The preliminaries went on for a while. For the first time in a long while I wasn't feeling bored just sitting doing nothing. The fights were actually kind of interesting.

"Hey Lea," Sakura said coming up beside me. I mentally groaned. After walking off from Neji and Kiba I had isolated myself, not wanting to talk.

I didn't answer her. She looked at me a moment longer before sighing. "I know. I know. You're mad at me and I can't blame you."

I raised a brow. "What?"

"The way I have been treating you lately has been really cruel and I can tell it's been hurting you a lot."

I laughed to myself. "I'm not sure what you're talking about but even if I did, I know I wouldn't have been hurt."

Sakura shook her head and placed her hand on my arm. I looked down at it then back at her. She was looking at me with pity.

"I am really and truly sorry for how I've been treating you. Will you accept my apology?"

I stared at her like she was mad. I was beginning to believe that she was. I may not have many experiences with other people but I know that most aren't as psycho as she evidently is. "I forgive you, I guess."

"Yes! Now tell me. Do you like Sasuke?"

"If I like Sasuke ...?"

"Yeah! I mean, do like him, like 'I want to kiss him' like him. Be honest, I can take it."

I racked my brain to understand what she just said. "Uh, yeah sure I like him. He's my friend. Although not at first, cause he was really brooding and weird and I had no idea what his deal was. But now he has lightened up so I guess you could say that I do like him."

Sakura stared at me with her mouth hanging open. "Are you serious?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm serious. Why? What's the big deal?"

"THE BIG DEAL IS THAT I'VE HAD A CRUSH ON HIM FOR YEARS!!"

My brows furrowed. "A crush?"

"Yes! A crush! Don't act like you don't know what a crush is."

I was still so confused. "No, I don't."

She stopped and looked at me. "You don't know what a crush is?" She frowned a little, then cracked a smile. I just stared at her. "Hey guys, get this. Lea doesn't know what a crush is."

Ino, Temari, Tenten and Hinata walked over to us. They all gaped at me.

"What's the big deal?" I asked.

"The big deal is," Ino said. "Having a crush is one of the biggest and most important milestone in a girl's life. No girl ever forgets their first crush."

"I remember my first crush," Temari spoke up. "His name was Tonoki. He leant me a kunai once when I lost mine and I never stopped drooling over him until he migrated to the hidden rain."

They all smiled and giggled. My frown deepened. "I'm sorry but I still don't know what a crush is."

Tenten grabbed my hands and stared out into space with dreamy eyes. "A crush is when you like like someone. Having a crush is like being on top of a cloud."

"Like like?"

"Oh my gosh." Ino face palmed. "Was she always this dense?"

"Sadly, yes," Sakura answered.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"See?"

Hinata giggled. "U-uh, well you know how Sakura is always fawning over Sasuke? And the way Ino flirts with Sasuke too? That's because they have a crush on him."

I nodded my head in understanding. "So a crush is acting like a complete idiot in front of a boy. Got it."

"Hey!" Ino and Sakura shouted at the same time.

They others laughed. Temari wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Look, when the time comes, you'll have a major crush on someone too, then you'll understand."

"Or maybe she already does but hasn't noticed," Tenten pointed out.

Temari nodded. "You're right. You're absolutely right."

"Okay tell me Lea," Sakura said. "Is there anyone you daydream about? Or he talks to you and your tummy feels weird? Or your heart speeds up?"

I bit my bottom lip, thinking hard. "Uh, I think so."

They all gasped. "Who is it?" Ino asked excitedly.

I turned and looked about for the familiar head. Finally, I spotted it, peeking up above the others. "Him."

"Kakashi sensei?!!" Sakura shouted.

I looked at her. "Yeah, I daydream about him sometimes, but I don't know about the other things. Does that mean I have a crush on him?"

She stared at me with her jaw hanging loose. Hinata was the one who spoke. "I can understand if you like him Lea-chan. He's really cute. But don't you think he's a little old?"

I looked back over at him. "He's much more mature than the other guys."

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Ino was laughing unbelievingly and Temari was staring at me with pride.

"Well, the good thing is that you don't like Sasuke," Sakura said, finally speaking up,

"Or Naruto," Hinata whispered, barely audible.

I was confused again. Yes, I know. I was extremely dense, but can you blame me? I've been locked up minimum human contact for years, living off morphine (don't ask why, I have no idea) doesn't allow me to know these things.

"But I do like Sasuke and Naruto," I said. "They're my friends."

Ino groaned. "Okay, I think you're missing the concept here." She drew closer to me and began talking to me like I was a toddler. "'Like' is when you like someone like a friend, 'like like' is when you have a crush on someone. And 'love' is when you 'like like' someone so much, you want to get married, have kids and live happily ever after. Get it?"

I frowned and then looked up at them. "What if I think someone is extremely attractive and I daydream about them a few times but I don't 'like like' them."

"It depends," Tenten said. "What do you daydream about?"

"Uh, hanging out together."

"Details," Sakura persisted. "We need details."

"Okay, uhh, we're walking to a restaurant and we're talking. We're laughing and having fun, but I feel absolutely nothing."

Hinata smiled at me. "That means you don't like him. Kakashi, I assume."

I nodded my head.

"Well! Then we are right were we started.' Ino flung her hands up and looked intently at me. "Lea. Who do you have a crush on?"

Kakashi's POV

I looked over at Lea one last time before disappearing around the corner. She was still surrounded by the other girls. Funny how she was so introverted and weak when she first arrived and now look at her. She's popular, although I'm sure she doesn't notice, and she's grown in strength and skill so quickly it was a no wonder she took her opponent out.

I headed down the dark hallway and entered the meeting room.

The other senseis were already there and, sitting at head, was the Hokage.

"Glad you could join us, Kakashi," the Third Hokage said.

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Sorry, I had to make sure no one was noticing."

"It's no matter. Take a seat."

I nodded and sat in the stiff back chair available.

The Third Hokage cleared his throat. "I'm sure you all know why I called this meeting."

"That Lea girl," Asuma said, his cigarette clenched between his teeth.

"That's right. You all saw her eyes. You know who she is."

"What we don't know," Kurenai spoke up. "Is what she's doing in Konoha. I thought they had all died out."

"We all did," said Guy.

"That's just half the mystery Lea present," said the Third Hokage. "She shows up out of nowhere. Lies as to why she was being chased and she expects us to think it's okay." Sarcasm laced his words.

"Actually," I piped in. "I think she does think that we're okay with it. Trust me, I've been her sensei for the past few months and if there's one thing I know about her, it's that she's naive."

"That's what they all want you to think, Kakashi," Kurenai said. "That's how they gain your trust."

I frowned at her. "Woah, are you seriously thinking that she's a spy right now?"

"What else should I think Kakashi?"

"That's she's a scared child, running away from something!"

"Kakashi, keep calm." I thinned my lips at the Hokage but kept my mouth shut. "She may be a spy, we don't know. She might not be. What we do know is that there is something very, very different about her. Her chakra ... You've seen it before."

"The Nine-Tailed Fox," Guy said grimly.

The Hokage nodded. "Yes, we all saw how she got mad and went berserk. There's no mistaking that raw animalistic chakra."

"But we already have the nine-tails sealed away in Naruto." Asuma blew the smoke from his mouth. "How could she have it?"

The Hokage sighed. "I don't know. I can't come up with any theories right now. But with that chakra and those eyes, that girl will be unstoppable."

"I don't think she knows," I spoke up. "I've noticed that she does very complex jutsu that she should be way too advanced for her."

"What do you mean?" Asuma asked.

"She does fire style jutsu that are extremely powerful. And when I ask her about them she says she only just came up with them. It's as if she doesn't even notice that what she's doing shouldn't be possible for someone at her rank."

"You're right," Guy agreed. "The fire sword jutsu she did out there looked powerful. She even fainted."

"But that happened after she went berserk, Guy," Kurenai pointed out.

"The powerful chakra is too advanced for her," I said. "Remember what I said happened in the hidden mist. That circle she create was full of red chakra that it looked like it was on fire. And when it was over? Passed right out."

"Her body can't handle it."

"She slept for five days."

"That's enough." The Hokage held his hand up. "We don't know enough about her to continue this. You all have one task: watch her, see everything she does and how she reacts to it, finds out what causes the chakra to come out and find out if there are any more survivors like yours." He waved his hand. "Dismissed."

We all headed out. I didn't follow them back. Instead, I went into the other room to check up on my student.

Sasuke was lying on the bed I had placed Lea in when I walked in. "Feeling better?"

Sasuke didn't open his eyes. His sweating had died down a bit and he wasn't panting as hard as when I had left him.

"I don't feel like complete crap anymore, no."

I sat on the edge of the bed. "We'll get rid of it. You don't have to worry."

He scoffed. "Worry? Who's worrying? I was so powerful, so awesome out there."

"Trust me, that mark causes more damage than you would think."

"How would you know?"

I sighed and looked down at him. "I know persons who have been in the same situation. They didn't fare well."

"You think I'm that weak?"

"As a matter of fact, I don't. I know you're strong enough not to fall for it. You're not considering keeping it are you?"

"I don't know what I'm thinking."

I shook my head at him. He did look confused. I patted his arm and stood. "Trust me on this," I said.

He nodded sat up on the bed. "Wait, I'm coming." I watched as he got of the bed and together we headed back to the others.