I begrudgingly join Team 7 in the morning, saying hello to the genin but avoiding Kakashi's eye.

"If I had known you'd be the one Lord Third would assign—"

I cut him off nonchalantly, "Whatever. It's fine."

Kakashi sighs before looking to his genin. All three of them already look annoying. Especially the yellow-haired one. I make a mental note to avoid him as much as humanly possible and stick to the calm, black-haired boy if possible. The yellow one just sets me on edge.

Pinkie doesn't take her eyes off the black-haired boy and I huff, thinking about how ridiculous young love is.

I used to be just like her. I fell for someone long ago but went into the ANBU and didn't have time for 'love' anymore. I don't miss it. It's exhausting and sets me off kilter. I like to remain in sync with myself—body and mind. And 'love' just baffles my thoughts and makes me do and feel things without consulting with my head first.

Kakashi suggests we re-do introductions since I've joined the team now. Finding some shade to sit in, we all circle around cross-legged on the grass. I keep a straight expression because the alternative would be frustration and annoyance and the last thing I need is for these genin to view me as some sort of sensitive, emotional nutcase.

They all go through their little introductions, but having heard them already yesterday, nobody looks even half-interested. Not even the bright orange jumpy boy named Naruto. I learn that Naruto likes ramen... a lot. It seems ramen is all this kid ever eats. I get flashbacks to that first six months in my new apartment and wince.

The pink haired one goes next, spending most of her speech fawning over the kid named Sasuke. When it comes time for Sasuke to go, I actually give him my full attention.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," he says lowly. I stop him before he can continue. The words come right out of my mouth without thinking.

"You're Itachi's brother..."

Sasuke's eyes flip to mine and grow wide with a dark curiosity, "You know him?"

"I used to—" I start before Kakashi cuts me off with a threatening glare. His eye says 'don't' so I shut up and change the topic. "It's not important. Please, go on."

Sasuke frowns before returning to his introduction, "I don't really like anything. I like to train, I guess. And in my future, I will avenge my clan and kill a certain someone."

I don't have to ask to know that the 'someone' he's referring to is his brother. Just about everyone knows about the Uchiha massacre at this point, and with Itachi's face appearing in every bingo book as a member of the Akatsuki, nobody has to question who is responsible for the massacre.

I feel a certain sadness for Sasuke, having experienced what he did. I never knew my parents, so I can't imagine what it'd be like to bond with them and have them murdered before my eyes. This kid must be resiliently strong to endure something like that. It's only natural for him to be angry about it and want to seek revenge.

Kakashi goes next but his introduction can barely be considered one, "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't feel like telling you my interests and disinterests. As for my hobbies, I have many."

I roll my eyes at his lack of introduction and cross my arms, "Intriguing, " I say sarcastically. "I guess I'll go, then."

I prepare to one-up him with my introduction. Maybe the genin will like me more than him. A little competition never hurt anybody.

"Ayame Sarutobi. 29. ANBU Black Op for eleven years. I'm a wind-style user and I can also harness lightning nature," this gets an eyebrow raise from Kakashi and I smirk, continuing with pride. "I like to train or go for walks. Cloud watching is fun. Star gazing is pretty cool."

Naruto is making a weird face. It's contorted strangely like he's trying to work something out. Finally he speaks, voicing his confusion, "Sarutobi... isn't that the old man Hokage's last name?"

I nod cooly and affirm the young boy's suspicions, "Lord Third is my uncle."

This earns me another strange look from the yellow-haired twerp. He gets up real close to my face and I turn my head uncomfortably. I can almost smell the cup-ramen on his breath and it makes my stomach churn.

"Say, say, I didn't know that old man had siblings!" he queries. I lightly shove him away from me with one finger until he's sitting on his knees again and I can finally breathe.

I sigh. I didn't want to pour all my personal information out in one sitting but the yellow-haired boy persistently inquires. "My mother had me at a young age before leaving the village. Uncle Hiruzen took care of me."

Naruto crosses his arms and nods like he understands but he still looks confused as hell. I don't feel like trying to re-explain it. Gee, this kid is stupid.

Sakura perks up, asking a dreaded question I resent with my whole being. "What about your father?"

I frown, unable to hide the distaste as it creeps onto my face. "Don't know him."

Everyone's silent for a moment before Kakashi breaks the tension. I'm thankful for it. "Let's move on," he says.

We walk into the clearing and the hot afternoon sun beats down on us. I start to wish I'd worn something lighter—the long pants don't help much and this thick green jonin vest lets little to no air through. I settle for rolling my sleeves and the bottom of my pants as well as my shirt up and taking the green vest off for now.

After I place my vest neatly behind a tree and return to the group, I earn a weird look from Kakashi.

"What?" I blurt. He shakes his head.

"Nothing."

I smirk and join the group. Naruto is bouncing around like he needs to piss and Sasuke is crossing his arms, head down and eyes closed. Sakura is staring at Sasuke and I think pretty soon her eyes might just pop out. 

"Okay," says Kakashi, clapping his hands together to get the attention of the genin. "We're going to do a little team-building exercise. This way we can get to know each other's styles and skills. This knowledge will come in handy on missions... once you guys get past doing D-ranked missions, that is."

I huff thinking about the D-rank missions I'll be dragged along on with these genin when I'd much rather be putting my skills to actual use on something more serious. A pang of sadness resonates when I think about all the cool missions I'm probably missing out on in the ANBU right now. 

"The task will be very simple," Kakashi explains, waving his hands as he talks. "You will each take turns challenging me, 1 v 1." Naruto does a leap and punches the air with his fist and Sasuke just grunts. Sakura... I don't know if she even heard Kakashi. She's too busy glaring at Sasuke. "It will be a... presentation of sorts." I swear he winks at me but I'm not too sure. I'm not looking at him. I'm too distracted by Naruto who's now running around in circles and pumping himself up.

"I'm gonna take you out, Kaka-Sensei!" he exclaims, already forming hand signs for a shadow clone. He makes two shadow clones and they start running towards Kakashi so I quickly draw two shuriken and throw them at the clones. The clones disappear in two poofs of smoke and Naruto mopes. "Aya-Sensei! Why did you ruin my attack?"

I shove the lightly kid on the shoulder and smirk, "He didn't finish explaining, kid. Patience is an important skill for a ninja, you know." Naruto slumps his shoulders and falls to his butt in a cross-legged position while he makes a grumpy face. "You'll get your turn," I say, nudging him softly with my foot.

"As I was saying," Kakashi continues, a chuckle coming through his words. "It will be one on one so that we can grasp your individual styles. Don't hold back. Sakura, you'll start."

Sakura whips her head around and looks wide-eyed at Kakashi before shakily walking towards him. 

"Ready, go!" Kakashi shouts and I expect him to disappear like a shadow clone or some other kind of jutsu but instead, he whips out Icha Icha and I facepalm. 

Sakura throws some kunai and weak punches that Kakashi deflects easily. He traps her in a genjutsu which tires her out. Eventually she gives up and sits down. Naruto goes next, creating four shadow clones and having them all run at Kakashi at once. Kakashi doesn't even look up from his book, deflecting Naruto's head-on approaches with ease. Next goes Sasuke who actually makes Kakashi look up from his book once or twice but still doesn't manage to get any hits. He even uses the Fireball Jutsu I remember Itachi using a lot but Kakashi jumps out of the way and gets behind Sasuke with a kunai to his neck. 

"You're done," he says. "You should never let your enemy get behind you, Sasuke," he lectures. Sasuke grunts and closes his eyes like he doesn't care.

"Well done, you could all use some improvement but you each have individual strengths—"

Naruto cuts Kakashi off, leaping to his feet with an annoyed look on his face. "What about Aya-Sensei!" he shouts, pointing accusingly at Kakashi and I, "Besides, Kaka-Sensei, you barely showed us any of your abilities. Say, say, what do you think?"

Naruto looks at me and waits impatiently for my answer, bouncing on his feet. I sigh and go to protest while Kakashi raises an eyebrow, "I don't think it's necessary, Naruto..."

"What are you, scared? Huh, Kaka-Sensei?" Naruto exclaims, jumping like a little girl. 

"I'd have to book my book away, that's all," Kakashi remarks lazily. I huff and cross my arms.

I smirk, raising an eyebrow myself. Maybe I can use this as an opportunity to show them all just how badass I am. 

And I wouldn't mind fighting the cold-blooded captain. It's an opportunity I never would have passed down while I was in ANBU.

There it is again, that rush. The adrenaline I get before ANBU missions that runs hot through my blood and gets me all excited. My fingers tap on my thighs and I feel eager at the prospect of doing something exhilarating again.

"Okay, Kakashi," I say, cracking my knuckles and approaching him with my chin held high and my chest puffed out. "I challenge you."

Kakashi sighs and claps his book shut, "If you say so," he groans but there's some amusement in his voice. 

I've been in ANBU with Kakashi for ten whole years but never once have I gotten to fight him. I've seen his chidori first hand multiple times but I doubt he'd use a jutsu like that on me here. I will admit, I am very interested in seeing his taijutsu abilities. We'll see how they measure up to mine, Captain.

We shake hands with two fingers, the typical Konoha ritual symbolizing a fair and equal fight. We used to do it all the time back in the Academy before taijutsu battles. I feel my heart pumping in my chest, a low and even thrumb as I get into a battle stance. 

And then we fight. I can feel him going easy on me so I throw him a terrible and unexpected punch that smashes his cheek in hard. 

"Don't go easy on me, Kakashi," I growl with a smirk. The next punch I throw he deflects with his forearm before throwing a kick. I leap over his leg as it flies under me and at the same time, throw several more punches. He avoids all of them, leaning back and forth like a bobble-head. 

My leg flies towards his head in a single, even motion but he ducks, grabbing my leg in mid-air. He manages to swing me towards the ground but I do some flips and land hard on my feet.

He moves quicker than I can follow. He's behind me and attempts to get me in a headlock. I will admit, he is very fast—even without his sharingan, he predicts my movements well.

He was a student of the Yellow Flash, after all.

"I can see why you were captain and not me," I shout while avoiding his punches and kicks skillfully. I've almost forgotten that the genin are there, being so caught up in my adrenaline and riding the rush of this fight. 

He smirks under his mask and says, "Or maybe it's 'cause you're afraid to break the rules once in a while."

I don't have time to figure out what he means before he disappears in a cloud of smoke—a shadow clone? I thought this was a taijutsu-only fight—and he reappears behind me with a kunai to my neck. We stand completely still and I can feel the cold metal pressing against my neck.

"I thought this was taijutsu only," I mutter, breathing heavily in my chest from the exercise. 

Kakashi chuckles and mutters so only I can hear, "Nobody ever said that. We're not ANBU anymore, Ayame. You're allowed to break the rules now."

"If that's the case..." I murmur. I slip from Kakashi's grasp, allowing his knife to pierce the skin on my throat. I grunt out in discomfort but get over it very quickly as the adrenaline from the fight takes over again, numbing the pain.

Kakashi's eye goes wide and he drops his kunai, making his way over to me. 

"Oh my god—" he starts, eyes scanning from my face to the cut on my neck and back again. While he does this, I pull my chakra blades out. They emit a blue glow and tingle on my knuckles. 

This is it, Kakashi. You're done for. 

As he approaches with concern on his features, I use the opening to rush in with my blades. He deflects the one arm but the other is heading for him, full force.

It misses as he ducks and he sends one back my way. His fist near-misses my face and while he's still recovering from the swing, I shoot up and get him at knife point. 

I'm about to celebrate my victory until I feel something cold again my own neck. When I look down, I realize he's got me a knife point too. So we stand across from each other, each one with a blade to the other's neck. 

A damn tie. 

"Shit," I whisper so the genin don't hear. He smirks beneath his mask and removes the knife from my neck. I do the same.

"What the hell were you thinking, getting yourself cut like that! Is your neck okay?" is the first thing he asks. He pulls some bandages out of his pouch and holds them to the wound but I flick his hand off and hold the bandages myself. 

"I'm fine, baka. It's just a scratch and I did it on purpose to distract you," I snarl with a half-smile. Kakashi sighs and furrows his eyebrows.

After a short moment of silence, he speaks up, loud enough so I can hear his confidence but not enough for the genin to hear, "I would have won if I'd used my sharingan."

"Let yourself believe that, Kakashi," I chuckle. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I see him smirk and his eyes meet mine for a moment with a soft look. The moment is short because I cut it off, returning to the genin who are cheering and gaping at us with wide, impressed eyes.

"Wow, Aya-Sensei and Kaka-Sensei, you guys are insane!" Naruto gleams. Sakura smiles widely and Sasuke nods with a grunt, which for him means approval. I'll take it. 

Kakashi joins us with a closed eye smile and his hands resting lazily in his pockets. 

Suddenly there's a loud grumble. I find my fingers on a kunai, ready to strike at any moment.

Sakura takes notice and giggles, "It's okay, Ayame-Sensei, it was just Naruto's stomach grumbling again."

Naruto slumps on the ground and holds his rumbling stomach, "I want Ichiraku-Ramen," he mutters. Then his eyes light up and he looks to Kakashi. Kakashi steps back with his hands raised in surrender as if he knows what Naruto is going to say, but he says it before Kakashi can stop him. "I know! Let's all go to Ichiraku! Kaka-Sensei's treating!"

Kakashi's arms fall limp as the kids get up and start running out of the training ground towards Ichiraku's.

"Why is it always me?" he mutters helplessly, following the genin begrudgingly. I giggle under my breath and follow behind.

You know, this team thing isn't seeming so bad. Of course, I'll always miss the thrill of ANBU missions but this new Sensei role is actually proving pretty fun so far. Even though I have to be stuck on a team with Kakashi, I think, rolling my eyes. 

He is a good battle partner, though, I must admit.

* * *

Everyone went home after they'd filled their bellies with ramen. Naruto ended up eating four large bowls of ramen and I honestly thought we'd have to roll him out of there in a wheelchair. That kid has no self-control whatsoever. 

The evening is warm enough so I decide to go for a night stroll, enjoying the cooling air and all the night-sounds. The streets have begun to empty out as people are going home to sleep but there's still some life left—mostly from the clubs and bars. Occasionally, I pass some drunken people whose cheeks are puffy and pink and stumble along happily.

When I pass an alley where two people are shoving their tongues down each other's throats, I have to quickly look away to keep from gagging. 

Have some decency and do that somewhere else, I think as I try to get the picture out of my head. I've never understood people that make-out in public. It's gross and nobody wants to see that. 

Other than the odd public display of affection I catch here and there, I quite enjoy walking at night. There's something serene about ending a long day with some fresh air and star-gazing. 

The fresh air is suddenly knocked right out of my lungs when I'm forced against a stand of magazines as a large man holds me at the neck. I feel my knife wound re-open and wince at the pain.

The man shouts at my face and I can smell the alcohol on his breath, "I thouuught I tolddd you to g-get lost!" he shouts, slurring through angry words. I struggle for a breath and try to pry his fingers off my neck as I grunt out as much of a response as possible.

"I don't—know what you're—urg—talking about!"

His eyes are very close to mine for a brief moment and the smell of alcohol is strong in his warm breath. I turn my face away from his, grunting out at the pain in my neck. I reach for my weapons pouch but begin feeling weakness take over. His grasp is tight, sucking the oxygen from my lungs.

"I told you to abort the damn child," he mutters through drunken hiccups, "But you never listen to me, huh? You've never listened to a damn thing I say, Akaya."

Akaya. That's my mother's name.

The breath gets caught in my throat, but not only because of his tight hand around my neck. 

When I look into his eyes, shock fills me from head to toe. 

His eyes and my eyes are exactly the same.

Brown with hazel specks. 

The man's grasp on my neck suddenly loosens when he's pulled off of me by someone strong. The drunk man falls to the ground, hitting hard enough to make him pass out.

I stare down at the passed out man in the street and my jaw hangs open, tears pushing at the corners of my eyes.

It can't be him. It has to be a coincidence.

Someone is in my face with their hands on my shoulders, trying to get my attention, but I'm too focused on the drunk man.

Could it be? Is this my father? A no-good drunk? And did he really want my mom to abort me?

"Are you hurt? Ayame, please answer me," someone pleads, shaking my shoulders a little. When I finally look up from who could be my father, my eyes catch on Kakashi's, "That wound, we should go to the hospital and get it checked out. It's bleeding a lot," he whispers, voice full of concern.

But I'm too distracted to be concerned about my neck. 

That's my father, I keep repeating in my head. A drunk who didn't even want me. He probably won't even remember this in the morning. He only recognized me because he thought I was my mother in his drunken state.

A single tear slips and falls slowly down my cheek and I'm too far in my own thoughts to realize Kakashi lift me and take me to the hospital, running as fast as his legs will travel.