"And then what happened?"

My lips puckered, "And then nothing happened." The 19 year old frowned up at me. I simply raised my eyebrow at his silent statement. "What do you want me to say? Happily ever after?"

He uncrossed his legs and stood up. "Yes."

I couldn't control the snort the flew out of my mouth, "My sincere apologies, Kou. And then I skipped away into the sunset after my sensei bid me farewell." My gaze darkened, "You're the one who wanted to hear how it all started."

The teen simply shrugged, "And now we all know."

My eyes roamed past Kou's lanky figure and to the rest of the populated room. Yes, now they all knew. A light smile tugged at my lips as I glanced down at the two identical children that laid sprawled out by my feet. Well, some of them knew.

"She had to tell us at some point." My gaze darted away from the sleeping brothers and settled on Takeshi, who at the moment, had a satisfied look on his ridiculously handsome face.

"I didn't have to tell you anything." My hand clenched the chair's armrest, "In fact, I'd like to keep the past in the past. I hope you were all listening because that story will never be told from my lips ever again."

Kou grinned ear to ear, "That can't be the whole story, Chieffete."

Takeshi immediate shot up from his seat on the bean bag. "Stop right there!" Takeshi's high cheek bones were painted with a soft shadow from the lack of light in the room. "That story was well over a half hour long. I'm going to bed." With that said, he marched out of the living room and up the stairs.

Thank God.

"Too bad, Kou. Maybe I'll tell you another time, alright?" I yawned loudly and stretched my hands over my head. Talking about Konoha is something I try to avoid.

I got up from my seat, that felt like it was trying to eat me, and glanced over at the two twins. "I'll take Kiyoshi."

"They never last long do they?" I watched with amusement as Kou bent down and awkwardly picked up the sleeping five year old.

"You should be used to this by now," my hand rested gently on Kiyoshi's head while the other supported his butt.

Kou simply held the child up by the armpits, "Let's just put them to bed."

After tucking in the two children, I bid goodnight to Kou and started walking down the corridor. My bedroom was at the very end of the hallway. To my luck, the furthest from the bathroom.

My hand clenched the cold door knob and turned it.

Suddenly, unwanted memories of my old apartment flashed in my mind. Instead of seeing the dim room in front of me, I could only see the furniture I had once owned in a room I had once lived in. Against the wall used to be a love seat with a green rug neatly aligned underneath. A brown wooden coffee table to the left. A fake fern nestled to the right. In the corner used to be a bookshelf that was filled with medical books. They were the size of dictionaries and I read through every single one of them about a hundred times.

Tsunade always praised me for my fascination in knowledge. Not just with how smart I was, but how I wanted to learn about...well...everything.

And yet, she was the one to kick me out of her village like a hungry, stray dog getting kicked out of a restaurant.

My suppressed anger slowly began resurface again.

"I need a glass of water," I decided.

If I cannot accept the idea of revenge to find closure, then I must simply forget.

I shut the door to my room.

"What are you doing up so late, Chief?"

Kei. The suspicious one in this so-called family. There is something about that man that causes me to question his motives. His actions. His decisions. Call it a women's intuition, but that nagging feeling that something is wrong has never disappeared.

I didn't acknowledge the man who sat at the dining table. Instead I opened the cabinet and grabbed a glass cup.

"It is late," he stated.

I sighed and unconsciously rubbed my eyes, "Yes. I know." I opened the freezer and pulled out a few ice cubes.

"You've been drinking a lot of iced water lately."

I proceeded with my task and turned on the faucet. "I've noticed it, too."

The man behind me exhaled a frustrated sigh, but said no more.

My glass was empty again in a matter of seconds. It felt good; drinking iced cold water in the middle of the night. The dryness of my throat is like a desert finally getting that once a year downpour of rain.

I put the glass in the sink and was about to make my way up the stairs, but a paper on the dining table stopped me from taking another step.

"What's that?" I ask.

When he looked up at me, it was then I noticed he was beginning to grow stubble on his chin. "A future raid."

"I see." I thought for a moment. "Is it completed?"

He simply replied with a no.

His dark brown eyes widened when I sat on the opposite side of the table from him. "What do you have so far?"

He knows I dislike him. Everybody knows, even the twins. I haven't ever spoke a word that resembled offense to him, but somehow my aura radiated with a little bit of something when I'm around this man.

Kei blinked a couple of times before viewing the blue prints on the table. "A week from now a wealthy household is holding a soiree."

I nodded. "Will it be worth it?" I freely memorized the paper that laid out the house's interior. Just by judging how many stories this house has, I can already tell this will be more than worth it.

Kei gently massaged his chin, "I'm positive that it will be. If not, we will surely obtain something of value."

My voice couldn't hide suspicion in my tone, "How'd you get these prints?"

He regarded me with perception, "A client."

"You will not tell me anything more?"

"What would you like to know?"

"I would like to know who this client is to you," I gritted through my clenched teeth.

"He is trustworthy."

I stood up with impatience. "You are our strategist, Kei. You've earned my trust and therefor, I will have faith in whoever you think is deemed worthy enough to hand you our lifeline to our plan."

"He didn't just hand it over to me," Kei said as he adjusted his glasses.

Those annoying glasses.

"Then what did you do to earn it, Kei?" I leaned across the table to try and read his facial features. But unfortunately, like always, his poker face is a mask not anyone can break.

"You do not trust me," he said.

I wanted to pull out my hair and scream at him. "I do trust you. But I have my questions," my voice low and barely above a whisper.

Kei simple nodded, "To be honest, it does not concern you. What matters is that we have kindle. All we need to do now is to make the fire."

"Wait for me."

I felt around and gripped soft fabric. My eyes flittered open and I looked around, still trying to process my surroundings. When I stared out the window, I immediately blocked out the sunlight that hit me directly in the eyes.

An all natural alarm clock.

Reluctantly, I kicked myself free of the tangled thin sheets and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My bare feet softly thumped against the wooden floor while I changed to get ready.

When I opened my bedroom door to head out, two smiling faces were standing with straight postures that five year olds aren't known to have.

"Good morning, Miss Chief," they said together.

"Kiyoshi, Yoshi. How long have you been standing there this time?" I asked as I headed down the hallway. Behind I heard the brothers trailing me like quiet mouses.

"9 minutes and 52 seconds," Yoshi said.

I chuckled, "Made it just in time."

"Are you gonna go out today?" I felt Kiyoshi grab my hand and tug it down.

He has been asking me that everyday for a month. I stopped walking and knelt down to meet him eye to eye. "I plan to. Should I be concerned that I think you might want to begin your initiation?"

The boy just stared up at me in silence

"Are you prepared to earn my trust?" I asked seriously.

Kiyoshi simply shook his head, "I don't want to leave, yet." He let go of my hand as if giving me permission to stand up.

I jumped down the stairs and landed with a loud thud. Three heads simultaneously turned to me. Each had a different expression on. One irritated, one happy, and one bored.

"Mornin'."

"Hey, guess what I found!"

"Chief."

I didn't have to guess what Kou found, the fur ball was a dead giveaway. "Why is there a cat in my house?" My eyes narrowed to slits once it processed that the black feline was on top of the dinning table. "Kou, get that thing off of the table."

"Wow! He's so fluffy!" I was pushed aside by screaming five year olds. The cat snarled, but didn't resist the new found admirers.

I raised my hand in protest. "No, you're going to get cat hairs all over the ta-"

"Where'd you find him, Kou-Nii?" Kiyoshi interrupted.

Kou smiled at the child, "Actually, Kei found him. I just had the idea of adopting him.

"He has yet to earn my trust," I added.

Kei scoffed, "It's a cat. How is he going to prove his faith to you?"

I frowned, "I have the same question in mind for the two boys."

The twins looked up at me with round eyes. When I didn't say anything more Takeshi told them to take the cat to the living room.

When they were out of earshot Kei spoke up, "Did you think of anything?"

"No, nothing that would hurt the boys or put them in danger." I shifted my weight form one foot to the other. "Have you?"

The man shifted his glasses up. "No. Nothing that would put them in danger," he repeated.

After a few moments of pure silence, Kou was the one to break it. "So, food hunting?"

I nodded. "Right, we'll leave in a few minutes. Who's going with me this time?"

"I need booze," Takeshi quickly said.

Kou and Kei looked at each other and shrugged.

I sighed with impatience. "I don't care who stays here to watch the twins, but I'm leaving now." Spinning on my heels, I opened the front door and shut it behind me. I only got to take a couple of steps before the door opened and closed again.

"You know, I think Kiyoshi and Yoshi are more than trustworthy already." I looked over my shoulder and only saw Takeshi staring at me. "They don't have anyone other than us."

Hearing Takeshi speak his opinion was more than interesting. I noted his point of view, but I ignored his protest nonetheless, "It's just going to be you and me?"

He nodded.

Without another word, my feet sprang from the ground like wound up wire and flew threw the forest. Sunlight spread through cracks in the trees and illuminated the dirt. Bird chirps and the sound of cicadas sang a song as we made our way to the nearest village.

When we appeared at the entrance, the large sign wrote in bright black letters: Welcome to Kyowakoku Village.

"Huh, they repainted it."

"It's been awhile," Takeshi smiled and I had to stare at the rare sight. But it quickly disappeared, "Let's just get what we need from the market and leave."

"Nobody will recognize us, they never have before." I said reassuringly. Takeshi wasn't the type to let down his guard, but if anything my statement probably made him more tense. "Besides, if they know who I am, they'll just keep their distance."

Takeshi just huffed, "Ignorant."

I rolled my eyes, "For God's sake, were just going for groceries."

We continued down the dirt road in silence. My eyes wandered on people who walked by us. I inwardly sighed in relief when none of them gave us a second glance. It wasn't until we reached the bazaar that I realized that I had nothing to worry about. As always, merchants were smiling and talking with their customers and kids running around with dirt rubbed all over their bare feet. Takeshi seemed to realize it, too, because I could sense the anxiety slowly recede from his appearance. His shoulders slumped and his mouth relaxed, causing the corner of his lips to tilt slightly up.

"What?"

I blinked a couple of times before noticing he was staring at me. "What what?"

"You were looking at me weird."

My eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "Was not."

"Do I have something on my face?" Takeshi wiped away invisible smudges on his cheek with the palm of his hand. "Is it gone?"

Are you an idiot? "No." I walked off without another word.

We sat at the local bar. Our grocery run finally finished, the evidence remained by our feet, in between our two bar stools.

"You know what I don't get? How rice can be made into an alcoholic beverage," I slurred.

Takeshi smiled crookedly, "I like rice. Everything I eat comes with a side dish of rice." He took another swig of sake. "Take makes - that makes 16? I think."

"You can't beat me at this game, Takeshi. I'm a professional." I down another full glass. Takeshi follows suit and drains his. "I'm impressed you can hold your alcohol."

"You're setting me up, don't say that." he whispered. "Taboo."

I nodded in complete understanding. I down my 18th glass. "I'm drunk. How are we going to make in back without something happening to us?"

"What can possibly happen to us?"

"I'm too drunk to think of all the possibilities."

He paused, "W-we could get lost."

I brightened at his contribution to the conversation, "You are right."

"And we could get killed."

"No we wouldn't," I objected. "Nobody could kill me."

Takeshi didn't reply. He set his drink down and pulled out his wallet, "We need to leave."

I frowned, "Why?" I suddenly had the urge to throw a fight and whine like a three year old. "I don't want to go back yet."

I watched as the man grab the countless plastic bags of food and head to the door.

"Hey," I called after him.

I was having fun for once.

When I stepped outside, the night hit me like a slap in the face. When did it get so dark? The shiny diamonds in the sky glistened, mocking me. How could I have been so stupid? We weren't supposed to be in town for this long.

Takeshi was a few strides ahead of me. "Do you think this is a good idea? Traveling in the dark, I mean."

"I don't like being away from the others for too long."

"Me either," I lied.

After we got home, we were about to head up the stairs when Kiyoshi and Yoshi appeared in front of us.

"Yay! You're back!" They said.

"Kei said you wouldn't come back for a long time," Yoshi whined. "Kou-Nii said when you got back he'd have you tell a story."

"So we waited for you," Kiyoshi grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the living room. I sat down in confusion, but didn't say anything. "I'll go get Kou-Nii!"

Yoshi brought the cat, who was sleeping in a tight ball on the rug, and sat him on my lap. "We're naming him Mr. Jenkins."

"I want you to get rid of it," I mumbled. I'd never admit it, but the cat sucks a lot of the attention up. Everybody loves that stinking cat. The fur ball might look innocent on the outside, but I know he's filled with worms on the inside. Not to mention that he could be carrying diseases.

"He'll die if we leave him out in the wilderness!" Yoshi argued.

I scoffed, "No, he won't. He can catch birds and rats all to his heart's desire. That's practically paradise."

The child simply frowned at me.

"Why Mr.?" I dared to ask. My fingers lightly brushed the feline's ear and he immediately responded to my touch by leaning into my hand.

"He hasn't earned the trust."

"So?"

"So, I'll keep his name formal until he has."

You mean keep your distance? "Smart boy," I murmured.

It was then that Kou and Kiyoshi appeared in the doorway. He smiled brightly at us. He sat down and spread his legs out on the rug, "Glad you're back. I thought something bad must have happened to you guys."

I wish something had. I don't want to be telling a story right now, especially since I'm not entirely sober. Which is probably the only thing that is holding me back from yelling and screaming.

"Can't I tell you guys tomorrow?" I pleaded.

"Stop trying to avoid the unavoidable, Chieffet."

"I don't ever remember telling you that I'll tell another story."

"But I did tell you I wanted to hear the whole story."

Despite how sleepy I am, I really can't bring myself to bed. Just a glance at the twin brother's faces leaves me at their mercy.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Don't get used to it." My eyes roamed past Kou and to Takeshi. The bags of groceries he carried disappeared. His arms were tucked underneath his head, his eyes closed, and he laid comfortably on his red bean bag that was the practically the size of my bed.

Near my feet sat the twins who wouldn't last long, but still wanting to hear the first few sentences of my story before they pass out.

"Get on with it," Takeshi said impatiently.

I leaned back into my chair and sighed. I thought for a few moments, "well, it happened a few months after I was banished."