AN: So, I realized that I made a mistake. Petty one, but just so we are all in the same page. Accurately, Shisui is supposed to be 7 years old when the Third Shinnobi War is happening, but for the sake of the story I'm going to make him 16.

Also I think that Kakashi and Ryou's age is off. I made them two years younger than they should be, but- just small detail. Thank you for all the views! I appreciate reviews 3

11
Age: 13

The wind howled wildly in the hot afternoon. There was not a single cloud in the sky, despite the strong breeze. One of our protagonist stood hunched over in the stinging sun. She panted and leaned her weight on her knees. Beads of sweat forming in her pulsating temple. Plenty of cuts and small slices covered her arms and legs.

"Again!" She barked with sure determination. She wasn't giving up on this so easily. Having been practicing for months, she was starting to become frustrated at the fact that she could not master this new technique.

A tall, dark haired, human across the field dropped his shoulders in concern.
Shisui Uchiha sighed non the less complying to Ryou Noa's order. He knew how important her training was for her. It seemed like that's all she ever did now a days. Waking up at 5:00 AM to train all day long?
She sure had an odd idea of what it meant to be out on a date.

"Not that I'm bumming on your training or anything, but you've made this an obsession of yours," He said with one hand on his waist. "You're already pretty fast Ryou."
"'Pretty fast' doesn't cut it. I'm still not faster than Gai or you," she stretched her strained limbs. "or him…" Her nails buried into the palms of her hands. If she had been faster, she wouldn't have that pink, nasty, gash on her abdomen.
"Well, you are pretty and fast," Shisui grinned mischievously.
"Just shoot!" She swiftly tossed a knife in his direction. Without breaking a sweat he lifted his hand and caught it simply by sticking his finger in the hole.

With a flick of his wrist he aimed and tossed a shuriken in her direction. She stood her ground focusing on her chakra control. Shisui's words echoed in repeat in her head. "Vitalize the chakra in your body and move at extreme speeds. The amount required for you move depends on the overall distance and elevation between you and your intended destination."

Swish.

Just like that she had gone it.

"I did it!" she breathed exhilarated.

Her hands shot up, she stared ahead of her searching for Shisui's eyes, but only then realized that she had flickered at least five stories higher than her position. She looked down and saw him standing there in shock. He was as minuscule as an ant! "Ahhh!" She couldn't help but shout as gravity did its duty to send her plunging down bellow.
It was almost like an old school cartoon. It was then that she suddenly felt she landed on something, yet she remained in thin air.

"Shisui!" She barely managed to say as her hair and dress garments rose up in the opposite direction. She wasted no time in clinging to his neck and pulling him close for safety. He had hoisted her up in his arms and wore a wide grin as he did. What the hell was he thinking?! Soon both of them would impact the ground. In that split of a second he leaned in dangerously close and planted an innocent kiss on her lips. He pulled back just in time to see her crimson face, and astonished expression. That infamous grin made way to his face before he once again flickered to the ground.
In that moment Ryou felt breathless. She wasn't sure if her racing heart was due to the Uchiha that was holding her or because of the adrenaline rapidly coursing through her veins. She exhaled a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Shisui!" she squeaked drawing her arms away from him and leaping off his. She had even forgotten her brief success in her mastering of Shisui's own flickering technique. "You are so infuriating!" she said half laughing half in embarrassment as she walked away from him.
"Is that how you thank your savior?" he said sneaking up behind her and embracing her tightly.
"Shut up, you're not even my boyfriend, savior," She continued walking in embrace.
"But you are my girlfriend," He mused. Like always that charming smile gracing his lips.

She froze in her tracks and turned to look at him bewildered. "In another life maybe," she rolled her eyes playfully and turned away. He held onto her hand tightly making her stop, turn, and face him. She was expecting him to be joking, instead his face did not betray his seriousness.

"Maybe," she answered with a spirited chortle. "If you catch me that is!" She stuck out her tongue before running away back into the city.
"Oh, you're making this too easy!" He chased after her.

It would only take seconds for him to catch up to his prey. He did lunging forward only for her body to flicker in a split of a second. He stopped and looked around unable of finding any sign of his girl. The edge of his lips curved up.

'I guess this isn't going to be as easy as I thought…' He thought before activating his Sharingan.

"If you thought this was going to be easy, then you probably don't know me as well as you think," he heard from the top branches. Snapping his glare up he saw the curly haired, green eyed girl playfully wink him. He made a hand sign and flickered to the top of the trees only to see her smile again before she flickered away and further away. Together, almost like a dance they flickered through the woods until neither of them could flicker no more.

Ryou Noa found herself in the middle of the park. She wondered how it was that Shisui could find her attractive looking the way she did, covered in sweat from head to toe and with her messy post training hair.
Her feet began pacing as she approached a halt. He followed behind her.
"Giving in so quickly?" he asked catching his breath as well.
"Has the thought that I actually want you to catch me crossed your mind?" She coughed with both of her hands on her waist.
"What's the fun without the chase?" He said charmingly as wrapped his arms around her and once again kissed her.

Like the tangling pattern of unfortunate situations that Kakashi Hatake and Ryou Noa's intertwined life was. It was only fate that ensure that a certain silver haired ninja would be there to witness the scene.

He had heard the rumors that Shisui the infamous Body Flicker was seeing Ryou of the prestigious Noa clan. He never actually expected to run into them chasing each other like two rabbits in spring heat.

He rolled his eyes at the sight and attempted to focus his attention back to the mystery novel he was reading in a park bench under a tree. He put all of his attention and focus in tracing the outline of every word and letter he read. Then he heard it. He heard a loud, delighted laughter echoing through the semi-empty park.

Looking up, far away, but close enough that he could clearly see both of them were walking in the middle of a pathway underneath the shade of the green summer trees. He had never heard her laugh in such a sincere way before. She must've been really happy. For a moment he wondered how it was that she had been able to get it all back. Despite her family's tragedy, and her years of angst and social isolation. Somehow, she had friends again, she had her father back who had sworn never to use alcohol, she had mastered her kekke genkai and been promoted to Jounin. And then, there was Shisui, the prodigy of the Uchiha clan. The youngest shinnobi in the entire village to become an ANBU. With a eat-shit grin, his coolness and charming personality Shisui had plenty of fan girls around the village.

However, he had chosen her, just like she had agreed to be his.

She wore an official Jounin vest. Underneath a black V-neck shirt that was long sleeved and ended just past her elbows with a gold trim. Underneath it all she wore another long sleeve fishnet shirt. Her clan's waist wrapping shawl with a thin golden string in the middle. Flowing from her vest was a long A-line skirt that was completely cut in the middle, black shorts underneath. It looked more like a long vest. Her clan sign was split in the middle. Her hair had been more femininely braided to one side into a thick, bushy braid. Her Hitai-ate in her forehead under some loose hair that now fell like bangs.

But most importantly, she wore a bright, wide, smile on her face. One that had become extremly rare and scarce.

He thought of the powerful dynasty that both of them would bring into the world. They were just oh-so perfect for each other. They would bring curly haired, blood eyed demons into this world to become efficient killing machines just like them. It was then that he leant in grabbed her face and planted a cinematic kiss on her lips.

He clenched the book he held in his hands tightly. He felt his chest swell in anger.

Why was it that she always had everything?!

Sure, maybe he had no intention or desire to have a significant other at the moment. He had sacrificed everything in his life, he had nothing. All he did was follow the rules by the thumb. One of the most important rules that a shinnobi must follow is not to allow emotions to conflict with the mission. That's what he had always done.
Shut down his emotions. He bottled them up and locked them up deep in a dark place inside him where nobody could reach them, not even him, but her- there was something about him that just made him feel a stupid amount of anger and jealousy whenever she was nearby.

But perhaps he hadn't sacrificed everything…

He had been starring at the couple so intently that Shisui realized and snapped his head to face him. A curious look in his confused expression. She then turned too and they made eye contact. She opened her mouth and before she said anything an unfamiliar, blaring alarm resounded through the village. Something wasn't right.

He saw both of them flicker before his eyes and vanish. Great, now she could flicker as well? Why doesn't she just become Hokage?

He obediently put his book away and reported to the Hokage's office where everyone had been gathered outside as an audience. The alarm had quit blaring already. More than half of the village was there, some faces concerned other perplexed. They were there too. Obito stood next to his cousin, Rin next to him as they all looked up see the Hokage step out of his balcony gracefully. The dimming light of the coming sunset projected an orange hue on the Hokage and the residents of the Leaf Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked aged despite his relative young age. His hair was beginning to pepper into gray and the wrinkles in his face were becoming more prominent. It also looked like he hadn't been sleeping well as of lately.

Asuma, Kurenai, Gai and his teammates, amongst other classmates had gathered around to listen to the emergency meeting.

The Hokage gave a brief introduction. His closest advisors to his left. To his former students, two of the three legendary sanin: Jiraya and Orochimaru-sama.

"Because of a decline in national power, the reign of the Five Great Nations has began to crumble. Some territories want independence others don't. These prolonged conflicts have gradually spread their flames far and wide, until now, that they have reached our Leaf. It is with a heavy heart and great regret that I share the following sad news with you. We are at war. The Third Shinnobi war, has just began."

The people of the village were either mute from the shock. Others erupted in shouts of horror at the dreadful news of the coming war. Some even collapsed into loud cries of woe. A nearby mother brought a horrified hand to her mouth as she held her child close. The Five Nations had lost plenty to the Second Shinnobi War and it had been only a few years ago.

Kakashi hadn't even noticed that Rin had approached him. She stood next to him with a visible blush and a wide, sweet smile. He barely even spared her a second glance. But that peculiar smile in such a dreadful circumstance got the best of his curiosity.

"Aren't you intimidated?" He asked in regards of the current news.
"Why should I be?" she maintained that smile and doe eyed look. "I know we'll thrive, with strong ninja like you in the village," she said batting her eyelashes.

After years of tensions with the other Five Nations the Leaf village was finally at war, and he was just as weak as ever. He allowed his eyes to drift over to the power couple who were allegorically conversing with some of the other young ninja of the village. He had already come to face the fact that he would never be able to defeat her. And him… Shisui, the Uchiha clan's prodigy, youngest to be appointed an ANBU, the "Body Flicker", with those menacing red eyes not in a thousand lives.

"I'm not even that strong…" Was all he could muster, saying more to himself than to her.
"Just do your best!" Rin Nohara clapped her hands, looking at him with glowing eyes. It was too much for him.

Feeling the weighted down by his weaknesses and esteem he decided to stop engaging and return home.

"Oi!" Obito suddenly joined his other two teammates. "Rin, we are crashing Baka-Shisui and Ryou's date. Asuma and Kurenai are going as well," he said with a broad smile. His goggles resting on his forehead. Internally he was freaking out hoping that she would accept his informal invitation on this triple group date.
"You should come Kakashi-san," she said zeroing all her attention on him. "It'll be a nice way to get our head out of the… present circumstances," she said slowly. Obito instantly made a face of disgust and crossed his arms over his chest in denial. "After all, we are a team, right? Obito-san?" Ouch, Team Mate-Zoned (Lol).

The young Uchiha began bickering and without another word Kakashi made a decision that would change his life. He shoved his hands into his pockets and quietly vanished in the diminishing crowd.

He returned home and packed. He cleaned out his entire fridge. Packed a few clothing items, some weapons and-
As he tampered with some boxes in his closet a particularly dusty one caught his attention. It held few belongings that had belonged to his cowardly father. In it, he saw a dagger, his dagger. The White Fang's precious weapon…
After some hesitation he decided to take it with him. He looked at the picture's of Ryou on the wall one last time. Her metamorphosis... This was goodbye.

It was dusk by the time he left his apartment for the last time. He didn't even bother locking it shut. He took his time in slowly walking the streets of the city. Taking them in one last time before his departure. He didn't know when he'd be back. He took in the way the streets smelled like barbeque, chicken ramen, dango and the mixes of foreign spices. The way the dim lantern lights glowed and illuminated the streets. He gave one last glance to the Hokage monument. The first, the second and the third…

This was goodbye.

It was then that he spotted them, coming out of the restaurant. The group of nine (Now that Gai, Ebisu and Genma had joined them) walked together laughing at probably a stupid joke that Gai had made and a snappy come back by Asuma. In less than a split second he had crawled inside of an alleyway and ducked behind a trash bin. He was sure that they hadn't seen him.
Not a care in the world. The younglings were enjoying the one day before all of their lives would change, before each one of them became a soldier or just another toll number in a Killed In Action stone. none of them were concerned with becoming strong, with seeking power. None of them had to redeem their honor and clean their name.

He was finally at the gates of the city. He hadn't really considered what he was going to do once he left the village. Where he would go. All he knew was that he was about to begin his journey in search for power.

"We're about to close the gate-" One of the Chunnin who guard the entrance began. He wasn't even to finished speaking. He had knocked them both unconscious without breaking a sweat.

The dark night had finally come upon Konoha. A veil of darkness with a new moon hovering over the city on this particularly somber night did not aid with the tension in the air. He ventured into the darkness.

Kakashi had been walking for a while. He was in no rush. For the first time in what seemed to be forever he was alone with his thoughts. Just him and himself. Him and peace. He had began working on crafting his own jutsu. It was a Lighti-

He threw a kunai over his shoulder.

He heard a feminine yelp and retreated to face the enemy.

It was Rin!

"Rin!" He approached her taken back. The brunette winced as she gripped her arm where the knife had been buried. The violet patches on her skin wrinkling with her pain.
"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." He said apathetically. Holding no remorse or emotion.

"What are you-leaving the village?" she gasped with those large chocolate eyes of hers, her voice pleading and soft like usual.
"That's none of your business," he snapped sharply turning his body to the side. This was going to be troublesome.
"Please, please don't go. I'll go with you, I'll do anything for you!" She sprinted towards him and held unto his sleeve tightly. He looked at her pleading watering eyes. "Please!" she begged, her grip tightening on his sleeve.

his eyes remained dark. He didn't want to be forced to doing this the hard way. He raised his hand. Ready to strike and knock her out when suddenly Rin's other hand caught it in a powerful grip mid air.

"Listen! You can't leave!" She growled out more sternly in a somber tone. Using her body, he did a backflip and retreated. The person did the same sliding back several feet disturbing some of the ground in the forest.

"You have to admit, I really had you for a minute," the person said in Rin's voice.

"Ryou," he simply acknowledged her. 'I should've known…'

With a sharp inhale of a breath she yanked the knife out of her arm and tossed it before his feet. "What do you want?" He really wasn't in the mood for games tonight.
"Was I not transparent enough? I want you to stay," she said in all seriousness, her lime eyes didn't betray her.

"How did you find me?"
"You forget I have a keen sense of olfaction. You'd think the scent of trash would cover up your natural stench," she sniggered maliciously.

He groaned in annoyance. Of course, she could also smell him.

"Are you a masochist or something? Leave me be. I'll be out of your hair for the rest of your perfect life." She remained silent. Of course things were going to be the hard way with her. They always were. He carefully reached for his new blade.

Without removing her eyes from his charcoal ones she took off her knife holder, her medical pouch and her jounin vest tossing it all to the ground before him. He looked at her confused.

"I'm not here to fight," she said in that same solemn tone.

He didn't falter. Pulling his blade he leapt towards her and sliced. He became even more furious when she flickered out of his vision. She did the same with every single stroke or attack that he attempted. Until finally she stopped moving. He maintained his eyes on her as his sword came to a halt. He saw that she had thoughtlessly grasped the sharp sword with her left hand. He saw her teeth grit as blood began leaking from her hand. Still, he remained unfazed, not moving.

"Please, listen to me…" she requested in a more sincere tone. "You're not thinking rationally. You are leaving in the middle of a war and to seek what? Power? To defeat who, me?"

He retreated his blade slicing her hand open.

"Gya..!" she cried out as she held on to her injured hand.
"Why do you do this to yourself? Why do you keep coming back? Why? despite the fact that all I do is hurt you do you keep coming back?!" He barked exasperated.
"Because that is my ninja way!" she said clenching her fist tightly.
"It is not or differences that divide us, it is the failure to acknowledge it is our strength."

His eyes slightly widened as he unconsciously allowed his guard to shed.

"I was lost for a while, for a long time and I became very much like yourself… I thought that the isolation and the lock down of my emotions would make me stronger. Would make me a more efficient killing tool. I thought that it would help me solve my mother's murder but it didn't. I cruelly and very unfairly manipulated Obito and others into initiating a friendship with me and I learned a lot from them. They made me stronger, faster, better in their own ways. Shisui-san too… And the worst part is that I didn't even notice this because in the end I started caring about them too." She trailed off briefly.

The determined grin soon returned to her face.

"We could learn so much from each other Kakashi…" She paused for a moment.
"You're the reason I am the person that I am today. At the Academy I was a ghost, unnoticed, untalented. All I wanted to do was write stories and pass under everyone's noses. All of the girls in the class looked up to you (I'll admit, so did I for some time), the boys in the class wanted to be you. Which was when I realized, if he can do it. So can I. Just like the others, I wanted to become like you."
"I trained endlessly, my mother hired many private tutors. For a long time I wouldn't even sleep just train and train and train… and then I did it. Somehow, I managed to beat the class genius. And the first time I approached you, you were so infuriated. You didn't even want to come to my party," she laughed lowering her head. He suddenly noticed the small sparks that were dropping to the floor. "I don't think I need to tell you the rest, we became rivals. And as much fun as trying to destroy and surpass each other was…" he saw her wipe away the fat tears that were pooling her eyes with her one clean hand.

It was then that he noticed that despite the crying there was a smile on her face. He had never seen a person show such an expression and less towards him.

"I keep on coming back because you're such an… You're such an… You're such an asshole! You build walls around yourself so high that you feel threatened by anyone that even dares come close. I know. I do the same."

Why was it that no matter what she did he always wounded up hating himself whenever they interacted?

"Why are you telling me this?" He hesitated in asking.
"Because I believe in you."

Both were awkward for a minute. Unsure of what to say to the other. The smile suddenly ceased. "…I'm-I'm really going to miss you!" She said as she ran past him, ducking her head like a coward. Tears spilling as she returned to the village. Almost like a dog with her tail tucked between her legs.

He remained standing in the darkness, alone. Something inside of him wouldn't allow him to take another step forward. It was almost as if something was tugging him back. After some time he finally managed it and gave a step forward, but his heart sank.
Looking down he saw that the girl had left her Jounin vest and other equipment on the ground carelessly. He stared at it, hoping it would disappear if he starred at it intently.

'G fucking dammit…' he cursed to himself.

Ryou had decided to walk back to the village. There was no use in rushing. At this moment all she wanted to do was be alone with herself. Maybe she really was a masochists. This as her one chance to be rid of him forever. Nobody else would bother her, nobody would compete with her. As much as she disliked the idea of him remaining in her life, it was necessary. He brought an equilibrium to her life. Every sun had to have a moon just like black complimented white and hot and cold existed. With her hands hanging in defeat at her sides she dragged her feet through the woods. Until she stumbled upon something. Regaining her balance she turned to see something glimmering in the darkness. She kicked around the stick and realized it was a long katana sword.

'What…' She looked at it with her eyes wide. Despite the years of abandonment in the forest it had some rusted blood in it.
It-It couldn't be…

Her hands shook at the revelation. The blood, it smelled just like her..

"This is Miharu's" she managed to speak in awe. She took the gold handled sword in her hands and indeed her sister's name had been engraved on the sword, and it was stained with her and her mother's blood... She couldn't believe it.

She had found the murder weapon. With a breath caught in her throat she shook her head in disbelief. This tool had been used to take her mother and perhaps her sister's life as well. She doubted that there were any fingerprints left on it, but it was definitely worth taking home. Careful not to stain the sword with her own blood. She removed her salmon, sacred clan shawl, the one that she had always worn around her waist and wrapped the weapon around it careful enough so that she may preserve whatever was left of the evidence, she tied it up with her gold string and wrapped it around her shoulder's almost like a backpack.

It was then that she heard the nearby rustling of leaves. Weaponless and with her guard down she flickered to the treetops where she would be safe. Wait- there was that familiar smell…

"Ryou," she turned to see Kakashi now standing next to her in the same thick branch. Her eyes slightly widened.
"You forgot this," he slowly inched closer to her. He lifted his arm and wrapped her Jounin vest around her shoulder's. His hands momentary lingered on her shoulder's for a second. Something in her insides twisted anxiously, whenever he was this close someone usually got hurt. Always. Usually, either him or her. Instinctively she flinched raising her injured hand up.

She slightly cringed at the contact. He didn't say another word, it was hard to read his expression in the darkness and his mask wasn't helping.

He saw her hurt face. He had hurt her so terribly. He had been so stupid. So abusive and malicious towards her. He regretted it all.

He took her injured hand in his and opened her palm to inspect the wound.

"I'm sorry," he actually apologized. She could not believe it. "I really am," he said meeting her eyes. "For everything I have ever done to you... I promise not to hurt you anymore." He said as he wrapped the wound with a bandage from his kit.

She really wished she could see whatever expression he wore on his face, his eyes only told her so much.

He paused for a moment, and for the first time she saw kindness in him.

"Thank you, Ryou..."