The next six years came and went. You'd almost completely forgotten that young boy you'd met so long ago. When you did try to remember, only his existence came to mind. With no face, features, or name, you were sure if you ever did run into him again, you wouldn't recognize him. Gato, on the other hand, was a name you'd been hearing a lot recently. Apparently Granny owed this man a lot of money - money that she didn't have. Men had been appearing recently, taking her measly possessions as payment. You were instructed to hide when they did so, for fear they may take you. Other than this, life had been fairly uneventful.
"Granny, I'm going out to the market today. Anything in particular you need?" you asked, kneeling on the ceiling to change a light bulb.
"Just the usual. Ai, you're talents are going to waste like this! Are you sure you don't want to study abroad?"
Landing before her, you asked, "Who would take care of you?"
She almost pouted, her little wrinkly features all gathering together at the center of her face. "Me, of course! I've been living on my own for years before you came here!"
Smiling, you put on a rain hat and opened the door.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily!"
Granny stuck her tongue out at you as you left. On your way back from the store, you heard a rather loud boy from the bridge builder's house.
"Bring it on! I can handle anything you throw at me, Kakashi-sensei!"
Curious, you went to knock on his door when - BAM! The door smashed into your face! Your groceries spilled everywhere as you fell on your butt.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" asked the blond boy.
"Naruto, you IDIOT!!" yelled the girl as she whaled on Naruto.
"Here you go. Sorry about that." said the raven-haired boy as he handed you your things.
"O-oh, yes, thank you." you murmured. 'Wow, it's been a while since I spoke to others my own age. I'm so scared I can hardly speak!' You stood up quickly, the blood rushing to your head. Darkness began to cloud your eyesight, and gravity suddenly intensified, your knees buckling.
"Ah!" you squeaked.
"Hey, are you okay?"
The darkness dissipated, and you were startled to find that you were in Naruto's arms! You stood back up, again.
"I'm sorry, so sorry! I get sick really easily...some kunoichi I am, huh? Heehee." you joked, nervously trying to break the ice. Everyone gasped at your statement.
"...then maybe you'd like to come train with us? I'm curious..."
A white-haired man trudged out of the bridge builder's house on crutches.
"Umm...yes sir! Let me drop off these groceries, please!" you answered. He nodded his head and introduced the team, "I'm Kakashi, by the way. This is Sakura, that's Sasuke, and this is-."
"I'm Naruto! Believe it!" enthused the blond, a goofy grin on his face. You giggled at his strange enthusiasm. In a small murmur, accompanied by a polite bow, you said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Ai."
"Now that we've got that settled, I suggest we meet up at the village entrance, ok?" said Kakashi. You bowed your head, then to prove a point, you dashed home across the rooftops.
"Granny, Granny! You'll never guess who I just met! Ninja! I met some ninja who were the same age as me!" you giggled excitedly as you put away the groceries.
"That's wonderful! Where are they from?" she asked brightly, clapping her hands together.
"Um...Konohagakure, if I remember correctly. It's been a while since I've seen headbands...oh! Yes, I'm going to go meet them for some training. Their sensei asked me if I'd like to join them! May I?"
Granny smiled warmly.
"Of course you may. Now, go on! Don't leave them waiting!"
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!!" you squealed as you hugged her. You told her "Good bye!" and dashed out.
'This is gonna be so exciting! I wonder how good they are?' you thought as they came into view. Naruto waved.
"So, are we all ready now?" asked Kakashi as you landed next to him.
"Yeah! Let's do this!" exclaimed Naruto. You followed Kakashi out into the damp, fragrant woods, where he explained and demonstrated the tree climbing technique.
"Have you ever done this before, Ai? Seeing that you're a ninja from a land with no shinobi villages, I'm curious to see how proficient your skills are."
"I can't promise much, but I'll do my best!" you told him. The four of you each faced a tree.
'I did this earlier today. It's really easy. Maybe this is a warm-up?'
"Ok, go!"
You began to run up the tree, but you stopped and turned towards Kakashi and asked, "I forgot to ask - how high are we supposed to climb?"
THUMP. THUMP. Naruto and Sasuke had fallen off.
"The top?"
He'd said it like a question, like it was supposed to be obvious.
"Oh, hehe, sorry!"
Returning your attention to the tree, you quickly dashed up, then sped back down. Naruto and Sasuke fell again. Sakura was watching them with Kakashi.
"You both demonstrated good chakra control. Now, while the boys finish their training, I'd like to test your abilities, Ai. Seeing as how I'm injured, I'd like Sakura to take my place."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei. Where should we begin? Taijutsu?" asked Sakura.
"Um...most of my Taijutsu was built around my Neko Toboe, so...well, I don't want to hurt you..."
"You have claws?" asked Sakura. You extended them a little bit, so they were about 6 cm in length. Her eyes widened.
"What? How'd you learn to do that? Can I learn to do that?" she asked, looking at her own nails.
"No, Sakura. This is a Kekkei Genkai...a mythical one, at that." Kakashi told her darkly. Frightened, you retracted them and backed up.
"I'm really sorry! Did I do something I'm not supposed to?" you whimpered, pressing your index finger to your lip. Kakashi limped forward.
"That depends. Your last name is Ueda, isn't it?"
As a reflex, your hands flew to your hat.
"That answers my question. Now, what are you doing here? Tell me!" he bellowed, moving forward.
'Oh no, he's going to kill me!'
Naruto landed swiftly before you, arms spread wide in defense, facing Kakashi.
"What's going on? Why are you scaring her?!"
"Get out of the way, Naruto, before she kills you!"
"What?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. He turned and looked at you.
"No! Why would I kill you, Naruto? Kakashi, please don't tell them!" you pleaded. Kakashi pushed back Naruto and pulled off your hat. They all gasped, again.
"You know the old superstition. When a black cat crosses your path, you're doomed to have bad luck. The Ueda clan was the source of that superstition." he told them. Sakura took up a defensive position behind Kakashi. Sasuke, who had been standing behind you the whole time, appeared on Kakashi's left. Naruto walked up and scratched behind your ears, cooing, "Aw, what a cute little kitty cat!"
"NARUTO!!" they all yelled. You pinned back your ears, shielding them from the echos off the trees.
"If she really wanted to kill us, don't you think she'd have done so already? I mean, c'mon!" he yelled back.
"That's the reason she's still alive now. Ai, I will give you the benefit of a doubt, but I will only trust you if you tell me why you're here." stated Kakashi. You took a deep breath, then told them everything you could remember. Your mind had blocked out everything that had happened in Sunagakure. You weren't even sure Yami was real anymore, though you were still afraid to tell them about him. As a matter of fact, it'd been years since you heard his dark voice.
"I'm sorry we had to do that, Ai, but as the leader of this squad I had to keep my comrades safe. I hope you understand."
"Yes Kakashi, sir." you answered, bowing again. He peered towards the forest entrance, then his gaze slowly returned to you.
"Once Tazuna finishes building the bridge, I'd really like you to come back home with us. You have a lot of potential."
Smiling, you said, "Oh, yes, Kakashi sir! I just might do that!"
Naruto scratched behind your ears again, sending a rather calming sensation through you. "Aren't you such a polite kitty cat? Yes you are!"
"Naruto, quit baby-talking her. It's rude and annoying."
"Shut up, Sasuke! You're just jealous 'cuz she's the first girl who hasn't thrown herself at you!"
"Oh yeah?"
Naruto stepped forward, his nose an inch away from Sasuke's. "Yeah!"
"Knock it off, you two..." said Kakashi in a bored tone.
'Wow, these people are really exciting! Once they realized I'm not bad, they didn't care about my bloodline. I wonder if they'd still be this nice if they found out about the twin-tailed cat, though...'
"Wow, your forehead's as big as mine..." murmured Sakura.
"We have big foreheads?"
You cocked your head to the side questioningly. She laughed.
"I guess not. Haha!"
"Ok guys, that's enough for today. It's about dinner time." said Kakashi.
"I hope we meet up again soon!" called Sakura.
Naruto waved as he walked backwards. "Bye-bye, Kitty Cat!"
Sasuke nodded and turned away, lazily waving his hand. "Until we meet again..."
Waving back, you returned your hat to your head and ran home.
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Chapter notes: The story finally begins to pick up!