Memories

Kira's POV

In my dream I was running.

The world around me was blurry, and I didn't have much of an idea as to where I was headed. I just kept soaring forward.

I couldn't feel or see my legs, but some how I just propelled faster. Faster. Faster.

Throughout the entire time that I was running, the same thoughts kept repeating in my head.

I have to find him. I need to know that he's safe.

While my mind reeled, my heart sped. I was torn between two people, two sides. I could never choose between them, I loved and needed them both so much.

The dream was so vivid, so real.

I was beginning to pant, my breath came out in gasps, but I didn't stop. This was too important.

I had to keep going, I had to find them…

"Kira!"

My dream was interrupted when someone screamed my name. I groaned and wished that they would go away.

"Kira what the heck are you doing up there?"

Wavering in and out of consciousness, I opened my eyes a little. I saw the sky, clear and blue above me, and the yellow sun glaring into my face. I squinted, surprised by the sudden burst of color and brightness.

"Hey she lives!"

"Honestly, for a minute there I thought she was dead."

"HEY KIRA SHETOYA!!!!!"

I rubbed my eyes, still extremely groggy. I mumbled something that I hoped sounded like "what??"

Then someone was there with me, wherever I was, shaking me.

"Kira how could you possibly fall asleep in a place like this? Do you sleep walk or something?"

I looked up into Sasuke's face, still confused. His eyes were dark, but kind of beautiful. For a split second he looked concerned, then his face went hard. "Stupid."

"What are you talking about…" suddenly everything that happened last night came back to me in a wave. "WHOA!"

I shot up, almost knocking Sasuke over by my sudden force. Of course I was wide-awake now, ferociously looking around. Did I really fall asleep here? Where's Gaara?

Sasuke patted me on the shoulder. I peered down from the rooftop and say Naruto and Sakura, staring up at me. Naruto was beaming but Sakura seemed a little worried.

"You silly girl!" Naruto called. "You'll be late for the exams!"

"HOLY CRAP THE EXAMS!" My hands flew up to face. I had totally forgotten! Man it's just one thing after another!

"We're on our way right now," Sasuke let on, "if you would care to join us-"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I AM IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM READY TO GO??"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, looking defensive. "Well you seem perfectly okay lazing off in this place so don't blame me."

"Sorry," I nodded then leapt down from my rooftop and said in a rush, "I'll meet you guys there, okay? I gotta go get ready, see you soon!"

I sped away in the direction of my little home, running as fast as I could. Running like this reminded me of my dream, but I pushed that thought away.

Finally burst threw my front door. I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and almost swore. My hair was all tangled and sticking up in odd places. My braids had come undone and there were dark circles under my eyes.

Have you ever tried changing your clothes, eating breakfast, brushing your teeth, washing your face, and doing your hair within three minutes? I'll tell you it is not easy.

I paused to look in the mirror again. I looked a little better, my hair was put into one long braid (don't ask me how I do that) and the blotches under my eyes were less noticeable. I figured it was presentable, but now wasn't the time to be worrying about how I looked. Still in a hurry, I gathered most of my fighting things just in case. I really had no idea what to expect about these exams.

I glanced at the clock on my dresser and didn't even try to hold back the words that slipped out. I grabbed a few energy bars and ran out the door.

* * * * * * * * * *

I crept forward, panting. No sound could be heard from inside room 301.

This sucks. Maybe I can sneak in and no one will notice…

It was annoying that, even though I was trying desperately to be quiet, every floorboard in the dang hallway would creek and moan.

I put my ear up to the door, the entrance into the chunin exams. Still not a sound. Though I thought I could hear a small scribbling noise, like a pen or pencil being scraped across paper.

Hesitantly, I pushed against the door ever so slightly, testing to see if it would creek.

It did.

Shoot.

"A little late, are we?"

The sudden voice made me jump and I had to bight down hard on my tongue to keep from gasping in surprise.

A tall man with silvery gray hair stood over me. He had a black cloth covering most of his face, so only his right eye was exposed. It was difficult to read his expression, but his voice was very mellow and relaxed. His mind was well guarded and cloudy, so I couldn't read it very well. I guessed he was a very powerful ninja.

"Oh… you much be… Kakashi Hatake?" I whispered, unsure.

"Yes," His eye swept over me. "And you must be little Kira Shitoya…"

LITTLE???

H
e must have seen the annoyance in my face because he chuckled softly. "Don't mind me saying so," He smiled. Well, at least I think he did. His voice was very warm… "You all seem little to me. Besides, the last time I saw you, you were just a baby."

"What?"

He stared into my blinking eyes. "Yes, I was very close to your father. He never spoke of me?"

I struggled with my words, all of a sudden feeling flushed. "Well, yes, he did. But I didn't know… I mean, I must have forgotten he showed me to you as well."

Kakashi studied me for a moment, than said nonchalantly, "You have his eyes."

I stared back at him, unable to look away.

"Always changing, never the same…" he went on in a hushed voice.

I felt my cheeks grow hot so I attempted to remove myself from the awkward moment.

"He mentioned you sometimes…" I said.

I took a moment to remember, back when I was a child, training with my father.

**Flashback**

He and I were standing in a clearing, outside the wind village. One of the many villages and countries we visited.

He was standing away from me, to avoid accidentally hitting me with the jutsu he was performing.

It had been a while since I had really thought about my father. His image was still clear in my mind. His hair was darker then mine, and he was a little darker-skinned. But we were said to have had the same smile, the same twinkle in our eyes, and (hopefully) the same good looks. Of course, whenever he talked about my mother, he would always describe her to be beautiful.

My dad loved to travel. He could never stay in one place too long. He also loved to learn. I wished I could have inherited his knowledge, but I would always pull up short on the smart side. He was always thought of as the smartest person I knew. Sometimes he would just act in a way as if he knew that something was going to happen before it did. Or, sometimes he'd talk, and you could just tell that he knew something that you didn't. I knew that was partly because he traveled a lot, but it seemed like there was something more too.

Like now, he was teaching me one of the many jutsu he had discovered during his travels.

"This is a special one," he said, making quick hand signals. I tried to follow, but as always his fingers moved too quickly for my eyes to catch.

He must have guessed that I was struggling, due to my expression. He breathed a chuckle. "Don't worry love, I'll show it to you slowly later." Then he gave me that one special look that always made me smile.

He finished making hand signals and held out his right hand. That's when his arm began to shake. He held onto his right wrist with his left hand to keep his chakra under control. His hand appeared to be on fire with blue flames, and his eyes grew wide and excited. Letting out a loud cry, he ran at the nearest tree (it was a big tree, mind you) and smashed his flaming fist against it with all his might. There was a pause, and I wondered if anything had actually happened. Then BOOM! The first tree that he had hit tipped backwards, its roots spewing from the ground. I could now see a giant hole in the middle of the mighty tree's trunk, aw well as the three trees behind it. Dirt flew in all directions, and finally the tree toppled over with a loud crash that shook the ground.

I stared in amazement. I looked over at my father who was grinning, enjoying my expression.

"You think that was cool? That was nothing. But I think it's the most that you can handle for right now." He laughed and came over to me. With bold, strong arms he lifted me up onto his shoulders. I giggled in delight.

"Daddy, where did you learn that?"

"An old friend, Kakashi." He replied. "Great ninja. He's famous for that one. And I'll assure you he can perform his jutsu way better than I ever could."

"Impossible!" I teased, ruffling his thick black hair with my small hands.

We walked in silence for a while. I enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my face. Dad seemed to be lost in thought. Finally, he said, "You've met him before."

"Hmm? Who?" I asked, snapping out of a daydream.

"Kakashi Hatake. He's from the Leaf Village, where you were born."

I remembered what he had told me before about Konaha. "Oh yeah!"

Dad nodded. "It's a great place to be, Kira. If we didn't have to pass by the Sand borders to get there, I'm sure we'd be there now."

I considered that for a minute.

"Did Mom like it too?"

A smile came to his lips, but his eyes were smoldering gray. Sad.

"Yes," he said, "She loved that place. She would have stayed there, if…" his face became even more painful. I couldn't bear to see him like that so I attempted to change the subject.

"I wanna go back there someday." I said proudly, holding up my fists.

This made him laugh.

**End Flashback**

"I'm Sorry," Kakashi said.

I looked up quickly, embarrassed that I had zoned out in front of him.

"I'm keeping you fro the exams." He apologized.

I suddenly remembered why I was standing there. "Oh right! Dang…" I let out a small laugh. "Heh… I'm really late, aren't I?"

His eye was warm. "Yeah. Just make up some excuse- it's what I always do!"

Somehow that really didn't make me feel any better. But, all the same, I took a deep breath and walked through the doors, trying to look braver than I felt.