So I've had this idea floating around my head for awhile, and I even started a story with it on another account, but it wasn't going the direction I wanted. So here's my retry! Please read and review, and thanks for giving it a try! I'd love to hear what you guys think! Most of the chapters I have planned will have our stars as adults, I don't believe I'll have AU but I don't think I'll follow canon exactly, still deciding though! Just a few chapters will be as kids, to get the ball rolling, of course.

Enjoy!

I: Lepidolite

1. Is a varety of mica

2. Stone of transformation in that it helps one get through transitions with trust that everything will ultimately turn out for the best.

Keywords: Calming, Balance

He noticed the little girl with black, thick-rimmed glasses at six years old.

They covered more than half her face at the time; Kakashi wondered if she was asking to be bullied wearing those things.

He first saw her clapping her hands together mindlessly with another classmate, chanting meaningless words with a large grin on that cloudless day. Useless, he remembered thinking, to utilize their break with such inane activities not related to the shinobi world one bit. How would a woman of fiction called Mrs. Mack aid in the teachings of technical skills; how would it keep them alive?

Kakashi paused then, his wrist poised to throw another kunai into the worn post, furrowing his brow.

Why did he care?

A shrill whistle echoed through the children's space, signifying break was over. He watched the kids trudge their way back into the Academy from the courtyard with an unfathomable coolness, black eyes slightly narrowed on the deep-chestnut color adorning the glasses-girl's head. Her hair was an unruly, curly mess bouncing as she walked beside the girl with purple marks on her cheeks, speaking animatedly and gesturing with her arms wildly.

Nohara Rin laughed softly at something the girl said, causing her mouth to stretch almost too wide and touch the brim of her spectacles. Hatake Kakashi did not even notice the full-on glare he was emitting as he observed her pat the Nohara girl's back excitedly with one blow.

He did not know her name.

At age six, the prodigy made a point to know everyone in his class- their strengths, their weaknesses, and least of all, their names. So why, he thought as he stepped quietly, did he not know this senseless dork's name?

She seemed average.

That was why six-year old Hatake Kakashi felt so much frustration on that sunny Wednesday afternoon.

He could not answer why he kept a steady eye on her ever since his revelation of ignorance. She raised her arm once in class to answer Sensei's question- chosen, spoke with relative intelligence, then sat back down scrunching her nose in humor when a classmate teased her.

She wasn't extraordinary.

The silver-haired boy sat in the row diagonal from her, catching her profile in the corner of her eye. She talked with her seatmates in hushed whispers sometimes, paid attention other times- the only thing Kakashi could possibly note was that she cracked her knuckles and joints a little too often.

It wasn't until he was called upon to answer a question about the velocity vs. displacement of a shuriken toss- honestly Sensei probably wanted to choose a student who would definitely answer sensibly- that he caught site of her completely. He answered the question easily, smoothly, but found that when people turned back to their devices to get through the lesson, her eyes lingered for a moment longer.

From the distance, Kakashi noted she had large, blue eyes beneath those ridiculous glasses. They reminded him of when he stood on the lake for one of the first times; it was when the first snow of the season cloaked Konoha in a still grace, and he looked down into the dark waters and couldn't make out any shapes.

He made a small 'tch' sound low in his throat, averting his gaze a little too quickly to escape those bottomless eyes. Since when did he start comparing some silly girl's eyes to depths that he could not grasp? Speculating about this insignificant girl would not bring him any closer to being an accomplished shinobi.

Her eyes did not matter.

And her hair was stupid.

The next day it rained.

Upon entering the classroom, he noticed his classmates were not in their usual seats. Everyone eventually developed a routine, and details were not something Kakashi frequently overlooked.

"Maaaan! Senesi had to go and switch us all around! And who sits us in alphabetical order still!"

Uchiha Obito's irritating whine floated through the room, causing Kakashi to roll his eyes as he took his seat.

"I can't sit by Rin-chan anymore!"

"Maybe it will get you to pay attention more, Obito-kun."

Doubtful, Kakashi thought flatly, as he turned his attention from the two, granting them enough for the day. Students continued to slowly file in, tracking in mud and trailing water to their seats. Kakashi had been prepared though, and had calmly made it to the academy, not a drop on him. Obito was too foolish to check the weather before stepping out, no doubt.

"Naho-chan! How did you make it without a drop on you!"

Blinking, the silver-haired boy snuck his gaze back towards his loud classmate. Immediately did he notice the little girl with absurdly large glasses compress her lips to suppress her laughter, adjusting her glasses with nimble fingers.

When did she get there?

No matter. Her name was Naho, then.

She stood beside the Nohara girl at Obito's desk, clasping her hands behind her back so she could tap her fingers together quickly.

A habit, perhaps?

"Some people check outside before taking off!"

Rin scolded Obito with a concerned look, her brown hair falling slightly as she leaned over his desk to jab her finger playfully in his shoulder. He immediately scowled, red blotching his cheeks not so subtly. The Naho girl took this time to laugh, a sound Kakashi found wasn't all together annoying, not like Obito. She pivoted on her heel after making a quiet remark, causing Obito to shout indignantly and Rin to join the laughter as well.

Kakashi glanced away- to feign indifference or in actual disinterest, he could not quite tell.

He did not want her to notice his observation,though.

She approached him casually, and as she took her seat beside him she proffered him a quick smile and tucked a large curl behind her ear, "Hi, so you're my new seatmate, Hatake-kun? I'm Hosokawa Nahoko, but you can call me Naho."

With those glasses, Kakashi noticed her focus was not so unnerving. Her body language indicated she was open to conversation, although she did tap her fingers on their conjoined table once she placed her hand down. Kakashi merely inclined his head before turning his attention up front, where Sensei had just announced roll call.

Her name sounded familiar.

Hosokawa…

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Present, Sensei."

"Hosokawa Nahoko."

"Present!" She seemed nervous to speak in front of the class this time, though when answering questions previously she seemed to have a grasp on her ticks. Hadn't they already been in the same class for half a year? Why was she so inconsistent?

"Ah Hosokawa, if you could stay a bit after today's lesson. We have something to discuss."

Kakashi watched the curls on her head bob slightly when she nodded her head, bringing a hand to the back of her neck in an abashed sort of way. He saw red creep up from the collar of her shirt.

"Y-Yes, Sensei!"

And right as she spluttered a quick response, Kakashi remembered where he had heard that name.

"Nee, Otou-san, what do you know about the Hosokawa clan?"

"Hm? The Hosokawa? Why are you asking about them, Kakashi?"

"One is in my class."

Kakashi remembered the peculiar look that dawned on his father's face then, something six-year old Hatake Kakashi could not quite identify. Looking back, he would recognize that look as a number of things- Wariness, dread, and a paradoxical gleam of hope.

"Oh? What's their name?"

"Hosokawa Nahoko. She's… okay. Her hair is too curly, though. And she fidgets."

He remembered how his father barked a laugh before placing a hand on his shoulder, a comforting sort of presence enveloping him.

"Saa, Kakashi, listen to me."

His voice was warm, yet there was an underlying seriousness that revealed his tone. Immediately attentive, Kakashi blinked. His father squeezed his shoulder for a second before lifting his hand.

"The Hosokawa are a mixed bag. They are a very powerful clan, in many sorts, less in other ways. Keep an eye on Nahoko-chan."

The silver-haired boy remembered a feeling of confusion, like he didn't totally grasp the meaning of his father's words.

"Is she a threat?"

Miscomprehension.

"Ah? No, I would not say that. I mean to say… do not discount people so easily. Loyalty, too, is a powerful tool, just as these tantō or your kunai."

"Haa?"

Not so far in the future, his father would give even his life to prove those words.

She brought sweets every day.

"Your teeth will rot out of your head."

"You don't mean that, Kakashi-kun!"

He could smell her before he even saw her. He had been relaxing beneath the shade of the tree in the courtyard while his fellow students played a game of tag, when she had approached with a stick of dango in hand.

When had she the time to retrieve such a treat?

"I'm serious, boke."

His eyes were closed, but he heard her make a neutral sound before plopping down beside him.

He cracked a lid, watching as she devoured the sickly sweet mess before sticking her hand in the bag, producing another-

"Want some?"

"No."

"Really? Because I have enough. I think it's probably better if you take one, actually. I might- aww man!"

Her sudden exclamation had Kakashi's attention, his dull black eye lingering on the treat now sticking to her unruly fringe.

"I told you it would be better if you took one, Kakashi-kun!"

"…Moron."

His father had told him to keep this one close?

"Oi! That's mean!"

She was quiet that Tuesday.

Usually she would talk to someone, not necessarily him, but someone who would at least hold steady conversation. It was always about what to do the next weekend- specifically, where she could acquire a better sugary treat than the last. He remembered her speaking with the Nohara girl about a teahouse on the far side of town with the 'absolute best' pecan pastries and if they didn't visit that particular afternoon then their souls would 'wither' and 'die.'

Kakashi thought that was a bit dramatic.

But today, the curly haired brunette wasn't much one for words, which caused the silver-haired boy the glance her way more than once throughout the lesson. She pushed her large glasses up slightly as she scrawled barely-legible notes, something he noticed she didn't do often.

Had her grades slipped, the clan mentioned something troubling?

The Hosokawa weren't very prominent in Konoha, his father stating that their main residence lay elsewhere in the Land of Fire. Their reach, however, extended well beyond their country's borders. Maybe they had contacted her family? Disappointment, perhaps?

"The Hosokawa are a mixed bag." He recalled his father saying that not for the first time, causing the prodigy's brows to furrow.

What did he mean by that-?

Kakashi caught the triangular paper which had a trajectory for his forehead, scowling slightly at how the girl almost caught him unawares. She kept her gaze forward, but he noted the curl of her lips from her profile, outwardly expressing her amusement.

Hmph.

Unfolding the triangle, the silver-haired youth noticed there was small, scrawled writing.

Huh. Passing notes seemed juvenile to him, even if he was six.

'My dad went on a mission with your dad.'

Immediately did the words register in Kakashi's mind, causing him to furrow his brows for the second time in a span of minutes. He opened his mouth from beneath his mask before pausing, gathering himself and narrowing his eyes in thought.

Why had she bothered to tell him this? Was this why she was quiet? Why would this information bother him? His eyes found her profile again-

She was looking down as she cleaned her glasses with a cloth, and Kakashi noted her face seemed to be relatively normal when not engulfed by those large rims.

"Until tomorrow, then!"

They were being released.

Hatake Kakashi stood, his eye keenly glancing at Nahoko once more before gathering his supplies and turning. What should have that information meant to him, he wondered. What was her purpose?

"Kakashi-kun."

Glancing at her from over his shoulder, he quirked his brow at the blue-eyed little monster of a desk-mate. For a moment, he was again reminded of the murky waters beneath his feet as he tested his chakra control, confident that the water would not engulf him.

"See you tomorrow."

He wondered, though, about that nebulous gaze.

He did not care to go out of his way to see anybody outside of the Academy.

When he was not in school, he was training, namely with his father, or researching better techniques and how to implement them. Today was one of those overcast days where his father would supervise, though it turned out not for long. It was around dusk when Kakashi registered another presence in the small clearing of wood in which he occupied.

Halting his actions once the sequence was complete, he turned his black gaze on the small figure now standing beside his father at the edge of the clearing. Her curly hair was pulled back into a neat braid, and she wore fresh clan trousers and tunic; clothes that hinted at money.

Her hands- covered in scrapes and scuffs- were grasping a handful purple hyacinths, bound with a sloppy white string.

Frowning beneath his mask in confusion, Kakashi stepped towards his father and classmate. He couldn't make out the words she had said, but heard his father speak warmly and place a gentle hand on her head.

"Nahoko."

The brunette blinked as her eyes turned to find the silver-haired boy, scrunching her face with good humor as a greeting.

"I never want to spar you, Kakashi-kun. You're scary."

"What are you doing here?" He ignored pleasantries, manners thrown aside as he scrutinized the bespectacled girl. It wasn't just her hands that were scuffed, but her cheek and brow had scrapes that seemed foreign on her skin.

"Oh, I wanted to thank Hatake-san and apologize about Pa."

"Eh?"

Kakashi heard his father sigh before chuckling at the Hosokawa girl.

"You don't need to apologize, Nahoko-chan."

Here she whipped her gaze from Kakashi, gazing up at the older Hatake.

Frowning, "But I do! Pa's a good medic, but he's awful to be around! He's so strict and serious!"

Hatake Sakumo blanched.

Kakashi, however, accustomed to this unfiltered youth, snorted in half amusement, half derisiveness.

"You go around saying that stuff about your dad?"

"It's true!"

"I don't think Hosokawa-san would like this, Nahoko-chan…"

Kakashi watched Nahoko frown again, though it was a deep sort of frown that creased her mouth a little too much. He did not know Nahoko well, but the way she sunk into herself caused something deep in his chest to sting.

Too much.

"Oi, Naho. Let's spar."

"Eh!?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Fine! But I'll put your face in the dirt!"

Then she tripped.

"OI! THAT'S DIRTY KAKASHI!"

Hatake Sakumo watched as the girl exploded, completely forgetting her earlier dismay as she collected and threw herself at his son.

It was true; working with Hosokawa Sosekin was trying at times. He was a very stern man set in his ways, sometimes uncooperative if he deemed things or people lesser than him. Thankfully Sakumo was flexible and could work around the man's stubbornness, but Sosekin had not left Sakumo with a great impression years ago.

Things had not changed much.

The Hosokawa were a mixed bag, indeed, he mused, as he watched his son hide a slight smile behind his mask.

Sosekin's daughter had brought him flowers signifying an apology, and not on her part. It wasn't until hours later, when the two had exhausted themselves, that Nahoko sped home before they could send her off and Sakumo smiled gently at her retreating figure.

"Keep up with her, Kakashi."

But Kakashi only scoffed at his father's words, not understanding why he should keep up with her when he had beaten her multiple times.

He did not grasp at the time that his father did not mean competitively.

She was seven when her mum addressed her academy grades.

"Are you not interested in your studies, Naho?"

Uzumaki Shoken was a hardworking medic that specialized in pediatrics at Konoha Gen. She hailed from the all but diminished Uzumaki clan from Uzushiogakure, adorned with their signature, striking red hair and wide blue eyes. Naho liked her mum's hair, often reminded of the cherries ripe for the picking on hot summer days. She noticed that her father, too, adored her mum's hair, sometimes catching him admiring it with uncharacteristically soft features.

That's how she knew he wasn't all sour.

He loved her mum and her.

"Mm, they're okay, I guess."

Honestly, perfecting kunai by throwing it continuously at the same unmoving block did bore her, as did talks about strategy and 'what ifs.'

Plucking a grape from its vine, Naho savored the flavor of the sweet fruit, pursing her lips in a way that made her mother chuckle.

"What is your favorite part, peanut?"

Uzumaki Shoken watched her daughter's expression immediately brighten as she pointed a finger to the sky, as if she had a brilliant revelation. "I really like talking to my classmates."

Shoken imagined if possible, there was a sweatdrop on the back of her hair.

Rubbing it almost self-consciously, she conceded to her daughter. "That's good, honey. But what about the curriculum? Is there anything you like?"

Despite her grades, Naho was a sharp girl.

She turned her back on her mum to meander through the Hosokawa gardens, a thoughtful expression coating her small face.

She understood that by asking these questions, her mother was inadvertently testing her commitment to a ninja education and eventual lifestyle. Hosokawa Nahoko was not interested in hypotheticals and probable situations, but what was certain and true.

She deduced that this was a pivotal moment in her life, at age seven.

Running a hand through her braid, Naho spoke up with a calm that she knew was required of this conversation, though not as serious as she could be. She did not want her mum to know that she had a keen sense of deductive reasoning- not yet, anyways.

"I like the practical things we learn, like the survival part stuff. I set the fastest fire without using any jutsu!"

She heard her mother give a soft chuckle of admiration, followed by her footsteps. She was a couple feet away from her, tending to her flowers that, to Naho's delight, were in full bloom.

"That's good, peanut. Your father will be proud."

Naho's expression faltered, souring slightly. "Pa wouldn't be proud over something like that."

"Don't be ridiculous, Naho. Your father is very proud of you for joining the Academy."

The way her mum phrased it did not escape the small brunette, though her mum probably didn't even notice. Pa may have been lighter than usual once Nahoko joined the Academy, but that airiness did not last long. Naho understood her father better than others did, knew that he loved both her and her mum, but also understood he was not a very forthright or expressive man.

Shoken took her daughter's silence as victory, pushing the soil down with her flat palms. She glanced at her daughter's back, crouching in the grass by the hydrangea circle.

"How about you come with me to the Uchiha compound tomorrow, Naho? I have a few checkups to do and I'd like an extra set of hands."

"Eh, is that really okay?"

The smile Naho received was blinding.

"Of course, peanut."

"Uwah! It's Naho-chan!"

The seven year-old kunoichi-in-training wore her hair in a neat fishtail braid, her wide-rimmed glasses falling slightly as she quickly looked up from her mum's pack. Instantly, her mouth widened, "Obito-kun!"

It was a routine that quickly formed on the weekends when Nahoko accompanied her mother to the Uchiha compound. Naho and Obito were both generally friendly people with excitable personalities, so upon realizing they could easily meet up in the compound, both jumped at the opportunity. They had become friends during their year at the Academy, along with Nohara Rin and a very reluctant Hatake Kakashi- on Naho's part that was.

"You're late! And you left that good-for-nothing behind this time!"

Obito had a ways to go…

"Aa, Kakashi-kun was busy today."

She liked Obito because he had energy unlike anyone she had ever met; he may have been fallible, but he did not stay down for long.

She took in his labored breathing as he finished approaching her, sweat on his brow and eyes squinting slightly from behind his goggles. He was flushed, attempting to cover his mouth with his sleeve, as if he were wiping something on it.

She frowned, and her seven year-old brain even registered that something was slightly off.

"Tired?" Her high voice rang, not mocking as laced with concern.

He shook his head and uttered something about never falling or failing-

Nahoko wasn't quite sure because in that moment she tuned him out, spotting her mum.

"Oka-san! I found a patient!"

"Oi!"

It had to be an hour later when they had finally settled Obito back into his apartment with porridge, wet clothes and medicinal herbs lining his counter.

"Rest up, Obito-kun! I will send Naho to check on you later."

A sneeze, then, "Thanks, Shoken-oba-chan!"

The door closed, and Shoken turned to her daughter who had patiently waited with her pack. She hummed thoughtfully at her child, placing her hand on her head with a small pat.

"That was impressive, Naho. You noticed a fever without using conventional methods to check."

She watched red creep up her daughter's neck, but not before she caught the flash of hesitance in her face.

"Obito-kun is an open book."

Nahoko did not mention that as she looked at Obito, something relatively new was developing.

As she continued to go on these check-ups with her mother, she started paying more attention to people and their mannerisms. Her mum said that mannerisms were important regarding health, so keep in mind their physical as well as emotional tell-alls. Naho knew about chakra of course, but was not advanced in her studies to mold it very well.

But somewhere along the line of trailing behind her mother, she started to notice others' chakra and the molding of it. She could feel chakra in a way that she never had, and started closely observing it in those familiar to her.

"He just… felt different."

Shoken smiled at that, noticing that her daughter did not like to harp on her positive qualities. She probably did not know that observing chakra levels and fluctuations was not common until at least ten or eleven years old.

"Let's go to the hospital tomorrow, peanut."

Naho smiled, "Mm!"

Despite appearances, she was not completely oblivious to the fact that this was yet another pivotal test.

Hatake Kakashi realized Hosokawa Nahoko was not a complete airhead the day of his Otou-san's memorial service.

The sky did not open up that day but it was not cloudless; there was a chill in the air and the sun only occasionally revealed itself.

He had found Hatake Sakumo after he had ended his own life, disgraced they said. Kakashi did not say much, and although there were whispers of dishonor and contempt, many attended the service. Officially, he was first and foremost remembered as Konoha's White Fang.

He saw too much that day.

He was consumed with a bitter sadness, and his surroundings seemed to crisp. He saw each face in a haze of clarity and realized his idolization for his Otou-san was rapidly fading into red. A simmering anger was replacing any positive feeling-

Those large, square-rimmed glasses with their ridiculous frame and size caught his eye.

She was standing a bit to his side, her hands clasped in front of her with her fingers tapping against each other as a woman behind her placed a hand on her shoulder gently before stepping away. She seemed to heave a breath once the woman left- her mother- and she decidedly fixed her gaze on him.

Of all the things, he did not expect to be so angry when he looked at those glasses that all but swallowed her face.

Did she not realize they were so dorky? She looked completely fine without them, why couldn't she just get a normal pair like everyone else-

He was glaring at her, he realized. But that wasn't what surprised him. The look at which she leveled him, depthless eyes steadying him as a chilly breeze swept by. Her too wide mouth was flat, though not unfriendly, and her hair- stupid hair- was pulled back neatly into a regal bun. She did not look calm, but she did not look as her normal energetic self.

She surprised him.

She was not going to bug him with sweets today, he realized.

Of all the things he wanted to hear-

"Pa is a liar."

That certainly was not something he expected.

She had approached him to stand before the memorial stone, and although she had kept contact for quite some time, she finally turned her gaze to the stone. He watched as her eyes narrowed until they were squeezed shut, as moisture gathered at the corners and she kneeled in the grass despite her expensive, black clothes.

Her mouth was compressed into a tight line as she bowed her head- why should she bow her head?

"Pa lied." Her voice broke and Kakashi only stared with a blank gaze.

Her hand fisted in the grass and with this new clarity, the silver-haired youth realized that the girl was expressing anger.

She was angry, just as he.

He opened his mouth from beneath his mask- what do you have to be angry about, he wanted to scream- but words caught in his throat and only a strangled sort of noise came through. He stood there for a long time with her in the grass before he realized it was getting too cold, and he had half a heart to tap her shoulder, something, before he left.

But then she stood, and he remembered that day she brought him back from wherever his mind was reeling off to with a sharp nod and red-rimmed eyes.

She wiped them from beneath her stupid glasses and uttered words of finality.

"We'll be better."

Better than them.

And he watched her dust herself off with two firm shakes, waiting for her to offer empty words of condolences and sympathies. Upon receiving a stretched yet comfortable silence, Kakashi realized that Hosokawa Nahoko was anything but thoughtless.

"Abandoning the mission for the sake of a few… a foolhardy and dishonorable man! No matter the cost! Unthinkable."

She would be better.

"Nahoko, do not ever abandon the good of the village for a sake of the few. It is the right thing. It is just."

She would be just.

Thanks for reading!