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Misaki was shaken by her encounter in the forest and glanced about herself warily all the way home. At any instant, she prepared to be ambushed.

When she arrived at her room, she saw that had been mercifully left alone. Immediately, the door flew shut behind her. She desperately needed a moment alone.

No one had seen her arrive. No one had seen anything. Yet, she still felt a dark cloud pressing around her.

Also, she needed to shower. Her skin was damp and grimy from the events of the day.

In the bathroom, she was pleased to discover pleasant lavender soap and honey shampoo. It was a welcome change. Sometimes, in the Otogakure, she didn't even have soap. Just water.

Wet and shivering upon exiting the bathroom, she was ready for bed. Nervously, she glanced at the window as if waiting for someone to appear. No one ever did

Relievedly, Misaki settled in bed and shut her eyes. A good night's rest was what she needed. Then, she would be fine.

So, whatever would happen in the future would not happen tonight.





---





Misaki was being dragged away. Her feet nearly slid across the floor from the strong pull. The grip on her wrist was merciless and unrelenting. She knew that it wouldn't let go.

She was already past the point of struggling. Maybe they would see that this was all some sort of a terrible mistake...

Misaki was then unceremoniously thrown in a chair; she knew that she would not be leaving it for a while.

The man at her side stood tall above her, but she couldn't glimpse his face. She didn't really want to look at it, but she knew that she couldn't resist forever...



---





Misaki awoke to sunlight dancing on her face and smiled at the sight. It was a tradition of sorts that smiling at the sun would bring good fortune for the rest of the day.

Misaki fussed with her blanket. Wait, where had that memory come from? The memory was an intruder that disturbed her peace and confused her perception.

Then, she remembered her dream. It had been like all the others.

With the suspicion that something deep was beginning to unravel, Misaki rose from the bed and immediately dressed in her Konoha clothes. She wondered if the others could see right through her.

Fervently, she told herself that there was nothing to see.

Was she to hurt people in this village? What would Orochimaru-sama want her to report? So far, he had told her nothing.

Misaki had hoped for another day of sightseeing, but within the hour, another summons arrived. Ibiki wanted to see her again.

Misaki groaned inwardly. Now wasn't a good time. But, there was no way she could refuse him.

However, soon her annoyance morphed into fear. What if he asked her about the snake? But then, no one had seen it. No one could link her to it.

The ANBU member that had been sent to her door took her outside instead of the training room from before. Misaki wondered what was responsible for this change.

Her anxiety heightened as she approached Ibiki on the grass. She wasn't sure if it was foreboding or her own conscience.

He instantly spotted her. "Ah, Misaki-chan. Nice day, isn't it?"

She agreed.

"I decided to continue with more training if you don't mind. It would be a disservice to the Leaf if you remained weak. A member of my own family."

So. She was to become powerful. All Shinobi were really alike.

"You will want to try out some more earth styles and not everything has to revolve around flowers. I don't know why your sensei ingrained that into you..."

Misaki flushed in embarrassment. It hadn't been Kabuto-kun's fault. She enjoyed flowers because had a connection to them, yet, he didn't know that. Ibiki didn't know anything about her.

But if he would...

He was friendly and responded to her presence well. That was a reassuring sign for her.

She shouldn't have to be in a position like this, but it was the one and only choice she had. She wondered if her uncle could understand.

Ibiki's lesson revolved around how to create small earthquakes under the ground. The jutsus were much more difficult and demanding than Kabuto-kun had ever taught her. Ibiki quickly noticed her strain.

"That's enough for today. We don't want you injuring anything."

She noticed his smirk and was again on the brink of embarrassment. He wasn't impressed with her abilities, but then, again why should he? She had hardly had any training.

But then, she reminded herself was luckier than some in the Otogakure. Some of the others hadn't even make it. Some of them had never tasted freedom again.

Why was the pale man so considerate of her? Did he expect to be recompensed? How?

The questions haunted her, and they were getting harder to elude.

Later, at the marketplace, Misaki spotted Sakura and waved to her. The pink-haired girl waved and smiled back. Misaki could see that she was too busy to talk.

Soon, Misaki would just fade away into memory. One way or another.

She didn't know why her thoughts had turned so dark. Misaki didn't want to be alone with them. When could she attend the Ninja Academy?

Instead of returning to her temporary apartment, Misaki decided to venture to the outskirts of the woods as she did before. She had to know; she had to assure herself.

A fly buzzed and landed on her arm as she stepped under the trees. The dying light filtered through the leaves and transformed everything with a rich and gold hue. Beautiful. All her stress melted away.

Suddenly, someone stepped out from behind her. She sensed his chakra too late, and moments later, she felt a familiar blade against her throat. For the first time in her life, the forest had betrayed her.

"Hello there, Misaki-chan. Did you happen to see our messenger?"

It was Kabuto's voice behind her ear.