Hanako woke up when she heard a sudden tapping on the window. She fluttered her eyes open and sucked in her breath when she noticed there was an arm wrapped around her waist. She moved her eyes to look over her shoulder only to find a bunch of silver hair getting into her eyes. Hanako looked away quickly and remembered what had happened last night. She was still in Kakashi's apartment.

The tapping returned and Hanako's attention turned back to the window. There was a crow knocking on the glass with its black beak. Hanako caught her breath, it wasn't one of Itachi's crows...was it?

Hanako tried to push Kakashi's hand away, but when she tried to unwrap his arm, he held her tighter. The brunette rolled her eyes, "Kakashi, are you awake?" She only got a grunt as a reply. "Hey...there's something on your window," Hanako tried again, but Kakashi didn't falter.

The Uchiha sighed in resignation and sat up, Kakashi's arm pulled her back into bed and Hanako felt the small hairs on her neck rise when she heard Kakashi chuckling. "Where are you going?" he asked. "It's still 4 a.m.," . Hanako looked at him from over her shoulder.

"There's a crow on your window." Kakashi looked over at the glass and raised his eyebrows when he caught a glance of the bird. He sighed.

"Aoba...ka?"

"Who's Aoba?" Hanako asked curiously, she didn't know there was another Shinobi besides Itachi who could summon crows.

"A Jounin, there must be a meeting with the Hokage, though I honestly think I'm going to skip it." Hanako smirked at Kakashi's laziness.

"Why is that?" Hanako looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Is this really the example of responsibility you want to give your students?"

Kakashi looked at her and brought her closer to him. "I'm actually pretty comfortable here, didn't want to ruin the moment..." he muttered huskily.

"What moment?" Hanako smiled playfully. "You were just sleeping, lazy ass."

"I heard the crow too, you know?" Kakashi defended himself, "Unlike you, I decided to ignore it."

Hanako chuckled. Kakashi was still lying down, looking at her with sleepy eyes. The girl decided to lay on top of him, looking at him with mischievous eyes. "I was comfortable too," she said. She placed both her arms at each side of his face, and rested her forehead on his. "But I wouldn't throw my responsibilities away just for a boy," she finished and tried to get up but Kakashi quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her in place. "Kakashi--"

"I wouldn't throw my responsibilities away for any girl," Kakashi said. He looked at her in the eyes, "You're not just any girl, Hanako. If it were something important, the Hokage would've sent his messenger falcon, or an ANBU." Hanako was stunned. Kakashi used this opportunity to flip their positions, being him on top this time. "Whatever it is...it can wait for a couple of hours." Kakashi lowered himself at the same time he pulled off his mask. Hanako sucked in her breath when he started kissing her neck, each time lower into her collar bone.

She reached up into his tight shirt; she could feel the muscles in his abdomen flexing from underneath it. Kakashi bit her in her soft spot and Hanako gasped, trying to muffle the noises coming out of her mouth. Hanako pulled away, flipping their positions once again. "I think someone is spending too much time reading those perverted books," she accused.

Kakashi smirked, Hanako felt her insides burn when she stared at his handsome mask-less face. "They're educational." He sat up, balancing his weight over his elbows, and reached to brush Hanako's lips with his. Hanako felt her eyes closing at the touch. Kakashi smiled again against her lips and kissed her gently. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. The tapping on the window became more furious but the two Jounin just ignored it, and lay down without pulling away from the kiss.

The bird cawed. Itachi's image appeared in the Uchiha's mind and she pulled away from Kakashi immediately. Hanako gasped and covered her mouth, jumping out of the bed. Kakashi, trying to hold her back, grabbed her necklace and it snapped open when Hanako retreated abruptly. The pendant fell on the floor and rolled under the bed. The Uchiha's Sharingan was activated and she was breathing heavily. "Hana, what's wrong?" Kakashi asked with a tinge of worry in his voice.

Hanako shook her head furiously, tears gathering in her sockets. "I can't do this Kakashi, I'm sorry." She picked up her sandals and hurried out the door, leaving her pendant behind.

* * *

"Kakuzu and Hidan sure like to take their time, don't they?" Itachi looked at his partner after he spoke.

"Once we get the mission, there will be no time for breaks or small talk. You should take the most of this little pauses," he commented, which made Kisame chuckle.

"I guess you're right." The Akatsuki untied his sword, Samehada, from his back and put it down as he sat with his back leaning against the trunk of a tree. "So, any idea what this mission could be?"

"Lately, the Akatsuki have been working as mercenaries. So it's either another money collect, fight in a battle, or kill someone important." Itachi looked at the dark sky, as if expecting the crow he had sent with a message to return any time soon.

Kisame scoffed. "They really take advantage of our status as criminals..."

"If you have to keep your name clean, like most of the Feudal Lords do, you would rather hire a Mercenary Criminal Organization than a Hidden Village. It would keep the mission as 'confidential' and your reputation intact."

"Certainly," Kisame sighed. "Well, we knew what we were signing up to when we joined..."

"If you don't like how the Akatsuki works, you might as well leave." Itachi heard Kakuzu's voice from behind them and turned to look at him from over his shoulder. He walked silently, like some kind of ghost.

"We're here with your mission." Hidan smirked as he looked at the Uchiha. "Hey, Mad Eyes. Are you ready to have fun? This mission is quite the bomb."

"What is it about?" Kisame asked as he stood up and reattached Samehada around him.

"It's a request from the Tsuchikage himself." Hidan chuckled. "Just imagine the kind of difficulty for him to decide to use Akatsuki instead of his own Shinobi."

"Not the difficulty, Hidan, the dirty work." Kakuzu corrected while he pulled a scroll out of his sleeve. "From what I understand, he wants the Water Daimyou dead." Kisame jumped slightly and Itachi noticed it.

"What's up Fishy?" Hidan smirked at his reaction. He was one to observe people constantly and never missed any details. "Someone you know?"

"The Tsuchikage accuses him of working with a rogue Kunoichi to kill important Lords of other nations, he fears the Earth Daimyou could be next in his list," Kakuzu explained. "We were not given the name of the Kunoichi though, the leader seems interested in the girl. She goes under the nickname Shi no Hana; any bells ringing?" Kakuzu looked at Kisame specifically but he only smirked.

"Never heard of it," he said simply.

"Too bad," Hidan pouted with a fake sad face. "I want to meet that girl, maybe she could be an interesting sacrifice for Jashin." Kisame sucked in a breath, looking at Itachi from the tip of his eyes. The Uchiha was expressionless.

"The details of the mission?" Itachi asked. Kakuzu gave him the scroll.

"Make sure to kill the right man," the masked ninja finished before turning his back to them.

"You really give us the vote of trust, don't you?" Hidan sighed with a shake of his head. "Good luck, pals." He greeted with his hand, while following his partner.

When they were far enough, Itachi turned to his partner. "They were talking about Hanako, weren't they?"

"Yup," Kisame never took his eyes off Hidan and Kakuzu, in case they turned around. He never liked them, he even referred to them as the "Zombie Combo" since they both possessed some level of immortality.

"Do they know it's her?"

"Nope."

"Good, let it remain that way." Itachi started to make his way to the Water Country.

* * *

Hanako reached her apartment door in no time, the crow had followed her. She took hold of the handle, looking at the bird as it flapped its wings right above her. She extended her arm, and the bird rested on it. It had a note tied in its leg, Hanako carefully untied the paper and read it. It was from Itachi.

Hanako felt terrible. A few moments ago she had just made out with Kakashi...twice. While Itachi would send her notes, asking how she was doing, if she was okay. He still thought about her. Hanako closed her eyes, remembering the look in his eyes when they met in the woods just outside the village, eyes filled with love. Hanako sighed deeply, looking back at the bird on her arm. "I'll send Hayabusa back with the answer, you can go now." The crow bowed and disappeared into thin air. The Uchiha took a deep breath, and walked inside her home. She halted in her steps when she caught a glance of a black fluffy mess of hair in her couch. She frowned and closed the door soundlessly; tiptoeing to where the figure lay sleeping.

Hanako smiled slightly when she saw Sasuke, sleeping tightly on her couch. She kneeled in front of him, and moved his shoulder slightly. "Hey, Sasuke-kun," the boy inhaled deeply, looking around with half closed eyes. "You can sleep in my bed," Hanako chuckled softly. "I'm not sleepy."

Sasuke looked at her, frowning. "What time is it?"

"Four thirty," she replied. "You still have two hours and a half, and trust me you are going to need them. Come on," Sasuke stood up from the couch, straightening himself.

"Why did you come so late?" he asked slowly, walking with her to her bedroom. Hanako tugged him into bed, pulling the covers over him.

"I fell asleep somewhere else," she replied, sitting down on a chair right next to the window.

"Where?" Sasuke had his eyes closed, but he continued asking questions.

Hanako chuckled, "You're still the same, aren't you? Still asking too many questions..."

"And still getting no answers," he commented, half asleep already. "You and Itachi were always the same. You know, Nii-san would often get out of the house at night, but he never told me where he was going. Then I discovered that he would sneak into your house and spend the night." Hanako smiled at the memory.

"Yeah, he would..." Sasuke had no clue about what he was saying, as a kid he used to be a sleepwalker. You could talk to him and he would answer, even though he was sleeping. He would also walk into the kitchen at night and just roam around until he eventually returned to bed. It was nice to listen to him speaking about his older brother like he would when he was still a kid. There was no hatred in his voice. He even called Itachi 'nii-san.'

Hanako shook away her thoughts and returned to the note in her hand. She contemplated Itachi's fine handwriting and smiled at it. She couldn't let go of him, even though they had been apart for over five years, she still loved him like she had before the massacre.

Or did she?

'Give Kakashi a chance to heal your heart'

Hanako pressed her lips into a thin line when she remembered kissing Kakashi. If she really loved Itachi, she wouldn't be going around kissing other guys, or would she? Hanako breathed deeply, kissing Kakashi had been a mistake.

A sudden movement caught her attention, Sasuke was frowning and moving around in his sleep. 'A nightmare?' thought Hanako. She got up from the chair and walked towards him, carefully placing her hand on his cheek. "Shh..." she tried to soothe him. "You have to beat it, Sasuke, don't let it scare you..." that's what her father used to tell her when she had a bad dream. Sasuke calmed down, but grasped her hand in his. Hanako looked at him and lay down beside him. 'He still dreams about it, the massacre...' Hanako looked at the window. 'He must be traumatized...'

Hanako rested her head on her pillow, "I'm sorry for leaving you here, Sasuke..." she muttered next to the young Uchiha's ear. The girl then closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Next morning, Hanako arrived at the entryway of the Forest of Death with Sasuke tailing behind her. The girl frowned upon watching the deserted grounds, "You said training grounds number 44?" Hanako asked again, looking at Sasuke.

"That's what Kakashi said," Sasuke shrugged. Hanako looked back around.

"Well, guess we're here early," sighed the girl while looking up at the large trees. "I kind of missed this scenery, anyway."

Sasuke looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. "Is this forest special?"

Hanako smirked, looking at him from the tip of her eyes. "Don't worry, you'll see..."

"Oh! There you are!" Hanako rolled her eyes when she recognized Anko's voice. She had been her teacher's girlfriend before the Uchiha left the village, for someone like her probably the grief didn't last for long. "Hadn't seen you in a long time, Hana-chan! You've been very busy. The Third said you returned a few months ago, but I haven't seen you around."

Hanako smiled slightly, almost forcefully, at the purple haired kunoichi. She only wore a short, a fishnet shirt and an open beige jacket over everything. She left almost nothing of her body to the imagination, and Hanako raised both her eyebrows. Maybe she used her attributes as a distraction. Anko had always been very confident in herself, and just like Itachi: a dango lover with full passion. She would always run into her in the dango shop. "I've mostly been out on missions, so yeah...I've been busy."

"That's a shame, I thought maybe we could visit the tea shop one day, get some dango and catch up for a bit. I'm dying to know what you've been up to in your absence." Hanako smiled at that. Anko seemed to be happy to see her, but Hanako knew that at her back she was probably saying that the Uchiha left because of power ambition, or something like that.

"Like I said, I've been busy." Hanako's grin disappeared. "I'm not sure when I'll have some free time."

Anko's smile became cynical. "Oh? But you do have time to escort this little rat to his exam?" she asked. "Or are you still pissed about Kaito? That was definitely a tragedy..."

"No need to be so blunt, Anko..." Hanako's voice darkened and even Sasuke looked up at her in surprise. "Maybe I just don't want to waste my time in some tea shop."

"And yet you go to a bar with the other Jounin," Anko snapped. Hanako smirked. "Gai doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut."

"I suppose so--"

"Anko-san!" The other Chuunin proctor neared Anko. "We are ready to begin. The Genin should be here soon." After hearing this, Hanako looked around. Genin were indeed starting to come, some of them already talking to each other animatedly before the test began.

"No, we aren't...yet." Anko looked at the Uchiha and smiled again. "We actually need someone to check the forest quickly, make sure there's nothing troublesome for our Genin. Can you do that, Hana-chan?"

Hanako raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you supposed to do that yesterday?"

"A double revision, just to make sure..." Anko added. Hanako scoffed.

"Fine," she approached the Jounin with precaution. "As you wish." She walked past her towards the gates.

"You have until 2:30 p.m." she said, "It's still 7 a.m. so I guess you have much time to spend."

"Never imagined a better way to spend my free time," Hanako chanted. "I wonder if the tigers already ate, or maybe if the bears are getting ready to hibernate?" The Uchiha looked back at the scarce present Genin who were looking at each other with fearful eyes. Anko noticed this and burst into a cheerful laughter. Sasuke looked at Hanako with a frown before he shook his head. Hanako smiled slightly.

"You are evil, Uchiha."

"I'll be back at two, sharp," Hanako said before jumping over the gates and into the forest.

* * *

There was nothing out of the ordinary. Hanako sighed, it was already 1:30 p.m. and she was still at the other side of the forest. The usual danger was still there: giant animals, insects, poisonous plants and leeches. The most dangerous part of the test was taking care of oneself at the same time they attacked other Genin teams --without the knowledge of their strength.

Hanako chuckled when she imagined what would the Genin do when they entered the forest. Maybe she would stay here and help Anko, just in case. She had nothing to do either way.

When she reached the entrance, Anko was already picking up the signed forms and giving away the scrolls. Hanako appeared right beside one of the Chuunin while he was giving the Earth scroll to one of the Genin of the Rain. "Took you some time, Uchiha." Anko was watching her fingernails. "Everything in order?" The purple haired Jounin looked up at her.

"Yup, just the usual." Hanako rested against the fence while observing the Genin walk towards their designed gates.

"Good," the last scroll was given to a team of Sunagakure Genin, the redhead boy who received it looked at Hanako for a moment.

"Gate six." Hanako narrowed her eyes at the Genin. The murderous look in his eyes made her feel uneasy. He looked away and continued his way to said door.

Hanako waited until the boy was far away enough to mutter softly: "Who's that boy?"

"Sabaku no Gaara," Anko said, looking at where the redhead had disappeared. We've got our eyes over him."

"His chakra is unnerving," Hanako closed her eyes. "Are you sure he's a Genin?"

"That's what the registry says," Anko shrugged. "Let's hope nothing too bad happens."

"I'll stay with you," Hanako said suddenly. "I want to watch."

"You're not allowed to go in there," Anko said with a smirk. "Unless you're sure there's something wrong."

Hanako sighed, "I guess we'll have to wait until something happens."

"I have my doubts about the Sound ninja, though," Anko was serious. Hanako looked at her. "And the three from Kusagakure felt...weird." Anko was rubbing her neck too much.

"What's that in your neck?" Hanako asked. Anko seemed taken aback, and looked at her in surprise. She had a black mark, similar to the Uchiha's Sharingan tomoes, in the back of her neck.

"Anko-san..." One of the Chuunin looked at her softly.

"I'm fine..." Anko snapped, closing her eyes tightly. "It's a curse mark, I got it from Orochimaru when he trained me as a kid. It's the Heaven's curse mark." Hanako's eyes widened. She didn't know Anko was Orochimaru's student. "It hurts only once in awhile. But this week it's been pulsing nonstop. Like if..."

"Orochimaru was here..." Hanako finished for her, looking at Anko with surprised eyes. The purple haired kunoichi looked at her with the same expression.

"You think so too?"

Hanako shook her head, "I mean, it can be a possibility. Things have been awfully calm in the village. Something always happens during the Chuunin exams, so I guess that's why the Hokage has doubled security."

"Yeah, but Orochimaru can easily get past security. The question is: what could he possibly want?" Hanako looked through the metallic fence into the forest.

"The Sharingan..." Hanako pressed her lips into a thin line. "Sasuke..."

The clock ticked. It was 2:30 p.m.

"Okay, brats!" Anko yelled loudly. "The 'Chuunin Exams: Stage Two' begins now!"

* * *

Hyori knocked loudly in Hanako's apartment door. "Come on, Uchiha! Open the damned door!" There was yet no reply, she had been there for the last 20 minutes. Kazuki was with her, looking at the Senju with a raised eyebrow.

"I think she's not home," he said.

"Maybe she's just ignoring me, like she always does!" Hyori knocked again. "HANAKO!"

"She's not here!" A deep voice grunted and Hyori felt all her colors rise into her face. There was a man in Hanako's apartment?

Hyori and Kazuki looked at each other before they opened the door, which was unlocked. Hyori looked around but only saw a falcon resting at the window sill. "I thought I heard someone..." she muttered confused.

"You mean you heard me," Hayabusa looked at the guests. "Hanako is not here. She's in the Forest of Death, watching the Genin in their exam."

"You TALK?!" Hyori's jaw dropped pointing her finger unsteadily at the bird.

"Oh right," Kazuki sighed. "I forgot she was a tutor."

"Hanako?" Hyori asked in a mocking tone, looking at the boy. "A tutor? Are you kidding me?"

"No."

"Who's she tutoring?" she asked, this time at the falcon.

"Itachi's little brother," he said and Hyori's grin vanished. "The Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and a girl with natural talent in Genjutsu. Kakashi is their formal sensei, but Hanako is working as an assistant."

"Okay, I get that..." Hyori mumbled. "But why Hanako?"

"Because of her ability with the Sharingan," Kakashi appeared at the door and the two Chuunin looked at him with wide eyes.

"Hatake...Kakashi..." Kazuki acknowledged.

"Hanako can control the Kyuubi in case Naruto's seal breaks, and as an Uchiha only she can train Sasuke," Kakashi finished.

"I see," Kazuki looked at the Senju and closed his eyes.

"Why are you here, Kakashi?" Hayabusa asked, looking sternly at the Jounin.

"Hanako left this in my house," he said, lifting up the Uchiha's necklace. "I just came to return it."

Hayabusa frowned. "I thought it had a golden chain, why is it suddenly silver?"

Kakashi had a tinge of pink in the upper part of his cheek. "The other one broke...so I bought her a new one."

"How does a chain break?" Hayabusa asked perplexed.

"If it's cheap, it breaks just by looking at it," Hyori shrugged, "If you buy jewelry, you have to spend money if you want them to last. Otherwise, they'll rust, break, bend in weird angles or even melt with the sun!" Hyori scoffed.

"Wow, that sounds stressful, and hurtful for a guy's wallet," Kazuki chuckled. Hyori smirked at him.

"The secret to a boy's heart is through his stomach, the secret to a girl's heart is--"

"Through your wallet?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Because Hanako is the reason my wallet's always empty." He sighed, remembering Tazuna's words to him in the Land of Waves.

Hayabusa chuckled. The Senju sighed. "I was going to say through her mind, but thanks Kakashi-san for the tip," Hyori rolled her eyes. "The only way to fully make a girl like you is to trick her into liking you," she said.

"That sounds complicated," Kazuki frowned.

"Women are complicated creatures." Kakashi nodded, turning away not before leaving Hanako's necklace over her coffee table.

"Not that complicated, your dense minds just don't get us." Hyori crossed her arms over her chest, frowning with her eyes closed. "Kakashi-san," Hyori turned to look at him but froze when she noticed he was gone. "Huh?"

"Guess he doesn't really care," Kazuki shrugged. Hayabusa only looked at the door through which Kakashi had disappeared. He knew something must've happened between him the silver haired Jounin and his protégée.