Chapter 4 - Making Friends

Having Iruka around made living in Konoha so much easier. When she was with him, all her worries seemed to melt away, all it took was that smile. When he smiled it was like the first sunrise to grace the earth, a solitary star lighting your path, a warmth on cold winter days. He was a comfort, and her salvation.

Kaida had been living in Konoha for a few weeks when she got the news, and instinct took over. She hid herself in her room, door and window locked, cowering under her bed.

The old man was looking for her…

She still had to go to the Academy though, but for the first few days Toshi had to carry her there forcefully. Eventually she walked, or rather ran, on her own. Getting there early and hiding under her desk until class started. Getting home was the worst part. Toshi didn't generally get home until after she did, and so she was left alone, scared nearly out of her mind.

Toshi tried to get her to talk to him, but she always refused, and it soon began to affect her schoolwork, not however, as you might imagine.

With the sword that she had taken from the old man, she practiced hard each and every day, intending to be the best that she could be. The sword was too big for her, and so when her teacher saw what she was doing, he gave her a shorter styled sword. She practiced each day, ignoring all else… even Iruka…

Iruka began to feel, alone and left out again, yet he still waited for her every morning, and attempted to walk her home each day (she out ran him). As the darker winter nights started their cruel crawl in, something happened which would change the both of their lives forever.

Running home as usual, Kaida stopped for a moment, hearing someone following her. She grasped her kunai and turned to a defensive stance as Iruka very nearly ran into her. He recoiled from the blade, falling hard on his ass in the street.

"What was that for? I thought we were friends? What's going on with you?"

He asked, the questions rushing out of him like he'd just been winded. Looking up at her, he saw before him a terrified little girl. He'd never seen her scared before… nothing scared her… so whatever it was, it must be big.

"I'm sorry… I thought you were someone else, sorry Iruka… I wish I could tell you, but I don't want you getting hurt."

"Don't worry about me, I can look after myself! You can tell me anything… that's what friends are for, right?"

And so she told him about the old man, she told him about her family… her fears of being stolen away again, and her worry about losing everything she now had.

"I'm sorry about all that, I should have realised something was going on with you. We okay now Kai?"

The girl nodded and smiled at Iruka, and they both turned in the direction of Toshi's house, only to be encountered by a looming figure, a sickening grin lit across the face of the old man. He reached out and, frozen with fear, plucked the girl out of her friend's arms. She stared into his glinting evil eyes, to scared to even scream. The man's face suddenly twisted in pain and he grunted before dropping her.

Iruka had just stabbed the old man with a kunai, getting him in the upper right thigh, and the boy tore it free as he yelled;

"Run Kai! Run away, this time I'll protect you!"

But she didn't run, she sat there, in the middle of the street, staring at the man…

Iruka fell, punched down, and yet he still pulled himself up, standing in front of the stricken girl, a little blood forming in the corner of his mouth.

"No one hurts my friends and gets away with it!"

He echoed her words, snapping her back to focus. She gingerly stood up, reaching for Iruka's hand, reaching for a kunai of her own. She held Iruka's hand tightly, and he squeezed back to reassure her. The man began his advance, he pulled out a new, exceedingly sharp, sword. He raised it above his head, ready to slice the quivering pair in two. His arms came down, the children closed their eyes, clinging to each other…

There was a chime of metal on metal… Squinting through one eye Kaida saw another boy, perhaps only a year or so older than her, blocking the man's attack. He had spiky white hair, and a face mask… Where had she seen that before…? The White Fang…? No wait, this must be his son, Kakashi.

The new arrival pushed back against the sword with his kunai, anger seeming to ripple though his body. He leapt high, aiming to slice down at his opponents face, the man blocked, faster than he looked. A second person emerged from the alley near to the fight. A girl who was being followed by a puppy… one of the Inuzuka clan… Hana? She watched for a moment, then charged forward teeth bared like an animal.

Kaida watched them all fighting for a moment before reacting. She pushed Iruka behind her, let go of his hand and lashed out at the man who had taken everything from her. She was so angry, so blind to all else that moved, that she didn't even notice when Kakashi and Hana had to step back to avoid her furious attacks.

The man fell to his knees, begging for his life to be spared, he apologised again and again for his mistakes against her. She stood, breathing heavily, and nodded to the man. Iruka touched her shoulder, pulling her away.

"He doesn't need to be feared anymore, now he's just a pitiful old man, come on… let's go to my house, my mom's making dinner tonight."

She gave one final glare to the man before turning her back on him.

Wrong move.

Iruka was tugged from her grasp and the man laughed at her.

"Don't they teach you anything child? You should never turn your back on an enemy! And now I'll show you why!"

The man's sword plunged towards the small boy under his grasp, acting out of instinct Kaida's hand moved of its own accord, sending the kunai in her hand, right into the exposed neck of the old man.

He gurgled and spat blood, loosing his grip on both things in his hand, weapon and child. He sank to his knees coughing, spraying blood over both children nearest him, Iruka and Kaida, before slumping to the side, dead.

She sat down heavily, and passed out.