Amaya Uzumaki POV
I was sitting on the back porch of the Hatake clan house. The night was illuminated by the beautiful moon. A cold wind was blowing, but I could barely focus my attention on it.
I looked at my hands once more and then clenched them. I closed my eyes too, trying to push the images from my mind, even though I knew I wouldn't succeed.
Will there ever be a night when I'm not haunted by my past? I wondered. As I let out a heavy sigh, I heard the back door of the house close moments later. Looking back, I saw Kakashi outside with a blanket in his hands.
– Kakashi-san... – I said softly.
– If you're going to stay out here, leave the door slightly open – He advised and came closer to where I was sitting.
– Sorry – I said – Did I wake you?
– No – He denied promptly and sat on the edge of the porch, just like me – I couldn't sleep – The Hatake looked at me – And it looks like you couldn't either – I gave a weak nod.
He threw the blanket over his shoulders, wrapping himself in it. I turned my gaze forward for a moment. This is the first time we've spent more than ten seconds in the same room together..., I reflected.
– Why did you decide to stay out here? – I risked asking after a few moments, glancing briefly at the boy who kept his gaze forward.
– It's better for thinking – He looked at me out of the corner of his eye – And you?
– I'm familiar with the cold, it calms me down – I answered honestly.
– From your nightmares? – He asked after a few moments and I looked at Kakashi – I saw when you woke up. Is that why you're always awake before everyone else? Because you can't sleep? – I lowered my eyes for a moment, looking at my hands on the blanket – My otousan once told me that the best way to get rid of something that makes you distressed or angry is to let it out – I looked at Kakashi.
– Let it out? – I asked.
– In the case of anger, he taught me to train to work it off. As for distress, he told me to talk to someone willing to listen – I stopped looking at him for a moment.
Find someone willing to listen..., I thought. Letting out what's making me feel this way... Could that really help? Especially for someone like me, with a burden heavier than anyone should have?
Kakashi Hatake POV
– So... – I said after a few moments – What is it you don't want to remember? – Amaya stared at me.
– What? – She asked, her surprise and confusion unconcealed – You... want to listen to me? – I turned my eyes forward.
– Since neither of us is going to sleep anyway – I deflected quickly in the face of her sincerity – I thought listening to you might help pass the time.
And when I discreetly looked at the girl, I saw her with her head bowed. I don't know if she'll want to tell me anything, I thought, after all, I haven't been the most receptive type with her until now.
– They're not nightmares – She commented quietly – They're some of my memories.
– From when you were in that laboratory? – I asked and the redhead gave a weak nod – And when did they start?
– They came back when the Analysis Team looked for information on those responsible for the laboratory – I looked at her.
– So you've been going for over a month without sleep?
– I do sleep – She said – But my memories always make me wake up in the middle of the night.
– And... What exactly do you remember? – I asked with some apprehension and she looked at her hands for a moment.
– The blood... – She said, her tone even quieter than before – The texture of the blood of those I killed – And her gaze returned to me.
* Present *
Kakashi Hatake POV
– The first civilized conversation between you and nee-chan was about blood? – Naruto asked suddenly and I looked at him, letting out a weak laugh.
– Technically, yes – I answered him – Amaya and I always had somewhat unusual conversations, to put it mildly.
– And did she tell you anything or did she avoid it? – The boy asked curiously.
– Even though I thought she wouldn't tell me anything about herself and her past, she answered everything I asked – I gave a weak laugh at the memory of that day – That way, we both ended up talking the whole night.
– You stayed up all night talking? – I nodded.
– Because, unlike what I thought, talking to her was very simple, everything flowed completely naturally, as if we had already talked many times before – I picked up some papers from another pile on the desk – Just as I listened to her attentively, she also listened to me and understood questions I hadn't even asked her.
– What do you mean? – Naruto asked, a little confused.
– When I was a bit hesitant to ask her something, even without saying anything directly, her sister knew what I was thinking – I looked at him – It was as if she could read my thoughts.
– And could she? – He asked and I couldn't help but laugh.
– I asked Amaya the same thing and she laughed too – I smiled weakly – And that was the first time I saw her smile – I looked at Naruto – I never would have imagined that someone like her, carrying such a huge weight, could have such a sweet smile – The boy smiled too.
– So that's when you started liking nee-chan? – I gave a weak laugh.
– Not in the way you're asking – I separated some of the papers in my hands to continue with them – But I started to see her in a different way. That night, besides learning to interact with another person, I started a friendship with someone who would teach me to see life in a completely different way.
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Amaya Uzumaki POV
Kakashi and I only realized how much time had passed when the first rays of sun appeared on the horizon. We looked at each other for a moment and laughed when we noticed it.
In the days that followed, every night Kakashi would stay awake with me after my nightmares. We started talking about various things and the boy seemed to start feeling more comfortable in my presence – and the same went for me.
My nightmares also began to lessen little by little. Even though I still remembered every night, with each passing day, it seemed I could sleep a little longer before waking up for good.
Those following weeks were the calmest Kakashi and I had. At the Academy, I ended up not interacting with anyone, since everyone kept their distance, as I expected would happen.
And I didn't try to interact with the other children either, after all, I didn't really know how to do it.
Kakashi was always surrounded by other girls who, apparently, admired him a lot. There were boys too, but they usually stood further away, whispering.
The Academy lessons seemed extremely simple to me. I already knew all the theoretical explanations presented, and even a bit beyond what they discussed with the students.
On the last day of the week, the sensei in charge of our class asked us to put into practice what we had been working on: the Clone Technique.
This was a jutsu that produced a perfect copy of the user, if done correctly. However, it was a technique used only for distraction, since the clone had no physical mass and couldn't attack an opponent.
The sensei was calling student by student to come to the front of the class to perform the technique. But no one was managing to make them perfectly.
– Amaya Uzumaki – He said, looking at the list in his hands.
Since I still couldn't see well from a distance, I needed to sit in the front rows to see the explanations on the board.
I stood up, feeling all the eyes in the room falling on me. It was uncomfortable, but inevitable. I stopped near where the teacher had asked the previous students to stand.
– Okay – He said and I quickly made the clone hand seals – Let's see the...
And before he could finish his instruction, there was already a clone ready between us. The teacher briefly alternated his gaze between me and my clone.
– A perfect clone... – He commented and stared at me – The first to succeed on the first try.
I heard some students talking quietly among themselves. With no further instructions, I dispelled my clone and returned to my seat once more. Maybe I'll follow Sakumo's advice sooner than I planned..., I pondered vaguely.
– Now... Kakashi Hatake, let's see your clone – The sensei said and looked in the direction of the boy, who didn't even move – What is it? Come to the front and...
At that same moment, a clone of Kakashi appeared near our sensei. Soon after, others appeared throughout the room and even one next to where I was.
– Amazing... – Some students commented one after another.
– Show-off... – I muttered quietly and his clone glanced sideways in my direction.
– As expected from Sakumo-san's son – The sensei said – Managing to make multiple clones – Kakashi's clones disappeared shortly after – Now, Maito Gai. Come to the front of the class.
– Yes! – The boy said.
So he really managed to get into the Academy, I thought. I'm happy for him...
– Okay, let's see your clone – The sensei requested as soon as Gai stopped near him.
– Okay! – The boy said.
– He can't even use ninjutsu... – A student closer to where I was commented to his friend next to him.
– Man, looks like he's gonna piss himself – Another said, not so quietly, making some laugh.
– Hurry up! – Another complained.
The boy made the seals taught by the sensei and managed to produce the clone, however, only the clothes were copied. The other students started laughing and making fun of him. The boy lowered his head slightly, visibly uncomfortable with that situation. Why are some students such imbeciles? I thought.
During lunch break, I was sitting under a tree in the Academy yard, in a part further away from the other students. After eating my lunch, I closed my eyes for a few moments to rest.
I stayed like that for a few minutes, just listening to the sound of the blowing wind, surrounding and gracefully dropping the last leaves from the tree. We were nearing the end of autumn and winter would soon begin.
From what I had read, winter was the coldest season of the year and a phenomenon called "snow" could even happen. I can't even imagine what that must be like..., I thought. And the next moment, I felt Kakashi's chakra near me.
– Let me guess – I said – Running away from your admirers again? – He couldn't hold back a weak laugh.
– Something like that – I opened my eyes and saw the boy in front of me – How did you know it was me?
– I've gotten used to your chakra – I said simply, shrugging slightly – Did you manage to eat lunch at least? – He sighed.
– No – Kakashi sat down a little ways from me, also leaning against the tree – That's why I came here.
– Why doesn't anyone come here?
– Yeah, and because you're here – I looked at him.
– What's my relation to this story? – He looked at me.
– The other students don't approach you, so they won't look for me near a stranger like you.
– Using me as a disguise? – I asked – You're such a baka... – I laughed and Kakashi did too shortly after.
The Hatake and I had developed the habit of calling each other baka and stranger, but not as insults, rather as nicknames. After a while, we both started to agree that the nicknames really suited us.
This started when I realized the boy used a lot of irony when talking to people. This only helped him become more "open" with me.
– And for your information, I'm not a show-off – Kakashi said after a few moments.
– No? – I asked cynically, remembering I had said that to his clone earlier in class – Then why make half a dozen clones, instead of just one, which was all that was needed?
– Because I didn't want to be called "the second to succeed on the first try" – I gave a weak laugh.
– I can't believe you did that just so you wouldn't lose to me...
– This will only happen this time, from now on you'll be the one who has to beat me – He expressed in a challenging tone and I looked at him.
– Then why don't we have a competition? – Kakashi turned his eyes to me – You like to compete, and let's say I'm interested in seeing what you can do.
– And what kind of competition would it be? – He asked and just from his voice, I could tell he was interested.
– Everything we know: from household chores to combat.
– And if I accept, how do we decide the winner?
– We choose what the other has to do for each victory. The one who wins first to more than ten challenges can choose something special – He raised an eyebrow slightly.
– Interesting... And what do I get when I win all the challenges? – I gave a weak laugh.
– So confident? – I asked and he shrugged – You can choose whatever you want.
As I had been interacting more with Kakashi in the past few weeks, I had started to understand his expressions better, even with his mask. At that moment, he was smiling weakly.
– I want to know what you're always doing in that notebook – He said – I've tried to guess what it is, but it never matches my ideas – I gave a weak laugh.
– Really? – He nodded and I agreed slightly – It's a deal then.
– And you? – The Hatake asked – If by some miracle you manage to beat me... What will you want? – I looked at him for a moment and smiled.
– I want to know what you're hiding under that mask – He looked at me, surprised for a moment, and then gave a weak laugh.
– Since you don't have a chance of beating me, I'll accept the challenge – Kakashi extended his hand towards me.
I gave a weak laugh and shook his hand, both of us speaking in unison right after.
– Prepare to lose, Hatake!
– Prepare to lose, Uzumaki!
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After class, I went to the Hokage's office, as he had instructed me, to get the monthly money. The Sandaime couldn't talk to me much, but he asked me how I was settling in at the Hatake clan house.
I quickly told him everything was in order and he seemed more relieved to know that Kakashi and I were getting along without any major problems.
When I was on my way back home, I felt three chakra energies approaching me quickly. Taking me by surprise, one of them landed a punch in my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.
– Well, well... – One of them said and I immediately recognized his voice – If it isn't the walking freak they brought to the village.
The other two boys laughed shortly after. They're the same boys from last time..., I thought. I ignored the leader's comment and tried to stand up, but one of the other boys kicked my chin without hesitation, leaving me dazed.
I fell onto my back and noticed my vision was getting blurrier than usual. I felt blood trickling from my mouth and my stomach hurt, as if there were tiny needles in it.
– Come on, you monster! – The leader yelled – Show us the animal you are!
– No... – I said quietly, without changing my expression.
– What? – He and the boys approached again – You said "no"? – I coughed weakly because of the blood in my throat and saw the boy's expression harden – We're going to have to teach you what we do with freaks...