Kiko Maris Hatake

Once burned

Home, home is great.

I even got new clothes, Tsunade paid; since she took my old ones, Otou-sensei was really mad about it.

She tried to doctor me ever chance she got, but I almost always got away, almost. The first day she got me, only because my feet hurt...

Otou-sensei seemed very happy, though he was also very protective, he was never far away. Even when he went on missions, he brought me along as The Bird; Tsunade was shocked when she learned that The Bird was me. Not really my problem, but it was funny.

I even got a letter from Naruto, he was worried about me; he wanted to know if I was alright and he wanted me to promise to be there when he returned. I of course promised him in the letter that I send back to him.

It wasn't long after that I left on a longer mission with Otou-sensei and a group of Anbu; we were travelling far away from the village, though there were months before Naruto returned so I figured that it was alright.

Our mission was an SS-rank or something to infiltrate a group of rogue ninja and steal back a scroll, so that's why we didn't do it alone, but had Anbu with us. They were somehow scary...

We spend a few days finishing our mission and I couldn't help but wonder why the Anbu was here, since they didn't help at all. Otou-sensei was looking at them weirdly too, though he tried not to let it show. He was teaching me how to make a mask, like the Anbu's, since I had admired his own. He cut one out of a piece of driftwood for me in the same style as his own; he did that on our last night before we were going back with a ship the very next day.

When morning came I was polishing of the edges on my new mask with sand to make it look smooth, while the others were only waking up, well the Anbu was, Otou-sensei was surprisingly awake early too. The Anbu packed away their things, which Otou-sensei and I had already done; we were just waiting for them.

Then we began our travel back to the harbor, which we would reach by nightfall, when we were walking in their speed. Wasn't Anbu supposed to be quick?

Halfway back to the harbor one of the Anbu stopped, making the rest of us stop.

"I forgot my painting set; I took it out of my bag to borrow it the Bird-san, so that he could finish his mask, but I forgot it." He stated and turned to me. "I hear that you're really quick, could you possibly run back and get it for me?"

I turned and looked at Otou-sensei in a silent question; his eye was narrowed at the man.

"Why not just leave it? The faster we get back the better." He asked.

"We can't leave any trace behind; it'll only bring the village in trouble. Especially since my painting set have Konoha written on it..." Otou-sensei glared at the man, but nodded towards me, I turned to run back, but was stopped again. "Matte, here let me hold your bag for you, I'll take it back to the ship, while you're picking up my painting set. With no luggage you'll be faster, we'll wait on the ship, you know the way, right?"

I looked at Otou-sensei again, his jaw clenched, but he nodded again. So I handed my bag to the Anbu and ran back, something felt off, but I figured that Otou-sensei would handle that. I would probably be at the ship a little after them, we were on an island and you could feel the winter cold here more than you could back in Konoha, so I ran as fast as I could as to not freeze too much. The Anbu had actually forgotten his painting set, I quickly grabbed it and ran towards the harbor, when I arrived I froze. Not because it was cold, which it was, but because the ship wasn't waiting in the harbor. I ran to the top of the cliff next to the harbor, where I could see the ship, it was sailing away. Were they leaving me behind? Was Otou-sensei leaving me?

"Sensei!?" I called after the ship; I could see him on board.

He looked straight at me, but then he turned his face to the side as if I wasn't worth his time.

"Sensei?...." I asked out into the cold winter air.

Why? Why had he led me on to think that I was worth something? If this was what he thought of me, then why?

I stayed in my tree watching the ship sail away out of sight, disappearing in the sunset. I thought that he was my family. He had been so nice all along and seemed so happy to see me again after I returned from being kidnapped by Raven. Could it all have been an act? Was he only playing me? Was he just like my 'brother' back where I come from?

What about home? Where was that now?

Was I really nothing to you, Kakashi?

I huddled in my tree with tears in my eyes. I guess it's true what they say;

Once burned, shame on you...

Twice burned, shame on me...

With that I let the tears run freely.