I coulnd't wait to post this chapter, so here it is! I hope you like it :)

Chapter 4, Basics.

Two days later I received a letter in the mail from Jiraiya. He requested that I meet him that Friday at a martial arts place in the city. He said he would be waiting for me, and to wear something comfortable. But I hadn't decided if I would go yet. Jiraiya wrote that it would my showing up would not be signing my life away. It would be to test my muscle strength to see how much I have lost. It is a smart thing to do, its one of the things that had run through my head when we first talked.

I spent that Thursday with Savannah, doing what ever she wanted to do. We went horse back riding through the fields, we went to the lake and fished for a little while, we went into the city and did a little bit of shopping. It was a fun day. We ate at a pizza place, one that I have never been to. And it was good. Normally I don't go for pizza, but it was what she wanted, so I agreed.

As the minutes passed, I found myself thinking more and more about the decision I would have to make tomorrow. Well, I knew I didn't have to make it right then. I could test my strength, then think it over. But deep down, I knew I would end up making my decision based on the results of our exercise. I would show up, give it my all, and decide. So why can't I just say it now? Why must I wait until everything is over until I can finally say the words?

Is it because I'm unsure?

Of course I won't leave my family! They are my whole life. I need them, and they need me. If I leave them now, with Kaleb getting shipped off in a few weeks, they will need me here. Savannah will need her big sister to help her though this mess. Who is going to be here when she has all of her "firsts"? Who is she going to tell? Mother? Surely not!

I glanced over at my baby sister on the other side of the car. Her bronze colored hair blew in the wind, a bright smile on her lips. Daddy got me a loner until I bought a new car. Daddy, I can't leave him again. With Kaleb going off to war, there is always a possibility he may not come back. Though I hate to think it, I must face the truth. I know first hand how dangerous it can be. I will be the next in line to inherit everything Daddy owns. If something should happen to him and mother, Savannah is to young to be such responsibilities. She is to young to enter the world of deceit and lies. I can't let her enter that world for a long time.

But despite everything I've been feeling, I found myself dressed in spandex pants and tank top at the martial arts place an hour earlier than Jiraiya had said to meet. As I removed my shoes and socks I watched him teaching a small group of children. They seemed happy, and like they were having fun. One little girl was trying to do a spin kick, but she kept falling. Jiraiya gave her a pointer, demonstrated in slow motion, and let her try again. She nailed it perfectly. I couldn't help but clap for her.

Jiraiya looked up in surprise, finally noticing my arrival. "I wasn't sure if you would make it," he said. But then he looked at the children and winked at them. "Now that my friend has arrived, I must leave you. I'll be back tomorrow, so keep practicing!" He patted them each on the head then motioned for me to follow him. "We will use the back dojo, its the more privet one."

As I followed him I couldn't help but wonder how he knows all of this. Those kids loved him, trusted him, and listened to him very well. Are kids just a lot more trusting these days? Or is it just him? Naruto was always one who you instantly felt you could trust, and it makes me wonder if he got it from Jiraiya. Like Sakura got her temper from Tsunade.

I set my shoes down by the door and crossed the room, gently picking up one of the wooden staffs. It was very well crafted, its weight central. Easy to move. I flipped it around my hands a few times, like I was able to with a sword at one point. The staff felt natural in my hand, something I missed. I missed the feeling of a weapon. Once I had been so appalled by the sight of blood, of a weapon. But I greatly miss it now.

But to my dismay, he told me to put it down. "We will start off with basics."

I watched as Jiraiya slid into a ready stance. I slid my feet apart, bent my knees slightly and leaned my torso forward, trying to remember. With my eyes closed I could almost envision what I used to look like in my stance. My hair blowing in my ponytail, my hands in tight fists, legs bent slightly, torso forward. I looked like a cat ready to pounce. I remember what it felt like to leap from tree to tree, feeling like I was flying. What it felt like to move tons on tons of water over my head like they weighed no more than bubbles. I smiled faintly. Yes, I remember now.

My eyes opened as my legs spread more apart, locking into place. My arms lifted from my sides slightly, bending at the elbow until one of my hands were almost at my face. My ready stance. I remember now.

Jiraiya nodded approvingly. "Good. Next."

Jiraiya slid backwards, his leg coming up slowly into a slow-motion kick, twisting his body until he was back into the same position he started in. The next hour flowed like this. He would do something in slow motion, I would follow his moves as much as I could. As much as my body would allow. I am definitely not as flexible as I was back when I was a teenager. And my stamina isn't the same, either. By the end of the hour I was huffing for air, and was forced to sit down.

Jiraiya came to sit over me, not even breathing hard. "That is something you will have to work on," he mumbled. "You did great, don't think otherwise. I would have thought you'd be much more out of it."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Thanks for thinking so highly of me," I grumbled. I couldn't help my sarcastic tone. It's second nature, always has been. I sat on the floor with my head between my knees for a few minutes then stood with a deep breath. Sweat trickled down my back, my shirt already soaked. I didn't know it was possible for spandex to get soaked. Thankfully, Jiraiya was opening one of the two windows in the room. "Tell me more about what is going on. How did it start?" I asked.

Jiraiya picked of the staff I had admired when I first entered and tossed it to me. "I will talk, but you must defend." And he was attacking me, not overly hard hits, but hard enough to jar my arms. I silently fought back, defending and attacking where ever I saw an opening.

And he began to talk. "About ten years ago two very unnatural children were born. Everything changed that day. The powers of the earth changed, the rotation shifted. Some became more powerful while others got weaker." He caught me in the back of the knee and sent me to the floor. "Those who became greedy started to declare war on the ones who were weaker. They wanted power, status in the world. Gangs formed, country boards were lost. Villages were plundered." I blocked a rather hard hit and tried to sweep his staff from his grasp, but he was to quick. I received a sharp whack in the back. "The Kage's became nothing but people to lead those who were frightened."

He stopped his tale for a moment, a series of combination moves trying and trip me and steal my staff from my hands. But I twisted and ducked, retreating out of his line of combat. I slipped behind him and tried to take his legs from under him, but he flipped and rounded, swinging his staff.

"Thankfully, not only the bad people became more powerful. You should see Naruto," he chuckled. His staff went for my face, but I blocked in time. "Iwa is back to fighting, and other have joined them. Kiri, Oto, Yoshi, they have all joined with Iwa. Oto and Iwa lead. They have become very dangerous, Kira. And powerful."

"Who," I gasped between blows, "is on the good side?"

He smirked, swiped my legs out from under me, and stood with the end of the staff at my throat. "Konoha, Suna, Hoshi,the village hidden in the stars, Tani, the village hidden in the Valleys, Shimo, the village hidden under the moon, have all joined us. I believe we are now making negotiations with Yuga, the village hidden in Hot Water. Tsunade and the Kazekage are trying every which way to get people on our side to face Iwa and the others. But there are still those who say they are neutral, but will kill any who enter their borders." Jiraiya held out his hand and helped me to stand. "But we have something special they don't have. We have you, Kira. You are the only person who can tip the tides and give us the advantage."

I took a water bottle from the bench and took a long drink, trying to get past the flutter in my heart at the mention of the Kazekage. "How?" I finally asked. "How can I give you the advantage you are talking about?"

He smiled and sat down next to me. "Because no matter where you are, everything is your element. You could be standing on an ocean, in the middle of a dessert, or on top of a mountain and you could still beat whoever you are fighting to a bloody pulp." He leaned back and wouldn't meet my eyes as he continued. "Plus, it helps that everyone thinks you are dead."

That sentence made me choke. Water came tumbling out of my lungs and onto the floor. "What!" I practically screamed at him. "What do you mean, they think I'm dead!" I can't even begin to describe the shock I am feeling. Dead! They all think I'm dead! If I hadn't been sitting, I think I may have fallen.

Jiraiya still didn't look at me. "You died. You stopped breathing, and your heart gave out. There was a big funeral and everything. I attended." His hands were clasped in front of him, and he stared at them. Hard. "Everyone wept. No one could figure out why your heart stopped, not even Tsunade, and she tried. She and Sakura spent countless hours trying to figure out why you were dead."

I remember the sight of Gaara holding Jessica at my feet before I closed my eyes. I remember his slight smile as I fell asleep. How would he have behaved when he noticed my heart was no longer beating? Did he think I was simply in a deep sleep? Or had he noticed right away? My heart felt like stopping right now. I felt grief over leaving him like that. Of leaving my new born babies.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I guess it makes sense, to a point. Issac said I had been like I was in some kind of coma on the plane. Could my heart really have stopped and he just didn't know? I took another breath and let it out slowly.

"Then how did you know where to find me? How did you get here?" I asked in a whisper. It's starting to be to much to take in.

He gave a little roll of his shoulders, and stretched his neck this way and that. "Tsunade had a feeling. Because she could find nothing wrong with your heart, she suspected that maybe you went home." Jiraiya stood and went to the window, looking out at the busy street. "And as people got stronger, new powers were developed. Tsunade figured out a way to send me here. We planned out a time when she would bring me back, with or without you. There was no telling when or if I would find you, and she didn't want me getting lost in this world."

I nodded, I guess I could accept that. "How much longer?"

He shrugged and seemed to count on his fingers. "I have about three more days before she brings me back."

I nodded, that, too, I can accept. He is here, after all. But something else nagged at me. He is too familiar with everything around here. He knows what a car is, that I had crashed and could have been seriously hurt. He knows his way around the city, found this place. "How long have you been here?" I asked.

Again, he shrugged. But this time he didn't need to count. "Around three or four years."

My jaw dropped. No way! "How come I have never seen you before!" I knew I was staring at him like he had just said he was some kind of drag queen and Tsunade happened to be a monkey. Things I knew were impossible. Though, I wouldn't doubt for a second he would dress up to get close to ladies. Naruto would, so obviously he would.

A sly smirk made its way to his mouth. "I'm not just some big dumb guy who chases after every skirt he sees, like Tsunade may have told you. I can be sneaky, and get the information I need in record time." He chuckled and held up his hand. "I wanted to observe you. I knew who you were the second I saw you, but I was unsure of how to approach you. You never went out, and press follows you everywhere you go if you do. There is always someone watching you if you are at the club, which I have to say is a big hit."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "So you have been hiding in my shadow for years?"

"Yes, you could say that." He shrugged. He does a lot of shrugging. "It took me two years to find you. When I came in your world I had no idea what to make of everything. I spent a half of a year with a family in the country of Kansas."

"State," I corrected softly. I couldn't help but smile at his mistake.

He waved a hand like it didn't matter. "Anyway, I ended seeing you in the paper and the oldest daughter of the family, the little cutie, told me all about you. Told me where I could find you. So I traveled here with her and she helped me get an apartment to stay in, helped me with everything then she went home. And here I am," he smiled brightly at me. "I found this studio place about a year ago and have been helping out here ever since."

I narrowed my eyes at him. That poor little girl. I hope she knew how to defend herself against an old creep like Jiraiya. He seemed to know my line of thought and stuck his tongue out at me and pulled his eyelid down. I laughed, a real, happy laugh. I inwardly scoffed at myself. I just found out this guy had been stalking me, and I laughing at him. But... it feels so natural.

Unlike the sound of my cell phone going off. I quickly grabbed it from inside my shoe and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Kira!" Savannah yelled on the other side of the line. "Where are you?" Her voice turned a lot more soft.

I smiled. "I'm with an old friend. Why? What's wrong?"

There was a giggle in her voice. "Nothing, big sister! Just, there is someone here to see you. So you should come home. I think you would like to see him, too."

"Him?" I questioned. "Who is it?" Who could be at Mothers country home? I can't think of anyone! Mike would just be bringing Anne home from the hospital, so it isn't him. "Savannah, who is there?"

She giggled again. "Just come home and see!" The line clicked and my phone beeped, letting me know the line ended. I glared at my cell phone.

Jiraiya was looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, slipping my feet into my shoes. "That was Savannah, my little sister. I have to go." I was just about to walk out the door when I glanced back. "Jiraiya? Thank you."

He gave me a nice smile. "You are welcome. Give me a call."

I nodded. "I will."

– –

As I pulled into the driveway, Savannah came running out of the house with her hands up in the air. Screaming. I pulled to a screeching halt and jumped out, running to her and hiding her behind my back. But that is when I heard her giggles. She wrapped her arms around my waist and laughed.

"You can't hide from me!" Came a bellowing voice as a man ran out the front door. He stopped short when he saw me. My jaw dropped. No way! "Kira!" He grinned and loped down the stairs, coming to a stop in front of me. "Good to see you!"

Savannah giggled. "He said he was your friend. I like him, he's funny. And his doggy is cute!"

My head swirled in circles. "What are you doing here?" I asked. First Jiraiya, now...

Kiba looked affronted. "I thought you would be happy to see me," he frowned. "It took me awhile to find you, too." He crossed his arms over his broad chest and pouted.

"Why are you here?" It was the only thing that came out of my mouth. I had meant to say something else, but it just came out. I closed my eyes briefly and shook my head. "Savannah, why don't you go swimming or something? I would like to talk to him alone." She giggled and ran off.

Kiba watched her run up the steps then turned back to look at me. Some impulse came over him, I could see him trying to hold back, but he gave up and swept me into a strangling hug. "Kami, we all thought you were dead," he whispered. "You don't know how happy I was when I found out you weren't."

I laughed and hugged him back. "Me, too." He snorted and let me go. "But, seriously, Kiba, what are you doing here?"

He linked his hands behind his head and looked down at me. He has definitely grown. I can see the maturity in his eyes. This is no longer the childish Kiba I had once known. So much can change in ten years. So much. "I cam looking for Jiraiya. He missed the date. Time travels differently here than it does back home. Though not as much as it had. Our worlds are starting to intermix, the time is off by only a few days now."

I couldn't help the gasp. "But when I came back here I had been gone a few hours!"

He nodded solemnly. "That is what we are worried about." He gave his head a quick scratch. "Jiraiya was supposed to be at the meeting point a year ago. So, Tsunade-sama sent me after him." He grinned again, looking a little like the old Kiba I knew.

"How does she do it?" I asked as we started up the steps towards the house. "How does she send you two to my world?"

He gave a small shrug. "Some kind of jutsu she developed. Which is amazing, considering her forte is in healing. To get a time jutsu," he shrugged and that was all he needed to say. "So... Have you seen Jiraiya?"

I smiled. "Yes. I was just with him, actually."

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