A/N: This chapter is a little short but full of angst and bonding. If you like that sort of thing, I think you'll like the chapter. Happy reading!

Sumiko coughed, blood splattering on the rough pavement. She stared at it, one hand splayed on her stomach, clutching it in pain. She huffed, chest heaving with breaths as she tried to concentrate.

"You're getting it wrong. I keep on telling you to harden your gut but you refuse to understand."

She gathered her angry chakra coils, pulling them together. They slithered out of her grip like ice in winter.

Readying her kunai, she sprang forward. A strong hand crashed against hers, kunai fighting against kunai. She looked into her father's eyes as he had instructed her. Feeling a movement, she used her left hand to grab another kunai, clashing against her father's. She spun to the side, leaving her back defenseless in the process.

Her father charged in but expecting the attack, she maneuvered out of course, slashing with a kunai. Fugaku dodged it with ease. She tried again, this time with the other hand but her father was faster. Knowing the incoming attack, she gathered her chakra again. She tried to harden the coils on her right. He spun, bringing his kunai to slash against her arm but at the last minute, punched the side of her ribs. Her chakra dissipated.

Sumiko stumbled back, a new pain blooming. A curse was building up on her tongue but she held it in. This wasn't working. Her chakra refused to cooperate.

Her father had no reason to hold in his curses. He raked a hand through his hair in frustration. She looked down, unable to meet his eyes. She felt his gaze on her, looking her up and down. She was sure bruises were already welling up all over her body.

"Enough for today." He said. "Go to your room and clean up."

"Yes, father." She mumbled, muscles sagging. Sweat covered her body and the cool night air brought goosebumps on her arms.

Dragging herself across the floor, her chest tightened. Swallowing, she tried to calm herself down. There was something welling up, as if she wanted to puke. Even her eyes were watering. What was going on?

Clenching her jaw, she trudged up the stairs. She would've bumped into Sasuke if she hadn't looked up at the last second.

His tiny wide eyes stared at her, face morphed into worry. "Miko, are you okay?"

She smiled at him. He had gotten the hang of it in just a few tries so father had let him off. She, however, had not been so lucky.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."

He pursed his lips. "But… you're crying."

Her eyes widened. She touched her cheeks and her hand came away wet. She hadn't even noticed it. When had she started crying? Had her father seen her? How had she not noticed?

"Ah…" she began. "I'm not crying. It's just sweat, don't worry."

He gave her a look, baby fat and all. "Sumiko, I'm five, not two."

She pinched his cheeks. "I know, you brat. Now move so I can go and wash up."

He gave a pout but moved out of the way. She walked towards her door and closed it behind her. Then she broke down.

"Sumiko?" She heard a voice. "Sumiko!"

And that was how she woke up, with tears on her cheeks.

She turned to her side to look at her brother, now much older. He was looking at her with softened eyes. He knew how to hide his worry now but she still remembered his five year old face from her dream.

"Sasuke" she sighed, snuggling her face against his chest.

"Bad dream again?" His voice was hoarse with sleep.

She just hummed, once again glad they had decided to sleep in the same bed after the massacre. Back then, it was common for one of them to wake the other from a bad dream. It used to be mostly her who woke Sasuke up as he shook with fear. His terrified eyes seeked her comfort as soon as they opened. She used to open her arms for him to snuggle in, when he was still shorter than her.

Sasuke's hand reached up to brush her hair, fingers entangling with the locks. She closed her eyes, head resting against his shirt and didn't open them again till after the sun had already risen.

…

Sumiko was walking down the market street, looking for her regular grocery store. It sold good quality vegetables and other ingredients at a fairly cheap rate. It was one of the best shops in Konoha, as far as Sumiko was concerned.

She was looking at some lettuce on the stall outside when a man walked out of the store. It wouldn't have concerned her if she hadn't caught a whiff of the familiar earthly scent.

Eyes snapping up, her gaze went straight to the green vest, an orange book covering half of the man's face. She really didn't need any of the present clues to recognise him.

"Kakashi sensei?" she said, smiling up at him.

He looked down at her from the corner of his eyes before putting the book away and smiling back. "Oh, Sumiko? What are you doing here?"

"I– I was just out grocery-shopping." Her eyes were wide, cheeks red.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?"

She blinked, making sure her features were back to neutral. "Um… nothing. I'm just surprised to see you doing something so… mundane." She laughed. "You're the Hatake Kakashi, after all."

He sighed. "You hold me in too much regard, kitten."

She shrugged. Forgetting the reason she was out in the first place, she stepped towards him. He had his book out again, eyes scanning the pages as he walked.

"Kakashi sensei, do you want me to make some food for you too?" she asked. "I make some for Naruto anyway, adding an extra bento won't be much effort."

Seeing the discomfort in his eyes, she added, "It won't be all the time. Just when I make something special."

He just hummed, not responding. She decided to bring it up another time. Instead, she asked, "um… sensei, I actually have a favor I wanted to ask you." At this, his eyes turned to her. At the acknowledgement, she continued. "Do you happen to know where the special jonin, guy sensei is?"

At this, he visibly turned towards her. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, it's just…" she paused, taking a breath. "When we were protecting Tazuna-san, I couldn't do anything. Not against Haku or Zabuza. I don't want to be useless. I don't want to see my brother almost die again. I want to be able to protect him and Naruto. I understand my chakra control is weak but I don't want to let that hold me back. I've heard about guy sensei. I think… I think he can help me become stronger."

Kakashi was silent after the little speech. His eyes were still on his book but they had stopped moving across the page. Suddenly, Sumiko felt uncomfortable and she rubbed the bead of her bracelet. It was the one Kakashi had given her. She hadn't taken it off and she didn't think she would.

"Uh– sorry, I don't mean to bother you." She gave him a sheepish smile, chest burning. "If you could just tell me where he is, I can go on my way. If you don't know, I can always just look around or ask someone else."

He sighed again. She was about to run off when a hand held her back by the shoulders. "Wait, Sumiko." Kakashi said. "I had wanted to put this off but it seems I no longer can. Come with me. We need to talk."

She blinked. Without a question, she walked beside him in silence. When they reached training ground five, Kakashi sat under a hashirama tree, tapping the ground beside him. She sat down with a frown.

"Sumiko…" He began, hesitant. "During the fight, you saw Sasuke almost die. I believe that is what activated your sharingan." He paused again, seeming to gather his thoughts. "Seeing your brother like that… It probably wasn't easy."

There was a beat of silence.

"Kakashi sensei, I am okay." she said. "Maybe I should not be okay but I am. I just want to get stronger, that is all. This is not going to be the last of my problems."

After a moment, he gave her his classic smile. "Well, all good then."

With a hand on her head, he got up. His body dropped a cool shadow over her as she closed her eyes. Just for a moment, she sat there in the breeze before getting up and giving him a smile back.

He removed his book from his pocket, opening it to the latest page. "I have to go right now, but be here at 7pm sharp."

She blinked. "What? Why–"

Before she could finish her question, he had already disappeared. A log of wood remained in his place, looking lonely in the middle of nowhere. Sighing, she picked it up with chakra strengthened muscles, dropping it to the side of the field. She left the training ground with a huff, wondering why she even bothered to understand the enigma that was Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi's pov:

He wiped the blood off his hands, lips pursed. The mission had gone completely off track. It was supposed to be a quick in and out, a basic assassination mission. If one of the chunin on the team hadn't been careless, this would've never happened. This was why he insisted on doing solo missions.

Kakashi grit his teeth as the cloth rubbed against his fresh wound. The blood gushing out was mixed with his enemy's and it almost made him shudder. He rubbed it harder, hoping the pressure would stop the blood flow. He could not have a dead man's blood mixing with his own. Especially not someone he had killed himself.

Glad that the mission was finally over, he walked out of the silent house. It echoed behind him, reminding him of the happiness he had forever torn apart.

He jumped, feet landing on a sturdy tree branch. He couldn't wait to go back home.

It had only been a few minutes when he felt a thousand chakra sensations around him and he knew Konoha was near. He had already sent his team ahead to report while he finished the job, so he only had to go back to his house and take a good nap.

He was just about to open the door, mental exhaustion drooping his body when he straightened. Removing a watch from his pocket, he looked at the time. It was already past midnight. He opened the door, shaking his head. There was no way she was still there. Sumiko wasn't stupid enough for that. She knew he could be late but not this late. She was smart enough to figure that out.

Gritting his teeth, he shut the door. He was out on the streets within a second. Rushing through the night air, he jumped over rooftops, approaching training ground five.

He jumped down inside and let out a breath. She was sitting under the hashirama tree where he had told her to be. Her hair blew in the wind, brushing over her closed eyes. She held a kunai in a loose fist as if she had gone to sleep in the middle of practicing.

No leaves crunched beneath his feet as he walked towards her. Only the wind howled in the distance, the silence of the village almost deafening.

He looked at her slightly parted lips and an involuntary smile bloomed on his face. He didn't think he had ever seen her face so relaxed. He hadn't realized until then how many tension lines her face hid with a smile. But now, with only the starlight on her face, she looked so vulnerable, all dainty and fragile.

Kakashi brushed the hair off her face. "Sumiko…"

Her eyes opened almost immediately. They were wide with surprise, almost panicked. But when recognition dawned, she relaxed. "Kakashi sensei?"

She rubbed her eyes, a yawn escaping her lips. "Sorry, I fell asleep." She mumbled, still barely awake. A frown marred her face and she glared at him. "Wait. You were supposed to be here at seven."

He gave her a sheepish smile. "Well, you know how things are. One thing led to another and I completely lost track of time. Really, the old woman crossing the lane should be the one to blame."

She gave him a look. "Please let me know what old woman is crossing the street in the middle of the night."

"Well, well, forget about that." He said. "How about you go home and sleep and we continue this in the morning?"

She let out a breath. "Yeah, sure. You better be here though!"

He chuckled, holding out a hand for support. She grabbed it, lifting herself up. She didn't ask why his glove had blood specks on them or why he had offered his left hand and not the right. For once, he was glad his student was too tired to notice.

"Goodnight, kitten."

"Goodnight, sensei." She mumbled back and he was gone.

He followed her at a distance as she walked to her house. When she opened the door, he noticed one of the lights was on and gave a smile before leaping away. All he could see now was a bed waiting for him.

Sumiko's pov:

Sumiko woke up with a groan, hand rubbing against her sore neck. A nerve pounded on her shoulder blades and she cursed herself for falling asleep against a tree.

She had come back home late last night and so, had never expected Sasuke to be sitting on the couch, asleep. The light had still been on in lieu of him falling asleep with his head against the wall. She had immediately rushed to him, waking him up so that he could come to sleep on the bed. She couldn't believe the idiot had waited for her even when she had told him she might be late.

Shaking her head, she got up. Sasuke was still asleep beside her, soft breaths blowing his hair away from his face. It was almost endearing. She kind of wanted to wake him up just to annoy him but she decided to be the responsible adult that she was supposed to be and let him sleep.

She hurried through the daily motions and changed into a sturdy training gear. Then she was out the door as she headed to look for Kakashi.

Sumiko hadn't realized until then that she had no idea where Kakashi lived. She remembered it being some kind of Anbu/Jonin residential area but she had no clue if it was canon or fanon. Even if it was true, she could hardly go around asking for where the Anbu lived. Even if she wasn't an Uchiha, it was sure to raise some eyebrows.

With no other options, Sumiko rushed towards the academy. She had only one lead.

No one stopped her when she headed inside the familiar building. She had expected at least some questions but none came. Heading towards where the noise was, she approached Iruka sensei. It seemed he was holding an outdoor class today. "Yo, Iruka sensei!" she said, jumping down a rock to land beside him.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Sumiko-chan? What are you doing here?"

"I needed your help for something." She said, holding up a finger. "But before that, introduce me to your cute little students."

He laughed. "You're not that much older than them actually but sure."

He gestured to get their attention, putting out a spasm of chakra. "Everyone, this is Uchiha Sumiko, a genin of Konoha."

They looked at each other, some with confusion, some with apprehension. She smiled at them. "Hi! It's nice to meet you all."

A little girl raised her hand, brown ponytails swinging around her. "Um… Are you an Uchiha Uchiha?" Her cheeks were pink, hands fumbling behind her.

Sumiko just smiled at her. "Yes! Definitely the only Uchiha girl you must have heard about." Her eyes glowed red.

A few whispers rippled across the group. One boy looked almost panicked. Iruka cleared his throat but before he could say anything, a boy leaped up from his bench. "Hey! You're that girl that's always with Naruto nii-chan!"

After a split moment of confusion, her eyes lit up in recognition, turning back to the dark shade. "Oh! Konohamaru!" she grinned.

"Huh? How do you know me?" he asked, scratching the back of his head before his eyes narrowed. "You didn't call me the old guy's grandson. Did Naruto nii-chan talk about me?"

The hope in the little boy's eyes broke her heart. It was so surprising to see the way Naruto inspired people. He really was a hero in and out.

"Yeah, he did mention you. You seemed to have made an impression on him." she answered.

He rubbed his nose, smiling proudly and sat down. "Of course he did!"

She clapped her hands in quick succession, ending the session. "Okay enough of the chit chat. I actually need to get work done. But it was nice meeting you guys!"

With that, she turned to Iruka sensei. "Sensei, any idea where Kakashi sensei might be?"

He sighed. "Is the man late as usual?"

She huffed, looking down. "No, actually. I am the one looking for him. I have something to talk to him about and he has a promise to keep."

He gave her a weird look but didn't ask any more questions. "I last saw him at the hill behind the Hokage mountain. He was just lying down, reading that book of his." He said. "You could check there."

She smiled at him, waving goodbye. "Thank you so much, Iruka sensei! See you later!" She rushed out of there in the blink of an eye, leaving the students behind gasping. She quite enjoyed that gasp.

Sumiko walked up the hill and just as she reached the top, she saw Kakashi lying on the grass, reading. She used to think he just pretended to like those books but now that she knew him in person, it was obvious he really did love them. She had to read those books for herself now and see what's so good about them other than pure smut. Or maybe there was nothing good and Kakashi was just desperately in need of a good lay.

A blush covered her cheeks as she watched him from afar, his hair riffling in the air. She wanted to reach out and touch those strands but she didn't deserve it yet. One day, she would.

"Are you just going to creepily stare at me all day long or are you actually going to talk?" He asked without taking his eyes off the book.

Her lips parted. Biting the bottom lip in embarrassment, she approached him. "Hi sensei."

He looked up at her and kept the book aside. He was about to get up but she said, "Don't bother." Instead, she laid down beside him, looking up at the dancing leaves. The Konoha wind was cool on her face, the afternoon still far from coming.

"What did you want to talk to me about yesterday?" she asked.

He gave her a side eye, glancing over her body. He took in the training gear and said, "I think you already know."

She laughed. "Yeah, I guessed."

She peeped inside the book, trying to see what he was reading. She only took in a few words before he snapped it shut. "Yes, let's get to it then." He smiled. It looked threatening somehow.

Sumiko frowned at him. "Oh, come on! What happened after 'She knelt on the ground, taking his length–"

"Okay! Sumiko-chan," He began. She had never heard his voice quaver before. Within a moment, it changed completely. If she didn't know him, she would've been petrified. "If you utter another word of the book, I will make you take training course three again and again till you can't feel your legs and you'll beg me to stop. I won't."

She froze. Maybe it was because she was reading his book or maybe she was just shameful but the words sounded different to her. At least different than how Kakashi meant them to sound. She swallowed.

"Get up."

She got up.

"Good girl."

Her eyes were wide. She said absolutely nothing.

He chuckled, eyes softening. "Let's start with the training."

She let out a heavy breath. It was going to be a long day. Why did she agree to this again?

A/N: Things took a completely different turn at the end. Sumiko and Kakashi's casual flirting just went to a whole another level. And... I liked it? I really want to make them end up together. I know I put parental kakashi in the tags but now I'm not sure what I'll do. Even if I do put them together, nothing will happen till she's eighteen. Even though she's technically older than Kakashi, he doesn't know that and he's not the sort of person to do it. So let's see.

Also, in the last chapter, I asked if you guys wanted me to incorporate a movie in. I'm planning to do the land of snow mission in the next chapter so if you have any opinion about that, let me know!