(Mitchell's POV)

I saw Bailey enter the mess hall. Her face revealed nothing of her mood to me. I chose not to reveal my anger. It would only agitate the team. They needed to be focused. Without them, we might lose this war against Kiri.

"Wolf, did you and Bailey fight?" Dog asked coming up behind me, and catching me off guard. I turned to face him, glaring slightly at him. "What did she say that pissed you off so much? Seriously, I've never see you this mad, since… Well, since you found out someone leaked information that compromised our mission," he continued.

"It's none of your business; stay out of it," I snapped. He held up his hands in defense. He backed away to our to table. I joined him at the table a few minutes later, when I calmed down a bit more.

"Bailey, there is someone here to see you," Mei called from the entrance of the hall. I quickly caught the sight of her as she let a confused expression slip onto her face. "He said he's from 'him.' I don't know who that is but you should know." Bailey's expression regained a blank expression as she went to Mei's side.

(Zetsu's POV)

I have to go all the way to Kiri…just to give Bailey a message. I'm a spy, not some messenger bird. Why do I have to do this? Any of the others could have, but no, I had to do it. God, when I get back, Pein's going to get it.

She came into view. As she put a hand on her hip, she seemed to recognize me. "What does he want now? Have I done something wrong? He is such a pain in the ass!" she said angrily. Yep, she knew who I was.

"He wanted me to give you more details on your mission. Things have arose that may hinder your mission. Do not return if you don't do this," I began…

(Mitchell's POV)

I saw her walk up to a man with green hair in standard Ame ninja gear. Bailey seemed to know him as he did her from the smirk on his face. However, that smirk quickly turned serious as he began to explain something to her. Her expression turned to pure horror as the man paused to let the information sink in for her.

"Wolf, are you okay? You won't stop staring at her," Dog asked. "Seriously, whatever the two of you fought about, drop it. It's not worth the pain." I sighed, but as I turned away from her, I saw her expression change to sadness and acceptance. What had he said?

"So taichou, how much longer do you think we'll be here?" Tora asked.

"Another week or two then we'll be replaced by another platoon so we can rest. It always happens during war, even if we're not part of it," I answered. "We'll continue to do as we're told and when we're needed, but remember all orders will come from me. If I don't want you to do something you won't unless Dog overrules my judgment."

We finished eating dinner and heading up to bed. I stopped in the hallway where Bailey's room was. I leaned on the wall near her door, waiting for her to come up, so I can talk to her. I closed my eyes in wait.

"What the hell do you want?" I heard her come up to me. I opened my eyes to see her glaring at me. But, her eyes weren't the only on me. I saw a few of my comrades watching us.

"I want to apologize for what I said earlier. I was out of line. If you want to do this, then it's your decision to make, not mine," I said. Her glare lightened a little. "I don't understand why you did it, still… I guess all I want to say was… I wouldn't feel like this if you had at least said goodbye."

Her gaze turned to one of regret. "I'm sorry for not saying goodbye. I couldn't… They aren't exactly lenient and are just as cruel as you would think. If I could've, I would've," she said. I put a hand on her cheek as tears began to roll down her face. "I'll be leaving in two weeks. I don't want you to think I am any different than I was when we met, except age."

I smiled at her as I pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. In my eyes, you're still the girl that became my best friend," I answered her, resting my head on her head.

"I remembered everything," she muttered into my chest. I froze in shock. "Thank you, Mitchell. Your loyalty as my friend means everything to me. I wish I had remembered earlier."

"You remembered…" A smiled formed on my face. "That's probably the best thing I've heard in a while," I told her. She looked up at me as her tears dried and flashed a sad smile.

"Do you want to come in and catch up?" she asked. I smiled and followed her into her room. Her room was small compared to mine, which I shared with Dog. She had a small kitchenette and a couch pushed against the wall. Her queen-sized bed was made. There was a book on her bedside table. It was pretty nice room.

"So… uh…" I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

"You're wondering about my stay with the criminals, aren't you?" she asked flopping down on the bed. My eyes wondered as if she had read my mind. "No, I didn't read your mind. And you say you're an ANBU taichou. Your face gives everything away." Her eyes were turned down to her katana. She was cleaning and polishing it.

"Was it really that obvious?" I asked taking a seat next her on the bed.

"Like a snowman with a black back splash," she answered. I sighed. "They're actually fun once you get used to them. I don't have to worry about any of them being pedophiles (except two) because most of them are gay. It's quite… refreshing. You know, after being with Kakashi for so long," she answered. "Even if he's gay." She quickly added that part in. I laughed at her answer.

"Where did you get such a beautiful blade? I haven't seen something that amazing since I saw the weapons vault in Tenten's house," I asked. She sheathed the blade and allowed me to get a closer look.

"Itachi gave it once Kisame trained me in kenjutsu. Itachi had a master craft the tsuba (guard) of a wolf howling to the moon. Itachi handmade the handle in red and black mixed. Kisame personally sharpened the blade out of the special steel, Tamahagane with a perfect balance of carbon. A lot of care was put into that blade," she explained. I handed the beautifully crafted sword back to her. "Our leader told me it took eight years for them to finish. It's been done a little over 2 years now." She turned it over in her hands as she remembered.

"How was kenjutsu training?" I asked. She smirked and gave off a small chuckle. "You make it sound like it was easy by that laugh."

"Oh no, it was brutal. I think it's probably worse than ANBU training," she answered laughing at me. "Training with Kisame was like training with Gai. He was a slave driver. I know I shouldn't expect anything less than that from him, but I didn't think it'd be as worse Gai's session," she uncontrollable shuddered. "Have you ever trained with that man? It's torture!"

I started laughing at her misery, but quickly shut up when I remembered my own sessions with Gai. I, too, involuntarily shuddered. "I can't tell the difference between training or torture. It's impossible," I added in my input.

"I have a question about the ANBU training. May I ask it? I don't see how it would affect anything," she said. I shifted uneasily, looking around the room. "I swept the room for listening devices and other bugs earlier. No one is watching me whilst I'm in the room, I promise. We're alone," she reassured.

I swept my eyes over the room one last time before I turned my attention back to her. "What do you want to ask me? I guess it'll be okay, but if I say it's classified, don't pry. Also, do not repeat it to anyone," I told her.

"I understand. So, when did you do ANBU training and was it especially difficult in some fields or easy in others?" she asked. I smiled slightly at the question.

"I went in when I was 11. I was recommended by Kakashi-sensei. I think the first run was definitely the most difficult. I was probably the last in line and barely managed to make it to the second day. After the first week, things got so much easier. I was a little bit sore, but other than that, it wasn't too hard," I answered. She smiled.

"For me, the hardest part was hiding my bloodline. It would clearly distinguish who I was. You know, me being a girl and very young. But, if you add in the fact I'm a Hyuga that narrows it down to two people, Hinata and me. So, obviously that'd be me," she told me. "No offense to her."

"Well, she has been working to get stronger since Naruto left. She doesn't want Naruto to come back to see her so weak, so she's determined to make him notice her," I told her.

"What about her confidence?" she asked getting up and moving over to her bookshelf. She grabbed a book.

"She still has low self-esteem issues but as the missions get harder, that'll rise. She's also been hanging out with Tenten when not training with Neji. If those two can't boost her confidence, I don't know who can," I replied as she settled next to me.

"When did your bloodline advance?" she asked getting right in my face.

"Wow, déjà vu…" I muttered remembering when I did the same thing to her. Man, I had been pissed when I had found out she hadn't told me. When I had my answer, the anger had only worsened.

(Flashback)

I stomped up to her and grabbed her inner forearm, bringing my face into hers. "When did your bloodline advance?" I asked her practically shouting. "Why didn't you tell me?" I was shouting. She pulled out of my arms.

"Maybe I didn't want you to think of me like I was my brother! Did it ever occur to you that eyes similar to mine were used to kill my family? The fewer people who knew about it the better. The ones who do are Kakashi-sensei, Hiashi-sama, and the elders which includes Hokage-sama," she yelled back equally as angry. By now, I was pissed.

"You couldn't have told me? Bailey, I'm your best friend! You know you can trust me! You know I'd never compare you to that monster that was your brother!" I yelled back at her.

She grabbed my shirt and pulled into her face. "Don't you ever call Itachi a monster, you hear me?" she told me through clenched teeth. Her face was contorted in rage as she pushed me away. She turned her back to me and stomped off to meet Kakashi-sensei for training.

(End of Flashback)

"Listen, it didn't awaken until after you left. There was no way of you knowing without seeing it yourself, okay?" I replied. She sighed as she shifted to make herself comfortable. "What's with the question all of a sudden?"

"I saw it earlier when we were fighting. It's said there's a relation to the Sharingan. Is it the Senkengan? The eye of foresight?" she asked. I nodded, but she could tell by my hesitation that I doubted her friendship. "I read it just a few minutes before dinner in this book on the Uchiha's. Apparently, the Takeo and the Uchiha aren't exactly the best of friends," she answered me.

"Your right… It is the Senkengan. It allows me to see a few seconds ahead of every attack and counter it before they even use it. It's like a better Sharingan, considering you can't see the future but it only lets you read their movements faster," I said. She sighed as if I had out beat her. "I don't know how I got it, though."

"Well, now I know it's definitely derived from the Sharingan. You probably got it because you had the original bloodline and you were close to me, an Uchiha. Our clans weren't exactly on good terms," she answered. I thought about it for a second. That could've been it, but it couldn't have been something as simple as that. There had to be something more.

We continued talking well into the night. Before she could answer my question, I felt her head fall on my shoulder. I looked over to see her asleep. I was too tired to move, so I just rested my head on hers and succumbed to my exhaustion.

(Bailey's POV)

I awoke shortly after sunrise. I found that during the night, we had fallen asleep. Somehow I had shifted to where I was snuggled up to Mitchell. His arm was wrapped around me. I didn't want to move. Slowly, I let myself drift back to sleep.

Someone banging on the door abruptly scared me awake. It burst open to see a few members of Mitchell's team. Before I could say anything, one of them said, "Way to go boss…" I fought the blush as I got up out of bed. "Aw man, she's clothed. They didn't do anything."

I glared at them as I woke Mitchell. He suddenly woke up. He glared at them as he shooed them out of the room. "I'm sorry about them, Bailey. I'll see you around." Before he could leave, I sealed our fate. I pulled him over and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. He left in a daze.

As soon as the door closed, tears formed in my eyes. I fought them. "No, I'm sorry Mitchell…"

(Mitchell's POV)

I left the room. The second the door closed I lightly brushed my lips in a daze. "Did she kiss you, taichou?" Nick asked as he came up to me. I nodded. "Anyway, Mei called us down for breakfast. Hurry up and get dressed or you'll miss it." With that, everyone left. I walked off to my room.

After breakfast, the team and I took off to train in the nearby field. Nick and I were sparring. "So, did anything happen last night?" he asked.

"No, we just fell asleep talking. Nothing else. It was actually…nice," I answered.

"But she did kiss you, right?" Nick coaxed as I blocked his kick. I sighed.

"Yes, right before I left," I answered. Suddenly, the team stopped training and stared at us. "What?" I called out to them. "Why'd you stop?"

"She kissed you? Right after you fought yesterday?" Neko asked. She narrowed her eyes and gave me a skeptical glance. "She's up to something." Neko as well as the rest of the girls exchanged glances and rolled their eyes in sync. Since there were only 3 of them in my squad of 9, it wasn't much of an accomplishment also, because they did it all the time.

"I'm sure she's not. I apologized and I made her laugh so hard last night that she nearly started crying," I answered bragging. The guys clapped me on the back. I don't know if it was because they were happy for me, or if they were making fun of me.

I faintly heard, "Love is blind." Sparring commenced after that.

Hey everyone, sorry for the late update. I haven't had any motivation to write this. I was inspired recently by a song, but if I told you it it would spoil the next chapter. There is some fluff between Bailey and Mitchell, and their relationship is 'improving'. But, you'll hate me once you read the next chapter. (Just a little heads up.)