiden for a while and I wanted to make sure you were okay." The truth was, Ellainna couldn't have been in danger of a person that Tamryn spent the better part of the night and some of the day with.

Ellainna eyed Tamryn suspiciously. She didn't believe her but she didn't have an alternate theory that made sense.

"Why didn't you say anything last night," Ellainna asked. She hoped with more questions she could trip Tamryn up and get the full truth. "If that was the case, the three of us could have definitely taken him out and this whole thing would be over!"

"Because ANBU aren't on duty when I'm with you and it wouldn't have made a difference if you knew of their presence or not."

Tamryn walked around Ellainna and resumed her walk in the direction of her house.

"Did you know he was going to be here last night," Ellainna continued with her interrogation.

"No."

Tamryn stopped and turned to look Ellainna in the eyes. This time she wasn't lying and knew that this would convince her friend that every statement she had made was true. They both stayed like that for a bit before Ellainna conceded.

"Just keep me informed on everything," Ellainna huffed, annoyed, as she trudged ahead towards her home. Tamryn followed close behind, glad she was able to keep Ellainna in the dark for now. There were a lot of things she wasn't ready to inform her of yet. Eventually, but not yet.

The two girls arrived at Ellainna's home uneventfully and the next day was just as uneventful. Ellainna woke up, got dressed, checked on Sasuke and went home, more worried than previously before. She remembered what Kakashi said about having wishful thinking but it only comforted her momentarily. She went around her house anxiously puttering to, unsuccessfully, kill time. After the tenth time she had opened and closed the fridge door, Tamryn irritatedly suggested (commanded) Ellainna go out for the night.

Of course, Ellainna tried to fight the suggestion in favor of letting her worry rule over her but Tamryn insisted (forced) her upstairs to change. Then she escorted (frog marched) into town. It wasn't too late in the day so the town was still bustling. Bright lights enticed patrons and pulled them in. The town was full of life and it was enough to distract Ellainna, at least a little bit. She walked down the street in between rows of beautifully adorned shops, arm linked with Tamryn's. She was trying to decide where to go and what to do when she heard a loud, distinctive, booming voice. She rushed to the building housing the source of said voice and was happy to see an old friend of hers sitting there in his usual spot.

"Satō!"

Jiraiya finished his swig of sake and looked up to see a beaming face running towards him. He took his arms from around the women surrounding him and reached his arms out to receive his incoming hug.

"Hime!"

Ellainna launched herself full force into Jiraiya's arms and he grabs her in his arms, embracing her warmly.

"How are you, old girl?! You've not grown one bit since I last saw you!"

Jiraiya let Ellainna down and she pouted at his jab.

"Yeah, but you've gotten wrinklier since I've seen you!"

"Oh, my heart!"

Jiraiya mimed a shot to the heart as Tamryn walked up, interested in Ellainna's acquaintance. The ladies Jiraiya was sitting with cleared their throats pointedly, wanting the attention back on them. Jiraiya turned towards them and wrapped his arm around Ellainna.

"Oh, ladies! This is my Princess, Elly. She and I go way back!"

Jiraiya sat back in his spot and Ellainna sat on his leg, her arms around his neck. She waved Tamryn over before she canoodled closer to Jiraiya.

"Without this young girl, my reputation wouldn't be what it is with the ladies," Jiraiya joked before laughing heartily.

His companions became jealous and stood up in frustration.

"Ah, ladies, there's plenty of Sage Master to go around!"

The ladies left anyway, making a point to nudge Tamryn out of the way as they made their way towards another corner of the bar. No doubt in search of the next guy to mooch off of. Jiraiya shrugged, not too upset now that he ran into Ellainna again. It was worth it, plus she probably could work her wingmen magic and get him another set of hotties in the blink of an eye. She was good like that. Tamryn cautiously sat down on the other side of Jiraiya. She had never met him before and was wary. Especially when she knew the kind of company that Ellainna had a constant habit of attracting.

"Aww, looks like your little friends left," Ellainna joked, biting her nail in fake guilt. "Did I do that?"

"And you're going to have to work your magic to make up for my loss," Jiraiya joked back.

Ellainna laughed and all they spent the night catching up, drinking, laughing (loudly) and enjoy themselves obnoxiously in the bar while Tamryn watched, self-consciously. By the time the shop closed, and they were kicked out, the buzz had worn off, Tamryn had disappeared, and they were winding down as they walked the streets of the village.

"So you're finally acknowledging the boy, hunh," Ellainna said, elbowing Jiraiya.

"What can I say," Jiraiya chuckled. "He won me over."

"He does that often," Ellainna said, thinking on how convincing and determined her teammate is.

The sun started to rise and Ellainna had a slight panic. She hadn't gotten any sleep and she still had to get prepared to see Sasuke at the hospital. She thanked Jiraiya for spending the night with her, expressed her appreciation for and it and enjoyment, bid him farewell, and rushed home.

She rushed in, took a hoe bath, changed into a new outfit, brushed her stale drunk breath away, and rushed out the door while hurriedly brushing her hair into a ponytail. She gently massaged her face and smacked her cheeks to awaken her face as she rushed through the woods towards the hospital, in far too of a rush to process the fact that Tamryn wasn't there again. By the time she arrived, her ponytail was a disheveled mop, her shirt was hanging off her shoulder and backwards, she was out of breath, and her face went past a healthy glow into more of a sweaty 'I'm going to collapse in the next two seconds'. Which, granted, was true for Ellainna. She hunched over and wheezed heavily and she tried to regain her breath. She held a finger up to signal she was going to speak momentarily and tried to do so as soon as her lungs allowed her to do so.

"I-heh...Sor-heh...heeeeeeh...Ok...Hi...heh...I-I-I-I'm...here...Hello."

Ellainna continued her wheezing and the nurse at the desk giggled at her.

"You can just go right in," the nurse said to Ellainna, already knowing what she was there for.

Ellainna waved weakly in appreciation and scurried as quickly as her sore legs would allow her to. By the time she made it to the hallway with Sasuke's room, she had successfully regained her composure. She was alarmed when she saw that his door was sitting open and rushed to make sure he was okay. Inside, there was a nurse going over Sasuke's vitals, who surprisingly was now conscious. Ellainna could've been knocked over by the weight of a leaf on her shoulder she was so overwhelmed with emotions. As the nurse looked him over, she began lecturing Sasuke on how to take care of himself as he recovered and he nodded his head continually in annoyance, already set on not following directions and doing what he wanted to.

He looked up and saw Ellainna in the doorway and cocked his trademark cocky smirk. She rushed in and pulled Sasuke into a tight hug. Her knees gave out and she fell to the ground, pulling Sasuke halfway out of the bed with her embrace. The nurse made a fuss as she was in the middle of lecturing Sasuke but neither of the ninja cared. She was happy he was okay and he was enjoying Ellainna's embrace. Ellainna couldn't stop herself from spilling some tears in happiness.

"Ella...I ca-Ella...you're-ugh," Sasuke choked out.

"Oh," Ellainna exclaimed, realizing her mistake. She released Sasuke and tried to wipe away her tears so she could go on unnoticed. However, she forgot she had worn make up the previous night so she smudged all the left over eye make up she had on, whether it had run from the tears or not. This look was getting worse for her. 10/10, would not recommend. Sasuke, however, found it humorous and felt an appreciation for the fact that she had tried so hard to be there for him, obviously, as she had always took deep consideration in her looks. He appreciated her as a whole. She was always there for him at the end of the day after the massacre. Even after a long or heavy mission she made sure to carve out time for him, and he appreciated it. Though, he'd never admit that out loud of course. Maybe Ellainna wasn't the only one who had a problem voicing their true feelings.

The nurse continued lecturing Sasuke and informed him that he would have to rest in the hospital for a week before being released. He, of course, did not like this news but Ellainna assured him that she would continue to visit each day, with a care package to keep him preoccupied as well.

"A week will just fly right by!"

Sasuke grumbled, irregardless, as he was worried about the chunin exams.

"What about the exams?"

"Oh! Right! Of course! You passed."

The nurse left as Ellainna filled Sasuke in on what's next for the exams, except who he was facing. She knew if she told him right now, it wouldn't do anything but drive him crazy. He'd probably leave the hospital tonight and try to train in anticipation.

"So we don't know our opponents until day of," Sasuke asked for clarification.

"Yup! Just like in real missions you won't know who or what you'll be going against and just have to be as prepared as possible for the enemy."

"Fine."
Sasuke contemplated his possible opponents and the ones he is excited to fight. Ellainna interrupted his thoughts when she grabbed his face and planted a quick kiss on his lips. For once, Sasuke was caught off guard and was momentarily stunned. He couldn't will his cheeks from heating up in response and Ellainna chuckled.

"Scooch over, hunh," she said trying to join Sasuke in the bed.

Sasuke complied and moved over so there was room for Ellainna to lounge with him.

"Kicking the patient out of the bed, niiiiice," Sasuke joked. "What's next? Taking my meds, too?"

"Of course," Ellainna joked back as she leaned in to cuddle with Sasuke. "I gotta keep my habit up somehow."
Sasuke chuckled at the joke and leaned over as she caressed his face gently, both of them leaning towards each other for a kiss.

Far too soon for either one's liking, visiting hours were over and Ellainna had to leave Sasuke in the hospital. She stood by his doorway going over the list of things to bring she made from Sasuke's dictation. A few books, change of clothes, training bands for his arms and legs, et cetera.

"So, I'll bring all this for you, no problem," Ellainna said, mentally checking off the list again before looking up. The lovers looked at each other forlornly, each wishing there was more time for them to spend carefree in one another's' presence.

Unfortunately, a nurse appeared again, this time forcefully ushering Ellainna out.

"I'll bring this stuff to you tomorrow," she called out to Sasuke.

Ellainna sarcastically thanked the nurse so she would stop escorting. The nurse cheerfully responded with an equally sarcastic filled 'you're welcome' and watched Ellainna leave the building. Ellainna rushed to Sasuke's apartment and packed up his bag. She quickly snuck back to the hospital and spent a bit of time trying to determine what side of the hospital was Sasuke's room. Growing frustrated, she picked a side and used chakra in the soles of her feet to walk up the side of the hospital. She struggled a bit to open the window without dropping the bag or falling, but she prevailed and slinked inside with the bag almost silently. Her foot caught on the ledge and window shut on her calf, eliciting a squeak from Ellainna but she stifled it by biting her lip and then chuckling.

"You having fun over there, Ella," Sasuke whispered in amusement.

Ellainna giggled again as she slinked over to Sasuke's bed. She leaned against the edge and hugged the bag to her chest.

"I got the goods," she whispered. "You got the payment?"

Sasuke couldn't keep himself from smiling at her joke.

"Yeah, I got your payment right here."

He reached up and pulled Ellainna on top of him and kissed her. She chuckled and slid over, setting the bag on top of Sasuke's stomach.

"Well, I did what you asked. It's all there, and I'll be back on time tomorrow. Early even," Ellainna said cheerfully.

She jumped up and played with her hair slightly, trying to smooth it out.

"Or, you could stay," Sasuke said as he shuffled through the care bag Ellainna brought, trying to sound casual in his question. He pretended to look for something in the basket, like he didn't care what Ellainna's answer was. Ellainna smiled warmly and took Sasuke's chin in her thumb and forefinger. She turned his head towards her to get his attention and kissed his forehead.

"You're not in competition for anybody or anything. I am not expecting anything from you but you. Okay?"

Sasuke was silent but Ellainna took that as her answer anyway and kissed Sasuke on his forehead again.

"That should hold you for a few days," Ellainna continued, walking to the other side of the bed. She pushed Sasuke over and got in the bed with him. She got comfortable and looked at him.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. And I'm not going to make it easy for you to pressure yourself otherwise. I'm not spending the night, but I'll be here a bit longer for you."

Sasuke continued to stay silent and continued ruffling through the bag, grateful for the night sky hiding the blush in his cheeks. Ellainna, however, knowing Sasuke well, already knew how he felt and smiled. She ruffled his hair and they spent the next few hours talking and hiding Ellainna from the nurses, until Sasuke fell asleep, unable to keep his eyes open any longer despite his effort.

Ellainna slid out of his bed as smoothly as possible and kissed his cheek before she slipped out of the hospital. She arrived home, absolutely exhausted, and promptly went to her bed and fell asleep. She woke up a little later in the afternoon than usual the next day. She sat up and stretched languidly, surprised how serene she felt. She looked around her room pensively, thinking of reasons why she was so calm. She continued this mental conversation with herself as she took her shower. When she dried off, she sat at her vanity to play in her hair. She brushed it out in her regular style and was reminded that her bangs were now to long for her liking. They tickled her eyes and she blew upwards at them playfully. She thought about just tossing it into a ponytail but remembered that she'd still have to take the time to pin her bangs back as they were still too short for a ponytail.

Ellainna rebrushed her hair and began moving her hair around, trying out different ways to try and style it. She fiddled for a bit before deciding on a high half up, half down style. Her bangs were too short for a pony, but definitely long enough for a top bun. She deftly parted, brushed, and styled her hair. She took the part of hair she left down, still damp from her shower, and put them into two braids. She hummed as she crossed to her closet and got dressed. Surprisingly, she had no trouble choosing her outfit. No amount of overthinking in sight. She grabbed a simple, floral patterned wrap around and tied it snuggly. She put on some leg fishnets and knee-high socks. Grabbing her sketchbook, Ellainna slid down the stairs by means of banister and hopped into the kitchen.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't expecting Tamryn to be there, and was a little sad. They had a weird relationship, yes, but it was still based in friendship. And she missed her friend. Ellainna made a quick breakfast of toast and boiled eggs before sliding on a pair of boots and walking out the door. As she walked, she undid the braids in her now dry hair, letting the waves unfurl. She arrived at the hospital uneventfully and nodded to the nurses at the entrance in recognition. One of them giggled and teasingly called out to Ellainna.

"I thought you were bringing Sasuke a care package this afternoon!"

Ellainna smiled nervously through her embarrassment and reddening face as she kept walking. She hurried to Sasuke's room and quickly opened the door. She was surprised to see 2 out of 3 of the rest of her other team members.

"Sakura, Kakashi...hey," she said as she slid the door close.

Everyone in the room looked up at Ellainna. Sasuke smirked warmly, Kakashi had the same blank expression as always, and Sakura had a crap eating grin in her face. Ellainna rolled her eyes and made a face at Sakura in return.

"Hey, Sasuke," Ellainna said, overly sweet. She crossed the room to wrap her arms around his shoulders and made a point to kiss his cheek. "I missed you."
"You just saw me last night," Sasuke replied, confused as he shifted in the bed to allow Ellainna to sit next to him.

Ellainna climbed in the bed and held Sasuke's hand, leaning comfortably on his shoulder.

"I know," she replied, looking Sakura in the eyes.

Sakura would be fuming steam if she could, her expression was so angry. Sensing the tension in the air, Kakashi cleared his throat to bring the attention to him.

"So, anyway, it's nice you joined us, Ellainna. I was just about to begin discussing Sasuke's recovery timeline."

"When can I start training," Sasuke asked expectantly.

"Soon as you are released from the hospital," Kakashi said cheerfully, already anticipating Sasuke's next outburst.

"That's not leaving me enough time left to prepare for the exams," Sasuke predictably shouted. "I need to start training now."

Ellainna squeezed Sasuke's hand encouragingly. "You can't do much training if your body gives out on you after every kick."

The three of them continued the conversation (argument) until Kakashi gave up trying to reason with Sasuke.

"Look, no matter how bad you want to start training, I will not be training you until I get the okay from the hospital."

"it's for your own good, Sasuke. You need to heal," Sakura spoke, the first time in the conversation.

Sasuke cut her an angry look and she looked away. Ellainna gently pet his shoulder in support and he shrugged her hand away, still frustrated. She frowned and stood.

"Well, I think any further conversation on this topic is a moot point," she said. "So, let's let him stew in his anger for now. Nothing productive will come from anything right now."

She bent down and kissed Sasuke's forehead before following Kakashi and Sakura out the door. Ellainna poked her head back in before she closed the door completely and informed Sasuke she would return later that evening. When she exited the hospital, she was surprised at how quickly her teammates had scampered because they were nowhere in sight. Ellainna shrugged her shoulders and decided to go looking for Jiraiya and Naruto. Might as well round out that 3 and see her other teammate as well. Plus, it'll kill enough time to let Sasuke simmer down. She made her way through the village and towards the forest area on the other side when she realized she hadn't remembered where exactly he said he was training Naruto.

She ended up wandering around for a bit, hoping that she would be lucky and run into them. After half an hour, however, she did see Kakashi rushing through the forest secretively. Ellainna was now interested in what he was slinking around to hide and followed him. She could see he was carrying flowers and wondered if it was a secret lady friend he was visiting. She chuckled to herself, amused. She had been following Kakashi for a few minutes when he began picking up pace. Too invested to realize that was weird, Ellainna picked up her pace as well. Until she slammed into something hard and fell to the ground.

"Owwwah! What the friggin' hell?!"

Ellainna let the stars in her eyes disappear before she sat up. In front of her was a tree that had not originally been there. Or rather, she had not been able to see.

"If you're gonna pull a dirty trick like that at least make it painless," she called out to the forest, angrily.

She tried to stand up and immediately fell to the ground in pain, clutching her ankle. She bit her lip to fight the pain shooting up her leg. She rolled on her back like an overturned turtle and groaned in pain. Suddenly, Kakashi was kneeling by Ellainna, guilty in his one thought harmless prank on her.

"Fuuuuuuu-man. That hurts," Ellainna whined out, still clutching her ankle.

Kakashi swiftly turned Ellainna so that her leg was pointing towards him. He gently removed Ellainna's hand and slowly eased her boot off. He inspected her ankle and was slightly relieved to see that it was only slightly swollen. A day or two and she'd be fine. Ellainna watched as Kakashi tenderly but deftly wrapped her ankle in a bandage he pulled from his ninja pouch.

When he was done, Kakashi stood back up and held his hand out to help Ellainna do the same.

"Come on, I'll take you home."

"No, you can't just pawn me off! Besides, I'm not walking anywhere with a bum ankle," Ellainna argued back, slapping Kakashi's hand away. "I'm not letting you ease your guilt so easily."

Kakashi rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"What do you expect me to do instead? Carry you around with me all day?!"

Ellainna perked up and grinned mischievously, sparkles in her eyes.

"Yes! I can't be alone all day. Nobody's home, we can't interrupt Naruto's training, wherever he is anyway, Sasuke can't really do anything and no hospital is going to admit or treat me for a sore ankle. And don't even think about leaving me with Sakura. That's not a recipe for success no matter how you spin it."

Kakashi groaned and rubbed his face, exasperated.

"You know, this Is really all your fault. You have got to learn to stop stalking people."

"Oh yeah, blame the victim," Ellainna countered, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "Just quit trying to get out of it. I can't walk. You'll hafta just reschedule your little date."

Kakashi chuckled at Ellainna's assumption and caved to her request. He squatted to allow her to climb onto him.

"Come on. Let's go."

Ellainna eagerly clambered onto Kakashi's back, thinking she won and wore him down. Well, in a way she had. But not how she thought. Kakashi grabbed the flowers he had hastily discarded to the ground, and carried Ellainna to his destination: the memorial stone from their first mission together as team 7. Ellainna was confused to say the least.

"Weird spot for a date."

"Would be. If I were here for one."

"...did you get stood up? Is it because you wanted to meet in the creepy woods?"

"I'm not here for a date-"

"Not anymore you're not."

"I'm here to pay my respects."

"Oh."

Kakashi laid the flowers down on the ledge and silently said his prayers with a bowed head. After he finished, Kakashi looked back at the stone forlornly. He felt compelled to break the silence and founf himself doing so, despite his desire not to.

"I...I know someone on this stone. Or-knew...knew someone..."

Ellainna listened on respectfully as Kakashi spoke. He was still being immensely vague, but she could tell that even still, this information was something he didn't tell a lot of people. Or maybe anyone. She rubbed his earlobe encouragingly and soothingly.

"He died protecting me...And this village."

They both stood in silence for a bit before Ellainna tried to break the silence with the joke.

"Sooo...you're date's a rock?"

"Okay. Yeah," Kakashi groaned.

In a blink of an eye, a whirlwind left Ellainna sitting in the visitor's chair in Sasuke's room.

"Jerk," Ellainna mumbled as the door slammed shut.

"Welcome back," Sasuke said, not looking up from the book he was reading. "What did you do this time?"

Ellainna mimed crying and whined out, "Nooothiiiiiing!"

"Oh, you poor child," Sasuke replied tonelessly.

Ellainna sighed and reclined in her chair, placing her feet against the edge of Sasuke's bed.

"Looks like you're stuck with me for a while."

She shook her leg to show the bandage on her ankle. Sasuke glanced over and nodded.

"Where's your shoe?"

The next few days went along like a clockwork pattern for Ellainna. Her ankle was healed just in time for Sasuke to check out of the hospital, though sans boot. Sasuke spent his time in the hospital training as much as he could, even though his body wasn't ready for much. Knowing it would've been a moot point to argue with him, plus she wasn't in any condition to fight with him anyway, Ellainna watched over him.

When he checked out, Ellainna was surprised he didn't have a parade of fans waiting for his departure. In fact, she realized he didn't have too many visitors, unless they snuck in while she was napping. She determined not to look a gift horse in the mouth and revel in the quiet.

She helped Sasuke home and hoped they could take a day or two without his overzealous desire to train, but knew otherwise. As predicted, once they dropped his bags and she relaxed on the couch with a comfortable 'ahhhhh', Sasuke announced he was going to outside to train.

"I want to be ready when Kakashi comes by. You coming with?"

Ellainna threw her head back and sighed, looking at Sasuke upside down.

"Ooooor...You can come over here with me."

Ellainna wiggled a bit, enticingly, though she didn't think it would work. She was right. Of course, because Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to exit back out the door.

"I'll see you out there, Ella."

Sasuke trudged off and Ellainna took a pillow to her face and groaned into it. Then she stood and lankily followed Sasuke out the door. After dusk, Ellainna was practically dragging Sasuke back to his apartment after he had overworked himself once more. She struggled him up the steps and successfully got him into his bed. Ellainna sighed and collapsed to her knees on the floor. She and Sasuke made eye contact and she exuberantly shook her head, knowing what he was thinking.

"No, no, no. You're lucky I carried you home! I could've left you there on the training field!"

Ellainna pointed her finger at him threateningly.

"Ellllla."

Ellainna rolled her eyes and got up, closing the curtains to block the setting sun from hitting Sasuke's face. She walked into the bathroom and tossed a washcloth at Sasuke's face before exiting.

"There you go. Keep it up, next'll be the water."

Sasuke groaned into the washcloth, unable to remove it as he was in too much pain. Ellainna sat on the edge of the bed and clasped Sasuke's knee, causing him to sit up in shock of pain.

"Oh, goodie, you're up," she said cheerfully. "Look, I've gotta head home. I need to sleep in my own bed. And find my shoe. I need to go home."

Sasuke waved his hand carelessly. Or, rather, as laxly as possible for someone who's entire body was in pain right down to his fingernails. Ellainna gently grabbed Sasuke's face and kissed his forehead.

"I'll be back," Ellainna said to Sasuke as she yanked the door open. She waved goodbye and began her descent down the stairs and the walk home. She was surprised to see Kakashi walking her way when she got close to the Uchiha compound entrance.

"Oh, hey. What's up," Ellainna greeted.

"I-"

"And where's my boot," Ellainna added on, cutting Kakashi off as she remembered she was still missing her shoe. She had been walking around barefoot for the past few days.

"Good evening to you too. I didn't expect to see you here-"

"Hence my boot not being graciously wrapped-"

"Anyway," Kakashi said loudly, speaking over Ellainna's grumbling. "I came by to let Sasuke know that he needs to heal completely before I can train him."

"He's not going to like that," Ellainna said, starting to walk home.

"Well, that's life."

"Why can't you just train up to heal now as well, Teach? He's not too injured. Just overexerting himself."

"Because the training I have in mind is too rigorous for him to be anywhere but top notch shape."

Ellainna scoffed and crossed her arms.

"And I was hoping you would train him, help him heal, until then."

"I figured since you're following me and Sasuke is in the other direction. Would you like me to tell him the news too?" Ellainna tried to sound as sarcastic as possible with her question but either Kakashi couldn't tell or her didn't care because with a quick 'yup', he was gone. Ellainna grumbled as she trudged home. When she arrived, she noticed her missing boot was sitting inside with her other shoes. Ellainna rolled her eyes and went to her bathroom to scrub her feet. When she finished, she let her hair down and collapsed into her bed, promptly falling asleep.

The next day opened her eyes to see her line of vision was blocked by something attached to her face. She pulled it off in frustration and was hit by the bright sunlight shining through her window. She shoved her curtains closed and looked the paper she ripped from her forehead.

El,

Had to meet up with my team, but I will see you again at the exams. You're being looked over, always.

-Tam

Ellainna crumbled the note and tossed it as she stood up and headed to the bathroom. Her friendship with Tamryn was...complicated...to say the least. They met because of a mission, but they had bonded over the years. They were close. But that didn't stop them from becoming hostile when frustrated with one another. They were quick to call attention to the fact that their friendship was founded on their duty to complete the mission. But they were just a quick to forgive and come back together. They have had a lot of quarrels or unintended offenses, but at their core, they were friends.

Ellainna let the water run over her and hung her head to take a deep breath. She

After her shower, she found herself at her vanity once again, fiddling in her hair. She felt...weird. She never usually was one to care about her looks, unless she was out to charm her way into luxury. Even the haircut she got for her birthday was more of a spur of the moment thing than it was for style and she was annoyed with having to grow it back out. Her bangs got in the way and if they got in the way, then she was useless on the battlefield. She was never one to sit in front of the mirror and play in makeup and agonize over clothing. She dramatically tugged at her face as she realized she was becoming like her teammate. She dispelled the thought and decided to dress more casually. She brushed her hair back and used her headband as an actual headband. She dressed practically in a tank top, skirt, and shorts and fought the urge to check her outfit in the mirror before she left for Sasuke's house. Predictably, he wasn't there when she arrived. She locked the door back and headed towards to the training field nearby. She found Sasuke in the middle of his strength training with mountain climbers.

"Hey, how goes your workout?"

Sasuke finished his set and nodded to Ellainna, acknowledging she was there, as he moved on to practicing his shuriken. Ellainna sat atop the middle wooden post and watched Sasuke train until he couldn't force his body to move any longer. She lithely slid off the post and hovered over Sasuke, who was now an out of breath heap on the floor.

"Have you had enough yet?"

Sasuke shot daggers at her, annoyed. It was about all he could do anyway.

"You keep wrecking your body and Kakashi isn't going to train you at all."

Ellainna leaned over and helped Sasuke up and home, as she did the previous day. She ran a warm bath to help soothe his body and reclined on his bed as she waited for him to finish. When Sasuke exited the bathroom, Ellainna suggested he join her on the bed and watch tv with her. He did but was soon fgast asleep. He had worked out all day and the warm bath was a soothing relief for his aching body. He couldn't do much else but pass out as soon as his head hit the pillow. Ellainna sat up and kissed his forehead affectionately before she left to make her way home. She was surprised once again to see Kakashi at the entrance to the Uchiha compound. This time, however, he seemed to be waiting instead of on his way inside.

"This is turning into a creepy habit, Kakashi," Ellainna said as she walked right by him.

"I was half expecting Sasuke to be trudging out," Kakashi said, ignoring Ellainna's comment. He turned and fell into stride with her.

"I didn't tell him. I'm not doing your dirty work for you."

"I wouldn't call it dirty work so much as..." Kakashi trailed off as he thought of a way to spin it. He couldn't and instead decided to change the subject. "Anyway, come with me."

"Where," Ellainna asked slightly irritably.

"Dinner."

"Yeah right," Ellainna scoffed.

"Anywhere you want."

Ellainna eyed Kakashi suspiciously. "And you're buying...?"

"Sure, fine. I'll buy."

Ellainna grinned mischievously, but Kakashi quickly shut her down, knowing where her thoughts were headed.

"No booze."

"Spoil sport," Ellainna mumbled, crossing her arms.

"I need you level headed for this conversation."

Kakashi and Ellainna walked through the village, settling the only place still open that Ellainna enjoyed: Ichiraku Ramen. Ellainna eagerly sits down and orders a bowl of ramen. Kakashi orders as well, but complains about Ellainna's choice of restaurant.

"You said I could pick anywhere," she pointed out.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.

"So what was so major you had to bribe me with your own hard earned money?"

"We need to talk about Sasuke's training."

"Something I thought you didn't want to be apart of right now," Ellainna asked pointedly.

Their ramen was served and Ellainna gulped it down as she listened to Kakashi.

"I can still proctor it without being there in person."

"So I'm left doing your dirty work again."

"I figured you'd enjoy spending face time with your boyfriend."

Ellainna ordered another bowl of ramen as she finished up the one she had. "I'd see him regardless. This feels like babysitting."

"Think of how grateful he'd be for your training if he wins the exams?"

"Have you met Sasuke," Ellainna chuckled. "He doesn't have a grateful bone in his body."

"He does with you."

Ellainna blushed and welcomed her second bowl of ramen to turn away from Kakashi. "Cut the crap. You're buttering me up. Why?"

Kakashi set his chopsticks down over his bowl and sighed. "I've got a mission. I can't train Sasuke until it's over."

"What kind of mission? I want a mission!"

"Ellainna, a Jonin was found murdered."

"Oh."

"So I am going to be busy for a few weeks. Do you think you can handle this until I'm done?"

"Yeah, totally," Ellainna said gravely. Unfortunately, the noodles dangling from her mouth lessened that effect. She slurped them up before she spoke again. "So...what do you need me to do?"

"If he keeps going the way he's going, he's not going to heal. At all, Chunin Exams or not. He needs to be taking it slow."

"So an actual babysitter?"

"Think of it like your own actual mission," Kakashi said, trying to convince Ellainna otherwise.

"Bullshit. But whatever." Ellainna stretched, now growing tired, and full, after finishing her last bowl. She stood from the counter and bowed in gratification. "Thank you for dinner."

She ducked under the hanging fabric signs and began walking home. Kakashi stood, thanked Teuchi and his daughter for their service, paid, and sped walked out to catch up with Ellainna.

"You really just can't leave me alone, can you," Ellainna teased as she held her stomach.

"No, I wasn't finished talking with you."

"Okay," Ellainna ventured. "Finish talking." She didn't think Kakashi was serious.

"I want to be kept updated with Sasuke's progress."

"Okay..."

"And you can keep him updated as well."

"On what," Ellainna snorted. "Your lack of availability but sincerest apologies?" She chuckled, amused, but abruptly stopped. Her stomach was too full. She remembered why she stopped going there as this and an empty wallet was a regular occurrence whenever she did. She wasn't sure what it was they put in the recipe but she just loved it far too much.

Kakashi rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Go home, Ellainna."

Ellainna held her stomach and chuckled again as she walked towards her door. "Good night, Kakashi."

Kakashi waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave. "Good night."

Ellainna actually set her alarm for once and woke up early the next morning. She got dressed and ready for the day, sans vanity. She packed a bag full of tools and a week's worth of clothes change. Whether or not she had an ANBU on her, she felt safe sleeping over at Sasuke's. Plus, it'd be easier to monitor and execute a training regimen. She hitched her bag on her shoulders and left. She was surprised to see that Sasuke was still home when she arrived.

"At home and in bed. This is not the Sasuke I know," she teased.

She removed the blanket to find Sasuke lying immobile on his back. Worried, she reached out to shake him but he yelped and recoiled in pain. It occurred to Ellainna what was wrong: he was too sore from training to move an inch. She couldn't hold in her laughter and collapsed against the bed. Sasuke grumbled, or as close to a grumble as he could get, and was helpless to just watch Ellainna cackle in delight at his predicament.

"You done yet," Sasuke mumbled.

"No-wait-just-HAH! That's what you get for not listening!"

"And yet you still have to help me."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't be such a stick in the mud," Ellainna responded when she had calmed down enough. "Try to raise your arms for me."

Sasuke glared in response and grumbled. "Well, if I could move anything, Ella, I wouldn't need your help."

Ellainna rolled her eyes and made a face. She turned on her heel and went into the kitchen area. She put a pot of water on to boil with rags sitting in it. When the water turned sufficiently warm, but not scalding, she took the rags and put them into a large bowl. She returned to Sasuke and squeezed them slightly before placing them on his body. She let their warmth soothe Sasuke's muscles until they lost their heat. At that point, she removed all the rags and set to work massaging Sasuke's body. This wasn't the first time he had overexerted herself and Ellainna was used to dealing with the varying stages he put himself in. She had the routine down to a T and went through it absentmindedly.

"So, seems like now would be as good a time as any to tell you," Ellainna began. "Kakashi isn't going to start training you until you are healed all the way. And the way you're going, you're not going to be ready at all."

Ellainna braced for the explosion of anger she was sure Sasuke would give her but instead, he was quiet. Well, barring the unintelligible grumbling.

"I know," he admitted dejectedly, to Ellainna's astonishment.

"So you'll take it easy from here until training?"

Sasuke groaned in pain from the massage and waited for it to subside before responding. "I didn't say that."
"Sasuke," Ellainna said, trying to sound stern.

"Ella," Sasuke replied, taunting her.

"You need to get better."

"No, I need to pass the exams. How am I supposed to fight him if I can't pass these exams."

Ellainna stopped massaging Sasuke and looked at him solemnly. "You...you're still...gonna...do that...?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Ellainna turned to sit on the edge of the bed and looked down nervously. "I...just...I just hoped you'd want to stay here...with me..."

Sasuke tried to turn towards Ellainna, but just ended up in more pain and no more mobile than before. "I can do both." It was a rare moment Ellainna shed her hardened armor and allowed Sasuke to see her emotions. He wanted to reach out and touch her shoulder, let her know he was there for her as she had been for him. Instead, the best he could do is turn towards her back and watch her wallow in her feelings of insecurity and abandonment.

"No, you can't. And you know it." Her voice was soft, but the anger was palpable and it stung. Sasuke knew better. The moment he had a chance, he'd go after his brother, no hesitation, and kill him. Something that would surely mean he would be defected from the village and hunted down as a traitor. He wanted to offer Ellainna some form of comfort that he cared for her, but couldn't think of any. Nothing would change the fact that one day, he'd leave her. Possibly forever. He wanted revenge more than he wanted her.

Ellainna wanted to throw herself to his side and convince him not to leave her. She wanted to tell him that could stand a lot of things but losing him wasn't one of them. She wanted to kiss his face until he was so enamored with her that he wanted nothing else but to stay. She wanted that life with him. But she knew better.

Instead, she held back the tears in her eyes and turned to face Sasuke. Her stone coat was back on and she looked at him blankly.

"I won't beg."

"...I know..."

"...If you go...I can't wait for you..." Ellainna put her and on Sasuke's.

"I know..." Sasuke looked up at her, apologetic. Ellainna looked back, her armor starting to fall again. Sasuke could almost peer into her heart and see just how hurt she was. But instead, Ellainna reigned it in, shutting him out. She didn't want to give in. If he stayed, she wanted it to be because he wanted to, not because of guilt or self-imposed obligation. She wanted to be a choice, not a consolation prize or duty.

Ellainna rose from the bed and headed into the bathroom. "Well, we should get a move on. I will run your bath and after we can watch a movie or something. You're not going anywhere for a few days; I might as well take advantage of it!"

She hurried into the bathroom and set to work to distract herself. She ran the bath, added some soothing herbs, and went back to Sasuke. She applied some mint slave to a few of his joints to help him move. Sasuke leaned on Ellainna heavily as she helped him up and into the bathroom. She closed the door and left him in there and rested on the bed. She wanted to sleep but she knew from experience that that wasn't a possibility until Sasuke was at least out of the bath. She got up and fiddled around the apartment to help keep herself awake. She collected laundry, stacked dishes organized his shoes, etc. Anything to stay in motion.

When Sasuke came out of the bathroom, he was more mobile and a lot less sore than when he woke up. He and Ellainna spent the day relaxing in bed. The watched tv, munched on snacks, and had intervals of consciousness and sleep. He would've rather been training but he still enjoyed the day. It was nice. The next day, Ellainna forced him to rest again. He begrudgingly allowed her to dictate his training regimen. Whether he liked it or not, she knew what she was talking about. Not just because she had been a ninja longer, but she also had a mission where she worked under a medical ninja. She didn't know medical ninjutsu, but she knew a lot about the body. He decided to take advantage of that.

Every night, after Sasuke was asleep, Ellainna would take a walk around the complex and often met up with Kakashi, who'd offer to buy her dinner in exchange for updates on Sasuke. No alcohol involved of course, but Ellainna managed to enjoy it despite that. Ellainna would report on Sasuke's progress and Kakashi would offer up suggestions on what he could be working on. The more they hung out, however, the longer their meetings seemed to take and the more they would spend not talking about Sasuke's training and progress.

Ellainna didn't expect Kakashi to be so talkative but she decided to run with it as long as she had it. It was interesting to hear what he had to say and get advice on life as a Jonin. Kakashi was awed by how intuitive Ellainna really was. When she let her harlequin mask down, she was actually quite perceptive and smart. She had her head on right and that was the trick; that was the key. She was so good at hiding behind one factitious persona that by the time you uncovered her real one, it was too late. Kakashi couldn't help but to answer her questions. She was serious about becoming a Jonin after all.

Pretty soon, they found the topic of Ellainna's progress lacking as well and moved on to talking about themselves and their lives. They each avoided troubling parts of their history but found it easy to talk about lesser things they normally had issue speaking about with most people. They were beginning to bond and they each chalked it up to an appropriate sensei-student interaction.

When Kakashi finished up his mission for the Hokage, he decided to take a bit of time to train before he checked on Sasuke and Ellainna. He went rock climbing and decided to try it one armed and tied one behind his back. As he neared the top, he started to get a little weak and almost lost his grip. He looked up to see how much climb he had left and determined that he may not have enough strength left. He focused his chakra to open the First Gate. He used the momentum from the sudden burst of chakra to hoist himself up to the top of the cliff. As he pulled himself up, he was surprised to see Sasuke and Ellainna standing over him.

"What's up," Sasuke said cockily, smirking.

Ellainna grinned and waved.

"So you finally made it, hunh," Kakashi said.

Kakashi lifted himself atop the mountain and Ellainna unconsciously stepped forward and untied Kakashi's arm. He thanked her and wasted no time at getting started with Sasuke's training. Ellainna sat quietly out of the way and sighed, releasing a figurative breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She had been worried about Sasuke's training and progress in the chunin exams. He was going against Gaara of the Sand, the sadist that put Rock Lee into the hospital, possibly permanently. Not to mention that Orochimaru, Konaha's very own criminal sadist, implanted a curse mark, whatever that was, on Sasuke and seemed to have his eyes set on him. And why?

As all of the unknown troubles swirled in Ellainna's head, she found herself holding that breath again. She admonished herself for worrying about things she had no control over. She remembered how Kakashi told her it all would be okay and she rereleased her breath. She believed him. Everything would be okay. She watched Kakashi and Sasuke train far into the night.

"Okay, I think that's a good stopping point," Kakashi announced.

Sasuke wanted to disagree but he was tired and was ready to break. Kakashi walked them both back to Sasuke's apartment and bid them good night. The second he entered his apartment, Sasuke collapsed dramatically on his bed. Ellainna chuckled and pushed him over and got in the bed.

"How did you like your first real one on one session with a pro?"

Sasuke mumbled his response into the pillow he was too exhausted (lazy) to lift his head from.

"You can shower in the morning."

Sasuke mumbled again and was soon out like a light.

Ellainna woke up the next in the afternoon. She was glad to have slept in after so many consecutive days of early morning training. Ellainna puttered about sleepily until she woke up. Then she slid on a pair of shorts under her shirt gown she was wearing. She didn't bother putting much effort in as she only planned to be out for a little while.

She headed into town to stop by and grab her standing order of a couple loaves of melon bread. The baker was nice enough to wrap a navy blue ribbon around it, into a neat bow. She tipped him nicely and thanked him profusely.

"No problem, Miss Ella. I remember the first time you came by for this bread," the baker said, winking knowingly.

Ellainna blushed and shook her head. "Okay, I see what you're doing here and it's not like that...Or wasn't...but now...Stop smiling."

Ellainna waved her finger unthreateningly and the baker chuckled heartily at her as she left.

"Tell Sasuke I said hello!"

Ellainna turned her head to grin nervously back at the baker as she left the store.

When she returned to Sasuke's apartment, Ellainna set the box of bread on the bed. She turned her head and noticed a nice sunset forming and couldn't resist the urge to draw it. She rushed to grab her bag and set herself up on the dresser in front of the window. By the time Sasuke had trudged home, Ellainna's hastily applied ponytail was falling down and she was covered in specks of graphite and paint.

As Sasuke unlocked and opened the front door, Ellainna rushed off the dresser and attacked him, hopping up to latch onto him. Sasuke anticipated this and braced himself in the doorframe. However, the speed behind Ellainna's jump had enough force to knock him over. She chuckled and Sasuke smirked as he hugged her.

"I see I'm leaving you in good company."

Ellainna looked up and noticed Kakashi was there. She hadn't realized, but didn't have the chance to process how she felt about that because he waved and left. Sasuke sat up and gave Ellainna a peck on the cheek, bringing her back down to earth.

"Come on, let's go inside," he said.

Ellainna chuckled and agreed. She rose and helped Sasuke stand as well. They entered the apartment and Ellainna locked the door back as Sasuke headed for the bathroom. Ellainna climbed into the bed and sat cross-legged as she waited patiently for him to finish his shower.

When Sasuke finished in the bathroom, he stood in the doorway and toweled his hair.

"What's up," he asked.

Ellainna grinned and pet the bed eagerly.

"Come. Sit!"

Sasuke chuckled and sat with Ellainna who then presented him with the box of melon bread. Sasuke couldn't fight the grin creeping onto his face. He remembered the tradition Ellainna started six years prior.

"Happy birthday."

Sasuke took one of the loaves and handed Ellainna the other. They reclined in the bed and ate, talking, laughing, and enjoying each others' company.