Truth: It was possible for her to have friends.

Sayuri's smile wouldn't go away even as she and Satoru returned to his house. He gave her some old, baggy clothes to sleep in and showed her how to take a shower, which awed her. She spent several minutes just standing under the shower head, letting the hot water run over her fingers. Usually the only baths she got involved jumping in a freezing stream and scrubbing with whatever scrap of cloth she could find. When she was really lucky, she managed to sneak a small piece of soap from one of the Kaguyas.

"I have a week to get you as ready as possible for the Academy, and I'm not going to go easy on you," Satoru warned as they ate that night. After being briefly shown around the kitchen, Sayuri had insisted on making him dinner in thanks, and he was completely okay with that. She was a much better cook than he was.

"Please don't," Sayuri begged. "I want to learn as much as I can."

"We'll be starting tomorrow. I'll be going to the hospital in the morning to get my stitches out, so don't freak out if you wake up and I'm not here. I've arranged for a friend of mine, Ayano Soma, to take you to get clothes and the supplies you'll need for school. She'll make sure you're prepared. Give her the piece of paper I left on the table by the door. She'll know what to do with it. I put your clothes in the wash, so you'll be able to wear something clean tomorrow," Satoru said, shifting uncomfortably and feeling incredibly domesticated. Great Kages, I sound like her father! "When you get back, we'll start training. I want you back by noon, at the latest. I know it takes girls a while to shop."

Sayuri paused, a bite of rice halfway to her mouth. "Does it? Do I have to take a while? I'd like to finish quickly so I can train."

Right, I forgot I was talking to one of the world's most socially ignorant kids.

"You don't have to," Satoru explained. "It's just kind of a stereotype."

"A what?" Sayuri said blankly.

"It's like an accepted image of a group."

"I see," Sayuri said, nodding thoughtfully. "A stereotype. That's an odd word," she mused, then jumped back on track. "So I can finish quickly?" she confirmed.

"Yeah," Satoru nodded. "But there's a lot to get, you know. It will probably take a while anyway."

"I see," Sayuri nodded. "Would it be possible for you to make me a list of things I'll need?"

He blinked. "Huh? Wait, you really want a list?"

Sayuri hastily added, "If it's not too much trouble, of course."

"No, it's fine," Satoru quickly agreed. "I'll put it on the table with the other paper. I'm just surprised. Most kids your age aren't very organized."

"I like lists," Sayuri shrugged. "They helped me remember what I had to accomplish that day. That way I made sure I didn't leave anything out when I talked to Kimimaro."

"This Kimimaro guy was pretty important to you, huh?" Satoru noticed.

"Oh yes," Sayuri said softly. "He was my only friend. I loved him. I miss him," she sighed.

"Hey, no long faces!" Satoru said hastily as he saw her begin to tear up slightly. "You're going to be a shinobi, you should be excited, not depressed!"

"You're right," Sayuri said, wiping her eyes. "I should not be sad for Kimimaro. He's supposed to be in a better place now, right?" she asked hopefully. "I've heard that before."

"That's the way to think!" Satoru encouraged. "You go on to bed, you've got a big day tomorrow."

"No, I will clean up," Sayuri disagreed, standing and taking their empty plates to the sink. She found the faucet quickly and turned it on, testing the water with her fingers.

"You dry, I'll wash," Satoru bargained, gently pushing her to the side of the sink and handing her a dishrag.

"Alright," she relented, taking the dishrag. Working together, they quickly finished off the dishes and were able to get to bed fast.

The next morning Satoru woke at six, as usual, and was shocked to smell breakfast cooking. He rolled out of bed, ruffled his brown hair, and headed for the living room/kitchen/dining room that made up the majority of his apartment.

Sayuri had insisted on taking the couch even after he offered her the bed, and the sheets he'd laid out for her were neatly folded with the pillow sitting on top, resting on the arm. The living room seemed to have been dusted, the kitchen swept, and whole place generally straightened. She was dressed, the clothes she'd worn last night laundered and waiting in a basket by his door to be put away. Two plates of breakfast rested on the dining room table, still steaming. Sayuri was putting away whatever dishes she'd used to make breakfast, having apparently already washed them.

"Good morning," she greeted. Satoru gaped.

"How… what… How long have you been up?"

"Since about five," she shrugged. "That's when I usually get up."

"The sun isn't even up yet!" Satoru exclaimed. "What's wrong with you?"

She paused, a wooden mixing spoon in hand. "Is it wrong to get up that early?" she asked worriedly.

"No, no!" Satoru said, smacking his face into his hand.

"Did you just… hit yourself?"

"A little."

"Why…?"

"Don't take things so literally or you'll end up really confused," he warned. "I didn't mean it was wrong, I just meant that most people don't. I'm not a morning person. I don't get how people get up early and actually accomplish things."

"Why else would you get up early?"

"I don't know, some people like to watch the sunrise or meditate or something," Satoru shrugged, shuffling towards the table.

"I can't watch the sunrise and meditation has always sounded very dull to me," Sayuri said, putting away the last of the dishes.

"I agree. Is there any-?"

"Coffee," Sayuri said, placing a mug of it before him.

"You're amazing," Satoru whimpered in pleasure, taking a long gulp of the life-giving caffeine. He already felt better.

"Thank you," Sayuri smiled, pleased. "So I did well?"

"You did very well," Satoru praised. "But you know, you don't have to do all this. It's not really necessary."

"This is how I can pay you back!" Sayuri insisted. "You've been so nice to me. You brought me here, gave me a place to stay, and argued my case to the Hokage. Doing chores is the least I can do to thank you. Besides, it's what I've always done. I don't know what I'd do with my time if I didn't do chores," she admitted.

"We need to find you a hobby," Satoru sighed.

Satoru finished his breakfast and left for the hospital to get his stitches removed and to hand in his report. Sayuri busied herself with cleaning the breakfast plates and putting them away. After that she looked around for something to do. She'd already dusted, swept, straightened, done laundry, cooked, cleaned the dishes…

She was just starting a plan to wash the curtains when there was a knock on the door. Sayuri ran to it eagerly and opened it. There was a woman outside, leaning against the wall.

"Are you Sayuri Kaguya?" the woman asked lazily.

"Yes. Are you Ayano Soma."

"The one and only," the woman said, a small smile in her voice. "Satoru said you need to get… well, pretty much everything."

"Yes," Sayuri admitted. "Oh!" she exclaimed, recalling Satoru's instructions the night before. Her hands groped on the table until she found the pieces of paper and picked them up, handing them to Ayano.

"Satoru said you'd know what to do with it?" she said hesitantly.

"Yeah, yeah. This just means you've got a lot of cash to use. This little shopping spree is on Konoha's funds." Ayano paused and Sayuri assumed she was reading the list. "Wow, he wasn't kidding. You do need a lot of stuff. Well, come on. If he wants you back by noon, we've got three hours. Might even be able to get lunch," Ayano mused absently. "Then again, you probably shouldn't eat much. Satoru's a harsh teacher."

"Good," Sayuri said determinedly. "I don't want to walk into the Academy in a week unprepared."

"No kidding, those kids would eat you alive," Ayano snorted. "Well, come on, I know a place that has a good selection of clothes. What kind of style do you like anyway? Looks like kind of traditional…"

"Before we go," Sayuri began nervously.

"Eh? What?"

"Can I touch your face?" Sayuri blurted. Ayano blinked at her.

"Say what?"

"I want to know what you look like," Sayuri explained.

"Uh, why can't I just tell you?"

"This way I get more detail. Besides, the way people see themselves sometimes isn't how they really look."

Ayano whistled. "Wow kid, that was deep. Yeah, sure, go for it."

"What color are your eyes?" Sayuri asked as she stroked Ayano's cheeks, before moving to her nose. "Your hair?"

"Uh, my eyes are blue, and my hair's sort of a turquoise color."

"Hair can be that color?" Sayuri said in surprise.

"... 'parently so."

"I see," Sayuri mused, passing over her forehead one last time before pulling her hands back. "Thank you. I feel so much better when I know what the person I'm talking to looks like."

"Makes sense," Ayano nodded. "Well, come on, let's go."

Sayuri followed her through the streets of Konoha. Again the sound bothered her, but this time she was better at filtering it and it made it easier to focus. She followed Ayano closely through the streets, keeping track of the distance and every turn from the house, trying to learn how to navigate through the city.

The sound faded as they stepped through a door and she assumed they'd entered a store.

"Weapons first," Ayano said with a wicked grin as she grabbed a basket from the stack by the door. When you were shopping for weapons, it was always best to use a basket. If you needed several, it got tricky to balance without sliced hands.

"You know how to use anything?" she asked.

"I know how to use a knife to carve," Sayuri said. "That's all. And I don't really need knives."

"Eh? Why?"

Sayuri stretched her hands out. The bone pushed through her palm and took on the shape of a wickedly sharp short sword.

"Ah, right, Kaguya," Ayano said, smacking herself in the forehead.

"Did you just hit yourself?"

"Yeah. I forgot about that freaky kekkei genkai. Why?"

"People seem to do that often around me lately," Sayuri said thoughtfully. "I wonder why?" Ayano restrained a chuckle.

I like this kid.

"Alright, well, knives or not, you'll need some standard equipment. Kunai, shuriken, an equipment pouch…" she reeled off. "Come on, over here."

Sayuri followed Ayano's footsteps over to a shelf. Ayano handed her a kunai and a shuriken.

"These'll be your bread and butter as a shinobi," she said.

"I understand," Sayuri nodded. She ran a hand carelessly along the edge of the kunai and opened a small cut.

"Hey, hey, watch it!" Ayano cried, yanking the weapons back. "Don't slice yourself!"

"I doesn't matter," Sayuri shrugged carelessly, popping her finger in her mouth and sucking. "It's just a cut," she added around her finger. Ayano's eyes roamed over the many scratches and cuts on the girl's weathered hands. Clearly she was used to hard work. She glanced back at the list in Satoru's handwriting, finally understanding the line that read and for god's sake, get her some fingerless gloves!

"Yeah, well, people will think you're kind of dumb if you go around cutting yourself with your own weapons," Ayano countered, dropping two braces of each weapon into the basket. "That's why we have special holders for these sorts of things," she added, grabbing a standard blue kunai holster from a nearby shelf and putting it in too.

"Always good to have some senbon," she said cheerily, tossing a box of them in with some oil, a whet stone, and extra wrapping. "The oil is to keep your metal equipment clean. In case the grips start wearing out, you can rewrap them. Satoru can show you how. The whetstone is to keep them all sharp.

"Next up you'll need an equipment pouch," Ayano said, moving towards another part of the shop. "Got any color preferences?"

"Something subtle?" Sayuri suggested in confusion.

"Nice going," Ayano chuckled, putting a standard tan one into the basket. "I'd have been kind of disappointed if you were like some of those kunoichi who want all their stuff pink and sparkly or monogrammed. Idiots," she snorted. "Just makes it easier to pick you out of crowd.

"You don't need to take this to the Academy with you, but we might as well get it while we're here. You won't need the kunai and shuriken every day either, just on days with practical lessons. Like I said though, best to go ahead and be prepared. Over here now," Ayano instructed.

Sayuri felt a bit like a trained dog as she followed Ayano through the store, listening to her talk. She knew though that Ayano was more experienced here and knew what she needed better than Sayuri herself did. When they began looking for things like clothes and toiletries she'd contribute more.

"Now, those hip pouches contain a lot of stuff," Ayano explained. "It varies from ninja to ninja depending on what kind of mission they're going on, but there's some standard stuff everybody should have on hand, and you'll probably need it for your lessons with Satoru. I bet he'd let you use some of his stuff, but it's better to just have your own. Smoke bombs. Flash bombs. Sealing scrolls. Explosive tags." Between each was a clatter as Ayano tossed some into the basket.

"Now, do you think you might like to wear arm guards or leg guards?" Ayano asked. "We can get those here too."

Sayuri thought for a minute. "No, I think it would get in the way of the bones."

"You mean you can do that everywhere?" Ayano asked, restraining a shudder. There was a reason she wasn't a med-nin like her father wanted her to be.

"Yes," Sayuri nodded. "I've only ever practiced with my hands though."

"Well then you'd better get on that, kid. That's a useful skill to have. How tough are those bones?"

"Harder than steel, if I want them to be," Sayuri said proudly. Ayano raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. Well now, no wonder Satoru was interested." There was a clatter as she tossed a few more things into the basket. "Food and blood pills," she explained. "Like I said, you probably won't need them for a while, but we're here, and who knows how long this free spending pass from the Hokage will last? That's it for here," she said, guiding Sayuri towards the counter.

"Wow Ayano, planning to go to war?" snorted the cashier, looking at the overflowing basket. He started taking things out and ringing them up, shaking his head in amusement.

"This is Sayuri," Ayano said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Hello," Sayuri greeted softly.

"She's starting the Academy. I'm getting her the starter kit."

"She looks kind of old," the cashier replied skeptically.

"This should explain it," Ayano said, dramatically pulling out the paper with the approval from the Hokage.

"Oh. From the outside world," the cashier said dramatically. "Well, good luck kid," he said, thrusting the bags towards her. Sayuri took them somewhat clumsily, staggering slightly under the weight.

"Thanks," Ayano called back to the cashier as they left. "I might be back later to look at that tanto in the window. That's a pretty piece of work."

"You do that!" the cashier called back as the door swung shut.

"Now where do we go?" Sayuri asked, already vaguely dizzied by shopping for weapons.

"Clothes," Ayano said brightly.

"Hey, Ayano!"

"Izumo! Kotetsu!" Ayano said, spinning around and grinning at the two men behind her. Sayuri turned to face the two chakra signatures she'd met the day before.

"Hey, it's you!" Kotetsu said in surprise, looking Sayuri over. "You're… uh… the Lily-girl!"

"Sayuri," Izumo sighed, shaking his head. "It's only been a day..."

"I like Lily-girl better!" Kotetsu said defensively.

"Getting old, Kotetsu?" Ayano teased.

"You're the grandma here Ayano," Kotetsu replied casually.

"Ooh, you're lucky there're children present, or I'd pound you for that!" Ayano scowled.

"Come on," Izumo said, shaking his head and dragging his friend away. "We have to get to our post. Nice to see you Ayano, Sayuri!"

"You too!" Ayano called after them. She looked at Sayuri. "You know them?"

"They were at the gate when Satoru brought me in," Sayuri explained as they started walking again. Ayano grabbed her arm and tugged her through a door.

"This oughta be fun," Ayano said as she stepped into the store. "You need everything from the ground up, right?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll start with underwear and work our way out!"

Ayano amused herself for several minutes by passing Sayuri the laciest, raciest thongs she could possibly find before simply tossing a couple packs into the cart.

"Too young for a bra, but don't worry, you'll get there," Ayano said, patting her shoulder patronizingly. Sayuri frowned slightly. Ayano looked at her own chest in exasperation. "Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to tape 'em down to keep from getting black eyes when you run."

Sayuri wasn't really sure how to respond to that, so Ayano just laughed as she tugged her towards the half of the store that sold clothes for ninja. Some civilians shopped there purely because the clothes were longer-lasting, with stronger seams and tougher material. However, because they were for sneaking around, most of the clothes were in blander colors – black and dark brown predominating – and with few patterns beyond a simple color block.

"There's not really a good way to do this," Ayano sighed, looking around at the racks and racks of clothes. "Are you good to browse?"

"I can tell the style and feel of the clothes," Sayuri nodded. "If you could tell me the colors and make suggestions, perhaps?"

"Alright, kid," Ayano said, rubbing her hands together. "Into the fray we go."

They spent several minutes scanning the racks. Ayano again amused herself by handing Sayuri some revealing clothes to go over. Sayuri always blushed and handed them back with some sort of mumbled rejection. Ayano got bored with that and turned back to her task.

"You like kind of traditional stuff, it seems," Ayano mused. She handed Sayuri a few shirts to look at. She ran her fingers over them.

"What colors are they?"

"This one's red, this one's blue with purple edging, and the one next to it is gray with blue edging."

"I like the gray one," Sayuri said, happy she'd finally found something.

"Most shinobi just have one outfit they wear for everyday. You okay with that?"

"Yes," Sayuri nodded, and Ayano grabbed a few more of the same shirt.

They found a few shirts for going out with friends and a couple pairs of pajamas before venturing off to find pants. Sayuri was completely fine with the loose, dark pants Ayano handed her right off the bat, and a lighter pair for going out.

"You'll need some kind of a belt to attach your stuff to, and most people wear wrappings under their kunai holster to keep from chafing as bad," Ayano explained.

"Where are the wrappings?"

"On the shelf to your left. I'd grab several rolls," Ayano warned when Sayuri placed one inside. She tossed in a few more and Ayano nodded in satisfaction. "How about we keep up the traditional theme with something like this?" Ayano suggested, holding up an obi. "Light blue," she added as Sayuri took it to examine.

"I like it," Sayuri nodded.

"Think it's time to head for a fitting room and see how these fit?" Ayano asked, tilting her head in that direction. Sayuri nodded and stepped into one of the empty stalls. Ayano handed her all of the clothes while she waited outside with their bags of shopping. "Now come out when you're dressed so I can critique!" she called cheerfully.

Sayuri took a moment inside the stall to let out a deep breath. Ayano was nice, and Sayuri really liked her. She hoped she got to spend more time with the older woman. However, her energy was boundless while at the same time she was capable of seeming like she didn't care at all. It was a personality that was completely new to her. She'd found another new truth in her life. It was possible for her to have friends.

Gathering her thoughts up, Sayuri stripped and put on her pajamas, a pair of loose sweatpants and a loose, long-sleeved shirt. She stepped out and Ayano approved. She did the same for the short and tank top/t-shirt combo they'd gotten for warmer weather and again Ayano approved. Her casual clothes were also quickly approved.

"You're an easy shopper," Ayano commented as Sayuri changed into her ninja gear. She tugged on the pants and shirt and wrapped the belt tightly around her middle. Her hand hit something else and she quickly realized it was a pair of fingerless gloves with a metal plate on the back Ayano must have snuck into the pile. She smiled slightly, remembering her conversation with Satoru by the blackberry bush and realized he must have said something to her. She whispered a quiet thank you to him as she tugged them on and stepped out, flexing her hands at the new feeling.

"Your bones put you at kind of a disadvantage," Ayano mused. "You're gonna rip holes in everything you wear that way."

"That's unfortunate," Sayuri mused, touching the shoulders and arms of her shirt.

Other than that, Ayano mused, she looked pretty good. A little less colorful than most girls her age, but whatever. Her black pants were loose, the ankles tucked into her sandals. The gray shirt hung down to her knees with a slit up the sides to her hips. The front zipped up just above where she'd belted it, and the sleeves went all the way down her arms.

"Oh, brainstorm!" Ayano grinned, jumping up and tugging Ayano towards the dressing room. She pointed to the roll of wrapping. "You could wrap your torso and wear it a little more open in the front. Then if you needed to use your kekkei genkai, you could just shrug the top bit off."

"That could work," Sayuri mused.

"Try it!" Ayano encouraged, ducking back out. Sayuri shrugged off the top part of her shirt and picked up the wrapping. She quickly did her whole torso, before thinking again. That seemed a bit wasteful considering her shirt would be on most of the time, so she backtracked and just wrapped her chest, leaving her stomach bare. She felt a bit uncomfortable with that until she pulled her shirt back on and tugged up the zipper to the bottoms of the wrapping.

"Much better!" Ayano praised, applauding as Sayuri emerged. "I like it."

Sayuri turned this way and that, smiling at the way the fabric moved easily with her and didn't restrict her movement. She smiled as she ran her hands over the fabric. For one it was slightly stiff with disuse instead of thread-bare, ill-fitting, and holey. It was without a doubt the nicest thing she'd ever worn.

Sayuri paused as she felt eyes on her. "Are people looking at me?" she asked self-consciously. Did she look ridiculous?

Ayano glanced around. A few women hastily bowed their heads over the racks and busied themselves flipping through styles. "A little," she noted. She looked Sayuri over. "I think it may be the markings around your eyes," she guessed.

"... Could I cover them?" Sayuri asked self-consciously.

"I suppose," Ayano mused. "It wouldn't make much of a difference except to hide the marks."

"Can I get another like this one?" Sayuri asked, fingering the belt at her waist. "I can shorten it myself."

"If you can sew, I may hire you to do my mending," Ayano said wryly. "Yeah, sure, you can get what you want. Change back into your old clothes and I'll grab another."

They spent a few minutes getting some basic hygiene items – toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, shampoo, conditioner, that sort of thing – and then headed back to Satoru's house.

"That was one of the most painless shopping trips I've ever been on," Ayano grinned as they walked. "Hey, we've got a bit, do you still want to grab some lunch?"

Sayuri opened her mouth to reply and then closed it abruptly. Strange sounds were reaching her ears from the building next to them. Whirring, humming, buzzing, the sound of water rushing. "What are we standing next to?"

"A hair salon," Ayano said, glancing up at the sign. She looked at Sayuri's hair. It reached below her rear. "You might want to consider a haircut. A lot of kunoichi keep their hair short, for convenience and so it doesn't get caught in things. You game?"

"Yes," Sayuri said immediately, recalling the annoying times when the Kaguyas caught her by her hair and threw her into things. It was infrequent enough that she'd never bothered to cut it, but frequent enough to be memorable.

Several minutes later she walked out, her head feeling a startling amount lighter. Her hair now reached to her chin in choppy pieces, bangs falling over her left eye.

"Well, no time for lunch," Ayano said, glancing around. She saw a man with a cart selling ice cream across the street. "Oh, but there's time for ice cream!"

Sayuri looked at her blankly. "What?"

Ayano gaped at her. "You don't know what ice cream is?" she demanded.

Sayuri flinched. "I'm… sorry?"

"I have to fix this. We need to get some frozen, creamy goodness in you, stat, kid," Ayano said, dragging her across the street. "Two vanilla cones please, my good man!" she asked, dramatically pulling out her wallet. "I've got this," she added to Sayuri. "I get to buy your first ice cream cone. I feel so special," she giggled.

"Thank you?" Sayuri said, a bit dizzied by Ayano's sudden excitement, not that she hadn't been energetic the whole trip. Some sort of cone was shoved into her hand. Sayuri leaned forwards and sniffed it cautiously. It smelled cold and sweet.

"You lick it," Ayano encouraged, biting into her own cone with a happy crunch. Sayuri licked it and her eyes widened in delight. It was cool and smooth, and the longer she held it on her tongue, the more it melted. She began licking eagerly.

"This is the best thing I've ever tasted," Sayuri breathed.

"Next time you'll have to try chocolate," Ayano grinned.

"What's chocolate?" Sayuri asked interestedly. Was it even better than this?

Ayano just stared at her. "You... don't know what chocolate is?"

Sayuri shook her head, focused entirely on her treat.

"You haven't lived," Ayano mourned. "We will have to go out again sometime, and I'll expose you to the wonders of chocolate."

"It's that great?"

"It fixes broken hearts, encourages love, and just all around makes you feel better."

"… Is it some kind of drug?"

"Yes," Ayano replied seriously. "The world's most addictive drug."