Kakashi's POV:

I jump through the trees, leaving the looming shadow of the Hokage Tower behind me.
I jump swiftly towards the gate to the village. I was given a 'D-rank' misson. As much as I hate it, I will contribute to this mission for the good of the society.
As I jump onto the ground and walk through the gate, one of my fellow Jonin salutes me. I wave back and continue walking. I get about 2 miles from the gate when I notice a streak of brown fur to my left. I lunge at the cat and find it to be who I am searching for, Tora the cat. He pouts at me through half closed eyelids. He allows me to carry him and I turn back towards the village.

Tora does fine for the whole trip, until we get about 1 mile back to Kohona. He begins squirming in my hands and I peer down at him.
"Look. I know you don't wanna go home but I gotta take you back." I say. It sounds insane but yes, I talk to the cat.
He suddenly scrambles up my jacket and drapes himself across the back of my neck. He lets out a small, whimper-like growl and stares in front of us. I look at him in confusion and then follow his gaze to the road ahead. My eye's widen slightly. Where there had been an empty road there was a girl. Her hair was a dark, navy blue, almost black. Her eyes were closed and she wore a jacket extremely similar to Hinata's. Her legs were covered with black capri's. In her hand, she clasped a ninja headband.

I approach her cautiously, much to Tora's disliking. I kneel down. She seems about the age of the children in the academy. My eyes drift to her hand, where she clasps the headband tightly. I gently slip the black fabric of the headband out of her grip. I look at the insigna on the metal... Sand Village.
What's a girl from the Sand Village doing here? I think to myself, as I gently lift the girl into my arms.

*Several years ago*

A little girl with black hair wanders around he Sand Village, having not remembered where she came from. She turns a corner and see's a small boy with red hair holding a ball. Sand lunges from a distance away back to the boy's body and the girls eye's widen. She runs up to him excitedly.
"That was amazing!" She says happily, making the boy look up in surprise.

"A-Amazing?" He says, unsure of the girl and her motives. The girl smiles and nods.
"I've never seen anything like that! Whats your name? I'm Kanami, by the way." She says, smiling and tilting her head slightly. The boy looks down at the sand that surrounds his feet.

"Garra..." He says quietly, trailing off. Kanami opens her dark eyes and looks at the boy.
"Hmmm. Garra... I like it. Wanna be friends?" She asks, her sweet voice ringing in the other childrens ears. The all stare in surprise at the girl and a man with chin length, dirty blonde hair's eyes widen. Garra's head snapps up and he looks at her with wide, surprised eyes.

"F-friends?" He says. Kanami nods again.
Garra's lips turn upward in a smile.
"Sure!... Your the first person who's ever wanted to be my friend..." He says. One of Kanami's eyebrows turn up and the other turns down, in a confused way.

"I don't see how anyone wouldn't want to be your friend. Your super cool! ... I dont have any friends except you, actually. I have no idea where I used to live... I just remember walking around here." She say, looking down at her feet. The man with the blonde hair smiles and walks towards the two.

"Kanami was it? I'm Yashamaru, Garra's uncle. After I get these scratches checked out I'll speak with the Kazikage about where you can stay." He says. Kanami nods and Yashamaru jumps away. Kanami grabs Garra's hand.

"C'mon! Lets go play!" She says, giggling. Garra folows her, overjoyed at having his first friend.

*Later that night*

Kanami sits on the floor of a small apartment, humming quietly to herself. She would sleep there tonight, and go buy a bed in the morning, for this was her new home. Suddenly, someone in a jonin vest jumps in through the window. His face is covered by a mask. Kanami gives a small squeal o fright and backs away.
"What do you want?!" She yells as the man grabds a kunai. He kneels down and holds it to her face.

"Don't move." He says. Kanami gasps at the voice.
"Y-Yashamaru?!" She murmurs. Yashamaru grabs a rope from his vest and promptly ties her up, throwing the kunai aside.
Kanami struggles against the restraints.

"Yashamaru what are you doing?!" She yells. Yashamaru, rather than responding, leaves without a word. Kanami struggles against the rope, when she see's something glimmer to her right. She turns her head and her eyes land on the kunai on the floor. She scoots towards it and turns to she can pick the kunai up with her hands. She grabs it with slight difficulty, cutting her palm in the process. Letting out a hiss of pain, she cuts her ropes and stands. Grabbing the kunai off the floor again, she runs after Yashamaru. Spotting him on the roof of a house, running in the direction of a large building, she jumps after him.

Yahamaru turns as she slips on one of the roofs, having barely landed her jump. He throws a shuriken back at her and she screams as is makes a large scratch on her eyelid, having barely missed landing straight in the socket of her eye. She pulls her hand away from her eye and sees her hand dripping with blood. She sits, shaking from the pain for a few moments before there is a loud explosion. Kanami's head snapps up and she runs in the direction of the blast. Stopping on a rooftop, she spots Garra, his sand sheilding him from where the blast had originated and a large, gaping holw in the building.

"Garra!" She squeaks, running towards him she stops next to him and notices the tears running downn his face. She squints her good eue, as the other is shut, at his forehead. A red mark had formed itself there, it was the symbol for 'love'. Garra turns, notices her eye and lets out a strangled, gutteral noise. She looks at him, worriedly.

"Im ok. Are you?" She asks him. Garra hesitates and then nods slightly. There is the sound of footsteps as a Chuunin runs over. He notices Kanami's eye and picks her up. Garra follows him to the hospital and waits while Kanami's eye is treated.