"Okay" she sighed, "here we go!"

It was a failed attempt in getting her confidence up enough to try and cook. Her uncle was right about one thing, she really was a bad cook. If there was a way to burn water, she would probably find it. Almost all of her dishes ended up looking like something from a sci fi alien movie or came out blacker then ink.

She went to the fridge and examined the contents. From the looks of it, she needed to make another grocery run, and soon. There wasn't all that much to work with, but she was grateful to spot a package of eggs, a few strips of bacon, and just enough milk left for drinking. She loaded her arms up with the assorted breakfast items and bumped her hip against the fridge door to shut it.

She started up the stove and placed a pan on it that she had managed to find in one of the cupboards. It was a little large, but it was the only one she could find.

As it started to heat up, she cracked the eggs on the rim and let them slip from their shells into the pan then slid the bacon strips in next to them. It would take a few minutes before she had to flip them, so she figured now would be a good time to check on that laundry.

She left the kitchen and headed for the washroom again. As she rounded the corner, she froze in shock. The entire hall way was filled with bubbles. A rain of complete panic poured down on her.

"THE WATER! I FORGOT TO TURN IT OFF!"

She quickly dashed for a closet and yanked out a mop and began to fight the soap-ish fiend back into the wash room, but the more she mopped them up, twice as many would pour out on to her.

"The only way I'm going put an end to this battle is to hit the source! To the Faucet!"

With that she plugged her nose and dove into the wall of bubbles now filling the wash room. It would be impossible to open her eyes to look around without getting soap in them. So she felt her way around until her hand made contact with the faucet and twisted it to turn it off. Fighting her way back out, she collapsed on the floor after making it out of the wall of suds. In bliss of her victory, she took a big inhale of soap free air as a reward. Her happiness was short lived though, for a strange aroma unexpectedly filled her nose.

"What is that?"

Sitting up from where she was laying, she looked around and noticed a thick black cloud coming from around the corner.

"Smoke?" What could be causing smoke? Then it hit her.

"BREAKFAST! OH NO!"

She leapt up from the floor and rounded the corner again only to be engulfed in black smoke.

Wheezing from the toxic air, she got to the kitchen and turned the stove off. She grabbed for the pan handle, but suddenly felt it's intense heat sear across the bottom of her hand.

"Ah!" She yelped and threw the smoking pan in a near by sink full of water. The room almost immediately became much easier to breathe in.

Atsui looked down at her hand. A bright red mark was left there, and she could still feel the painful heat in it. Looking for some relief, she went to the sink and turned it on so it would gush cold water. Tenderly, she placed her burn under it. She gritted her teeth as it made contact with the cold liquid. She sat there for a minute, letting the heat seep out of the burn under the cool water. Her eyes caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window. A rather pathetic image looked back. She was soaking wet and now had various patches of ash covering her. She let out a sigh. That was the last thing she needed, to take up more time with getting all cleaned up again.

Suddenly something slammed into her head. The room started to spin, as she fell to her knees holding her head.

"I give you one simple task and I wake up to find my house in shambles!"

The guillotine had fallen, he was up, and he knew about the mess.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll clean it up! I promise!" She quickly apologized hoping it would count for something.

It was in vain though, another blow came, hitting her in the side this time, knocking the wind clean out of her. She gasped for air, but her lungs just didn't want to seem to listen.

"ONE! TASK!" He yelled again.

Suddenly her head was being pulled up, but it was painful. He had grabbed hold of her hair, and was forcing her to follow its lead causing her to stand up.

"This had better be cleaned up before you even think of leaving to see those brats you call friends." He hissed and pushed her down back to the floor.

She was finally starting to be able to breathe again and managed to sit up, but couldn't bring herself to look into his terrifying eyes.

"Yes….sir….of…course…" she rasped out, coughing between each word.

He made a sudden movement. Atsui cringed, preparing for another punch or kick, but was surprised to hear footsteps as he left grumbling.

She rubbed her side trying to make that lingering ache go away. He had nailed her right between the ribs. She stood up, but regretted it instantly. The room started to spin again. Her hand shot to the back of her head where he had hit her. She felt around her scalp and felt a good sized lump. He must have really hit her hard to leave one that big. Taking a deep breath she stood up, only wobbling a few times but was successfully able to leave the kitchen. She stopped at the corner of the hallway and looked over at the river of bubbles that still covered the hallway, then back at the blackened door frame of the kitchen.

"Yep, definitely not going to have time to shower." She sighed.

"She's late." Amaya stated blandly sitting atop one of the training posts.

"Point out the obvious there Amaya?" Uzu sarcastically remarked looking up at her from leaning up against the same log.

The remark seemed to have no effect on her, for she retained her usual un-emotional stare at an invisible object that was across the open field.

Since the day he and Atsui had befriend her; she almost never showed any emotion. He had to admit that at first he was absolutely terrified of their psychic friend. She did have a rather dark appearance and received quite a reputation of being mean and scary in the academy. Not to mention her 'curse' as she calls it, to make your mind see what you're most afraid of or make you re-live a horrible past event, made it all the more worse for her to get close to anyone.

For some odd reason or other though, Atsui had been able to get past that and find Amaya's caring and loving side; instantly becoming a life long friend with her. Of course, then again, that was Atsui for you. She was an absolute sweetheart but could be so oblivious sometimes, it was a wonder that she passed through the academy, with flying colors none the less.

"It must be him again." She responded after the few minutes of silence between them.

Uzu's face shot her a look of malice.

"It had better not be. One of these days I gonna…"

"Uzu…you know that we aren't allowed to meddle with the situation. As much as I'd like to torture the mind of that sack of filth" Her eyes began to glow with that evil black aura that appears when she activates her powers but faded almost as quickly as they had started. "But the Mizukage has forbidden us to get caught up in the affair. She has warned us that…"

"That interfering with Kushin's business will only make him get angrier, and make him take it out more on her and even might push him to the limit of taking their entire family somewhere else and how that would only make it worse by making it so there aren't people around her that will be able to look out for her. I know, I know."

Uzu had practically grown up with Atsui. She was like a little sister to him and her dad was like a second father. Obutso was Uzu's idol and he wanted to turn out just like him when he got older. He had been the first person to teach him how to use his swords.

At his funeral, Uzu promised that he would look after Atsui for him, but after she started living with her uncle, he felt his promise fall apart and become empty words that he could do nothing about. It seemed unfathomable to think that Obutsu and Atsui were even related to that man.

"It's just hard knowing what she's going through and not being able to do anything about it."

Their attention suddenly was caught by a movement. They looked over and saw Atsui sprinting up to the field. Something was different about her though.

"There you are! We thought you had disa…" Uzu trailed off as she got closer. Amaya jumped down of the post and walked up beside him as Atsui reached them. Their friend was covered in ash and appeared to be drenched with a liquid that smelled oddly enough of spring time flowers. This odd appearance brought a look of confusion to their faces. Even the usually blank looking eyes of Amaya, grew wide in shock.

"Sorry…I had a little more cleaning then usual to do this morning!" Atsui huffed with a grin.

"Atsui! What happened to you? You look like you just come from a battle in the land of the waves!" Uzu asked worriedly.

Amaya walked over and ran a finger across one of Atsui's cheeks. Letting the sticky liquid combine with the blacken material on her finger. She inspected it and sniffed at the estranged scent.

"Ash and…Laundry detergent...what exactly did you clean this morning Atsui?" Amaya asked in her monotone voice.

"Heh heh well the thing is, I started the laundry but my uncle wanted breakfast you see, so I had to go and start that but I guess I forgot to turn off the water so a ton of bubbles got every where and I had to fight those off with the mop, but then a huge cloud of smoke started coming from the kitchen and I incinerated the bacon and eggs I was cooking. So I had to clean up the kitchen, mop the hallway, do the laundry, go to the grocery store to get more food, because we were out, and then make breakfast all over again." She took a big breath, replacing the air she had lost in explaining her morning dilemma in one breath.

Uzu and Amaya continued looking at her in utter shock. Uzu was the first to break the silence.

"Ha ha ha! Okay well let's get you cleaned up." he chuckled picking her up and sling her over his shoulder and started walking.

A look surprise sprang to her face; shocked by her friend's sudden action.

"Where are we going?"

"My house, you can use the shower and I'll lend you some pants and a sweatshirt to wear."

"But…but…what about training? It's already bad enough that I made you wait so long…I couldn't possibly…you don't have to worry about me…it's just a little soap and ash…it's unfair for me to waste any more of your time…" Atsui stuttered.

She felt guilty enough for making them wait so long, and now she was burdening them to feel the need to take care of her for her own mistakes.

Uzu laughed.

"There is now way I'm going to be able to focus on my training if every time I catch sight of you, I start to laugh. You silly goose! How many times do you have to learn that you can't do thirty things at once? "He kidded poking her leg, still walking.

"It wasn't thirty! It was two! And you really don't have to! It was my fault. You shouldn't have to clean up my messes." She said trying to be defensive, but was getting no where with it.

Amaya came up behind Uzu and was now facing Atsui.

"Oh Atsui…That's what friends are for…" She said with hint of amusement in her voice and gave a rare little smile.

Atsui got a confused look at first, but couldn't help but smile too.

"Okay…A shower does actually sound kinda nice…" she said sheepishly with a blush.

"Oh and Uzu?"

"Yeah?"

"I can walk you know."

"You can?! I never knew" he replied sarcastically.

Atsui smiled, she was so happy. She had such wonderful kind friends who cared about her.