My Heart Yearns

(Tenten)

Naruto was leaving. He was starting his adventure with Jiraiya to train. He grunted when I pulled him into a tight hug. I knew I must have seemed bipolar, one day not wanting any form of human interaction and the next thriving on it like it were my life source. But I didn't care because in a way it was.

"I'm going to miss you," I said. My voice was muffled by his jumpsuit but I knew he understood me. He patted my back and chuckled sheepishly.

"I'll be back before you all can miss me." Lies. I was going to miss him the second he left those gates and I couldn't see his back anymore. But I nodded cheerfully as we pulled away.

"Keep yourself safe, Naruto," I told him punching his arm playfully. "I want you in one piece when you get back so I can beat you up as a training buddy." Naruto laughed, his voice echoing off the buildings.

"When I get back you're going to have to get used to being the beaten training buddy. I'll be strong enough…strong enough to bring Sasuke back." I smiled. I knew he was going to come back way stronger. I just hoped I would be stronger as well. I no longer was trying to become stronger through straight will power and brutal training sessions by myself. No, now I was trying through will power, brutal training sessions, and with other people. I had found the key that had been missing.

"I'm sure you will be," Hana said cheerfully. I'll admit that I kind of fed off of her cheerfulness. I was still getting used to this whole not being a cry baby thing and Hana was the perfect role model.

"Naruto," Kakashi said and went over and patted him on the head. "Take good care of Jiraiya." They both laughed and I noticed Hana and I didn't get the joke.

"Oh, I will, Kakashi-sensei," he said and just then the man in question arrived.

"Sorry I'm late, I was busy…with important business," the white haired man stated with a goofy grin. I looked over at Kakashi and realized that his sensei had been this guy's student. I guess teachers really do rub off on their students. It was funny seeing his reaction to the thing he usually did.

"I'm sure you were taking care of a very important matter," Kakashi said, shutting his eyes and smiling in fake enthusiasm. Yeah, he didn't take it so well when it was him on the receiving end. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well Naruto, it's time we leave," Jiraiya said and Naruto nodded. They began walking away but he turned around and smiled at all of us.

"Bye! When I get back we better have a ramen feast!" We all laughed in our own ways. Kakashi with his chuckle, Hana with her giggle, and me with my own laugh. It was nice, finally feeling like I was a part of a family again. I waved Naruto off and looked at the two people beside me. The people that had offered to adopt me. They were definitely the kindest and most perfect couple in all the Fire Country—in the entire world, even! I smiled. Someday, someday I was going to find someone that made me feel like that.

Until then, I looked over at the awaiting training fields. I have to become stronger.

---

(n/a)

Twenty-six years ago, a war erupted between the Fire Country and the Water Country. The Water Country was based on deities and royals, unlike the Fire Country that was based on ninja leaders called Hokages. That is why the Water Country soon found themselves on the losing side of the war. Villages crumbled to the ground with these mysterious things called jutsus, and the soldiers of the Water Country had no way to defend themselves from the onslaught of trained shinobi.

Eventually, that war was brought to the emperor's castle. The soldiers had the advantage of water upon fire until an elite force on ninja, the Uchiha's, brought their lightning users. The ground shook, the sky roared, and many lives were taken. Among those taken, was the King's niece Ayame. To preserve the royal bloodline, King Nakamura sent his two children with their aunt and uncle to illegally cross the border into the Fire Country and onto the winning side. It was not impossible due to the fact that said aunt and uncle already resided in the Fire Country.

Kazuhiko, the king's elder child, broke apart from the group when they were reaching the border. Ninja were approaching rapidly and he went back to intercept them. The younger child, Hanayo, refused to let her brother leave. She tried to go with him but she was only four and her aunt and uncle easily stopped her.

Hanayo and her aunt and uncle reached the hidden leaf village safely, but none of them ever saw Kazuhiko again. Every year on the date, Hana would go to the KIA memorial stone and place a flower by the grave for her brother who would never be remembered as a peace maker between the two angry counties. A brother who would not be put down into history as giving up his life for the ones he loved.

All of this leads to the fact that Hana now stood over the KIA memorial stone with a black rose in my hand. She leaned onto the stone with her arms and cried into them. She was glad for the privacy when she shook and sobbed.

"That flower is so boring, Hiko," I pouted as he picked up a black colored rose. In my hands, sat a colorful assortment of roses—no doubtably dyed to become so bright.

"I like that they're dark," he said as he paid for them. We exited the small shop together and walked down the main street of the village.

"Why? They're so sad and gloomy."

"They remind me of all the people that have given their lives so that we can be here today, buying flowers," he said and paused in his walk. "Look over there," he added as he pointed to a small white house."The woman there lost her husband to the war and over there, that man lost his son to the war. But do you see them crying about it? No. They're proud of their loved ones that died fighting for what's right."

We continued walking and I snuck looks at my brother. He was taller than me, but most people were. He had sleek black hair like my own and it went to his chin in spiky straight locks. His blue eyes matched mine perfectly and people usually assumed we were twins. I would have believe it too if it weren't for the eight year age difference.

"If I died," he said out of the blue, "I wouldn't want anyone to cry over me. I would want them to be happy and proud about all the people I saved."

"I love you, brother." He jumped out of his speech and turned to me smiling. His eyes closed in a smile and I quickly smiled back.

"I love you too, sister."

"When I get older, I want to be just as smart and cool like you!" He laughed loudly, his voice echoing down the street. His laugh always made me smile because it was so pure and genuine.

"Don't worry, Hana. You will be much cooler and smarter than me."

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise."

"I'm sorry, Hiko," I gasped out between sobs. "I can't help the tears. I'm grateful that you saved me. I would never be here today without you. I wouldn't have met Kakashi, Naruto, Tenten, or Sasuke. I wouldn't have met Ino or Sakura. I would have never fallen in love—I wouldn't have even learned that "l, m, n, o, p" wasn't one letter in the alphabet. I love you."

I calmed my racing heart and running tears and sat down on the cold wet ground. It had rained earlier which was quite fitting for my mood and the day. A long time later, I forced myself to go on with my day. I wouldn't want anyone to cry over me.

When I neared home I met a very interesting sight. Several caravans of horse coaches. Soldiers in chain armor stood stiffly beside them. Weird, my neighbors are weird. They're always snooping into my business like I'm some freak but they're the ones with horse coaches all over everyone's lawn.

I moved closer to the home and finally noticed what they were all looking at. My house. Kakashi's, Naruto's, Tenten's and mine. Had the neighbors finally tried to get rid of us? That could hilarious. I walked to the front door and pulled it open apprehensively. Right inside sat Kakashi and I let out the breath of air I had been holding. That was until I noticed the other people in our house.

"Kakashi, what's going on?" I asked him, stepping slightly into the house. All eyes were suddenly on me and I fought the urge to try and sink into the shadows. I could tell that Kakashi's lips went into a straight line by the way his mask crinkled. He's upset about something.

"Why don't you tell me…Hanayo-hime?"

In the same lady-like manner that possessed me what seemed like forever ago all of the sudden, I swore.

"Shit."

---

(Kakashi)

All these people appeared out of nowhere. On top of that Hana was nowhere to be found. I had awakened to find her gone. And on the top of all that, they tell me that Hana is the heir to the entire Water Country? Talk about a horrible day.

"She was thought to be dead after the siege of the castle twenty-six years ago. No one knew that her father had sent her here to live with her aunt and uncle. We didn't know about her until we caught word about a wedding between a Kakashi Hatake and Hana Nakamura."

"You're telling me she's the only heir to an entire country?" And she didn't tell me about it? I wanted to add on, but had the self restraint to say it to myself.

"Yes, Mr. Hatake," the older woman spoke. "That's exactly what I'm saying. I'll ask you again, where is she?" Just then the door opened. Hana sat there with her blue eyes widened in what I could only guess was shock. She wasn't expecting anyone to find out.

"Kakashi, what's going on?" She gasped out, her breaths becoming quicker and quicker. I bit my tongue, so as not to say something I would later regret. She had lied to me this whole time.

"Why don't you tell me…Hanayo-hime?" Her eyes grew even bigger—if that were possible—and she took a sharp intake of breath. A few seconds later, I barely caught her mumble something I had never heard come from her lips.

"Shit." She swore too, apparently. I guess there was a lot about her I didn't know about. What had I expected? Our whole relationship started by her lying to me about being a completely different person. Why wouldn't she lie about being someone else? Hana Nakamura, a girl with no family and not a cent to her name. At least that is what I believed. She could probably have anything she wanted with just the snap of her fingers.

"She's someone important's daughter, so don't point fingers or even hang out with her." I looked up at my father, his eyes locked on the little black haired girl in front of us. I instantly hated her. My dad noticed her more than he noticed me—his only son!

"She looks like a wimp," I bit out.

"Kakashi Hatake!" he raised his voice and finally looked at me. Finally, you're looking at me.

"She does! She looks like a spoiled brat." The girl must have heard what I said because she stuck her nose up and straightened her dress, even though it didn't have any wrinkles in it.

"Kakashi, catch me if you can!" Obito called to me, circling around me and taunting me.

"Oh, you're on!" I chased Obito, slowly catching up to him. That was until I tripped and fell face first into the ground. Yuck. Obito laughed loudly and I bolted back up and tripped him when he wasn't paying attention. He fell to his face too. He grunted and grabbed onto me. He yanked on my shirt collar and managed to tackle me to the ground.

"Ugh!" I grunted as Obito jumped up and ran again.

"Can I play?" A voice suddenly called. I looked over and noticed the girl, 'Hana', my dad had talked about. Obito, though, still believed in coodies.

"Ew, it's a girl," he blurted out, throwing his hands in front of him like that would save him from the make-believe germs. I was content to just stand there and glare daggers at her.

"Please, can I play?" She begged.

"No," I said bluntly. I wasn't going to play with her.

"I said please," she said as she stuck a hip out. Psh.

"So that means whenever you say please you get what you want, huh?" I said mockingly. Her hip went back in and her face changed.

'No, I just meant-"

"Hana!" An old man ran over and pulled her away from us. Good.

"Even spoiled brats don't get everything they want," I said bitterly before turning away from them. I ran quickly but Obito managed to follow me.

"Dude, what was that about?" he asked as we slowed, gasping for oxygen.

"She thought she could have whatever she wanted and I set her in a place."

"Looks more like you crushed her feelings."

"Good enough." I spat.

I stood up abruptly and Hana quickly ran over to me, grabbing onto me. "Please, Kakashi, don't go. Just let me explain!" I looked down at her. At her fake tears and fake face. She was one of them. One of those royals who thought they could get whatever they wanted. Well, there's one thing she can't have.

"Even spoiled brats don't get everything they want," I stated, pushing her off of me and pushing myself out of the house.

---

(Hana)

He really just…left. After all we had been through he still didn't trust me enough to hear my side of the story. I didn't want you to have to worry about something that didn't even matter. I knew you worried too much already about losing those close to you and I didn't want to cause you anymore loss of sleep. But he just left. He left me alone with all these strangers. He left. He left me. I felt the tears try to fall and I bit my lip.

"I-I…" I couldn't put my thoughts into words and in the blink of an eye, Kakashi was gone. I looked around at all the people that I didn't know.

"W-what's going on?" I asked and an elderly woman stood up beside me.

"Hanayo-hime, Kazuhiko-gyo has passed away."

"Yeah, I know that. I was there."

"No, Hanayo-hime. He—"

"Stop calling me that," I bit out. I wasn't a princess anymore. I wasn't associated with any of that anymore.

"Hana," the woman bit out. "Your brother passed away two months ago." He was alive? All those lonely years I spent thinking I was all alone…he was alive? I wondered if he felt the same way. Had he wondered if he left us there for dead like I thought we left him there for dead? My heart saddened. But I still would never see him again. I made a stupid mistake…again.

It was then that I noticed something about Kakashi's and my relationship. The reason I why I had a tendency to keep the truth from him…was because when he found out the truth, he did something to make my heart hurt. I realized that even if Kakashi had stayed there and lashed out in anger at me rather than his silent rejection, I still wouldn't have told him the truth. I turned and looked out the window, in the direction Kakashi had left.

My heart wants…to tell you the truth…but I don' want to be hurt—again.