AN: A short story of my fanfic, Blood Stained Sand, in which I introduce a new character, Yuji. Hope you guys like it. :D

"You're not going to drop me, are you?" Izanami asked nonchalantly, as she swung in the air over fifty feet above the ground. The only thing holding her up was her teacher, Kazuo, holding onto her arm.

"Don't tempt me," He answered monotone, before pulling her back up onto the branch of the tree, making sure she was steady before letting go of her arm, "Well, it's official. You suck at being a ninja." He glanced down to where they had been training with shuriken earlier. The dummy in the middle of the field had only one shuriken in it, and that had been his, thrown as an example. The rest were strewn about the field, impaling the trees with the grass now cut like someone had gone after it madly with a scythe the size of a pencil.

He sighed in exasperation and threw his arms up, "I give up, okay? I never thought I would meet someone as incompetent as you, but good god, you have proved me wrong. You're making Naruto look good here!" She groaned from where she was still lying on the branch, clutching onto it with all of her limbs, as if she would fall off if she didn't.

"It's not my fault you're such a shitty teacher. Maybe we should stop focusing on what I can't do and focus on what I can!"

"What would be the purpose of that? If all we did was focus on what we're good on, we would never achieve or become better at anything else."

"Because then I would actually be able to do something for once."

He jumped down from the branch, leaping off other ones on the way down, and landed lightly below.

Kazuo looked back up at her, squinting from the sun, and yelled, "Let's see if you can at least get down without dying first, okay?"

She peered over the edge at him and then practically just rolled off the branch. Panicked, he ran forward to catch her, but stopped when he saw that she wasn't panicked, but in complete control of it all. Like a cat, she landed gracefully, crouching down upon impact and brushing her fingers over the dirt. Kazuo just stared at her as if she had gone insane. Either that or he had.

"So wait... you're telling me that I could have dropped you earlier and you would have been fine?"

"Yep, pretty much," she gloated, getting up and brushing away imaginary dirt on her shoulders.

He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Alright, how about this: Next time let's see if you can get down from there without getting me killed by a heart attack, okay?"

"Sure. I'll see what I can do," she smiled, patting his shoulder teasingly as she walked past him, "It's good to know that you actually care about me for once, though. Usually I have to go to your brother if I ever want any support with your face behind it. You guys look so similar, you know that?"

"Twins typically do," He sighed and followed her at a distance, his mind already wandering to something else, something that didn't involve him being killed by her. She pulled a shuriken from where it stuck in the ground and raised it to her side, ready to try and throw it at the dummy again. He took a step and grabbed it of her hands, putting it away in his pouch.

"Why don't we just call it a day? I'd rather finish this now while I'm still alive rather than later, when I'll be fatally wounded by a shuriken to the neck or something," he bent to pick up another and she obediently went to work picking up some as well, though she complained under her breath the whole time.

"I have many ways of killing you, don't I? And they all involve doing everyday things," She picked up the last shuriken and put it away, then punched him in the arm, "Good god, man. You need to toughen up a bit or you're going to die of a cold someday at this rate." She laughed and walked away and Kazuo just stared after her, a dead expression on his face. 'Only a few more months. Only a few more months. Only a few-' he sighed. Who was he kidding? At this rate, this mission could take years. Snapping out of his thoughts, he trudged off to his other job at the hospital.

He removed his vest in the hospital's locker room and put it, along with all of his weapons, in his locker. Closing it, he heard it lock with a click. Kazuo pulled on his white hospital ware and made his way out to begin his work. He picked up his first clipboard and looked at the info on it. It was for some ninja who had just arrived back from a mission with a broken finger. Easy enough.

"Yuji!"

He heard someone call this from behind him and, without even turning, he yelled over his shoulder, "Sorry, wrong brother."

"Oh, sorry, Kazuo!"

Kazuo took the steps two at a time, racing up to the floor he needed to be on. He reached it and opened the door to enter the hallway. Upon doing so, he almost ran into his brother. They both took a step back from each other, almost like they were staring each other down.

Yuji grinned at him, "How was your day, Onii-san?"

"Good despite the fact that I was almost killed numerous times today by a stray shuriken that she swears she did not aim at my face."

He laughed, "It seems like you almost die every single training session you two have together. Want me to try my hand at teaching her next time? See how someone else does it, maybe?"

Kazuo shrugged, "Are you sure? You're technically not a ninja, just a doctor. You'd have to take time off."

"Pfft. That's the only thing you can come up with against my idea. I can tell this girl has you wrapped around her pinky, then. Just because I'm doctor doesn't mean I didn't go though ninja school just like you. If I remember correctly, we used to be in the same classes until you shot up in rank like you were on fire. Also, taking time off? Really? I would love to have some time off. There are only so many injured, grumpy ninjas you can take before you feel like ripping off their heads," he let out another little laugh.

"Alright. Is tomorrow good? That's when we're going out to practice again."

"Tomorrow's good. I'll go with you then, I guess," he inched his way towards the stairs, "I'm looking forward to it, Kazuo. I've never really gotten to talk to Izanami since she first came to the village."

"It's not a talking time, it's a training time," he sighed, "Oh, and someone's looking for you on the first floor, I think."

"Alright, thanks Onii-san!" He yelled over his shoulder, already hopping down the stairs, humming a little tune. Kazuo just shook his head at the image of his brother happily making his way down the stairs. Why the hell was he so happy all the time? When no possible answer came to him, he let out another sigh and walked the rest of the way to the room he was supposed to be in.

He slid the door open and stopped, staring at the patient in the bed. It was Kakashi, leaning back like he was relaxing on the beach and reading one of his usual books.

"Seriously? You're back in the hospital again?" He said, cracking the smallest of smiles at the sight, "Also, a broken finger? That's it? You could have gotten Sakura to heal it, you know."

He set his book down and grinned and Kazuo, "Oh, but I wanted to talk to you Kazuo, and this seemed like the best way since you're so busy all the time, what with your new student and all. Tell me, how does it feel to be a teacher? Awful isn't it? You should try being Naruto's teacher back when he was twelve."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Sempai." he groaned, picking up Kakashi's injured hand, setting it back into place the most painful way he could, earning him a small cry of pain, and healing it in a matter of seconds, "Well, I'm done here. Next time, might I recommend you just wait in the walk-in clinic instead of taking a room someone else might need?" He started his way out of the room but Kakashi decided to follow him. Kazuo could feel the pent up anger rising inside of him, something he definitely did not want to let out. He couldn't let his emotion get control of him now, not while he was on a mission.

"Kakashi," he said, turning to stare him down, "Please go away. I'm busy right now."

Kakashi stared for him a few moments, seeing just how serious he was about this and walked away, but not before mumbling, "We'll have to talk about this some time." Kazuo just sighed and sulked off to his next job.

He walked up the stairs to his apartment, tired from the long day. Stopping outside his apartment, he glanced down the way to where Izanami's apartment was. For a fleeting second, he considered going down there and knocking on her door, just to talk to her or see how she was doing. It would be beneficial for the mission, but he just didn't feel like it now. After all, he would see her in the morning when they would leave to go on their training session. With Yuji. Perhaps he should tell her that? However, once again, he dismissed the idea and unlocked his apartment door, locking it behind him once he entered. He gave out a sigh of relief as the silence enveloped him and he flopped down on the couch, fully prepared not to move for hours.

He did, in fact, stay there for hours, his face in the couch, until his stomach startle to growl, demanding food be made for it. He groaned and rolled off the couch, lurching into the kitchen and feeling much like a servant to his own stomach. He only pulled out a pan when someone knocked on his door, interrupting him. He set the pan down and went to remove his vest, throwing it onto the back of a chair, before he opened the door. To his surprise, it was Izanami standing at his door, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Would you like to eat dinner with me?" She asked, hesitantly, her eyes glancing to the side, "I made too much food and I wanted to know if you wanted to share it instead of me wasting it?"

He scratched the back on his head and glanced into his kitchen, devoid of prepared food and then looked back at her, "Sure, I've got no food ready so why not?" She smiled, astonished that he had actually agreed to it and gestured for him to follow. He removed his pouch of weapons that he still had on around his waist, threw that on the chair with his vest, and followed her to her apartment. Once he set foot inside the place, he realized that it had the same layout as his own, but a bigger window, looking out over the street since she was at the end of the building, while he was one apartment over, stuck in the middle of the building with windows only on each end of his apartment. Hers apartment was more open, his was like a jail cell, now that he really thought about it.

"Well, sit down," she gestured towards her table and he slowly slid into the closest chair, feeling quite awkward for once. To preoccupy his hands, he ran them around the rim of the plate that she set in front of him and played with his chopsticks. She picked the food off the stove, where she left it on a low temperature in order to keep it warm, and brought it over to the table. Next, she grabbed the rice and some serving spoons. She sat down across from him and they awkwardly sat there, putting food on their plates. Izanami had made some kind of curry, as far as he could tell, but not a kind he had seen before. It also smelled different from the curry he was used to.

"Why did you invite me over?" He finally asked, breaking the silence. She glanced up at him, awkwardly meeting his eyes.

"Because I figure I'm stuck with you and I might as well try to get to know you a bit, maybe try and get on your good side. If you have one that is," she tried to laugh at her joke, but it died in her throat before she could even get it out.

"I have a good side. You just have to earn it in order to even get just a glimpse of it. Ask Kakashi if you don't believe me. I've known him for almost eleven years and he's still not completely on my good side. No one is, not even my brother," he took a bite of the curry, and stared having a cough fit at the spiciness of it. She hid a smile behind her hand and went to get him a cup of ice-cold water. He gave her a nod of thanks as she handed it to him, not able to get out any words due to his body being racked by coughs. Eventually they stopped and he sat there, his face red from the heat.

"Good god… what the hell did you put in there?" He finally gasped out.

"Well, I didn't know what kind of peppers they were or what they tasted like, so I got them because they looked similar to the ones I usually use in this recipe," she tried a bit of the curry, taking a generous amount of rice with it, "Hm, it's a little spicier than my version, but it's still good."

"How the hell are you not dying right about now?"

"Because I'm not as big of a wimp as you are," she said, giving him a sly smile. He gave her the smallest smile and hers cracked wider in victory.

He took another bite, then a swig of water, before commenting, "You're even trying to kill me with you food. Don't think I can't see what you're trying to do here, Hoshi-san."

"Call me Izanami, it feels more normal for people to call me that."

"Alright… Izanami-san, but you keep calling me Sensei or Kazuo-sensei."

"Of course, it's all about formalities with you. Now hurry up and eat the death meal I'm sharing with you."

"Alright, alright. Don't pressure me or I might choke while coughing," she could have sworn she saw a small smile tug at his lips again when he said this, but it was gone before she could figure it out. However, she didn't care. She was no longer eating alone and that was all that mattered to her.

In the end, he never did tell her that Yuji would be joining them at their practice the next day, so Izanami was quite surprised when he showed up, unannounced and dressed in his ninja attire, something she had never seen him in before.

"Oh, um… hey, Aoki-san."

"I'm guessing my brother didn't tell you I was coming?"

She glanced over at Kazuo, who was examining one of his kunais, acting as if he couldn't hear them talking about him and answered, "Nope, he did not tell me that you were coming even though he had plenty of times to tell me!" Kazuo didn't move to show he had heard her, because she was practically yelling at him now.

"Well, I can leave if you don't want me here," he took a step back.

"What? No, it's fine! You're probably a much more patient and kind teacher than he is," She gestured towards Kazuo and then smiled, "So I'd love to have you here."

He blushed, but turned his back to her so she wouldn't see and addressed his brother, "Kazuo, shouldn't we get started, then?"

Kazuo got up, making a show of stretching before strolling over to them, "Lets just get weapon throwing out of the way first, please. That's the scariest part," he sighed, already preparing himself to dive out of the way if he needed to, "Alright, Izanami, start by trying to hit that target. Nothing else. Just the target."

"You know that's not possible," she grunted, throwing the shuriken like Kazuo always did. Of course, she didn't get the same end result as him and huffed in anger as the weapon nearly killed a bird that had been perched in a tree, peacefully singing to itself. It was now flying away, screeching at them in anger, its feathers ruffled in fear. Izanami watched it go, feeling sorry for the poor thing.

"See what I have to deal with here?" Kazuo asked his brother, also staring after the bird.

Yuji didn't say anything, just walked up to Izanami, pulling another shuriken out of his pouch. He made her right hand softly clasp onto it and tenderly held her hand in his. Her back was placed squarely against his chest. Lifting her hand up to her side, he swung it forward, stopping it about halfway through the arc.

"You let it go about here after you get your aim right, okay? Don't let your hand let go of it too soon or too late or it will fly off in another direction. Learning how to throw a shuriken is crucial in order to survive on a mission."

She nodded in reply and did a few more practice swings, his hand still on hers.

"Yuji… this isn't a flirting session. Let go of her hand," Kazuo hissed at him, and Yuji removed his hand from hers, stumbling backwards, his cheeks on fire.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" He told Izanami, but she wasn't paying attention anyways. Instead she was getting ready to try another throw. She threw her arm forward, giving it a nice twist through the air. The shuriken sailed through the air until it hit the designated target. It wasn't in the middle of the target, but it had still hit it and that was really all they cared about at this point. They all stood there in shock, staring at the shuriken as it stuck out of the wood like a mini victory flag.

Finally Kazuo swore, "Holy shit, finally! I thought this day would never come!"

Izanami let out sigh of relief, then hurried over to the shuriken to pull it out of the target, but Kazuo yelled after her, "Hey! What the hell are you doing? I'm trying to preserve this moment and you're ruining it."

"Oh, be quiet Kazuo and give her some credit. She's worked hard to get up to this point."

"Not even Naruto had to work this hard to get this far and he was a complete failure of a ninja."

"Now you're just being rude, Onii-san. Just because you're on a mission, don't mean you can be a rude prick to anyone you want to."

"I'm well aware of that," he turned to stare Yuji down, "I just don't like her. At all. Her weakness sickens me."

"Then shouldn't your mission be over?"

"Oh, I wish it was, Yuji, but it's not over until Tsunade says it is."

They both let out a sigh, their hearts heavy in their chest for very different reasons. This was going to be a long mission.