Chapter 2

"Tree, climbing, heh?"

The class stood outside as Wiru demonstrated the art of tree climbing.

"So basically you gather your chakru to your feet and climb the tree," Ritsu pointed out. "Sounds easy enough."

"In the other villages I here this training isn't done until one becomes a genin," Hiyori pointed out. "Then again, they also graduate at an earlier age than us."

"Well, we're just special now aren't we?" Ritsu chuckled.

Wiru jumped down from the branch. "Alright then, why don't you all give it a try one by one," he suggested. "Kodane, you first, sense your mind seems to be in another world right now."

Shi perked up. "Yosh! Here I go." He made his hand sign and concentrated his chakra to his feet. Once he felt ready, he took off on his feet and started up the tree. One two....thr....Slip! "Ittai!"

The crowded laughed as he fell on his head.

One by one the class tried their turns at the trees. None got further than three-to four steps.

"Ittai." Ritsu rubbed her romp. "I guess this is not so . . ."

"Hey this is pretty easy!" Everyone looked over to see Yukio hanging upside down from a tree branch by his feet.

"Well, Ritsu," Hiyori sighed. "With him as your partner you should reach the top in no time."

"Feh, he's just a show off."

Yukio blinked up and looked at the tree next to him. Damn, that Kura buy made it all the way to the top. He was right about mastering this after all. Show off.

He jumped down and jogged over to group with the three girls. "Oi, hello there ladies!"

Ritsu sweat dropped as the red head gave a huge grin. "Well, Ritsu-chan, do you want to get start training now?"

Ritsu looked around a lot to the class was leaving for the day, some with there partners others alone. She sighed. "Alright why now." Of people to get, the loud mouth, love him self too much dork.

"So where do you want to go, your place or mine?" he questioned.

"Yours," Ritsu replied abruptly. There's not way I'm bringing someone like that to my house. I can't let him know where I live. He'll come every day if I do!

Yukio's big grin faded some. "M-mine?" he questioned.

"Hai, is there a problem?" Ritsu snapped.

"Enn, ie," Yukio shook his head. "No, not problem."

Ritsu lifted her eye brow. There was some hesitation in his voice. Why was that? "Alright then let's go," she said. "Let's not waste anytime on this. The sooner we can start the sooner we can get it over with."

Man, what's her problem? How the hell does she ever expect to get married?

He turned to wave bye to Hiyori and Kuroko. "Ja ne, ladies. Oh, and Kuroko take care of Shi for me, neh? He can be a lost cause all by himself."

Kuroko smiled. "Alright, Yukio-kun I will. Ja ne." She watched as the two walked off.

"Well, I better go find my partner too," Hiyori said. "Good luck, Kuroko."

"Enn, you too," she gave a nod and watched as her friend walked. off.

Kuroko then walked where she knew where Shi-kun was. He would be in the tree he sat in every after noon, and doing the same thing, playing his harmonica. Sure enough he was there.

Kuroko jumped up at sat next to him. "I'm sorry, I had to be your partner, Shi-kun," she said. "I know how much you hate me."

Shi didn't say anything but he did look at her and her smiling face. He turned his head away. "Feh, whatever," he said. "It's not like either of us have a choice. It's just training after all." He put his harmonica in his pocket. "But, we're going to go training at your place."

"But you're home is a huge manor with a lot of good sturdy trees," Kuroko shot back suddenly. "I don't have any trees around where I live."

"There's no way, I'm gonna bring you to my home," he spat. "Everyone over there and at school would never stopping giving me hell about it, especially Yukio." He looked at her again. Her face looked a little shaken. "Where do you live anyway?"

"Enn?" She turned away. "Around. Oi, I have a great idea! How about we go training at on of the training areas outside of town. You know, past Yukio-kun's house. They have some great trees over there!"

Shi lifted an eyebrow at her. "What are you hiding at your home?"

"Nothing, Shi-kun, I have nothing to hide."

"Then, let's go there. Most likely we'll just be doing the book work of this training anyway tonight, we can do the climbing tomorrow after class."

"Shi, I'd rather not." She said is sternly. "I don't want you at my house either. Nobody is allowed to go to my house."

Shi was taken back for a moment. Sure, she wasn't smiling at the moment, but it made not difference. She was more disturbing now with the stern look on her face. She was hiding something. He smiled inwardly at himself. And, he would find it out before the next few nights were over.

******

Ritsu looked around. She wasn't exactly thrilled about the route Yukio had chosen to get to his house. She knew this wasn't one of the best neighborhoods in town. A lot of the people "not deemed worthy of the title shinobi" lived in this neck of woods. Basically is was a group of people who couldn't get past the graduation exams and just lived here and worked normal jobs with in the village. The lowest of the low class.

"Man, what a dump," Ritsu said. "Yukio, do we really have to pass through this neighbor hood? I mean, isn't there another route to your house."

"Ie," he said, continuing to walk ahead of her. "This is the neighbor hood that a live in. It would be kinda stupid to take the long way around."

"Enn." Ritsu's eyes widened in surprise. She had really put her foot in her mouth that time, she had had realized. She continued to look at his back. His read hair was always messy in its looks. It was always naturally messy. It also clashed with the clothing he chose to wore. A blue slate colored t-shirt and urban camouflage pants. She lowered her head some feeling ashamed of herself.

She just never expected someone like Yukio, the number one student in their class would live in a place like this. What was his family like? Ritsu was beginning to understand a little more why Yukio was so hesitant in bringing her to his house. She was started to regret her actions now.

"Heh, don't worry about," he spoke up as if he read her mind. "Everyone says the exact same thing. I'm used to it by now."

"That doesn't mean you have to like it."

"No, that it doesn't," he replied. "Well here we are." He opened the small gate to his home. The house it self was a whole better well kept than the other homes in the neighborhood.

"Your house is nice," Ritsu stated.

"Arigatou," he smiled. "I try to keep it up as much as I can." They climbed up the porch and he opened the door. "Oka! I'm home!"

Through the kitchen door came out his mother. Ritsu was a little taken back. She could tell where Yukio gotten his looks from. The woman's red hair was clipped up out her neck and her green eyes had bags under them, it was as if she hadn't slept in awhile. She was dressed in a loose fitting , sleeveless dress that went down to her knees. She had a cigarette in her mouth and it was nearly done. Ritsu also couldn't help that she know she's seen the woman somewhere before.

She looked over from her son to the Ritsu. "So this one actually came through the front door."

Yukio sweat dropped. "Oka, this is my friend Ritsu. We were assigned as study partners for the next three days," he said. "Ritsu-chan, this is my mother Jenseki Nisa."

Ritsu nodded. "A pleasure to meet you Nisa-san."

Nisa didn't reply to the girl's greeting. "Make sure you feed her before you train," she told Yukio. "And make something for me and leave it out for later as well. And also the kitchen needs mopping and dishes to be done before you get to your other stuff."

"Hai, will do Oka," he gave a nod and walked into the kitchen with Ritsu following.

"I'm not really hungry, ya know," Ritsu said before he could offer.

"Well, have something to drink at least so Oka doesn't pitch a fit," he replied, handing her a canned drink. "I'll get some ramen ready for her." He put a pot on the stove and started to cook. He then moved over and started to run water for the dishes.

"Umm, I can help," Ritsu said.

He smiled. "Nah, it's alright, Oka wouldn't like that if she came in and saw you doing my chores."

Ritsu sat at the table and looked to the side. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Ie," he replied, shaking his head and stopping the water.

"What about your father?"

"I don't who he is," he replied. "All I know he died along with his clan. I don't even have his last name."

"Oh."

"Oka, wasn't like that," he said. "She's actually very talented with her ninja skills, but she never made it to be a chuunin."

"What happened?"

"Heh, she got pregnant with me," he said. "She was 14." She paused for a moment. "She told me, one time, when I asked who my father was, she told this story. She told me her and her genin team went to Hidden Leaf Village for a mission. Something about delivering a message about a dog. Anyway, she said that's where she met my father. He was jounin for Hidden Leaf and only 19 years of age. Well, something happened and then I was put into her life. The day after that, the day my mother's team was supposed to leave, my father was killed. I guess my mother couldn't take it. She quit being a ninja to 'raise' me. And, that's all I know." He stopped for a moment. "I don't know if it's a true story or not, but one day maybe I'll ask Wiru Sensei if it is."

"Wiru Sensei?" Ritsu questioned. "Why?"

"He and Mom, they were on the same team."

Then it clicked. Wiru Sensei had a picture of his old team when he was a genin on his desk. Nisa-san was one of the ones on the picture.

"I'm. . . I'm sorry," she said.

Yukio gave a laugh and turned the stove off. "There's nothing to be sorry about," he said. "I've got everything that I need. I've got a roof over my head, food in my stomach, clothes on my back, the best friend in the world, and the top grades in my ninja class. I won't be living in this dump for much longer. When I become a great ninja I'm gonna buy Oka a big house just outside of town. And I'm inspire her so much she'll want to become a ninja again. And, when that happens she'll be the greatest female nin next to our current Yamikage. And me, I'll be so great of a ninja, Yamikage-sama will have no choice but for her to choose me as her 3rd." He gave a big grin. "And when that happens, I'm gonna make sure there are no more lazy people. Everyone is gonna try their best, so that neighborhoods like this won't have to exist anymore. I'm. . . .nani?"

Ritsu had stood up and started doing the dishes. "Keep going, I'm listening. It's just if you keep rattling you wouldn't be able to get this done by yourself."

Yukio looked at her for moment. "Hai, then I'll get the mop."

Ritsu smiled and continued to wash the dirty dishes. She learned something new today. You learned that people aren't always what you make them out to be. Everyone has struggles and hardships. And not everyone as one that struggles more or the other, because there's always someone out there who struggles more than the next person. Also, that everyone has dreams and ambitions, and no matter what, if it's something that you truly, if that dream is precious enough to, you'll do what ever it takes to make your dream come true. No matter what gets in your way.

Yukio, she thought. I want to help your dream come true.

*****

Kodane Shison and Kura Kuroko kneeled on the ground panting. Training to climb the trees had become more than just training now. It was now a race. A race to prove that one was better than the other. And yet, each time they climbed, they always improved the same. They're marks where they last climbed was the same as each others. I had both gotten a little past half way the height of their trees, which they calculated to be about the same height, give or take a few more inches.

They both feel on their rumps utterly exhausted.

"I think....I think that's enough for tonight," Kuroko breathed. "I'm beat." She fell on her back.

"No," Shi said. "I'm going up one more times." He attempted to get to his feet but fell back down.

Kuroko chuckled. "It'll be something for you try. I think we should save her energy and concentrate on trying to get ourselves home." She sat up. "Are you going to be okay walking back home?"

"Feh, I'll be just fine," he said. "I don't need your help, and if I did, I wouldn't ask for your help."

"Yea," she said. "I know." She got to her feet.

"I'll just take the bus home," Shi said, getting to his feet. "You should to."

Kuroko stayed silent for a moment. She's tried many times to take the bus home, but the driver never went that far down into that neighborhood. She didn't blame him for it. It took every ounce of cash she had on her that day to take as far as Yukio's neighborhood went, and that was still a long walk. She turned and saw Shi walking away.

"Eh, ja ne," she told him.

He didn't say anything but he gave a wave as he disappeared from her sight. He was glad to get away from her. The girl was so strange. Always smiling like that, what in the world had she has something so great that she was able smile about all the time. She probably was an only child. She most likely got what she wanted. Or, better yet she was probably in one of those average homes that had good moral family backgrounds. Life was simple and life was easy. She had no idea what it was like. No idea how hard life goes you way. Most likely once she became a ninja, that would all change. Once she was forced to so what shinobi do, then is would for sure change.

"It might even eat her away," he said to himself as he climbed on the bus. It was hard to imagine Kuroko killing someone. Her smile would definitely fade. That smile that never fade, it would be destroyed. Only with memories left behind. Shi wasn't ready to make that a memory just yet. He hated to admit it, but there were days when he had it really rough. He'd take it out on other people, especially Kuroko. But, she kept smiling. And sometimes, sometimes seeing someone smiling at him was all he needed to finish that day. It was all he needed to keep himself from going insane.

Within the next 20 minutes he got to his house and off of the bus. He walked in and heard the sound on the piano playing. Who would be playing at this time of the day.

He went into the room where the piano was being played. "Eh?" He was a little shocked to see a lean girl with hair the oppisate shades has his sitting at the piano and playing it.

"Ruri?" he questioned.

She turned around with her chocolate brown eyes and smiled at him. "Well, there you are little brother," she smiled. "You're home a little late. What were you doing out so late?"

"What are you doing here?" he questioned sternly. "Didn't you have an assassin mission this morning with the Anbu in the Sound Country?"

"No," she replied. "I had an assassin mission in the Sound Country by myself this morning. I was finished by 2 this after noon. I just walked in a few minutes ago."

Shi didn't reply on stared her down.

"Don't look so shocked little brother," she taunted. "You should know your big sister is the best on the entire Anbu team. Tracking down a 1st rate criminal a small country is child's play for someone like me. I'm starting to get rather bored with the mission Yamikage-sama is giving me lately." She sighed. "I'm just not having any fun anymore." She looked back at him. "At any rate you didn't answer my question, and I did ask first."

"School assignment," he said. "Chakru tree climbing."

"Ah yes, I do remember that," she said. "I mastered it the minute he showed us how it was done. And, I was only 7. So, how far up the tree did you get?"

Shi looked away. "Halfway, in 4 hours."

"Heh, not bad for average boy," she picked and she gave him a pluck between the eyes.

"Well, not everyone are born freaks like you," he muttered under his breath.

Suddenly there was a hand around his throat and he was being picked up by it. "What did you call me dearest brother?" she sneered. "If I heard correctly I believe you called me a freak?" She gave a little squeeze to his neck.

Shi held on to her wrist and attempted to pry her off.

"It's futile to try and escape my grasp," he said. "You little boy who thinks he can become a ninja."

"Is anyone home?"

Ruri dropped Shi and he fell to the ground gasping for air. "We're in here, Oto," Ruri said. "I was showing Shi some new jutsus. Though he seems like he isn't fast enough to stop them yet."

Their mother and father walked in. "Hmm, I can see that," his father said. "Shi, I'm not paying your way through shinobi school just so you can play around with that street trash, Yukio. You have your finals coming up next week don't you? You should concentrate more on trying to be more like your sister then playing around."

Shi rubbed his neck then stood up with me. "You honestly want me to be more like this monster?!" he demanded.

"Shi! That's no way to talk about your sister like that!" his mother scolded. "She gives up a lot of her free time trying to help you with your studies, and this is how you repay her."

"You bakas! Are you so blind!?" he yelled. "That bitch tries to kill me, not train me!"

"Shi!" he father yelled. "Get up to your room, and don't come down until you apologize."

"Like hell I will!" Shi yelled.

He took off out of the room and outside.

"I'll fetch him, Oka, if you want," Ruri said.

"No," their father said. "Just wait until he gets back, he'll be in for it then."

Rest assure he will, Ruri thought.

Kuroko was right. No bus was going to take her down to her neighborhood. She was forced to walk. And it was ever such a great distance as well. She was also worn out from all of the training she went through a few hours before.

"I need to get home, get me a nice hot bowl of ramen and hit my little grass mat," she said. She gave a groan. "I'm never gonna be able to make it through class tomorrow."

"Little girls like you shouldn't be walking alone at night."

Kuroko spun around at the sound of the harsh voice. It was pitch black and she could see anything in the streets of poverty in which she lived in. She tensed up getting in combat mood.

"That's not going to do you any good protecting yourself from me." She was suddenly taken by the shoulders and slammed against the wall of a building. She struggled and hollered in fear. She knew in this dirty part of town no one would care, but maybe someone, someone.

"You're kind of cute for a kid," her attacker stated. She then felt something wet drag across her jaw line. He was licking her! This sick bastard was licking her! She struggle some more. "It's best if you don't," he said. "I might consider letting you live if you just be quiet."

Tears began to swell up in here eyes. No, this wasn't happening. She couldn't do anything, why couldn't she? It felt as if the chakru was being drained from her body. She looked up at where the face would be and caught a glimpse of the silver plate of his head band. "Konoha. . ."

Suddenly the grip was loosened. The was due to the fact that someone had come and kicked the shit out of her assaulter. Kuroko fell to her knees and looked up at the figure in front of her. He was standing in a defensive stance above her.

"You stupid brat," the Leaf Ninja cursed. "How dare you. Now, I'll kill the both of you."

"Try it, slime," her rescuer growled. He stared him down, his eyes glowing yellow. And, I'll tear you to shreds.

The Leaf Ninja stared at him for a moment. There was something not right about this boy. He wasn't an ordinary brat. Perhaps he was possessed by something. And, he had no intention on messing with something that was possessed.

"I'll remember those eyes, kid," he stated as he jumped off into the dark.

The young boy sighed and turned around. He knelt down and held Kuroko by the shoulders. "Kuroko, are you alright?"

Kuroko breathed and looked up at the golden eyed boy. "Mikoto. . .?" she questioned.

Mikoto narrowed his eyes at her. She was completely shaken with fear. She was hurt physically, but she was definitely damaged. He watched as she looked down and began to sob. Mikoto really wasn't sure how he was supposed to comfort the girl. He only knew her from class. She was the girl that was always smiling.

"Where do you live?" he questioned her. "I can take you there. Then your parents can call the authorities and they can have some Anbu track down that Leaf Shinobi."

She only pointed in the direction. "Last house on this street."

He picked up the shaken girl and held her has he carried her to the place she called home. He was a bit shaken back to see the condition of it. It was a beat up little hut with only a curtain of bamboo made to cover the entrance to it. He walked inside. It was one roomed as it seemed. She didn't have much. She kept a folded grass futon in one corner under her wobbly table. She had on chest drawer that looked like it was ages old, and a small fire place.

He sat her in the chair next to her table and took out the futon and unrolled it for it, then he set her down on there. "You live here alone?"

Kuroko nodded as she held herself. "Thank you."

"I'll go the village consul and tell them about this."

"Ie," she said. "Don't worry about it."

"Worry about it, Kuroko, you were almost raped!" he scolded at her.

"It's okay, I'll go in morning, I promise." She looked up at him and tried to smile at him.

He looked at her in confusion with his big golden eyes. "You shouldn't be smiling. There's nothing to smile about. Why do you always smile anyway." He looked around. "You don't have anything that deserves to be smiled about."

"Because, you never know, you needs to see a smile that day."

---

This baby was pretty long. Phew! Well, the plot thickens, I hope all enjoyed it!