Can you imagine it? not knowing your family your entire life, arriving at your true home, and finding out that there's no one left to welcome you. What would you do in Kiyoki's situation? How could anyone possibly have any motivation left in their heart? For the time being, she would be helped along by the brilliant ninja of the leaf village, but unfortunately for Kiyoki, her tragic tale of despair would soon take a turn into a downward spiraling, hellish nightmare........

Kiyoki was awoken by the sound of squeaking wheels and clinking metal. She opened her eyes slowly, they were bloodshot and swolen and the change in light hurt. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed the bed opposite her was now occupied by someone who looked vaguely familiar, yet totally new to her. Her restraints had been removed, so she adjusted herself to an upright position and slowly worked out the stiffness in her joints. She looked out of the window, the first signs of winter were showing. The sky was a dark grey, and the faintest hints of snow were floating indiscriminately on the gentle breeze that blew its way through the village. The ward door opened, Kiyoki looked over as a woman dressed in all white overalls pushing a food trolley walked in and made her way over to her bed.

"Morning sleepy head." she said cheerfully "My my you've been out of it for a while now. We were starting to wonder if you'd given up on living or something." That sentance shook reality back to Kiyoki and tears slowly trickled down her cheek.
"Oh dear, don't cry, i didn't mean to upset you" she said, concerned. "Here, have something sweet, cheer yourself up and give you some strength back" and she picked up a small piece of cake on a paper plate motioned it towards her.

Kiyoki permitted to letting her place the cake on the table beside her bed, though she did not reach for it straight away. She didn't feel very hungry. She didn't feel much of anything, except anger and lonliness. The woman sighed and walked over to the young boy in the bed opposite and siad to him,

"Lee, you're going to end up in the I.C.U. again if you don't calm down your training." 'Lee' had the same black hair bowl cut as the man who'd told Kiyoki that everything was not as she had hoped, he even wore, from what she could see, the same tight, green jumpsuit he had. His arms were bandaged extensively and he had a little dirt on his face.

"Do not worry about me" he declared, giving her a smile and thumbs up "I am in the prime of my youth, NOTHING CAN STOP ROCK LEE, THE HANDSOME DEVIL OF TH........" his sentance was cut short by the cake that flew across the room and hit him square in the mouth. The attendant looked around and saw that it was indeed the same piece that she had given Kiyoki moments earlier, and could not supress a small giggle.

"Will you give it a rest" Kiyoki glared at Lee "you look as rediculous as the guy who was here last night." In that instant, Lee jumped from his bed and landed at the foot of hers,

"NO ONE INSULTS GAI SENSEI!!" and he quickly took a fighting stance. The nurse looked on in horror and shouted

"You can't fight in here Lee, this is a hospital!"

"Indeed it is. That just means she will not have to go very far when i am finished with her."

"You really don't want to test me right now" Kiyoki said through gritted teeth "I'm in a REALLY foul mood, don't make me hurt you." They simply looked each other in the eye, squaring off, testing who will break first. The door opened again and this time only a voice emerged from it,

"LEE! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Kiyoki had heard that voice before. "YOU are supposed to be resting, not THREATENING THE OTHER PATIENTS!" and a split second later there was a blur of green and Lee was thrown across the room back into his bed, and standing between Kiyoki and him was the ninja from the previous night, which Kiyoki assumed to be 'Gai Sensei'. The hate swelled up inside Kiyoki and she made a motion for were her kunai holster would be, only to realise that they had been taken off her at some point while she was unconcious. Cleching her fists, she resisted the urge the attack him while his back was on her and lay back down in her bed.

"Lee, rest now, because if you're not ready to start training in the next 2 days, i wanna see 200 laps of the village, GOT IT!?"

"Yes sir, gai sensei sir" and he saluted, lay down, and, supposedly, fell straight off to sleep. Gai looked around at Kiyoki and said,
"I'm sorry about Lee, he thinks the world of me. And i'm very sorry about last night, we didn't want to tell you like that but you left us no option." Kiyoki stared blankly at him, searching for words that couldn't be found.

"If you're feeling up to it, Lady Hokage wants to speak with you as soon as possible" he said as he walked towards the door "She wants to ehlp you" and he left, sliding the door closed gently behind him. Curiosity stirred in her,

"Why would the Hokage want to help me?" she thought out loud, without realising "It's probably her fault that my family's gone in the first place"

"What do you mean your family's gone?" Lee spoke up from opposite her "and i am very sorry about that unpleasantness, please accept my apology." She looked over to him and merely shrugged

"Whatever, doesn't really matter to me anyway." she said blankly "What's your name anyway bug-eyes?"

"It is Rock Lee. You look strangely familiar, have we met sometime before?"

'Why does everyone ask me that? do i really look THAT much like Sasuke?' she though,

"I'm Kiyoki Uchiha, does that sum it up for you?" she said bluntly and his face changed from one of curiosity and pondering, to shock and disbelief.

"Are........are you serious, you are an Uchiha? but, how? Sasuke and Itachi are the only ones that are alive, and Sasuke's actions very nearly got four of my friends killed"

The more she talked with Lee, the more she WANTED to talk to him. His answers were blunt, but not uncaring as the others had seemed. They talked all afternoon, Kiyoki asking everything she could before her voice gave out from exhaustion, evidently still suffering from the fight that put her here in the first place. As night fell, she asked if Lee wouldn't mind moving over to the vacant bed one over from herself. Finally having someone that she connected to, even if it was only one afternoon of questioning and a near miss arguement, someone had shown something towards her other than violence and bad news.

Her sleep was not peaceful that night, and she awoke several times throughout, the same visions running around in her mind, but she knew that the morning would bring more answers, and perhaps, should the opportunity arise, the chance for revenge.....