3 "You're A Fixer-Upper, But Workable."

The Entrance of Kurogata Naeko, Genin Fashionista

"You've made incredible progress within the past month, Kotori," remarked Takeshi one day after a particularly strenuous conditioning exercise that had left the girl sweating and exhausted. "I must admit that even I have learned a few things. It's because of this that I've been given another student to add to our happy little family, and we just might get our final member in a few weeks."

"I sincerely hope so," Kotori muttered, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her arm. "How on earth do they expect us to have a chance at the chuunin exam if we've barely even worked together as a team?"

"A question that I often wondered myself," said a new voice as another young girl came into view, suspended upside-down from the tree branch above Kotori who gave her grudging marks for skill in stealth and wondered how long she'd been there listening. The new girl walked back to the trunk of the tree and then continued on down to the ground, disengaging and hopping down the last few feet. Bowing slightly to Kotori, she introduced herself: "Naeko of Clan Kurogata."

Rising and dusting herself off, Kotori returned the bow. "Kotori, Clan Yamataki. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, that will remain to be seen," Naeko retorted, giggling. "If the new guy is cute, he's mine. At least, I hope it'll be a guy…"

"Trust me, I made sure it would be that way. Two of you is quite enough for my already thin patience," Takeshi interjected with a heavy sigh. "Three would be…"

"Catastrophic," Kotori finished, flicking a stray strand of hair away from her face as she rose again and giving Naeko a disgusted look.

"Not my choice of words, but good enough." The jounin stretched this way and that to relax, then nodded at the pair of girls. "I'd say we're done for the day. Kotori, go and take a bath. Afterwards, Naeko, take her around the village and make sure she knows where all of the important places are. Do whatever you call it… bonding, or whatever." With a dismissive hand wave Takeshi disappeared from view, but Kotori could still sense his energy as he returned back to the village.

"Good enough, I guess. Come on, Kotori, we're wasting time." Clapping her hands together impatiently at her fellow genin, Naeko then followed their leader back towards the village at a fast sprint. Echoing Takeshi's sigh of before, Kotori mustered what thin shreds of energy she had left to trail along in Naeko's path.

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"First thing I'm going to do is take you to get some new clothes. That tunic might be cute, but it is so almost-yesterday." Giving Kotori a critical once-over, Naeko frowned thoughtfully. "You're a fixer-upper, but workable – we can capitalize on that foreign blood you've got and make you the hottest import to ever hit Konoha." Her eyes inevitably flicked to the marks on Kotori's neck and shoulder, and she winced. "Did you have an accident when you were little or something? Those scars have got to go."

Giving the other girl a steely look that made her back off a step, Kotori hissed, "They aren't scars, you dip. Call them birthmarks if you will, and they're not going anywhere."

"Right. Birthmarks, not going anywhere." A decisive nod, and then Naeko grabbed Kotori by the hand and began tugging her along at a brisk trot down the street. "Iruka-sensei told me you just got here like a month ago. How do you like it so far?"

"Livable," Kotori replied, wrenching her hand out of Naeko's grip.

"Well, I guess that's better than nothing." The irrepressible girl grinned slyly back over her shoulder at her companion and asked lowly, "See any boys you like yet? I'd take Sasuke – he's from the Uchiha clan – in a heartbeat, but Ino and Sakura are fighting over him like starving rabid squirrels, so that's a no-go. Then there's Hyuuga Neji… yumminess."

"I have no clue who you're talking about," Kotori muttered and rolled her eyes.

"You'll see them sooner or later." Naeko stopped in front of one shop and pointed to the sign. "This place is where you go for training gear. The tailor is next door." Pushing Kotori into the tailor shop ahead of her, Naeko waved to a flock of girls perched at the counter and poring over a booklet of patterns. "Ladies, meet Yamataki Kotori. She's the other girl in my cell, and we'll be getting a new guy soon enough. I've told her already, and I'll tell all of you, I claim dibs on him if he's cute." This was met with various disapproving sounds, but Naeko waved them all away. "Come on, we've got to make this one into a man-catcher. Who's up to the challenge?"

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An hour later, a tired and ever-so-slightly irritated Kotori stood in the last rays of daylight as they came through the storefront windows, looking at her reflection in a full-length mirror. "I tell you, this doesn't feel right."

"Why, because we're making you wear something other than black and gray?" one of the girls tittered as she fastened the knot on a flowing white sash around Kotori's waist. "Trust us, you look like a gem."

"But it's pink!" Kotori protested, tugging at one of the cap sleeves on the new tunic.

"Rose, darling," corrected Naeko as she smoothed a wrinkle in the loose gray pants. "A flower any guy would want to pick."

"But I don't want to be picked," Kotori hissed, batting away one of the girls as they reached to take the pins out of her hair. "I'm not even thirteen yet!"

"You've got to get yourself out there sometime," another member of the flock chimed in, fastening the last of the catches on the front of the tunic. "There, all done!"

"I don't even know how I'm going to pay for this." Kotori shook her head. "It looks nice, but…" Feeling a pair of eyes gazing at her through the shop window, her words sputtered to a halt as she realized who it was. That pervert… what is he doing looking at me like that?

"But what?" Naeko wondered, following Kotori's look and then grinning a knowing, evil grin. "Don't tell me you don't like it, Tori-chan. After all of our hard work…"

"Don't worry, your grandmother set aside some money for something like this," the shopkeeper called out from her seat behind the counter. "Her present for passing your genin test."

"See? It all works out." Wrapping Kotori's day clothes into a neat bundle and tucking it under her arm, Naeko waved a farewell to her followers. "It's time for us to go, ladies. We have a few other things to do before we call it a day…" Then Kotori was pushed out into the street again with Naeko on her heels. "You look like a princess, Kotori. Make the most out of it," Naeko whispered into Kotori's ear, then turned her attention to the scarecrow-like jounin that both girls had noticed looking in through the shop window. He had since crossed to the grocery stand across from the tailors' and was placing an order for a sack of supplies, but glanced over his shoulder when he heard a young girl's cheerful greeting: "Good evening, Kakashi-san!"

Kotori froze in chagrin at Naeko's overly familiar use of the jounin's first name, and felt the chill settle into her guts as he paid for his groceries, took the order, and walked past the two girls with an acknowledging wave of his free hand. "Aren't you going to say hello?" Naeko hissed, digging Kotori sharply in the side. Giving her companion a look that could chip stone, Kotori forced a smile and murmured, "Good evening," meriting an 'atta-girl' grin from Naeko which quickly faded when Kotori added, "Pervert-san." She found herself blushing in embarrassment as the jounin gave her a light pat on the head before continuing on past. Waiting until he disappeared fully into the crowd, Kotori yanked Naeko into a dark corner and growled at her, "What on earth was that for? You embarrassed me!"

"I'd say the same thing," Naeko muttered back. "You just called Hatake Kakashi, former member of the ANBU Squad and now the leader of Team Seven, a pervert in the middle of the marketplace where anyone could have heard you."

"It's the truth! I caught him reading a dirty book while eating lunch when he was supposed to be meeting his trainees!"

"Whatever." Naeko sighed. "What's done is done, though, and we can only hope to repair the damage somehow." She walked back out into the street and waited for Kotori to follow. "You should have told me that you like the older ones, though. That's a totally different playing field."

"I never said I liked them, Naeko - " Kotori's thought was interrupted by the appearance of a strange boy who would have bumped into her had she not quickly stepped aside. "Excuse you," she told him. "Are you lost?"

Blinking, the boy looked once at her, then pulled a paper out of his pocket and seemed to compare her with something on the paper. "I might be, but then again, I might not. Are you Kotori of the Yamataki clan?"

A puzzled frown from Kotori. "That's me." She gave the boy a look-over from head to toe and back again, noting with curiosity the headband that marked him as a citizen of the Lightning Country. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Taiki, of the Yamada clan." When this failed to register, the boy added, "I'm the third member of your team. I know I'm a week or so early, but early is better than late, isn't it?" He looked over to Naeko, then glanced down at the paper again. "You're Kurogata Naeko, right?"

The sweetness that dripped from Naeko's voice could almost be tasted in the air as she smiled widely and replied, "The one and the only. Pleased to meet you, Tai-kun."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kotori mumbled, then gave her colleague a pointed pat on the shoulder. "Go home, Naeko. You've had enough fun for the day, and I'll bet my uncle will want to meet this one and have a few words with him before tomorrow." Repelling Naeko's pout with a glare a few degrees darker than the one she'd used earlier, Kotori added, "Besides, I'll bet that you're late for dinner." Choosing not to reply to this, Naeko dashed off in the direction of her home and left Kotori with the newcomer. "I'm sorry about that. I wish I could tell you that she's normally not this ditzy, but I only just met her today."

This brought a laugh from the boy. "You don't spare anyone, do you?"

"Mercy is only a variant of kindness, which is a worthless virtue that is wasted on the weak," Kotori muttered, giving Taiki a pat on the shoulder in much the same way she had Naeko. "Let's go, I'm tired."