Goooood afternoon y'all! I actually finished this sooner than I expected to :p ok
ATTENTION ! - PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE:
You shall all notice the huuuge time skips I'll be having in this chapter. The reason is, Ami won't participate in any of the pre-shippuden arc missions, Ok? I can't really be certain about the whole time frame in Naruto, but I'm trying my best to make it accurate. Sorry if there are mistakes. I also didn't give much detail about her training sessions - ON PURPOSE - because I felt like it would get too boring if I kept going over that. You will all know what she can do, eventually! As for the Chunnin Exams - spoiler alert hehehe - EVERYONE will soon find out how that went. I will have a bonus chapter for that (Like I did with the Uchiha chapter, remember?)... OH YES, I'm sure you also noticed I skipped a lot in the Uchiha chapter right? Well, that's because I decided to have another bonus chapter (I feel like Kishimoto himself and all these fillers) about the Uchiha's when Ami and Sasuke go against Itachi (like it is in the anime ^^)
Ok, I think that's all I wanted to say! But if you have any other questions you can PM me or leave it in a review :p This ISN'T the last chapter, however the next one will kick off Shippuden \o/ (Yes, I'm excited to finally enter shippuden years)
Anyway, thanks to those who read and reviewed *-* - Meganallard (O Sasuke é bipolar - ta parecendo minha fic de hp ja KK - mas é que eu imagino que ele ficaria confuso em relacao a Ami... Porque ele ama ela e faria tudo por ela, mas ele tambem quer ser phodastico e blabla, é. Sinto em lhe dizer que agora o Sasuke so aparece naquele reencontro - e nao vai terminar tao bem ;x - maaaaas esse capitulo tem NaruAmi pra voce *-*); MitsukiCHANandNarutoKUN (yeeeey Shippuden's coming up *-* lol I hope you're just as excited as I am *o*)
Right, enough of me... Enjoy!
Chapter Nine
Kakashi was rather relieved to know there was a spare apartment exactly three doors down from his own. Of course that also meant Shiranui Genma would be living next door and he was always one to bring friends home after a night out. But at least Naruto lived in the building in front and it was much better than the compound. Kakashi wouldn't allow Ami to stay alone in the compound, not even if she begged. Much to his amusement, she had simply shrugged and began packing her things. He didn't question her, fearing she would suddenly change her mind.
Two months had passed since Sasuke left the village. It had also been two months without a single word from the youngest Uchiha. Lady Tsunade had promised she'd be patient and not insist on anything, but even she was beginning to regret that promise. Naruto divided his time between missions, training and making Ami happy. Nothing worked. She was miserable and depressed.
Two months and two weeks since Sasuke left. Kakashi was eating breakfast and distracting himself with the sound of three birds chirping outside his window. He was glad to be home after a mission and silently prayed Tsunade would allow him a short break. Although he enjoyed going on endless missions, he felt it was wrong to leave a depressed eleven year old and not do anything about it. He was determined to get at least a 'good morning' out of the young girl. And he would do it today. However, he was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard a desperate pounding on his door.
He quickly opened it and was embraced around the waist by two short arms.
"It's ok. Everything's going to be ok." He whispered.
He was getting used to this scenario even though it wasn't something he enjoyed. Seeing Ami cry so much made his heart ache. He would often wonder when and why he developed such a soft spot.
"Stop saying that!" She shouted suddenly, releasing herself from him and bringing Kakashi back to the real world. "You always say that! Everyone says that! It's not ok! Nothing's ok! Nothing will ever be ok!"
Kakashi did nothing as the girl screamed and hit his stomach. He took the punches as punishment for not arriving in time that day. He then realised she'd spoken. She hadn't said a word to him this entire time and now she's spoken. He didn't even care if she was through angry shouts.
"Ami-"
"Don't say anything! Nothing you say will change this!" She screamed again.
He sighed and pulled her into a hug once again, which she accepted gladly. He could hear a muffled and almost silent apology as she cried harder. He didn't understand why she was sorry. If anything he should be the one apologising.
"It's not your fault." He said quietly.
After much insistence, he managed to get her to accept food and water. Despite claiming she wasn't hungry, she chewed down a large bowl of rice and drank two large glasses of water.
"I'm sorry for punching you." She said, once they were both sat on his balcony, allowing the wind to blow through their hair.
"It's fine." Kakashi sighed.
"I tried, Sensei... I tried to get him back. I thought I could tempt him with something new. Something powerful like he wanted. I didn't think... I saw what he did to Naruto. I should've stopped him. I should've shown up earlier and-"
"He hurt you enough, Ami. You shouldn't have done anything. You weren't even supposed to be there. I'm glad you stayed out of his fight with Naruto." Kakashi said. His mind would go blank slightly, whenever that day was mentioned. He still couldn't think of something useful to say about it.
"I thought he would've been at least a tiny bit curious. I know I don't know much about it but-"
"Wait... What are we talking about?" Kakashi asked, his visible eye widening slightly.
"Nothing." Ami said quickly. Too quickly for Kakashi's liking.
"What exactly happened to you that day?" He asked.
-Flashback-
Tsunade walked out of the hospital room and sighed. She was glad she'd finally finished examining both Naruto and Ami. Hopefully now she could take a well earned break. However her daydreams were interrupted when she realised Kakashi was waiting just outside.
"They're fine, Kakashi. Go home and rest." Tsunade sighed.
"But their condition? What happened to them? How long are they going to be in there? When will I-"
"Would you slow down?" Tsunade said, irritably. "Naruto has a few severe injuries but he's healing rapidly. Ami had a slight injury to the head, but I've dealt with that already. She did manage to use a great amount of Chakra during whatever fight she had, which is why she still isn't awake. They both can leave within three days. However, I want them to rest for at least a week."
Kakashi would have asked for more details but Tsunade had waved him goodbye already. Kakashi sat back in his seat again. His mind was racing. He wanted to know exactly what happened between them and Sasuke.
-EndFlashback-
"I don't know. I don't remember." She lied.
Kakashi sighed. Perhaps he'd have better luck with Naruto. If only Jiraiya would lay low for a while and allow him to make his approach. Naruto would say anything whilst drowning himself in ramen.
Ami's eyes were itchy again. She rubbed them slowly. It reminded her of when she first developed her Sharingan. They would itch for days. Kakashi took note of her irritated eyes and could only wonder. He was aware she had a fully activated Sharingan before they met.
"The more you rub, the more it hurts." He pointed out.
"It's not hurting." She muttered.
"Let me see them." He sighed.
She frowned but allowed him to take a look. He soon realised her dark orbs trying to spiral into a Sharingan but failing. It wasn't normal. He'd sneaked a peek at the Uchiha's secrets once or twice, when both Sasuke and Ami were busy sleeping. He had to make sure whatever was in those scrolls was safe enough to be left with two genin. He remembered rummaging through and finding a code scribbled onto a napkin. After a few minutes of analysing, he realised it said 'alternative'. He didn't understand what it meant but it definitely kept bugging him as time went by. He then came across a very well concealed scroll about the Mangekyou Sharingan. His former Sensei had explained the theory of its power once before and he knew it wasn't something to be meddled with. He frowned.
"When did you do it?" He asked, trying his best not to get angry.
"Do what?"
"You know what I'm talking about, Ami. Tell me how it happened. Who did you have to kill in order to attain it?"
Ami could hear the disappointment in his voice. Did he really think she'd be capable of killing someone just to get a pair of powerful eyes? Then again, Sasuke had practically just left the village after power. Perhaps Kakashi was just traumatised.
"I didn't kill anyone." She said casually. "I didn't have to."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, frustrated.
"I... I can't tell you, Sensei." She said quietly, avoiding eye contact.
The visible eye widened again. That's when something clicked into his mind.
-Flashback-
Kakashi was resting on the grass, fully concentrated on his book. Ami took the opportunity to practice masking her chakra. It seemed to be working, because she'd managed to get quite close to him and he still hadn't taken his eyes off the book.
"Not quite there yet." He said suddenly, making her jump back slightly. She frowned once she realised she'd been caught. "But with a bit more practice, you might be able to sneak up on me unnoticed."
"Good morning to you too." She huffed.
"Morning? It's practically lunch time."
"Well I slept in." She said nonchalantly. "When will Sasuke be back from his second exam?"
"In a few days, give or take." Kakashi smiled, or at least that's what it seemed like.
"Great... That's extra training for me then." She wriggled her eyebrows. "We can get started right away!"
"I was somewhat hoping to relax a little for the time being. There's no point in rushing you."
"But I need to learn new things or I'll never reach my brother's level!" Ami pouted.
"You're not that far from Sasuke, so I wouldn't worry."
"I'm not talking about Sasuke." Ami rolled her eyes. "Fine... If you don't want to train me I'll go find someone that will."
Kakashi sighed and waved her off, before concentrating once more on his book.
-EndFlashback-
"Kei!" He said suddenly, jumping to his feet. "He taught you, didn't he? You asked him to? Why would you do that? Why would you trust someone you barely know? Ami that man could be dangerous! Where is he? When I get my hands on him-"
"He's gone, Kakahsi." Ami frowned. "He's gone for good this time, apparently. And I trust him because he's family! Besides, he's one of the nicest people I've ever met and it was nice having someone to talk to whenever I needed."
Kakashi regained his compose and sat back down, sliding his back against the glass door that led back into his apartment.
"I'm sorry for shouting." He said quietly. "You have me though. That's what I'm here for. You can always come to me if you need to talk. You know I listen... I know that sometimes it seems like I show no interest whatsoever but I do care about all of you. You're all my responsibility, whether we like it or not. And about Kei... I don't trust him. If he really were someone I could trust then he wouldn't have been so cautious to not be seen by me."
"Well maybe you scare him or something. You tend to be rather intimidating." Ami smirked.
"I highly doubt that was the case, Ami. Listen... If he ever returns I want you to come find me. If I say he's trustworthy then ok, you can see him whenever and I won't bother you about it anymore. But-"
"There's no 'but', Kakashi! He's not a bad person! He helped me, didn't he?" Ami insisted.
"Helped you with what? You've activated something you can't even control. It almost completely drained you and how long did it last? Five minutes? Ami... The Mangekyou is very powerful. I know someday you'll do great things with it but you're just not ready yet."
He sighed. There were tears in the corner of her eyes threatening to spill. He hated seeing her cry. It was heartbreaking. A small voice in his head told him she knew of this and was crying to make him shut up. He acknowledged the small voice but it didn't make the sight less heartbreaking. He decided to give in for now. She would understand his concern... Eventually.
x.x
Kakashi decided to stop by the pharmacy on his way home. He recalled how his former teammate, Obito, would have drops whenever his eyes got irritated. Perhaps it would do his moody student some good. He had spent the day in the village wandering, buying groceries and simply doing nothing. He suddenly stopped when he felt someone behind him and hoped he wasn't needed for a mission.
"He was spotted." Cat stated.
"Where?" Kakashi asked curiously, spinning around to face the ANBU.
"Not too far from here. We believe he was trying to come back but got scared off when he realised we were around."
Kakashi groaned slightly. He didn't want ANBU to scare him off. Not now, at least.
"Is there a problem, Kakashi?"
"Tenzo... I just need to know who he is and if he's dangerous." Kakashi sighed.
"That's the thing... We have reason to believe he headed towards one of Orochimaru's old hideouts... And please don't call me that in public."
"Sorry." Kakashi mumbled. "Wait... Did you say Orochimaru?"
All of his bags suddenly fell to ground and the white haired man dashed back to his apartment block. It was times like these he wished he could be as fast as his Sensei was. Tenzo, or Cat when in public, sighed and grabbed his Senpai's belongings.
"I should've waited until he was home." He mumbled to himself.
Kakashi pounded against Ami's door and mentally begged for her to be home, safe and sound. He was about to heavily knock for the third time when a very sleepy child appeared.
"What?" She spat.
"It's not even six, why were you asleep?" Kakashi wondered.
"What do you want, Sensei?" She said, visibly annoyed.
Kakashi pushed his way into her apartment. Which he noticed was much tidier than his. He sighed and turned to face her. This wasn't going to be easy.
"He's not who you think he is, Ami. Well... He might be but he still isn't. He can't be trusted." Kakashi said quickly.
"Sensei... I was asleep just a few seconds ago. You're going to have to be a little more specific for my brain to comprehend." She mumbled. She sat on the armchair by the balcony door, cuddled her knees and buried her face. Kakashi would have to explain quickly before she decided to sleep again.
"It's Kei, Ami... ANBU have been tracing him ever since he left." Kakashi sighed.
"But you said-"
"Ami... I think he's working for Orochimaru."
She didn't think it was possible to feel more pain until Kakashi said those words. She was smart enough to know that it was likely true. She slowly let her legs drop back onto the ground and, without saying a word, walked back into her room and dropped onto the bed. She didn't care if Kakashi followed her inside or not. Though, she silently hoped that the footsteps she'd heard meant he had.
"Ami... I'm sorry." He said quietly, kneeling beside her. "I truly didn't want to be right about this guy. It would be great if you had another family member alive, that you could rely on and-"
"Who needs family." She muttered angrily.
"Just get some rest... I'll see you later." Kakashi sighed.
He locked the door on his way out before heading back to his own apartment – he had a copy of hers and Naruto's keys. He soon spotted Genma stumbling up the stairs and frowned.
"Isn't it a bit early for that?" Kakashi sighed.
"No idea what you're talking about." Genma muttered, a little tipsy.
"When are you going to stop being so irresponsible?"
Genma stopped before Kakashi and grinned. He straightened up and began walking normally. Kakashi watched, rolling his eyes and his colleagues' antics.
"I saw you and decided to lighten up your mood. I'm not drunk... Not yet, at least." Genma grinned.
"Worst joke ever." Kakashi muttered.
"How is she?" Genma asked, pointing towards his neighbour's door.
"I thought she was doing better." Kakashi sighed. "I think I might've ruined it now, though."
"Nice going." Genma smirked. "Look... If you need someone more sensitive towards people's feelings, get Iruka or Asuma to help you out. Guys like you and me are just incapable of helping out poor souls."
Kakashi was thinking of a decent comeback when they both realised Ami's door opening.
"If you wish to talk about me or anything related towards me, at least have the decency to not do it in front of my door."
She slammed the door shut as soon as she viciously spat the words.
"Someone's in a bad mood." Genma said, mocking a shocked face. "Come on, Hatake. I'll buy you a drink."
Ami slumped against the door, clenching onto her chest. She had to stop crying.
x.x
Three months and three weeks since Sasuke left the village. Shikamaru was getting tired of waiting for Ami to leave her new home. Asuma kept reassuring him that Kakashi was taking care of it but things were moving far too slow, even for him.
"Almost four months, Sensei. This is getting ridiculous." Shikamaru sighed.
"Focus on the game." Asuma smirked.
They had been playing Shoji for the past hour and Shikamaru was almost losing – which never happens.
"Maybe I should go see if she's ok. I don't like the idea of her being alone when Kakashi's not there. She even refused to celebrate her birthday. What if she does something stupid? We don't know what's going through her mind right now."
"I'm assuming you've imagined a variety of things she could be doing." Asuma smiled, killing off one of Shikamaru's pieces.
"Yes, I have. And trust me, none of my assumptions end well."
Shikamaru managed to win the game, which was looking hopeless, in two simple moves. Asuma stared at the board in complete shock. Shikamaru hadn't been paying attention to the game this entire time, yet he managed to knock Asuma dead with two moves?
"How did you-"
"I mean the last thing we need is another Uchiha going crazy and fleeing the village." Shikamaru stated, interrupting Asuma's sudden shock. "And just so you know, you left your king wide open."
"When?" Asuma said, still staring at the board.
"Sensei... What if she hurts herself?" Shikamaru wondered quietly, furrowing his eyebrows.
Asuma knew it had been one of the first things that had come to the boy's mind. In all honesty, he had thought of the possibility himself, once or twice.
-Flashback-
Asuma walked into the bar with Kurenai. As much as he wanted a quiet night out with the woman he was currently seeing, they had both agreed to meet up with their friends for a drink or two. Seeing as Genma was in the middle, the option would definitely be 'or two'. He seemed to be the only one to notice that Kakashi was overly late. Sure, they were all more than used to Kakashi and his ability to get lost in the path of life, but he was very late this time.
Kakashi eventually did appear, but by then, Kurenai had gone home and the others were completely out of it.
"Seems like you're the only one sober." Kakashi muttered, sitting next to Asuma and ordering a drink.
"Seems like you don't plan to follow my lead." Asuma smirked.
"I need to drink tonight." Kakashi chuckled slightly.
"Were you at the cemetery?" Asuma asked, ordering some dumplings.
"No... I was trying to get Ami out of the house."
"Kakashi... She needs help." Asuma sighed. "It's been a month and she hasn't said a word to anyone, hasn't left the house for anything... It's worrying. I know she's not my student and it's not really any of my business but Sasuke's departure has shaken things up for everyone around here, and I just think maybe it's not safe to leave her alone. She could-"
"She could hurt herself. I know." Kakashi mumbled. "I'm scared she'll try but I don't believe she will. I believe she knows that she's strong enough to get through all this, no matter how painful it is."
Asuma rubbed his forehead slightly. Kakashi had always been the stubborn type.
"But what if-"
"What if she got through this?" Kakashi smiled. "She won't do anything stupid, Asuma. Just believe it."
"Just believe it? And where did that come from?" Asuma smirked.
"Naruto." Kakashi answered simply. "I've said all that you've said before and Naruto came up with that simple, yet effective, answer."
-EndFlashback-
"She won't hurt herself, Shikamaru. She'll get through all this, no matter how painful it is... Just believe it." Asuma smiled.
Shikamaru stared at his Sensei for a good minute or so before sighing and getting up.
"That sounded a lot like Naruto." He mumbled.
x.x
Naruto happily ordered five bowls of ramen to go. Four were his, ramen with extra everything, and the fifth he would take over to Ami's. He knew she liked ramen too, as long as it didn't have beef. It amused him how she could like chicken, pork and even lamb, but not like beef. She also wasn't a big fan of eggs, unless they were scrambled. He laughed to himself at the thought of her eating preferences.
Five months without Sasuke and most of their group of friends were beginning to believe they wouldn't ever see her again. She'd missed out on a series of missions, which made Naruto worry slightly. She'd have to do something eventually otherwise she'd end up with no money at all.
Naruto gently knocked on her door twice and patiently waited for something to happen. He could hear her moving things around inside and grew curious to know what she was doing. Only a few seconds later, she opened the door and he was free to discover.
"I've got lunch for us." He grinned, letting himself in.
She was cleaning again. Naruto wondered if all she ever did was clean.
"I'm a bit busy right now and-"
"Don't care. You're taking a break and having lunch with me!" Naruto grinned.
Ami sighed and took a seat on the table. Naruto put her specifically ordered ramen into a bowl and pushed it towards her. He also gave her a large glass of water, assuming she'd ask for one.
"You didn't have to get me anything." She mumbled.
"Yeah well... I was hungry and I figured it wouldn't be nice if you had to watch me eat." He stated, in between chews and swallows.
Naruto stared at her for a while, before heading onto his second bowl. He wanted to tell her the good news but he wasn't exactly sure how.
"Thank you, Naruto." She said suddenly, making his mind focus on her and how she was currently separating her chicken from her carrots.
"It's just ramen." He grinned.
"No I mean... Thanks for being here. For always being here." She sighed.
"Yeah... About that..." Naruto said nervously. Ami noticed his sudden change of voice and stared at him with her eyebrows furrowed. "Pervy sage offered to train with me for a while and I accepted. Kakashi's ok with it so I figured it would be a good idea."
"Well that's great!" Ami smiled.
Naruto stared at her even more, ignoring the delicious smell of ramen that was invading his nostrils. He'd come to visit her often this entire time and he hadn't seen her smile once. Yet, here she was... Genuinely smiling back at him. She had a beautiful smile...
"Are you ok, Naruto?" She asked, bringing him back to reality once again.
"Right... The thing is... I'm going to have to leave for a while and I have no idea when I'm coming back. But-"
"You're leaving?" She said quietly. She tried to hide the shock but it was practically impossible. "But you can't leave... You live here and... Why can't he train you here? You need to stay here and I need you-"
Naruto embraced her quickly before she started to cry. Like Kakashi, he too thought it was too heartbreaking when she started to cry.
"It won't be long. I'll be back before you know it and I'll be stronger... And then I'll bring him back." Naruto said with pure determination in his voice.
Ami tightened her arms around him as he mentioned Sasuke. She didn't want Naruto to leave but he had to and she had to be supportive.
"I don't want you to go." She mumbled.
"I know... I wish I didn't have to leave you either but-"
"But you have to go." She said, pushing away from him slightly. "And I need to get out."
"You what?" Naruto said, in complete shock. A smile and an outing all in one go?
Ami ran into her room and grabbed her favourite black hoodie. Naruto stared at her with eyes wide, she noticed.
"When do you leave?" She asked as she brushed her hair.
"S-soon... I think around next week or so." He stuttered, still not understanding if this was real or not.
"Ok... Well I need some new things. Would you mind going shopping with me?" Ami asked. She finished tying her hair into a ponytail and smiled to Naruto before heading towards the door.
"Are you serious?" Naruto couldn't help but ask.
Ami rolled her eyes and dragged Naruto outside.
x.x
Gai and Lee raced across the entire village, knocking over a few fruit stands on the way. Neji and Tenten pretended to follow along with their training program but knew they wouldn't notice if they remained far behind. Tenten stopped at the village's famous weapon's shop to look at new shuriken when she spotted something interesting inside.
"Neji... Look!" She whispered eagerly, pointing to where all the swords were kept. "We must tell the others!"
Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji happily ate their lunch. Chouji was munching on everything in front of him, as usual, making Asuma sigh and wonder just how much he'd be spending today. Shikamaru being Chunnin, had agreed he'd pay for his own lunch, but that didn't make much of a difference if Asuma was still paying for Chouji. Tenten quickly entered the barbeque shop and stopped by their table, grinning.
"Something wrong Tenten?" Ino asked.
"You should see I what I just saw."
Neji sighed and walked to where Hinata, Kiba and Shino were resting. He knew Hinata had extra training sessions with Kurenai today and silently hoped he wasn't interrupting anything. Otherwise Hinata's father wouldn't be too happy.
"Neji!" Hinata squeaked.
"What brings you here, Hyuuga?" Kiba grinned.
"Tenten asked me to tell you something." He sighed.
"What about this one?" Ami wondered.
She had been thinking about what sort of weapon she could start using, instead of keeping to basic ninja gear. Naruto had suggested a sword on their way down the stairs of her block and, needless to say, she'd quite liked the idea. She had dragged Naruto all the way to the weapon's store, not really bothering to stop to talk to anyone on the way. She'd gone through at least six different types but hadn't been able to choose anything just yet.
"Why do you always choose the ones that are bigger than you?" Naruto laughed.
"I'm still growing, you know." She frowned.
Naruto shrugged and began walking further into the shop. He found a pair of long silver daggers and whistled for Ami to come over. He noticed the sparkle in her eyes once she saw them.
"They're... Awesome." She exclaimed.
"I think you've found what you're looking for then." Naruto grinned.
"Ami! Is that really you? Wow, you even look taller!" Ino shouted excitedly.
Ami spun round to find Naruto's group of friends all huddled together by the window. She glared at Naruto, before turning her attention back to the daggers.
"I didn't invite them. I swear!" Naruto stated, raising his hands up in defence.
Shikamaru and Kiba entered the shop, not really caring that Ami had purposely ignored their presence. They figured she give them this kind of response anyway.
"I heard those are good for any range on a battle field." Kiba smirked, admiring the daggers the young Uchiha held.
"How so?" She wondered.
"You can wield them or throw them." Shikamaru stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"So what made you come outside?" Ino shouted, as she ran into the shop. "I mean nearly every shinobi is talking about it!"
"I just felt like it." Ami shrugged. "Come on, Naruto. I still have other places to go."
Naruto was dragged towards the counter, then out of the shop, before he could think of protesting. The other genin followed them closely.
"Maybe they're on a date." Hinata whispered.
"Naruto and Ami? No way... She's way too hot for him." Kiba smirked. "I mean... If it were me-"
"Yeah, like she'd be interested in you." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"Oh, you think she'd prefer you over me?" Kiba said angrily, clenching his fists.
"In all honesty, I highly doubt she'd choose either one of you. First of all she's eleven. Secondly, you're all too immature." Neji stated.
"Hey guys-" Chouji started.
"Who are you calling immature? And she's already twelve smart ass." Kiba shouted, fuming.
"Guys!" Chouji shouted, this time managing to grab everyone's attention. "We lost them."
x.x
"We shouldn't be here." Naruto said, worriedly.
He continued to follow Ami as she made her way into the compound. There was word across the village that it would officially be deactivated. She knew it was only a matter of time before it got torn down. The elders had wanted to get rid of the place ever since the massacre.
"Ami... We could get into serious trouble for this. I know I don't tend to follow the rules that much, but Kakashi made it clear that he didn't want you-"
"Kakashi isn't my parent, guardian or relative. He doesn't have the right to decide what I can or cannot do." Ami stated.
"Ok... I can't say I don't agree, but he does worry and-"
"Naruto, if you're not going to shut up then I suggest you leave." She said, stopping suddenly and almost making him crash into her. He frowned and became silent.
Ami climbed over the fence of a random house. Naruto knew where she used to live and they had past it a while back.
"Who lived here?" He wondered.
"That's what I'm trying to find out. The older houses all have secret entries, where the families could keep their jewels, sacred scrolls and other personal belongings." She stated knowledgably.
"Right... What are you looking for then?" Naruto asked, visibly confused.
Ami began pulling up floorboards and ripping out wallpaper. Naruto noticed some places still had light blood stains. He could see the pain in Ami's eyes whenever she noticed one. They both froze when they heard a light thud on the front porch. Ami groaned.
"What did I say about coming here?" Kakashi sighed, allowing himself into the unknown house.
"I'm busy, Sensei." Ami muttered, still destroying everything in sight.
"Is this all necessary?" Kakashi wondered as the young girl attacked the floorboards once again.
"She said she's looking for something." Naruto whispered to Kakashi.
Kakashi and Naruto jumped slightly when the young girl squealed happily. She had found a very dusty old scroll and opened it without hesitation. Kakashi sighed and prepared himself for whatever would come next. Ami simply frowned.
"I guess you were right then." She muttered as she walked past Kakashi and Naruto and left the house.
"What was that about?" Naruto wondered, still confused. When Kakashi didn't answer, he decided to follow Ami.
Kakashi grabbed the open scroll that Ami had carelessly dropped onto the ground and read through it. It contained a list of names and their current status. Kakashi was silently wondering if he should mark deceased on all of them, when his eyes focused on what could've been the reason for Ami's departure.
Uchiha Kei – Brother, son and angel – Died in Amegakure during war.
"That was years ago." Kakashi said to himself.
x.x
Ami made sure Naruto had everything for his long and intensive training with Jiraiya. She still wasn't happy that he was leaving but had promised herself she'd be supportive.
"Please don't get into trouble without me." She smirked.
"And you make sure to get some training done... No more moping around your apartment, ok?" Naruto grinned.
"Deal."
Ami pulled him into a hug before her mind decided otherwise. Naruto accepted gladly and held on tight for a few good seconds. If only Jiraiya hadn't ruined the moment...
"Ah young love! You two are so adorable together!" He grinned. Tsunade slapped him across the head.
"Naruto... Be safe and don't let Jiraiya lead you down the wrong path." Tsunade smiled, before glaring daggers at Jiraiya.
The old man exchanged a few more words with the Hokage before turning to leave and motioning for Naruto to follow. He silently hoped for one last embrace. He'd be gone for the next two years, even though he didn't tell her that. He felt slightly sick for lying.
"Just go before I change my mind." Ami smiled.
Naruto nodded and walked off. Ami waited until he was no longer in sight before turning to stare at the previous Hokage's faces.
"Naruto's will be up there someday." She whispered to herself.
"But until then, we've got work to do." Kakashi called out.
Ami mischievously grinned towards her Sensei. He was in for it now.
"So it's just you and me?" Ami smirked.
"Guess so." Kakashi shrugged.
"What about Sakura?" She wondered.
"I think I'll let Tsunade sort her out." Kakashi smiled. "Let's go."
x.x
Ami dropped her body onto the soft grass and stared up at the clouds. An entire year had passed since her brother left them and she finally felt as if it was getting easier. She had a nice group of friends in the village, whether she wanted it or not. She found it funny that they were all his old friends... They were all Naruto's friends. She thought a lot about Naruto and when he'd be coming back. She wanted to watch him chew down five bowls of ramen in the time it took her to eat one. She wanted to hear people shouting at him across the village. Things were definitely much quieter without him around.
"You look exhausted." Shikamaru stated, also allowing his body to fall limp onto the soft grass.
"Blame Kakashi." She smirked. "He's had me training non-stop."
"Can you control it yet?" He asked, staring intently into her eyes and secretly hoping he'd get a glimpse of red.
"More or less... But I'm getting better." She grinned. "But leaving that aside, I finally got Chidori right. Kakashi's working on something new too, which he promised he'd teach me. But I like the Chidori... and I think I've figured out how to use it with my daggers."
"Not bad, Uchiha." Shikamaru smirked.
They watched the clouds until sunset. Apparently, Shikamaru's mother didn't like it when he stayed out after dark. She would get upset or worried. Ami wondered if her mother would've been the same, if she were alive. Darkness soon came round and the moon was shaped like a smile. The two stars slightly above it, made it look like a crooked smiley face.
"What are you still doing out here?" Kakashi called out.
Ami rolled over to face her Sensei. He had been gone for a week on a mission, but made her promise she'd train every day without excuses.
"Since when do you care what time I get home?" Ami wondered.
"Don't start. Come on... It's almost dinner time." Kakashi smiled.
x.x
"One year, eleven months and twenty-eight days." Ami sighed.
"Do you need to count every single day?" Neji rolled his eyes.
"Shut up." She said, sticking her tongue out.
"Hurry up. I haven't got all day."
The moody Hyuuga had agreed to help Ami with extra tai-jutsu lessons. Although she could handle herself very well on the battlefield, especially now, she'd decided to focus on something different.
"Sharingan or no Sharingan?" Ami sarcastically asked as they made their way to the centre of the training grounds.
"Let's see what your eyes can do." Neji smirked.
Kakashi felt proud as he watched Ami predict and copy Neji's every move. Taijutsu wasn't something she necessarily needed to practice but she'd insisted. He got the feeling there was something more to it, and because he was dealing with Ami, normally there would be something else to it. After two whole hours of kicking, punching and flipping, Ami dropped to the ground. Thinking the worst, Kakashi ran towards them. He stopped once he saw her laughing and picking herself up.
"You win. I can't take another minute of this." She said, breathing heavily.
Kakashi sighed and went back to where he originally stood. He noticed Neji was also out of breath and smirked.
"Not bad." He muttered to himself.
x.x
Ami banged on Kakashi's door. She knew it was past midnight and her Sensei was possibly preparing to go to bed but this simply couldn't wait. She was too excited to wait. Kakashi rushed to the door and prayed there was no emergency.
"What is it? Are you ok?" He asked quickly.
"Ok? I'm great! I need to talk to you." Ami said, allowing herself inside.
"At midnight?" Kakashi groaned.
"I want to participate in the Chunnin exams. There's one taking place in Suna, next month." She said, already begging with her wide, dark orbs.
"Don't you need a team for that?" Kakashi sighed.
"Well... Yeah. But Tsunade said I could choose two other genin here and go... Kiba and Shino already said they'd be up for it."
By now, Ami was shaking Kakashi's arm from side to side, impatiently waiting for his response. There really was no way he could say no to her request. In fact, she didn't necessarily need his permission seeing as he wasn't her guardian. Although, it felt nice to know that she was concerned about his opinion.
"When do you leave?" He sighed.
Ami squealed in happiness and hugged him tightly, before running out of his apartment and back to hers. Kakashi rolled his eyes, locked his door and went to bed.
Ami threw herself onto her bed, accidently knocking over her alarm clock and picture frame. She rolled her eyes and put the objects back in place. She stared at the picture and sighed.
"You've been gone too long. But I know you'll be stronger when you get back. I miss you... Naruto."
Cof - NaruAmiForever - Cof
Sorry, I just can't resist *-* I keep planning these little NaruAmi moments and I swoon *-* Now everytime I watch Naruto, I imagine Ami along with them D: (oooooh I can't wait for Shippuden *-*)
So, like I said - Next chapter kicks off Shippuden, and we all know that Naruto just gets more awesome and gorgeous as time goes by ;x ;x
Until next time! Let me know what you're thinking... Pretty please? *-* XOXO