Chapter Nine: First impressions

"Hmm."

Kakashi watched two of his students talk to each other in a hushed voice. Rei looked up at Sasuke, and a grin immediately spread across her face and Sasuke looked away, but not quite able to suppress the way the corners of his mouth turned up. I wonder what's gotten into the two of them. Sasuke Uchiha, an arrogant Uchiha…and Rei Yukimora, a child who didn't really get the world…it was an odd pair, but it worked. Naruto was, as always, making his usual stupid mistakes but at this point, Kakashi had already gotten use to his student's behaviour.

Kakashi sighed. "Guess we're not making a lot of progress on our team work thing, hm?" It seemed like Rei was the only one getting along with everyone, never disputing.

"That's right, our teamwork is all messed up and it's all because of you Sasuke! You think you're better than everyone else?" Naruto shouted, enraged.

"Not everyone, just you. Face it, I'm better and stronger than you are – it's a fact… Unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong," Sasuke challenged, glaring at Naruto. The two had a stare down until Rei let out a sigh and put a hand on his arm.

"Well I'm better than you both – now can you just quit it?" Rei interrupted, stepping between the two egotistic boys and putting a hand on their chests, pushing them apart. Naruto looked at her, as if realizing she was there and flushed. Even though she meant that as a joke, Naruto remembered how she kept up with Zabuza in hand to hand combat, and her ability to treat injury. Great, more competition!

"Whatever, I'm out of here," Sasuke said dismissively and started walking away. He paused, waiting for Rei but at one point, her head snapped up as if she saw something. "Rei?" At his voice, she turned around, realizing that Sasuke was calling her and she nodded.

"Wait – Sasuke! I'll go with you!" Sakura cried out as she ran after the two. "So why don't we...I mean, you know. Let's do something more personal. I mean, to improve our teamwork and all."

Sasuke looked at her coldly. "I swear you're just as bad as Naruto." Rei only moved her head slightly to hear their conversation, but her mind and eyes were elsewhere. "Instead of flirting, why don't you practice your jutsu and make the team stronger. Let's face it - you're actually worse than Naruto." The devastation that struck her face was so clear that she gave up on following her crush.

When enough distance was between the squad members, Sasuke asked Rei what was wrong. She sighed. "I don't know…I'm just sensing a lot of chakra not too far from us and it's worrying me." She looked up at Sasuke with a hopeful smile. "Let's go back and check up on them. Besides – you should apologize to Sakura."

"Apologize?" he repeated, appalled at the idea. She stared at him as if he was missing something very obvious. And he was.

"Yeah, you're pretty mean to her, Sasuke."

0-0

"Hey – you. Identify yourself."

"Hm? You mean me?" Temari turned around, pleased. But Sasuke's intense stare cut her off.

"No, him. The guy with the gourd on his back."

The red-headed short ninja stopped and faced the Konoha ninja. His pale bluish green eyes were unreadable, but frightening. "My name is Gaara, of the desert. I'm curious about you too." Slowly, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Sasuke Uchiha."

Despite the obvious silent appraisal between the two shinobi, Naruto, ignorant as always, decided to involve himself into the conversation. "Hi there! I bet you're dying to know my name, right?"

Rei felt second-hand embarrassment and exhaled deeply.

"I couldn't care less." The Sand Ninjas turned to leave – only to see a strange, plain looking girl standing in front of them. With their faces towards her, she stilled.

In their eyes, there was nothing very impressive about her except for the fact she managed to sneak behind them. Temari planned to brush her aside by the brown haired girl immediately made way. The blonde girl frowned and looked at Gaara who didn't spare her anything but the initial glance. Weakling. When Sasuke looked at Rei, she was staring down at her feet. Ashamed.

He glared at her.

0-0

That night, Rei went to the Dango shop to visit Masayo and have her sugar fix. By the time she waved at the old woman goodbye, it was almost nightfall and the roads were mostly clear. Then she heard it – someone was following her. Keeping her cool, she walked away from her house to a more deserted location. If there were to be a fight, Rei wanted it far away from civilians as possible. Then she stopped, turning around to meet her enemy.

"Your movements are sloppy; I can hear you a mile away!" Rei called out and the ninja showed himself – a cloaked Amegakure ninja. She narrowed her eyes, wondering if this had anything to do with the chunin exams but before he could say a word, Rei had ran towards him and kicked him square across the face. The ninja was fast, and recovered soon but Rei's reflexes were better. Stuck in hand to hand combat, she struck the ninja at his chest with her palm, concentrating her chakra there.

He flew yards away from her, and with a grunt, vanished. And because Rei was hanging around Sasuke too much, she merely muttered a loser before she went back to the village. She didn't feel bright or cheery or the typical Rei. She felt like she was behind everyone, especially those sand ninjas…and their chakra. Still despite her victorious battle, she didn't feel like it was good enough –

But before her childish attitude got too far, Rei stopped and heaved, choking on something that she couldn't get out of her throat. Coughing, she left the field and went home.

Meanwhile, not too far from her were three other experienced genins in training. They were talking about Kakashi's in particular when the sound of Rei's fight caught their attention. "That's one of Kakashi's students," said the bushy browed one. Rock Lee turned to his teammate, Neji Hyuga who was frowning as he watched the younger girl use a variation of his gentle fist attack. She wasn't a Hyuga, yet she used the same technique – using chakra to attack a vital. Lee watched the girl closely too, measuring her potential. She was good…for a rookie.

"The exams may be interesting this year after all," Neji commented, "but either way, it's too bad for them."

0-0

After Iruka brief him on how well the genins did, Kakashi was in a lighter mood and decided to walk around the village. He looked up in the sky and realized it was getting pretty late…maybe I should go check on Rei before she goes to sleep. So he walked by her small house and unlocked the door with the key she had given to him.

"Yuri."

Alarmed at the shrieking from the upper floor, he ran upstairs and threw the door open, only to see his student on the floor, curled up and shaking hysterically, clawing into her head as she screeched her medic-nin's name out.

"Rei!" Kakashi called out and picked up the girl, jumping out of the window, but she was quivering violently, scraping her nails against her face as she shouted about a pain that Kakashi could never connect with. "Kakashi – please! Just kill me, oh God," she cried out, sobbing and shouting incessantly, struggling to be released, "I can't do this anymore. I don't want to live like this!"

I can't do this either. Kakashi stopped on the roof and Rei was scrambling to get on the floor, doubling over and clumsily reaching for a kunai but before she could harm herself, he held the girl firmly down and pulled down his headband, revealing his Sharingan. Immediately the screaming child stopped, gasping as the light in her eyes went out and body dropped. Her sensei merely stood over her remorsefully, wondering how she got this bad – how she became this frenzied child that wished for death.

Now that I finished this story and basically updating it every other day, I sort of want to write another one...again! (First Itachi's story, and now Sasuke's...sigh) Any characters y'all are fan of that I should go for next? :)

Hope you enjoyed!