A/N: Yatta! I am not dead! But I do have mock exams in three days T3T so I am not happy. But I am happy that I got all my anger and stress out :) This is a bit of a random chapter, but I wrote the usual 7000 words so I wasn't lazy :) As always, thank you for your amazing reviews, they make me very happy :D

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me, but if something bad happens to Naruto in the manga I'll have Masashi's head on my shelf.

Claimer: The Tasukaru's, Kitome, the ToraiKenshi, Kari & Kita are mine, and anyone who says otherwise will feel my extreme, horrendous wrath.

Translations at the bottom, enjoy :)

Anata Ha Watashino Niidesu

What's Mine is Yours Brother

Their faces lit up at the sight of each other,

A sheer joy, and a look of pure, young, adoration.

Sasuke awoke quite early, and lay in the early morning silence and watched Kari sleep. She always seemed so peaceful and vulnerable lost in her dreams. Whenever he would shift in the slightest she would frown slightly, sensing his movement and would snuggle closer to him thinking he might leave.

After he had been watching her an hour or so, her eyes lazily fluttered open and she seemed confused to why he was staring at her.

"Kakashi isn't here yet, you can go back to sleep" Sasuke said. She blinked before pressing her forehead into his chest and falling asleep. She had told him that the sound of a familiar heartbeat was the only thing that helped with her insomnia. She didn't know that she was the only thing keeping his nightmares at bay.

"Yo" Kakashi greeted, appearing in his usual puff of smoke. Sasuke sighed slightly, knowing she should wake up and go off to visit Naruto, leaving him alone with Kakashi for the day. He knew one-on-one training with his sensei would be highly beneficial, but knew he would miss her interruptions and playful motivation.

But he would only miss her a tiny bit.

"Naruto should be out training by now Kari" Kakashi said, bending down and nudging her shoulder. Her eyes lazily opened and Kakashi dangled a pocky stick in front of her face. Her eyes fixed on it, she smiled and took it.

"What will you be doing today without me?" Kari asked, offering Sasuke a piece of pocky, which he refused.

"Just improving his speed some more, we'll start the training for Chidori itself tomorrow" Kakashi said. Kari frowned, not looking forward to coughing up her lungs.

"Hai, ja!" Kari called, disappearing in a gust of wind.

"Ero-senniiiiiin! Stop spying on girls and train me!" Naruto squawked angrily as Kita trotted about on the surface of the river.

"I've told you what to do; it's your own fault if you're hopeless!" the man retorted, before gluing his eyeball back to the telescope and giggling mischievously. But, to his dismay, the pretty girls were leaving and soon disappeared off into the unknown.

"Oi Uzumaki!" a voice hollered nearby. Both Naruto and the man looked up in surprise. Kita froze, her ears twitched and her tail began to wag.

"A rival of yours?" the man questioned quirking an eyebrow. The girl was quite pretty, with long golden hair and a slender body. She was showing signs of developing into a woman with her narrow waist and her growing breasts. Her complexion was a pale peach, with a rosy glow to her cheeks. Her large, doe like eyes were alive with blues, greens and greys, locked in a wild dance for dominance. A sweet smile curved her full rose lips, defining beautiful cheekbones hidden beneath the childish full cheeks.

Way out of this idiot's league. She probably came to pick on him.

What the man was not expecting however, was Naruto to break into a high pitched squeal of delight, shattering his eardrum and leaving the broken pieces bleeding inside his ear. Naruto shot towards the small cliff the girl was standing on at full speed shrieking at her in sheer joy.

"KARI-CHAN!!!" he shouted as she jumped down into his waiting arms as he span her round in excitement, whiskered cheeks rosy red, stretched by his large goofy smile and eyes shining with childish love.

"Naruto-kun! Watashiha anata nogashita!!" Kari cried, holding him tightly as he placed her down, still holding tightly to her.

"Watashi mo Kari-chan!!"

"Okaa-san! Okaa-san!" Kita cried running over and jumping into Kari's arms.

"And who might your friend be?" the man questioned.

Kari took in his tall, bulky appearance, his long spiky white hair and masculine face. He had cheeky dark eyes and wide immature smile.

"Shirigomisuru! Back off Ero-sennin, dattebayou! Kari-chan is not to be used for your damn book!" Naruto shouted protectively.

'Ah would you look at that? It's little Jiraiya!' Kitai chirped, surprising Kari. They'd been rather quiet since she woke up in hospital.

"Ero…sennin?" Kari repeated, staring at him confused.

"Stop calling me that gaki!! I, young lady, am the great sage Jiraiya!!" the man cried boastfully.

"…Ohayou?" Kari said, staring at the strange man.

"He's meant to be teaching me how to summon toads but he just sits on his butt spying on girls" Naruto said frowning at his sensei.

"Gama? Sugoii! Can I see?" Kari asked excitedly. Naruto puffed out his chest and nodded importantly. He bit his thumb and quickly made hand signs.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Naruto cried slamming his hand on the ground. Kari prepared herself for a large, fearsome, warrior toad to appear but the smoke cleared to reveal a little orange tadpole with green spots on its back. "AA?! Not again!" Naruto cried.

"Another tadpole?!" Jiraiya cried in dismay.

"Iie, iie! This one's bigger see!" Naruto cried, pointing at it frantically.

"It's still a freaking tadpole!!"

"Ee! Kawaii!" Kari cooed, putting Kita down and scooping up the little amphibian in her hands as it flopped about. She carried it over to the river and placed it gently in the cool water. It swam around her hands nibbling at her fingers. "Your name is Awa-chan!" Kari announced happily. She pouted when Awa poofed into smoke.

"Well if you were training me instead of peeping I would have mastered this jutsu by now dattebayou!!" Naruto shouted accusingly.

"It's great Naru-kun! I'd love to have an animal to summon" Kari said happily, her tail wagging in delight. Kita leapt on top of her head and lay comfortably between Kari's ears. Jiraiya paused and stared at her dumbly.

"AA?! She has ookami ears!! And a tail?! Demo…? Nani…?! Oro?!" Jiraiya cried, pointing at her in amazement. His face crumpled with concentration as he searched through his thoughts.

"Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked in confusion. While Kari fidgeted in embarrassment.

"The only Tasukaru in Konoha is Kaizo, but his daughter died before she was born… She doesn't have silver hair or completely blue eyes and she doesn't have that harsh wild look about her. But then… where could the wolf characteristics come from…?"

"Oh! Naruto-kun! You have to come and meet my parents!" Kari cried, grabbing Naruto's hands excitedly. Naruto blinked and looked at her confused, then smiled.

"Sure, are you coming Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked. The man snapped out of his thoughts and his mouth curled into a devilish smile thinking what Kari's mother could possibly look like.

"I hope they're home…" Kari said knocking on the door. Jiraiya couldn't help but find the house familiar, but he couldn't place where. There was shuffling inside and the door opened to show Kaizo, who had been woken up. His silver hair spiked everywhere from its pony tail in typical bed hair and his eyes were half open and droopy. He wore a faded grey t-shirt and some boxers.

"Mmm…? Oro?!" Kaizo cried, realising who was at the door and quickly slamming it shut. There was a muffled shout from inside of "'TOME! Why didn't you tell me Kari-chan was coming to visit!?" After a couple of minutes, the door opened to reveal Kitome, beautiful as ever.

"Gomen Kari-chan, Kaizo fell asleep after he got back from the meeting today. How can I help?" Kitome asked, ushering them in.

"I brought your yukata back" Kari said, handing Kitome the folded cloth.

"You didn't have to dear, anything of ours is yours, and you're more than welcome to it" Kitome said kindly. "This must be the Naruto I've heard so much about" Naruto blushed and grinned. "But what are you doing here sensei? Weren't you out chasing girls?"

"Little Kitome-chan has grown into a woman" Jiraiya said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "It seems like yesterday you were a tiny genin, and now you're the most beautiful woman in ANBU!" Jiraiya said fondly.

"Oi, oi Ero-Ojii! She married me remember!" Kaizo cried popping his head into the room, his hair somewhat tidier.

"Kaizo? I've been away too long…" Jiraiya said as Kaizo appeared next to him, grinning widely seeing they were around the same height. "You've been taking care of my favourite student hmm?"

"Hai" Kaizo said happily wrapping an arm around Kitome's petite shoulders and embracing her tightly.

"Kari-chan… who are these people?" Naruto asked, looking utterly puzzled.

"I agree, how do you know each other?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"Well…" Kari began nervously but was cut off when a loud BOOM sounded and a blast of fire and a gust of icy wind exploded out of nowhere in the middle of the room.

After a moment, two similar looking women stood where the fire and wind had raged seconds before. They were tall women, pale with high cheekbones and large eyes. Their lips were slightly thin, and their figures were visibly slim, even with long kimono's covering their bodies. Their hair was in wild, soft spikes, both tied up in high pony tails and cascading down their backs to their knees.

One had an element of utmost calmness; she had a cold looking exterior with her silver hair and piercing ice blue eyes, and had large wolf ears and a long tail. She had a striking resemblance to Kaizo, but with a harsher, wilder look.

The other woman had a clear short temper, her mouth set into a frown. Her hair was a fiery red and her eyes a bright gold. She lacked the other woman's wolf characteristics, but looked just as, if not even more wild.

"Where did those old ladies come from?" Naruto asked wide eyed. Jiraiya made a high pitched squeak and pulled the blonde boy into a headlock as the women's eyes turned on him, the redhead's eye twitching dangerously as her scowl deepened.

"FURUI KA?" she questioned dangerously, her pupils narrowing as fangs made an appearance. The other woman slapped the redhead on the back of her head, her intense calmness never wavering.

"We got your letter about the child" the wolf woman said in a smooth voice, her eyes sliding onto Kari, who felt unnerved by the woman's stare.

"Ha! Golden hair, clearly a ryuu Tasukaru" the redhead said smugly to the other woman.

"Have you missed the ookami characteristics Ryuuka?" the wolf woman said simply, her hand gesturing towards Kari's ears. Kari was alarmed to see sharp claws where nails should be.

"Pshh" the redhead Kari assumed was called Ryuuka scoffed. "Her eyes are more green than blue too, she's just got Kaizo's genes is all."

"Who are these people?" Naruto piped up in confusion.

"The Tasukaru twins in the same room, I never thought I'd see the day…" Jiraiya said in surprise. "Naruto, these two are Tasukaru Keihisa and Tasukaru Ryuuka, the famous twins of the Tasukaru clan."

"I'll explain Naruto-kun" Kitome said kindly, ushering him and Jiraiya over to some chairs, where she proceeded to briefly explain the important details of Kari's situation.

"Ryuuka and Keihisa?" Kari asked, looking to Kaizo for answers, Kita still on top of her head.

"Keihisa is my Okaasan, and an Ookami Tasukaru. Ryuuka is her twin sister and a Ryuu Tasukaru. Twins aren't unheard of in our clan but are always either Ryuu or Ookami, not one of each. Keihisa takes after my grandmother while Ryuuka takes after my grandfather. They became famous as an elite force. They weren't trained as shinobi, but were used in war, which is where they became known. Their were legends of the Tasukaru clan being fierce bloodthirsty monsters that just wanted to slaughter people, but through Okaasan and Obasan, it was shown that they could control themselves and were fairly civilised when they want to be" Kaizo explained.

"So they're famous for clearing your clan's name?" Kari asked, as the twins seemed to be lightly bickering.

"Mm, they're better known in Kiri and Kumo where they live. Also, they have their own packs instead of sticking with the clan groups. My mother in particular wanders around alone with only her wolves for company. She says that it is her greatest joy and sense of peace. Ryuuka stays close to the main dragon flock in the mountains of Kumo, but live a little way away and trains young dragons and those to be used for summonings." Kaizo said simply.

"You can summon dragons? Sugoii!" Kari said in awe.

"See, a true dragon user" Ryuuka said stubbornly.

"And what of the wolf cub on her head? I don't see a dragon by her side" Keihisa said.

"Watashiha Kita-chan Obaa-chan!" Kita piped up, not wanting to be referred to as 'the wolf cub'.

"And she can even speak at such a young age, she must have been made by Torai-Kenshi chakra" Keihisa concluded.

"These two are the ones that sealed the Torai-Kenshi inside you before you were born" Kaizo said with a smile. "Pretty impressive huh?"

"Well, I'm teaching her to be a ryuu user!" Ryuuka snapped irritably.

"And I shall teach her to use wolves, then she will be strong" Keihisa said to her irritated sister.

"It's a shame that they always argue though. They love each other, but can't agree on anything at all" Kaizo said scratching the back of his head.

"Got that kiddo?! I'm going to teach you to fight with dragons! You'll be unbeatable!" Ryuuka cried, clenching her fist in determination, ignorant to her claws puncturing her palm.

"It's been a long time since these two were here, we should have a family photo ne?" Kaizo said with a childish grin. Kari giggled, at complete ease with her ANBU parents. They may not have raised her, but she felt so undoubtedly connected to them that she knew that they were her soul's parents. It just saddened her that she would never see her birth parents again.

"I'll take it!" Jiraiya offered, overhearing Kaizo's declaration. They gathered in a small group outside; Kaizo and Kitome in the middle, Keihisa next to Kitome and Ryuuka next to Kaizo, both looking away from each other in a huff.

"I'm glad you found your family Kari-chan, we'll have to find mine next" Naruto said happily, but Kari could sense that little sadness and lost feeling in his eyes and smiled taking his hand and dragging him in front of Kitome and Kaizo.

"Make sure you smile hmm?" Kari said happily.

"But Kari-chan this is a family photo" Naruto said awkwardly. Kari smiled and shook her head.

"Don't be silly, you're just as much my family as anyone is Kitsune-niisan" Kari said gently. Naruto blushed and smiled. "What's mine is yours brother, and that includes this family. They've accepted you, and if they didn't I'd leave them to be with you" She laughed lightly. "My happiness comes from your joy Naruto-kun, our hearts are intertwined and always will be… Gah! See your sad face made me go mushy" she said embarrassed, a blush coating her cheeks as she took Kita off of her head and held her in his arms.

"Arigatou Kari-chan" Naruto said warmly, truly touched by her loyalty. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped hers around his back, Kita comfortably resting on their arms.

"Emi!!" Jiraiya said with a cheesy grin. Kari and Naruto smiled, Kaizo grinned, Kitome smiled, and the twins looked around in surprise. Keihisa was calmly confused while Ryuuka's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

"Ara?!"

"When I get this done it's going on the wall!" Kaizo announced, taking his camera back from Jiraiya and thanking him. "And a picture of the lover's ne?" Kaizo said teasingly to Kari and Naruto, they just laughed as Kaizo pulled a concentrating face.

"When can I start training her? Ryuu aren't easy you know!" Ryuuka whined impatiently.

"And this on will be framed too!" Kaizo said happily. "Right Kitome?!"

"Of course Koishii" Kitome replied, taking his precious camera from him.

"Aa, we should get back to training too" Jiraiya said looking at Naruto. Naruto bit his lip and he pouted sadly.

"Don't worry Naru, I'll see you at the Chuunin exams" Kari said wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Is Sasuke getting strong?" Naruto asked.

"I'm teaching him, what do you think?" Kari said smirking.

"Then I'd better train extra hard then" Naruto said with a competitive grin. "I'll keep my promise, I'll win Kari-chan, I'll win it for you dattebayou." She smiled and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"I don't doubt it, and I'll win for you" Kari said happily. "I'll send Kita to you after a couple hours okay? Train hard, ganbatte Kitsune-nii."

"You too Ookami-nee. I'll be waiting to see you fight!" Naruto said as Jiraiya got bored of their tender goodbye and started dragging Naruto by the back of his collar. "JA NE KARI-CHAAAN!!"

"Right kiddo, you see this scroll?" Ryuuka said as she pulled a large scroll of her back. How did I not notice that before? Kari wondered. She saw that Keihisa had one too. "My scroll is a contract between dragons and summoners, you sign your name in blood and if the dragon elder accepts you, you can begin to learn. If you're rejected your blood will simply disappear." Ryuuka opened the scroll to reveal some names signed in vertical lines, the last being Tasukaru Ryuuko. "Ryuuko is Kaizo's cousin and my daughter. She's nineteen and giving me a run for my money. Sign next to her name."

Kari pierced her thumb with her sharp canine, the warm metallic taste hitting her tongue and alerting her senses. Unsure of which last name she should be known by she simply wrote her name.

カ

ー

リ

Kari.

The blood glowed an alarming bright red before fading to black. Ryuuka gave a satisfied smirk to her twin sister.

"They accept you."

"Really?" Kari said happily. Keihisa smirked and unravelled her own scroll and motioned for Kari to repeat her actions on to the wolf scroll. Her blood glowed blue before turning black.

"Accepted by both, impressive" Keihisa said smiling. "Are you ready for some hard training?"

"I'll do whatever it takes" Kari cried and Kita yipped in agreement. Keihisa picked up the pup and looked her over carefully, before nodding impressed and settling the wolf into her arms.

"Our summons are different to most as they are very strong willed and wild, like the rest of clan. The summoning isn't the hard part, it's the relationships" Ryuuka explained.

"In battle, they will only assist those they are loyal too. If a stranger was to summon them, they would simply leave them for dead" Keihisa continued. "Our partners in battle have known us since birth and love us."

"As a Tasukaru, you'll find summoning Ryuu and Ookami relatively easy, but it will take work to gain their respect" Ryuuka said.

"As an Ookami trainer, I can teach Kita how to fight, and with the demonic blood she has from the Torai-Kenshi she'll find it useful" Keihisa made a hand sign with one hand and a large silver wolf appeared at her side. "This is Shiruba, she's very patient and will be a good teacher for Kita."

"Okaasan!" Kita cried in amazement jumping down and looking up at the large wolf. "Okaasan! Okaasan! Look! Is she like me? Is she a Kita too?" Kita cried excitedly.

"Kita is Kita-ko's name; a wolf is Kita-chan's species. Like Okaasan is called Kari, but she is a human, sort of" Kari said trying to explain.

"So I'm the only Kita?" Kita asked.

"You're my only Kita" Kari said with a smile. Kita wagged her tail and looked up at the six foot tall silver wolf that was looking down at her.

"What a strange little ko" Shiruba commented with a motherly voice.

"I'm not a pup, I'm a Kita, who is also a wolf, a wolf Kita, but I'm the only wolf Kita, because I am Okaasan's Kita!" Kita explained excitedly.

"She's a sweet little thing, am I taking her under my wing?" Shiruba asked Keihisa who nodded.

"Mm, you're going to be assisting in teaching her the very basics as she's still young" the Ookami-sennin said.

"Please take care of Kita-chan Shiruba-sama, she'll be a good girl and work hard for you" Kari said bowing, her long golden hair spilling over her shoulders.

"She's very nice for the Torai-Kenshi jinchuuriki" Shiruba said to Keihisa. "Our pack will definitely like her and also the other wolves, don't you think?"

"Hai." Keihisa agreed as Kita stared in awe at the large wolf.

"I look forward to assisting you in battle Kari-sama, as I am sure my pack will" the wolf said, bowing her large head respectfully.

"Ah, arigatou" Kari said blushing shyly.

"Not all of the others are as accepting as you Shiruba. She has a lot of work to do, especially for those that are best in battle to accept her." Keihisa reminded.

"They'll come round; they accepted Kaizo-kun eventually."

"Not easily."

"Oi, are we starting or what?" Ryuuka grumbled, annoyed at being ignored for so long.

"Of course, you can begin Ryuuka." Keihisa said calmly.

"Right, listen up kiddo; you're in for a bumpy ride…"

"Shouldn't she be back by now, its dark out" Sasuke grumbled. He'd been in a bad mood all day. Kakashi himself had missed Kari, but not enough to have a mental tantrum about it.

"She's a big girl Sasuke, she can take care of herself" Kakashi said calmly.

"Konnichiwa minna!" Kari cried as she jumped into the clearing, a wide happy smile on her face. She was covered in dirt and scratches, but looked as though she couldn't be happier.

"Ah, did you have a good day?" Kakashi said looking up from his book.

"Hai! Arigatou for letting me go Kaka-nii!" Kari said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and giving him alight peck on the cheek.

"Douitashimashite Kari" Kakashi said simply as she happily skipped over to Sasuke and enveloped him in a hug.

"Why are you so happy" Sasuke grumbled, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm being trained how to summon by the Tasukaru twins!" Kari cried in delight. Kakashi dropped his book in shock while Sasuke just gave her an odd look.

"Dare ka?"

"The Tasukaru twins?!" Kakashi gasped.

"Hai! I even made friends with a little dragon!" Kari cried joyously.

"Baka dragons don't exist" Sasuke scoffed. Kari made quick and fluid hand signs, finally finishing on the sign of the dragon.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu; Ryuu; Kigai!" Kari cried and in a puff of smoke a small baby dragon landed on her head. "This is Kigai-chan, she may look small, but she's fierce!" Kari said happily.

"It's…" Sasuke stared and its smooth black, scaly body to its amethyst eyes, to its small thin wings. "A lizard…" Kari smacked him on the back of the head.

"Don't insult dragons! They're almost as great as Kita!" the dragon on the top of her head sneezed, blowing a ring of smoke. "Kigai-chan is tired, so she should go home to her Okaasan ne?" Kari cooed, lifting the reptile off her head. The dragon blinked at her then made a strange gargle before disappearing.

"Are you going to be trained by them again?" Kakashi said, getting over the shock of seeing a baby dragon and picking up his book.

"Mm, when I have spare time. Kaizo-tousan said he'd teach me Ojiisans katana skills." Kari said happily. "But we've got Chidori to conquer first ne Sasuke?" Kari said, smiling up at the Uchiha.

"Hn, whatever" Sasuke said.

"Cheer up Uchiha, this'll be fun" Kari said happily. "After I've had a nap of course…" Kari said with a yawn. She always looked so childish when she did that, it was funny really. She layed her head on Sasuke's thigh and curled up, closing her eyes.

"Hmm, she must be tired" Kakashi said, smiling underneath his mask. "She's very comfortable around you, and you seem more relaxed than usual."

"Hn" Sasuke grunted, pulling out her hair out of her face, the gold strands splayed out behind her. Her ear twitched sensing his touch, but she didn't move otherwise.

"You care about her don't you" Kakashi said. He flipping well hoped so, he'd been trying to play matchmaker and kept giving up and teasing them instead. He reasoned that if Sasuke had feelings for Kari, then he would be less likely to leave Konoha, because she would definitely want to stay and he wouldn't want to leave her.

"I suppose I consider her my friend" Sasuke admitted, his fingers twisting in her long golden locks, strong and soft even through Kari's constant abuse of tugging on it when she was annoyed and playing with it when she was bored. Sasuke had amazingly beautiful hair, but didn't really care because he was a guy.

"Sasuke, you know your hair's getting pretty long" Kari said opening an eye and smirking up at him. Sasuke scowled and looked away, his bangs tickling his neck. She was right; it had grown a little, but not really that much.

"Go to sleep baka" Sasuke said irritated.

"You should get chubby, and then you'd be more comfortable, ne Kakashi?" Kari said causing her sensei to snort and chuckle at the idea of a fat Sasuke. Kari was really ruining his reputation as a cool lazy guy when she kept making him laugh.

"Then go sleep on someone else" Sasuke said simply. She ignored him and sat on his lap, laying her head on his chest, the sound of her heart easily lulling her to sleep.

"She needed to hear your heart ne?" Kakashi asked, smiling behind his mask. He figured it was because the sound reassured her that Sasuke was okay. "It's your birthday soon isn't it? Do you want to see the other genin?" Kakashi asked.

"No." Sasuke said sternly. "I need to train."

"Suit yourself" Kakashi said simply.

"Now you create Chidori when you have gathered enough speed and have absolute focus without a shadow of doubt. The chakra in your arm will become visible and if you are compatible, will spark with electricity, and turn your arm into a indestructible sword" Kakashi explained the next day. Kari was on edge, not wanting to throw up blood again while Sasuke was impatient to get started.

"So how do we start?" Sasuke questioned while Kari cursed to herself.

"First, try and gather chakra in your hand" Kakashi instructed, Sasuke's hand glowed blue while Kari's set alight with a blue flame like chakra startling her and making her lose concentration, which made her chakra disappear.

"Pins and needles!" Kari hissed shaking her tingling hand.

"Right you're going to have a game of tag to warm yourselves up and to get ready for the intense speed you'll need. Kari, you're it first" Kakashi said.

"Tag!" Kari shrieked smacking Sasuke on the shoulder before shooting away from him. Sasuke ran after her, but slower as he was not able to pick up speed as quickly as her. As he started to warm up he swerved and cut her off, tapping her on the side before shooting off. She squeaked (she was ticklish down her sides) and sped after him, pushing her legs faster than their comfortable speed (her run felt like a jog). She tapped Sasuke on the back before twisting and sending a whirl of dust before running off again.

"Hm, this is better than last time" Kakashi mused, noticing Sasuke was able to keep up with Kari's average speed, but he couldn't avoid her when she actually worked her legs and sped up. In a month Kakashi was alarmed at her speed and knew even he would be left in her dust.

"Gotcha!" Sasuke cried, cutting in front of her.

"Don't you—!" she cried but his palm had already made contact.

"Oh?" Kakashi said in surprise. When Sasuke cut in front of her he hadn't hesitated and just went to tag her… and accidentally slammed his hand right on her breast. He watched amused for their reactions.

Kari blushed a deep red, her eye twitching while Sasuke looked confused at her reaction and why she had suddenly stopped. Then he realised his hand was closed around her breast, an area Kakashi had warned him not to touch unless in a relationship. Sasuke blushed slightly at the softness and warmth and by simple male instinct he squeezed.

"ARA?! HANDS OFF HENTAI!!" Kari shrieked a fist smacking into the Uchiha's jaw sending him flying backward.

"What was that for?!" Sasuke shouted as he sat up rubbing his jaw while the words warm, soft and squishy swam around his brain.

"He's still a little naïve Kari" Kakashi chuckled landing beside the red-faced kunoichi. "I'm surprised he actually groped you though" Kakashi sniggered and hid his face behind his book. Kari scowled and folded her arms in front of her chest, her tail bristled angrily.

"Can we just get to the jutsu now" Sasuke said scowling, his jaw aching and his cheeks dusted pink. Squishy… squishy… squishy…

"Of course, you have to apply the speed and focus and I want you to aim it towards those rocks. Then you will take a break and for the second half of the day you'll work on your Taijutsu. Kari needs a lot of help with her defence" Kakashi said simply. "Do you have a battle plan Kari?"

"Hai, I'm using my katana" Kari said with a confident smirk.

"You rarely use them" Sasuke said, looking at her as if she was insane. Kari pulled one out of its sheath with her right hand, she span it above her head then at her side, stopping at a forty five degree angle away from her leg. She was so relaxed when using it as though she had fought a million times before.

"That's what you think, I only bring them out when I need them" Kari said, twisting her wrist so it swung upwards and the flat side fell on her palm. The blade shone, not a speck of dust or a tiny scratch saying it had ever been used. "Kaizo's gonna teach me whenever I want to learn" she smirked and with a light flick it spun upwards, barely missing her face before lightly sliding into its sheath with a gentle 'ching' sound.

"Well, I've told you what to do. I'll supervise you, but it's up to you now. Remember, focus is key. Try and clear your mind of everything but your goal." Kakashi said.

Sasuke scowled as the word squishy swam through his mind again.

"Go."

"Ohayou Kari-chan and Sasuke!" Kakashi said happily as he loomed over their sleeping forms a week or so later. They opened their eyes before closing them again and ignoring their sensei. "You have the day off, you should be happy!"

"Nande ka?" Sasuke grumbled, opening his eyes to look at Kakashi while Kari buried her head in his shirt, trying to go back to sleep.

"Because it's your birthday" Kakashi replied simply.

"NANI?!" Kari cried sitting up. "Dou iu koto da?!"

"It's the 23rd of July, Sasuke's birthday" Kakashi said simply

"AA?! Why didn't I know about this?!" Kari cried looking from one to the other.

"Does it really matter?" Sasuke scoffed. He looked back to see Kari with her forehead against a tree trunk, ears down and a huge cloud of depression surrounding her. "Oi baka, doushita?"

"I didn't know… I didn't get him anything… Kari-chan is a bad girl…" Kari whined banging her head on the tree.

"I don't care, so I don't see why you should" Sasuke said folding his arms.

"Because it's important! Sasuke-chan is ju-san, 13! He's a teenager! He's expected to be rude and kinky all the time!" Kari wailed. "I'm going to get a present, but what to get a miserable teenager that hates everything? If I get Sakura I'll have a whole day of listening to them smooching… ughh… I can't throw a party because of our surprise entrance! And cake? What about cake?! KAKASHI! GO GET A CAKE!!"

"Hai!" Kakashi said poofing away before an upset Kari unleashed her wrath on him.

"Think, think! I need to get a good present! But I'm terrible at getting presents! Etoo…" Kari scowled trying to concentrate. "Sasuke likes weapons! But then he can hurt poor innocent little Kari-chans… never mind it's the only thing I can think of. Chotto matte! Kari-chan has no moneeeeyyy!!"

"Stop worrying will you" Sasuke sighed, though amused at how frantically worried she was.

'Oh! How about a katana like you have? Then it will remind him of you!' Kitai said happily.

'Then he can kill people. Lots and lots of people!' Kumouri said deviously.

'And we can transport a special one to you so you don't have to buy it' Kokoro added.

"Yosh! Problem solved!" Kari cried happily. Sasuke rose an eyebrow, wondering what evil plan she had come up with. She closed her eyes and focused chakra to her palms, which she faced upwards as though she was holding something.

"What are you—?" but Sasuke stopped when he saw her chakra was changing shape into something long and thin. Her chakra faded leaving a katana in it's place.

"Otanjou-bi omedetou!!" Kari cried, holding it out to him. He took it from her and looked it over with interest, unsheathing it carefully.

"Otanjōbi omedetō

Otanjōbi omedetō

Otanjōbi dia Saaasuke

Otanjōbi omedetō!"

She clapped at the end for extra effect. Sasuke rose an eyebrow, noticing her singing wasn't as shrill or harsh as Sakura's attempt to sing.

"Arigatou Kari" Sasuke said with a smirk. Kari sighed glad he accepted it, when a though popped into her mind.

"Will your fan girls leave you presents?"

"Probably" Sasuke said scowling. "I never open them, I just throw them away."

"That's a waste" Kari said sadly.

"You can have them, its probably just a load of sweet stuff" Sasuke said boredly.

"Really?" Kari asked excitedly.

"No. If you eat all that you'll get fat" Sasuke said smirking when she took offence.

"I have a high metabolism thank you very much!" Kari scoffed.

"You'll still get fat" Sasuke said folding his arms, smirk still in place. "You'll take up all the bed."

"I'm not that big!"

"No, but if you eat all that you will be" Sasuke said with a smirk as Kari looked at him angrily.

"Will not!" she cried.

"Will too!" She jumped on him knocking him over and sat on his chest.

"Then I'll be able to squish you flat baakaaa!" she scoffed folding her arms. Sasuke smirked and flipped, trapping her underneath him. As he expected, a blush blossomed across her cheeks and her eyes darted away from him.

While sparring, Sasuke had learnt that though Kari could show as much confidence as she needed, when her personal space was invaded, or she was pinned down, she became shy and awkward. He enjoyed teasing her. He found it entertaining.

He rested his forehead on hers, feeling the heat radiating off her cheeks, her bangs brushing against the plate of his hitai-ate. She met his eyes for a moment before her face darkened and she squirmed slightly, trying to get him off. Without warning, he pinched her sides causing her to squirm even more.

"Sasuke! What have I told y-you about tickling me?!" Kari cried, squeaking in the middle because her sensitive sides were poked again.

"It's my birthday, you were the one who made a big deal out of it" Sasuke said, turning the unnecessary event to his advantage.

"Just b-because – Ee! – It's your birthday – stop it! – and you can do anything you want, it doesn't mean – (giggle) – that I have to suffer!" she said squirming under him as she tried to escape the torture.

"But you just said I could do whatever I want" Sasuke said as she grabbed his hands to stop his next attack.

"Well yeah, it's special, you're a year older" Kari said as she lightly panted, blush still in place.

"So I can do anything I want?"

"Within reason" Kari said as he looked thoughtful.

"Will you help me with something?" Sasuke said, he still hated asking for help but with Kari it was more of a favour in which would usually earn her a piggyback or pocky or something.

"Depends what it is" Kari said smartly.

"Before, when Kakashi told us about relationships and stuff, will you teach me about it? If I'm going to restore my clan and find a girl suitable, I'll need to be able to win her over because my wife will not be a fan girl and so might need persuasion" Sasuke said slightly awkwardly. Kari raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue. "I want to know what I'm doing when I'm kissing and such; I don't want to make a fool out of myself."

Kari ignored the fact it probably took an immense amount of effort and pride bruising to say that and started giggling madly. She then paused and gave him a hard stare.

"You're not saying you want me to be a whore are you?" she said sternly.

"That about sums it up" Sasuke said awkwardly.

"NANI?! IIE!" Kari cried in horror.

"It wouldn't change anything and it's not like I'm interested in you so it won't mean anything" Sasuke said scowling in embarrassment. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't need to, and you're the only one who can help me."

"Ask Sakura!"

"I don't trust her and it would give her false hope. You said you'd do anything on my birthday didn't you?"

"Aa?—Demo?—Nande? You learn together with your partner!" Kari said her cheeks ruby toned.

"I'm not going to make a fool of myself" Sasuke said stubbornly. "Besides I'm sure you had experience before you came here and it's not like you haven't done it before!"

"You kissed me and it was a dare!" Kari cried indignantly.

"And if I dared you now?" Sasuke asked with an eyebrow raised. She stared at him in embarrassment. He smirked knowing he had her stuck, she had a competitive spirit and hated the though of being a coward. She sighed and glanced up at him. She then sat up and planted a swift kiss on his cheek. Somehow it was a lot more natural with Naruto.

"That wasn't a kiss" Sasuke said accusingly. He didn't really want this did he? He was only doing it to save himself from further embarrassment.

"You didn't say where I had to kiss you!" Kari said smirking.

"Some help you are. What about when you use your tongues, how the hell do you do that?" Kari 'eep'ed and shot out from under him and hid behind a tree, her head poking out to glare at him.

"Iie."

"Tch, Kari-chan's shy" Sasuke mocked. It didn't work; she just glared at him harder.

"If you were older, hotter and not Sasuke, maybe I'd consider it" she mumbled, still shooting dirty looks at him. "See, that's what I meant by kinky! Cold bath for you Uchiha-san!"

Before Sasuke could comprehend what was happening, he was physically lifted up and after speeding forwards he was thrown into the lake. The freezing cold lake.

"Baka!" Sasuke shouted, grabbing hold of her before she could escape and dragging her in. She fell onto him with a splash and came up cackling like a hyena. She pulled herself up onto the surface of the lake and with a firm hold on his hand she skipped in a circle around him, trying to make him dance with her. "W-what the hell are you doing?"

"You need to learn to have fun!"

"No I don't. I need to dry off and warm up before I catch a cold" Sasuke scoffed pulling her towards the bank while she stood still, waves lapping at her toes.

"Oi Sasu, are we ready for the exams do you think?" Kari asked, looking up at the setting Sun. It was remarkable how fast a day could go after being asked to be a whore, throwing Sasuke in the lake, having a spar (to keep the birthday boy happy) and a brief trip to the Uchiha compound (and a delighted Mikoto ghost).

"Hn. That guy from Suna won't know what's hit him. You're a good sensei. Though I'll never use those gymnastics you taught me" Sasuke replied, lying beside her.

"It was for your balance! But you'll be careful against Gaara ne? He isn't a pushover Sasuke" Kari said worriedly.

"Neither is your opponent, but I have full faith in you" Sasuke said, looking round at her. "Don't let him get a hold on you like the last one did" the Uchiha said seriously, his memory sparking back to Kari's face turning pale as she choked on the blood flooding from her mouth.

"Hai, I'll try" Kari said simply looking up at the fierce orange tones in the sky. "And you stay away from Gaara's sand; I don't want you with crush bones like Lee-kun."

"I know, where's our baka sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Reading porn" Kari said simply. "Have you had a good birthday, ne?"

"I guess so" Sasuke said with a light smirk. He had to say that he rather enjoyed spending the day with her, more than he's willing to admit. It's the first birthday since the loss of his mother that he actually felt meant something. "Arigatou Kari."

She smiled at him, and then planted a light kiss on his lips, stunning him slightly.

"Douitashimashite" Kari said with a warm smile. "You earned your birthday kiss, but that's all you're getting."

"Hn, whatever" Sasuke said with a light blush. Kari smiled and shook her head.

Teenage boys…

Translations:

Watashiha anata nogashita - I missed you

Watashi mo - Me too

Shirigomisuru! - Back off!

Gama - Toad

Sugoii - Wow, great, amazing

Awa - Bubble

Ero-ojii - Perverted old man

Furui - Old

Emi - Smile

Ara/Are - Oh/huh?

Koi(shii) - Sweetheart, beloved etc

Douitashimashite - You're welcome

Dou iu koto da? - What do you mean/what are you talking about?

Chotto matte - Wait a minute

Otanjōbi omedetō - Happy Birthday