As my brother had so kindly "requested", I had taken a shower.

I don't think Akito was too impressed when I pointed out that I didn't take showers (he was the only one who did, but he was only three, so that could be excused), and he made an example by tugging me to the bathroom.

His fingers were nearly as big as mine, as well as his hand, and his fingers easily looped themselves through the cracks in mine.

I frowned in realisation.

Though I was only seven, I shouldn't be this small and thin.

With that thought in mind, I glanced down at my free hand and flexed my fingers.

They were covered in bandages, only because no one knew about the chakra burns (and I knew that they could get healed, but they would appear the next time I would use jutsu, so why bother?) and they were small and somewhat delicate looking- but the bandages wrapped so painstakingly (and messily) around my fingers dissuaded that fact.

Akito tugging insistently at my hand brought me back to reality, and when I glanced down at him, he was looking up at me with insistent eyes. Sighing, I reached my free hand up and ruffled his hair, ignoring his frustrated whine, "What is it, brat?"

Akito pouted, "I'm not a brat," he cried.

"Yes, you are," I countered easily, then, a smirk took over my face as I said, "You gonna leave now, Akito-chan? Or see me undress?"

My little brother flushed before throwing me an affronted glare, "I'm not a baby anymore, Yūyū!" he growled.

My smirk only grew in size, and I eyed him. Eyed his small body, his flustered cheeks, his huge ebony eyes, and the mess of red spikes on his head.

"You look like a baby to me," I answered, shrugging.

Akito merely growled in reply before turning on his heel and fleeing, little feet pattering softly on the floor in his wake.

Satisfied, I raised my arms above my head, yawned, and then entered the bathroom (I'd already gotten clothes on the way here).

I quickly stripped from my soiled and sweat stained clothing, and when the last article of clothing fell to the ground, I straightened up.

Only to reel in shock at what I saw.

Bruises of various colours, ranging from a deep purple to an ugly yellow, dotted the skin of my stomach. There were also a few finger shaped ones on my sides and shoulders.

No doubt from Rei's fingers.

The bruises, I mean.

There were also bruises around my throat, from when Rei had tried to unsuccessfully strangle me.

Not that Rei could even do unsuccessful.

The yellows and purples of the bruises stood out drastically against the paleness of my skin, and I cringed at how bad it looked. Instinctively, I pulled my hair from its braid and let the thick strands fall over my shoulders and into my face.

After that, I hopped into the shower.

I scrubbed myself until I was raw and my skin was glistening and shiny and pink.

I then slipped a pair of long pants (and yes, I had made them purposely long- I didn't want something catching onto the bandages around my leg) on, and then, with a towel draped over my shoulders, I just stared at myself in the mirror.

I moved my head this way and that, looking for any marks or blemishes on my face, and when I began to feel satisfied that there was nothing there, I caught a flash of something.

I ripped my hair away from my face and observed my cheek critically.

There was… some sort of mark on my left cheek- and it was angry and red.

But it sort of resembled something that I'd seen a lifetime before.

And I wasn't kidding when I said that, either.

It was notched in some sort of strange pattern- and I knew that if anyone from this world saw it, then they wouldn't know what it meant.

But I did.

The mark, or scar, as I'm more inclined to say, greatly resembled an English Z.

I know, right?

It could have been a coincidence, but I knew that there was only one way to find out.

I had to find Cho.

But first, I had to put a shirt on.

But what I found would greatly expose the bruises, so I tossed that somewhere else. It wouldn't do well with Mum having a heart attack when she saw them.

Or, even worse, Takashi.

I swallowed heavily, and I slipped the shirt on, draping the towel tighter around my form, before shuffling out from the bathroom.

Thankfully, I avoided any possible interactions and made it safely back to my room. I slid the door shut behind me and slid down against it, my arms wrapped around my legs and my head resting on my knees.

I sat there for a few minutes, wallowing in my own self-pities, before I decided that enough was enough and got to my feet.

I half-heartedly threw my towel and watched as it flapped through the air before landing half on my futon and half on the ground, then I removed my shirt and threw it in the same direction. I didn't bother watching if it had landed safely.

I walked toward my closet and yanked the doors open, peering into the small, enclosed space inside. I could see various articles of clothing neatly folded in piles.

Strange, I don't recall my closet being as neat as this.

Mum must have sorted it out while I was out on that C-rank mission.

I inwardly stiffened at the mere thought of that mission.

Rei's face flashed through my mind, and subconsciously, my fingers came to rest lightly on the skin of my throat, softly tracing the mottled bruises that I couldn't see but knew were there.

Wordlessly, my hand fell away from my throat and I began to quietly retrieve clothing from the recesses of my closet. I stepped away from the closet, clothing draped around my neck, and shut the doors with an audible thump.

I then slipped a mesh shirt over my head, satisfied when the sleeves ended at my elbows. A plain black shirt covered it.

I glanced down at my hands, at the burned, scarred flesh on my palms.

Damn, it looked as if someone had literally burned the undersides of my hands.

Not that it mattered since they would be covered with bandages, anyway.

I quickly set to that, wrapping my hands and fingers with the worn bandages, and after that, I set out from my room.

I had a destination in mind.

"Kaa-chan!" I called, "I'm going out!"

There was only silence, then-

"You're going out, Yū-chan?" Mum's voice sounded from the kitchen, "But you only just got back! You should at least rest!"

"Yeah!" Akito cried, clapping his hands together in agreement.

I smiled softly and shrugged, "Sorry, Kaa-chan," I said, "There's just something that I need to do."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Mum said fretfully, "When you're well and rested?"

I paused, then gave Mum my full attention.

Her face was paler than usual, her eyes more wide-set, and there were lines on her forehead that I hadn't noticed before this.

She looked like a wreck.

"If it makes you feel better, then I'll take Akito-chan with me," I said, and in response to that, my baby brother grinned.

"I wanna go with Yūyū!" he cried, he peered up at our mother with huge ebony eyes reminiscent of our father's, "Please, Kaa-chan?"

Mum sighed, "Oh, okay then. I know that you're almost four, Akito-chan, and that you're nearly eight, Yū-chan, but please be careful, alright?"

I grinned at the reminder- I wasn't nearly eight as Mum had put it. I had about nine more months until I was that old.

My whole team would be eight by then, and that reminded me of something.

Sasori was eight when he became a Chūnin, so did that mean that he would be going for it this time around? And should I try, too?

I sighed a little; so many questions, and yet I had no idea how to answer them.

I didn't think that I was Chūnin material, so I don't know if I should even bother trying out. I don't think that Yashamaru would try, but who knows?

I guess I'll just have to let time run its course.

And in the meantime, I had someone I needed to see.

I took Akito's hand in my own and pulled him after me, but not before checking that he was wearing his shoes.

I then turned to Mum, gifting her with an innocent smile. I could tell that she instantly became suspicious, and that was only confirmed after she sighed rather loudly (and dramatically, might I add).

"What do you want?"

My smile faltered, before coming back full force, "What makes you think that I want anything?"

Mum smiled fondly and reached out to finger a strand of my hair, "Your father always used to have the exact same expression on his face whenever he wanted something," she explained wistfully.

This time, my smile did disappear, "What do you mean?"

Mum ignored my question, and instead brushed my hair from my face as she said, "You're a spitting image of him, you know? You're a female version of Sosuke, your father."

I stared at Mum as if she'd cracked a bad joke, "Thanks, Kaa-chan," I said dryly, "That makes me feel so much better about myself that I look like a guy."

We stared at each other for a few seconds, before breaking the spell and laughing quietly.

"I'll get you some money," Mum said when she had finally stopped her chuckles.

And she did.

She was only gone for about two minutes before she reappeared in front of me.

"Here," she said, holding out a few yen notes.

I gingerly accepted them, stuffing them in the pockets of my pants.

I then grabbed Akito's hand again and tugged him in the opposite direction, raising my free hand as I did so in a gesture of departure.

"I'll see you later, Kaa-chan," I called over my shoulder.

When we were a fair way down the dusty street, I felt Akito's hand tugging insistently on mine, and I glanced down at him to see that he was peering up at me with huge dark eyes.

"Yūyū," he said, still tugging on my hand.

"Hm?"

"Where're we going?"

I smiled briefly, though it had a grim edge, "I need to ask someone something," I answered vaguely, "And I'm pretty sure he has the answer."

"Oh, 'kay," my little brother smiled sweetly.

I raised my free hand and ruffled the mess of red spikes that was his hair and, ignoring his whine of protest, I pulled him along with me.

"C'mon," I muttered, "We'll be late, and I really wanna see if he's where I think he is."

That is, at Takashi's training grounds.

Even from a distance, I could hear the tell-tale sound of metal clanging against metal.

Huh, so they were using weapons?

I hurried our pace, wincing a little at the pain in my leg, pulling Akito along who was lagging behind me greatly.

A few minutes later, my baby brother whined, "Yūyū, my feet ache!"

"Hmm?" I glanced back at him, noting his flushed cheeks and scrunched up face. Then, I sighed, "Do you want me to carry you?"

Akito immediately perked up at this, though I said, "It's not that far anyway. Can't you hold on 'till then, Akito-chan?"

"Nuh!" he cried, reaching his arms out to be held, "Pick me up already, Yūyū!"

I sighed again, smirking as I said, "I spoil you way too much, Akito-chan."

"That's 'cause you love me," my brother chirped in return.

I rolled my eyes, but I bent down, gently hooking my hands under his arms and lifting him up, grunting a little at his weight and the strain that it put on my leg, "God, Akito-chan!" I burst out, "You're getting really heavy and big!"

"Hey!" he protested, his voice muffled due to his face being buried in my neck, "I heard that!"

I chuckled, "I know. That's exactly why I said it."

Akito didn't reply after that, merely wrapping his arms tighter around my neck and hiding his face in my unbound hair.

I swallowed a bit, tightened the hold that I had on my brother, and began to walk at a fast pace (though half of it was limping due to me carrying Akito's heavy ass).

Thankfully, I made it to Takashi's training grounds in one piece, and I carefully set Akito on the ground, then tossed my hair from my face as it was restricting my field of view.

Distractedly, I turned my eyes to my hair, noting how long it was- it reached the end of my shoulder blades, and I knew for a Kunoichi that that was pretty damn long for their hair to be.

I should probably consider getting it cut soon.

It could prove a real hindrance in battle, but that was only if it was left untied, and I usually do keep it tied up.

Meh, I won't worry about it now, as it's not on my list of top priorities.

Now, I'll tell you something that is.

I needed to speak with Cho.

Yes. The Cho. The orange top butterfly boy with the weird eyes.

The creepy eyes.

But not as creepy as Rei's.

Insert shudder here.

No one, and I mean no one could top off Rei's eyes.

That were still alive anyway.

Rei's eyes were cold and empty- even his voice was empty, too.

Anyway, back to the story.

I needed to speak with Cho, or, actually, I needed to confirm something.

I saw my hated rival, Kame-chan, first, and I resisted the urge to grind my teeth together. Believe me, I really did try, but in the end, I ended up grinding them anyway.

It was juvenile, and after what I'd been through in the past week, I wasn't sure how I'd pulled it off.

That is, to remain as calm as I could in front of my family.

The only ones that had seen me cry so desperately or even scream so desperately had been my team: Yashamaru, Sasori, and Kazuki.

Kazuki…

I involuntarily stiffened.

Ever since we had left that desolate estate with Yoshi Akiyama, we had been really pissy toward each other. We had said things to each other that we probably wouldn't have said to each other on a regular basis.

We had been cold, and stiff, and painfully polite.

It just didn't cut it for me.

We were ever going to make up?

I didn't know, and only time would tell.

… or it'd have to be me who would have to make the first move and lay down my pride and apologise.

…

…

…

Akito gripped onto my hand when a particularly loud clang echoed throughout the training grounds.

I squeezed it back reassuringly, "It's okay," I whispered, "They're only training."

I then took a good look on who was fighting who, and when I saw who it was, it felt a bit strange watching them.

Hiroshi and Takashi were battling with kunai, their movements fluid and graceful.

Normally, I wouldn't find it strange to see two Shinobi sparring against each other.

But when one was blind and battling as if he really could see, then that was where I did find it strange.

Well, technically Hiroshi could "see" with his chakra sense, but he only saw living beings- something made from flesh and blood. He couldn't see objects as they didn't possess any chakra.

Still, it was strange seeing Hiroshi evade Takashi's kunai as if he could actually see it.

How did that work anyway?

Eventually, their weapons battle came to end, with Takashi fluidly knocking Hiroshi's kunai from his hands and pressing his own against the boy's neck.

"Yield," my brother said.

Hiroshi didn't have to be told twice, "I yield," he said quietly.

With Takashi the clear victor of the spar, he turned to his remaining students with a flourish before abruptly pausing when he caught sight of me and Akito.

He seemed to be stunned, but then his surprised expression smoothed out into a neutral one, "Yū-chan," he greeted, his voice tired, "I didn't know that you'd gotten back."

"I've already been home for two hours," I responded blandly.

"… oh," Takashi said, and he sounded strangely puzzled as he asked, "What are you doing here anyway? I would have thought that you would have wanted to rest after this long gone from the village. After all, it was your first time out."

"I know," I snapped, and my brother shot me a funny look, so I sighed and continued, "I'm only here because I have to ask one of your students something. So, believe me, if I could be resting right now, I really would be instead of being out here when I just got back from a mission."

"Who're you here for then?" Takashi asked bluntly, crossing his arms, "And you should hurry up, we're all tired from training all day."

Irritation flared in me, they may have been training all day, but I had been on a C-rank mission, and I could still remember that man's hate-twisted face, the sneer on his lips, and then his blood all over me with my kunai buried in his throat. And then there was Rei, with his cold, soulless eyes and empty voice, and I could still remember his fingers wrapped around my neck, choking me, constricting off my air-

I blinked suddenly, then coached myself against the flood of images. He's not here. Breathe. He's not here. In, out, in, out. Breathe.

And before I knew it, the images were washed away like the unwanted things they were.

Takashi was still gazing at me expectantly, and before I could stop myself, I blurted, "Cho!" My brother raised an eyebrow at me, as if demanding that I continue, and I did, murmuring, "Cho. I-I need… Cho."

Silence. Then-

"Uh, Yūmaru… right?" I turned at the voice, and there he was: Cho.

There was a soft smile on his face that almost looked gentle, and the glint in his was shy, as if he knew what to say but didn't actually know how to say it out loud.

I found myself smiling back, "Yeah," I answered quietly, "That's me."

"What… what did you need then?" Cho inquired, his tone perfectly polite, "Was it something important?"

"Yes," I immediately answered, discreetly eying his face, but more at the shaggy orange mess that draped half of it in shadow.

Cho seemed to notice my blatant staring, for his eyes widened somewhat before his face flushed furiously.

"Can I speak with you in private?" I asked quickly, not liking how he averted his eyes to the ground.

"Uh… sure, I guess?" The way he phrased it made it sound more like a question, and it didn't help the situation with how hesitant he sounded.

Cho seemed to trust so easily, but he barely knew me and he was surely put off by my staring.

He didn't know what to think, I guess.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, offering him a small smile, which was returned to my pleasure.

I gestured for him to follow me toward the edge of the training field which was a few metres away. I didn't want to be overheard.

As I passed by Takashi, he leaned down and whispered in my ear, "I hope you're not going to ask him on a date, Yū-chan. After all, you're only seven."

I froze at that statement, before the full force of what he'd said dawned on me and I flushed, "Shut up, Onii-chan," I hissed back, "Besides, it's none of your business."

Takashi merely snickered, and he said to Akito, "Never underestimate the power of females, Akito-chan. You just never know when they may be up to something."

"Huh?" Akito was blissfully clueless, "What does that mean, Taka-chan?"

"Taka-chan?" I heard Kame-chan say, "That's what your little brother calls you, Sensei?"

Hiroshi chuckled softly, and Takashi moaned, "Don't even think of calling me that, Kimiko-chan! I get that enough from Akito-chan that's it's not even funny anymore…"

I heard their voices fade somewhat so I decided to stop. Cho stopped behind me, and when I turned, his face looked so bewildered that I chuckled.

"Are you going to ask me on a date like Takashi-sensei said?" he asked, for the first time looking fearful.

I rolled my eyes, "Takashi was only joking," I responded, "What I'm about to ask you has nothing to do with that topic in general."

Cho suddenly looked serious, "Then what is it?" he asked softly, his single uncovered eye peering down at me.

Without a word, I swept my hair aside and let him take a good look at my face. He took in the angry red scar on my cheek with a wide eye, and there seemed to be a glimmer of recognition on his face.

But as quick as it was there, it was soon gone, leaving a confused facial expression blooming on his face.

"Nothing strikes you as familiar?" I inquired, though with a touch of impatience, because I knew that he had felt something.

I had seen it on his face.

"Well?" I pressed, to which he just mutely shook his head.

There was silence, then-

"I… I think that I might have something similar to yours," Cho whispered tremulously, "But you have to remember, Yūmaru-chan, that I can't remember anything."

Shakily, his hand came to rest on his cheek, and he brushed the long veil of hair from his face.

I was born witness to a long, straight scar that ran the length of his cheek, beginning from underneath his eye and ending just above his jawline. It was thin and white.

"Does-does it mean something to you?" Cho demanded when he saw my face, "Do… do you know anything?"

Slowly, I raised a finger and traced the length of his scar, though not directly touching his skin.

"Ichi," I whispered, and unwillingly, a word slipped out in English, "One."

Cho abruptly stiffened, another one of his "recognition" looks on his face, but it was gone as fast as it had come.

"What… what did you just say?" he asked hoarsely, "I-I couldn't even understand you."

"Ichi," I said, loud enough for him to hear, "Your real name is Ichi."

Cho looked as confused as ever, then he said, "How can you know my name when no one else does?"

"Because someone who cares about you very much told me," I replied without missing a beat, all the while my mind hissed, Rei told me! He told me everything!

"Who was it?" Cho demanded, the look in his uncovered eyes frantic and wildly, and in an act that I would have never put down to his character, he took me by the shoulders and shook me, "Tell me who it was!" he begged, "Please!"

It occurred to me that this boy was only nine or ten years old and he couldn't remember a thing of who he was. He must've been feeling very scared and very vulnerable at the time, so, not giving a single shit if Rei combusted, I told Cho Rei's name.

"His name is Rei," I said simply, "But this'll be our secret, 'kay? Nobody else can know what we were just speaking of."

Cho sagged in relief, his shoulders visibly relaxing, and he removed his hands from my own shoulders, looking vastly apologetic, "Thank you," he breathed.

I just smiled at him, "That's okay," I told him.

I slipped a hand into my pocket and felt the yen bills all scrunched together.

"Hey," I said, pulling the money from my pocket, "Come with me to the tea shop and I'll buy you something."

Cho cocked his head, "It's not a date, is it?"

I just laughed, "We're too young for that, Cho-kun."

"Cho-kun?"

I stopped and stared at him, "It's better than Cho-san. Wait, I can call you Cho-kun, right?"

Cho shrugged, that one movement being the most casual I'd ever seen him perform, "I… I guess," he responded awkwardly.

"Great!" I beamed, "I think I just might have enough for all of us, though I'm sure Onii-chan has some on him."

I pulled a highly reluctant Cho back to his team-mates, and it was there that I announced my intentions.

"You're kidding, right, Aka-chan?" Kame-chan disdainfully crossed her arms and looked down her nose at me, "As if I'd want to be seen anywhere near you. If Yashamaru-kun was here, then maybe I would."

I stared at her.

Then I shook my head.

To this day, I don't think I will ever understand Kame-chan's obsession for my blond-haired team-mate.

"You barely even know Yashamaru-kun, Kame-chan," I muttered, but my words were loud enough for her to catch, "Yet you still have a crush on him. Is that why you were so obsessed with him in the academy?"

"Like you were with Puppet Boy?" she sneered.

I blinked, "We're not even friends yet, Kame-chan," I denied.

And it was true.

Sasori had said it himself.

It would be a long, long time before we could be considered friends, though I was willing to make the effort.

"What's this about my little sister about my little sister liking a boy?" Takashi's menacing voice growled.

I actually rolled my eyes, "I'm seven, Onii-chan," I snapped, "And I'm a ninja. Who has time to think about boys?"

"Kimiko-chan seems to," Takashi answered dryly.

"Takashi-sensei," Kame-chan whined in protest, though I saw that her cheeks were stained a dark crimson.

Huh, who knew that her obsession ran so deep?

I didn't.

"Onii-chan, do you have money on you?" I asked abruptly.

"Uh, yes…?" my brother answered warily, "Why, Yū-chan? You need some or something?"

I smiled at him sweetly, and instantly, Takashi's face morphed from wary to horrified in a second.

"Oh, no," he backed away, holding his hands up, "No, no, no. I am not paying for you again!"

"But, Onii-chan," I protested, "I don't have enough money for all of us."

Takashi paused, "Wait," he said, "You're paying for all of us? For what?"

"Yūmaru-chan wanted… wanted to take us all out to the teashop," Cho abruptly blurted, a dark tint staining his cheeks.

"Oh, you did, did you?" my brother raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," Hiroshi suddenly murmured, and I turned to him, "But I have to go home at once. Otou-sama will be wondering where I am."

"Damn," Takashi suddenly groaned, making me flinch, "I forgot that you had to go home straight after training. Well, I'll walk you home if you want, and all you guys can go on without me-"

"I'll do it," I interjected, making my brother pause, "I'll walk Hiroshi-kun home, and you can go with the others, Onii-chan. Besides, it's been ages since I've talked to Hiroshi-kun with just the both of us."

"I'd like that," my best friend said quietly.

"Yeah," I answered, smiling up at him.

"Hand the money over then, Yū-chan," Takashi cut in.

I shot him a glare, "No need to be so rude," I grumbled, but I stuffed my hand into my pocket and fished out the wadded bills, "Here. And next time, say "please". It's common courtesy, Onii-chan."

"Common courtesy my ass," my brother responded gleefully, accepting the money with a grin on his face, "Thank you, Yū-chan."

I didn't respond to his mocking words, instead turning to Hiroshi, who suddenly looked strangely shy.

"Would… would you like to stay over?" he abruptly blurted.

"At your house?"

He nodded eagerly, and even though I couldn't see his eyes with the amount of hair covering it, I thought that they would be squinted together with anticipation.

"I'd love to!" I spoke quickly.

A gentle smile creased his lips in response.

I turned to my brother, "Onii-chan, tell Kaa-chan that I won't be home tonight. I'm staying at Hiroshi-kun's house tonight."

My brother nodded distractedly, "Yeah, okay," he muttered, "I guess I can let you, even though he's a boy, he's your best friend, and so he won't do anything bad."

I flushed for the second time today, "For the last time, I'm only seven!" I growled.

Takashi merely smirked before gesturing his team away and Akito away, leaving me and Hiroshi alone.

"Well," I said somewhat awkwardly, "Are we going now?"

"Yeah, we should, or else Otou-sama will get mad."

I tried to imagine a scenario where Rin- Hiroshi's father- was mad. Whenever I did, I pictured Orochimaru.

Insert shudder.

We traversed Suna's dusty streets for around ten minutes, and then we stopped at an equally dusty house.

Hiroshi opened the door, stepped inside, removed his shoes, and proceeded to step aside for me to do the same.

I did, and then I followed him inside.

Hiroshi's house was the same as I remembered from the last time I'd been in here, which had been around two years ago, when I was five.

"Hiroshi," Rin's smooth voice sounded.

Even Rin sounded the way that I remembered him.

A shoji door on my left slid open, and I watched on as Hiroshi's father emerged from behind it.

He looked exactly as I remembered him, too.

Same shaggy white hair, albeit slightly longer, same blue eyes, and same stick-thin figure.

He really hadn't changed a bit.

Rin froze when he saw me, but then he seemed to compose himself, "Yūmaru-san," he greeted placidly.

"Uh, Rin-san, hey!" I greeted back awkwardly.

His face was gaunter than I remembered, but I attributed that to the fact that he had an "illness" of some kind.

"We were never supposed to have been born. An "illness" the doctors called it. I know better, however. This isn't an illness, it's a parasite. Our bodies are rejecting us even now. And there's nothing that can be done to stop it."

I stiffened as Rei's voice came to mind.

"You're the second one I've met. You're my Ni."

Was it possible that Rin was one of us?

Was he Rei's San?

I don't know.

Our dinner was slightly awkward, being that none of us spoke.

When we were finished, Rin waved Hiroshi from the room, "Off to bed, Hiroshi," the man murmured, "I have something I need to ask Yūmaru-san."

I watched as Hiroshi reluctantly got up from his cushion and left the room, muttering, "Yes, Otou-sama."

"Yūmaru-san," Rin said, and I turned my gaze back to him, "Just before, it seemed as if you… realised something."

Much like before, I stiffened where I sat.

"Well?" Rin pressed, steepling his fingers together and leaning forward over the table, "What is it?"

I was quiet for a moment, merely looking down at my bandaged fingers, then, I said, "When I was five, you mentioned something about an illness, something about you only having about four years left to live."

Rin furrowed his brows, but he let me continue, and so I did, "When I was on a mission," I began quietly, "I met a boy. He looked like us, all thin and small. And he told me something- something I'll never forget."

"What was it, Yūmaru-san?" Rin urged.

I swallowed heavily, "He said… he said that I was like him," I murmured, "That we were never supposed to have been born."

I looked up from my hands, peering up at Rin with wide eyes.

The man was frozen in his seat, but his hands were clenched into fists, the pressure so harsh that the knuckles were white.

"And what did you say to that, Yūmaru-san?" Strangely, his voice was soothing- soothing in the sense that he seemed to understand what I was saying.

I swallowed again, my tongue heavy in my mouth. I tried to recall what I had said all the way back in that forest over four days ago.

But I couldn't remember.

All that came back to me was the vivid memory of Rei's fingers wrapped around my neck, of his cold eyes glaring down at me and his empty voice echoing around me.

My eyes filled with tears and I angrily blinked them away, "I… I don't remember," I whispered hoarsely.

Rin looked impassive, but I could see a glimmer of concern in those hard blue eyes.

He wasn't Rei.

Their eyes weren't the same.

He. Was. Not. Rei.

"What did he do to you, Yūmaru-san?" Now, Rin definitely sounded concerned.

Wordlessly, I pulled my unbound hair from my neck and he was born witness to the various ugly bruises that discoloured the skin of my throat.

Silence. Then-

"Was he able to use chakra in any way?"

I looked up, startled.

"Yes," I murmured, wrapping my arms tightly around myself, "He could use Genjutsu, though I don't know how, given that his chakra is supposed to be the same as mine."

"And mine," Rin added, a strange glint in his eyes, "We're the same, Yūmaru-san."

This time, I jolted on my cushion, because ohmygod, he was claiming that he was one of us.

"Prove it!" I demanded.

Rin chuckled softly, "You're planning to become a Chūnin at the age of eight. Am I right, Yūmaru-san?"

Okay, how the fuck had he known that?

"Don't look so surprised," he sighed, "But I don't think you should attempt it."

"What! Why?!"

"You're not strong enough," Rin said simply, "The only weapons you have up your arsenal are the academy Ninjutsu, above average chakra control, and some Taijutsu. Let me remedy that."

"Huh?" I was startled. Was he asking to be my-? Was he-?

"Of course, you'll have to give me about two years, and maybe then you'll be strong enough. Yes, when you're nine you should attempt it."

"Wait, hold on, time out," I held my hands up, "Are you actually asking to be my…."

Rin uncharacteristically smirked.

"Will you become my apprentice, Yūmaru-san?"