Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto.

A/N: AHHH!!!! There isn’t one… I’m a kitty… MEOW!!! AHH!

Grey like a Storm Cloud/I Can See!/Shino Can’t Cook

Kagami’s eyes had allowed her to see the day before when she talked with the Hokage and the following day, so she took advantage of it. Before she had the meeting with the Hokage, she went to the market to buy some things for dinner that night. She was still tired from the day before however. Considering how late she finally got home, and her father sitting in a chair waiting for her, she was mentally and physically exhausted, but she knew that the only thing she had to do to get over that was to walk around and do something.

Whilst carefully holding her grocery bag and a stick of teriyaki chicken in the other, she made her way home. Thanks to the little stunt that she called ‘Run Away to Suna to be with the Person that you Really Love’, she’d gotten grounded until the Chunin exams were over, and she had to clean up the whole house after she got back from the meeting with the Hokage. She didn’t mind though. It was worth it for what she’d seen.

She heard a cat meowing nearby, so she looked for the source. She chuckled at the small animal once she found it following her. It looked so small and frail, like a lonely soul just looking to be loved. She tore off a piece of her chicken and gave it to the animal, which in turn, gulped it down seemingly without chewing.

‘Aren’t you a hungry one?’ she asked playfully while petting it. It must just be some stray… Or a pet that someone didn’t want so they left it on the streets… she thought as she threw down another small piece. She walked to her house like that, sharing her food with a feline. She didn’t mind at all.

‘I’m home guys!’ she called once she’d fished out her keys and finally got the door open. Her brother appeared from around the corner, probably coming from his room she thought.

‘Who is your friend?’ Shino asked.

‘Huh?’ she turned to see that the small cat had followed her inside. She chuckled. ‘I don’t know. She meowed at me and I gave her part of my chicken. I guess she just kept following.’ Kagami explained. ‘Think dad will let me keep her?’ she then asked after a minute of watching Shino walk up to the feline and carefully examining it.

‘I don’t know. It wouldn’t hurt to ask. You’d have to buy the food though.’ he replied. ‘Have you named her?’ he then asked.

‘Not yet. But I was thinking about Yori.’ Kagami replied then bent down to face the cat. ‘How does that sound little one?’ she asked it. It meowed as a response and jumped onto her shoulder. ‘Yori it is then.’ she said with a smile.

‘She’s a grey as storm clouds, but she’s sweet. Who would do that to her?’ Shino asked petting Yori’s head lightly.

‘I don’t know. Whoever it was, they didn’t deserve her.’ Kagami said digging through the bag and setting the items on the counter.

With the help of Shino, Kagami got the groceries put up fast and before she knew it, someone was knocking on their door for her. She was escorted to the Hokage’s mansion by an ANBU member wearing a fox mask. The walk was silent, and he walked a bit fast for her, but she managed to keep up.

Once inside, her escort left her to do whatever it was that he did, to find the Hokage. Once she’d found the door, she knocked quietly and entered once she heard the okay to do so.

‘How are you today Kagami?’ the Hokage asked.

‘I’m pretty good. You?’ she replied trying to sound casual.

‘Eh, could be better, but I’m good.’ he responded as he waved his hand to bring someone in. ‘This is Tatsumi. He will take you below the mansion and into the medical area. Please don’t mess with anything.’ the old man said as Tatsumi was taking her out of the room.

Kagami followed Tatsumi down three flights of stairs and past too many doors for her to count on one hand. It seemed endless. Everywhere she looked, there was a black abyss there. It felt as if nothing could penetrate the endless darkness, but she finally saw a light just when she was about to give up looking.

Once they were at the door, Tatsumi opened it and allowed her to enter first and then he followed and with the light click of the door, it was shut, cutting off her means of escape if necessary.

‘Good afternoon Kagami. The Hokage told us that you would be here with us today.’ someone said to her right. She glanced around the room in fear. She hated anything that dealt needles, and that meant rooms like this as well. Things around her went blurry and that was all she saw. Her vision failed her again, and she was thankful for that.

‘If you will allow, I will take you to a bed and I want you to lie down.’ someone else said. Apparently they knew that he vision could fail at anytime, but they didn’t know that it already had.

Kagami felt someone taking her hand and she was led to the bed that the person told her about. She did as she was told by lying down. She felt someone place their hand on her forehead and that was the last thing that she remembered.

The rain fell, just like it did on that day. Puddles danced, lightening flashed and thunder crashed, making a small, frail girl shudder like never before. For the two seconds that the sky was illuminated with light, tears could be seen running down the girl’s face. Faster… faster… faster… More sobs, more cries.

Years past, lives were taken. Everything was a blur to the girl. She was taking from her sandy home, and to a new, lush, green one. She couldn’t get used to it. Everything was so green. She wanted to burn it down, or tear at the memory until she couldn’t breathe anymore.

She would always say that she was sorry. Sorry for what? No one knew.

Hopes crushed, eyes burned.

Her heart beating faster, faster, faster…

‘Are you okay Kagami?’ she heard someone asked.

Kagami slowly opened her eyes. Everything was bright at first, but then it dimmed to where she could see clearly.

‘I can see.’ she said, flabbergasted. She heard a man chuckle.

‘Yes you can. It was a simple operation. Turns out, there wasn’t anything wrong with you. Your eyes were trying to fight the effect of the acid and was winning, but they would tire after a while, which explained your blindness after a while. We just sped up the process and helped your eyes.’ the man explained.

‘You don’t know how thankful I am.’ she said with a wide grin plastered to her face.

‘Yes. You’re welcome. But do us a favor, don’t go near acid anymore. You see what it got you into last time.’ the man said grinning. ‘If you feel dizzy or faint at all, please go to the hospital. Tell them that the Hokage’s medic team sent you and they should let you in. Someone from here will be there shortly afterwards.’ the man explained. Kagami nodded and was helped off of the bed.

The man that had escorted her to the medic room was waiting outside. He still didn’t talk as he was taking her back to the ‘surface’, as she would call it now, but he seemed friendly enough.

Once outside the mansion, the sun was bright. Really bright. Kagami had to shield her quivering eyes in order to see properly. Once she got used to it however, she took a step forward and made her way home.

Shino was waiting outside with Yori in his arms. The small feline jumped out of his arms, leaving Shino shocked, and ran up to Kagami and jumped on her shoulder.

‘You are such a sweet thing!’ she said gaily as she nestled her cheek on the cat.

‘How did it go?’ Shino asked. There was something about his voice that explained why he was outside. Despite his worry, he was afraid. Of what, she didn’t know, but he was afraid nonetheless. Kagami sighed and prepared to explain the story.

Once she’d finished explaining all they done to her (that she could actually recall), they were inside and Shino was making something inside the kitchen.

‘Well? What about your eyes?’ he asked seeming impatient.

She sighed a fake sigh and replied, ‘I’m blind forever now!’

--And despite her wanting it to be a joke, Shino took it seriously. She could see him running around the room, in and out of the kitchen, mumbling to himself about how unreliable doctors are, even the ones that treat the Hokage himself. He stopped when he heard Kagami laughing. Both Yori and Shino looked at her with strange looks on their faces.

‘I was joking. I can see perfectly, and still hear the same as well.’ she said, still laughing. Shino just looked at her funny while Yori started to bathe herself. ‘I can’t believe that you actually fell for that.’ she said after a minute to regain her composure.

‘Then I take back everything I said about the medic team of the Hokage.’ Shino said and walked back into the kitchen. ‘Man! I burnt it again!’ he said from the kitchen. Curiosity got he better of her and Kagami went to check on him.

‘What happened?’ she asked form the doorway.

‘I was trying to make supper, but this happened.’ Shino explained holding up something black.

‘What was it?’ Kagami asked disgusted, but with a smile on her face.

‘This was supposed to be part of lasagna, but you can see how that turned out.’ he replied holding his nose in the air. Kagami sighed, but took a spatula from a drawer and prepared herself to teach Shino to cook.

It was a long process, but she finally got dinner made and into the oven. She sighed and licked the small spot of cream cheese and hamburger meat off her finger. What they had left of the hamburger meat, they fed to Yori in a small bowl.

‘Where’s dad? I haven’t seen him around in a while.’ Kagami asked cleaning up the spilt cream cheese and other foods that they used in the lasagna.

‘He was called on a mission a couple of hours after you left. Since he was just being called as back-up, I’m sure he’ll be home soon.’ Shino replied putting a bowl into a sink full of steaming water. ‘And that water is very hot.’ he said jerking his hand back like something had snapped at it. Kagami snickered.

‘It’s the only way to get the food off.’ she said and walked to the sink and casually put her hands inside and started washing the dishes. Yori had hopped up onto the counter and started playing with the bubbles that were in the sink. ‘Did you like that Yori?’ Kagami asked her feline companion. It meowed in response. She giggled at the small animal and continued washing dishes.

‘How long until it’s done?’ Shino asked, making her stop washing and dry her hands. She turned to see him looking into the little window of the stove, bored.

Kagami bent over and looked into the stove, which helped very little. She told Shino to stand back and she opened the lid and looked intently. ‘I’d give it fifteen more minutes. Think your grumbley in your tumbley can wait that long?’ she asked with a smile while closing the oven. She heard Shino sigh.

‘I’ve heard so much about your cooking skills from Hinata that I want to try it out myself. I think I’m wasting away…’ he said putting on his own little theatrical performance. It was cute, but over dramatic.

‘Ah, you’ll live you big knucklehead.’ Kagami said spraying Shino with a shower of soap suds playfully.

‘Hey…,’ he said. ‘That wasn’t fair. I don’t have anything to fight back with.’ he whined.

‘Then don’t. Sometimes you don’t have to fight to win.’ Kagami replied putting the fork and spoon into the dish drainer.

‘What?’

‘Vitality before violence. You play with fire, you get burned correct? Don’t start anything, just remember to finish it. There is a story of someone, a group of people, who got in over their heads and lost. ‘In vain glory they arose, shouting challenges at the gods. But prevail they did not, their doom it was to walk the mist until time’s end.’ And time never ends brother. The Nu Mou were doomed to walk the same path until time ended, and time is eternal. You try to get into a fight that you know that you can’t win, you will walk the same path as the Nu Mou.’ Kagami explained. Shino was silent. Yori meowing broke the silence that filled the room.

‘I didn’t know you could be so…. so wise.’ he said, taken aback by her speech.

‘Every older sister has it in them.’ she said with a smile. ‘Put this on your hand and take out the food, carefully.’ Kagami said passing Shino an oven mitten. She watched as he carefully opened the oven and took out the food.

‘Can we eat now?’ he asked looking at the fresh, steaming food.

Kagami moved to a nearby cabinet and took out two plates and to another drawer and took out two forks and placed them in front of the large platter of lasagna. She made her way to another drawer and took out a clean spatula and carefully dug it into the food, making a square for Shino. ‘You can now.’ she said pushing the plate in front of him. ‘And let me know if you like it.’ she said leaning against the counter with her arms across her chest.

‘Why aren’t you eating?’ Shino asked.

‘A chef never eats before his, or her in my case, audience.’ she replied. Shino looked at her funny, but stabbed his square of lasagna and popped it into his mouth.

‘There are too many words to say about how good this is.’ he said still chewing. Kagami smiled triumphantly and started to make herself a helping of dinner.

‘Vanity before victory’ and the ‘In vain glory they arose…’ was taken from the game Final Fantasy XII. They seemed to fit the situation. Thanks for reading.