Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Our Lives in the Hurricane Chronicles ❯ Chapter 18

"… I’ve done a few things I wasn’t proud of… might’ve said I few things that hurt you!" -Thousand Foot Krutch
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Contrary to popular belief, Haku is a prankster.

At first glance, no one would suspect that the feminine man had a twisted mind with a very twisted sense of humor. Actually, one probably wouldn't have suspected if they glanced at him a second, or a third time. His twisted sense of humor was under several layers. Having a rough childhood, and then turned into a personal 'tool,' Haku didn't have the chance to experience fun. He most likely would have turned out fine if it weren't for Momochi Zabuza. The older man's sick mind corrupted poor Haku, leaving him with an equally twisted--no, far worse twisted mind.

Haku truly believed that his pranks helped people. He wouldn't dare use a prank for his own selfish desires. No way...! That would be just wrong! Haku smiled brightly as he continued to crush and grind several ingredients in a small bowl. He hummed a light tune as he worked. He reached up to remove the long strand of hair that slightly blinded his vision. “Only one more ingredient left,” Haku spoke slightly as he stopped grinding. The mixture now appeared to be in a purple liquid form. “Just one more component should do it. But whom do I choose…?”

The man did not notice that his smile turned somewhat sadistic.

It really didn’t matter who was chosen to be the casualty–er… to be the assistant. The assistant is what Haku was thinking… Yeah… The man pulled out a hidden senbon. He twirled it with his fingers. A mischievous glint showed in his deep brown eyes. He silently walked from the small kitchen. He headed down the hall, towards the rooms where the Konoha ninja were sleeping. He slid open the first door and peered in.

Mayu and her uncle seemed to be sleeping peacefully on separate futons. Haku let a smile cross his face as he shut the door. He went to the next room and opened the door. Sai, Sasuke, and Nakatsu all slept on three separate futons. They were seemingly unaware of Haku stepping into the room. The older male knew from experience that Sasuke was a heavy sleeper, so he wasn’t worried about him. But the other two were questionable.

“Mayu, you naughty, naughty girl…! Not in public!” Sasuke moaned in his sleep; Haku’s gaze shifted over to the Uchiha in surprise. “… But if you insist…” Haku shook his head and then focused.

He crept over to one of the sleeping males. He softly placed a hand on the Konoha ninja’s shoulder. He didn’t wake. Haku smirked in satisfaction. He slowly and deliberately pierced the flesh of the ignorant ninja. Blood seeped through the cut he had made. Haku made a one-handed hand sign. He flexed his hand. Surprisingly, the blood levitated off of the skin and into mid air.

Over the years, Haku discovered that his kekkei genkai could not only control water and ice, but any water-like substance. The ability was pretty handy when it came to fishing, that’s for sure! Using his other hand, Haku pulled out a small glass vial from his pocket. He opened the top as he maneuvered his hand to get the blood to hover over the vial. Haku clenched his hand and the blood dropped into the vial. He quickly placed the cap on the vial and stood from his crouched position.

The man left as quietly as he’d come. He made his way back to the kitchen where he had left his supplies. He happily poured the last element into his mixture. Haku began humming again as he mixed the blood into the purple concoction. He lifted the bowl over a glass cup and poured the now deep purple liquid in. Haku continued to hum as he put the glass in the refrigerator. He shut the door and began cleaning up the mess he had created. “Tomorrow will be so much fun,” Haku mused with a smile.

Again, he did not notice his smile turned slightly wicked.
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“WAKE YOUR ASS UP! WAKE YOUR ASS UP! WAKE YOUR ASS UP!”

Yasmine woke up with a start, nearly falling out of the bed as she did. She pushed the covers from her body and glared at the clock. The red numbers seemed to be glaring at her as well. “This is Hikari, coming to you live from Konoha’s favorite radio station! The time is 6:37 on a Saturday morning, so wake your ass up, peop-” Yasmine slammed a hand down on the clock, successfully turning off Hikari’s voice box. She forced herself up from the bed, and then yawned loudly. She stumbled towards the door while rubbing away the blurry sight.

“They’re probably not back yet,” Yasmine muttered, scratching her rear end. She yawned again as she opened the door to her room. What she saw on the other side surprised her. “Boobs…?” A small giggle caused them to shake somewhat. Yasmine jumped back in shock. “They laugh…?!” she shouted, pointing. She must’ve still been dreaming! That’s the last time she tried sake!

“Go-Gomennasai, Mine-chan!” a familiar voice spoke, causing Yasmine to straighten up. She was greeted with the memorable smirk of Tenten.

“What… are you doing here?” Yasmine was more than shocked to see the brown-haired kunoichi. After their last encounter, she was expecting Tenten to avoid her.

“Yeah, I realize that it’s kinda early, especially on a Saturday,” she said, rubbing the back of her head; her smirk had turned slightly nervous. Tenten backed up, allowing Yasmine to come out of her room, closing the door behind her.

“No, I meant… How did you get in here?” the foreigner asked.

“… The door was unlocked… I thought you were awake,” Tenten answered. The two began to walk downstairs.

“I must’ve been so caught up with what happened last night that I completely forgot to lock the door,” Yasmine thought, frowning. “I really hope that TV is still there. Sasuke might kill me…”

The two reached the bottom of the stairs, neither one said anything. Yasmine moved towards the kitchen. “Since it’s so early, you want anything?” she asked as she walked.

“… I’m fine,” Tenten answered. The kunoichi sat down on the couch. She took out a kunai and twirled it around her finger, something she normally did when she was stressed or thinking. She bit her bottom lip as she concentrated. No, not on the weapon… her concentration was on her own thoughts. “How do I go about asking this?” she thought. “I don’t even want to do this, but…”

“So what brings you here?” Yasmine’s voice brought Tenten from her thoughts. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, or anything. I’m just curious…”

“I… ano… I–how about I take you out for breakfast? We can talk more then,” Tenten said; she stood up. Yasmine was slightly shorter than the kunoichi, causing her head to tilt up.

“Actually, I have some things to do. How about lunch instead…?”

“… I guess that’s okay.”

“Tenten… is there something you want to tell me?” Yasmine asked; a small frown appeared. “Like how you want to end our friendship because I have another personality…” she finished in thought. Yasmine averted her eyes to the floor. It was always the same. Mayu had always been the only one accepting of Yasume, her other half. Why would she expect anything different in a different world? People just fear what they don’t understand… they also hate what they don’t understand. Yasmine had come to realize this a long time ago.

“I really… want to get to know you more,” Tenten replied in a soft voice. Yasmine looked at her in surprise. “I know it’s stupid to feel this way, but… The other you, I don’t think she told me her name–if she had one, I mean… Anyway, she told me that you trust me, and yet I didn’t know anything she told me before hand. You didn’t tell me yourself… I admit that I was kinda upset at the time. But now… I just want to know more.” Tenten rubbed her arm inattentively. What sort of mindless blather did she just spew from her mouth? She didn’t understand half of what she said herself. Tenten’s brown eyes suddenly widen in surprise.

Yasmine had tackled her!

Tenten hurriedly planted her hand on the couch’s armrest, so that they both would not fall. Tenten’s other hand was currently clutching the back of Yasmine’s shirt, trying to pull her away. Being a ninja, it was a force of habit to get out of ‘danger.’ “Mine-chan…! What are you doing?!” the kunoichi asked with wide eyes. Force of habit or not, it was still a surprise. Tenten had never experienced this kind of surprise attack!

“Arigatou…” Yasmine whispered.

“Eh…?”

“Besides Mayu, you’re the only one who wanted to know more,” the foreigner continued. “You weren’t scared away. Arigatou, Ten… chan…” Tenten’s surprised expression softened into a look of understanding. She resumed her balance and wrapped her other arm around Yasmine.

“Hey, what are friends for?” Tenten asked, quietly.

Yasmine released the kunoichi. With a smile on her face, she spoke. “Okay, so pick me up around lunch time. I’ll be ready by then.” Tenten nodded, and then headed for the door.

“See you later, Mine-chan!” she waved. When she was safely on the other side of the door and she was sure that Yasmine was not looking, Tenten frowned and narrowed her eyes. A guilt-stricken look crossed the kunoichi’s face as she leaned against the wooden door. “… Shit,” she murmured.

After a few moments, Tenten propelled herself from the door and began walking away. She fiddled with her headband as she stared up at the morning sky. It was one of those rare mornings where the sun had yet to rise, and the moon, the gibbous moon, was still in sight. She saw a couple of birds fly by. She sighed as her eyes focused back down. It wasn’t long before she ‘officially’ exited the Uchiha district. It was a stray thought, but…

Why did the Uchiha have their own district, anyway?

Sure, they were a prominent clan and all, but seriously…! It seemed as if they were isolated, or something. Tenten suddenly heard someone drop down behind her. “Neji…” she greeted.

“Tenten, did you do it? Is she coming?” the Hyuga asked. He fell into step with her. He turned his head towards the Uchiha district; he didn’t see anyone following them. “Is she going to meet you there?”

“No, I’ll pick her up later. She wanted a different time, that’s all,” the kunoichi replied, looking straight ahead.

“Ah, that’s good,” Neji said.

“Why are you so keen on talking to Mine-chan, anyway?” Tenten asked. “I mean, last week, you didn’t mention her, or what happened, at all.”

“Let’s just say I had a very rude awakening,” Neji mumbled; he looked slightly annoyed. He narrowed his pale eyes just remembering the 2:00 AM wake-up call. “A very pissed off, rude awakening…” he said more to himself than Tenten.

“Come to think of it,” his teammate began. “Why did you come to me with that cut on your face?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Neji replied in a surprisingly modest voice.

“It was just a question,” Tenten muttered, rolling her eyes. Sometimes, Neji would be so prideful, but then act as if he were not. Other times, although rare, he would appear to be very reserved, much like his cousin. “Besides, it’s a small cut.”

“It’s not important,” the Hyuga said in a flat voice. “Anyway, what time are you going to meet with her?”

“Around lunch time,” Tenten answered. “You probably shouldn’t show up until about 12:45…” Neji nodded, and then stopped, causing his teammate to stop as well.

“Thanks, Tenten… I really appreciate you doing this for me,” he told her. A tiny smile appeared on Neji’s face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

“What are friends for, right?” Tenten responded with a smile of her own. Neji nodded his head, and then disappeared. The brown-haired girl’s smile dropped. She sighed. “… Shit,” she murmured again.
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Mayu dragged her feet across the hall. She was basically still half asleep. When she finally managed to wake up, her uncle was not in the room. She checked the other room to see that none of her teammates were in their room. Mayu had assumed that they were all eating breakfast, but the males weren’t in that particular room either. So the girl had assumed they, or at least Haku, were in the kitchen. “Don’t tell me all of those fuckers left me!” she stifled a yawn.

“Ah, Mayu-san…! You’re finally up!” a voice exclaimed. Mayu looked up through narrowed, tired eyes. “Oh… You don’t look so good… You’re not a morning person, huh?”

“Shove it, Haku,” Mayu muttered, sitting at the small table in the middle of the kitchen. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her hair, that used to be beautiful curls, had lost its bounce, and now looked in disarray. Mayu prompted her head in her hands. She watched Haku pour some type of hot liquid into a clay cup.

“Here, this should wake you up,” Haku said, ignoring her rude comment. He passed her the cup. Nodding, Mayu took the cup from the man.

“Where are the others?” she questioned.

“Oh, they all went out. I needed some things. I was going to go myself, but your Uncle Mori insisted that they do it,” Haku answered. Mayu nodded her head again, and then drank the liquid. The kunoichi suddenly made a twisted expression… almost as if she had swallowed something sour…

The hot liquid spewed from her mouth like an erupting volcano.

“Luckily, she spit it out to the side,” Haku thought with a smile. Mayu turned to glare at her current host.

“This is not tea…!” she hissed; drops of liquid slid down her chin. Blue eyes looked into the half empty cup. “It’s like the hottest fucking chili I’ve ever tasted!”

“I never said it was tea, Mayu-san,” Haku spoke, never losing his smile. Mayu stared at him for a moment, random thoughts going through her head. She blinked, and then blinked again.

Something was wrong with Haku.

That’s the only reasonably explanation that the Ishikari could come up with. Even though she only knew him for a small amount of time, she knew that Haku did not relish in another person’s misery. Sure, his caretaker was questionable when it came to that subject, but not sweet little Haku. Mayu gazed at him in suspicion. But then again, all that controversy about whether he was a boy or girl might have gotten to him.

Haku sipped his tea, completely ignoring the suspicious look he was getting. “So, Mayu-san… if you don’t mind, I have a couple of things I want to speak with you about,” he said, setting his cup down.

“Go ahead,” Mayu responded. “Since I’m up now, that is…!” Haku chuckled lightly before speaking.

“You… did inhabit the body of Sasuke’s teammate back when he was apart of a genin squad, right?” he began.

“So you he did tell, huh?” Mayu responded, and then sighed. “He has such a big beak, I swear…” Haku chuckled again; the kunoichi shifted in her chair. “But yeah, I did. Sasuke’s the only one who knew about me… Her name was Haruno Sakura.”

“The pink-haired one,” Haku said. “You were quite amusing.”

“Pink-haired…? How did–I thought I had changed her hair color…”

“Oh, because of the unusual amount of water in the air, that black hair dye began to run,” Haku said. “I saw the pink roots.”

“Ah, I see,” Mayu muttered; she stared at the wooden table for a moment. “Ne, Haku-kun… Since I was… knocked unconscious… could you tell me what happened?” Haku nodded his head. It didn’t come as a shock to him. It was only naturally for her to be curious about it. The womanly man briefly wonder why Sasuke hadn’t told her himself before speaking.

“Sasuke, along with your whole team, thought you were dead,” he said; Mayu bobbed her head. That’s about the same thing that happened–that was supposed to happen–to Sasuke. “Of course, you were never dead, but Sasuke sure lost it when he thought you did.”

What…?

“He suddenly gained a burst of power. He speed, his strength–I just couldn’t keep up with him,” Haku continued. He had noticed the surprised look Mayu was currently wearing. A small smirk appeared. “Even back then, Sasuke must’ve really cared for you, Mayu-san.”

“Huh…? Wh-What? No, Haku-kun… You’ve got it all wrong,” Mayu protested. She didn’t realize that a blush had settled on her cheeks, but Haku sure did. A sudden glint appeared in his eyes. His smirk had grown into a grin; Mayu didn’t notice. “Sasuke and I just… had an understanding, that’s all. I mean, at that time, we had something in common with each other. Something that no other in his age group had in common with him…”

“If I may ask, what was it?” Haku inquired.

“Well, it definitely wasn’t humor, that’s for sure!” Mayu laughed out. “Seriously, that guy could not take a joke!” Haku laughed lightly.

“He still can’t take a joke,” he said, sending Mayu into another wave of laughter. “As I will soon find out…” he added in thought.

“Anyway… The thing we both had in common was revenge,” the kunoichi stated. She nodded her head, remembering that talk she and Sasuke had had.

“Ah, Sasuke must’ve seen you as someone he could relate to,” Haku said. “If you really had died, I wouldn’t be here…”

"Your death would be pointless..."

“My death would be pointless… That’s what he said to me when he realized that-” Haku suddenly sighed.

“Yeah, Sasuke was always rude, even when it came to life and death,” Mayu said, shrugging. Haku chuckled.

“Hey, I want to try something,” he said. “I’ll ask a series of questions. You have to respond with the first thing that pops into your mind, alright?”

“… Okay, fine. Lay it on me,” Mayu responded, looking slightly bored. A game so early in the morning…? Oh joy…

“Alright… First question: Favorite beverage?”

“Water.”

“Red or Blue?”

“Red.”

“Cats or dogs?”

“Cats.”

“or shower?”

“Shower.”

“Do you like strawberries?”

“Yeah.”

“How long have you loved Sasuke?”

“Since I was thirteen.”

“What physical trait do you like about Sasuke?”

“His muscles.”

“Why?”

“They’re sexy.”

Haku grinned.

“What would you do if Sasuke flirted with someone else?”

“I wouldn’t like it.”

“Why?”

“Cuz he’s mine.”

Haku’s grin grew.

“Do you like fighting?”

“Yeah.”

“Who is the loudest on your team?”

“Me or Nakatsu-kun.”

“Are you happy you’ve found your uncle?”

“Of course.”

“Does Naruto-kun really have a girlfriend?”

“Yeah, her name’s Hinata.”

“Damn…” Haku thought. He had thought Naruto was lying when he told him that. “That’s four hours of sparring with Zabuza-san.” He looked back at Mayu, who was still looking quite bored. “What… is your name?”

“Ishikari Mayu.”

“What… is your goal?”

“To try to save my brother.”

“What… is a nice alternative way of saying ‘Please leave my home’?”

“Kindly get the fuck out of my house.” Haku chortled. “… Are we finished? Wait, why can’t I remember what I answered? Or your questions?”

“Simply because you are a strategist... Hundreds of thoughts are constantly going through your mind, leaving no time to go back to stray thoughts,” Haku answered.

“… That makes no sense,” Mayu responded. “I can’t remember stray thoughts?”

“Not when other questions are being fired at you at once.”

“Well, that’s lame…”

“Don’t be too upset about this, Mayu-san. You have an amazing talent,” he said. “Not only are you clever and an essential strategist… it also seems as if you could lighten any mood… I can see why he needs you.”

“Who…?” Mayu asked, blinking.

“Sasuke,” Haku affirmed. “I can see why he needs you.”

“…”

“Mayu-san, I-” he stopped, only because Mayu suddenly stood.

“I’m going to get ready,” she said. “Don’t want those boys to see me like this… especially Uncle.” With that said, the kunoichi exited the kitchen.

Haku watched her go, suddenly feeling somber. “It must’ve been so bad…” he murmured, narrowing his eyes. “Whatever it is that you did, Sasuke… must’ve almost killed her.” Haku stared into his cup of tea for a moment. Gradually, a smile became visible on his face. “But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” He sipped some of his tea. “I wonder how strong Sasuke and Mayu-san have become.”

He wasn’t talking about normal strength either.

“Maybe I should create a bet…”
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“Tor i-suke… Tori-suke… Tori-suke…” Sai continued to call out to the Uchiha. Sasuke’s eye twitched a little as the two walked down another aisle. They were in a newly built ‘super market.’ The large building was much larger than the normal shops in town. It was actually only a year old. Haku had told them that he participated in the construction, along with that bridge builder. Sasuke, in all honesty, didn’t care. “Tori-suke…”

“What? What do you want, Sai?” Sasuke finally asked.

“I’m curious as to why you haven’t asked me why Jester’s uncle wanted to talk with me,” he answered as if he hadn’t been annoying Sasuke for the past five minutes. “And now Dickless has left us to talk to him as well.” Sai’s dark eyes scanned over the list in his hands, and then shifted over to the shelf. He picked up a jar of cherries, and then dropped it into the basket he was carrying. Sai turned to his teammate, who was looking quite bored and slightly irritated.

“If I ask, will you be quiet?” Sasuke asked. Sai smiled cheerfully.

“It all depends on your answer, Tori-suke,” he said. The Uchiha inaudibly sighed.

“Fine… What did he talk to you about?”

“He wanted to know how I felt about Jester,” Sai answered.
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Well, that’s ten pages! I guess I’ll stop writing now and post! Please revi-

-dodges multiple keyboards-

I WAS JUST JOKING!

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“How nice,” Sasuke commented. The voice he used told Sai that he wasn’t really interested. He had used sarcasm, one of the many things friends do with each other, as the book told him. A minor blush appeared on Sai’s face. His teammate considered him as a friend! That was so awesome!

“I imagine that he’s doing the same with Dickless,” Sai remarked. “I am going to assume that he will do the same to you.”

“I can hardly contain my excitement,” Sasuke replied in a flat voice. More sarcasm…! Sai was so happy that he had come up with a nickname for his teammate; otherwise, they wouldn’t be ‘joking around,’ as the book dictated.

Suddenly, Sawatari Nakatsu came up to them. “Hey, guys…!” he exclaimed. The seventeen year old shinobi had a huge grin on his face. It was so huge that his eyes were closed, Sai noted. “Just finished talking to Uncle Mori about Ma-yu-chaaan. We get along just fine,” he boasted. Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched. Did he have to say Mayu’s name like that? And why had he not stopped referring to the older Ishikari as ‘Uncle?’ It was irritating.

“But I digress,” Nakatsu continued, paying no heed to Sai’s curious look. “Sasuke, since Uncle Mori knows that you are more acquainted with Haku than any of us, he would like your help with picking out Haku’s favorite thing to eat.”

“Why is that? Haku-san’s favorite thing to eat isn’t on the list,” Sai asked; his eyes scanned over the list just to make sure. Nakatsu sighed before answering.

“He obviously wants to thank Haku-san by buying him something with his own money,” he said, haughtily. “We should also try to show our hospitali-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… Where is he?” Sasuke asked, impatiently. Nakatsu snorted.

“He’s in the fruit and vegetable section,” he answered. The Uchiha walked off hurriedly. Don’t get him wrong, Sasuke loved his teammates… Well, their fighting styles, anyway. He found their techniques very useful, especially in battle. It was just–his teammates were bothersome. Sai’s ignorant, tactless ways and Nakatsu’s ‘I am god’s gift to the world’ attitude were annoying, but on top of Mayu’s–well, Mayu was Mayu… On top of that, Sasuke was surprised he hadn’t gone insane yet. Sasuke involuntarily shuddered.

He hoped that Sai wouldn’t start spouting friendship speeches like Lee and Gai did with the ‘flames of youth.’

It wasn’t long before Sasuke’s dark eyes spotted Mayu’s uncle. He, for a moment, wondered about that henge of his. Akatsuki had managed to take a picture of his real form, while Konoha only managed to get the henge form. “Just how long did he stay in that form…?” Sasuke thought, moving closer to the man. “Hey…” he said out loud.

“Yo,” the older man replied without turning to face him.

Sasuke stood beside Mori, who was staring intensively down at the green grapes. With a shrug, the Uchiha stared at the fruits as well. The two didn’t speak for a time. Sasuke stole a quick glance at the man. It was not surprising that he looked similar to Mayu, particularly the eyes. Both of their eyes looked as if they were hiding many secrets. Not that Sasuke didn’t have his own secrets, but… still.

Another similarity that the two shared was their skin complexion. Well, actually, Mori’s skin complexion was slightly darker than Mayu’s. This told Sasuke that he had had much more sun than Mayu did. Sasuke also noticed the faint mustache under Mori’s average sized nose. His other facial appearance included a small mole right next to his left eye. It moved every time the man blinked. “Could you stop with the staring, kid?” Mori suddenly spoke in his unique gruff voice, causing Sasuke to jump slightly.

“Whatever…” Sasuke muttered. His head turned away. Well, that was embarrassing! “Mayu likes sour grapes.”

“I’m well aware,” came the curt reply. The two stood in silence once more. Mori moved away from the grapes.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes before following him. So far… Mori and Mayu didn’t act alike. Mayu would have been started a conversation by now, even if Sasuke hadn’t wanted to talk. Mori, though, had barely spoken. The Uchiha stared at the brown spikes on top of the man’s hand as he followed him. “Uchiha…!” Mori’s sudden outburst caused Sasuke to jump again. He voice was startling. Sasuke straightened his hunched back. “Come, walk beside me. I don’t want to appear as if I’m talking to the air.”

The Uchiha grunted lightly before falling into step with Mori. “So what do you want to talk me about?” he asked, not looking at the older man.

“I would, first off, like to thank you for telling me about Mayu-chan,” Mori said. “If you hadn’t, I would have knocked you unconscious and left, not knowing my niece was on your team.”

“I’m glad I did, too… I’ve never seen Mayu so happy,” a small smile appeared on Sasuke’s face as he said this.

“Hm… That Sawatari Nakatsu has told me that my niece is currently living with you,” Mori stated. “Is this true?”

“Yeah, it’s true. She lives with me, along with her friend, Yasmine,” Sasuke responded.

“A foreigner…? She didn’t tell me that,” Mori muttered.

“We all live together in a hotel that’s on the Uchiha grounds,” Sasuke continued. He thought it would be best not to question him.

“I see… Separate rooms, correct?”

“Hai…”

“How is Mayu-chan on this team? She’s not causing trouble, is she?” Mori asked; he placed a bag of beans in the basket. Sasuke laughed quietly before answering.

“There are times when she can be quite troublesome, but most of the time, she’s helpful,” he said. “Her tactics in battle rival that of a commander.”

“Just like her mother,” Sasuke noticed the dim smile on the Ishikari’s face.

“Thanks to her, Orochimaru’s dead,” the Uchiha stated. He didn’t mention the fact that the snake Sanin might be revived in the future. It was dubbed as not important at the moment.

If it came as a shock to Mori, it didn’t show on his face. The man continued to stare ahead. His face was passive as if he was thinking of nothing. Sasuke could not read his blank expression if he tried. He doubted that even Hyuga Neji, who was gifted in that department, could decipher what the man was thinking.

“Do you have any aspirations, Uchiha? Something you want to do before you die?” Mori suddenly spoke. Sasuke hesitated prior to answering.

“… I want to punish the one responsible for the destroying my clan,” he said. “And… revive it as well.”

“Ah, revenge, eh?” Mori murmured. “Tell me, who is it that you’re after.”

“My brother.”

“… Your brother…? An Uchiha…?”

“That’s correct,” Sasuke answered.

“This brother of yours… wouldn’t happen to be Uchiha Itachi, would it?” Mori asked.

“That, too, is correct,” Sasuke replied. “We’re after the same man. I want him dead before I start my other goal. And no matter what, I can’t die in our battle.”

“Well, I’ll be a cocoon’s uncle,” Mori commented; Sasuke smirked. “Mayu-chan would probably kick me if she heard me say that.”

“Believe me, I know,” the Uchiha stated. He tentatively glanced at the older man. “Ishikari-san… I want Mayu to help me.”

“Help you…? With what? You don’t mean killing your brother, do you?” Mori asked. “I don’t think she would do that.”

“Uh… no… I wouldn’t ask her to do that,” Sasuke said. He bit his lip before continuing. “I meant… I want her to help me rebuild the Uchiha clan. I want her help.”

The older Ishikari stopped. His foot was left hanging in the air. After a few moments, the man put his foot back to the ground, and then turned to stare at Sasuke, who had also stopped. Intense blue eyes stared into equally intense dark eyes. “You… want my lil Mayu-chan to help you with that?” Mori questioned. The glare he was currently giving would make a lesser man fall, but Sasuke was not a lesser man.

“With all due respect, Ishikari-san… Mayu is no longer little,” he met the glare head on. Since they met, Sasuke hadn’t seen the man without a passive face. Seeing his glare now was like confirming that he was indeed related to Mayu. “After Itachi is taken care of, I intend on asking for her hand. We’ll have many, many babies and we will grow old. We will be happy, knowing that we succeeded in repopulating the world with Uchiha and Ishikari alike.” The two continued to gaze at each other with narrowed eyes, completely ignoring the other shoppers that walked in between them.

“You’ve… really thought this over, haven’t you, kid?” Mori finally said.

“That’s right… I… I love her,” Sasuke replied. “I love Ishikari Mayu.”

“Have you told her this?”

“… No…”

“Why not?”

Sasuke looked away in slight embarrassment.

“I’m… kinda scared of her…”

To his surprise, Mori laughed quite loudly. It was a hearty laugh, not teasing in the least. “This reminds me so much of when Haruka told me he was going to propose to Mayuka-chi,” he thought, stopping his laughter. He looked back at Sasuke, who had a slight blush on his cheeks. Mori began to walk away. “Come, come, Uchiha. We still need to get your friend something.” Confused, Sasuke didn’t move. He watched the man walk away.

“Does this mean he accepts me?” he thought, and then followed after the man.
**************************

“No way…! You actually did that?!” Tenten asked, incredulously. There was laughter to her tone. Yasmine grinned.

“Yup,” she replied, nodding. “With Granny Theresa’s help, of course… That guy never asked Mayu out again!” Tenten giggled as she held her stomach.

“Man, that is so funny!” she said in between laughs.

The two teens were currently sitting in a grassy field. Instead of going to a restaurant, they decided to eat in private. Tenten made the lunch. The brown-haired kunoichi was very good at doing that, much to Yasmine’s delight. Having a friend that actually knew how to cook was so great. Mayu didn’t know how to cook at all, but then again, neither did Yasmine. Tenten’s fit of laughter slowly went away. “So are there any funny stories about Team Gai you want to share?” Yasmine asked.

Tenten grinned. “You have no idea the crazy stuff my team used to get into,” she replied. “I remember this one time Neji got drunk! That day was hilarious!” Yasmine’s smile faltered slightly. “I forgot what we were celebrating, but Neji accidently consumed some of Gai-sensei’s sake.” The kunoichi drank some of the ‘lemonade’ that Yasmine had made before continuing. “You should have heard some of the stuff he was saying!”

“What was he saying?” Yasmine asked.

“He actually admitted to using his Gentle Fist for brushing his hair! A thousand strokes every morning, he said!” Tenten continued. “He also demanded that we call him ‘Hyuga Neji, God of Fate.’ That’s not all… He also said that we should call him pretty! In addition to that, he kept smacking Lee randomly and blaming it on fate! He offered Gai-sensei make-up kits and said ‘Do something about those eyebrows of yours.’ Gai-sensei and Lee didn’t find that amusing, but I sure did.” Yasmine chuckled.

“Hyuga-san sounds like a mean drunk,” she replied.

“You don’t know the half of it!” Tenten guffawed. “But anyway, enough about me and my team. What about you?”

“… I’ve never had a team,” Yasmine replied, tilting her head to the side a little.

“That’s not what I meant, Mine-chan. I meant tell me something that I don’t know yet,” Tenten explained. She crossed her legs out in front of herself. “I know…! How does a foreigner like you know this language so well?”

“Oh, my father taught me,” Yasmine answered with a smile. “He was a translator. He knew so many other languages. That’s why it was so easy to learn again when…” she trailed off, leaving Tenten in confusion.

“When what…?” the kunoichi asked.

“When Jano-san taught me.”

“Who is Jano-san?”

“My caretaker when I was four.”

“Your uncle’s name was Jano?”

Yasmine shook her head. “No, my caretaker when I first came to Konoha,” she said. “He was a ninja. I thought he was a super hero.” A small giggle escaped her lips. “But then I forgot the language, but then I met Mayu, so I learned it again. I kept asking myself how I it came so easy to me when Mayu began teaching me. Now I know!”

“Learning it over and over again… No wonder you’re so fluent!” Tenten commented.

“Reiterating is the ultimate key to mastery,” Yasmine replied. “That’s something Jano-san used to say to me.” She sighed.

“You miss him, huh?” Tenten asked.

“Yeah,” Yasmine replied, nodding.

“Did he teach you how to use chakra? Since he was a ninja, I mean,” the kunoichi asked.

“Yeah, but only with taijutsu,” the foreign person replied. “I don’t even know how to create a basic clone. But it’s fine. I don’t want to be a ninja, anyway. I never did, actually.”

“Why…?” Tenten asked.

“I just never did,” Yasmine replied with a shrug. “Besides, I’m already strong.”

“Oh, is that right, Mine-chan?” Tenten smirked.

The foreigner nodded her head in confidence.

Tenten suddenly lunged at Yasmine, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. The force of the kunoichi’s ‘attack’ made the two girls tumble down the hill. Why did they decide to eat on the hill was a mystery. They could have eaten anywhere at all, but no…! They just had to eat on a hill! Those were just some of the thoughts they went through Yasmine’s head as they continued to roll. The two teens finally stopped spinning. Yasmine’s eyes were now replaced with swirly eyes. “Ah, my head is still turning round and round. Where will it stop, nobody knows,” she mumbled; she was very dizzy at the moment.

Tenten snickered lightly at her words. “Still think you’re strong, Mine-chan?” she asked in a mocking voice. Yasmine shook her head to try to erase the dizziness.

“Y-Yes… I-I-I d-do…!” she wasn’t that successful. “Th-That was a dir-dirty trick, Ten-chan!” The kunoichi only grinned. She moved Yasmine’s dark brown bangs from her forehead.

“Aw…! Are you okay?” she asked.

Yasmine suddenly pushed her body upwards, propelling Tenten over. The kunoichi’s back landed on the ground above Yasmine’s body. “Oh, I’m okay. You…?” she asked in an innocent voice.

“I’m fine,” Tenten responded. She was a little shocked that the foreign person was able to do that. The two stared up at the afternoon sky in silence. That silence was broken abruptly by both girls laughing.

“I’m so glad I get to experience this!” Yasmine said. Tenten turned over on her stomach. After a moment, she began twisting couple of strands of Yasmine’s hair.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “Mayu-san must’ve-”

“No, Mayu… was different,” Yasmine interrupted. “She wouldn’t ‘play’ with me if her own life was at stake.”

“She doesn’t seem that way,” Tenten commented.

“Not now, but back then she was the definition of ‘cold-hearted bitch,’ so we never did anything like this,” Yasmine explained. “I never asked her why she suddenly changed. I thought it was best if I didn’t bring it up. Besides, I like Mayu the way she is now.”

Tenten stared at the peaceful expression on the foreigner’s face. Such a calm, gentle face was hard to come across in the world of ninja. Looking at her, one would think she had never seen the horrible things in the world. Tenten used to think that, but now she knew better. A pleasant small was added to the kunoichi’s facial features. Yasmine was unaware of Tenten’s gazing. “Mine-chan, can I tell you something?” she asked.

Yasmine tilted her head upwards, so that she could see Tenten’s deep brown eyes. She was slightly jealous that Tenten’s eyes looked like chocolate while her own brown eyes were dull, even to her. “Sure,” she replied.

“I’m… I’m really-”

“Tenten…!” a male’s voice shouted. Yasmine sat up in surprise; Tenten only sighed before sitting up as well. Who the two saw was Hyuga Neji coming towards them.

Yasmine turned her head away when the Hyuga genius finally reached them. “Tenten, I need to speak with you,” he said.

“Okay, what’s this about?” the kunoichi asked as she stood.

“I need to speak with you… in private,” Neji said.

“Oh, alright…” Tenten said. Neji walked away without a word, but his teammate followed after him, saying “It’ll just take a second, Mine-chan,” to the foreigner. Yasmine nodded her head, but she didn’t even take a peek at the new arrival.

Tenten glanced back at her foreign friend as she followed her teammate further and further away from the girl. Yasmine had pulled her knees up and locked them in place with her arms. Her brown eyes were fixated on the blue sky. Tenten sighed, much too softly to be heard by the Hyuga. Speaking of Neji, he unexpectedly stopped and turned around to face his teammate.

“Again, I thank you for doing this, Tenten,” he said.

“It’s no problem, Neji,” she replied, smiling. “Remember just five minutes at the most. I don’t want her thinking I purposely did this, alright?” Neji nodded. Tenten turned and began walking towards Yasmine. Of course, the Hyuga followed after her. “Mine-chan…!” Tenten exclaimed. Yasmine looked back down to earth when she heard her nickname. “I have to leave for awhile, but I’ll be back, okay?”

“Um… sure, I’ll wait,” she answered.

“Good, it’ll only take a few minutes,” Tenten stated. “Wait for me here, Neji. I’ll bring it.” Yasmine blanched while Neji nodded.

“Matte, Ten-chan…! On second thought, how ‘bout I just leave?” Yasmine stood. “We’ll hang out tomor-”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mine-chan! It’ll only take a few minutes,” Tenten interrupted with a wave of her hand. She then just disappeared from Yasmine’s line of vision.

The foreigner pouted lightly as she mentally cursed ninja abilities. She sighed lightly. “Ten-chan’s being mean to me again,” she muttered.

“… Yasmine,” Neji spoke, finally turning towards her. The girl flinched. “I… I don’t know how to say this, but-”

“Then don’t say it,” Yasmine interrupted, turning her back to the Hyuga. “Don’t say anything at all.”

Neji sighed softly. She didn’t want to speak with him. If he didn’t say something quickly, Yasmine would definitely start ignoring him. And that was something the Hyuga could not afford. He really didn’t want that ANBU operative visiting him again. “I don’t know what the hell happened that day, but last time I heard her say your name, it was ‘Neji Meji,’ not ‘Hyuga-san.’ Whatever it is you did, you fix it or I will see to it that you never advance in your rank.”

Yeah, having a katana pointed at one’s face so early in the morning was not pleasant. “Look, I know that you’re angry with me, but I’m trying to apologize,” Neji said. “At least hear me ou-”

“I don’t really care,” Yasmine interrupted again. “So go ahead, apologize. I won’t care either way.”

“… That’s not going to work for me, so…”

“Why are you doing this, Hyuga-san?” Yasmine asked. “Why can’t you just leave me be?”

“You were my friend, Yaya-chan,” Neji said. “I care…”

“Your friendship, the good times we had, you can have them back for all I care!”

“Yaya-chan, listen to me, please!”

“You don’t even remember!” Yasmine accused. “And don’t call me that!”

“I do remember…!” Neji defended through clenched teeth. Who knew it would be this hard to get through to her? “It was a mistake of a four-year-old! I was only four! You can’t keep blaming me for a small event that happened in our past!”

“What…?! ‘Small event,’ you say?! You think that was a small event?!” Yasmine finally turned to look at him. She had never glared so hard at anyone in her life. “Your words… broke me! I could deal with my uncle, I really could, but what you did was…” Yasmine trailed off as she clutched the part of her shirt that covered her heart. That particular organ was beating at a rapid pace. She felt as if she was choking!

“Yaya-chan…? What’s the matter?”

Yasume: Breathe, bitch, breathe!

Yasmine finally got her breathing under control. “… Just forget about it,” she said, turning her back to him again. She began walking up the hill. “It’s in the past. It doesn’t matter anymore.” A hand grabbed Yasmine’s forearm, causing her to stop.

“It’s obvious that you’re upset over it, so it does matter!” Neji said. “Just let me elucidate.”

“There’s nothing to ‘elucidate,’ Hyuga-san,” Yasmine replied, slightly happy that she actually knew what that word meant. Of course, Hyuga Neji would know a wide variety of words that meant the same thing. “You said some things, I left, end of discussion!”

“No…! It was a mistake that I’m trying to correct! What happened to you, Yaya-chan? You used to hang on my every word,” Neji mumbled. “Now you won’t even allow me to talk.”

“What happened to me…?” Yasmine whispered. “My best friend said he hated me…! And for what? He didn’t even give me a reason! But that’s nothing compared to ki-killing my own uncle!” Neji grip on her arm loosened slightly. Yasmine sank to her knees. By now, tears ran down her face. “I never wanted to kill anyone, but just like that… I put a hole in his head. If it weren’t for what you said to me that day, I would have never returned to that abusive man, and I would have never killed at four years old. So thank you for showing me that best friends can’t be trusted!”

The Hyuga had completely let go of her arm. He was stunned into a stupor. He bit his lip, a wave of guilt suddenly washed over him. Neji knelt down beside the sobbing girl. He placed his hand on her shoulder, but she only shrugged it off and muttered a ‘go away, mofo…!’ “I’m sorry… I’m truly sorry that something like that happened to you, Yaya-chan…” Neji murmured. “I was a stupid kid who took my anger and frustration out on you.”

Yasmine sniffed, and then turned her head. She saw the guilty look on the Hyuga, and instantly thought it was weird. “Anger and frustration…? What are you talking about?” she asked. Neji sighed before answering.

“Prior to that… day, my father died,” he said. “He died to save Hiashi-sama… I was angry with my clan and I took it out on you.”

“Hizashi-san… He died? At that time?” Yasmine muttered. “I didn’t even think about that,” she thought. “But why me…? Why did you say you hated me?” she asked quietly.

“It was an impulsive thing to do… When you mentioned his name, I got angry again,” Neji responded. “In my mind, it wasn’t fair that you still had a parent, while my father died. I realized that I would never have him in my life again, but you still had him…” Yasmine turned her whole body to face Neji. She sniffed again.

“You asshole…” she muttered. The Hyuga looked surprised that she had called him that. He opened his mouth to further protest, but Yasmine began to speak again. “My parents both died when I was three! Kaasan was the only one I had left… And you just selfishly assumed that I had no idea what you were going through!” She pushed him hard, causing the Hyuga to roll down the hill. Yasmine stood and wiped her nose. She watched Neji continue to roll, which caused her to hold down a laugh. “Did you really think you were the only one who had lost their parents? Even as young as you were, you should have known that.”

Yasmine narrowed her eyes down at the Hyuga, who was currently glaring at her with all the weapons in the world. Getting knocked down a hill was a little embarrassing, especially for a Hyuga. Yasmine turned her back to Neji and continued up the hill. She did not count on Neji throwing something at her. That would be completely and utterly out of character! Unfortunately for her, that’s what happened. The unidentified object nailed her in the back of the head.

The foreigner fell over and plummeted down the hill. She ended up at Neji’s feet. Her head was face first on the ground. “Gomen… I thought you would catch it,” the Hyuga said in a flat voice. It didn’t really sound like he was apologizing to Yasmine’s ears. Neji dropped down to pick up whatever it was that he threw, and then stood up straight again. “Are you going to get up anytime soon?”

It took a lot to anger Yasmine. She was one of those types who one must continue to provoke for her to get angry. But not now… Yasmine Dalton was pissed. She hastily stood up, and then tackled the unsuspecting Hyuga to the ground. The two teens tossed and turned on the ground; both were trying to be on top of the other. Neji was surprised that it was actually hard for him to gain the upper hand. When they were younger, they would wrestle much like this, but it was always easy to pin the girl to the ground.

Suddenly, the Hyuga genius felt Yasmine’s leg brush against his manhood. He let out a small yelp, which was a very un-Neji like thing to do! Yasmine didn’t really notice the sound, but she did notice his defense waver. She hurriedly flipped over, causing Neji to become the one on the bottom. Yasmine pulled back her hand, and then launched it at Neji’s face. Luckily, by this time, the Hyuga had recovered. Their hands slammed together.

Neji curled his fingers around Yasmine’s hand; Yasmine did the same. For a while, the two focused on only pushing each other’s hand. That’s when Yasmine realized that she had two hands. She drew her other hand back. Neji noticed her movement. Before Yasmine could lurch her hand forward, Neji pressed his other hand against it. The foreigner felt something sharp digging into her skin.

She pulled her hand back, trying to see what was piercing her skin. The genius noticed her hesitation and rolled over. Now he was on top. Hands still connected, the two teens panted lightly. “What… is… this?” Yasmine finally asked. Blood was now running down her arm. Neji finally pulled his hands back. He noticed that he had been cut as well. “Glass…?” Yasmine’s voice made the Hyuga shift his gaze to the girl underneath him.

He realized the unsightly position he was in and quickly got off. He lay beside her. Neji turned his head to see that Yasmine was currently examining the glass sculpture that had made them both bleed. “You don’t remember…?” he asked.

“I remember,” Yasmine muttered, dropping her arm. She gently held the glass bird in her hand. Her brown eyes stared up at the sky. “I never had the chance to give it to you… Did you find it and keep it all these years?”

“No, it was your okaasan,” Neji answered, truthfully. His pale eyes also stared up at the sky.

“It’s damaged… Looks like someone tried to glue it back together,” Yasmine whispered. “It must’ve fallen out of my pocket.” The two were completely silent. Yasmine didn’t really know what to say. After having a grudge, twelve years in the making, what could she say?

Yasume: I still don’t like his ass…! Not that I care…

“Yasmine…” Neji finally spoke.

“Hm…?”

“Is it possible to go back… to go back to the way we were?”

“No, we can’t go back,” Yasmine answered. “We’ve both changed due to mistakes and pain. It won’t be the same. It’s impossible to go back to… that.”

Neji closed his eyes. In his mind, two four-year-old friends were holding hands. Suddenly, the darkness separated the two. The two were shouting out unheard protests. The darkness swallowed each kid up. Soon the darkness had disappeared. What it left behind were older versions of the children. They no longer held hands. Instead, their backs were turned on each other. “I see…” Neji murmured as he opened his eyes.

He stood up, dusting his clothes off. He unconsciously brushed his hair with his hands. The Hyuga stopped when he noticed the funny look Yasmine was giving him. “So I… guess this is it,” Neji said, looking down at her.

“Yeah,” Yasmine responded. She stood, but then stumbled… right into Neji. Her bare forehead collided with the metal plate of his headband, causing her to fall again. “Man, talk about déjà vu…” she muttered. This time, Neji helped her to stand. “Arigatou.”

The Hyuga nodded, and then walked away. Yasmine bit her lip. “You can’t change the past and you can never go back,” Neji thought. Again, a picture of him and Yasmine with their backs to each other entered his mind.

“I’ll forgive you if you forgive me…!” Yasmine suddenly called out to him. Neji turned his head in surprise.

“Nani…?”

“Do I really have to repeat myself, Neji Meji?”

A smile…

“No… I forgive you, Yaya-chan.”

A grin…

“Then I forgive you, too.”

A gag…

Yasume: Stop it with the mushy shit already! I’m gonna be sick!

A glare…

“This was not supposed to happen…” brown eyes stared at the two newly made friends from the trees.
****************************

The four males walked down the road. Each of them was carrying two brown paper bags in their arms. Haku had certainly asked them to get a lot of things. It was already passed lunch time. It was as if the feminine man kept the four out on purpose. But Haku wouldn’t do that! What reason could he possible have for being alone with Ishikari Mayu?

*******************************
Earlier…
***** **************

Haku pulled a small bottle that was hidden under the floorboards of his room. His eyes examined the label of the bottle. He had purchased it years ago. A man was that sold it to him was very strange. Most likely because of the turtle shell on his back. Thinking back, Haku didn’t know why he even spoke with the strange man.

In the end, he ended up buying the potion from him. Now he finally had a reason to use it. On the label, it read: “Master Roshi’s Magic Remedy, for the pervert in all of us!” Haku turned the bottle over and read out loud, in a soft voice. “It says ‘Just two drops of this baby will have your lady friend go wild!’ Hm… How very convenient. The instructions say I need a strand of hair. That should be easy to require from his pillow,” he said. “Okay, I’ll alter my plans just a bit.”

Another mischievous grin spread across his face.

Haku noticed another bottle in under the floorboard. He pulled it out and read it silently. It was the antidote for Master Roshi’s Magic Remedy. Haku blinked, and then put the bottle back in the floor. “Won’t need that,” he commented with a shrug.

********************************

Yeah, everything was totally fine with Momochi Haku and Ishikari Mayu.

“Uncle Mori…? If I may, could I ask a question?” Nakatsu asked. The four were still walking towards Haku’s home. It would probably take another ten minutes at the pace they were going. The older Ishikari nodded his head in reply. “You… are returning to Konoha with us, right? I didn’t get a chance to ask you this last night.” Mori sighed lightly. “I mean, you do have an obligation…”

“Yeah, I’m planning to return with you,” he answered. “After everything is sorted out with the current Hokage… I will officially ask that he remove Mayu-chan from this team.” Mori continued walking as if what he had said wasn’t groundbreaking. The younger three males, however, stopped in their tracks. No, it wasn’t because Mori made the mistake of calling the Hokage a male. It was because of what he was going to ask of the Hokage.

“NANI…?!” Nakatsu was the first to break out of his stunned surprise. Both Sasuke and Sai put on their own disbelieving looks. Mori finally stopped, but he did not turn to face the three.

“I said… IT’S OVER NINE THOUSAND…!”

“Huh…?”

Mori cleared his throat. “I said… I will ask the Hokage to remove Mayu-chan from this team,” he repeated. “She will no longer be your teammate.”

“NANI?!” Nakatsu shouted again.

“I… don’t understand,” Sai said. “Why would you do that?”

Mori finally turned to face the three, a flaccid expression on his face. He stared at them for a moment. He studied their reactions before speaking out. “I interviewed the three of you, separately. I asked questions, you answered. From our conversations, I deduced that you, all of you, are not fit to be teammates of my precious Mayu-chan.” Silence was their response. The wind blew suddenly. Mori shifted the weight in his arms and then turned. “We best be getting a move on. I’m starving.” He began walking again.

Nakatsu dashed after him, his teammates following his lead. The older teen fell into step with the Ishikari. “B-B-B-But…! We had a nice conversation! I mean, things were going well, right, Uncle Mori?” he asked.

“Stop calling me that, and yes… it appeared as if things were going well,” the man replied, not glancing at the puppy-eyed Nakatsu.

“What does that mean?” Sai asked. He and Sasuke were now on the other side of Mori.

“Exactly what I said,” he answered. “To you, it all seemed pleasant, but with my skill in analysis, I saw and heard other things.”

“Analysis skills…?” Sasuke muttered.

“It is my specialty. That’s how I managed to find all those Akatsuki hideouts,” Mori stated. “For instance… Sawatari Nakatsu, you’re ANBU, aren’t you?” The older teen was taken aback.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“Sometimes you squint when you talk,” Mori said. “That’s either because you’re losing your sight or your eyes aren’t used to that much sunlight. Besides that fact, your eyes are sharp. You put up a pretty good façade, but that act doesn’t hide the sharpness of your eyes. The eyes of someone belonging to ANBU…” Nakatsu bowed his head. “However, that is not the reason you’re not fit to be on a team with my niece. You are a playboy, someone who constantly has one-night stands. You spoke of Mayu-chan as if she were your next target!” Blue eyes narrowed, yet they did not turn to Nakatsu.

“That’s not true…!” he protested. “I wouldn’t think-”

“I can see it, and I won’t allow my precious niece to continue being near you!” Mori interrupted. Nakatsu scowled, but didn’t speak. “Sai, if that is your real name, you’re very hard to read. But I know a fake smile when I see one. I will not have my Mayu-chan succumb to being ignorant of her teammate’s intentions. Ninja or not, you are not supposed to fool the ones you call friends.” The pale ninja’s eyebrows furrowed together as a small frown appeared on his face. It was the slightest hint that Sai was angered.

“And you, Uchiha Sasuke, are the worst of the three,” Mori continued. “How could I possibly leave someone as fragile as Mayu-chan in your care? You betrayed your village-”

“So did you…!”

“-You were responsible for the almost deaths of your comrades,” Mori ignored Sasuke’s interruption. “You had no concern for anything other than power, living up to your Uchiha blood.”

Sasuke practically snarled.

“And to top it all off,” the man said. He actually looked at Sasuke. “You’re willing to kill the last living relative you have left in the world. Mayu-chan doesn’t need that influence in her life.”

“He killed my entire family!” Sasuke defended. “Am I just supposed to let him get away with that?! And you’re after him yourself!”

“Uchiha Itachi is not my brother. We are not related by blood,” Mori stated. “You, on the other hand, are… Kinfolk sticks together. It doesn’t matter if it is through rain, sleet or snow. No matter what… Blood is always thicker than water. How could you think you could ever start a family when you don’t even know the meaning of the word?”

“He killed my-”

“It doesn’t matter what he did, Uchiha! Family is family! Family tries to understand! Did you try to understand why he did it?” Mori asked; Sasuke didn’t answer. “No…? You didn’t? You just let anger consume you, didn’t you? You just assumed that taking revenge on your own brother was okay! That is not someone I want Mayu-chan hanging around!”

“You don’t know ANYTHING ABOUT IT!” Sasuke raised his voice. He dropped the bags in his hands. Luckily, only bread was in his two bags. The Uchiha stopped, causing everyone else to stop. His shoulders were shaking, trying desperately to keep his rage in. Who the hell was this guy to tell him what he should and shouldn’t do?! “I don’t need to understand that man! He told me that he killed everyone to test his limits! That’s reason enough to kill him!”

“Oh, like a person who just killed their entire clan is really going to tell the truth the first time around! Quit living in a fantasy world, Uchiha!” Mori countered. Luckily, Sai decided to hold his teammate back or a fight would have broken out. His bags were also lying on the ground. “I would never ever allow someone like you to take away my Mayu-chan.”

“Screw you, old man…!” came the Uchiha’s response. “I need her!”

“We need her,” Sai amended, craning his neck to look the older Ishikari. “Mayu-san’s a vital person to this team.”

“Well, that’s just too damn bad, isn’t it?” Mori responded. “My Mayu-chan deserves better than an egoistical playboy, an untrustworthy con artist, and a confused, ignorant-ass Uchiha!”

Sai suddenly found it a lot harder to hold back said ignorant-ass Uchiha.

“You can’t do this!” Sasuke almost growled. “There’s no way you can!”

“I believe this is true,” Sai said. “Only Mayu-san could-”

“Actually, guys…” Nakatsu, who had been unnaturally quiet, finally spoke. “Because he is a member of Mayu-chan’s family, he can formally request that she be removed.”

“But it’s just a request! A request won’t do anything, right?” Sasuke asked.

“When family is involved, these requests are often granted,” Nakatsu stated; he looked dejected. “And the teammates, no matter what the rank, can’t do a thing about it. Ishikari-san… can do as he pleases.”

Sai’s hands slowly dropped from Sasuke’s shoulders. The Uchiha, himself, seemed to actually wilt. Was there… really nothing they could do? Were they really going to be separated from Mayu? An image of the girl appeared all three of the teens’ minds; she was smiling, but then she suddenly faded into black. Well, at least she would still be living with Sasuke. It didn’t seem quite as depressing to the Uchiha. “Oh, Mayu-chan will also be living with me from now on, Uchiha,” Mori stated.

Damn it…!
*************************

“Uncle Mori…! Guys…! You’re back!” Mayu called. She raced towards the four. “I saw you coming, so I thought… I could… greet… you?” The girl had slowed to a stop in front of the males. The reason she hesitated was because she noticed the downcast looks on her team’s faces. She blinked, and then turned her eyes to her uncle. “What’s wrong with-” she began to ask, but Mori dumped the two bags in her hands, successfully silencing her.

“Just in time for lunch, right?” he asked, grinning. “I’m starving…!” The man walked away, leaving Mayu standing there, staring at his back in confusion. Her uncle never interrupted her because he knew that she didn’t like it. But he had just interrupted her… for lunch! Something was definitely not right with that.

“But…” she tried again.

“Come, come, Mayu-chan! Empty stomach to feed!” Mori called over his shoulder.

Mayu bristled.

Suddenly her teammates walked past, not giving her a glance. “Hey, guys…!” she tried to get her attention. “What’s with the looks?” Only Sai turned his head. He had a smile on his face. Mayu’s eyes grew wide.

“Come on, Mayu-san… Time is of the essence,” he said. He turned his head back, not waiting for Mayu to catch up.

“Okay, what the hell is going on here?!” the girl thought, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “Sai stopped giving me those fake smiles ever since he gave me a nickname! And that had to be the fakest smile I’ve ever gotten from him! What the hell happened between those four…?!” Mayu walked slowly towards Haku’s home. When she got there, Sai and Haku were already putting away the groceries. Sasuke, Nakatsu, and her uncle were sitting down at the kitchen table. In silence, she also began to put away some things. Sai smiled pleasantly, but Mayu knew that it was only a sham. If it was one thing in the world that the girl hated, it was definitely being left in the dark. To her, it was like everyone got invited to a party, except for her. She hated it!

After the items were put away, Haku served them all tea. The Konoha ninja all sat at the table, completely silent, while Haku placed cups in front of them. Mayu’s blue eyes moved from one male to the next. None of them would look at her. None…! Even Sawatari Nakatsu didn’t take a quick look at her. Mayu ground her teeth together in aggravation. This was all very irritating. “Well, I’m definitely going to get to the bottom of this…!” the girl thought as she drank her tea. “Keep me in the dark, will they?!”

She was so absorbed in thoughts that she didn’t realize that she had drunken all of her tea. Haku did, though. The young man hadn’t smirked and grinned this much since Naruto had been here. Mayu slammed her cup down and blinked. “Haku-kun, this tea tastes weird!” she grumbled, glaring at the feminine man. “It makes my stomach feel warm and tingly!”

“That’s because you drank it too fast. It was hot, after all,” Haku replied, giving her a smile. He completely ignored the glare.

After all, he’d be laughing in a few minutes…

Mayu made an ‘oh’ noise, and then stared into her cup. Well, this sucked. She hoped that Haku would have some other refreshment for her for lunch. She glared at her teammates again. First one was Sai. The pale ninja still had that phony smile plastered on his face. The next victim who received her glare was Nakatsu. He still wouldn’t look at her. Mayu felt slightly insulted!

Her gaze then fell on Sasuke. She blinked rapidly. “What the hell?” she thought, staring at him through squinting eyes. The Uchiha still wouldn’t look at her. But Mayu didn’t really care about that at the moment. Since when did Sasuke shine like that?

Sasuke bitterly sipped his tea. He could not believe what Mayu’s uncle was going to do! It made him angry. How dare this man come into their life and ‘analyze’ them as if they were a science project? And then, so calmly, say that they weren’t ‘fit’ to be with Mayu? It pissed him off. Speaking of Mayu, Sasuke felt her eyes on him, but he didn’t dare return her stare. He knew from familiarity that the girl could pick up almost anything when it came to him.

Mayu tried to tear her eyes away from the Uchiha. Really, she did. But something kept bringing him in her line of vision. Maybe it was the fact that Sasuke was now removing his shirt. The Ishikari shook her head, and then focused on the Uchiha again. He wasn’t taking off his shirt… Why would she be thinking about that?

I’ve been really tryin’, baby!

Mayu’s mouth dropped open. Sasuke was taking off his shirt!

Trying to hold back this feeling… for so long!

Was he slowly taking off his pants, too?!

And if you feel… like I feel, baby…

O... M… G…! He had stood and was now coming towards her! Mayu started shaking as Sasuke reached out to touch her. Maybe the reason she was feeling so nervous was the fact that he didn’t have on anything but underwear. Sasuke licked his, in Mayu’s opinion, sexy lips, and then leaned forward. “You know how long I’ve wanted this…?” he asked in a husky voice; that voice almost caused Mayu to moan. She found his hand stroking her thigh; she rapidly shook her head to answer him.

Then come on! Oh, come on! Whoo…!

“A long… long time,” Sasuke whispered; the tip of his tongue touched the top of her ear.

Let’s get it on…!

With a yelp, Mayu had fallen out of her chair, causing her to wake from her daydream. “Mayu-chan, are you alright?!” her uncle’s frantic voice asked.

“Ye-Yeah… I’m fine,” Mayu used the table to help her stand. Her legs felt like jelly at the moment, so it was not an easy task. She finally sat down and stared into her lap.

“Are you sure, Mayu-san?” Sai asked.

“Yeah, you zoned out for a minute,” Haku remarked. He held an empty tray up to his face to hide the smirk. “What were you thinking about?” he asked innocently.

Mayu shook her head one more time. “Uh… I was thinking about… ca-candy. Yes, candy. Candy is what I was thinking about,” she answered. Her teammates, as well as her uncle, all gave her an odd look. They shrugged, and then went back to their tea. “Sexy, sexy candy, that is…” Mayu muttered with a shudder.

“What was that, Mayu-chan?” Mori asked, not quite hearing her.

“Nothing!” she quickly responded, and then proceeded to fiddle with her fingertips. Sasuke took a glance at Haku and wondered how a grin could get so big.

Contrary to popular belief, Haku is a prankster.
********************************

Well, this is a shocking turn of events, wouldn’t you say? How could Uncle Mori tear his niece away from her team? It seems so cruel!

Anyway… WARNING! WARNING! The next chapter may contain explicit content, not suitable for anyone under the age of sixteen… and people who are not mentally matured yet. If this warning applies to you, DO NOT proceed. (But if you choose to, it’s not my fault…)

But then again, it only may contain ‘not suitable for anyone under the age of sixteen’ material. When it comes out, read it at your own risk. I will not be held accountable for your reactions… but I do expect a review!

Oh, and as for the ‘nine thousand’ thing Uncle Mori said… Yeah, uh… it was over 9000 words, so I though I’d throw that in there. It won’t happen again… But I thought it was kinda funny.

“Reiterating is the ultimate key to mastery,” –Yasmine Dalton

“I said… IT’S OVER NINE THOUSAND…!” – Ishikari Mori
(Haha, I couldn’t help myself, it was hilarious.)
--Beta’d by ukelicious--