Sakura frowned, looking over at Sasuke, who was sneaking glances at Rina. It was unnerving because she couldn't read his expression.

Was Sasuke interested in her?

Was he into older women?

Sakura knew she needed to get to the bottom of this!

"Sasuke-kun!"

The Uchiha groans aloud, he just finished his katas, so he was just about to leave with Kakashi." Yes?"

"Why do you keep staring at Mitsukai-sensei?"

Sasuke blinked at the question while everyone else caught on, turning to look at him. Sakura did speak loudly, after all.

"I wasn't."

"No, you were," Karin and Naruto say simultaneously.

Sasuke's eye twitched, "No, I wasn't."

"You're lying." responds the Uzumaki cousins.

Kakashi resists the urge to laugh, making eye contact with his girlfriend. Rina had a rather contemplative look as she looked over at his ward.

"Sasuke, is there something you wanted to ask me?"

The said genin felt his face warm as she approached with Kakashi standing before him. Rina's eyes soften as she bends down on one knee meeting him at eye level. "Talk to me."

Sasuke could feel all eyes on him, making him uncomfortable. He fists his hands at his sides, angry at his teammates for forcing him into this position.

Rina sees all this and turns to her kids, "Karin and Naru, you both head home first. I'll accompany Sasuke and Kakashi home."

Before anyone could respond, she had already stood up, nudging Sasuke to leave as she walked behind him, forcing him to move along.

Sakura failed miserably at trying to follow after the trio; eventually, Rina got irritated with her lack of tact and sent a wave of her killer intent her way, forcing Sakura to still and tremble in the corner long enough for the trio to escape her sights.

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief when he realized Sakura had given up on following them. But now, he felt awkward, walking between his two sensei. He could feel the villagers eyeing him curiously while the ninjas looked at him suspiciously on the streets.

"Why are you walking with us? Sasuke finally asks, turning over to speak to his female sensei.

The Uchiha blamed Rina Mashiro for the spotlight he was exposed to because she quickly attracted attention with her facial features. Still, his latest sensei's clothes garnered even more looks. Instead of the camouflage pants she initially wore, she changed her bottoms to dark purple compression pants with a low waistband that exposed her navel and belly button ring that practically shined in the midday sun. Rina was attractive. He had to admit. She nearly made men's mouths water as she walked past, her hair swishing side to side with each movement of her hips and legs. Sasuke wondered how Kakashi didn't get jealous with all the eye-raping she got.

"You want to talk to me, so I'm giving you a chance without the others around."

Sasuke sighs openly, "Sure, but I rather talk in private.."

Kakashi nudges his ward, jerking his thumb towards an alley, "We could take the shortcut here."

Sasuke nods, and they walk onward, Rina waiting patiently for the Uchiha to speak his mind. When he finally did, minutes later, his voice was so soft the jounin wasn't sure it was him.

"How come I couldn't remember you before?"

They turned to see Sasuke had stopped and moving to sit on a crate, his eyes downcast.

Rina tilts her head, signalling Kakashi to let her take the lead. She moves to sit next to the genin whilst Kakashi leans his back against the wall, observing. "You have been through a lot Sasuke. I'm not mad at you for forgetting me. I was nowhere near as important to you as your family. They were your blood, after all."

The boy shook his head, "You were just as much of a sibling to me as Itachi was..."

Rina moves to wrap one arm around Sasuke's shoulders, resting the side of her head on his voluminous hair. "That's sweet of you, Sasuke."

The genin says nothing, moving to take her free hand in his, "Why didn't you come and see me after the funeral?"

Rina tilts her head slightly, looking at Kakashi, and her boyfriend shrugs nonchalantly. He knew what she was asking him, but in his mind, Sasuke was not a small kid. He could handle the truth.

"I did, about two months afterwards. I couldn't be there earlier because I was injured badly on a mission, but-"

"Injured?" Sasuke interrupts, his fingers intertwining with hers in concern.

"It wasn't that bad-"

Kakashi interjects, unable to help himself, "Orochimaru killed half of your team and the ones that survived aside from you - lost limbs and had to retire."

Sasuke's expression became alarmed upon hearing this. Rina raised her hand to stop further talk - she hated people interrupting her.

"Yes, Orochimaru intercepted my team to compromise in hunting down Itachi. I took a while to heal, but I'm alive and grateful."

Kakashi looked over at his genin, seeing him frozen in place and the distant look in his eye - it was clear he was recollecting something again.

FLASHBACK

"Hi there, Sasuke."

Sasuke looks up to see an older teenager, his brother's age, he thinks, with short green hair in a bun - the upper half of her body was covered tightly in bandages from her waist to her fingers, and she had on navy joggers and standard ninja slippers on her feet. A fringe covered one eye while she had on an eyepatch on the other.

"Do I know you?"

Rina looked startled but managed an awkward smile, "I'm-"

"Don't talk to me."

Sasuke walks away from her, irritated that someone dared to speak to him.

FLASHBACK END

Kakashi watches as Sasuke fists his free hand, and his arm trembles in what he assumes anger, "I remember now, you did approach me..."

Rina moves to take both his hands in hers, forcing him to look up, and she kisses his forehead affectionately. "Past is past. Kakashi and I are here for you now. You can talk to us about anything. All right?"

Sasuke's posture relaxes, and his eyes soften at her calm demeanour. "When we're alone, can I call you Aneue?"

Rina blinks, surprised, until Kakashi leans in, reminding Sasuke he is present. "Not Rima-nee, huh?"

Sasuke turns, glaring at him for his teasing tone.

"Okay, Sasuke, if that's what you want." Rina forces him to turn back in her direction, a gentle smile on her face. Sasuke's expression changes instantly, and he moves to wrap his arms around her. Kakashi noticed immediately that his ward sneakily pressed the side of his cheek on Rina's breast. The older male's eye twitched irritably; Rina, observant as always, just smiled at his apparent mood before hugging the genin back and kissing his hair.

I'll be there for you too.

Naruto was grumpy as he stirred the vegetables into the chicken soup he had made for his dinner with Karin.

They received a note from his guardian that she was having dinner elsewhere and would disclose full details to them the following morning. Karin deduced that she must be sleeping over at Kakashi's place if she would only return tomorrow.

Naruto took out the spoon, watching the broth drip back into the pot, his blue eyes deep in focus as he recalled what happened after their team training session. He noticed something was off with Sasuke when the Uzumaki family first entered the training area; it was as if his eyes were solely on Rina, and his focus hardly ever wavered throughout the session. Something about Sasuke changed; he was much more withdrawn than usual today, yet his posture was the most relaxed he had ever seen before.

He put the spoon down on a plate and closed the pot with the lid with his other hand. Naruto sits down on the table, deep in thought.

As a jinchuriki, Naruto's five senses were much more heightened than an average human. Hence, tracking him was difficult; his senses allowed him to evade almost everyone easily. However, these senses also gave him a hyper-awareness of people's emotions.

Naruto could see that the hostility Sasuke usually displayed was absent today; it was as if he could interpret that the usually broody genin had dropped that wall entirely, the air around him serene. Naruto closed his eyes, remembering how he monitored Sasuke closely; the Uchiha's pulse rate quickened whenever Rina addressed or made eye contact with him. However, it wasn't rapid or caused by anxiety, Naruto realized. Sasuke's heartbeat was quicker but steady; he had to conclude that Rina enamoured his teammate.

Why? What changed?

Rina had already told him and Karin about her history with the Uchiha family after Karin told her how Sasuke tried to pry information out of Naruto on how she knew Itachi the first time. However, as far as they understood and saw, Sasuke didn't recognize her.

He must have remembered everything then.

Naruto hears a cough and turns to his cousin, setting the table. She looked at him curiously, wondering why he had been so quiet.

"I was just thinking about Nee-chan."

"Me too, but your face looked solemn..."

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I think something will change between Sasuke and Rina-nee."

"That was obvious from how much Sasuke blushed today."

Naruto laughed; Sasuke's embarrassed face was always going to be comical.

Kakashi smiles at his reflection, absent of his mask, as his gorgeous girlfriend is affectionately smiling at him as she gently instructs him to bend his head just enough for her to reach him.

Rina squirts the shampoo in her palm, then puts her hands on Kakashi's head, gently massaging his scalp, her fingers going through his hair just so carefully.

She had insisted on shampooing his hair before they showered together, saying it seemed dry lately; he confessed that Sasuke was using most of the shampoo for his hair; hence Kakashi had to limit how much he used so he wouldn't need to go to the store to buy hair products every weekend. She scolded him playfully and kissed his naked cheek, promising to buy him shampoo.

Rina's sweet voice made Kakashi smile wider; his head filled with thoughts on how excellent and comforting Rina's caring fingers felt in his hair.

"This almost makes up for you letting that brat press his face against your boobs."

Rina pinched the back of his neck, "Sasuke is not a pervert like you."

"Oh no, after seeing you in that swimsuit - Sasuke grew a libido."

Kakashi smirked good-naturedly, seeing her roll her eyes before moving her hands from his hair and finishing with the scalp massage.

He turned just in time to see his girlfriend drop her towel, giving him an eyeful of her luscious skin and delectable buxom as she walked into the shower. The moment Kakashi noticed her hand reaching to close the shower door, he rushed in, and lifts her in his arms and kissed her hungrily, his chest against hers with Rina's back against the wall.

"You are going to be sore tomorrow Rina-koi."