'How could I have been so blind?' That was the question that demanded attention in Asari Kazue's mind. As time passed and her surroundings continued to shift, that one thing never changed. She never saw the person that she walked outside of Konoha's protective walls to meet again- it was as if he'd become someone else entirely. She'd been too blind, too trusting, too naive- Never again. At the same time, while part of her wishes to escape, the other part is only longing to find that side of him again. Perhaps then, she'd be able to make sense of all of the confusing feelings- the ones that hurt despite the fact that she's a girl who's never known the feeling of pain. *** 'I just want to breath without someone jumping.' Jun's rapidly deteriorating control over the part of himself he once labeled Kurai Jiko has everyone who's aware of the situation leaping to their feet the second the boy does as much as form a hand-sign. It's suffocating. For the boy whose only dream was to be a normal shinobi of the village, his life has all but become a nightmare of his. He'd do anything to escape it. Anything except run from it. *** 'Just for now, let's keep it a secret. The moment everyone knows... everything will change.' The two years that her team was in splinters, Miki found refuge in the one person around her who never changed. When he was nearby, she could breath. She could think without her mind pulling up memories that as far as she knows, can never become reality again.  When he's not around, however, everything comes crashing down. In an attempt to escape this, she's taken more missions in two years than she'd done in her lifetime up till that point. At the same time, a piece of news appears that will change everything- not just her life, but the life of the one person she cares about the most as well. Sometimes, however, change is a good thing- whether one wants to accept it or not.

"You'd be better off staying away." "I said I never would." In the aftermath of a fight that left their mentor dead, a teammate blind, and their emotions scattered, Hisoka, Hikari, and Miki attempt to pick up the pieces of the lives they knew. One of them wishing to find a way to be the person they were, one attempting to stick by the person they love, and the other simply attempting to find a place to belong. There isn't time for them to waste, however. The Chuunin exams are approaching and if they can't make sense of their shattered lives, they won't be facing it together. It leaves the question: Is being together really worth fighting for? **Companion novel to the Senseless series** **Cover by Arctic_Sky**

Years before Team 7 was formed, Hatake Kakashi was a member of ANBU. During this time he found it hard to find pleasure in anything, the faces of his dead friends haunting his every moment. It was this that caused him to begin to draw a line between himself and those surrounding him. Sometimes, however, lines drawn are crossed by the most unlikely of people. She has no name, nor does she have a past. She simply exists to follow what others tell her to do and to be passed from person to person under the orders of a man that she'd rather have nothing to do with. She doesn't talk- there is no need for it. It's not required for someone to speak when they follow orders. One day, however, the existance she's known is shattered as a white-haired ANBU shinobi shows up, under orders to bring her back to Konoha. For the first time in her life, she feels curious. Curiosity leads to pushing against this stranger's boundaries and seeing just how much one, small existance crossing a line can change the lives around them. **Prequel to Painless** **Cover made by Arctic_Sky**