Author's Note: I've gotten some comments/messages about this and I've gotten enough that I think I should address it. Some readers are concerned that Mirai is stunting Naruto's growth more than it was stunted in canon. They're six? Canon doesn't show us what his growth was at six? He's already emotionally in a better place than he was at the beginning of canon, in my opinion, and they literally just started the Academy. From the information canon does give us, it's unlikely that he would be able to read/have a good grasp on reading at the beginning of the Academy, but he does here. I'm not sure I understand people's concerns in this area?

Please read and review!

I give you the eleventh installment of Samsaric.

Chapter Ten - Gambol

[Gambol—verb : to dance or skip about in play; to frolic]

"It's a map. That's a simple riddle. I thought you wanted to challenge me."

He eyed me for a long time. Then he grunted and reached into his pocket. "Here." He slammed something on the table and the sound made Shisui jolt in his sleep. I glanced back over my shoulder only to watch Shisui mumble something blearily, turn over in his spot on the couch, and go back to sleep.

I turned back and frowned at the wooden box left on the table. "What is this?" I asked, tilting my head so I could study it from another angle.

"That," Ibiki said gruffly, "is a puzzle box. I carry one—or something like it—for entertainment between torture sessions. This type of box is meant to store information."

"There's something inside for me?"

"It's mine," he said firmly. "But I suppose if you can open it . . . ."

I snatched up the box with a grin and turned it over in my hands. "I can take it?"

"If you think you have the brain for it."

"Ibiki, stop that," Genma said exhaustedly, sitting up. "I know you like to play mind games with people, but don't drag Mirai into it."

"I'm happy to." I looked up at him, still turning the box over in my hands. "I'm happy to let him play his mind games if I get something out of it."

Genma's expression pulled into a frown and then he sighed. "Pumpkin . . . ." He dragged his hand down his face. He forced a smile and held out his hand. "C'mon, why don't you and I take a walk? I need to talk to you."

I hesitated and then nodded. "Okay, just . . . ." I stashed the box away in my bag. "Sure. Hey, Shisui?"

He grumbled something and then, without opening his eyes, murmured, "Yeah, yeah, have fun."

I grinned. "Great. Sweet dreams!" With that, I grabbed Genma's hand and let him pull me to my feet. "Where are we going?" I slipped on my backpack then took his hand again.

"I . . . want to show you something." He took my pack from me and slipped a scroll out of his flak jacket. With a flurry of movement he sealed away my bag and returned his scroll to its rightful spot. "Here we go." He turned to me.

"Wha— Whoa!" A giggle pulled itself out of me and I squealed in alarm when I was lifted high up. Genma settled me easily on his shoulders. "Warn me next time," I warned him, straightening so I wouldn't fall backwards.

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked, strong hands holding my ankles. "Watch your head." With that said, he jogged up the stairs. Genma chuckled when I clutched to him to avoid falling. "I won't drop you, Pumpkin."

"I believe you," I assured him, squinting as he stepped out into the bright sunlight. "But just in case . . . ." I wrapped my arms solidly around the top of his head, right over his hitai-ate.

He laughed loudly at that and patted my shin. "If that's what makes you comfortable."

"Are we shunshining wherever you're taking me?" I asked, resting my chin on the top of his head.

"Shunshin? No, no. I think I want to spend the walk with you. Is that alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that's okay." I smiled, letting my eyes close. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, how's the Academy been?"

"Good. Bekko-sensei got replaced by Iruka-sensei and at least Iruka-sensei tolerates me. And Naruto. It's not that he . . . dislikes us. He just gets sad when he looks at us." I sighed and opened my eyes to find that we were passing through the Village gates. "It's not his fault, though."

"Oh? Why is it not his fault?" Genma's voice had gone soft and his grip on my ankles loosened.

"I looked him up. His parents died the day Naruto and I were born." I straightened and smoothed out his hitai-ate. "So I can relate. I get sad sometimes too 'cause . . . . Well." I frowned. "Where are we going?"

Genma stopped and then lifted me back over his head. He set me down with a careful sigh and smoothed out my clothing. "Somewhere very important. I need to teach you something, Mirai. Something I learned a long time ago. Okay?"

Something in his gaze made uncertainty tug at my gut. "Oh, okay." I frowned.

He smiled. "There's no need to be worried. C'mon, it's this way." He took my hand and tugged me along. I stumbled after him for a moment before falling in step beside him. Genma rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand. "You know that I love you, right, Pumpkin?"

"Right. Of course I do." I tightened my hand in his and looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Now, why don't you tell me about what you've been doing for fun?"

"Okay. Well, I learned henge! And then I've been learning—"

"No, that—" He sighed and his hand flexed for a moment before relaxing. "No, that's not what I mean. What are you doing for fun?"

"I . . . ." I frowned. "I just told you."

"Oh, Mirai, that's not . . . ."

"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I don't meet to make you upset."

"Don't apologize, Pumpkin." His other hand came over to mess with my beanie. "Here we are."

"A . . . training ground," I asked, still following him as we walked across the clearing.

"Well, yeah, but the training ground isn't what we're here for. This is." Then he finally stopped.

I stared at the smooth, inscribed stone in front of me and my eyes widened. "Oh."

"Do you know what this is?"

I couldn't seem to say anything and he took that as his answer.

"This is a memorial stone. There are several of these in Konoha, but this is the one I know best." He reached out and put a hand on the top of it, sighing. "This is the name of every one of our shinobi that died in the Third Shinobi War or since then." He crouched down. "I lost so many of my comrades and their names are on here now." He touched his fingers against some of the kanji. "There's honor in dying for your comrades and your Village, but it's not something anyone should work toward. But if you make this the only thing you focus on . . . ." He glanced at me.

I swallowed thickly and did my best to avoid looking at him. I reached out and put my hand over the kanji that read Uzumaki Kushina. Just below that sat Namikaze Minato. "I'm sorry. But I want to protect Naruto."

"I know. I know." He smiled sadly and sighed. "I know you do, Pumpkin, and I do too. But I don't want to . . . to see your name on here." He let his voice soften and he touched his fingers to my chin. "Mirai, please. There's more to life than being a shinobi. I want— I need you to understand that."

I pulled my hand back from my parents' names and looked up at him. He was watching me with worry and my heart squeezed. "I'll try," I promised him.

Genma smiled tightly and then tugged me forward. His arms wrapped around me tightly and it was a little hard to breathe but I didn't complain. "I love you. I don't wanna lose you, Pumpkin."

This happened sooner than we planned.

I wiped the bullies' blood off on my shinobi pants and turned from where I had been watching them run away. Instead, I stared for a moment at the small figure struggling up from the ground. "Here, let me help," I murmured, reaching out and grabbing her arm. I pulled her to her feet. It did. But I couldn't just stand there and let them hit her.

"A-arigato," she mumbled, head bowed in a way that kept me from seeing her face.

"So, that . . . was crazy."

I glanced back and grinned at Shikamaru. "My bad." Then I returned my attention to the girl. "Are you okay? Let me see." I reached out and tapped her chin until she looked shyly up at me. I winced. "That's gonna be a nasty bruise. We should probably get you to the nurse. C'mon. Shikamaru, would you—"

"I'll take your stuff inside," he said, waving a hand disinterestedly. "Just leave before you do something else insane."

"Right, right. Let's go." I kept a hand on her elbow and steered her towards the entrance. "I'm Uzumaki Mirai."

"Um, H-hyuuga Hin-hinata. Y-you don't need to do, to do this."

"I'm happy to," I told her promptly, holding open the door for her. "They're a bunch of assholes."

Hinata gasped and then quickly looked away. "Um, my T-tousama says not to say that."

"Well, then you probably shouldn't repeat most of what I say to your father. How does your face feel?"

"It hurts," she whispered.

"Yeah, a left hook will do that."

"I think, um, I think you hurt them worse, though."

I shrugged. "Maybe it'll teach them not to mess with you. And he'll get over his broken nose, don't worry. Here we are." I pushed open the door. "Hinata-chan got hit," I said immediately as the nurse looked up. "Doesn't look too bad, but it's already bruising."

The nurse frowned and got to his feet. "I'll take a look. Wait outside, Uzumaki-san."

I stepped out of the room and leaned against the wall, humming to myself. This won't hurt anything, really. Not as long as I can make friends with her.

Knowing you, you'll fuck that up.

No faith at all, huh, Kyuubi?

You, Uzumaki, manage to screw things up more than anyone I know.

Let's be honest, you really don't know that many people. What, with you being stuck in my head and all.

He fell silent after that and I closed my eyes, falling into the sounds of chakra around me. This was my first time listening to Hinata's chakra when she wasn't being drowned out by those around her. It was quiet and soft and reminded me of the time Naruto and I had spent by the gentle part of Naka River. The nurse's chakra wasn't loud but still managed to almost overpower Hinata's.

The door opened and I opened my eyes, straightening. "Well?"

"Hyuuga-san is going to be just fine," the nurse said, smiling. "You two should hurry if you plan to make it back to your class in time." She stepped back into the room and closed the door.

Hinata's face was burning red and she seemed to be permanently staring at the ground. "You, you didn't need to help me," she murmured.

"You're right," I agreed, hooking my arm through hers and leading the way off down the hall. Hinata stumbled after me uncertainly, casting me a curious and embarrassed glance. "I didn't need to help you. But I did, and now we're going to be friends. Is that okay?"

"U-uh, yeah," she squeaked out, face burning bright.

I released her and opened the door to let her inside. "Sorry we're late, Iruka-sensei. Hinata had to see the nurse."

"Shikamaru explained the situation to me," Iruka said. "Take your seats."

With a wave to Hinata and a thankful nod to Shikamaru—he was face down on his desk and, presumably, asleep—I jogged up to my seat and squeezed past the boys to sit by the window. Naruto leaned over to me. "Rai, are you okay?"

I nodded with a smile. "Yes. Pay attention."

Iruka returned to drawing a map of Konoha on the board and launched into his lecture about our nation's history. I pulled out my notebook and began jotting down important points. The founding of Konoha, the assassination of the first Daimyo, the—

Uzumaki.

Hmm? I pulled back and realized that I had long since stopped taking notes and had been doodling basic seal structures. Oh. Whoops. I flipped back a full seven pages before finding the last bit of my notes that were even vaguely related to the lecture. With a sigh, I looked up at the board to find Iruka erasing the map.

He turned and clapped his hands. "Now that you have all unlocked you're chakra, we're going to move on to using that chakra. In a safe manner. Mirai, I understand you already have a good grasp on your chakra, so you can focus on other things while your classmates learn."

I smiled. "Arigato, Iruka-sensei." He nodded back to me, not smiling but also not with that uncertain look he'd had when he'd begun a few weeks ago. I dug through my backpack and came up with the puzzle box Ibiki had given me. I frowned at it, turning it over and over in my hands.

You're not going to get it.

Watch me.

"Raise," I said, tossing in another handful of ryo.

Ibiki tapped his fingers on the table, staring at his cards for a moment. He nodded. "Raise." He pushed in his own bet.

I glanced at Izumo, who eyed Ibiki for a moment before setting down his cards. "Fold. Kotetsu?"

"Call!" Kotetsu shoved in the rest of his coins in order to match Ibiki's bet and then turned expectantly to Anko, who was picking at her teeth with a dango skewer. "Well?"

"Fold," she said, wrinkling her nose and setting down her cards. "Ibiki-kun has a good hand."

"I told you not to call me that," Ibiki muttered. "Tekuno?"

"Alright," the man said, shuffling the remaining cards. "Reveal. Oh, pair? What did you think you were gonna get with that?"

"I could get lucky," Kotetsu defended.

"Not against my hand," Ibiki said simply, revealing his full house.

"Ouch," I said, a grin tugging at my face. I flipped over my cards. "Royal flush."

"Wha— How?" Izumo squeaked out. "That's six wins in a row! That shouldn't be possible!"

"Sorry, not sorry," I said, raking the coins over to my side. I dug through my backpack and came up with my purse. As I began putting my new money away, Kotetsu turned to Tekuno.

"She cheated, right? You saw her cheat?" he demanded.

Tekuno blinked and held up his hands in defense, still holding the deck. "I didn't see anything. Are you honestly thinking we all were tricked by a six-year-old? We're shinobi. I doubt she could trick us."

"Glad we're all on the same page." I cinched up my purse and tossed it back in my bag. "Thanks for the pocket change. Maybe you'll win some back next Friday."

"Yeah, sure," Kotetsu muttered, knocking back some of his sake. "Why did we let you play, again?"

"I don't know. When you figure that out, let me know." With a grin, I hopped down from the seat at the table and turned. Only to run smack into someone and stumble back, grunting. I looked up, rubbing my eyes. "Who— Niisan!"

Kakashi reached out and put a hand on my head, glancing at the table. "Poker? Really? You're corrupting her."

"Am not," Izumo immediately protested. "She asked to join. Besides, she just cleared us all out."

I smiled up at Kakashi. "I just got lucky."

"Kid, you've been 'lucky' for three weeks in a row now," Ibiki grumbled, putting away his remaining money. "Either you really are just lucky or you're a clever scam artist."

I was about to bite out a quick comeback when Kakashi cleared his throat. "Actually, it's probably an Uzumaki thing. Kushina was always good at games of chance. And if the stories about Mito-sama are even half true, then that backs up the theory."

"Uzumaki have good luck?" I frowned. "Really?"

"At things like poker," Kakashi said, looking down at me. "Or slot machines. Games of random chance."

"Huh. I should go to a casino," I murmured.

"Oh, no. Absolutely not." He rolled his visible eye. "C'mon." He took my hand and tugged me towards the station's stairs. "The Hokage asked me to work with you, so I thought I could give you an introduction to the jutsu tonight and we could work on it tomorrow after Academy."

My eyes widened and I hurried to fall into step beside him. "Kage bunshin?" I asked, swallowing.

"Hai. Kage bunshin." He shoved open the door and we stepped out into the evening air. "How did you convince the Hokage you needed to know it, anyway?"

"There wasn't much convincing involved," I said, shrugging. "So, where are we going to learn this?"

"I wanted to go over the theory with you first and I've got that information written out at my apartment." He turned towards the housing district.

"Your . . . apartment?" I frowned and sped up to keep pace with him. "I thought you lived at HQ."

"I crash there sometimes," he acknowledged, glancing nervously to the side as if trying to see if someone was listening to us. "But I have my own place. This way." His grip on me tightened and then the world bent. I gasped for air as we jolted to a stop and started up at the old apartment building. "Careful," he murmured. "You good?"

"Um, yeah, I'm good."

"Alright. First floor." He released me as he moved forward, digging his key out of his pocket. He stopped in front of room 103 and unlocked it. After unlocking it, he pressed his hand against the door frame and I felt a burst of cool energy.

"What was that?" I asked.

He glanced down at me. "Bypassing security seals. Come on in." He pushed his way inside.

"Boss, you're back later than I thought you would be."

I froze in the doorway, staring at the inside of the one-room apartment. "What—"

"These are my summons. This is Pakkun." He waved me inside.

I stepped in and then crouched down in front of the pug. "Konichiwa, Pakkun."

"Hi," he greeted. "Boss, we're out of those biscuit treats I like."

"I'll pick some more up," Kakashi said, locking the door. He tugged down his mask and motioned to the other dogs that were approaching me. "That's Shiba," he told me as I rose on my knees and let the collie sniff my hand. "Urushi is the one trying to sniff out the snacks you have in your bag."

"Hey!" I pouted and pulled my backpack away.

"That there is—"

"I can introduce myself," the greyhound assured him, shoving Shiba aside as he stepped forward. "I'm Uhei."

I grinned. "Nice to meet you, Uhei."

"Guruko's hiding somewhere outside the apartment," Pakkun said to Kakashi. And then to me, he said, "He's a grumpy loner."

"Oh. Okay. And— Oof!" I was knocked back and a huge tongue licked up my face. Laughing, I shoved the dog off of me. "Hi, there!"

"Sorry." Kakashi sighed and hauled the dog back. "This is Bull. He's a puppy and he's still learning."

"Hi, Bull," I greeted, studying the puppy that was almost as big as me. "So, jutsu?"

"Over here." He motioned me over to the small, two-person table that was taking up the majority of the space in his kitchen. I hopped up onto one of the chairs and leaned forward, looking at the pages he had spread out. "Now, for any jutsu more advanced than the Academy Three, I want to make something very clear. You need to understand it before you try it. Remember how Kokage taught you about the full theory of that wind jutsu before teaching it to you."

"I still can't do it," I said, tilting my head to the side.

"I know. But you understand the theory, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. Now, kage bunshin is a little more complicated than that elemental jutsu."

"Hunter nin win!" I announced as I slapped the last tag on Choji's forehead.

"No fair," Shikamaru grumbled. "Whatever team you're on always wins."

I blinked at him. "Shikamaru . . . you're a hunter nin this game. We just won."

He blinked at me. "Oh. Right. Hey, we won, Hinata."

Hinata came out from the bushes and smiled slightly, face burning red. "M-mirai-chan did most of the work," she mumbled. "I didn't do much of anything."

"Are you kidding me? You steered Shino right to me," I told her, grinning. "I wouldn't have gotten him otherwise."

"Mirai is correct," Shino said, removing the tag from his forehead. "That was an impressive maneuver, Hinata-san."

She just flushed further and ducked her head. "A-a-arigato, Shino-kun."

"Dinner!" Shisui announced, reappearing in a flash of energy. He stepped over to the blanket spread out in front of the tall stumps and set down the several bags he was carrying.

"Cool!" Naruto yelled, rushing over.

"Wait for everyone else, Nato!" I called, following at a more sedate pace. "Thanks, Shisui."

"Sure thing, Taichou. Eat up, kids. I got enough of this to feed an army, so it should be enough between you four and the twins."

I watched as the others sat down and began passing the takeout boxes around to collect their meal. Shisui nudged me and I looked up. "What?" I murmured.

"You gonna eat?"

"Not hungry."

"Suit yourself." He sat down and pulled some of the food over for himself. "I'll have your share." He pulled me down so I wasn't the only one left standing.

"Hey, Mirai?" Choji asked, heaping more fish into his plastic bowl and then pointing his chopsticks at me. "How come you're still in the Academy?"

I blinked at him, folding my hands in my lap. "What do you mean?"

"You already know everything, don't you? Iruka-sensei is always letting you practice other stuff while we learn because you already know it all. Why don't you just graduate?"

I pressed my lips together and glanced at Naruto, who was staring down into his food. Then I smiled at Choji. "I don't feel like being a shinobi just yet." I heard Shisui let out a small exhale and I glanced at him. "There's no rush," I said in conclusion. "Is that wrong?"

Choji shrugged and then held out an onigiri. "Hungry?"

"I'm good." With that said, I laid back and tucked my hands under my head. As the conversation started up again—Sasuke asking a stuttering Hinata a question that made her chakra curl shyly inward—I let my eyes drift closed.

Uzumaki.

I sighed and opened my eyes again, staring up at Kurama. "I just want to take a nap. Is that so bad to ask?"

"You can doze all you want, but we need to talk."

"Fine." I stepped up to the bars and hesitated. He eyed me for a long moment and then I stepped through the bars and leaned against them. "Talk."

"You lied to the Uchiha. There are other options."

"I didn't lie. I was serious when I said the other options wouldn't work." I sank down and crossed my arms over my knees. "We might be able to save some Uchiha, yes. But at the expense of what? Half the Village? I've been through the numbers. It's impossible to avoid casualties no matter what. This is the . . . the best option. As much as I hate it."

He stared at me. Then he shifted and lowered his head to his paws, letting his eyes close. "If that's what you say so you can live with yourself."

"What are you implying?" I asked sharply.

"Exactly what I said. Now, I thought you wanted to nap."

I rolled my eyes and shoved myself to my feet. Carefully, I paced over to him. After just a moment of hesitance, I slid my hand into his fur. He shifted and I stilled, catching my breath. But when he didn't protest, I crouched down and shifted around so that my back was rested against his shoulder. "Goodnight."

"It's still day, Uzumaki."

I just smiled. "Goodnight."

Seeing the way that Sasuke grinned excitedly while clutching his bag to his chest, I caved. "Alright, fine. You and Naruto can go ahead over to the apartment. I'll walk the others home myself." Hesitating, I looked up at Shisui.

He nodded. "I'll make sure they get there. Don't worry." He motioned to me."

"Thanks. Alright, let's get you guys home." I hooked one arm through Hinata's and then reached for Shino with my other hand. When he shrank back a little, I shifted and instead linked my other arm through Shikamaru's. The Nara grumbled a little but didn't resist as I pulled him along. "C'mon! The Aburame compound is closest, so we'll drop Shino-kun off first."

"It's very thoughtful of you to walk us, Mirai," Shino said, falling into step.

I smiled at him.

"If only you were that thoughtful during Ninja."

Shikamaru huffed at that. "As if. We could just ban her from the game next time."

Hinata gasped shallowly. "N-no, that wouldn't be fair. M-mirai shouldn't be punished for winning."

Shikamaru glanced across me at her. "Don't worry, no one's actually banning her. Not to say I don't wish I could." He trailed off, yawning.

"Hey, those are my feelings that you're hurting, Shikamaru," I protested lightly. "How's that chakra control coming, by the way?"

He glanced away and muttered something.

"What's that?"

Choji spoke up for him. "His kaachan's been nagging him about not practicing. She said he's been spending too much time napping. Or playing shogi."

"Well, those are two of the best hobbies," I mused. "And what about you, Choji-kun? What do you like to do?"

"I like to cook!" he responded immediately. "And I like to look at butterflies. My Touchan and I have a book."

"Butterflies?" Shino asked curiously. "You are interested in entomology?"

Choji blinked at him. "Uh, what?"

"That's studying insects, Choji-kun," I said, pulling Shikamaru up as he tripped over a rock.

"Oh, no." He shook his head. "I only really like butterflies."

"Ah. I have a few books you might like," Shino mused. "Perhaps you should come in the compound with me to look. My father can send your father a kikaichu to let him know you'll be delayed."

The Akimichi hesitated for a moment. "Butterflies?"

"Butterflies," Shino confirmed seriously, nodding his head.

"Okay, then. I'll go with Shino, Mirai-chan."

"That sounds nice. Here we are, then." I stopped by the compound gates and released Hinata and Shikamaru so I could step forward. "I'll see you at the Academy in the morning." I rose on my tiptoes so I could kiss Choji's forehead—he was a large kid and that included height—before turning to Shino. "Thanks for playing with us."

He smiled. "It was fun. Come, Choji," he said with a wave, stepping past the guards and pushing open the compound gate. "Let's find my father."

"Alright!" I said, turning back and taking Hinata and Shikamaru's hands. He groaned but didn't actually complain. "Who's next? Shikamaru, why don't you lead the way to your place?"

"Yeah, okay," he mumbled. "This way." He tugged us forward. "You should stop by and play shogi sometime. We don't always get to play at school."

I wrinkled my nose. "You just like the fact that you can beat me."

"Touchan is the only one that's beat me," he said confidently.

"I beat the Hokage."

Shikamaru stopped short and turned to face me and Hinata made a squeak of surprise. "R-really? You beat him?"

"Yeah. Which means Shikamaru's even better than Hiruzen, right?"

Hinata was red when I turned my attention to her but she nodded furiously. "You must be really smart, Shikamaru-kun," she said softly.

Yet when I turned my attention to Shikamaru, he was looking at me oddly. "What is it?"

"You call the Hokage Hiruzen?"

"It's his name."

"Yeah, but . . . ." He shook his head. "Whatever. I give up."

"On what?"

"Making sense of you." He groaned and tilted his head back to stare at the clouds. "Rook, H3."

Hinata's hand flexed in mine in surprise and I glanced at Shikamaru. "What?"

"That's my move. Rook, H3."

"That—" I squinted at him. "You want to play shogi? Now?"

"Yes. Rook, H3."

"Um, okay. Right. Pawn, D1."

"Pawn, F3."

"That— Okay, hold on." I screwed up my nose, closing my eyes to focus and trusting them to keep me from running into anything. I tried my best to think of the shogi board. "Um . . . . Bishop, C1."

"Pawn, E3."

"What the— How are you deciding so fast? Give me a second. I—"

"We're here."

I opened my eyes and blinked. "Huh?" I followed where Shikamaru was pointing to find myself looking at a sprawling set of houses against the backdrop of a in-Village forest. "You don't have walls?"

"People know to stay out," Shikamaru said easily, shaking himself lose. "I'll see you—"

"Maru! Aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?"

He cringed visibly and slowly turned to stare at the woman that was standing in the doorway to the first house. "Uh, hi, Kaachan. They were just leaving."

I grinned. "Nonsense! I'd be happy to meet your parent, Maru."

He threw a scowl at me. "Yeah, thanks."

"Come on up!" his mother called. Then she looked back in the house and yelled, "Shikaku, get your lazy ass out here and meet Maru's friends!"

I pulled Hinata forward and jogged up the stairs onto the porch. Then I looked back and stifled a laugh at the way Shikamaru was dragging his feet. "Going slower won't make the situation go away."

"Don't be so sure about that," a new voice said.

I straightened and looked up at the man that was sliding the door to the house closed. He stared down at me but didn't say anything. I cleared my throat. "You must be Shikaku. You know, Hiruzen's mentioned you a couple times."

Shikaku arched an eyebrow but was interrupted before he could respond. "Well, Shikamaru? Are you going to introduce us?"

Shikamaru heaved a sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Kaachan, Touchan, this is Uzumaki Mirai and Hyuuga Hinata. Guys, this is my Kaachan and Touchan."

"I'm Yoshino," his mother said, smiling down at us in a way that managed to soften her severe countenance. "This is Shikaku. It's nice to finally meet you."

"N-nice to meet you, you too," Hinata said, her hand tightening around mine as she shifted nervously from foot to foot and ducked her head.

I bowed my head respectfully and then straightened. "Nice to meet you. Sorry if he's grumpy," I said, gesturing vaguely to Shikamaru. "It's not anything I did. He's just like that."

Yoshino barked out a laugh at that. "Oh, I like this one. You chose a good friend, Maru."

"Well, more like I became friends with Choji-kun and he was just part of the deal," I said, smiling up at her. "But he's okay, I guess." When Hinata shifted again and pulled on my hand, I glanced her and smiled. "We should probably get going, though. I have to get Hinata-chan home." I bowed again. "See you tomorrow, Maru."

"Yeah. Go away, Mirai."

"Shikamaru," Yoshino said sharply.

I cut her off with a laugh and a grin before tugging Hinata back down the stairs. "Nice meeting you!" I threw back over my shoulder. "Which way, Hinata-chan?"

"U-um, left."

"Great!" I released her and turned, walking backward so I could face her as I talked with the occasional glance over my shoulder. "So what about you? What do you like to do?"

"M-me?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Well, there's no one else here that I'd be talking to." I smiled.

"Oh, well." She glanced to the side as she thought. "I, I like flowers. I, um, I gather them and press them to, to put them in a collection. Hanabi helps me sometimes."

"Hanabi?"

"Oh, um, my little sister. She's three, so she doesn't help a lot."

"Ah." I glanced over my shoulder and saw we were approaching the Hyuuga compound's iron wrought gates. "Do you think I could see your collection?"

"R-really?" she squeaked out, flushing pink. "Sure!" She hesitated and then took my hand again, pulling me towards the gate. The guards nodded to her and one of them opened the gate for her.

When she stepped through and she led me towards the first house, I stared around at the huge garden we'd stepped into. "What in the— This is beautiful, Hinata-chan."

"Oh, thank you." She threw me a small glance. "W-we all help out with the clan gardens. You could, could join us sometimes." Then she backtracked. "Only, only if you w-want to!"

"I would love that," I assured her softly. "This your place?"

"Um, this is the main building. The clan meeting room is where the Main Branch family lives." She let go of my hand and smoothed out her clothing as she stepped up the stairs. "This, this way," she murmured, folding her hands neatly as she walked. She followed the deck around to the side of the house and stopped in front of a shoji. "This is my room. Come on in." She slid the door aside. "You, you're sure you want to see my collection?"

I beamed at her, holding my smile until I was sure she saw it. "As sure as I've ever been about anything."

"I should probably go and make sure Sasuke and Naruto haven't torn up the apartment yet." As I got to my feet, I pecked a quick kiss to Hinata's forehead. "I'll see you in the morning!"

She smiled shyly up at me and her giant book of pressed flowers closed with a thud. "Thank you for looking at my collection, Mirai-chan."

"I was happy to!" I stopped by her door and stepped into my shoes while I pulled on my backpack. "Have a nice evening, Hinata-chan." With that, I slid her door aside and stepped out. The air had grown a little cooler than when I had arrived an hour ago and I tilted my head back, taking in a nice breath of the crisp air.

"You aren't a Hyuuga."

I stopped short and snapped my gaze down to the young Hyuuga that was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "No, I'm not," I said, tilting my head to the side. "Very perceptive of you." I winced at the sarcasm that slipped into my voice. I was supposed to stay on good terms with Hinata's clan, dammit!

Language, my constant companion said cheekily.

Shut up, Kurama.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"Are non-Hyuuga's not allowed?"

"Answer the question."

I held back the scoff that itched in my throat and instead bowed my head. "I apologize for my rudeness. I'm a friend of Hinata-chan's, and I was visiting with her."

His face twisted into a sneer. "I see. I've made a mistake in talking to you, then. Failure only attracts failure, after all."

I stared. Screw being on good terms with this brat, no one talked bad about my friends like that and got away with it. "How the hell do you get off with speaking 'bout Hinata-chan like that? Say what you want about me, prick, but don't you dare say anything bad about her. You probably barely even know what she's really like, right? Next time you think about saying something like that, keep your dirty mouth shut and spare me losing brain cells to your stupid words." I bit the words out like they were poison, glaring heatedly at him. Kurama stirred in the back of my head and let out a sound that soundly vaguely like a cross between a warning and a laugh.

He seemed taken aback for a moment, even stepping back before stiffening. His gaze narrowed and something in it chilled. "Who are you?"

"Uzumaki Mirai," I spat out. "Who are you?"

"Hyuuga Neji."

Heat drained from my face. How could I be so stupid? I should have seen who it was instantly. Worse than that, I'd probably just alienated one of the people that I had been determined to befriend. He'd probably hate me forever now. I was screwed.

Fuck.

Language!

Shut the hell up. This is serious.

But that didn't stop him laughing. I swallowed and worked my jaw for a moment, staring at the boy in front of me. With a careful inhale, I stepped down the stairs until I was standing on the ground in front of him. I looked up at him—for being just a year older, he was awfully tall—and tried to make my smile as sincere as possible. "It's nice to meet you, Neji-kun. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go home."

He didn't say anything in response but he didn't move either. Was not having to blink another aspect of the Byakugan? No, that was ridiculous. Hinata blinked all the time.

I bowed my head and then stepped past him and through the garden. The guards opened the gates as I approached and waved me out of the compound without so much as a word. Then the entrance closed behind me with a sense of finality. I shoved my hands in my pockets, glanced around to orient myself to my location, and then headed off for the apartment.

I could hear Naruto and Sasuke before I was even inside and a smile tugged at my lips. I unlocked the door's multiple latches and pushed my way in. "Ohayo, boys. Sorry it took me so long. I got sidetracked at Hinata's place."

"Rai! It's okay," Naruto said, looking up from where he was kneeling amidst a bunch of marbles. "Shisui's been with us and he even taught us a new game!"

"Shisui?" I glanced to the side to find him sitting on the kitchen table, flicking through a notebook. "You didn't have to stay."

He looked up and shrugged. "I knew you'd feel better if I did. And I don't mind."

"Well, thank you." I closed the door and locked it. "Hinata-chan has a pressed flower collection that I stayed to look at and—"

Cold chakra burst just barely at the edges of my sense and my words died in my throat. I blinked. "What—"

"I felt it too," Shisui murmured, slowly setting his notebook aside. As he got to his feet carefully, his gaze was locked on my door. "You're not expecting anyone, are you?"

"Um . . . no." I took a few steps forward and Shisui's chakra—when had he lowered his shields?—hissed at me. "Just . . . ." I waved to him and glanced at where Sasuke and Naruto were frozen, staring at me. I twisted my door handle and pushed my door open.

"Um . . . sorry if I scared you," the visitor rasped.

My eyes widened. "Niisan? What the hell? Are you hurt again?" I lurched forward and grabbed his arm—not the one that was clutching his side—and dragged him to my bed. "Sit down. Sit— Shisui! Can you grab the med kit that's under the sink?" I looked back to find the Uchiha standing in my doorway, backlit from the light in the living area. "Shisui!"

"Right!" He disappeared.

"What happened?" I asked Kakashi, shrugging off my backpack and tossing it aside. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

"Yeah, well." He groaned, screwing his eyes shut. Where was his hitai-ate? Both eyes were bare and his messy hair was slicked sweaty across his forehead without his headband to keep it mildly tamed. "Sorry for being paranoid."

My gaze snapped up to him. "Paranoid?" I glanced to the side, biting my lip, and found the cracked ANBU mask that was discarded on the floor. "'Nu-nii," I rasped, voice cracking. "What's going on?"

The light flicked on and then the door shut loudly. "I distracted Naruto and Sasuke with the ice cream in the fridge. Sorry if you were saving that for something," Shisui said, stepping to the bed and setting down the large box he was carrying. "So are you a hospital now?" he asked, attempting a weak grin as he tried to lighten the mood. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Yeah, you do that." I opened the box. "Where are you hurt?" As he answered, I pumped out hand sanitizer and scrubbed my hands clean.

"Everything else negligible, but—" He hissed and his clothing squelched as he took his hands from his stomach and tried to lift the fabric. Kakashi flinched violently.

"Shisui?" I pulled on gloves.

"Got it." Shisui unbuckled Kakashi's ANBU armor and then took the scissors I held out to cut away his shirt.

"Shisui, hold this," I ordered. Once he'd taken the bowl I was holding out, I retrieved the bottle of saline. "What caused it?"

Kakashi hissed as Shisui helped him lean awkwardly sideways, blood falling into the bowl. "U-uh, um, a tanto."

And then I got my first look at the gash in his side, raw muscle cut and blood staining every inch of visible flesh. "Shit," I muttered. "I'm not a doctor, Niisan." But nonetheless, I focused in and started rinsing out his wound. Occasionally, I would give Shisui an order to hand me something or I would wince at how shaky Kakashi's breath was, but for the most part, I was able to concentrate on cleaning out, stitching up, and bandaging his wound. Finally, I pulled back and began peeling off my bloody gloves. "Take that into the bathroom and rinse it out there so the boys don't see," I told Shisui, gesturing to the bowl of blood and fluid. When he left to do so, I tossed my gloves in the trash and glanced at Kakashi. "Are Itachi and Neko-san okay?" I handed him a surgical mask.

"They're fine." He tugged off the torn remnants of his shirt and secured the mask over his now-bare face. "And you really know w-way too much about ANBU," he rasped out, chest rising and falling shakily with his necklace stark against it, just making the pallor of his skin all the more obvious. "I should probably be concerned about that."

"Probably," I agreed. "But you should also probably be going to the hospital instead of seeking medical treatment from a six-year-old." I looked back over my shoulder. "Thanks for the help, Shisui."

He yanked on one of my braids as he came to a stop next to me. "Wasn't about to leave you on your own, Taichou."

"Ow," I pouted, swatting his hand away. "Unnecessary, kiddo." He shot me a look and I grinned before clearing my throat. "Could you get him some water? And maybe something light for his stomach?"

"Course." Shisui backed out of the room again.

I crouched down and started tugging at Kakashi's shoes. He pulled away and waved his hand. "You don't have—"

"You're not going anywhere tonight," I said sharply. "You're going to stay here and get some sleep and heal up. I'm assuming you didn't really report in?" His glance away told me enough. "I'll tell the Hokage where you are in the morning. For now," —I managed to finally get his shoes off and I set them aside— "you're getting some rest." I packed up my med kit and moved it to the floor.

"What's Shisui doing here?"

"Sasuke's staying the night." I hopped onto the bed next to him. "Shisui brought him and Naruto home while I walked my other friends back to their houses." I gestured towards the backpack thrown haphazardly in the corner. "I'd just gotten home."

"Sorry."

"Don't be." I looked down and reached over, taking his hand in mine. His rough skin was pink since I hadn't exactly been gentle when cleaning off the blood. I squeezed his hand as tightly as I could, though it was hard with the way his hand dwarfed mine. "I'm glad you're okay."

Shisui pushed the door back open. "Alright, some toast and water for you, Bakashi. And some ramen for you, Taichou."

I blinked and let go of Kakashi so I could take the bowl. "Oh, thanks."

"You didn't eat dinner," Shisui reminded me, cradling the bowl of ramen he'd brought in for himself and dragging over my desk chair with his foot. "So, should I expect to find Itachi in a similar state?"

Kakashi's open eye narrowed and he glanced at me. I shrugged. "I didn't tell him."

Shisui shrugged. "Tachi-chan can't hide anything from me. He didn't tell me but I did figure it out." He waved his chopsticks. "So? He's okay?"

"Yeah, he's okay." Kakashi hesitated, glancing down at his food.

I blinked. "Oh. Hey, Shisui, turn around, kiddo."

"Only if you stop calling me kiddo," he muttered, shifting the chair so his back was to us. "You know, you can't keep that face hidden forever. My brother was determined to find out what's under that mask and I'm going to continue that tradition."

"Yeah, well, Obito never succeeded and you won't either." Kakashi pulled down the mask and started eating.

I forced a smile at the name. "You know, Shisui, there's nothing really that special about it. It's just a face."

"You're just saying that so I won't look."

"Yeah, maybe." I set my untouched bowl in my lap and leaned my head against Kakashi's shoulder. "Hey, Niisan?"

"Huh?" he asked, voice lethargic.

I glanced up and found he was already nodding off. So I took his plate and set it on top of my bowl, hopping to my feet. "Never mind. Get some sleep," I said, reaching up and readjusting the mask over his face.

"Hmm," he mumbled, already lying down without even bothering to get under the covers.

I tapped Shisui's shoulder and opened the door. He got to his feet and followed me out. As he closed the door, he murmured, "He comes here for treatment a lot?"

I shook my head. "Only once before. And then he didn't mean to come here for treatment, he was just stopping by because I'd been looking for him."

"Rai?" Naruto asked, looking up from where he was sitting at the table with Sasuke. "What's going on?"

I just smiled and moved to the sink. "Niisan stopped by, but he's really tired. You'll see him in the morning." I rinsed off the plate.

"Mirai."

The reproachful tone in Shisui's voice made me look up, hesitant. "Yes?"

"You didn't eat."

"I'm not hungry."

He worked his jaw for a moment then sighed. "Fine. I have some translations for you to look over when you have a moment."

"Oh? Okay, sure, just a—"

"Hey, Rai! Do you want some ice cream? We only ate half of it!"

The first few days had been easy and I'd almost convinced myself that my conversation with Neji never happened, especially the part where I promptly fled the compound upon hearing his name. But then he seemed to have realized that I was in Hinata's class and had decided that he wanted a second confrontation because four days after meeting him I suddenly found myself hiding in the girl's lavatory to avoid him. Fast-forward a week and a half and I was a bundle of frayed nerves. On the upside, my stealth skills had increased considerably.

One thing was clear: Hyuuga Neji was most definitely a devil incarnate, or something equally terrible.

Shikamaru stared up at me, eyes half-lidded as if he was drifting off to sleep. "You gonna come down from there?"

I bit my lip and peered across the Academy yard at where Neji was stalking around, looking like he was on a mission. Then I looked down at the Nara below me and shook my head.

"Are you gonna tell me why you don't wanna play Ninja with the others?"

Another shake of my head.

"Are you gonna tell me what's going on?"

Another shake.

He dropped his chin to his chest and sighed. "Mendokuse," he muttered. "Fine. I'm coming up." He stepped up to the tree trunk and frowned for a moment before finding handholds. He grunted with effort as he started pulling himself up. He reached the first branch and wriggled up. With a groan, Shikamaru tilted his head back to stare up at me. He sighed. "Seriously?" After taking a deep breath, he forced himself up and kept climbing. When he finally reached where I was tucked between two limbs branching out from the trunk, he waved me aside. "Let me in."

I edged out onto one of the branches a little to give him enough room. When he wriggled into the spot, breathing heavily, I grinned. "Tired?"

"Shut up, Uzumaki." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "So?"

"So what?"

"Who are you hiding from?"

"Who says I'm hiding?"

Shikamaru wrinkled his nose. "Fine, if you're gonna treat me like I'm dumb." He grunted and moved to get down.

I groaned and reached out a hand to stop him. "Fine, fine. You're not dumb. I'm hiding from Neji."

"Neji?"

"Hyuuga. He's Hinata's cousin and I may or may not have snapped at him when I met him and now he seems to be searching for me."

He barked out a laugh. "You've never had anyone warn you against getting on a Hyuuga's bad side?"

I frowned and glanced at him. "No. You've had someone tell you that?"

"It's a common saying. Hyuuga tend to hold grudges. And it's hard to hide from them too, as you seem to have realized."

"Speaking from personal experience?" I prompted, nudging him with my elbow so he shifted a little to give me just a touch more room.

"Not exactly. Tousan's told some stories. Apparently, he and Hinata's dad haven't always got on too well. And they still get into a row every now and then." He tucked his hands behind his head. I wrinkled my nose and shifted away from the elbow he'd shoved in my face. When Shikamaru smirked a little, I scowled at him. He sighed. "You know what he did to fix the problem?"

"What?"

"He got Hiashi to focus on someone else."

"Hyuuga Neji?" Tenten asked, wrinkling her nose. "Yeah, he's in my class." As her swing began to slow down, she kicked again to keep herself growing. She took a bite of dango and then mumbled, "Why?"

"He seems like he's in need of a friend," I said, shaking my head to try to clear out the blood rushing to it. I looked down—or up?—at my feet where I was standing on the underside of the swing set's beam, between Lee and Tenten's swings. "Plus, I kinda yelled at him when we first met when I shouldn't have and now he keeps trying to find me. Probably to fight again. If he makes a friend, maybe he'll obsess over confronting me less."

"Is he mean?" Lee asked, pulling at his braid. "Is that why you yelled at him?"

I released the flow of chakra to my feet and flipped down, landing with a grunt. "A little," I conceded. "But I really do think he needs a friend. He seems lonely."

Lee and Tenten exchanged glances. Then Tenten nodded. "I'll see what I can do."