You and I tried requesting to be a two person team but Lady Tsunade reminded us that permanent squads only consisted of four ninja; No less and more than four rarely ever happened. We tried explaining that no one else had the experience and worked as well as we did together; She didn't budge, even though our points were valid. The only individual that was even remotely close to getting her to agree was Naruto, and our blonde teammate was once again chasing after Sasuke. I'm not sure what help he would've been anyways, he probably would've requested a three-man team.

After yelling at you some more about not turning in your reports on time, I was promptly dismissed; You were asked to stay. I waited outside Lady Tsunade's office for you. When you made your way through her door, you had a scroll tucked neatly into your fist and your usual apathetic expression in place. I asked what she had to say and your witty reply was to tell me that it was a secret; I was not amused.

I held up my fist, now glowing green, and told you that I don't repeat myself. You laughed timidly and held up both hands in a show of surrender, Just a mission, cool it was your reply. I quickly asked what kind of mission and if I could be placed on your team. I'm afraid that's not possible, it's a solo mission. Those words changed something inside me, they made me worry; What if you were hurt? You were always getting hurt and coming back with one foot in the grave.

I couldn't understand my unease about your mission, but I did understand something else; I didn't want you to go. We'd been spending so much time together and after your proposal, I was excited about being on your team; I was excited about spending more time together. I was excited about getting to know more about you and work with you on missions again. Then I opened my eyes and reality rained on my parade, we couldn't work together because you were totally fine without me.

While you were away, I surmised that you would only be inclined to get hurt more because you would've had your own personal medic; One who didn't have other teammates to worry about healing. I quickly got over my bizarre little feeling and followed your now retreating form down the stairs. Now walking side by side with you, I cleared my throat to get your attention. How long is your mission, I questioned while peering at your covered face. Two weeks, you offered in your bored tone.

I might...I might actually miss you, I managed to slip out, my face must've been as bright as a tomato. Well I can't say the same for you, was your asshole-ish reply. SEE IF I EVER SAY ANYTHING NICE TO YOU AGAIN, I screamed, leaving you flat on your face and little birds dancing above your cranium. After I punched you and screamed, I stomped my way down the path and towards my home. Hearing you groan out, It was a joke, I smirked to myself with thoughts of how awesome I was for laying THE Copy ninja out flat on his face.

On my way home my thoughts were a whirlwind. By the time I reached home, my head was bursting. By the time I reached my door, I slammed it open. By the time I reached my bedroom, I sent a shoe flying through the window. I can't recall why I was so mad, or even how I got that way, I just knew that I was mad. To calm myself down, I convinced myself to reminisce about things that made me happy; Like freshly cut grass, sunsets, cotton candy, chocolate, learning new jutsu, and hot, hot showers.

Whenever I thought up a completely random subject, you would annoyingly interject yourself right in there. Freshly cut grass; You and I would always be the first ones to revel in the freshly cut training grounds, tearing them up would be our way of 'breaking them in'. Sunsets; My favorite sunsets to watch are the ones where the fading day's glow is cast upon your relaxing form after a hard day of training. Cotton Candy; I shoved some in your hair when you told me it matched mine. Chocolate; You left some taped to my door for my birthday, I knew it was you because it was a day late. Learning new jutsu; You taught me jutsu, just like it was old times again.

Once I was calm, I smiled. I really was going to miss you, I'd grown accustomed to your company. Not just your company, but how you would tease me during training; How I was the only one who got away with landing a hit on you outside a mission; How you were beginning to answer more of my questions...because I followed you home one time whining. I admitted to myself that I would somehow always consider you my sensei, but at that moment, I considered you a friend more than anything.

My mood was back to being mad again before I went to bed. My "Comical and ever-changing mood swings" as you would so eloquently put in the future; I'd of course smack you for it. I was mad because you would be leaving at some ungodly hour the next morning and I had just left things on bad terms between us. My thoughts before I went to bed were about making it up to you and somehow apologizing without knocking you out for some snarky remark you were bound to make.

I awoke the next morning feeling rather cranky. First thing I did was stand up and take a step; Well I TRIED, keyword here being tried. I fell over and kissed the floor, and when I made my way towards the bathroom, I slipped on water that I didn't remember spilling the night before. I was even more cranky when my wonderfully scorching shower turned ice-cold on me. I was beyond pissed when I saw a piece of paper lying on a table next to some screws and a vase that was knocked over; That explained the water on the floor. It was clear that someone was in my apartment while I was sleeping last night.

I had half a mind to stomp straight to the Hokage's office and demand that she send you back to Konoha, just so I could use your dogs to track down the IDIOT who dared to break into my house. My features softened from what I imagine to be a deep scowl to a soft smile. Reading the mystery note was incredibly hard, for you see, whomever wrote that note had ridiculous, and I mean RIDICULOUS, handwriting. I'll miss you too and so will my black eye, was scratched on the paper in black ink. I recognized the writing, even without the hint.

I was mad again as I headed out the door to work, because when I went to open my door...IT FELL OFF ITS HINGES. I wonder who would've done that, who would want to get back at me for giving them a black eye? I'm still trying to figure it out to this day.

My morning went by fairly commonplace and by lunch time I was begging for anything to happen. Unfortunately nothing amazingly spectacular took place and I was stuck taking care of the usual. Genin with broken arms came in fearing the worst and thinking it would have to be amputated. One man came in with a kunai lodged in a very...sesitive..place and a rather deplorable expression being worn on his face. Another patient had a baby just a few days earlier and was having trouble getting her newborn to latch on, so she whipped out her breasts and proceeded to demonstrate; I was rather glad that this wasn't one of those times where you randomly decided to 'poof' in for a visit.

Two weeks went by rather fast for me. I kept myself busy with the hospital of course, I pulled all kinds of crazy shifts and by the time your arrival date came around, I was practically nocturnal. I would train with Lee, well just once, we would run around the village and of course he lasted longer than me. A couple of days I even traded my shifts at the hospital for helping Lady Tsunade with her paperwork. Time started to slow down when day fourteen officially ended and 11:59 p.m turned into 12:00 a.m and it became day fifteen.

I sat up in bed looking at my clock, it read 12:00 a.m; It was now the beginning of day fifteen. Of course I didn't expect you to get home right on time, but still, I worried. I worried all throughout day fifteen; I worried at 7 a.m when my alarm clock signaled that I had gone an entire night without sleep; I worried when I looked to the clock that sat hanging on the wall of the hospital, it read 12:00 p.m, had it really been twelve hours since I gazed upon my own at home?; I worried when I was not stopped by you all day at the hospital; I worried when I wasn't stopped on my way home, I even made sure that my walk was as leisurely as possible; I worried when I settled in my bed and once again, the clock struck 12:00 a.m. I told myself that you were just late and that I should not worry.