“What?! Hayate?!” The Jounin in the office all started talking at once.

“Sadly yes,” the hokage ended the murmurs, “his body was discovered this morning, near Kikyo Castle.”

“Was it Orochimaru?” Anko asked.

“We can’t jump to conclusions,” Kakashi said.

“We should postpone the Chuunin Exams and go after him,” Ginta said.

Sarutobi shook his head. “No. When he confronted Anko, he warned her not to.”

“But why?” Someone else said.

Sarutobi sighed. “Orochimaru is strong enough to take down a small nation by himself. After he deserted the village he was probably courted by many other countries. Further more, he harbors deep grudges against Konoha. It would make any nation desire him.”

“Are you saying that our allies might partner with Orochimaru and betray Konoha?”

“Well,” Kakashi said puzzled, “the treaties of alliance are no more than verbal agreements generally…”

“In any case,” Sarutobi interrupted, “we don’t have enough information at the time. We have already dispatched the ANBU to gather information.”

“Well, you should question Taryn Desertstorm,” someone growled, “everyone knows she’s in league with him.”

Kakashi glared at the speaker. “She’s not.“

“Of course you would say that Kakashi. You’re infatuated by the girl.”

Kakashi stood up. “You wanna say that to my face?”

“Kakashi sit down,” the hokage ordered.

“She wears the curse mark,” Ginta continued.

“So does Anko,” Kakashi growled, “are you saying she’s in league with him too?”

“Anko has been in the village,” someone else said, “no one knows where Taryn has been. She left the village twice. She betrayed Suna already. Who knows what she might be plotting.”

“She was seen with Hayate yesterday,” someone else remembered.

“Taryn would never harm Hayate,” Kakashi said.

“Enough!” the hokage called, “Taryn Desertstorm did not kill Hayate. And I have reasons to believe that she is not in league with Orochimaru.”

“Lord Hokage,” Shiro protested.

“I said enough,” Sarutobi said, “Taryn is in Konoha because I have decreed it. You will leave her be. Is that understood?” He waited until everyone had complied. “Good. Now dismissed.” The Jounin rose and left the office one by one. “Kakashi,” Sarutobi said, “will you say for a moment?” Kakashi looked surprised, but nodded.

...

“What is it?” Kakashi asked while he followed the hokage down the hall.

“I didn’t want to tell the others,” Sarutobi answered, “you have seen their reaction.”

“Tell them what?”

The hokage stopped in front of a door. “Who it was that found Hayate,” he said and opened the door.

He stepped aside for Kakashi to enter first.

At the window stood a small figure with long dark hair. She was almost hidden by the shadows except for the small ray of light that fell on her face. “Taryn,” Kakashi whispered. She had her back turned to them, but lifted her head when he said her name, She looked over her shoulder and caught the hokage’s eye. He nodded at her curtly.

“I will leave you two alone,” he said and closed the door on his way out.

Kakashi walked up to her and sighed. Taryn turned and automatically Kakashi locked his arms around her. Taryn buried her head in is shoulder and let out a sob. He was the only person in the village she completely trusted. He never asked her any questions, never judged her or tried to change her. And even though she couldn’t give him what he wanted, he was still always there for her. Kakashi was safe.

His grip tightened. “It’s okay,” he said in her ear, “I know he was your friend.” He gently stroke her back. “Come home with me Taryn,” he said.

“Okay,” Taryn muttered.

“I know you can take are of yourself, but I just want to keep an eye on you.”

“I said okay,”

“Just humor me,” Kakashi said and then looked at her confused. “Okay?”

Taryn gave a faint smile. “Yeah.”

...

“Did you see anything?” Kakashi asked, They had just reclaimed Taryn’s things and now entered Kakashi’s house.

“I already told the hokage, Hayate was dead when I found him.”

“You must have some idea. Was it Kabuto?”

Taryn shook her head, “No. He has other attack styles. It wasn’t him.” She couldn’t tell him it had been wind blades that had killed Hayate. There weren’t many wind users in Konoha. Which only left… She didn’t want to think about what that would mean. She had told the hokage though.

“Taryn,” his voice brought her back to earth.

“Hn?”

“Have you eaten anything?”

“I’m not hungry,” she said.

“You need to eat.”

“Don’t mother me, Kakashi.” Taryn glared at him, “don’t you have training to see to?”

“I’m going in a minute. Make yourself at home.” Taryn gave a nod. Kakashi sighed. “I’ll see you tonight then.”

***

Taryn stepped out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel.

Kakashi looked up and gave a faint smile. “Feeling better? Are you hungry yet?”

Taryn sat down at the table. “You cook?”

“You’d be surprised what I can do.”

“Spare me the details,” Taryn said. Kakashi pulled a face as he put down a bowl of ramen and Taryn chuckled.

“Good to see you can still smile,” he said.

Taryn cleared her throat. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Are you going to take everything I say the wrong way now?”

”Of course not,” Taryn said, “I was just joking.” When she saw his smirk she glared at him and threw her chopsticks at his head.

“Such aggression,” Kakashi shook his head at her amused.

“Shut up,” Taryn growled annoyed.

Kakashi chuckled. “You know what they say about teasing girls. If they react, it means they like you.”

“Do you read that in those perverted books of yours?” Taryn questioned.

“Ah!” Kakashi said shocked, “Make Out Paradise is not perverted.”

“You say that with a straight face,” Taryn sighed. She finished her bowl and stood up.

“I’m serious,” Kakashi said, “it has great advise.”

“You’re hopeless,” Taryn said. She placed her bowl in the sink in the kitchen and walked to the corner behind the cabinet where the bed was. “I’m off to sleep.”

“You’re not going to stay up and chat?” Kakashi asked, “catch up and all… I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“I’m tired,” Taryn said while taking off her shirt. She didn’t care if Kakashi saw her in her underwear. He had seen a lot more of her anyway.

In the living room she could hear Kakashi sigh as he made up the couch to sleep on. She got in bed and turned off the light. On the other end of the cabinet she heard his voice.

“Sasuke’s making good progress. He’s a very promising kid. In no time he learned…”

“Are you sure you want to tell me this? He’s up against my brother.” She turned on her side, her back on Kakashi.

“Just making conversation,” Kakashi said.

Taryn sighed and turned on her back. She looked at Kakashi through the shelves of the cabinet. “Be careful,” she said, “Gaara is not that easy to defeat.”

“So I’ve noticed,” he answered.

“No. I’m serious,” Taryn said, “be careful.”

Kakashi leaned on one elbow and looked at her. “Alright. I will.”

Taryn nodded and turned around again. “Night,” she said.

Kakashi lay back down and stared at the ceiling. “Goodnight Taryn,” he whispered.

He stayed awake for a long time, listening to her regular breath that indicated she was asleep. He thought about her life. She had never had much love from her family and she didn’t have many friends. Hayate may well have been the only one and now she didn’t even have that. Her father had been cruel when training her. He had heard the stories. She was strong in more than one way, but inside she was just a girl that wanted to feel safe. He wondered how long she would stay this time. It was inevitable she would leave again. Somehow, being comfortable somewhere seemed to have the exact opposite effect on her. Whenever she seemed to settle somewhere, she became restless and ran. Like she had done last time. And the time before that.

Kakashi sighed. He had meant what he had said before. He would never try to keep her here against her will. He was just hoping she would make that choice herself one day.

***

“Again!” the Kazekage yelled while circling her. Taryn sat on her hands and knees and was panting heavily. The Chuunin Exams were coming up and he wanted her to be ready. Hours and hours they had been training. Taryn could barely stand anymore. She was holding on to her last bit of chakra. But he still wasn’t content. And he never would be.

“Get up I said!” he snarled at her. Taryn suppressed a cry of pain as she crawled back to her feet. She activated the Byakugan again and attacked her opponent.

“My lord…” her trainer protested hesitantly, “maybe you should let her rest for a while. If she continues like this…”

“Are you questioning me?” the Kazekage asked.

“No. Of course not.”

“She needs to develop more stamina. The Chuunin Exams will be heavy.”

‘She already has extraordinary stamina if you ask me,’ Kodan, her opponent, thought.

“Maybe you should wait another year,” the trainer suggested.

“No!” the Kazekage growled, “she’ll participate. She won’t let me down, will you Taryn?”

“No father,” Taryn said solemnly. She landed a hit on Kodan. The older boy supported her, carefully making sure the kazekage wouldn’t notice.

“You okay?” he whispered.

Taryn steadied herself and pushed away from him, keeping her eyes averted. She had lost Byakugan due to lack of chakra. Her breath was raspy now. “Can we… stop… for today… father?’ she gasped.

He glared at her. “What is wrong with you Taryn? The Chuunin Exams are only a few weeks away. This is our chance to show the strength of Suna. You’ll be the youngest contestant ever to participate. Don’t you dare disgrace our village. Do you hear me?”

“Yes father,” Taryn said through her teeth.

“Well then.”

Taryn noticed her little brother peek around the door behind her father. “Why don’t you train Kankuro more?” she asked, “he has talent.”

“Kankuro,” her father scoffed, “Kankuro is a child.”

‘Then what am I?’ Taryn thought.

“No,” her father said, “you are the one. And in a few more years, Gaara will be ready.”

“Gaara,” Taryn said stunned. What was her father plotting now? Gaara was but an infant.

“What a team you will make,” the kazekage said to himself. He turned to Taryn. “Finally we can show the world what Suna provides. You have the strength of Suna and the Byakugan which puts even Sharingan in the shadow. A power I could never dream of possessing, but now I have it.”

“You?” Taryn questioned, but her father wasn’t listening.

“We’ll show them.” He narrowed his eyes. “Now. Get back to training.”

***

Taryn opened her eyes when she heard sounds close by. Through the curtains fell a ray of early sunlight. She rubbed her eyes and leaned up on one elbow.

“Go back to sleep,” Kakashi whispered, “It’s just become dawn.”

Taryn sat up and gave him a sleepy look. “You’re going to the Memorial Stone? You still do that every morning?”

“Yeah.” Kakashi gave a faint smile. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be back soon.”

“No you won’t” Taryn said while laying back down. She pulled up the covers and yawned. He would stay there for hours, sighing and staring at the stone. But that was okay. She was used to it and she understood. She closed her eyes and muttered something when Kakashi planted a kiss in her hair.

He smiled. “I’ll see you later.”

***

It was always quiet here at the riverbank. Taryn leaned against one of the platform poles, one leg dangling down over the water, the other knee bent. Her arms were around it and her face was turned over the water. A small breeze caught her hair and there was sadness in her eyes. This had always been one of her favorite places. She wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting here, but the sun was already setting.

She looked up when she heard footsteps on the pier.

The hokage came to stand beside her and gave her a sad smile. “You had Kakashi worried about you. He was afraid you had left town again without saying goodbye. He turned the village upside down to try and find you.” When Taryn pulled a face he waved his hand in a calming manner. “Do not worry. I told him you probably needed some time alone and that he best leave you be.”

Taryn nodded. “Thank you.”

Sarutobi sighed. “It is a difficult matter, standing at a crossroad of two nations. Choosing which way to go must be hard.”

“I’m always at some crossroad,” Taryn said, “I think everyone is. Choosing is never easy, because you don’t know what lies ahead.”

“Ah yes. Very true,” Sarutobi agreed.

Taryn hesitated for a moment. “People always judge you for the choices you make, but that isn’t really fair. You can’t possibly know which path is the best to choose. Sometimes a path that seems to be the right one at first, may lead to disaster. And sometimes, what might seem like a wrong choice may well lead to the right outcome. Every choice you make is the start of a chain reaction. When you do the wrong thing it may cause someone else to do something right. And maybe doing something wrong, may nor be so wrong in the end.”

The hokage listened to her silently. He knew what she was asking him, but he did not have the answer. Wrong or right were subjective after all. Someone’s right may well be someone else’s wrong. “I can not choose for you Taryn. But no matter what choice one makes, there are always consequences. And you have to accept them.”

Taryn sighed and rested her head on her knee. “I know,” she whispered.

“We’re waiting with the funeral till after the Chuunin Exams,” Sarutobi then said, “we want to keep this inside Konoha. I thought you might want to attend, so I thought I’d let you know.”  

Taryn nodded again. “Yes thank you.”

“Alright. I will leave you be now.” He folded his hands behind his back and turned to leave. “Taryn,” he said to her, “when making a choice… there’s nothing wrong with following our heart.” He nodded at her and walked away.

Taryn stared after him and returned her gaze over the water. She sighed. If only things were that simple.

...

Kakashi was leaning against the wall of the restaurant, reading gone of his favorite books. But he still noticed her return. She came from the riverbank. Of course. He should have know she would go there. He watched her approach.

“Training over?” she asked.

Not a word on where she had been or why. And he didn’t ask her. It had always been like that between them.

Kakashi nodded. “Hungry?” he asked. The sun had set some time ago.

“Hm,” Taryn agreed and followed him inside. Kakashi lead her to a table in the back. “The last time I came here,” Taryn mused, “was with Hayate.”

“Do you want to go somewhere else?”

Taryn shook her head. “No. I’m fine.”

“Alright,” Kakashi nodded and went to order.

Taryn leaned her head on one hand and glanced around the room. It was only after a few minutes that her siblings came in.

Temari and Kankuro. Gaara wasn’t with them.

Carefully Taryn activated Byakugan to scan the area, but she didn’t find him. Had he ventured out on his own? She was worried about him. Her little brother, her most beloved out of all her siblings.

She crossed looks with Kankuro who quickly averted his eyes. Temari stared from her to her brother questioningly, but then ignored them both and sat down at a table. Taryn scanned the area again and this time she was able to locate her brother. He was somewhere in the outskirts of town. He was on his own as usual. A little sad she remembered that night on the roof.

“You’ve made your choice,” Gaara said while turning his back on her.

“It was not my choice to leave. You know father sent me away.”

“So you said.”

“I have never lied to you Gaara,” Taryn softly said.

“Then tell me why he banished you.”

Taryn didn’t answer. That was the one thing she would never tell him.

“Go away,” Gaara said, “you mean nothing to me.”

“Taryn?” Kakashi’s voice broke her thoughts.

“Hn?” she looked up.

“You must have been far away,” Kakashi eyed her concerned, “your food almost turned cold.”

Taryn sighed and poked her food. “I’m not hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten anything.”

Taryn shove her plate aside. “I know,” she said.

Kakashi turned his head towards Taryn’s siblings who were still on the other side of the room. The youngest wasn’t there. He looked back at Taryn and sighed sadly. He had asked about it once. It wasn’t long after they had met. She had just been banished and they talked a lot during that time. He had been curious. So he had asked her. “Why did your father ask you to kill your brother?” She hadn’t answered him. She had told him it was Suna business and it had nothing to do with him. He had never asked again after that. He couldn’t think of anyone who loved her siblings more than Taryn. It had made her father hate her even more. Kakashi could only imagine how much it must hurt her to see them here and have them look at her with such disdain. Branded a traitor. No one in the village knew the truth, except for the hokage. That was why he allowed her to stay in Konoha, even when it earned him the anger of the kazekage. The treaty still stood though. For the time being at least.

“Hey,” he softly said to Taryn, “wanna get out of here?”

Taryn gave him a faint smile. “Yeah. Let’s do that.”