[Book 2 of The Unexpected series]

Kokoro Hatake managed to get past Gaara's defenses and became the friend Gaara's always wanted. It was hard to regain his trust and to get past strong feelings of hate and fear, but Kokoro was able to overcome them with a little bit of love, support, and determination. Her time spent on Team 7 was a rollercoaster of emotions. She never thought she would experience half the things Naruto, Sasuke, her dad, and she encountered on missions in and out of the village. She captured runaway cats, fought an S-ranked missing nin, found a long-lost cousin, and survived an invasion.

She became strong in Konoha, and she was forever grateful for everyone who helped her. But she was ready to forge her own path. She was ready to learn from those in Kirigakure, to learn better ways to protect those she loved most, to learn what it meant to be a great kunoichi. Most importantly, she was ready to learn what it meant to be Kokoro in every sense of the word.

Living in Kiri will not be easy, but Kokoro is up for the task. With village prejudice, distrust, and loneliness creeping up on her at every opportunity, she's just happy she's still in contact with her loved ones. As Kokoro grows stronger, bigger and harder obstacles stand in her way. She just wished she could get Gaara out of her head.


Title: First Meetings Suck

Summary: Kokoro makes it to Kirigakure and meets an interesting person. She starts to understand how different Kirigakure really is.

It took Kokoro longer than expected to get to Kirigakure. Kiri was located on a huge island separated from the rest of the elemental nation, so Kokoro had to take a boat. Once she was on the island, the trek to the village was rough and a bit rocky with differing land elevations. The land around the hidden village was thick with mist and made it hard to locate her destination. She tried using her other senses to find it, but even her slightly enhanced hearing and smelling was useless. After an hour of stumbling around, she caught sight of a silhouette. The person had their hands up in a show of peace and slowly walked towards her. Kokoro held her hand near her pouch, ready to defend herself in case the mysterious person tried to hurt her. When they came into view, she immediately looked at their hitai-ate to gauge their affiliations. She let out a small sigh of relief at the sight of four small squiggles.

"You are Kokoro Hatake, I presume," the person said. They were tall - taller than her dad was - with long, auburn hair weaved into a braid hanging down to their waist. Their eyes were sharp and brown in color, their lashes long and dark, their jawline sharp and boxy. They had wide shoulders that accentuated narrow hips, and they had quite a few piercings showing, including ones in their ears, eyebrows, nose, and belly button. They were masculine yet feminine at the same time. Kokoro had no idea how to gender them, and after a few minutes of taking in their appearance, she decided to wait until they introduced themself.

"I am," Kokoro confirmed. "Did the Mizukage send you to retrieve me?"

"She did," they said. "I am Masumi."

They turned around and gestured for Kokoro to follow them. Kokoro stood there and stared at them dumbly before she realized she was being left behind. She ran to catch up to them, making sure to always keep one step behind so as to allow them to lead. Kokoro felt a strong and confident aura permeating from Masumi's person. It filled the entire area around them, and it made Kokoro feel like she was safe, like no harm would come to her as long as she was by this person's side. She tilted her head to the side and discreetly analyzed her companion. What made them radiate such a feeling? Maybe they were just experienced? But even that logic was confusing as her dad had never radiated such an aura. He was a seasoned fighter, someone many people feared and envied across the elemental nation, yet he never made her feel one hundred percent comfortable while walking in an unfamiliar forest.

"Did that father of yours not teach you manners? It's rude to stare," they said as they glared down at Kokoro. Fear was instilled into the Hatake as she met steely eyes, and she visibly flinched at the intensity of the stare. "If there is something you want to say, say it."

"I - uh, no, I don't have anything to say," Kokoro stumbled out.

"Then pay attention to your surroundings. We're nearly at the village gates."

Sure enough, five minutes later, the village gates came into view. Kirigakure was not what Kokoro was expecting, to say the least. She knew there would be mist as it was common knowledge Kiri utilized mist techniques, but what she hadn't expected was the lackluster beauty the village held. It was dark and gloomy and a bit cold. The buildings were all cylindrical and plain, and the ones she could see were topped with greenery. It was nothing like Konoha or Suna. No sunshine or life. Even the people held no sunshine - no warmth. The guards at the gates greeted Masumi with a nod of their head and greeted Kokoro with sneers after glancing at her headband. She suddenly felt self-conscious and gingerly touched the metal adorning her upper arm.

"You should remove that as soon as possible," Masumi commented. "Preferably now."

"Is there something wrong with it?" Kokoro asked defensively.

"I'm sure you've noticed the dark nature Kiri seems to hold despite the difference in leadership. This isn't Konoha, Hatake. People aren't as open and friendly as leaf shinobi pretend to be. We certainly don't have a secure relationship with Konoha either," Masumi answered. "A quick word of advice: Keep your affiliation with Konoha quiet among the citizens. If word gets out, you'll regret your decision to come here more than you already do."

"I don't regret my decision to come here," Kokoro protested.

"Don't you?" Masumi asked.

"I don't," Kokoro answered quickly.

Masumi hummed and gave Kokoro a once over before saying, "We'll see how true that statement is in a few weeks."

Masumi led Kokoro through the village and to the Mizukage's building. Kokoro made sure to observe her surroundings, to watch as citizens went about their day and shinobi jumped from roof to roof. Everyone was donned in dark colors - dark blues, grays, dark greens. All of them were faded, though, like they had been washed too many times and were losing their color. It was a huge contrast to the bright and playful colors people in Konoha wore. She also noticed that there were not a lot of people occupying the area, and those that were, were glaring in her direction with distrust, whispering to each other and pointing at her. She fingered her headband again and thought about whether she should remove it. The decision was made for her when an elderly woman passed her and spit at her feet. It was promptly removed thereafter and stuffed into one of her pockets.

They made it to the Mizukage's building and were led into her office. The office was filled with a desk and accompanying chair, stacks of paper, and a few plants here and there. It was on the small side, though it could still fit at least six people comfortably. There was a window to the side of the desk - positioned so that no one could attack the Mizukage from a distance - that showcased the mountain range standing close to the border of the village. Mei was sitting at her desk writing on a piece of paper, and she looked up when they entered. They were greeted with Mei's mischievous smile and two, masked guards. Mei stood up from her desk and walked towards Kokoro with open arms. She engulfed Kokoro into a brief hug and stood back to assess Kokoro and her companion.

"I see you've made it in one piece despite your guide," Mei said with a smirk.

"You know I don't bite," Masumi responded with a clack of her teeth. "Besides, the brat's too spoiled for my taste."

"Spoiled?" Kokoro echoed. "I'm spoiled?"

"For you to even ask that says a lot," they said with a snort. "Later, Mei."

"Not going to stay?" Mei asked as Masumi walked towards the door.

"I have no interest in playing," Masumi said before leaving the room and shutting the door behind them.

"Well, that went better than I expected. I thought Masumi would write you off as soon as they saw you and leave you to find the village yourself," Mei told Kokoro.

"They would do that?" Kokoro asked.

"You heard them. To them, you are spoiled."

"What does that even mean?"

"Hopefully you'll find out soon," Mei said with a knowing smile on her face. "For now, I want to go over some basic things and introduce you to the village." She walked over to the window, turning her back to Kokoro to stare outside. "As you've probably noticed, Kirigakure is much different than Konohagakure. We're the poorest hidden village in terms of the greatest five, and our population is practically nonexistent due to our past. Living in Kiri is much different than living in Konoha."

"I've noticed," Kokoro said dryly.

"You've observed some things, yes, but there are other things you'll only experience with time. Unfortunately, I don't have time today to explain further." She turned around. "For now, I guess I should inform you of your living quarters and other necessities. I'm sure you're tired from your journey and would love to wash up."

"That would be nice," Kokoro replied.

"You'll be staying in an apartment nearby. It's already stocked with food and other amenities you might need. You'll have neighbors, but they are fellow shinobi. I suggest introducing yourself as quickly as possible. It will make your stay easier if you have shinobi who can vouch for you."

"I'm guessing there's something to that," Kokoro said with a raised eyebrow.

Mei waved her off and continued, "You'll be granted a basic allowance once a month to cover your expenses until you join our ranks and can work for money. Spend it wisely." She walked over to her desk and opened a drawer to pull out a key. "Here is the key to your apartment." Then she walked over to a cabinet standing against the far wall and pulled out a parcel. "And here is your training outfit."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Kokoro asked disdainfully.

"While there is nothing wrong with your clothing, you are new to the village. Very few know of your arrival, and those that don't will be suspicious of you. They will certainly be able to distinguish you as a new face, but these clothes will tell them you do not have malicious intentions. This is the uniform we give all of our academy students. It will keep you from drawing unnecessary arguments," Mei explained with a sneer.

"You give uniforms to your academy students?" Kokoro asked with a frown. It was unheard of to offer uniforms in Konoha, especially since there were so many clan uniforms in place already. Clan symbols were used to show everyone else that you belonged to something much bigger than yourself, and in the Hyuugas' case, something much superior than the usual. The outrage that would ensue if uniforms were handed out prior to entrance into the academy in Konoha would be so astronomical and unanimous that the Hokage would have no choice but to get rid of them.

"Yes. The more time you spend here, the more differences you'll find between Kiri and Konoha. Don't perceive Kiri the same way you perceive Konoha. You'll be disappointed if you do," Mei said. She handed Kokoro the key and the parcel and ordered one of the masked shinobi to take her to her new apartment. Before the door to the office closed, Mei said, "Report to the academy in a week's time at 8 a.m. Make sure you're not late, either."

The trek to the apartment was short-lived. The shinobi led Kokoro through a building and up three flights of stairs before they stopped in front of a door. They bowed slightly and left. The apartment Kokoro was assigned was small, like everything else within the village. It was one big room and had a basic kitchen, a loveseat, and a small chabudai. Rolled up on the floor against the wall was a tatami mat that Kokoro assumed she would have to sleep on. One window and two doors littered the walls - one was a closet for storage and the other was a bathroom. The walls were bare and white, and the apartment overall held an empty feeling. She dropped the parcel on the kitchen counter and sat in front of the chabudai. She took out a few scrolls and unrolled them. She unsealed the extra clothes and amenities she packed for her stay and began putting them away. Once she finished, she grabbed a few clothes and placed them out on the counter before she washed up in the bathroom. Once she finished, she checked the fridge for food and was surprised to see that the Mizukage wasn't lying when she said her apartment was stocked. She grabbed some fish and raided the cupboard for some rice before she set out to make dinner for herself.

She ate her dinner in silence, slowly bringing the chopsticks up to her mouth and back down to her bowl. Her mind was uncharacteristically silent and she couldn't help but stare at the wall in front of her. She moved her chopsticks to grab more food but realized there was nothing left in her bowl, save for a few pieces of rice. Kokoro sighed and stood up to rinse out her bowl and pack away the extra food to eat tomorrow. She ran a hand through her silver tresses and walked over to the window. She moved the curtain to the side and pursed her lips in disappointment when she was met with empty streets. She couldn't help but compare it to the bustling streets of Konoha.

Kirigakure was very different from Konoha, and Kokoro observed it as she spent her week off walking the streets and getting to know her new environment - her new home. The first night, she couldn't sleep well, so she found herself dressed and ready to leave her apartment as soon as the sun rose in the sky. The first thing she set out to do was to greet her neighbors. She knew that the neighbors to her left and right were awake because she could hear quiet shuffling coming from their apartments. She wasn't sure about her neighbors across the hall, but she would take the chance. They were supposed to be fellow shinobi, so they should be awake. She left her apartment and steeled her nerves before she knocked on the left door. She waited patiently for someone to open. When no one did, she knocked again, only to be shouted at and told to leave. She flinched back from the tone and tried the door on the right.

A woman opened the door with a frown on their face. They looked Kokoro up and down, assessing her and silently asking about her intentions. Kokoro was stunned at the way the door was wretched open and took a minute to process that someone had opened the door.

"Oh, hello," Kokoro said after a short pause.

"What do you want?" the woman asked.

"I just moved into the apartment next to you. I wanted to meet you and the rest of our neighbors. It would be nice to have someone familiar to talk to," Kokoro answered with a small smile.

"That's wonderful," the woman said sarcastically. "Your name?"

"Kokoro Hatake."

The woman sneered and said, "You're the brat from Konoha Masumi was talking about."

"Is that a bad thing?" Kokoro asked.

"Could be, could not be. Masumi is usually a good judge of character."

"Usually?"

"Look, I have things to do. If you're not dying or being attacked, don't bother me," the woman said before she shut the door.

"Oh," Kokoro whispered dejectedly. She stared at the door for some time before she headed across the hall. She hesitated for a long time before she took a leap of faith and knocked on the door. The door was opened quicker than the last, and Kokoro couldn't mask her surprise at seeing the familiar face.

"What do you want?" Masumi asked as she stared down at Kokoro with disdain.

"You live across from me?" Kokoro asked in surprise.

"Obviously," Masumi said with a roll of their eyes.

"Oh," Kokoro said as she mulled over that detail in her mind. It was nice to see a familiar face, but at the same time, Masumi wasn't the nicest person. They had been distant and harsh with the way they had spoken to Kokoro, going so far as to even judge her based on their short interactions and call her spoiled.

"Was there anything you actually needed, or was this just some greeting to get on the good sides of your neighbors?" Masumi asked.

"I just - I wanted to meet the people living around me," Kokoro stuttered out.

"Okay, well I need to be somewhere in ten minutes," Masumi said. They stepped out of their apartment and closed the door behind them. "See you later, Hatake."


Dear Haku,

I don't know what I expected in coming to Kiri, but it wasn't this. I was excited to start a new journey, a new part of my life in a place my mother grew up in, but now I am unsure. It's so gloomy here - dark. Everyone looks distrustful and mean, not accepting of me or people they grew up around. There are no bustling streets or colorful vendors or people waving at you everywhere you go. There are no children running around and no laughter filling the air. I can't help but feel depressed. My apartment is no better. I can't help but feel like I made the wrong decision. How am I going to fit in here? How am I going to survive here?

I was given a week to explore the village, and what I've witnessed so far is jarring, to say the least. There are so many citizens that look poor and malnourished, yet there are those that are flourishing and living lavishly. The richer people are mainly high-ranking shinobi and families that have long since settled their roots in Kiri. I've stayed away from them. I've found myself staying in the poorer areas, watching as citizens go about their day and wandering through cracked streets. Despite my lack of a Konoha headband, everyone stares at me. I've tried talking to others - tried making friends - but no one is open to doing so. Even my neighbors are close-lipped and refuse to speak to me despite my warm greetings.

I am supposed to meet someone at the academy in a day's time. I'm not sure who it is, but I'm guessing they'll be overseeing my training. It sucks having to go back to a school building. I was a chunin almost two weeks ago and now I am reduced to a status lower than a genin. I'm nervous to see what they have in store for me.

I miss everyone already. I miss Naruto's warmth and his boisterous personality, I miss Sasuke's broodiness and his playful snarkiness, I miss Kiba's unprecedented naivety, I miss Shikamaru's know-it-all attitude, especially when he guesses right, I miss Choji's softness and the sound of him snacking, I miss your gentleness and your hold, I even miss dad's tardiness and his aloofness. I hope everything is well with you.

Kokoro