“There’s nothing going on today,
I’m really bored, it’s getting late.
What happened to my Saturday?
Monday’s coming.
The day I hate.
Sitting on my bed alone,
Staring at the phone.

He wasn’t what I wanted,
What I thought, no...”

A chord stopped short as a lavender haired girl looked up from her guitar.
“Nara Shikamaru, stop sneaking around!”
A fifteen year old Shikamaru stood up out of the bushes. His hand rose behind his head and he laughed shakily.
“Didn’t mean to disturb you.”
The girl seethed, “I bet...” She growled under her breath.
The Nara raised an eyebrow. An uncertain wind blew, signifying neither knew what was going to happen next.

The girl known as Shizuka stood up and brushed her skirt off, slinging the guitar over her shoulder. As she turned around, she lightly punched Shikamaru in the arm, smirking all the while.
“See you soon.”

Her house was empty, but then again, she hadn’t expected it to be bustling and alive. But she liked being alone.
Shizuka sighed. Then again, it would be nice to share the lonely place with someone...
So instead of sitting around puzzling over her thoughts, she grabbed her guitar again and marched up to her roof. After tuning it, she began to sing her heart out to the wind - and those who might have happened to be listening.

“Well I couldn’t tell you,
Why she felt that way, she felt it everyday.
I couldn’t help her, I just watched her make the same mistakes again.
What’s wrong, what’s wrong now?
Too many, too many problems,
Don’t know where she belongs, where she belongs.

She wants to go home,
But nobody’s home,
That’s where she lies,
Broken inside.

There’s no place to go, no place to go,
To dry her eyes,
Broken inside.

Open your eyes,
And look outside,
Find the reasons why,
You’ve been rejected,
And now you can’t find what you’ve left behind,
Be strong, be strong now,
Too many, too many problems,
Don’t know where she belongs,
Where she belongs.

She wants to go home,
But nobody’s home,
That’s where she lies,
Broken inside.

There’s no place to go, no place to go,
To dry her eyes,
Broken inside.

Her feelings she hides,
Her dreams she can’t find,
She’s losing her mind,
She’s falling behind,
She can’t find her place,
She’s losing her faith,
She’s falling from grace,
She’s all over the place...”

Another presence loomed over her and it was really starting to tick her off. A black eye twitched.
“Listen whoever you are, I’m not in the mood. Just show yourself so I don’t have to waste any energy.”
“Hey, Shizuka!”
The blonde idiot landed on her back, causing both of them to land in a mess of tangled limbs. Anger was boiling up inside her... but she contained it. Somehow. How anyone did these days, she’ll never know.
“Hey Naruto, now could you get off of me?”
He gently removed himself, but when he looked down he saw her in a stunned silence. Smashed wood was around where she was sitting and the girl’s fists were clenching.
“NA-RU-TO!”
You didn’t have to say his name twice, he was off like a rocket. An angered psychic flew down the road after him, yelling threat after threat at him. Naruto gulped and persuaded himself to run to where he knew he would be safe - his old training grounds.

Shizuka could feel the psychic energy beginning to unleash. Good, it’ll give her a boost in running. It’s been a long time since she had to run this fast. And there it goes, that little click in her head telling her that it was okay to unleash energy. So when she was floating above Naruto, it was quite amusing to see his face.

‘Only a few more fee-’
Naruto looked up in a state of horror when he saw the smirking ANBU over him.
“Not so funny now, are we?!”
Just as she was about to dive-bomb him, another familiar shinobi appeared in front of them, causing the lavender haired girl to stop in her tracks.
“Kakashi-sensei, Shizuka was trying to kill me!” Naruto whined, grabbing his old sensei’s jounin jacket and giving it a hard tug to emphasize his point.
Kakashi crinkled his visible eye at her, “Thanks for actually getting some exercise, Shizuka. You’ve been playing that guitar of yours for too long.”
“Wait, you sent Naruto to smash my guitar?”
A quick nod indicated a yes and the Sharingan Warrior didn’t have a chance to duck the blast she had sent to him. He fell to one knee.
“You’ve got quite the power there, Shizuka.”
But the fifteen year old didn’t hear him as she had already walked away.

Still angry from before, it would take a long time to settle down after that one. Her mind was still reeling about having lost her guitar... now she wouldn’t be able to express her feelings. This would turn out bad, she knew it.
With a huge sigh, she sat on a tree branch and watched as the kids from the Academy practiced throwing kunai. Yes, they were adorable, but she was actually trying to get a break from them. Always having to teach one because Iruka was getting lazy was a hassle, or “bothersome” as Shikamaru would put it.
But as she scanned the crowd, she noticed another good friend. A brunette named Tenten. It was worth having to stay if Tenten was subbing.
“Hiya, Tenten!” Shizuka waved from her spot on the branch.
All the kids looked up and began waving frantically. Tenten pushed her way through the small crowd forming.
“Hi, Shizuka! What brings you here? Usually you’re playing your-” She stopped short at the hurt look on her friend’s face, “They smashed it, didn’t they?”
“I should’ve seen it coming...”
In an instant, Tenten was beside her. She slung an arm around the ANBU’s shoulder.
“You can’t see everything, Shizuka. Stop being so hard on yourself.”
“I can’t help it. I feel like I’ve failed somehow.”
“Come on, you need a break.”

Turns out Tenten had dragged her to a training area by the lake. She stood impatiently, pointing at a training log beside her.
“You need to keep training.”
“Why?” Shizuka yawned and crossed her arms defiantly, “Not like anything exciting’s going on.”
“If you want a new guitar, you’re going to need money. To get money, you need to do missions, got it?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
But all Shizuka did was stand still with her eyes closed. Before Tenten could say anything, she felt an odd sensation of wind rushing by her cheeks. What the-?
“Whoa!”
And around her feet was a dim purple aura that was lifting her into the air. To her, it was beautiful. To enemies, well, that’s a different story. Tenten looked down at Shizuka, who was in a tai chi stance, breathing evenly while controlling the flow of chakra underneath.
“You better not drop me!”
“Be prepared just in case.”
So the weapon girl prepared herself for an impact with the hard ground, but instead she was gently placed down. How could someone so devastating be so gentle?
“Shizuka, I have a question.”
Without opening her eyes she responded, “What is it?”
“Why are you only kind to me?”
One black eye popped open, “I guess because I like you.”
“Oooh, I understand now!”
“Good, because I’m going home and laying down. I’ve got a bitch of a headache.”

My head was pounding as I finally entered my house. Oh, great. This wasn’t going to turn out good. Whenever I would get bad headaches like this it usually meant that pretty soon my mind would become unstable. Check me into the hospital right now, why don’t ya? Personally, I think Tsunade is tired of seeing me there, especially since I haven’t been on any missions lately.

Missions.

Tenten said I would have to start taking some in order to get another guitar. She just doesn’t understand! That guitar was my grandmother’s and it can’t just be replaced! Sigh. Can I say one more time I’m going to kill Naruto?
Okay, I will. I’m going to kill Naruto, that little-

Ahem. So here I was, not caring about the world at the moment and just wanting to climb under the covers.
Sniff... ew, smoke? Was my house on fire?!
Ep, not quite. There he was, my childhood - and probably hopeless - crush. Kakashi Hatake.
“Shizuka, what’s going with you today?”
“Why do you care?”
Ooh, harsh. I don’t care. He’ll never like me and I think I’m finally beginning to realize that. Took me a damn long time, though.
“Come on, Shizuka, you’re not usually like this.”
“You smashed my grandmother’s guitar, how should I react?” I threw a venomous glance over my shoulder to meet his one eyed stare.
To no avail, he met me with the same anger because I only saw myself reflected in his eyes.
“I didn’t know it was that important...” He responded quietly.
I couldn’t help it, my anger snapped, “Well you should’ve thought about that before you acted!” I jabbed a finger at his chest, “And you’re supposed to be a genius! In what galaxy? God!”
And I began stalking away. Crap, why must you torment me even more, Kakashi?
“Get out of my way.”
“That’s no way to speak to your elders.”
“You’re not my father.”
I could see his lips get set in a straight line. Oh, god! I looked at his lips!
“Listen to me!”
Oh lord. He did not just put his hands on my shoulders?
HE DID! OH MY GOD, I’VE BEEN TOUCHED BY KAKASHI!
Calm down, Shizuka, calm down.
“I got you a new guitar.”
He pulled out a blue Ibanez from behind his back. And it was the exact one I had wanted. Nice, electric, and blue!
“Well, let’s hear how good you are. Naruto told me you weren’t half bad.”
I graciously accepted his generous gift and gently ran my hand up the neck.
“Th-Thank you, Kakashi.”
My fingers strayed to the strings. They were better than my other guitar... oh how good they felt against the pick in my hand!
“Well?” Kakashi’s visible eyebrow shot up.

I took a deep breath,
“I’m tugging out my hair,
I’m pulling at my clothes,
I’m trying to keep my cool,
I know that it shows,
I’m staring at my feet,
My cheeks are turning red,
I’m searching for words inside my head.

I’m feeling nervous,
Trying to be so perfect,
Cause I know you’re worth it,
You’re worth this.

If I could say what I wanna say,
I’d say I wanna blow you - away,
Be with you every night,
Am I squeezing you too tight?
If I could say what I want to see,
I want to see you go down,
On one knee,
Marry me today,
Guess I’m wishing my life away,
With these things I’ll never say...!”

I can’t believe I just spilled my heart out to him! This is a disaster! What if he finds out that was supposed to be for him? Oh no!
“You’re very good, Shizuka. Now I understand why you need a guitar.” Kakashi formed a smile under his mask.
“Kakashi-san... I’m sorry for flipping out before. I was upset.”
But soon I was pulled in a hug by him and I could feel my cheeks heat up quickly.
“Don’t worry, Shizuka, I’ll be here for you.”
And he disappeared. Well, I was so stunned I didn’t say anything. Did Kakashi just touch me again? I can’t wait to tell Tenten! Or maybe I shouldn’t... it was more like a father/daughter moment... oh, how I wished he was my father...

But now he was gone... and someone else had taken over. Now I felt another presence, a weaker one. It could only belong to one person: Hinata.
“Hello, Hinata.”
“Eh...! Hello, Shizuka-chan...”
“Well hell, Hinata, you don’t have to be so shy around me.”
“G-Gomen... you have a really pretty voice...”
I shifted the guitar from my shoulders onto the ground next to me, inviting Hinata to join. She moved over and sat next to me, her hands intertwined with themselves. I watched the sun make it’s way under the horizon, slowly, but surely. Hinata seemed to be watching every move I made, so I grabbed my guitar again.
“I can make a song for you, Hinata-chan.”
The girl seemed surprised that I added “chan” to her name. Well hey, she’s beautiful. I like beautiful women. So hate me. I don’t care.
“Y-You don’t have to...”
I didn’t care, I had the perfect song in mind,
“Waking up I see that everything is okay,
The first time in my life and now it’s so great!
Slowing down I look around and I am so amazed,
I think about the little things that make like great,
I wouldn’t change a thing about it,
This is the best feeling.

This innocence is brilliant, I hope it will stay,
This moment is perfect, please don’t go away, I need you now,
And I’ll hold onto it don’t you let it pass you by.

I found a place so safe not a single tear,
The first time in my life and now it’s so clear,
Feel calm I belong, I’m so happy here,
I’m so strong and now I let myself be sincere,
I wouldn’t change a thing about it,
This is the best feeling.

This innocence is brilliant, I hope it will stay,
This moment is perfect, please don’t go away, I need you now,
And I’ll hold onto it don’t you let it pass you by.

It's the state of bliss you think you're dreaming
It's the happiness inside that you're feeling
It's so beautiful it makes you wanna cry

It's the state of bliss you think you're dreaming
It's the happiness inside that you're feeling
It's so beautiful it makes you wanna cry

It's so beautiful it makes you want to cry

This innocence is brilliance, it makes you want to cry
This innocence is brilliance, please don't go away
'Cause I need you now
And I'll hold on to it, don't you let it pass you by

This innocence is brilliance, I hope that it will stay
This moment is perfect, please don't go away, I need you now
And I'll hold on to it, don't you let it pass you by.”

Tears glistened on the sides of Hinata’s pale eyes. Her lips trembled as she leaned onto my shoulder and let her tears fall.
“That touched me...” She whispered.
I tilted my head so that I lay in her silky raven hair, letting all of my emotions wash over me. My headache was a thing of the past and I felt completely happy just sitting with Hinata here. My cheeks began to flame.
“Hi-Hinata?”
“Yes?”
“You really liked it?”
“Of course I did!”
And without thinking, I placed a kiss upon her forehead. A surprised look crossed her face, but I left her stunned and continued into my bedroom. But as I went in, she was standing in the doorway.
“Do you... like me like that?”
I sighed. Looks like the jig is up.
“I do, Hinata. But I know you like Naruto. I just wanted to give you a token of my affection.”
The Hyuuga smiled slightly, “I do like Naruto. And I like you, but I think I know someone who likes you more.”
I raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested, “And who is that?”
“She has brown hair...”
My thoughts immediately went to the one person I trusted the most.
‘Tenten.’

After Hinata left, I took the liberty to just sit alone and think. It was enough of playing my guitar for one day. As I looked around I saw that it had grown quite bare in my house. That was because I had to sell most of my stuff... maybe Tenten is right. I need to get a mission - and quick. So at about ten at night, I high-tailed it over to Tsunade-sama’s office. Time to get back to work.

Now here’s the thing with Tsunade. She’ll fall asleep at her desk and the only you can do is tiptoe over and tap her on the shoulder, then duck whatever she throws at you. That was exactly the case here. After ducking her chair, I stood up and tried to make myself look professional.
“What is it?” Oh, great. An irritated voice.
“I would like to request a mission.”
Surprise crossed over the Godaime’s face. Well, that was new. Usually the only thing I did to her was either get her mad or make her laugh.
“You haven’t been on a mission in months, you expect me to just give you an S rank and send you on your way?”
“Not exactly.”
“Well, there is an A rank in here, but you’ll have to work with a team of chuunin.”
“Whatever works.”
“And you’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning.”
“Like I said, whatever works.”
“Shizuka, you are an odd one.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“That the team you’re working with includes Kakashi.”
Whoa! Score! I was ready to start dancing around her office, but if she knew about my crush the whole thing would be ruined. So I did my best to keep a straight face.
“And what is this mission?”
“I’ll let them brief you tomorrow.”

And that’s how I wound up waiting for Team 7 at the front gate. And that’s when I noticed HIM. So that’s where he was assigned. My old partner in crime.
“Hello, Sai.”
“Shizuka?!” He seemed a bit taken aback that I was here.
Kakashi had walked up behind him, “Well, Sai, seems you know our little helper.”
My whole ego was just ripped down. Little helper? Since when? I’m here to provide backup!
Whatever. I just crossed my arms and smirked a little. Naruto chuckled.
“Man, you are the spitting image of Sasuke!”
“Uchiha isn’t the same as me.” My eyes closed as I recalled Sasuke’s face.
That was when some pink haired girl started running her mouth off, “How dare you talk about Sasuke-kun like that!”
“Oh, what are ya? A fangirl?”
Her fists clenched and I noticed the rest of her team moving away. She wasn’t intimidating an ANBU trainee that easily. Until she slammed a fist into the ground and caused an earthquake.
Crap, damn psychic!

Shizuka sprang into the air and flipped onto the gates. Her opponent stared up at her with hatred.
“Just because you’re tagging along to save him doesn’t mean you get to talk crap about him!”
The lavendar haired girl stopped in her tracks.
‘Oh, so that’s the mission. Saving her precious Sasuke. Eh, whatever. I need some cash.’
Shizuka landed on the other side of the gate, calming herself, “Well, let’s get going, then.”

A couple hours of walking wasn’t so bad, but by the time night fell Naruto began to complain.
“Kakashi-sensei we’ve been walking forever! Can’t we stop and rest now?”
Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, “If you’re that tired, we’ll stop. Deal?”
“Finally!”
It took some time, but the group managed to get their camp set up... with minor setbacks.

I sighed and took a seat next to our fire. Nighttime wasn’t my strong point, and now I was almost quaking in my sandals. Good thing I had Sai to keep me company.
“So, how’ve you been?” He gave me what could almost be called a smile.
From across the fire, I saw the pink haired girl continuing to glare at me. Better at least try to be kind, right?
I walked over to her and extended my hand, “I’m sorry, we started off on the wrong foot. My name is Shizuka.”
Although wary, she shook, “Haruno Sakura.”
“Ah, so you’re Tsunade’s apprentice. I envy you.”
She smiled, “That’s a first. Usually ANBU don’t envy anyone below them.” She gestured towards Sai who stuck his tongue out childishly.
For the first time on this mission, I cracked a smile. Sakura turned to me with a curious look.
“Kakashi-sensei says she play guitar really well.”
“W-Well... yes.”
“Wanna play us a song?”
Finally! I’ll be able to make up for what I sung in front of Kakashi earlier yesterday. Good, now let’s see what I can make up...
“Who should I sing it about?”
The pink haired kunoichi looked around the campsite, then pointed at the blond kitsune.
“Sing about Naruto. He needs a pick-me-up.”
“Alright. Gather ‘round everyone!”
I took my guitar out and tuned it real quick, then shot a glance at Naruto.
“Here’s for you, Naruto.

Try to tell me what I shouldn’t do,
You should know by now I won’t listen to you,
Walk around with my hands up in the air,
Cause I don’t care,
I’m alright, I’m fine,
Just freak out, let it go!

I’m gonna live my life,
I can’t ever run and hide,
I won’t compromise,
Cause I’ll never know,

Gonna close my eyes,
I can’t watch the time go by,
I won’t keep it inside,
Freak out, let it go!
Just freak out let it go!

You don’t always have to do everything right,
Stand up for yourself and put up a fight,
Walk around with your hands up in the air,
Like you don’t care.
Cause I’m alright, I’m fine.
Just freak out, let it go!

I’m gonna live my life,
I can’t ever run and hide,
I won’t compromise,
Cause I’ll never know.

I’m gonna close my eyes,
I can’t watch the time go by,
I won’t keep it inside,
Freak out, let it go!

On my own,
Let it go!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Just let me live my life,
I can’t ever run and hide,
I won’t compromise,
Cause I’ll never know.

I’m gonna close my eyes,
I can’t watch the time go by,
I won’t keep it inside,
Freak out, let it go!

Gonna freak out, let it go!
Gonna freak out, let it go!”

Six eyes peered back at me, all with stunned reflections. Sakura began clapping, then the rest of the group followed. Oh, and then Naruto jumped on my back and hugged me fiercely. A blush began creeping across my cheeks. Okay, let’s face it. I’m a hopeless romantic. Sakura laughed, “Looks like someone’s got a crush on Naruto!”
Naruto quickly withdrew from me and began mumbling something about not liking higher ranks than him. And Sakura began yelling, saying that he liked her even though she was a chuunin and he was a genin still. I could feel the shock on my face. Whoa, Naruto was only a genin?

Shut up, Shizuka, let them fight it out.

But Kakashi silenced them.
“Someone is near.”

Ah, I felt it too. That little twinge that creeped up your back signaling an enemy ninja.
“These guys have a lot of-” Naruto began.
But Kakashi and I finished, “Chakra.”
My body began to shift into the enviroment as I took on the form of a cougar.

Everyone stared as the Shizuka in front of them shifted into the cougar and backed up.
Sai reassured them, “Don’t worry, she’s just scouting.”
As the lavendar haired girl shot into the inky darkness, everyone held their breath.

My heart was pounding as I padded through the underbush, tracking the scent of chakra. There was light talking, and then a silky voice telling the other voices to shut up. Quickly, I covered my chakra and shifted back into me. My eyes couldn’t adjust to the black that obscured my vision, so I shifted into a wolf. These newly acquired eyes showed me just what I needed to see.
Apparently, there were three Akatsuki members there, which was odd because they usually traveled in duos. Since it was so interesting, I decided to hang out and listen to their little conversation.
“This is insane! It takes three of us to take down one jinchuuriki, hm?” Rough, but young. Probably late teens.
“We have fought one of them before, and now there are two ROOT members traveling as well. We cannot afford to lose our lives in this process.” Another young one, probably older than the first, but it was the same silky and masculine voice from before.
“Especially Kakashi!” Older. Most definitely in middle twenties.
“Tobi is here Deidara-san!” Squeaky, definitely younger teens.
“Shut up, Tobi! You’ll give away our position, hmph!”
Aha, so the youngest one is named Tobi and the second youngest is named Deidara. Interesting, time to get back to the-
What the-?
Why is it so-...
...

Kisame: What are they doing?
Deidara: Don’t know, hm.
Tobi: They’ve been staring at each other for hours.
Kisame: It’s only been ten minutes.
Tobi: Good point.
Deidara: Maybe they’re casting genjutsu on each other.
Kisame: Then she would already be out.
Deidara: How so?
Kisame: Itachi would just use Tsukuyomi.
Tobi: Maybe he’s giving her a chance.
Kisame: He wouldn’t do that.
Deidara: And how do you know?
Kisame: -_- I’m his partner.
Tobi & Deidara: Good point.
Tobi: Maybe they’re reading each other’s minds!
Deidara: I don’t think Itachi-san can do that, can he, Kisame?
Kisame: Nope. At least never around me he did. I wonder...
Tobi: But Shizuka can!
Kisame: We know that.
Deidara: She’s probably just talking to him.
Kisame: Or maybe she’s controlling him!
Tobi: She can do that?
Deidara: You never know with Shizuka.
Kisame: To be able to control Itachi-san would be an enormous mental feat...
Deidara: She’s not.
Tobi: She isn’t?
Deidara: No. Her eyes aren’t that eerie purple.
All three: Hmm...
Deidara: We have mind control, genjutsu, telepathy, what else is there?
Tobi: And intimate stare.
Kisame: ...
Deidara: ...
Both: THAT WOULDN’T HAPPEN!
Tobi: Why not?
Deidara: *Punches him* Are you thick in the head?
Tobi: I am now...
Kisame: I’ve never seen Itachi-san take interest in a woman.
Tobi: Maybe he likes men.
Deidara: *Punches him again* Shizuka’s a woman!
Kisame: I give up.
Tobi: Me too.
Deidara: No! We’ll figure this out!
All: ...
Deidara: Think Itachi is using Amaterasu?
Kisame: No.
Tobi: It’s gotta be genjutsu. Shizuka has a look of fear.
Deidara: *Is pissed off* You moron, hm! *Punches him AGAIN* That’s her regular face!
Tobi: Ow... she doesn’t have a good poker face...
Kisame: ...
Deidara: What’s up, Kisame?
Kisame: Itachi looks the same way. Almost like they’re frozen.
Deidara: That’s odd.
Tobi: *Pokes them* Yep. They’re frozen.
Kisame: No. I saw the “look” cross Itachi-san’s face.
Tobi: *Backs away, terrified*
Deidara: Think we should make them kiss?
Kisame: Itachi-san would-
Tobi: Kill us!
Deidara: But it would be funny. *Pulls out camera*
Kisame: Think of the consequences.
Deidara: Hm...
Tobi: Let’s ask Hidan!
Hidan: Hm?
Tobi: What are they doing?
Hidan: *Twitches* Why don’t you ask them?
Deidara: Now THAT’S a good idea! You go, Kisame!
Kisame: Uh, Itachi-san?
Itachi: ...
Kisame: What are you doing?
Itachi: *Blinks* Dammit.
All but Shizuka and Itachi: ???
Shizuka: *Flashes peace sign* We were having a staring contest!
Itachi: And you fools made me lose.
Shizuka: *Sticks tongue out at him* You have yet to beat me, Itachi-sama.
Itachi: One day...
All but those two: *Anime fall*
Deidara: It was...
Tobi: Just a...
Kisame: Staring contest....