Anger is the strong emotion that you feel when you think that someone has behaved in an unfair, cruel, or unacceptable way.

Chapter II

"Isn't that Dina?" Naruto asked partly surprised as he looked at the hostage of the newly arrived thugs.

"You recognise that girl?" Kakashi questioned, glancing furtively at Naruto, not chancing to look entirely away from the many enemies. Naruto nodded and while explaining that the girl had been with Haku when they met in the forest, the leader of the thugs talked about killing Zabuza and the thugs because they were too expensive.

The girl Naruto was looking at hang from a thug's hand. She looked about seven years old. She had wild black hair that spiked to all sides and because of the sharingan Kakashi could see she had grass green eyes. She wore a plain civilian light blue dress with pastel green pants. The mist was almost completely gone.

"Kakashi, it seems I don't have to kill the bridge builder anymore. I don't see a need to fight you," Zabuza said, not even turning away from the thugs and his eyes were trained towards Dina.

The girl was shouting some impressive insults at Gato for a girl her age and suddenly her voice changed as it cut through the air.

"Do you not have any shame?" It sent a shiver down everyone's spines and memories of past actions that brought shame flashed in their minds. "Look at me." Even though the voice was only directed towards Gato everyone obeyed.

The rogue shinobi, former swordsman of the hidden mist, had a lot of thoughts going through his mind. The surge of shame flowed over him, for losing the battle, for not accomplishing his goal and for not taking care of the little girl as properly as he wanted. He had after all let her see the worst side of shinobi at a very young and decisive age. First and foremost he thought of Haku and the fact that the main person in his life was dead. His best and most prized weapon was lying dead on the bridge. It did not hurt too much to use his weapon one last time as an attack on the copy-cat ninja, but to watch a filthy lower being such as Gato even touch his friend caused anger to course through his chest. Kakashi had already taken away his sword – his second best weapon. He vaguely thought of the girl that already was punishing Gato for touching Haku.

If she uses that voice she is on the verge of breaking down... I... don't want that. Dina, his other would-have-been third weapon, had he not already been on the verge of bleeding out, was like a newly invented sword – if no one used it, it would harmlessly disappear into inexistence once again, but on the other hand, if wielded correctly, it had the potential of becoming the most dangerous weapon of all times. This fine potential weapon was about to break under pressure. It was a matter of time.

He had never found out why she did not want to use the powerful dojutsu she possessed; only that she was unconditionally horrified and utterly scared of it.

She's really breaking down – like a sword that gets too much pressure from both sides. Someone has to release that pressure if it's not to break.

Then, he thought inwardly smirking defiantly. Those filthy hands are going to get off my third most prized weapon.

"I agree," Kakashi answered monotonously as he tried to fight some memories down the girl's voice had forced to surface in his mind. "We do not have to fight."

"Kakashi."

Kakashi looked away from the thugs warily as Zabuza tore his mask up with a scratching sound.

"Yeah?"

"She... could you take her to your village? She needs a place where she doesn't risk being completely alone... again," Zabuza quietly requested in its usually rough tone. He continued quickly, not waiting for the answer. "Oi, boy! I need your kunai."

Hesitantly Naruto threw his knife to Zabuza who was directing his next words to the captured girl. "Dina, stay still."

-,-

The sun was setting the day after their second encounter with the Demon of the Hidden Mist. The place of the fight had been cleaned the night before and Kakashi-sensei, Haruno, the dobe and the bridge builder along with the workers had returned to work on the bridge in the morning. Because of the wounds Momochi's cross-dressing assistant had inflicted upon Sasuke with the damn senbons he could not come along.

Naruto didn't look even the slightest battered this morning, Sasuke fumed in an angry fit. Of course I took most of the senbons, but the dobe didn't get off completely scratch-free! And he's at the bridge protecting the bridge builder as if nothing happened yesterday while I'm still completely bandaged up! It embarrassed and annoyed him to no end that he had to stay in the house.

The bridge builder's grandson, Inari, was less hostile, but still a tiny brat that bugged him. Luckily the kid was busy with some of his friends most of the day. Tsunami-san was busy in the garden or the kitchen or in town; all places Sasuke couldn't move to without problems. That left him to guard the unconscious girl in boredom the entire day. If she awoke, Kakashi-sensei told him to send him a message and make sure she didn't go anywhere. Since she was out cold because of chakra exhaustion Sasuke was pretty sure he wouldn't get any challenge out of her even if she woke up early.

Kakashi-sensei had taught them that morning before they left for the bridge about interrogation. He drilled into their, especially Naruto's, heads that: 1. Never show your own emotions during interrogation, 2. Always have questions ready beforehand even if more questions are added during the questioning and 3. Always have witnesses and witnesses are defined as observers - not interrogators. Basically it meant Sasuke was not allowed to ask her anything while he guarded her and that they could only listen in on the questioning if they followed the rules. Che. To him the rules seemed useless. Either way, she would be more entertaining if she woke up.
No such luck. She unconsciously bound him to a chair in bothersome boredom the entire day. The girl was fast asleep… right until his teammates returned from the bridge.

Why could she not have woken up earlier?

The first time she stirred Sasuke decided she was just there to provoke him and stomped out of the room to tell the others that she was waking up. Kakashi-sensei led the way back and as Sasuke re-entered the room he leaned on the wall right beside the door.

Sasuke did not care much for her. She was a helpless child they saved from some thugs. He was not awake to see what had happened after taking the senbons for Naruto and since he had been isolated the entire day, no one had explained it to him either.

Kakashi kneeled beside the girl who had sat up in Sasuke's absence.

"How are you feeling?" Kakashi asked. Now, that would not have been Sasuke's first question, but never mind that – the girl ignored it anyways.

"Where am I?" she mumbled.

Try to look around and find out for yourself instead of looking at your hands. Honestly! he thought venomously. She could obviously not do anything for herself. She looked weak - like she could return to sleep any second. Why had she even sat up? It was not like it would help her clear her head.

"In the bridge builder's house. What is your name?" Kakashi said. The dobe looked like he wanted to say something from the other side of the futon, but Haruno fortunately stopped him with a threatening glare.

"Din… Tonerre Dina. What happened to Haku-san and Zabuza-sama's bodies?" She knew the rouge mist-nin then. Perhaps she was not just a child. He could not really imagine the Demon of the Hidden Mist, the ex-leader of Mist's assassination unit, having a useless child in tow. If she was anywhere near the other assistant's level she could be deadly… Sasuke felt the excitement rise as he thought of beating this girl if she was on par with Haku.

"They're being buried about half a mile from here tomorrow."

"I want to be there," she said, bringing a hand to her face, apparently to wipe away some tears. She could just be faking it.

"If you can walk by then, Tonerre. You are in no condition to even stand right now," Kakashi-sensei answered patiently, "For how long had you known them?"

The girl was silent for a moment. "I only travelled with them for a month or so."

"Why did they let you travel with them?"

"They felt sorry for me, I think," the girl answered hesitantly.

To Sasuke, she did not exactly look like one you took pity on, but more so the Demon of the Hidden Mist did not seem like one who just let anyone come along on his missions. Perhaps the girly assistant persuaded him, now that seemed more probable. Or the girl was simply lying and had some super ability that made her a worthy companion of Zabuza Momochi. The last was by far the most believable answer, even if he couldn't tell from her expression that she was lying. He shifted slightly to get a better look at her but she kept her face downwards. She had not once looked up from her empty hands in her lap.

It seemed she had noticed that her hands were empty and she frantically searched around on the floor, still not looking up.

Relief crossed her face as she saw her flute on a low table beside Naruto. She swiftly reached out for it and pulled it right under her nose where she opened the sheath to inspect the flute all the while ignoring Kakashi's attempts to get her attention.

They all tensed as she pulled it half out of the sheath. It was after all a weapon. Kakashi had warned Sasuke from letting her take it if she woke up. The girl only pulled it out halfway still holding it so close to her face she could blow in it.

Either she was not aware of their also partly drawn weapons or plain stupid, thinking she could get away with attacking. She did not attack, but pushed the flute pack in the sheath after looking intently at it.

"Sorry. It is the only thing beside my hair and eye colour I inherited from my father," she said. A happy smile could be seen vaguely in the shadows of her uncontrollable hair that hung as curtains in front of her face. The smile was most likely caused from knowing that the flute had not broken.

"Tell us about your family," Kakashi encouraged, grasping the opportunity. "I have never heard of the Tonerre family before."

Her smile turned into a sad and unhappy grimace.

"You wouldn't have. Mother hated ninjas, and preferred to avoid anything that involved them. Uh, her name was Tonerre Melusina. She also hated my father. He was a ninja and probably the reason she didn't like... No, mother said it was on principal because they took money from those who needed help. Mother preferred to help out of goodness rather than for a price. Mother never took my father's family name. I had an older b-brother, Davin, and younger sister named Melli.

My father died very long ago and the man that came and gave me his flute was the first and only ninja I met before a month ago. That... that was when Mother, Melli and Davin and the-the people in the village I lived in with my family were massacred. I was collecting herbs on the beach. W-when I came back!" Her words were forced past her lips. "They were all dead."

The only thing running through Sasuke's mind was the memories. Running home, dreading the worst, finding hope as his mother breathed and then have it completely shattered by Itachi moving his sword.

Everything, the blood pool, my parents... the lingering outside the door because ofhim.I hate him.

The time had stopped and renewed his resolve. Sasuke was going to find him, make him suffer and then he was going to kill him.

"Is that why you think they took pity on you?"

The girl only nodded. Never mind that, why am I standing here when I could be looking for Itachi?

She had been following a dangerous ANBU-levelled rouge-nin around. Naturally they needed to know why, even if said ninja was dead now. Her background could be, no it was, important to her psychological evaluation.

"Who did it?" Kakashi's question woke Sasuke up and he gasped for air he had not realized he had been holding. Out of the corner of his eyes Sasuke could see Sakura struggle to prevent Naruto from intervening.

"I don't know. I heard Zabuza-sama tell Haku-san that they had to be ninja because of the efficiency and weapons and that they probably was exterminating a kekkei genkai. He called them `bloodthirsty bastards´, but that's probably not their name. I think he knew who they were, but I did not ask."

"What?" Sasuke yelled. She was scandalous. "Momochi Zabuza knew and you did not ask? Why are you not pursuing them? Why would they want to kill an entire village for the sake of a single blood limit? Do you not want those monsters hunted down and k..."

"Sasuke!" Kakashi reprimanded sharply. He eyed all three of them, obviously noting how Sakura struggled with Naruto, a hand clamped over the dobe's moth and Sasuke could feel just how disappointed the look he sent Sasuke was.

Sasuke could not bring himself to care. That little witch, dishonouring her family like that!

"That is enough. All three of you go down and help Tsunami-san in the kitchen instead of interrupting the interrogation."

Sasuke was blank for a moment while Sakura replied with a strained "Yes, sensei." as she tried to drag off with Naruto without luck.

""No, sensei, I wanna stay!" Naruto wailed as he almost got out of her grip.

"You baka! Disobeying orders like that," Sakura exploded at the blonde, but Sasuke almost flinched because it also could apply to him even if love struck Pinkie had not intended it. Sasuke had wanted to protest like the dobe, though not so loudly and obnoxiously, but Sakura's words made him change his mind.

He nodded resignedly and went to the door. "Come on, dobe, you are making a fool of yourself." He hurried as dignified as he could down the stairs to the kitchen.

"You are the one making a fool of yourself. You are the one who made Kakashi tell us to leave!"
Sasuke knew that. Did he care? No. That girl was... infuriating. Lazy, weak, pathetically soft. Careless. She was a disgrace, a witch, a bitch, a... and then Sasuke lacked words for how much she disgusted him.

Naruto was happily helping Tsunami with the work when Kakashi entered the kitchen, nose in a perverted book. The dobe immediately forgot the stove he was stirring and started bugging our sensei about the girl. Kakashi ignored him in favour to his book.

When everyone around the table had filled their bowls Kakashi for once put away his book and eye-smiled to everyone around the table. "I have sent a message to the Hokage about Tonerre Dina. Until we get an answer, we'll supervise the construction of the bridge. I hope you don't mind Tazuna-san?"

Tazuna shook his head.

"Good, then thank you for the meal. I'll bring something up for Dina now," Kakashi said as he filled an extra bowl for the girl, his own emptied, and left.