Ok...THIS is the last chapter. I decided to cut it three short, so this is a little long.

All Kaiya needed was a few bandages, and then she was good to go. As soon as Kakashi took Naruto to the hospital and found out Kaiya had made it back as well, he went on his mission. Since they were in the same place, Kaiya decided to visit Naruto, knowing he would be devastated, just like she was. She knew that even though they were rivals, Naruto cared deeply about Sasuke; he was like a brother to him.

She walked into his room without bothering to knock, surprised and slightly embarrassed to see Jiraiya lounging in his window. They were in the middle of an argument it seemed like, so she halted in her tracks.

"…I'm sorry," she said, a small grin on her face. She bowed. "Master Jiraiya." He nodded, his eyes lowering slightly. He could tell her smile was fake.

"Kaiya?" Naruto's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. He stared down at his sheets before saying, "I…I'm sorry, Kaiya. I couldn't bring him back." Kaiya closed her eyes to gain her composure before trying to laugh.

"Naruto, I…I already know he's gone. I've known for a while." The blonde's pupils widened. "I'm just glad you're ok. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Naruto clenched his fists, staring down at the sheets crumpled in his lap.

"…" His bottom lip quivered, his eyes reflecting sadness. Kaiya approached his bed slowly, running her hand through his blonde locks. She bent over, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "K-Kaiya?"

"I have to go now, but I'll see you later," she promised. "Get well soon."

…

Kaiya couldn't sleep that night, so she sat up in her bed, staring at the wall in the dark. Her curtains were closed, but she could sense the full moon hanging up in the sky behind them. Sighing, she threw her covers off of her, standing to her feet. She put on her sandals, leaving the apartment. Since Kakashi wasn't there, she didn't have to worry about leaving at such an hour. Walking the quiet streets of the village, she couldn't help but notice how peaceful it was—like nothing at all had changed. Ever since Orochimaru's attack, it had been stressful and the tension was always heavy in the air. But at night, you couldn't tell. Now that she thought about it, she could still sense it, even when she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. At the time, she was too busy worrying about Sasuke, going on missions, and training to ever notice… Though, she was actually happy that she could take her mind off of it at all, even if only for a little while.

A cold wind passed through, blowing Kaiya's long, loose hair around her face. She stopped, watching as the leaves danced in the streets, chasing each other all around her. After a few moments, she continued walking until she was on the outskirts of Konoha. She strolled along the path until she saw the gates of a compound long since forgotten.

The Uchiha Estate.

Kaiya was never allowed to go to the Uchiha Estate as a child. Itachi told her it was better if she didn't, because the Uchiha clan was very strict and distrustful towards most of the villagers. She had always wanted to see it, especially after she became close with Itachi, but her request was always denied. Itachi did, however, take her to the gates to see the liveliness of his clan from the outside.

Kaiya remembered what it had looked like back then, as she stood before the former home of the Uchiha now.

Police tape still littered the property, and even where she stood, she could see weathered chalk outlines that scarred the estate, faded from the years of abandonment. Taking a deep breath, Kaiya made her way through the tape without removing it. Once she was officially in the Uchihas' territory, she searched high and low for any clues that remained as to what happened five years prior. She'd heard rumors from some of the villagers, but she didn't have any idea what happened that night other than hearsay.

It took hours, but she managed to survey every last inch of the estate, both inside and out.

So many dead bodies were here…I can only imagine what Sasuke witnessed that night.

Kaiya was reminded of the night she found her father dead in their living room. She was sure Sasuke felt the same way, having seen his own parents and the rest of his clan scattered and bloody all over the damn place. And even years later, when she'd seen the chalk outline of her father still on the dusty floor of their compound, it didn't make it hurt any less. In fact, the pain was worse.

Sasuke… The last compound she'd come to was the main family's—Sasuke's and Itachi's former home. She walked inside, surveying all the pictures on the wall of a noble and peaceful family that no longer existed.

As she ran her fingers over what appeared to be their last portrait, the frame slid from the wall and onto the ground, smashing it to pieces. She jumped back, letting out a gasp as she stared at the mess on the hardwood floor in shock. And just like that, Kaiya's world came tumbling down, shattering like the glass scattered at her feet. It was like Sasuke had taken her heart and ripped it right out of her chest mercilessly, walking away and leaving her to bleed out. And as if picturing that thought made it real, Kaiya grabbed at her chest, clutching her shirt tightly as she dropped to her knees. Knowing that no one would hear her, she let out a frustrated scream and pounded at the wood of the living room with her fists, shuddering as she wailed on all fours. She ignored the pain of the broken glass as it cut into her hands and knees, because the pain in her heart was much worse.

By the time Kaiya's tears had stopped, there was a small puddle beneath her. She got up and dragged herself outside. Exhausted and totally defeated, she flopped over on her back and stared at the stars vacantly. For her, they didn't shine as bright as they used to. No, everything went black the moment Sasuke walked out of her life.

Ronin, who was sitting on one of the Uchiha compounds, watched the same stars and moon that Kaiya was gazing at, a disheartened expression on his face. After a few moments, his dreary, grey eyes averted to his student, who seemed lifeless.

Closing his eyes, he let out a deep sigh. "To think that bastard could see this coming," he said to himself.

"Why is there a rule against ninjas showing feelings? Of all emotion, love is a burden a shinobi should not bear. Its destructive powers are too great. When love is foiled it molds into hatred, which turns into war, which leads to death."

"Do you honestly believe that when Sasuke has to choose between this village and revenge that he'll stay with Kaiya? And how will she feel when the man she loves walks into the darkness without giving her a second look? She'll be crushed. She won't want to go on with life; she'll sit in a stupor, reflecting on a life full of regret and broken promises."

Closing his eyes, Ronin laid back against the roof of what he knew was Itachi's old home—the same one Kaiya had just exited. He'd visited his former teammate many times in the past. Back then, team Yasuo was all so close…

When Ronin needed to think, he often came to the empty Uchiha Estate. When he was late meeting with his team, it was because he was there, thinking about whatever was troubling him the most at that moment. That's why he was there now—as soon as he'd heard of Sasuke's defection and the deaths of the Umachi siblings, the first person he wanted to see was Kaiya. However, after he'd heard the news from Kuro about her and Naruto being found in the Final Valley, he had to think. Hard.

The older Uchiha's face appeared in Ronin's mind. "Are you satisfied, Itachi?" he asked the quiet, crisp air. He rested his head on his arms as he stared up at the moon. "Are you satisfied for ruining both of their lives—the same two people you swore you'd always protect…?"

…

A few days later, Kakashi returned from his mission to find Kaiya lying in her bed. At first, he thought she was asleep, but he knew that she never slept in the late afternoon. He walked into her room and sat on the edge of her bed. She made no effort to talk to him or even look his way. She only stared up at the ceiling limply, in a completely other world. After twenty minutes of silence, Kakashi needed to hear her voice. Knowing she wouldn't say anything, he decided to speak first.

"Kaiya…you love Sasuke, don't you?" he asked. His eye lowered to his feet. "The feelings you have for him are stronger than you made it seem." Though he already knew the answer, he wanted to hear it directly from her. He figured out as soon as he heard the news that Sasuke had defected that Kuro's calculations were correct about that. But as far as Kaiya's feelings for him, he'd only recently figured out that she didn't just like him. It was much more than that.

Finally, Kaiya's eyes drifted to her silver-haired guardian. Because of how much she'd cried recently, she felt like there were no more tears left to give. Instead, there was only an empty feeling of regret and sorrow starting from her gut and ending at her temples.

"Yes," she admitted dryly. She hadn't drank or eaten anything in days, so her mouth was parched and her voice hoarse. However, she didn't feel like eating or drinking anything. She felt too weak to even change positions on the bed.

Kakashi closed his eye for a moment, crossing his arms. "If you want, I can make us lunch." Kaiya let out a light sigh.

"That's ok, Kakashi. I'm not hungry." Knowing there wasn't much else he could do for her, Kakashi stood to his feet and walked out of the room, giving her one last concerned look before closing the door behind him.

In the hours that followed, Kaiya made no attempt to leave her room. Kakashi stood outside her door for who-knows-how-long, leaning up against the wall with one foot propped up against it, his arms crossed and head bowed. He was concerned about her emotional state, but more than that, he was concerned about her health. This had happened before, and it resulted in her staying two days in the hospital for mental and physical health evaluations.

When Itachi fled the village, she acted the same way, he remembered, his visible eyebrow creasing.

"The same thing happened when Itachi left, didn't it?"

"Don't use what happened between Itachi and Kaiya to dictate what will happen between her and Sasuke. I know Kaiya's heart better than anyone, and I can promise you that she won't let the same thing happen again."

"You say you know Kaiya's heart better than anyone, but that's not true, is it? If that were so, you'd have known how she felt about Itachi way back then, and you could have prevented her from getting hurt."

"She wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't communicate with anyone. And when she did finally give in to exhaustion, it was from crying nonstop for days."

How did Kuro see all of this beforehand?

When she was eight, he would go into her room and stay with her through the night. She often cried herself to sleep in his arms. But now that she was thirteen and a full-fledged ninja, he knew he couldn't baby her any longer. He even told her before—she no longer needed to be babysat. She was old enough to take care of herself, and if she wanted to dwell on Sasuke's betrayal, well…he couldn't do much to convince her otherwise. But he would be there if she needed him. And he had a feeling that she needed him just as much now as she had seven years ago, when her family was taken from her. But if he went in and tried to talk to her, she would think he was trying to meddle, and she would be even more unresponsive than she already was.

When dinner came around, Kakashi reentered Kaiya's room with a bowl of ramen and a cup of water. Setting them both on her bedside table, he stared at the framed picture of her family underneath her lamp and next to her alarm. What would you say to her, Yasuo?

He turned to Kaiya, who was now lying on her left side, facing him. His gaze softened. "You need to eat, Kaiya," he informed her, sticking his hands into his pockets. He knew he should tell her to get out of bed and move on with her life, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, he was the one who still visited the K.I.A. stone and Rin's grave every day for hours. How could he possibly tell her to let it go?

Without another word he let her be, hoping she would eat and get some sleep.

Later that night, after Kaiya went in and quietly washed her dishes, knowing Kakashi was asleep, she went into his room. Slowly opening the door, she walked into the darkness and made a spot next to him on his bed. She remembered when she was younger—after Itachi left—that he would often stay with her through the night. It comforted her more than she'd ever let him know.

While he was sleeping soundly, Kaiya rested her head against his well-toned arm, feeling his warmth radiating off of him from being nuzzled underneath the covers. In seconds, she was asleep. Sometime later, Kakashi opened his eye when he felt something warm against his shoulder. He turned his head slightly to see Kaiya next to him. He smiled and let out a silent breath of relief as he closed his eye and drifted back into slumber.

I'm always here for you, Kaiya. Always.

The next morning, Kaiya woke up underneath the covers, though Kakashi was nowhere to be found. Forcing herself to get up, she made his bed and finally took a shower, relieved at how good it felt after so long.

When she walked into the kitchen, she found a note that Kakashi left, saying he'd gone in to give his report to the Hokage and wouldn't be back for a while. Looking for something to eat, Kaiya still didn't have an appetite, and so instead she decided to go to the training grounds. It was empty, of course.

Training had always made her feel better; it'd always taken her mind off of her troubles, at least for a little while. But this time, no matter how hard she ran, no matter how much she punched the wooden post in front of her, it still hurt.

Not her body—her heart. Her body could take much more damage before it broke down, stopped working. It was numb now, every inch of her, from her forehead down to the tips of her toes. She could keep punching, kicking, and running for hours; she could go on doing pushups and crunches for the rest of the night. Pushing her body past the limit wasn't the problem. The problem was the heavy feeling in her chest, not from working too hard, but from being heartbroken. It hurt to breathe.

Every time her heart pumped blood to the rest of her body to keep her alive, she just felt like she was getting closer and closer to death. Why did she have to fall in love with him? Why couldn't she see this coming? How could she let herself be fooled into trusting one of them a second time?

The sun was on the verge of disappearing beneath the horizon when Kaiya finally stopped. She collapsed, pushing herself to her knees and she coughed up blood; it didn't help that she was hungry and dehydrated. She managed to find the strength to sit back against the trunk of a tree, breathing heavily as she tried to stop her head from swimming. Sweat poured down the side of her face as she struggled for air, grasping her chest. It felt like she was being crushed by several pounds of concrete, and she longed for relief.

After what seemed like forever, she finally managed to catch her breath. Preparing to stand to her feet, someone stopped her.

"You're being a little hard on yourself, don't you think?" Kaiya looked up to see Kakashi standing over her, Makeout Violence in his hand, even though the light was almost too dim to see the words. She looked back down.

"I'm out of my room, aren't I? So what are you complaining about?"

Kakashi closed his book and put it back in his pouch before squatting next to Kaiya. The latter tried to avoid his gaze, but she couldn't for long, sensing his meticulous glare beside her in the growing darkness. She closed her eyes.

"Let's go," he instructed. "I was just on my way to get some sushi. We can take it home with us." When he smiled, her eyes narrowed.

"Sushi sounds good." Kakashi nodded, standing to his feet and helping Kaiya to hers as well. She stumbled a little, but he caught her, lifting her onto his back and carrying her the rest of the way. She leaned her head against his neck, closing her eyes.

While they sat at home eating their takeout, Kakashi noticed how Kaiya wouldn't look up at him, taking to staring at her plate. He knew he had to say something, because waiting for her to tell him things hadn't worked out so well before.

"Kaiya, I know you don't want to hear this right now, but I made too many mistakes by not saying anything to you in the past." She put her chopsticks down, averting her eyes to the wall beside them, knowing she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "If you keep overworking your body, you're just going to—"

"Leave me alone," she spat, interrupting him. Kakashi blinked. "Don't you think you've lectured me enough already? What good has it done?" Standing to her feet, she set her plate aside. "I'm going to bed." Kakashi's eye narrowed, and he stood up after her. Normally he'd let her go, but not this time.

Kaiya tried to slam her door shut, but Kakashi quickly caught it. He pushed it aside and stepped into her room, ignoring her demands for him to leave. She backed towards her window, staring out at the warm, windy night. She did all she could to keep from looking at him.

"You can't keep running away, Kaiya," Kakashi told her firmly. "You can't close your eyes and expect all the bad things to disappear when you open them. The more you avoid confronting your problems, the more they pile on top of you. And physically harming yourself isn't going to make the emotional pain go away." Scoffing, Kaiya turned around and glared at him, shaking her head.

"Well maybe my problem is you!" She picked up the family portrait on her bedside table, staring at it resentfully. "You stand in front of that stone all day and stare at it like that'll change something. You have no right to lecture me. You don't let anyone in, but you act like you know everyone else. Just stop pretending like you know what I'm going through!"

Kakashi was appalled. Kaiya had never lashed out against him—maybe anyone—and she definitely never threw his dead teammates in his face. She'd always viewed Kakashi as a guardian who understood her, despite the fact that he was assigned to her by the Third. But now, she was projecting her bottled anger upon him, because she realized that he knew her better than anyone—even Sasuke or Naruto. Not only that, but she'd finally had time to dwell on the fact that he knew about her siblings all along and neglected to tell her the truth.

Kakashi gritted his teeth underneath his mask. Kaiya's words hurt him more than they angered him. But he couldn't argue with her, because it was true.

"Kaiya, I…" His eye lowered to the floor; his eyebrows furrowed. Tears came to Kaiya's eyes as she sat the picture frame down slowly. She wanted to apologize to Kakashi; she knew she hurt him, and he didn't deserve it. She wanted to run into his arms and tell him she was sorry, but she didn't want to take back the things she said, because that's how she truly felt. She was tired of being silent. Now, she was going to say everything that had been buried deep down within her since the Third Exam.

"If you had taken care of that damn curse mark like you promised, Sasuke would still be here," Kaiya said, making a fist. Kakashi's eye widened. "And then you let me believe my family was dead for seven years, and then you show up to kill them after telling me that I'm going on an important assignment. You're a liar, just like them." Just like Itachi and Sasuke… "I don't…" Kaiya trembled as anger and regret mixed with her tears. "I don't want to stay here with you anymore."

Kakashi knew it would come eventually…just not like this.

"Kaiya, you're letting your emotions speak for you," he informed her. "You need to calm down and—"

"Shut the hell up!" Kaiya shouted furiously, swiping her arm in front of her face, knocking her family portrait off of the table. She hit it with such force that it smashed against the wall on the other side of the room. The glass shattered and spread all over the floor, but she paid it no mind as she glared at Kakashi with hot, angry tears running down her flustered cheeks. Kakashi's pupil dilated as Kaiya let out slow, heavy breaths. "I hate you, and everyone else in this stupid village! I don't want anything to do with the Leaf anymore. All it's caused me is heartache."

Kakashi was so stunned that he froze in his tracks. He watched absentmindedly as Kaiya ran past him and out the door, leaving the apartment and running all the way outside the village gates. Izumo and Kotetsu watched her run out, wondering where she was going so quickly. Tears trailed behind her as she made it to the cliff where she and Sasuke watched the sunrise. Once she'd caught her breath, she stared out over the village lit up by the lights. It was just as lively as always when nightfall first approached, but to Kaiya, it had never seemed darker.

Several hours passed by, and eventually the lights of the village died down to almost nothing, other than the street lamps and all-night establishments. Kaiya had sat and stared down at her home for six hours, though to her it only felt like a moment.

"You're a peculiar one, you know that?" Kaiya's eyes averted behind her as Kuro stepped out of the shadows. "You're like a zombie: not exactly dead, but not quite alive either."

Kaiya scoffed, closing her eyes as she said, "Whatever, Kuro. Have you taken up stalking as your new hobby?" He shrugged, standing almost against her back. He smirked wryly.

"Well, it does make for good training," he remarked. Kaiya sighed, bringing her legs up to her chest as she often did when she was distressed. Kuro's eyes lowered. "Kakashi's been waiting up for you all night. He's worried about you." In order not to cry, Kaiya scowled. She figured Kuro already knew what she'd said, so she didn't bother trying to defend herself as he scolded her. "Kakashi Hatake is one of the few people from the Leaf that I respect and trust. With all of the sacrifices he made just to raise you, I'd think you would be more grateful to him." Kaiya bit her lip, opening her eyes and standing to her feet. She pivoted on her heels, standing right in Kuro's face.

"Oh yeah? Well it's not like he had much of a choice. The Third assigned him to be my guardian. He didn't ask to be—he didn't even want to be! So you're gonna try and make me feel guilty about something he was forced to do? He wanted nothing to do with me in the first place." Kaiya's frown dissipated, and she lowered her head. Kuro let out a breath through his nostrils, studying Kaiya thoroughly in the limited moonlight. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly aggravated.

"You're right—he was given the assignment to take care of you by the Hokage," Kuro agreed. "However, Kakashi immediately warmed up to you, and he's been going the extra mile to be there for you ever since. Just like you, Kakashi lost everyone important to him, but he was willing to give you a chance. You're being a selfish brat, and what you said to that man was only you trying to avoid admitting you're in pain. You're angry at Sasuke for leaving you; you're angry at your siblings for betraying you, and you're taking it out on the one person who has been by your side through everything you've had to face from the beginning." Kaiya turned away, giving away the fact that it was true.

"I…" There were no excuses for what she said or did. She and Kuro both knew that.

"Anyway, I told Kakashi to go to bed and that I'd find you before he woke up. Let's go." Kaiya shook her head, taking a step back. When Kuro lifted an eyebrow in question, she looked down at the ground ashamedly.

"I don't want to go back to the village," she admitted quietly. Kuro blinked. "I can't face Kakashi after what I said to him. And I can't face Naruto or Sakura or anyone else, because I'm the one who couldn't—didn't—stop Sasuke from leaving. It was my fault. No matter how much time passes, I don't think I'll ever get over that. I wish…I wish I could just run away and forget about everything."

At Kaiya's confession, Kuro nodded in understanding. He stared out over the cliffside at the village, but most of its details were hidden by the darkness. Letting out a deep sigh, he turned back to his student.

"Part of me was wishing you would say that." Kaiya raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Huh?" He smirked.

"This may come as sudden to you, but…you could come with me. I travel constantly, as you know, so as you can guess my life isn't easy, and it'll be that much harder for you. However, I can make you strong and teach you how to detach your emotions. I will make you a powerful shinobi in mind, body, and spirit. I can help you reach your goals, including killing Orochimaru." She looked down. "You don't have to return to the village if you don't want to, Kaiya," he assured her.

Kaiya had to admit that she wasn't expecting Kuro's invitation. On the one hand, she wanted to become strong in order to accomplish her goals. He guaranteed her that he could deliver, and she'd already seen the results of only one month's time of training.

But then…to actually leave her home, her friends and team, Kakashi… And she may never see them again on top of that. Leaving without saying goodbye or apologizing just didn't feel right to her. And what would they think of her?

So what did she do?

Kuro knew even before he suggested it to her that she would be hesitant. He didn't blame her: Leaving the only home she'd ever known would of course be difficult to register. Unlike him, she had many connections to the Leaf, many people she cared about and that cared about her. She would be an outright fool if she would have gone with him without first weighing the pros and cons of her decision.

"If you're not one hundred percent sure you want to leave, then don't," he suggested to her. "If you have any regrets and carry them with you, it's only going to distract you, and you won't get everything out of leaving that you'd hoped for. I'm leaving in half an hour, so listen: You can go home and pack whatever it is you want to take with you. If you decide within that time that you don't want to go, then just stay at home. However, if you do want to come with me, then meet me back here. Does that sound like a good deal?"

Taking a deep breath, Kaiya nodded. "Y-yeah."

Kaiya snuck back in her window, relieved that Kakashi was definitely asleep. She wouldn't want him waiting up all night for her.

She grabbed a backpack from her closet and swiftly began packing whatever she didn't want to leave behind: a few pairs of clothes, a blanket, a brush and a few other toiletries, and then she stared at her bedroom table. Opening the drawer, she found her headband. Her lip quivered, and she quickly grabbed her forehead protector before closing the drawer. She wanted to take it, but she knew that it would only be unnecessary baggage, seeing as she would be abandoning her village by leaving with Kuro. She folded her headband neatly and placed it on her pillow. It would let Kakashi know that she had left of her own accord, so he wouldn't have to go searching for her.

Kakashi.

Kaiya wanted to write him a note, but she feared that if she did so it would take up too much time, because she'd never be able to put all the things she wanted to say on paper. Besides that, she knew that if she wrote out her feelings, she'd want to stay. And staying would only hold her back from moving forward.

Before Kaiya left the apartment, she stepped into Kakashi's room, where he was sleeping soundly. Standing over him, she smiled softly at her guardian. He'd done so much for her, and she was going to repay him by leaving without even saying goodbye or sorry. But her life was already full of regrets, so she decided adding a couple more wouldn't change much.

Lifting a hand slowly, she gently ran her fingers through his silver locks, pushing his bangs away from his face. Though she tried to hold them back, tears dropped from Kaiya's eyes and slid down Kakashi's cheeks. Thankfully, he was a pretty heavy sleeper (for a ninja), and it didn't seem like he noticed.

"I'm so sorry I yelled at you, Kakashi," she whispered to him. "I didn't mean any of it. I could never hate you. Forgive me…" Holding his hair back, she bent over and kissed him softly on the forehead. When she'd said her goodbye, she jumped out of his window and headed back towards the cliff.

When Kaiya arrived, Kuro jumped down from the branch he was lounging on. His eyes lowered when he noticed her solemn expression. But the fact that she came back meant that she was willing to do whatever it took to move on.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded her head without a word. "Good. Let's go, before dawn comes. They'll be looking for you soon, so we need to get as far away from here as possible." He headed into the woods, and Kaiya began following him, but stopped and turned around.

Giving one last look to her home below them, her eyebrows furrowed determinedly. I promise you…when I come back, I'll be strong enough to protect all of you. I won't fail you again.

"Kaiya, hurry up." At her trainer's call, she turned her back on the village and ran after him, disappearing into the forest.

I want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. In fact, thanks for just reading it in general. I love all of you, and I appreciate the praise, criticism, and even the flames (they keep me warm at night). And yes, I will be making a sequel, but no telling when I'll actually post it since I'm so busy these days. Thanks for making it to the end. :)