Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ My Life as Hinata Hyuga ❯ Chapter 14

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

"I... I've been waiting for someone like you! But now you are slipping way! (What have you done now?!) Why... why does fate make us suffer? There's a curse between us... between me and YOU!" -Within Temptation
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Mayu sat under a tree, looking up at the sky. She sighed loudly, and then looked towards the ground. "Damn... I still can't get this out of my head!" thought glaring at the grass. Hinata watched her friend from her place under a nearby tree. Recently, Mayu has been acting very strange. Only days after the celebration of the Hokage, Mayu has been moping around and sighing almost all every day since then. The two had just finished their daily sparing, and were now resting.

"I wonder... I wonder what's wrong with her," thought, looking at Mayu in concern. "This isn't like Mayu-san at all."Hinata heard Mayu sigh again causing her to narrow her eyes slightly. "Was it something Sasuke-san did?"

"Ahh...! This is so friggin' frustrating!" Mayu suddenly shouted; Hinata looked at her friend, and then stood.

"Mayu-san...!" she said gaining the girl's attention. Mayu stood up as well.

"Yeah...?" she asked.

"Are you... are you feeling okay?" Hinata asked.

"What do you mean, Hinata?" Mayu asked, scratching her leg. "This is what I get for wearing shorts today!" thought frowning.

"I mean... you have not been yourself recently," Hinata answered. "It... It concerns me. You're not usually like this." Mayu looked away from Hinata, and then turned back with a grin on her face.

"Oh, Hinata-chan, you don't have to worry about me! I'm fine...! Better than fine, actually!" she said giving Hinata a thumbs up. "I guess I'm just a little bored... but not to worry, Hinata-chan! I am okay! So okay, in fact, that I'm going to take a walk around town. Speaking of which... aren't you supposed to be going on a date with Naruto?"

Hinata looked at Mayu in confusion, and then her eyes widen in realization. "Oh no! I amsupposed to meet Naruto-kun...!" she said frantically. "I have to take a shower! This is the last time that we'll see each other before his mission! I have to go...!"

"That's fine, Hinata. Please... go, you've earned it!" Mayu said, putting her hand up, she waved Hinata off. "The training today went really well. You're really improving!"

"Thanks, Mayu-san!" Hinata said with a smile.

"No problem, Hinata. Now go on your little date, and tell me the details later!" Mayu said nodding. "And you better not leave out any kisses!"

Hinata blushed immensely at Mayu's last comment. "D-D-Don't say things l-l-like that!" she muttered still blushing.

"Sorry, sorry... now off you go!" Mayu said. "I'll catch up with you later." Hinata nodded and took off down the path. She looked back at her friend with a concerned look on her face; Mayu didn't see it.

"Mayu-san is hiding something... I know it!" Hinata thought, turning her head back around. "Sasuke-san should know, right?"
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Mayu's POV
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I watched Hinata until she was out of sight. I sighed out loudly as I leaned against the tree. "I don't like lying to Hinata... but I don't want her to worry,"I thought closing my eyes. This... this dream is driving me insane! Why is it the same dream over and over?! That woman... that man... Itachi... Why do I keep seeing their faces in my dreams? "How can I understand Spanish?! That's part is really freaking me out!"I opened my eyes and stood up straight.

"I can't go on without knowing..."I thought. "I have to find out..."I have to find out who that woman was. I have to know who that man was. And Itachi... what does he have to with my life. But most of all... I have to find out...

Who am I...? Have I been here before?
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It wasn't long before I reached town. I had no idea how I was going to get my answers. But I knew someone who did... Unfortunately, Kakashi-san was away on a mission! "On the bright side, since most of the jounins are on missions," thought grinning, "That gives me a perfect chance to look through Konoha's files..."

"Hey, Mayu...!" I heard a voice shout. I turned and saw Naruto waving at me, leaning on the fence.

"Hey, Naruto..." I muttered with a weak wave; I walked over to him fully knowing that I was about to walk right into a pointless conversation.

"How's it going?" Naruto asked.

"I'm--" I began, but Naruto interrupted me!

"Do you know where Hinata-chan is?" he began causing me to glare. "She's supposed to meet me here. We're going on a date!"

"Nice..." I said, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, after she trained... she went home to take a shower. I'm guessing that she will be here any minute, now."

"Speaking of dating..." Naruto said with a grin plastered on his face. I didn't like that look he was giving me. Something about that look told me that I wasn't going to like the next thing that came out of his mouth. "I heard you and Sasuke are going to get together... like me and Hinata-chan!" So far... I was right.

"What?! Me and Sasuke--" Naruto interrupted me again!

"It's Sasuke and I!" he corrected, which caused me to frown. "Hinata-chan has been teaching me proper speech! Isn't it great?!"

I smiled at the silly boy in front of me... and then kicked his ass. "I don't like being corrected, Naruto. Perhaps you will learn from this," I told him after the beating.

"Y-You're worst than Sakura..." he groaned causing me to smile in satisfaction.

"You better believe it!" I grinned. "Now... as I was saying! Me and Sasuke out?! That's just ridiculous! Uchiha Sasuke is my friend and that's it!"

"Then why are you blushing?" Naruto asked standing and rubbing his cheek.

"T-That's even more ridiculous!" I said, touching my face...

Oh. My. Friggin'. CORN! I face was as hot as lava! I was blushing! Nooo! There is no way that I blush because of UCHIHA SASUKE! Suddenly, I heard Naruto laughing loudly. "Hehe! You so like him, don't you?!" he asked pointing at me; he was practically jeering at me! "I knew it! No wonder Sasuke has changed so much."

"What are you talking about?!" I shouted. "I don't like him like that! We're just friends!"

"Now that I think about it..." Naruto said holding his chin, looking deep in thought; he was ignoring me! "I never saw Sasuke blush until you came along." I was silent after Naruto's last statement.

"Sasuke... blushes?" I thought. "That doesn't sound right at all."

Naruto must be really losing his mind. There's no way Sasuke blushes because of me. I irritate him, I mean, that's my job! No one blushes because of an annoying person. I mean, Sasuke isn't like Hinata... who blushes 24/7 when around this annoying boy. "Sasuke wouldn't... would he?" thought. Naruto wasright about Sasuke changing, though.

I've noticed it; Sasuke has changed. But... this is kinda extreme. Sasuke blushing... ridiculous. "Well, anyway...! You two should be together in no time!" Naruto said gaining my attention; my eye twitched in irritation.

"That's it... I'm leaving!" I said, and then I walked away. Naruto can be a moron sometimes. Me and Sasuke... ridiculous!
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Ibaraki... Itou... Ishikawa...


"Here it is!" thought pulling out the file out of the box that I was currently looking in. "The Ishikari file..." I muttered out loud, staring intensively at the folder and the two scrolls. The folder was kinda small, but I guess the scrolls will explain further. I stood up, placing the items in my jacket. Do you know how hard it is to find something in this building! I didn't realize that the Hokage building was so big! I got lost like... what, five times! Maybe even more!

It wasn't like anyone was there to stop me from searching the place. The place was deserted! "I'm telling you, Izumo! I heard something coming from this room!" a voice made me jump.

"Crap, he heard me!" I thought looking towards the door.

"Are you kidding me?" another voice said. "There's no one here, Kotetsu!"

"But I heard some--"

"Don't start that again!"

I heard their footsteps departing; I sighed inaudibly in relief. "And I thought no one was here," thought standing. Rather than take my chances with the door, I decided to go out through the window. "I might bring these things back," thought jumping from the window. I began jumping on random building, trying to get as far away from the Hokage building as possible. I didn't want to be caught red-handed, after all. "Hopefully... this will answer my questions."
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"I'm sorry I'm late... Naruto-kun," Hinata said panting lightly. "Mayu's training is distracting sometimes."

"It's okay, Hinata-chan!" Naruto grinned at his girlfriend, causing her to blush. "I wasn't waiting that long. Besides the movie doesn't start for another hour! We can do something else."

"Okay, N-Naruto-kun... what do you suggest?" Hinata asked poking her index fingers together. "My first real date with Naruto-kun!"she squealed in thought. Truth be told, Hinata couldn't remember the festival all that much, so in her mind thiswas the first date.

"Um... let's walk around a bit," Naruto said. "It's not like I have enough money to go any where else..." finished in thought. "Stupid perverted hermit!"Naruto still remembered when the older man took all his money, and then spent it all. "It took me so long to get it, too!"

"That's sounds great, N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata said.

"Great, let's go!" Naruto exclaimed linking his arm with Hinata's causing her blush to deepen.

"O-Okay...!"

"Hey, you two!" a voice made both genin turn. They saw Sasuke walking over to them; Naruto frowned.

"Oh, hi, Sasuke-san!" Hinata said giving a small wave.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked, not pleased at Sasuke arrival. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the blond's question.

"I was just looking for Mayu," he stated, his hands in his pockets. "You know where she is, Hinata?"

"Uh... no, I don't know where she is," Hinata answered. "Sorry, but after we spared with each other... we went our separate ways."

"Oh, I see..." Sasuke said, and was about to walk away when something caught his eye. "Naruto..."

"What?!" Naruto asked irritated that Sasuke wasn't leaving fast enough.

"Why do you have a black eye?" he asked curious. Hinata turned to Naruto after the question was asked. She had noticed the black eye Naruto's was sporting as soon as she saw him, but she didn't say anything thinking that Sakura had walked passed him.

"This...?" Naruto said pointing at his left eye. "Mayu gave it to me when I saw her..."

"Why...?" Hinata asked.

"I think it was because I corrected her," Naruto answered. Hinata giggled and Sasuke smirked at his answer. "What's so funny?"

"Word of advice, Naruto..." Sasuke said, "don't ever try to correct Mayu, even if she iswrong."

"Huh...?" Naruto said confused. "Why not, I was just trying to help her out."

"Just don't do it if you don't want to die," Sasuke told him.

"Yeah, Mayu-san can turn into a real violent bitch!" Hinata said causing the two boys to look at her with wide eyes.

"What did you just say?" Sasuke asked completely shocked. Wasn't Hinata usually shy? She didn't cuss... at all!

"Uh... What I meant was... Mayu-san can really turn into Sakura!" Hinata said nervously.

"Oooh!" Sasuke and Naruto said in unison. "I get it now!" Naruto finished.

"Wait a minute...!" Sasuke suddenly said. "You saw Mayu?!"

"Yeah, after she beat the crap outta me, she left," Naruto explained.

"Which way?"

"She went over to the Hokage building," Naruto answered pointing down the road.

"The... Hokage building?" Sasuke repeated. "Is that what we call it?"

"Yup!" was Naruto's answer.

"Does the Hokage live there?" Hinata asked.

"I don't think so..." Naruto said.

"Isn't that the place where we get our missions?" Hinata asked; Naruto and Sasuke nodded. "Then why do we call it the Hokage building? Is that what we reallycall it?"

The two boys nodded their heads again. "Wow..." Hinata muttered. "Why?"

"It's a good question that I care not to ponder over," Sasuke said nodding his head; the others nodded their heads also.

"Hey, isn't that Mayu!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed pointing. Sure enough, Mayu was walking down the street, she was looking at the ground deep in thought. "Well, that's Sasuke's cue to get the heck out of my date!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto and then began walking away. "Later..." he said.

"Hey, Sasuke...!" Naruto called; Sasuke turned his head slightly. "If you kiss her, I want to be the first to know!"

"....." Sasuke's eye twitched.

WHIZZZ

Naruto had to dodge multiple shuriken that Sasuke had just threw. "Shut up..." he muttered as the blood rushed to his face.

"Naruto-kun, you shouldn't do that," Hinata told her boyfriend. "Mayu-san and Sasuke-san get a little violent when you mention their relationship."

"I know... I just want to rile them up a little," Naruto admitted. "Man, who would have thought Sasuke would like someone like Mayu?" Hinata just giggled at Naruto's question.
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Sasuke's POV
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I quickly hurried after Mayu, still thinking of what Naruto had said. What does he know, anyway?! Me and Mayu... that would be too weird! Speaking of Mayu, she suddenly started running. And it was right before I called out to her. "Why would she just take off like that?" thought narrowing my eyes. There wasn't anyone following her... besides me, I mean.

Does she know I'm following her? Does she want me to follow? Mayu disappeared behind a building causing me to walk faster. I stopped at the entrance of the alley because I saw no one. Mayu wasn't there... but where could she have gone? "It's a dead end..."I thought narrowing my eyes. Suddenly, I felt something coming... from behind!

I quickly ducked and saw a kunai go over me. "If I hadn't moved..." thought standing back up.

"Sasuke...!" her voice made me turn; of course was Mayu who threw it. "Why the freak are you following me?! I could've killed you!"

"Yeah... right," I muttered.

"Why didn't you just come up to me?" Mayu asked walking my way.

"Because you started running before I called out to you," I answered flatly.

"Oh... well, that would explain it," Mayu muttered; she then sighed loudly. "I don't suppose you'll leave me alone for awhile?"

"What?" I asked narrowing my eyes. She wants me to leave her alone? Why...? We haven't talked in days... and now she wants me to leave?

"It's nothing like that!" Mayu said quickly. "I just... I don't want to drag you into my problems, kay."

"Problems...?" I blurted out. "You don't have any problems! You don't even live here! Hardly anyone knows you!"

"I'm not sure about that," I heard Mayu mutter, she bowed her head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I thought.

"Look, just leave me alone for awhile," Mayu said, "We'll talk later, promise!"

"No...!" I said; I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me. "If something is wrong with you... tell me! That's what friends do, right?!" Mayu looked at me with wide eyes; I think she was a little surprised at my actions. "Am I not your friend?"

Mayu turned her head, avoiding eye contact. "Sasuke... of course you're my friend, but..." she began, "please understand... I don't want to worry any of my fri--" I interrupted her.

"I don't give a crap!" I said. "Tell me...!" All was silent in this alley we were standing in. The wind suddenly blew causing Mayu's braided hair to fly. Speaking of Mayu, she had looked back at me with wide eyes again.

Then... she started... laughing! I don't know if she was laughing at me or just something she was thinking. I don't know why but Mayu liked to laugh at stuff that happened earlier on. "What the hell are you laughing at?!" I asked annoyed.

"Heh... you said crap!" she answered still snickering. I could feel my eyebrow twitch at her answer.

"Mayu...!" I muttered. "Don't change the subject! Tell me what's wrong, now!"

Mayu's laugher died down and she looked at me with a serious expression. Finally, we're getting somewhere. Mayu snatched her arm away from me and reached into her jacket. Funny, I hadn't realized that I still held on to her. "I found this in the Hokage building," Mayu said handing me two scrolls and a folder.

"You took this from the Hokage building?!" I asked. "Do you know how much trouble you can get--Wait a minute, Ishikari clan of Konoha?!" I said reading the file name.

I quickly opened up the file and began reading. "Sasuke... could you read out loud? I haven't read it yet," Mayu asked; I quickly nodded and started from the top.

"First off, it lists the names of the clan members," I said.

"How many...?" Mayu asked.

"Fifteen..."

"That's kinda low..." Mayu muttered; I ignored her and began reading again.

"Next is the head of the clan... there's two: Ishikari Haruka and Ishikari Mayuka... they must've been married or something," I said.

"Is that all?" Mayu asked.

"This is pretty tiny," I said. "There's only one page... but it does have an address and it also say that 'The Ishikari clan was very mysterious and often kept to themselves. None of the clan members were ninja, but they have shown to have the basic skills of ninja. It is said that they had affairs with the... Uchiha clan..." I stopped reading and looked up at Mayu. "This can't be... You said you aren't from around here." Mayu looked away again and frowned.

"That's right..." she mumbled. "I did say that."

"Mayu..." I said causing her to look back at me. "Are you not telling me something?"

"No! ... I mean, I don't know anymore," Mayu answered. "Kakashi-san told me that it was just a coincidence that my surname is also Ishikari, but... that woman keeps appearing in my dreams..." she trailed off. I bit my lip trying to remember the name Ishikari from my past. As I expected, I couldn't find anything. The first time I ever heard Ishikari was when I trulymet Mayu.

"I don't remember ever hearing that name before then," thought. "Though I was just a kid back then... I still would have overheard someone talking about it."Of course I was referring to the paper in my hands when it said that the Ishikari and Uchiha clan were involved with each other. I don't ever remember father talking about another clan.

"Anything else?" Mayu's question snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Uh... there's an address..." I answered. "Musha Street..."

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Mayu muttered.

"That's the name of my street," I said. "But that can't be right either... the Uchiha place is the only thing on that street."

"The paper said that this clan lived in solitude..." Mayu mused. "Maybe they lived on higher grounds."

"Maybe..." I muttered. There was a giant hill that I never bothered to go over...

Mayu sighed suddenly causing to look at her. "Oh man..." she muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"I suddenly get the feeling that I'm going to be climbing up a cliff," she answered.

"You're weird like that," I told her.

"Yeah, but I really feel like I'm going to climb up something!"

"Yeah, okay..." I said rolling my eyes, not something you see every day.
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"WHAT THE F-beep- did I just say?!?!" Mayu yelled. I sighed heavily and resisted the urge to throw something down at her. We've been climbing up this cliff for the past five minutes and she chooses now to say something. Oh, and it turns out that there was a giant cliff over the giant hill that I never bothered to going over. And yes, Mayu actually did said beep instead of the curse word.

"She's weird like that," I thought shaking my head; I continued to climb, looking back occasionally to see if Mayu was still with me. "This is not how I was supposed to spend my day," I called down to her.

"Oh well, let's make the most of it! Sing it with me now!" Mayu called back up... oh no... "It's thee eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of one bite... I mean fight!" she sang causing me to sigh again.

"Do something else to past the time!" I called down to her. "You're going to give me a headache."

"Yes, master, I am your humble servant," Mayu said sarcastically.

"Damn straight!" I said.

"What was that?!"

"Nothing...!" I replied quickly.

We continued to climb in silence after that, except the occasionally humming from Mayu. "Hey, Sasuke!" she called to me.

"What now?"

"You do still have those two scrolls, right?" she asked.

"Uh... hold on!" I called down.

"What do ya mean 'hold on'? You better have them!" Mayu yelled. I quickly gathered Chakra in my feet and stuck to the wall.

I reached into my pocket and felt the two scrolls. "Good, they're still there," thought. "Yeah, I got 'em!" I called down.

"Sasuke..." Mayu said getting my attention. I hadn't realized that she was now standing next to me, her Chakra made her feet stick to the wall. Now, I feel like a retard for calling down to no one.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm gonna kick your ass," she said casually.

I almost didn't catch that since she said it so calmly. "Wh-What?" I asked again.

"I'm goingto kick... your... ass!" Mayu repeated.

"Why...?!" I asked, knowing full well Mayu couldn't. I still wanted to know the reason she's mad enough to attack me.

"WE COULD HAVE RAN UP THIS STUPID CLIFF!" she yelled, almost causing me to lose my balance. "YOU BIRD BRAIN!!

"Calm down, cocoon girl," I said calmly.

"COCOON?!" Mayu yelled not liking the nickname that I picked out. I was waitng on the right moment to use it, too.

"Yeah, cocoon girl," I replied smirking.

"You 'bout to make me kill you," she whispered.

"Whatever, cocoon..." I replied.

"SHUT UP! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

"Calm down..." I repeated. "You might lose your concentration and fall." I don't know why, but Mayu decided to scream and cling on to me causing us both to fall. "Damn girl!"I thought trying to grab on to anything to keep us from falling.
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"I said I was sorry! What more could you want?!" Mayu asked annoyed that I was still ignoring her. We had finally made it over the edge of the cliff. I decided to ignored Mayu for a little while because of her little stunt that almost cost us our lives. She actually said that she was just teasing when she screamed and grabbed me! TEASING! WHY THE FREAK WOULD SHE DO THAT?! She could have been killed! Oh man, if Mayu died... I would-- "SASUKE, I SAID WATCH OUT!" Mayu shouted causing me to come back down to Earth... only to run straight into a tree!

"OW! WHAT THE @#%&!" I yelled rubbing my nose. I heard Mayu laughing at me! Why do I always do stupid things in front of herof all people?!

"You are so funny, Sasuke!" she said once she stopped laughing.

"Yeah, yeah... whatever," I said. "Let's keep moving."

"We don't have to," Mayu said.

"Oh, and why not?" I asked.

"Because we're here..." Mayu whispered. "I didn't notice until now." I looked over to the place that Mayu was quietly gazing at. I guess we were here; there was a sign and it said 'Here lies the burial site of the Ishikari clan'. There were exactly fourteen graves... wait fourteen? Didn't that paper say something about fifteen members of the clan.

Oh well, someone must have died earlier on. Yeah, I read that this clan was wiped out; I didn't read it out loud to Mayu, though. Speaking of Mayu, I looked over to see a frown on her face, I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. Mayu's so sensitive, she's so fragile. "I-I can see something b-bey-yond the g-g-graveyard," her voice cracked while she pointed. I sighed heavily before putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, Mayu," I said guiding her around the graves.

Mayu grabbed my hand and squeezed it slightly. "O-Okay..." she whispered. Once we made it around the graves, we continued on to the entrance of the place. The land wasn't as big as my, but then again it was only fifteen people in the entire clan. Speaking of which, was Mayu apart of this clan? Did she just survive and forget? No, it can't be, something here in Konoha would have jogged her memory by now. And besides, I didn't see her name on that list

I wonder why Mayu took the file from the Hokage building, anyway. Most likely her curiosity got the best of her. "Should we go in?" I asked.

"We've come this far," Mayu answered. "But first... let me take a look at those scrolls." I reached in my pocket, pulled the two items out, and handed them to Mayu.

"I already told you it was in a different language," I said, but she only ignored me and began scanning over the words... at least I think they were words.

"I... can read it," Mayu muttered. "I can tell what it says..."

"You can read that rubbish?" I asked. What? That's what it looks like! Mayu looked at me with a sad looking smile.

"Yeah," she answered turning back to the paper. "My dad started teaching me Spanish before my 12th birthday. He said it was so I could get a good job because I could speak three different languages."

"Whose your dad, anyway?" I asked curious.

"He's a complete pushover!" Mayu laughed lightly, not even looking away from the scroll. "He let's my mom order him around... I miss them..." I cleared my throat to get her to finish. "His name is Ishikari Chinoutori."

"And your mother?"

"Ishikari Sheena..." she answered. "I really miss my parents..." That's when I realized... Mayu's getting homesick.

I guess I really didn't think she would, seeing as she's always so care free. "So what does it say?" I asked.

"Oh... um... it just has a few hand signs," Mayu answered wrapping the scroll back to its original state, she then opened the other. "Damn..." she muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"More hand signs..." Mayu answered sighing, yet she still looked over them. Her eyes darted back and forth over the scroll.

"Well, let's go," I said; Mayu wrapped the scroll back up and put it in her pocket.

"Okay..." she said. "By the way..." Mayu continued as we walked up to the door; she opened the door and then looked back at me. "Why are you so interested in this?"

"Why are you so interested now that you know you're not apart of this clan?" I answered with a question. Mayu frowned causing me to smirk. "I mean... this isn't any of our business... and yet we're still here."

"Well, we can't just turn back now!" Mayu said turning back around. "Besides, I had to climb up a giant cliff to get here! There's no way I'm leaving empty handed!" Oh yeah, Mayu's back.

"I'm glad..." I thought I had thought.

"You say something, Sasuke?" Mayu asked.

"No...!" I answered quickly.

"Let's go, then!"
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It had been a few minutes since Mayu and I split up and I still haven't found anything... nothing good, anyway. I sighed loudly as I placed a book back on the shelf. I could read the text, but it was just a fictional story. Most of these books were just stories. I shoved my hands in my pockets and began to walk out of the room. "Mayu...!" I called; I knew she was close because I could sense her. Even though we had split up, we still decided to stay close because this place was big. "I'm guessing that everyone in the clan lived here," thought.

I realized then that Mayu hadn't returned my call. "That's weird..." I muttered. "Mayu...!" I called again; I heard her whimper, so I knew she was still here. I walked into the next room to see Mayu kneeling near a bookcase, her back was towards me. "You know you could have answer me when I called," I said leaning against the door frame. Mayu didn't turn to me with some smart remark like I thought she would; she didn't move at all. "Mayu...?" I said walking over to her motionless body. She still didn't move as I stepped closer.

"Finally... the blood of an Uchiha is within my grasp," I heard Mayu muttered causing me to stop walking towards her. Even though I know that Mayu had said that, the voice sounded slightly different. "All these years of waiting... the time is now!" Mayu stood up as she said this.

"Mayu...?" I asked. Suddenly, she turned around and her eyes were glowing red! "What the hell?!"

"You're an Uchiha, aren't you?!" Mayu yelled pointing. "Kill the Uchiha! Kill the Uchiha!"

I took a step back; Mayu's behavior was quite strange. I mean, I know I called her cocoon girl earlier, but this is ridiculous! "She's trying to kill you, dumb ass..." a voice calmly told me. At first I thought I was losing my mind, but then I saw a small blue orb swirling around me...

"Great, I am it..." I muttered.

"You might want to get out of the way," the orb told me. Luckily, I decided to jump away because Mayu had just attacked me with a stick. Where she got the stick is beyond me! "My wife can be pretty dangerous when angered."

"Who the hell are you?!" I question dodging another swing from Mayu. "Great, now I'm talking to a glowing orb!"I thought frowning.

"I used to own this place before an Uchiha killed my family and I," the orb answered. "By the way, my wife believes that you are an Uchiha. Is she correct?"

"Y-Yeah!" I said dodging a kick. "Just why the hell is she attacking?!"

"Well, my wife is into that whole revenge thing, so you're going to die if you don't do something," the orb said.

"Was that supposed to -dodge- help me?!" I asked.

"Not really..."

"ALL UCHIHAS MUST DIE!" Mayu shouted.

"Can you at least tell me why she's Mayu?!" I yelled.

"Because you're the only two here..." the orb said as if he was talking to a child.

"Could you tell your wife to calm down?!" I yelled dodging another attack.

"Oh, she never listens to me!" the orb said cheerfully.

"If this guy wasn't already dead..." I muttered.

"Fine, fine... I'll try... since you asked so nicely!" the orb said; I think he was using sarcasm. The small blue orb suddenly moved in between Mayu's body and I and grew bigger, and then transformed into a humanoid shape. The newly transformed orb still had the blue glowing light around him, but now I could tell it was a man. I couldn't tell his age just by looking at him, but he was pretty tall. Maybe around 182 cm(6 feet); he had dark brown hair and brown eyes. Most of his short hair was combed over his right eye.

"Are you protecting him, Haruka?" Mayu asked, or rather the person inside her asked. A gold light suddenly appeared around Mayu's body, and then a gold ghostly woman appeared over Mayu. Her long black hair flowed on an imaginary wind. Her deep blue eyes held annoyance. Even though this woman wasn't on the ground I could tell she was around 172 cm (5'8''). "The person who has killed our entire clan... and you're defending him?!" the woman yelled at the man in front of me.

"Please calm yourself, Mayuka-chan!" the man said holding up his hands. "This boy means no harm!"

"He is an Uchiha!" the woman, now known as Mayuka, spoke after a few moments. "The clan that is responsible for the destruction of ours! So I ask you again, are you defending him, Haruka?!"

"Yes, yes, I know that, but..." the man known as Haruka said. "This boys looks no order than thirteen! He was probably only nine or ten when our clan was--it wasn't his fault. Besides, he me everything before he killed me."

"And why didn't you tell me anything before hand?!" Mayuka demanded to know.

"You wouldn't listen!" Haruka answered nervously. Mayuka sighed loudly, and then the stick dropped from Mayu's hands and she was about to fall to the floor but I caught her just in time.

"Mayu...!" I said shaking her lightly. "Are you okay?" She didn't answer causing me to glare at the ghostly woman. "What did you do to her?!" The woman turned to me and glared.

"You have no right to speak, Uchiha!" she snapped; I could feel my eyes go wide. A ghost yelling at you is pretty scary.

"You don't have to be mean to him, Mayuka-chan," Haruka stated and I had to agree with him.

"You stay out of this, Haruka!" the ghostly woman yelled.

"Yes, ma'am!" the ghostly man coward in fear.

"...." these two were definitely weird.

"Now, you...!" Mayuka turned to me. "What is your name? Whose boy are you?"

"Um..." was what came from my mouth.

Should I give her real information or fake information? "Come on, boy! Answer my question!" Mayuka said frowning.

"But, honey, you told him to keep quiet," Haruka pointed out.

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of this?!" Mayuka asked. "Don't make me kill you!"

"But... we're already--"

"SHUTTY...!" Mayuka yelled. "Now, speak, boy!"

"... U-Uchiha Sasuke! And m-my father is Uchiha Fugaku!" I answered quickly.

"FUGAKU...!" Mayuka snapped. "YOU'RE THE OFFSPRING OF THAT ASSHOLE?!?!" She practically had fire flying from her mouth as she yelled this.

"Now, now, Mayuka-chan... he might not know," Haruka said quite calmly.

"You know my father?!" I asked.

"Of course," Haruka was the one that answered me; he had levitated over to his now crying wife. Why was she crying? I've got no clue... "He is the one who ordered for our clan to be annihilated..."

My eyes widen in disbelief at his answer. Father wouldn't do that! "He wouldn't..."I thought.

"H-How do you know that?!" Mayuka asked smacking Haruka's hand away.

"As my dying wish... hetold me everything," he answered bowing his head.

"Who's he?!" I demanded to know.

"W-Was it... him?" Mayuka asked; her husband nodded.

Who the hell is this 'he' they keep talking about?! "I'll explain later, dear. We've stayed in this world far too long," Haruka stated. "We must leave..."

"Okay," the woman said; she floated down to me. I tightened my hold on the still unconscious Mayu as she came closer. "Goodbye... and may our legacy continue," Mayuka said, and then bent down and kissed Mayu's forehead.

"Mayuka...! Let us go!" Haruka made the ghostly woman float back up to him.

The two then disappeared in a burst of light causing me to shield my eyes. Soon after the light died away, the room became dark again. "What was that all about?" thought sighing. Mayu's sudden groaning caused me to look down at her in concern. "Mayu...?"

"¿Qué está equivocado, comadreja? ¿No quiera ser casado a un mocoso?" Mayu said in a weird language. (Translation: What is wrong, weasel? Do you not want to be married to a brat?)

"Huh...?" I muttered confused.

Mayu opened her eyes and grinned up at me! Uh... was this supposed to happen? "Mayu, what's the matter with you?" I asked as she sat up. "Why are you talking like that?"

"¿Usted no me quiere?" Mayu continued in the weird language; she looked down at the floor. (Do you not want me?)

"Mayu, what's wrong with you?" I asked lifting her chin with my finger. Mayu, in turn, look at me with wide eyes.

"¿Comadreja Hombre. ..? Qué es usted--" she began, but she suddenly stopped and kissed me... (Weasel Man...? What are you--)

"OH, KAMI-SAMA! MAYU'S KISSING ME!" I thought with eyes as wide as boulders.

Inner Sasuke: HA! IN YO FACE, NAKATSU!

From what I could tell, Mayu was as shocked as I was, even though she kissed me! She suddenly parted and looked away blushing. "¡Por qué hizo usted eso?!" Mayu said shaking slightly. (Why did you do that?!)

"M-Mayu... w-what just h-happened?" I asked; I didn't like the way my voice cracked as I said this. Instead of answering my question, Mayu just stared blankly at me.

"Uh... Sasuke? I have a question..." she said scratching her head; she had switched back to our language.

"W-What...?" I asked, still a little shocked.

"When did you get here?" she asked looking confused. "I don't remember you coming in here."

"What are you talking about? I've been here since--" I stopped myself when I realized she didn't remember a thing. "Not a thing..."

"Huh...? You mind explaining..." Mayu asked.

"Uh... i-it's nothing!" I said standing. Mayu looked up at me in even more confusion. "Um... we're leaving... now!"

"What?! What for?!" Mayu pouted crossing her arms. "I was just reading something interesting!"

"This place is causing weird things to happen," I answered.

"Like what?"

"First off, I'm having hallucinations... and you are..." I trailed off.

"I'm what?" Mayu asked.

"Doing things...!" I answered quickly.

"Maybe we should... your face is turning red. And that can't be naturally!" Mayu replied standing. "Just let me finish reading this diary I found," she continued showing me the book in her hands. Funny I didn't notice it before. "I was just getting to the good part!"

"What?" I asked curious.

I decided to keep my distance away from Mayu. I didn't want anything weird to happen again... Mayu flipped through the pages and then stopped. "This girl just got kissed by her secret crush! And they're getting married! Well, they would have gotten married..." Mayu said. I could feel myself blush at the word 'kissed'.

"Mayu, close the book," I told her.

"What...?"

"Drop the book, and let's go!" I shouted causing Mayu to drop the book in surprise.

"What the heck are you yelling at me?!" she yelled. I walked over to her, grabbed her forearm, and began pulling her out of the room. "Hey, what's the big idea?!"

"Let's just go, okay?!" I said. "This place is throwing everything out of whack!"

"Or maybe you're just going crazy!" I heard Mayu mutter.

"Damn her..." I thought.
**************************


"Hey, Sasuke..." Mayu said breaking the silence that overwhelmed the two since they had left Musha Street. The two were now in town, walking side by side.

"What...?" Sasuke asked.

"Why were you following me, anyway?" Mayu asked.

"... I wanted to tell you that I was leaving tomorrow. For a mission," Sasuke answered. "I'll be gone for awhile."

"I see... Okay, tell me about it!" Mayu said stopping causing Sasuke to stop, too.

He sighed slowly before looking at Mayu. "I don't know the exact details, but I know Naruto, Sakura, and I are going to the Tea Country. There's some kind of race taking place there."

"Are you protecting someone?" Mayu asked.

"Like I said... I don't know the exact details," Sasuke answered.

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Mayu thought frowning. "Like it's a important development in the story..."

"Hey, Mayu..." Sasuke's voice got the girl's attention.

Mayu noticed that Sasuke began walking away causing her to frown. "What the hell?!"

"Come on, let's go eat something!" he called back to her.

"YAY!" Mayu shouted to the skies making Sasuke roll his eyes. She had completely forgotten that she was going to yell at Sasuke. "Free food!"

"Who said it was free?!" Sasuke muttered.

"Oh, we should take pictures, too!" Mayu said.

"How much money do you think I have?!" Sasuke shouted.
***********************************
TIME SKIP!
*****************************


"Come on, Mayu-san! Wake up!" Hinata said shaking her 'clone'. "Naruto-kun returned this morning! And it's already the afternoon! I haven't seen him yet!"

"Ahh... come on, Hinata! Can't you wait to see your precious Naruto tomorrow?" Mayu whined as she turned over.

"NO! I want to see if Naruto-kun's okay!" Hinata exclaimed. "And who sleeps until mid afternoon, anyway?!"

"Uh... me?" Mayu said yawning.

"Ha ha..." Hinata laughed sarcastically. "Anyway, don't you want to see Sasuke? I heard he was injured when they brought him back..."

Mayu suddenly bolted up with wide eyes, startling Hinata so much that she fell on her butt. "I remember now!" she exclaimed.

"Ow...! What do you remember?" Hinata asked frowning slightly. Mayu stood up without a word and began pacing around Hinata's room. "Mayu-san...?"

"We've got to get to that hospital," Mayu muttered. "I can't believe that I just made this connection! I'm such an idiot!"

"Mayu-san...? What are you talking about?" Hinata asked curious.

"Come on, let's get ready," she answered.
***********************


"Here, Sasuke-kun, I brought you some apples," Sakura stated holding a brown bag; she sat down in the chair that was next to Sasuke's bed. Sasuke, himself, sat up motionless in the bed. The two were in Konoha's Hospital; Sasuke hadn't said a word since he was placed in bed. "You don't hate them, do you?" Sakura asked taking out an apple. "Don't they look delicious?" she asked smiling. Sasuke didn't answer, though, Sakura wasn't really expecting him, too. She enjoyed his company nonetheless. "Where did I put the knife?" she looked around.

That's when Naruto came into the room. "It's right in front of you," he said. "Ha! Being nervous because you're with Sasuke? How uncool! I'm never nervous with Hinata-chan! Well, except when she blushes... she's really cute!"

"Shut up! It's not like that!" Sakura said frowning.

"Naruto...!" Sasuke thought glancing at his comrade. He had a flashback of Naruto attacking Gaara. Something Sasuke wasn't strong enough to do.

"Would you stop fooling around?!" Sakura continued annoyed with the blond.

"Speaking of Hinata-chan, I haven't seen her since we got back," Naruto muttered ignoring Sakura causing the pink-haired girl to glare. "I wonder if she's sick or something..."

"Naruto, you idiot! Don't ignore me!" Sakura yelled hitting Naruto on the head.

"All right, all right! I give up! I give up, I tell you!" Naruto exclaimed. While the two were arguing, Sasuke was having another flashback of when Sakura tried to thank him for saving her from Gaara. Of course, it wasn't him who had saved her, it was all Naruto.

"All Naruto... he saved them all!"Sasuke thought angrily. "Even Mayu..."He was slowly getting angry as realization dawned on him. "Is Naruto stronger than me?!"The tree sat in silence, well, Naruto laid twitching on the ground and Sakura was still peeling away the apple skin. "Does she think I'm weak, too?!"

"Well, I'm finished peeling it!" Sakura said referring to the apple in her hands. "Now, let's cut it so it's easy to eat. Here you go, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said holding out the apple slice on a stick.

Sasuke turned and glared at the pink-haired girl. He slapped the apple out of her hand, causing Sakura to drop the plate because she was so startled. Naruto bolted up from his place on the floor. "Ouch!" he yelled. "What the heck?!"

"Sasuke-kun...?" Sakura said a little frightened at her teammates' actions.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. Sasuke turned and glared at Naruto. "W-What's with the look? You don't have to glare!"

Sakura looked back and forth between her teammates, her eyes held confusion. "Hey, Naruto..." Sasuke said.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Fight me, right now," he answered.

"Huh? What are you saying? You've just been treated by old lady Tsunade," Naruto pointed out.

"I don't care! Just fight me!" Sasuke yelled activating his Sharingan. His teammates' eyes widen in even more confusion.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura thought with a worried expression.

"You think you saved me?" Sasuke continued. "I don't care if she is the Fifth Hokage... Doing unnecessary things...!"

"What?" Naruto said narrowing his eyes at Sasuke. The dark-haired boy stood up from his bed and faced Naruto.

"You said before you wanted to fight me, didn't you?" he asked. "I said I'd fight you right here and now. Are you afraid?" Instead of answering, Naruto just glared.

"S-Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?" Sakura asked concerned; she then turned to Naruto. "Say something, Naruto! Why so suddenly...?" Naruto remained quiet, and then her smirked lightly.

"Perfect timing," Naruto finally said. "I was itching to fight you!" The two stared each other down, both of their thoughts were the same, yet different.

"Why don't the both of you just cut it out, okay?" Sakura suggested trying to calm the boys down.

Both, Sasuke and Naruto ignored the genin. "Follow me," Sasuke said, and then began to walk away. Sakura watched in walk away with a scared look on her face.

"YOU BIRD BRAIN! DON'T YOU DARE DO SOMETHING SO STUPID!!" Mayu's voice echoed in Sasuke head, causing the boy to slip on an apple slice and fall to the floor. The room fell silent; Naruto and Sakura blinked in surprise at Sasuke clumsiness. "I'm... going to kill her..." Sasuke muttered staring at the ceiling. "But why would I think of what she would say at a time like this?" he thought. That's when he heard the laughter from Naruto.

"SHUT UP, NARUTO! IT'S NOT SASUKE-KUN'S FAULT THAT HE'S HURT!" Sakura yelled.

"Yeah, Mayu's dead..." Sasuke thought.
***********************



"ACHOO!" Mayu sneezed loudly, alerting everyone within a five mile's radius that she was in the area. "Man, it is not a good-pant-idea to-pant- sneeze while running!"

Hinata: Are you okay, Mayu-san? Are you sick?

"No, no, I'm-pant-fine," Mayu muttered rubbing her nose; she was clearly out of breath. "Someone... must be talking about... me... or you."

"Oh, hi there, Hinata..." a voice made the girl look up. There she saw the silver-haired jounin on the roof of a building. "Or is it Mayu I'm talking to?"

"Kakashi... san?!" Mayu panted lightly. "I thought you were still on a mission. Oh, and I'm Mayu."

"Well, I finished the mission quickly, so I could see how things were going with you and Sas--I mean, the village," Kakashi answered. "Say, why are you in such a hurry, anyway?" Mayu narrowed her eyes at the jounin before she answered.

"Sasuke... and Naruto... hospital... fighting!" Mayu panted out. "Crap, I really need to get in shape if I'm still out of breath!" thought.

"Those two are fighting... again?" Kakashi answered calmly.

"That's what I just said!" Mayu shouted annoyed.

"Well, then... what are we waiting for?" Kakashi said; he jumped from the roof and picked up Mayu.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Mayu questioned taken off guard.

"You seem to be out of breath, so I'll carry you the rest of the way," Kakashi answered and then took off... at what seemed a mile a minute.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! YOU CRAZY SCARECROW!!"
*********************

"Stop it!" Sakura screamed towards the two boys. Naruto had the Rasengan out and ready; Sasuke also had a powerful attack out, Chidori.

"I'll definitely win!" Naruto yelled up at Sasuke, who was in mid air.

"Don't be so confident!" Sasuke yelled back.

"STOP IT!" Sakura screamed; she was now almost in between the two and their powerful attacks. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kakashi grabs the arms of both Sasuke and Naruto and throws them towards two water tanks. Sakura stopped her running in surprised.

"Kakashi-sensei...!" Naruto thought as he sailed through the air towards the water tank.

"Mayu...!" Sasuke thought looking next to the silver-haired jounin.

It might have been Hinata's body, but Sasuke just assumed that it was Mayu. The two boys of Team 7 finally crashed into two separate water towers. "What are you guys doing on the roof of the hospital?" Kakashi asked straightening up. "If you guys are fighting, that's a bit too much, isn't it?"

"Naruto-kun...!" Hinata exclaimed running over to Naruto. "Are you alright?" she asked once she reached him.

"Hinata-chan, I'm fine..." he muttered.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was struggling to get his arm free. He finally yanked his arm out and because of that, water flowed out of the massive hole that Sasuke had made. He looked up to see that Naruto had made a hole as well, but it was very tiny. He grinned slightly, and then frowned when he saw Hinata helping him stand. "Were you planning to kill Naruto, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke looked up to see Kakashi and Mayu on the water tank that he had made the huge hole in. Kakashi was sitting and Mayu stood.

Mayu looked down at Sasuke with a disapproving look on her face. "What are you so angry about?" Kakashi continued. Sasuke didn't answer, he just looked at the ground.

"Don't give me that look," he thought. "Not you..."

"Chidori is not something that you should use against your comrades," Kakashi stated. Sakura looked back and forth between her teammates, still she held the scared look on her face; she did not notice the two other girls. "Why are you acting like a child?"

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke started glaring at each other again. "Hmph..." Sasuke said, he then jumped up and flipped over the fence of the hospital's roof. He landed on a nearby shack.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura muttered. Something made Sasuke look up, and when he looked up, he was not happy with what he saw. The water tank that Naruto had crashed into might have looked all right where Naruto had crashed, but the back was totally destroyed! Sasuke glared at the sight that he saw.

"Damn it...!" he yelled slamming his fist against the wall, he then closed his eyes. "Naruto... How far have you come?" Sasuke was about to jump away, but a hand grabbed his wrist; he opened his eyes in surprise.

"Uh uh... we need to talk," Mayu said, her eyes were narrowed into a glare. "Like right now!"

"What do you want?" Sasuke said snatching his arm away.

"Come with me," she said and then jumped away. Sasuke frowned before following the girl.
*********************


"Well, are you going to talk or not?!" Sasuke finally asked after of few minutes of waiting. The two were in a large tree somewhere in town. Sasuke was sitting down on the wide branch, while Mayu stood not facing him. "Mayu, why did you bring me out here?!"

"You're turning into the person I hate the most..." Mayu finally said causing Sasuke's eyes to widen.

"W-What?!" Sasuke said not believing his ears. Did Mayu just say she hated him?

"You know, you never answered Kakashi-san's question," Mayu pointed out. "Were you trying to kill Naruto?"

"... No..." Sasuke answered.

"Then why?" Mayu asked, still not facing him.

"To see which one of us is stronger," Sasuke answered. Mayu chose not to respond to this. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"No... I just forgot what I was gonna say..." Mayu answered truthfully.

Because of that sudden statement, Sasuke nearly fell out of the tree. "You little brat...!"he thought glaring at the girl in front of him.

"Do you believe in your skills as a shinobi?" Mayu asked, finally turning to Sasuke.

"... Of course I do," Sasuke yelled.

"Don't yell at me! I will slap you into next week!" Mayu said stepping closer to the dark-haired genin. The two sighed in unison, and then all was silent.

"Mayu...?" Sasuke suddenly said.

"What?" Mayu muttered, she sat down across from Sasuke.

"Do you think I'm weak?" he asked. "Do you think I'll ever be stronger than Itachi?"

"No," Mayu answered without a moment's hesitation. "To both question..."

"What?! So then you don't believe in me at all!" Sasuke said looking away, this action caused Mayu to roll her eyes. Suddenly, Sasuke felt Mayu's hand on his cheek.

He looked back at Mayu in surprise. "I never said that..." she whispered.

"Then... what?" Sasuke asked.

"You and your brother... are very much alike," Mayu said letting her hand fall from Sasuke's face.

"I don't understand..."

"As you grow stronger... so does he," Mayu tried to explain. "Remember when you were fighting him before?" Sasuke nodded his head. "You were most likely thinking your power hadn't grew."

Sasuke nodded again. "Hey, can you read my mind or something?" he questioned. Mayu sighed and then whacked Sasuke over the head. "Hey!"

"Just let me finish, please!" she muttered. "Anyway, I believe as you got stronger, Itachi also got stronger, and so it just seemed as if you hadn't gotten stronger. You two grow at the same rate, so my logic is that... you will never be as strong has him."

"..." Sasuke didn't say anything, he just bowed his head.

"But... you do have the power to beat him," Mayu continued making the boy look up. "You have friends, Itachi doesn't. You might think that you, and you alone has to take revenge for your clan, but that's not true. It doesn't have to be like that."

"My friends don't understand what I'm going through!" Sasuke said raising his voice slightly. "Not even you... Besides, I can't protect my family until I know that he's dead."

"Okay, maybe so... I haven't felt the pain of losing the ones I love, but..." Mayu said. "That means nothing to one as stubborn as me! And you're only twelve! You're not starting a family anytime soon, so why worry about that?"

"Got that right," Sasuke muttered looking away.

"What was that?!"

"Nothing!" Sasuke answered quickly. "Anyway, I suppose you're right about the family thing..."

Mayu stood up and grabbed a couple of small twigs from the tree. "Here," she said tossing Sasuke a twig.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked examining the stick.

"Break it," Mayu answered while grabbing more twigs from the tree.

"Okay..." Sasuke said confused, but he snapped the twig in two none the less.

"Now, try to break all of these why they're together. You have to break them all in one shot," Mayu instructed handing Sasuke all the twigs she had collected.

"And why do I have to do something as stupid as that?" Sasuke asked causing Mayu to roll her eyes; she sat back down with a sigh.

"Just do it, bird brain!" she ordered.

"Cocoon girl..." Sasuke muttered. Luckily, Mayu chose to ignore this comment about her name. She watched as Sasuke tried to break all the twigs at once; she giggled when he couldn't do it the first time. "Shut up! There's two many of 'em!"

"Exactly!" Mayu exclaimed clapping her hands. "Remember... I was the one who told you about teamwork when I was in Sakura's body." Sasuke nodded and mused on what the girl had told him.

"Awhile ago, I touched the last bell. Next time, I'll get it," Sasuke had said. "I can't believe you got a bell before me."

"Well, that's because I used Naruto. He was the distraction while I was getting the bell," Mayu had explained; she was in Sakura's body. "Maybe we should try that again. We need to find Naruto so that our teamwork could be more complex and Kakashi-sensei won't know what hit him!"

"Remember, you can always use teamwork to your advantage," Mayu said grinning.

"... It doesn't matter if the the team is weak. I'm still--" Sasuke began, but Mayu interrupted him.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud! Don't let what an enemy ninja told you cause you to make the wrong decision!" she shouted.

"...H-How did you...?" Sasuke asked. Mayu began laughing nervously.

"Man, I really should watch what I say!" she thought scratching her head with a nervous smile on her face. "Uh... that doesn't matter! Anyway, I guess I'll see you tomorrow!"

Mayu was about to jump from the tree, but then she thought of something. "Oh, here!" she said reaching in her pocket; she pulled out a small heart-shaped frame. "The pictures were finally developed. The guy thought we were a couple and put it in this. Sorry..." Mayu tossed the frame at Sasuke; he caught it effortlessly. "If it brings you comfort... I totally almost kicked the guy's butt!"

"I don't care..." Sasuke said glancing at the picture before putting the small frame in his pocket.

"Oh..." Mayu muttered suddenly feeling down. "Well... try to think about what I said, even though it might have been confusing. See ya tomorrow!

"Yeah," Sasuke muttered bowing his head again. Mayu frowned at his actions, she then turned and jumped out of the tree.

"Man, I hope something I said reach is brain..." she muttered as she jumped down from the tree. When she finally landed on the ground, she looked up. "The sun's setting already? How long was I talking to him, anyway?"Mayu thought as she began to walk away from the tree. Unknown to the girl, was the four pairs of eyes that glared at her from their hiding spot.

"This girl could pose as a problem," one of the four said.

"Yeah, and that shinobi that's above him will be a problem, too," another said. "Let's wait here."

"Maybe you shitheads can't handle it, but I can," another stated; this one sounded female.

"I wonder... Two should be more than enough to take care of him," another said.

"Quit with the comments, you fag," the female spoke.

"Tayuya, a girl shouldn't talk that way..." a calm voice entered the conversation.

"Shut up, you fat ass," the female known as Tayuya said.
*********************
Mayu's POV
***********************


I sat staring out of Hinata's window. Of course, she's still asleep. I couldn't get any sleep last night. Every time I tried to close my eyes... all I saw was Sasuke and that angry look in his eyes when he was fighting Naruto. Oh, yeah... I finally figured out why that mission kept bothering me. It was the last mission Sasuke had before he left Konoha. "He leaves forever... but I don't know when..."I thought pulling my knees up to my chin and looked at the floor.

I knew this would happen eventually. No matter what anyone said to him... I knew he was still leave. "So why does my stomach hurt so much... just by thinking about it?" I asked myself. I bite my lip and then stared outside again. It was early in the morning. Not a soul would be awake at this hour. Not even the birds were chirping yet.

"Maybe... I should talk to him a little more,"I thought closing. I realize that I don't want Sasuke to leave, but I can't change the story. "Then I should probably spend as much time with him as possible. Once he's gone... he's gone for good."I sighed loudly as I stood up and stretched. I heard something pop...! "Okay... not a good idea to be in the same position overnight!" I grumbled rubbing my back.

"M-Mayu-san...? What are you doing up so early?" I heard Hinata say while yawning.

I looked over to see my friend, Hinata sitting up on her futon. "Oh, I didn't mean to wake you, Hinata," I apologized. She shook her head.

"Is something troubling you," Hinata asked standing; she walked over to me.

"No... every thing's fine," I lied. Of course everything isn't alright. One of my best friends is leaving for good!

But I can't let Hinata know what I'm feeling. She would over worry, and I don't want that. "Mayu-san..." Hinata said. She knew I was lying. I could tell she knew because of that look in her eyes. I looked out the window again to avoid her stare.

"Hinata, I'm going to Sasuke's..." I stated.

I was planning to leave through the window, but Hinata placed her hand on my shoulder. "Wait," she said. "I want to come, too."

"Why?" I asked.

"Sasuke-san might know why you're acting strange," she answered making me sigh. Hinata sure as turned... what's the word... straightforward since I came here.

"Fine, fine..." I said. "Since I'm waiting... I should change out of these pajamas."
**********************


Hinata and I walked side by side down to the entrance of the Uchiha entrance. I admit bringing Hinata along was a good idea. I had someone to tease while walking. "Oh, come on, Hinata-chan!" I said poking her arm. "Tell me if you and Naruto kissed yet!"

"N-N-No! W-We haven't! Please stop teasing!" Hinata answered going back to her stuttering ways. I've been teasing her for the last 45 minutes.

She was as bright as a fire. "Aww... I bet Naruto would just love to kiss you right now!" I squealed at how cute Hinata was when she blushed.

"Mayu-san...!" she whined covering her face. I giggled at her expression. It was kinda fun doing this. Hinata coughed a little before stopping. "We're here..."

"Okay, I said grabbing her hand and racing off to Sasuke's house--I mean... hotel.

"Sasuke-san lives in a hotel...?" Hinata asked, she sounded confused.

"Yeah, I thought the same thing when Sasuke first brought me here," I chuckled putting my hand on the doorknobe. I was about to open the door, but then I remembered the trap! "I hate stupid traps!" I muttered.

"What?" Hinata asked confused.

"Stand back, Hinata..." I told her. "Sasuke like to change his traps... so I don't know what will happen..."

"What?" she said again.

I gently pushed my friend from the door. I then kicked down the door! Well, that's what I would have liked to have done... The door opened really fast and then closed right on my face. "Uh... Mayu-san..."

"Not a word..." I grumbled rubbing my poor noise. Hinata walked over to the door and opened with ease... not one shuriken came out of nowhere. "Damn you, Sasuke!" thought. "The one time there's no traps!"

Hinata walked in first and I followed soon after. As soon as I see Sasuke... he's dead! The reason I say this is because Hinata was laughing at me! "Hey, did you take a picture with Sasuke?" she suddenly asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah..." I answered. "The photographer thought that Sasuke and I were together so he put it in a heart-shaped frame. Why...?"

"There's the picture... and there's a note, addressed to you..." Hinata said pointing.

I looked over to where she was pointing. Sure enough, there was the small pic of me and Sasuke; there was a note under the frame and it had my name on it. "Ooh, we must have just missed him!" I huffed while walking over to the table that the picture was place on. "Sasuke usually leaves me little notes to tell me where he's training."

"Oh..." Hinata said. I picked up the frame and then the note. It was folded, so I had to open it. I quickly scanned over the text and nearly dropped the paper.

"T-This can't be!"I thought with wide eyes. "He's not... not yet!" I muttered out loud.

"What's the matter, Mayu-san?" Hinata questioned. For some reason, my hands started shaking. "Mayu-san...?" That's when I realized something...

"That... that bastard!" I said through clenched teeth.

"Mayu-san...?"

"I'll kill him!" I yelled.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked. I calmly tried to read the little note that Sasuke had left me, but my eyesight was blurred my rage, so I tossed the note to Hinata. "Mmmm.... 'I'm sorry... if you're reading this... it means I'm no longer in Konoha. My path is the path of vengence. I must walk this path alone.' What does this mean?"

"It means Sasuke is no longer a ninja of Konoha!" I yelled. "AND HE DIDN'T EVEN SAY GOODBYE!"

"Please calm yourself," Hinata told me.

"I will notcalm down!" I shouted. "In fact... Sasuke's going to pay! He's going pay big time...!"
***********************


"In that case, please act like a leader and make a pl--" Neji stopped whatever he was going to say and looked towards the town.

"Hey, Neji, why did you stop?" Naruto asked.

"Someone is coming this way," he answered. The rest of the boys turned and saw someone was indeed coming their way... and at top speed, too! "What is that?"

"It looks like a cloud of dust to me," Naruto said squinting his eyes.

"Idiot..." Kiba said frowning.

"Hey, that's... um... Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "She's come to wish me off!"

"Yeah, right!" Kiba said. Finally, the girl reached the five boys. Hinata was panting rapidly and her hands were on her knees when the dust settled.

Mayu: Hinata, I didn't tell you to run so fast!

"Sorry, Mayu-san... I thought we were in a hurry," Hinata thought.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto said. "You came to tell me good luck?"

"Not... exactly..." Hinata panted; she then stood up straight. "I... I want to go with you." The eyes of all five boys widen in surprise. Even so, Shikamaru and Neji already had an answer. They both opened their mouths to speak...

"Yeah, you can come!" Naruto answered for the group causing Hinata's eyes to brighten.

"Uh... excuse me," Shikamaru said. "Who died and made you leader?"

"Well, she wants to come!" Naruto exclaimed. Shika ignored Naruto's statement and turned to Hinata.

"I'm sorry, Hinata, but you are not coming," he stated. Little did he know, Hinata had already traded places with Mayu. "This mission could become quite dangerous."

"So what you're saying is..." Mayu said, her eye twitched. Naruto seemed to be the only one to notice this.

"That can't be Hinata-chan," thought. "It looks like she's about to explode!"

"You're saying that... because I'm a girl... I'm not strong enough for this mission?" Mayu asked, her eyebrow twitched.

"Uh... well, I wouldn't put it like that," Shika said.

"Oh, I see..." Mayu said walking towards the newly become chunin. "Shikamaru, I'm going to say this once... and I really hope you get the message. If you don't allow me to go on this mission..." Mayu stepped closer Shika, so that only he could hear what she was about to say. "I am going to Byakugan your lazy ass into next week! And when you get there, I'll be right there and I'll Byakugan your ass back!"

Now, to say that this scared the young chunin was an understatement. But Shika refused to show it. "Now, Hinata... like I said, you might think you're strong, but--" he began to say, but then he stopped when he noticed that he was hoisted in the air; the girl had him by his new chunin vest.

"Ah! Hinata...?!" Kiba exclaimed absolutely amazed that his teammate could lift Shika off the ground and without a look of discomfort.

"Shikamaru... you do not want to piss me off the way Uchiha Sasuke has, trust and believe you don't want that to happen! I am not in the mood for your discriminating ways!" Mayu said in a calm, yet deadly voice. "Now, you either let me go... or I can act upon my threat!"

"Okay, okay... you can come, you troublesome girl," Shika agreed with a lazy look, showing that he was not affected by the change in Hinata, or who he thought was Hinata.

Mayu dropped Shika to the ground. "Thank you, Shikamaru-kun!" she said sweetly.

Hinata: That was a bit harsh, Mayu-san...

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru thought standing.

"Okay... that was definitely Mayu!" Naruto thought. "There is no way that Hinata-chan would get mad like that because of something like this. After all, she's my girlfriend!"he grinned proudly at this thought.

"I had no idea that Hinata was so strong!" Kiba thought.

"I knew it! The power of youth has finally burst from Hinata!" Lee thought... yeah, he was there, too.

"Ranch-flavored chips..."Chouji thought.

"Split personalities...?" Neji thought looking at his cousin. "Is it possible...?"

Shika coughed to get everyone's attention. "Until I say, we are on the offense," he said. "That means, it would be easy for the enemy to make the first move. That's why, in order to protect against the enemy's random attacks, I will be deciding the formation."

"I wonder how the formation will change now that we're here," Mayu thought folding her arms.

"If you ignore me and act on your own... everyone will die," Shika continued looking so serious. "The formation will be a line. The forerunner, who has the most important and crucial task... Kiba, that's you. Every year you travel with Akamaru, and you know the geography and terrain of the Fire Country very well. Your nose works pretty well... Not only can you follow Sasuke from his scent, you will be able to detect the enemy's booby traps easily. Suppose there's an attack from the front. Since you are with Akamaru, you'll be alright even if you are isolated."

"And second will be the leader, me. Since I'll be able to see the situation, I can give out orders in front to Kiba," Shika explained further. "To the rear members I can give orders by hand signals. Then, there will be Naruto. Being your explosive self, you are perfect for giving aid in all directions. So you're best in the center. The center of help. Also, you know Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"The fourth will be Hinata. By using your Byakugan, you'll be able to warn Naruto and the person behind you about any approaching danger," Shika stated looking at Hinata/Mayu. "Also, you could help Naruto in times of danger. I know you always carry around medicines and bandages with you, so you will be in charge of helping the injured." Mayu nodded her head in understanding. "Behind, Hinata will be Chouji. You don't have speed, but you have the most physical power because of your size. Although it may be awkward, Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, and I are going to use you as a base, as in home base." Shika turned to the last member of the team. "The last is Neji. I will ask you to do the most difficult and complicated task. Using your Byakugan you'll be able to scan and check the area, like Hinata, but you will be the eyes of us all."

"The formation only changed a little..."Mayu thought. Shika pulled a scroll and pencil out of his pocket.

"Here, let me show you," he said drawing on the paper. "Make sure that you are in this order." He showed the paper to his teammates. "Kiba as forward, myself as the backup forward, Naruto as left, Hinata as left and up; just in case, Chouji as right, and Neji, I ask you to use your Byakugan to scan the back area. And I would like to check the armaments that you guys have," Shika finished roll up the scroll. "Please let me see what each of you have. And I will remember it. Do you guys have any questions?" Naruto shook his no, answering for everyone else.

"He created the ultimate formation so quickly with the members that he gathered only moments ago," Lee thought watching the group.

"And finally, this is the most important thing that I have to say," Shikamaru began again.

"Oh man, do he love to talk!" Mayu thought almost annoyed. She, as well as everyone else listened, anyway.

"I don't have a deep attachment to Sasuke. Nor is he someone that I like," Shika said.

"Preach on!" Mayu thought grinning.

"But, he is one of Konoha village's shinobi, a comrade," Shika continued. "That is why we risk our lives to save him. This is the Konoha view. Even though I don't like doing troublesome things... I am responsible for your lives."

"Now you're starting to sound more like a chunin," Kiba said.

"I agree," Mayu said.

"Once I check your equipment, we will go," Neji said. "Everyone, take out your accoutrement's." Everyone did as they were told, even though Neji wasn't the leader.

"I always knew that this was going to happen," thought letting Neji check Hinata's things. "But that bird brain could've at least said goodbye before he left. And now he's gonna suffer...! Damn it, Sasuke!"

"Alright, let's go," Shika announced; they group all walked towards the exit.

"Wait...!" a voice shouted making everyone's head turn.

"This wench...!" Mayu thought not even turning to look; she knew exactly who had stopped them... Haruno Sakura.

"Sakura-chan...!" Naruto blurted out, surprised at her appearance.

Hinata: Why does Naruto-kun still call her that?!

"Jealousy...? Is that you knocking on Hinata's door?" thought grinning.

Hinata: Not funny...

"I heard the story from Hokage-sama," Shika said. "Sorry, but I can't bring you on this mission. Even you weren't able to convince Sasuke, were you? All that's left is for us to force him to understand. Sakura, your chance is over." Sakura bowed her head and said not a word.

"That means... You and Sasuke..." Naruto exclaimed, he then looked over at Mayu who hadn't moved an inch since Sakura got here. Suddenly, tears streamed from Sakura's eyes.

"Naruto..." she began, her voice cracked. "I beg of you, please bring him... Please bring back Sasuke-kun! I couldn't do it... I couldn't stop him. The only thing left that could stop Sasuke-kun is..." she never finished because of... this!

SMACK

Mayu had walked right up to Sakura and smack her across her face. Everyone was stunned at the girl's action. Sakura was in shock, too; her head was still tilted to the side. "Hinata...!" Kiba and Shika said in unison; the others were just way too shocked to say anything.

"You... are pathetic," Mayu said glaring at the pink-haired genin. Sakura slowly turned her head back to normal; she covered up her red cheek with her hand.

"Hinata...?" she muttered confused.

"You call yourself a ninja and yet... you're acting like a baby. All you do is cry and I can't stand it!" Mayu said. "Grow up and move on! Sasuke doesn't give you the time of day; he will never like you like that. Maybe if you would have stopped being nothing but a fan girl and focus on your ninja skills... Sasuke might have just stuck around and he could have liked you... But, no... here you are crying. If it was I that like Sasuke and I really wanted him to stay... I would have broke something, anything to keep him here."

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT!" Sakura yelled. "You don't know how I feel about Sasuke-kun!"

"That may be... but if it was Naruto-kun instead of Sasuke-san..." Hinata said; she had switch places with Mayu to avoid a fight. The rest of the members looked over to her in shock.

"Did she say Naruto?!" Neji thought glancing at the blond boy, who was blushing a little.

"I would have done everything in my power to stop him," Hinata continued. "You are... a disappointment, Sakura. I know that you like Sasuke-san very much, but... do not make Naruto promise to bring him back. We're risking our lives on this mission, so don't do that to him. Naruto-kun knows the pain that you're going through... and so do I. Do not think for a second that you're the only one." Hinata turned and begin walking away. "Oh, sorry about that smack. I didn't mean anything by it."

Mayu: I did!

Everyone else was still in shock by everything that Hinata did. Sakura wrapped her arms around herself and continued to cry, the truth behind Hinata's words dawning on her. "I... I'm sorry..." she whispered and then just ran off.

"Hey, hey, Mayu or Hinata-chan!" Naruto whispered. "Are you sure that wasn't a little harsh?"

"It needed to be said, Naruto-kun..." Hinata said smiling at her boyfriend. Naruto blushed slightly and then smiled himself.

"Now I know... I know why I like Hinata-chan so much... She understands..." he thought. "All right! Let's go!" Naruto shouted raising his fist.

"We've lost a bit of time," Shika said. "Let's go..." he said walking out of the gates of Konoha. Everyone followed soon after.

Mayu: It's finally starting... Sasuke...
*************************************