CAMOUFLAGE OF THE HEART

Chapter 5: Old Friends, Old Memories

A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner, but my brain's been blocking me from working on part of this for some reason…

Kayomie stuck close to Naruto as the group entered the oddly deserted ramen stand. A glance around made her duck her head and move slightly behind Kakashi, as though she was hiding from someone. Dear God, why did HE have to be here? What did I do to deserve this! She thought angrily.

Kakashi glanced back at her. "What's wrong?" The woman seemed to only shrink even more at the attention. Her face held annoyance and… from what he could tell, wanting to avoid something nasty. He followed her quick glance and grimaced slightly as well. "I didn't know Gai was here…" Kayomie gave him an incredulous look. "Honest!"

"You better be or I personally am going to kick your ass, got it?"

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled as he ran over to the man who sat at a barstool. Kayomie's eyes brightened as she followed Naruto's darting walk over to her best friend. After a few minutes to allow them to talk for a little bit, she followed him over.

"Well, hello, there, Iruka. How's it going?" she asked as she sat beside him and punched his arm lightly. A huge grin spread across her face at his surprised look. So, he was the only one who hadn't been expecting her… Thankfully, Gai hadn't noticed her yet, so she should still be safe.

"Kayo-chan… It's been a long time. It's going all right, but it's better now that you're back. How about you? Hi, Kakashi. Nice to see you again, Sasuke, Sakura," Iruka said, acknowledging the other three as well. Sai jumped into his lap and licked his chin excitedly.

"Sai, manners please. I'm all right. It's nice to be back though… Well, except for Mr. Bushy-Brows over there. Is it just me or has Gai been cloned? If there's a difference, please tell me, because this is just too creepy," Kayomie joked as she leaned against the bar.

"Hello, welcome to our shop. May I take your order?" the owner asked.

"Um, I'll have shrimp ramen, please," Kayomie requested.

"Miso ramen!" Naruto yelled. The woman laughed.

"Welcome back, Naruto. It's nice to see you again. And anything for you, Kakashi-san? Or you, Sakura, Sasuke?"

"No, thank you. I'm good," Kakashi replied.

"I'll have chicken please."

"I'm not hungry," Sasuke started before hearing Kurai whine at his side. He sighed emphatically. "I guess I'll have beef." The wolf barked happily, licking his hand. He jerked it away. "It's no big deal. Just leave me alone." The wolf yipped again, lying down at his feet. Her silver coat caught the light and seemed to glow slightly. Sasuke sighed again. This animal would never leave him alone!

Iruka laughed. "I see Kurai hasn't changed… So, I'm assuming that you're here to ask me something, right? So, what is it?"

"Well, for one thing, stop assuming things because you'll make an ass out of you and me, and second… Naruto did behave like a good student at the academy didn't he?" Kayomie asked as she dug into her ramen.

"Well… define 'good student'…"

"You know what I mean, Iruka. I'm not stupid. Okay, what'd the midget do?"

"I'm not a midget!" Naruto growled.

"Well, he was a little bit of a troublemaker, but he had all the ability of a good student, I swear. He worked pretty hard… when he had to, but he did graduate with decent grades."

"Basically, you're telling me that he was the exact opposite, huh?"

"Pretty much. But he has improved."

"That's all I needed to hear, Iruka. Naruto, can I talk to you for a minute?" Kayomie asked as she stood.

"Uh, sure, nee-san." The boy replied as he followed her. "What is it?"

"What did I tell you before I left, huh? I told you to behave and work hard at the Academy, didn't I?" she said in an angry tone.

"I tried…" Naruto complained as he dropped his sister's gaze. He hated it when she got mad…

"You know, I get the feeling that that's not the issue here… You didn't really pay attention to what Iruka said, did you?"

"Well…" he started, unable to finish it.

"Kayo-chan!" rang out a familiar male voice.

Kayomie paled. "Oh, no… Just do me a favor and try to work on that brain of yours, capice?"

"Uh, sure… Why's Gai heading over here?"

"Don't ask. I'll tell ya later. See ya!" she rushed out as she darted out the front door.

"What was that all about?" Naruto asked aloud as he sat back down.

"Is Gai bugging her?" Iruka asked.

"He's following her, if that's what you mean."

"Well, Gai has always had an eye on your older sister ever since he saw her at the Academy. Kayomie never even gave him a chance. Something about 'conflicting interests' and 'overly-emotional freaks' turned her off. Poor guy still can't take the message," Iruka stated as he watched Kayomie try to fend off her bushy-browed assailant and get to the door.

"No, really, I'm fine. No, Gai, I don't want a boyfriend. Don't have one and don't need one…"

"But, angel…"

"Don't call me that… I gotta go. I'm tired from my journey and need to get to where I'm staying before I pass out. Do ya mind?"

"Well, whom are you staying with?" Gai asked, his interest peaked.

"Well…"

"She's staying with me, Gai. Leave her alone, would ya?" Kakashi stated as he appeared behind the frantic kunoichi.

"Y-you're staying with… that perverted devil!" he yelled, tears streaming down his face.

"First off, while I can't deny he has a wild side somewhere, he's no devil, second, I don't think he'd try anything… and third, I don't have a choice. Hokage-sama ordered it himself, okay? Later!" she called cheerfully as she darted out the door.

Iruka laughed slightly as he watched her run out. "She never could hold off someone like that… So, how is she? I mean, she hasn't been weird or anything."

"Define weird," Sakura stated as she slurped some of her ramen. "Last I checked, this whole village was a little weird."

"True. I mean, she hasn't been quiet an awful lot has she?"

"Not really… Why?" Sasuke asked, his interest piqued as he put the bowl of ramen by Kurai to eat.

"Oh, no reason." Iruka stated as he picked at his food.

"Nice try, Iruka. You might as well tell us. We'll find out later anyway," Kakashi stated as he finished off Kayomie's noodles.

"Well, she isn't exactly what you would call the 'roll-with-the-punches' kind of person. She still thinks about things she's gone through and gets depressed about it. It's not exactly healthy, but it's not something she can control."

"Was nee-san always like that?" Naruto asked, stroking Sai who had leaped into his lap.

"For the most part, yes. Until she met Kakashi when she was a little older, anyway. I guess having someone she could talk to about stuff like that when she was so young sort of helped," Iruka said as he finished. He stood. "Well, I better go. I doubt Kayomie would like it if I told you much more without her here and I've learned from experience not to get on her bad side. I'll see you all around." The young man left quietly.

"That was weird," Naruto commented.

"He has a point though. Kayo-chan isn't exactly a pushover in the physical department. Anyway, we'd better go too. If I know the new sensei, we'll want to be up early," Kakashi stated.

Kayomie sighed once she was in the safe darkness of the brief tree cover. That was one of the many things she had missed about this place: the friendly trees that surrounded the area. She grew up reading a book in many of the plants, so she knew how to climb almost all of them… She rested a hand along the bark of the trees as she walked by them. A loud rustle from a bush behind her attracted her attention. She sighed. "Come on out, Kakashi, I know it's you."

There was no response. Okay, now she was annoyed. As if the kopineko (I think this is how you say copycat in Japanese…) hadn't irritated her enough earlier, now the jerk was ignoring her.

"I'm serious, kopineko, this isn't funny. Come out of there or I'll make sure you regret it," she growled as she turned to face the bush. Her green eyes narrowed suspiciously. After a threat like that, Kakashi normally listened to her in case she followed through… That wasn't the kopineko and from the chakra she could barely sense, it wasn't friendly.

"Come on out of there, stranger, before I go after you."

"Now, now, how can you say that to the man who trained you? I cared for you like a father," a familiar voice rang out from behind the shrubbery. Kayomie's eyes filled with fear, even as she stood her ground courageously.

"Like hell you did. What kind of father not only tries to kill his daughter, but also tortures her? Besides," she paused, concealing her confusion and fear by taking out her kunai. "I know who my father was, and he died long ago. Not that you would ever understand, Saiga." She hurled the knife at the older man, only to have him dodge and appear before her.

"Huh. Still as scared as always, Kayomie. You certainly haven't changed… I see that you came back. I'm surprised you would risk the village of your birth like this."

"It's better than hiding from my problems. Not that you would know, would you? You not only hid from yours, but also pushed it onto others. That's how you broke all the other students. You have no heart and never will," she growled back angrily before charging at him blindly in rage.

Her only defense against all the fear he brought her was not only her brother's safety, but also her rage at all he had done to her. The one goal she now had in life was to finally bring him down.

Saiga moved to the side and caught her knife hand. He managed to pry it out of her grip and sliced her side before she recovered from her surprise and slammed her foot into his thigh. He released her, and his hands flashed through some signs that would allow him access to her thoughts.

Kayomie's also flashed, in an effort to keep him out. She barely managed to hold the mental shield over all of her functions and hurtful memories before he physically attacked her again. The blond dodged and managed to stab his arm before she cried out from the multiple cuts that suddenly appeared on her body.

Kayomie hit the ground painfully. She whimpered slightly as she regained her footing and stood. Her hand reached into her back pocket for her shuriken and threw them to deter the master who still came after her to control her like a puppet. When he dodged, she was waiting with a final kick at his throat.

He caught her foot and flipped her onto her back, thrusting an odd looking knife into her belly. She screamed in agony, in fear. She blindly hoped for someone to hear her and get help…

A loud thump echoed in her ears as Saiga was pitched off of her. His footsteps ran off, leaving the message he had whispered before he departed.

"I wouldn't be so relaxed if I was you… I won't kill you until the three genin are mine and are the students you never were… And even then, you won't die. You'll lose those kids and the source of happiness. Don't forget…"

She opened her eyes to see Kakashi bending over her to inspect her wounds. She fought to touch his face, to make sure that this was no mirage or illusion. When she touched skin, she sighed in relief before sensing Saiga going after her students.

"Kakashi. He's after the kids! Get over there, I'll be fine!" Kayomie shouted as she shoved at him. She watched the silver-haired man look over there and dart towards him.

The fight ensued, with Kakashi actually succeeding with copying Saiga's thought-jutsu, and allowing him to communicate with Sukai. After that, Kayomie lost all consciousness from blood loss. Her brother's fearful yell as he raced to her was her last conscious sound.

Sukai growled fiercely beside the jounin, her fangs bared in a snarl. "You know, normally, I don't say this, but you're good at this, Kakashi-san. Any suggestions as to how to keep him away from the others?" she asked through the instated mental link they now shared.

"I'd prefer killing him right here, but I don't think we have the ability."

"Not right now, I'm afraid. For now, we kick his ass and drive him away from Kayomie. That's the main person he's after, who's also losing way too much blood for my taste," she replied as she charged Saiga with a roar.

Kakashi's hands flashed through a jutsu he had seen Kayomie use once and was transformed into a large, silver tiger. Well, this is new… But I like it…

"Gee, good for you. Now, give me a hand here, would ya?" Sukai snapped as she was kicked away from Saiga. The cougar had deep cuts on her body, losing blood rapidly. She growled as she leaped in front of a frozen Sakura. The man had frozen all of the genin with a mind jutsu, one that controlled their bodily functions only once a day, and even then it was powerful enough to last for an hour at most.

"Release them, Saiga. They have no quarrel with you!"

"That is where you are wrong, scarecrow. You all do since you are part of what keeps my student from learning. I must rid her of her distractions, as any teacher would do."

Kakashi lost his temper for the first time since Zabuza. He attacked the man fiercely with his teeth and claws, wherever he could reach. He would have succeeded in destroying Saiga if the man hadn't not only stabbed him in the foreleg, but kicked himself free and took off.

"Kakashi, worry about him later! We have to get Kayomie and the kids home. Kayomie needs medical treatment and the others will need one hell of a good-night's sleep after that treatment." Sukai informed him calmly through his rage. The young man's anger was no more terrifying than Kayomie at her least when she was in a self-hating mood. Only, he was angry at an outside source that made it a little harder to snap him out of. "Believe me, I want to take him down as much as you, but we have other responsibilities. Sai's unconscious and Kurai's frozen with Sasuke so we have to get them with the kids home. Now, calm down, tiger."

Kakashi took several deep breaths as he returned to his human form and picked up Kayomie and helped Naruto to his feet. The spell had worn off a couple of minutes ago, and the three genin were a little numb.

"Kakashi-sensei, what was that? WHO was that? What'd he do to us?" Sakura stammered from her seat on Sukai's back.

"I believe that was Saiga, and he used a mental jutsu to freeze you three and Kurai. Sai was already unconscious so it wouldn't work on her. You three had better get home. Naruto, why don't you take Sai with you? Sakura, Sasuke, since you two seem to have been picked by the other two, keep them with you until Kayo-chan is better, okay?

"Right," the three said, although Sasuke wasn't happy about it. The wolf was supporting him, which he was grateful for, but he knew she wouldn't leave him alone at all.

Kakashi quietly vanished in a puff of smoke and headed to his home, the blond in his arms still unconscious from bloodloss and fatigue. He softly brushed a lock of hair from her face and sped it up.

Naruto: Next time on Naruto: Camouflage of the Heart: Ch. 6: Secret Past Revealed. Kayomie finally explains everything, or I think she does. However, Kakashi-sensei thinks she's holding back something for some reason.

Kakashi: I'm almost positive that she did, but I'm not dumb enough to push her… Go on with the preview would you?

Naruto: Right, anyway, so we find out that Saiga was more like a monster than we originally thought. Find out how next time on Naruto: Camouflage of the Heart!