Kana sat on the bridges sturdy concrete railing, swinging her feet over the huge body of water underneath her. Kana had already decided that she would wait for the bridge's completion, then she could walk back to the mainland without having to hitch another boat ride. That, and the time would allow Zabuza to heal fully and prepare for the trip to Amegakure. 

"I thought there would be more people working on such a big project?" Sakura asked, leaning against the concrete and staring at Tazuna.

"There were more people in the beginning," He grunted. "Most people were threatened by Gato and quit to protect themselves and their family. Now, there is just under twenty people still here from the original two-hundred. People still quit on the daily though. If this continues, I may just have to finish this bridge all by myself."

"That's awful..." Sakura frowned, looking sadly at the working men.

"I agree," Kana replied, hopping off her seat and onto the bridge. "But, we can still do a little to help out while we're here."

Men in groups of three grabbed wooden beams and carried them to the end of the bridge. Tazuna supervised the building, explaining where each beam must be put. Kana approached the piled of wood, squatting down with her legs spread.

"Uh, Kana?" Sakura said. "You can't seriously pick that- oh."

Kana hoisted the beam onto her shoulder, doing her best to not drag the end on the ground. Men stared in awe, along with Tazuna who rolled his eyes.

"Back to work!" Tazuna roared.

Sakura felt bad just standing there, so she walked to the pile of wood and made sure everything was organized. Men continued carrying the wooden beams from place to place with Kana's help, with Sakura ordering people around and Tazuna being grouchy. Hours passed, and work was completed in a timely manner.

When six o'clock came around, everyone stopped what they were doing, walking away, presumably towards their home. Sakura and Tazuna's stomachs rumbled.

"Come on, I'm sure Tsunami has something made for dinner." Tazuna huffed.

"You coming, Kana?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, I couldn't," Kana chuckled nervously. "Tsunami has been too kind."

"Come on kid, I'm sure Tsunami would insist you stay anyway." Tazuna said.

"Don't call me a kid," Kana flinched, being reminded of her home in Ame. "And I really shouldn't stay."

"Please, Kana?" Sakura asked, her green eyes wide.

"Fine." Kana growled, her stomach churning.

~~~~~

The food smelled awful. Not to insult the cook, but it simply smelled like everything else to her; gross. 

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Tazuna, and Kana sat around the table while Tsunami cooked, and the little boy who lived there was nowhere in sight. Naruto and Sasuke were both drenched in sweat, and Sakura scolded them about the smell, making them promise to shower later. 

"I hope you all don't mind grilled fish and rice!" Tsunami called from the kitchen. "I'll be making some coffee later as well!"

Kana perked up at the promise of coffee. It was a drink that didn't taste bad to her. About a year back, Hidan had stopped for coffee while the two were out, and Kana asked for a sip. The drink smelled amazing, and she had wanted to try it. Hidan always drank his coffee black, adding nothing to it.

Kana had tried the beverage and immediately fell in love with it.

"Kakashi-sensei, can I have coffee?!" Naruto asked.

"I don't care." Kakashi mumbled, continuing to read his book.

A bowl was placed in front of Kana and she attempted to not let her disgust manifest on her face. Enough mugs for everyone were laid out and the coffee pot was set down with sugar and milk. Kana skipped right over the food in front of her and instead poured herself the first cup of coffee. She ignored the sugar and milk, taking a long breath through her nose and bringing the mug to her lips.

"You drink it black?" Tsunami asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes," Kana replied coolly. "I hate the taste of sugar, and milk doesn't sit well with me."

"I thought for sure you would add lots of sugar," Sakura gasped. "You seem like the cool mysterious type who has a sweet side!"

"Well, I'm not, sorry to disappoint." Kana shrugged, taking a long sip.

The liquid burned as it went down, however it was a much more pleasant burn. It warmed her up inside, like a hug, but without a hug. Naruto scrunched up his face as he poured his own cup, along with Sasuke and Kakashi.

"It can't taste that bad," Naruto huffed. "I'll drink it black too!"

As Naruto took a huge gulp of coffee, Sasuke discretely plopped five cubes of sugar into his coffee, also adding a generous amount of milk. Naruto coughed and spluttered after the coffee went down, his face contorting into what could only be described as a look of constipation. 

"How could you possibly drink this?!" Naruto coughed.

Kana shrugged, taking another sip as she glared at the food that was getting cold in front of her. 

"Enough chatter!" Tsunami giggled. "Please eat before the food get's cold."

Everyone else began eating, but Kana only drank her coffee, hoping she wasn't bringing too much attention to herself. 

"Kana, why aren't you eating anything?" Sakura asked, placing her bowl and chopsticks down.

"I am on a diet." Kana replied, keeping the quiver from her voice.

"A diet where you can drink coffee?" Kakashi asked incredulously. 

Kana traced her fingers on the mug nervously.

"I don't like eating in front of people." She mumbled, still tracing her fingers along the porcelain mugs handle. 

"I've never heard of a diet where you can't eat anything for dinner," Sakura said. "I've dieted before, and never done that. It isn't healthy to skip meals."

"Yes, you should eat something Kana, it's not healthy to skip dinner." Tsunami added.

Kana slammed her hands on the table, abruptly standing up. She could feel the tingling in her eyes and she fought it down. She felt threatened and wanted to take care of threats in the only way she knew how to. But she couldn't kill them, they were her friends, weren't they?

"I will be going now," Kana said coldly, daring anyone to speak up. "Zab- I mean, I am expected back to the place I am staying soon."

She walked to the door and angrily opened it, giving everyone one last glance.

"Good evening."

Then the door slammed shut and she was gone.

~~~~~

"HOW COULD I BE THIS STUPID?!"

She punched a hole straight through the trunk of a tree, not a single splinter stuck in her skin. She glared at her scratch free hand, pulling out a kunai. Kana brought the knife down to her skin, but the moment it made contact, the knife flew out of her hands. She slumped to her knees, leaning against the tree trunk and then drawing her knees to her chest and hugging them.

"I miss Ame..." She choked, tears welling up in her eyes. "No one here understands me."

A single thought made her smile.

"Home, I want to go home."

~~~~~

It was well past 10 pm, and Kana still hadn't returned. Haku and Zabuza both had grown worried, so Zabuza and Haku went into the forest to look for her. In the distance, Zabuza spotted something- no, two things. Two blurs in the distance. There was lots of white, some black, and a lot of gray.

He walked around the tree and found Kana asleep, curled up beside a giant wolf. The wolf stared back at him with caring brown eyes, protectively placing a paw around the girl. It was a peaceful sight, but the peaceful, even cute image was ruined by two factors. 

Blood stained her cheeks and the corners of her mouth, and tears had left dried trails on her soft pale cheeks. It had been clear she had been upset, but what was the blood from?

A/N

It has been a while since I've updated, but know that this book is nowhere near over. Hope you enjoyed!