Chapter 1: The Beginning

.:Save Me:.

First, I would like to apologize to anyone who liked the original version of this story, but I hope you all enjoy this revamped version of it too! I've switched up somethings but I've left in many of the elements that those who loved the original like the most. I've also lengthened the chapters so you have more to read inbetween updates. With that said, I hope everyone enjoys this ride as much as I love writing it- enjoy!

A deep, shaky breath left Toshira's lips, her fingers picking at a loose thread on the hem of her shirt. Her body hunched, trying to appear as small as possible to the other three people sitting in the waiting room with her. She chanced a glance towards them, hoping they didn't notice but also wanting to know where they are in the room. An older woman with grey streaks breaking up her dark red hair while her deep green eyes burned with fear, worry and- to Toshira's distress- utter hatred paced the small room they were escorted to. Her breathing was ragged with her raging emotions and while her hands flew wildly around her gesturing at everything but referring to nothing as she mumbled under her breath.

"You should rest yourself." the older man sitting closest to the door- furthest away from Toshira- gentle chided her as he reached out an aged hand towards her. The woman stopped, taking a moment to regard him before her face twisted.

"Rest? Rest?! How can I do such a thing when Hiroshi- my baby- is probably dead on an operating table!" She wailed. The man immediately recoiled, choosing to return to his silence.

"Mother, running yourself into the ground won't help him." A younger man- a few years younger than Toshira herself- stated from the middle of the room as he watched his the elder woman with a keen eye. "What will he say when he sees you?" The woman whirled on him, pointing an accusing, wrinkled finger towards his face.

"If! If he wakes!" She bellowed before her fury turned to the only occupant that has remained silent in the room. "This is all your fault!" Toshira's heart squeezed as she lowered her head further, almost curling in on herself.

"Mother, you can't-"

"She's the one that decided not to be a shinobi! She's the one that choose to force my son into being the sole provider for her when he married the useless woman! She's the reason he took such a dangerous mission and he's probably-" a harsh gasp cut her off. She stumbled backwards as if Toshira had struck her, while clutching at her chest. The two men immediately tried to catch her but she shoved them away viciously. "Don't touch me!" she repeatedly screamed as they continued their efforts once more but soon realized it was pointless and allowed her to stand shakily on her own.

"Mother, please-"

"I should have been more disapproving of the wedding- I should have tried harder to prevent it! If I had- if I had tried harder to instill better values into him then he wouldn't be-" once again, a loud pained gasp cut her off causing the two men to go to her. Meanwhile, Toshira only turned away, silent tears falling down her cheeks at the words venomously being thrown at her.

Is all of this truly her fault? Is she really the reason her beloved husband is more than likely on his deathbed? It's not like she sent him there- far from it actually. She practically begged him not to go on the mission as they were told the mission had a high possibility of becoming much higher ranked but he insisted. He wanted to be able to afford a new addition to their garden that would allow them new plants that would better filter the air for Toshira. He wanted her life to be even the slightest bit easier since she has a long history with lung problems- hence why he also didn't want her to work as it may aggravate her condition. All he wanted to do was make sure his wife was happy and safe. So, maybe it is her fault they're all here?

The door creaking open hushed the room as the doctor that was assigned to Hiroshi entered. He didn't speak, allowing his eyes to scan over everyone in the room before he inhaled deeply and removed the cap covering his head.

"You all are the family of Hiroshi Hishimo, correct?"

"How is he?! Is he okay?! Where is my baby?!" the woman cried as she nearly collapsed to the ground but the strong support of her husband and son kept her standing.

"What's going on?" The man asked softly, his eyes glued to his wife. The doctor glanced towards Toshira who still sat with her head facing away from everyone before returning to the three infront of him.

"We did everything that we could," the woman let out a piercing cry collapsing to her knees, "but while we were closing his heart ruptured. It happened too quickly for us to prevent it. I'm very sorry, but he didn't make it." The older man squeezed his eyes closed, the woman screamed on the floor, and the younger man stood motionless with wide eyes. All were too focused on their own reactions to notice the woman behind them shake, a hand over her mouth to keep in her own anguish, as tears flooded her face.

This was not the place for her to share in her in-laws grief- they would never stand for that. It's better for everyone involved, if she bid her time until she was alone, to truly mourn the loss of the one man that's ever loved her so unconditionally that he defied his very family to love her. No- that's a loss she must grieve on her own for she is the only one in that room that can understand just how deep this pain runs.

Within the next five months following Hiroshi's death, Toshira's life changed drastically. The Hishimo family disowned her from their family nearly the same day they all received the news of his passing. They pulled strings and were able to make sure she wasn't allowed at his funeral- something that she can't hide crushed her the most. Not only has she lost the greatest loss of her life, but she wasn't even allowed to lay him to rest.

Now, they've pulled strings with her landlord in order to evict her from her home that was once filled with such love. They used some excuse of her not being able to pay the bills so it would be wasting time not to kick her out now so a real tenant can move in. At the time, Toshira knew that was a lie as her husband left her more than enough to afford their shared home for sometime and live comfortably. However, what she didn't know was that, by disowning her from the family, it exempted her from all of the benefits that Hiroshi left for her in his will. So, as a widow of five months, she is homeless, penniless, jobless, and alone in a village that is notorious for neglecting the needs of mere civilians when shinobi need much more attention. It was at this low point in her life that Toshira made the decision to leave behind the only village- the only life she's ever known behind for a possibility of something better.

As she placed a large bag into the vegetable wagon of a kind elder man who agreed to take her to the neighboring village without payment, she recognized that this is what her in-laws wanted all along. They wanted her gone and out of their lives since she met Hiroshi- and now she's giving them their wish. Apart of her wants to stay- to prove to them that they can't bully or intimidate her into doing anything, but the stronger, much more tired part of her knows she doesn't have the strength to keep fighting them. They've broken her down far more times then she's ever been built up thanks to her late husband. Now they've destroyed any chances she could've had to rebuild her life- no matter the emptiness it would always hold. The smart thing is to just leave and try to let everything that they've ever done to her to continue to slide but how can she just forget?

"We better get going before it starts to get dark!" Toshira looked over her shoulder into the man's bright brown eyes that held so much happiness they twinkled. "I can't have anything happening to such a sweet girl like you. You still have a long life to live!" She blinked at him and nodded slowly before getting on the wagon with his help. He expertly climbed into the driver's perch and they were off. As they passed through the looming gates of the village, Toshira spared only a single glance backwards to the home she's ever known- Suna.

"Maybe… maybe Konoha will be different."

It took only three and a half days for them to arrive to Konoha. When the gates first came into view, Toshira was floored by the beauty of it all.

Suna was a beautiful village as well, but it was a different kind of beauty compared to this. Suna is surrounded by sand and is constantly being assaulted by the sun, but it's because of this harsh environment that unique landscapes and flora sprout creating a gorgeous oasis in the midst of a desert that you would think you reached the gates of some kind of god's paradise. Konoha wasn't in the middle of the desert, however, so it can't have that sort of charm. Instead, it sat in the middle of a massive forest. It almost feels as if she just discovered a mythical kingdom ruled by fantasy creatures living perfect lives. Maybe, maybe this will be the place that she can have her fresh start.

"Where should I take you?" Toshira glanced at the man, staying silent for a long time.

"Anywhere will be fine."

"But I can't just leave you on the street! That's too dangerous for a young woman on her own." he kept going and didn't stop the wagon until they reached the stables assigned for traveling merchants to use. As he made sure his horses were settled, he put the reigns away and settled her with a hard look.

"I don't have a place to go nor do I have any money to afford a place right now." Toshira quickly explained before he could say anything. The man's eyes softened as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I can-"

"No." Toshira firmly declined already knowing what he was going to offer her. "I've already taken advantage of your kindness enough as it is. I have a few belongings that could get me enough money to afford somewhere to live long enough for me to find employment." She stood, facing him and bowed low. "Thank you very much for all that you've done for me. I only wish that I can repay you." The man gave a loud sigh before getting down. Reaching up, he helped Toshira down as well before getting her bag with all of her belongings in the world inside and handing it to her.

"If you're that adamant about it, then I would suggest trying to get in contact with the housing representative for civilian affairs. They should help you until you get on your feet. Their office is in the hokage tower." He pulled back the tarp covering his produce, grabbed a medium sized bag, and started placing various fruits and vegetables into it. "Take this as a housewarming gift- not a hand out or a loan." Between the blinding smile and the outstretched offer of food nearly made the new widow cry. How could there be such kind people in this world?

"Thank you." she shakily said while taking the bag. The man smiled and then covered his produce once more.

"Don't worry about it little lady. You can pay me back by taking care of yourself. Now get going! The office won't be open all day." He gave her a good natured chuckle before waving her off. Toshira bowed and thanked him once more before turning and walking away. When she made it across the street from where they once stood together, she looked back only to see that he had started sorting through his produce. A soft smile made its way to Toshira lips as she then started her trek to the largest building in the village- the place she can only assume is the Hokage tower.

As she'd hoped, Konoha is much better at caring for their civilians that Suna ever was. The people in the office the kind produce told her about were very helpful. They showed her a list of current job openings and even offered to help her apply for them. Unfortunately, there were many she couldn't do given her health condition which she had no choice but to reveal to them. With that as an obstacle, it severely limited what she could do physically do and, with her even more limited skill set, limited her to only a handful of jobs. In the end, she picked the highest paying of the ones she could do- a cleaning lady for a high class restaurant in the village. Even with that in mind, she still won't be able to make anywhere close to be able to afford a small apartment much less a small house.

It's because of that they had to get creative and severely lower the standards of what kind of home she could get and where. Normally, the department likes to place newly arrived civilians into the civilian district as it's close to all the businesses and allows for easy community integration. However, Toshira would need to be able to make three times the amount she currently is making in order to afford even the cheapest option there. In the end, they were able to find a tiny cabin that has been vacant for the past few years on the outskirts of the village.

It's in a secluded area but it's not an overwhelming distance from the restaurant she'll be working at. They offered to ask the police force to send patrols pass her house but Toshira declined. Why would she already be proven to be a burden to her new home when she that was what she was only known for in Suna? She's supposed to be trying to start fresh- not bring her old life here. With everything in place, she received her keys, a map and was sent on her way with a map and a book filled with vouchers to get enough furniture and food until she was settled.

The moment she saw her new home, she could tell why the place was vacant for so long. Everything on the outside looked as if it needed renovations and repairs as one of the two windows she could see was busted and the door looked like it was barely hanging on. When she went inside, she could also see why it was offered at such a cheap price. It was all one giant space. The kitchen was minimal but enough for her alone. It flowed into a large space she can only guess is meant to serve as her living room. There was another large space to the side of the kitchen but she couldn't fully tell what it's supposed to be used for. Although, she did find two doors next to the space. As she investigated them, she quickly learned that one was a tiny closet while the other was a bathroom.

"So, I'm guessing I'm standing in my bedroom." She grumbled to herself as she slid her bathroom door closed, only having slight trouble as it got stuck halfway through. Letting out a deep sigh, Toshira placed her bag of produce on the small counter in the kitchen and sat her bag of belongings next to it. "I should at least get a bed before it gets too late." With that in mind, she grabbed her vouchers and keys before leaving to find a furniture store.

Like that, Toshira's new life began.

Six months into Toshira living in Konoha, she's given up on the notion that she's going to be able to live a happy life anywhere. With her limitations in physical ability and in skill, there's not much she can do in terms of getting a promotion or even thinking of switching jobs so she's stuck at making the little money she does. As a result, every morsel she gets must go towards food or repairs on her home leaving no room in her budget to even think about getting training in a trade or new skills. Plus, since she can't do much else but work and struggle to survive, she hasn't had the chance to even begin to meet any new people. Besides the polite conversations with her coworkers, she's secluded- now not only in living.

She's utterly alone. No one she knew from Suna would even dream of contacting her after her ex-in-laws disowned her and there's no way she can dream of missing or skipping a day of work to have time to explore the town or else she'll have to go without food for a while. She has no one to lean on and the village has already reached its limit on how much they can help her. So, now, she's alone. Utterly alone.

Toshira didn't even realize tears started streaming down her cheeks until she say the ripples in the large bowl she used to scrub her clothes in. She harshly wiped at them as she gathered her wet clothes and took them outside. There's no sense crying over her misfortunes now. Doing so won't change anything nor will it sway the hearts of those she once knew into accepting her back. That's foolish thinking.

A loud snap coming from the wilderness behind her nearly made her heart lurch out of her chest. Spinning around, she scanned the forest line for any signs of what could have made the sound. She nearly squeezed every ounce of water from the shirt held in a strangling grasp in her hands while her heart pounded in her chest.

"Maybe it was just an animal." she tried to convince herself as she hesitantly turned around to continue placing her clothing on the drying line when a soft moan reached her ears.

At that point, she couldn't pretend not to notice it anymore. That sounds like someone in trouble! She has to help. Otherwise, how can she call herself a decent human being? Taking a butcher knife from her kitchen, she cautiously searched the woods for whoever made the sound, listening carefully. She must have been walking for about five minutes when she heard another moan- this time louder- that she could clearly hear was filled with pain. Moving quickly towards the source, Toshira was stopped in her tracks at the sight before her.

Bleeding profusely from many wounds she couldn't see due to the blood against a tree was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. His long flowing hair was such a striking red that it almost reminded her of the skin of a perfectly ripe apple. His facial features looked regal almost making him look ethereal in the afternoon sunlight. Sadly, she couldn't see what color his eyes are given that they were closed tightly- probably because of his wounds. Snapping out of her daze, Toshira quickly rushed towards him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Mister? Can you hear me?" He didn't respond, but she could hear his ragged breath proving he was still alive. Looking around quickly, she couldn't see anyone or anything that did this to him so she focused her attention solely on the stranger. "Well, I can't just leave you here, now can I? But it's going to be difficult moving you." Toshira scans his body once more before an idea popped into her head.

She quickly raced back to her home and grabbed the small wagon she used to gather firewood with and raced back. Trying to be as delicate with his wounds as possible, she gripped him under his armpits and plopped him into the barrel after struggling under his weight.

"You know," she paused, taking a deep breath in an attempt to quil her ragged breathing, "you're a lot heavier than you look." taking the handles, she started the slow, strenuous journey to deliver the bleeding man to her home.

Toshira's POV

I had to sit down for a moment after I was finally able to get this stranger into my home. Taking a large gulp of air, I felt my lungs slowly start to expand out of their constricting state only a few minutes ago. Once I was sure my lungs wouldn't close, I turned to the bleeding man lying on my bed. What am I supposed to do with him?

It crossed my mind that taking him to the hospital would be the best option, but given that he doesn't have a head band nor any identifying markings that I could make out on his clothes showing who he is. That means he's not a missing nin as they usually keep their head bands but cross out the symbol but it also means he isn't a ninja from Konoha. Maybe he's a civilian that was attacked?

Shaking my head, I used my knife to carefully cut his tattered shirt. Once I was able to get it completely off, I could easily see his torso was covered in deep gashes that looked like claw marks. Did a bear attack him? Rushing to my kitchen, I reached into my cabinet and pulled out my small first aid kit. Bringing it to him, I set everything up and got to work trying to clean and bandage his wounds. Once that was done, I made sure he was comfortable and cleaned everything up.

"You owe me more medical supplies. I don't have enough money to just restock these things when ever I want." I told him as I filled a glass of water and placed it on the bedside table next to him. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched him.

He truly is beautiful. His brow was smooth now that his wounds weren't openly bleeding and probably producing a little less pain. Even though his hair was a little matted with his own dried blood, it still looks soft. Maybe I should clean it? I mauled over the thought for a moment before shrugging. The sheets are already stained red with his blood- a little water won't damage it anymore.

Getting a small bowl of water, a towel and a brush, I set up everything behind him. Laying his head on the towel, I got to work easing the tangles out of his hair and working the clumps of dried blood from his silky strands.

"You must really take care of your hair for it to still feel like this after everything it's been through." I absently stated. I glanced at his face to see if he had woken, but he didn't move. Letting out a soft breath, I got back to work. "You do realize you're going to owe me a HUGE favor after this, right? I don't just take care of everyone like this." Still nothing. I hummed, my head tilting to the side as I looked over his face.

"You know, you have the strong build of a shinobi, but you don't have any of the materials one. You could be a civilian that's really into taking care of themselves, but why would someone- or something- attack you like this? Plus, what were you doing in the forest in the first place? Were you gathering supplies for something? Looking for someone? Maybe… escaping police after committing some kind of crime?" My eyes narrowed as I leaned a little closer to his face, pausing in my work. "If you are some kind of criminal, know I keep many hidden weapons here and I'm not afraid to use them. Just because I'm a woman and I live alone doesn't mean I don't know how to defend myself. My late husband was a shinobi, you know." He didn't even flinch. A soft smile came to my lips as I straightened.

"Even if you are unconscious and probably can't hear anything I'm saying, it's nice to finally have someone else around here to talk to." And like that, my lonely dark days seemed to brighten.

There was no more coming home to an empty house. Instead, when I got off from work, I spent my time taking care of the sleeping stranger. I washed him, cleaned his hair, and made sure he didn't make a mess in my bed whenever he had to use the bathroom in his unconscious state. The only thing that worries me is the fact I have no way of giving him food or water. I can't possibly afford getting IV bags and taking him to the hospital will raise more questions- not to mention carry the weight of getting kicked out if he turns out to be some kind of high criminal labeling me as an accessory. Whether or not that's how it will play out is debatable but I'm not taking that chance. I was only able to get to where I am now thanks to the immense kindness of strangers- something I'd rather not chance I will get somewhere else.

Maybe it's a symptom of something bigger going on in my mind as to why I'm being so paranoid. It could be that I'm afraid of getting the same treatment here that my ex-in-laws gave me. Maybe I'm scared that, if the first person that's shown up on my doorstep leaves, no one else will come and I'll be alone again. Frankly, I'm not really interested in identifying the cause because it's not going to change what's happening now- and now, I have an unconscious man that's been sleeping in my bed for a week.

He's twitched once or twice in that time but I haven't seen a single sign of him waking. Maybe there's something internally wrong with him? Could he be in a coma? I don't know the answers to any of that. All I can do is take care of him while I can and wonder how he made it to this point. He is gorgeous and he seems like he's been well taken care of. Maybe he's the son of some shogun? A rich diplomate? A kage perhaps? Could he have been escaping thugs trying to kill him because of his position? Maybe missing-nin thought they could get a large pay day from his death or kidnapping?

"Come on, Toshira- that's ridiculous even for you." I giggled, shaking my head. Turning away from my house guest, I collected the dirty bandages I just replaced, and moved to the trash bin to dispose them. I take a breath, but a hand squeezing my neck forces all air to become trapped in my lungs. Before I can even react, my back makes contact with my wooden kitchen floor as I'm staring into blood red eyes with an oval pupil like a cat. Long, silky red hair creates a curtain around me so the only thing I can see are those cold focused eyes.

"Who are you?" his voice rumbled deep in his chest but it was also a little scratching. Probably because he hasn't used it in a week- maybe even longer. The tightening of the hand against my throat quickly snapped me back to reality. "I won't repeat myself, human."

"M-m-my name i-i-is T-Toshira!" I gasped out, clawing at his hand to loosen his grasp even the slightest bit. Black dots lined my vision while a deep feeling to sleep hit me like a tidal wave. Is he going to kill me? That would suck- being killed by the guy you saved and all.

"Where are we?"

"I-i-in m-m-my house! Y-y-you've been un-unconscious for a-a-a week!" His eyes narrowed before her slowly released me and sat up. I've never been so desperate to gulp in air before in my life. He merely watched as I coughed and gasped trying my best to get my breathing in order. When I can feel my lungs going back to a steady state, I turn back to him and notice he's still extremely close to me- only a foot away to be exact.

"Why did you save me?"

"The reason why I would help anyone." I took in a slow breath, crossing my legs as I looked him in the eye. The action probably didn't sit well with him, because he glared back at me. So he doesn't like it when people look at him head on? Interesting. "I was in a position where I could help so I did. There's really nothing more to it." He grunted, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Foolish human…" his voice trailed off.

"Are you ok- hey!" he collapsed right into me, forcing me to hold him up. "Hey! Mister?! Are you ok?!"

"Stop yelling in my ear, human." his voice was husky but slightly slurred. What's the big deal- what happened to the big bad guy from before?

"Excuse me for wanting to make sure all my hardwork this past week hasn't gone to waste." I mumbled, shifting my grip so that I held him under his arms as I struggled to stand us up. He tried to do it himself, but I guess he used up all his energy attacking me because he didn't do much. In the end, we somehow stumbled to my bed and collapsed on top of it. He let out a soft hiss before rolling onto his back.

"Sorry." I mumbled as I say a red blotch slowly growing where one of his wounds lay on his side. I reached out to check it, but his hand shot up, gripping my arm in away should have been painful but was more of a gentle hold given his current state. I rolled my eyes, letting out a breath. I liked him better when he was just an unconscious mystery. "You know, if I wanted to hurt you I would have done it a long time ago- hell- I would have just left you in the woods, but I didn't. Why would I start now after working so hard on taking care of you?" He let out a noise that sounded very close to a growl before his hand slid off of me.

"Foolish human." He grumbled, turning his head away from me. Talk about the disrespect. Maybe he is some kind of rich kid- he has the stereotypical attitude of one.

One Month Later

Toshira's POV

Everyday with my new house guest has been a new adventure into something I never knew I would experience after Hishiro passed away. Within the month he's been staying with me, I've learned he is most definitely NOT a civilian. The fact alone that he had severe injuries that are close to being healed already is proof enough as it is. Adding his lightning reflexes and the way he watches my every move with eyes that tell me his brain is working is proof enough. At the same time, I know he can't be a shinobi.

Any shinobi in this situation would be asking or trying to get into contact with their home village by now. At the very least they would be trying to leave- healed or not. He hasn't done any of that. In fact, he always seems anxious whenever I ask him what village he's from. It's almost like he's afraid or has a strong hatred for them. He's looking more and more like a missing-nin.

"Why do you stay here?" He spared me a quick glance from his perch on the only windowsill in my house by the back door giving a beautiful view of the forest. I watched him from my place lounging on the couch I've been sleeping on for the past month.

"Why do you live alone in one of the most dangerous parts of a village?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Neither have you, human." My eyes narrowed on their own accord as I crossed my arms.

"I have a name that you very well know."

"Why would I use your name when you don't even use mine?"

"Because you refuse to give it to me!" I can't see his face, but I'm almost positive he's laughing at me internally. Jerk. "If you must know," I huffed knowing the only way this conversation will move forward relies solely on me, "this is the only place I can afford." my throat went dry knowing that, once I say it outloud, the painful memories of my past will all start to come back. "After my husband died over a year ago on a mission, his family felt that I deserved to suffer. So, they ran me out of my home village with no money or connections until I landed here." I blinked hard, trying my hardest to keep the tears burning the back of my eyes at bay. This is not the time to cry.

"Forgive me if I'm not shocked." He grunted, still not facing me. "Humans are vile, hatful creatures that care for nothing but gaining power and destroying each other- no matter who it is. Family or friend. Weak or strong. In an ever changing world, that's the only constant." The bitter and disgusted tone of his voice made the words he spoke sound more like a curse he was placing on someone rather than a statement. However, the more his words bounced around in my head, the sadder I became. What's happened to him to make him paint everyone with the same brush like that?

"It is true that there are people like that in this world. I've met my fair share of them, but I also realize that there are many more people that are the opposite of that." He shifted slightly, watching me with those red, cat-like eyes from over his shoulder. "Even though I've been hurt in ways I can't ever express in words by people, I've also been helped by such loving people that choose to spend their life trying to pursue happiness for themselves and spread it to others. They do so while recognizing the faults and weaknesses in those around them but choosing not to hold that against them. Instead, they try to help those people better themselves and make them strong where they need it. It's because I know people like that exist that I try my best to live up to the standard they've set everyday." For a long time, neither of us spoke. We just watched each other, trying to gauge what's the right thing to say next.

"Those kind of people are practically nonexistent in this world." He finally stated, going back to looking out of the window once more. "You've more than likely been sheltered from it, but these villages only care for those who are already strong. They only want to make themselves stronger because of their own paranoia about their neighbors trying to destroy them if they appear too weak. Have you ever wonder how nature can allow for predators and prey to live in the same environment and still allow both to thrive while humans try to wipe each other off of the face of the earth?" I want to respond, but I can feel in the air around him that it's not the right time to do so. There's something deeper weighing on his mind. He started to add on to it, but I could see the moment he chose not to when his shoulders slumped, releasing the tension I didn't realize was settled in every muscle of his body.

"For some reason," he continued in a much more relaxed tone, "you are the exception to that fact. You cared for me not knowing anything about who I could be. However, it's extremely foolish of you to invite someone like me into your home- much less into a village." His tone took a sour note once more, his body almost curling in on itself. Is he… brooding? What could be so bad about him to cause his mood to drop so drastically? What could have happened to him to make him think so lowly of people in the first place?

"In that case, why don't you tell me who you are?" Everything was still for a long moment before he turned his full body towards me. His eyes bore into mine gaining my undivided attention.

"Humans like you know me as the ninth great demon- the dreaded nine tailed fox." ...what? I almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous that sounded.

I mean- he can't honestly think I'd believe he is one of the nine great demons after I found him bloodied in my backyard of all places. What are the chances of that actually happening? Plus, besides his eyes, he doesn't look anything like a demon. I can't imagine anyone being terrified of a man with a face so perfectly sculpted like his. He must think I'm really stupid to believe something like that. With all of that in mind, it's almost second nature to want to laugh at something so ridiculous. However, the only thing that brought the air of doubt into my mind, is the deadpan look in his eyes a he stared me down.

He must have sensed my doubtful thoughts, as he held a hand towards me. Fiery red chakra that almost reminded me of flowing blood engulfed his hand. Now, I've seen and been around chakra before as I was married to a shinobi, but nothing I've ever witness even comes close to comparing to the feeling radiating off of this. I can feel it's suffocating aura from my place five feet away from him and I don't even have the ability to sense chakra. It's like he was holding the personification of power in his very hand. How can anything be this strong?

"Ok," I started carefully as the chakra fizzled out, "I believe you." He grunted, his eyes never leaving my face.

"Do you fear me?" That took me by surprise. Am I?

"No." I finally stated causing his eyes to narrow. "I've heard stories about the great demons- how they have the power to slaughter thousands and can terrorize the villages they stumble across. But I've also seen countless loyal and unloyal shinobi do the same things a lot more often. I've only heard legends about you, but I can't even count how many personal accounts I've been told of shinobi doing all of the things you've been accused of everyday. Both you and shinobi take lives and spar them. If I fear you, then I would have to fear my husband and every shinobi in the world. Does that sound rational to you?" He didn't say anything. In fact, he merely blinked at me with a completely blank face. This is one for the history books- Toshira shocks a demon into silence. I took every ounce of self control I had to not laugh. This has to be the best day of my life here so far.

"You're a strange human." I couldn't help myself- I burst out laughing. My gut started to ache at how hard the laughter rocked my body. He stood from his seat and made his way to the bed completely ignoring my outburst. "If you're done, I'd like to get some sleep." He grumbled, lying down and rolling over so his back was to me. I giggled but finally got myself under control.

"Well, I've answered your question, can you tell me your name?"

"I've already told you what your kind calls me." I rolled my eyes, a smile stretching my lips.

"I'm not asking for your title. I want to know what your real name is." He doesn't move and I almost believe he's planning on ignoring me. I chuckle, getting comfortable in my makeshift bed to go to sleep. Looks like I'm going to have to try again tom-

"Kurama." I sit back up, my eyes on his back. So he finally decided to answer?

"Who gave you that name?" As I expected, he didn't respond. Letting it slide for now, I plopped back down, a wide smile on my face. "I guess I'll have to ask you that later. Sweet dreams until morning!" Like always, I didn't get a response. We just drifted off to sleep allowing the soothing sounds of the forest to take us there.

The next four months have been more peaceful than I ever thought possible for my new life. During the day, I would go to work and Kurama would do different modifications to the house. I can't tell if it's through boredom or if he truly enjoys doing it, but he's put a lot of time and energy into making my little house into something more.

So far, he's completely redone the outer framing, created a master bedroom for me and even added two other rooms as well as a second bathroom between them. Now, he's working on constructing a second level but underneath the standing structure. From what I've been allowed to see (as he's surprisingly very adamant on not showing off his work before it's completed), he's creating three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a larger living room and a second kitchen. He's even built furniture for each new room he built so I didn't have to buy much more than mattresses and cushions. I've been wondering why he's practically making a second home below mine, but maybe it's because he's planning on living down there himself. I mean, he hasn't left yet and he doesn't seem like he's planning on it anytime soon. He could just be happy with me here.

We do spend a majority of our time cooking together in the kitchen or discussing various topic that show off our views. Sometimes we may go on walks in the woods together or read one of the few books I brought with me from Suna together and then talk about them. I think it's safe to say we're friends now. There's no way we're still strangers to each other after everything we know about each other, but I doubt he sees me as anything more than that. Friends just seems like a safe bet at this point.

"I'm finished cutting." I blinked, bringing my attention back to the present. Glancing over, I see that Kurama has, indeed, finished chopping up the vegetables I assigned to him.

"Thanks! It should be okay to toss them into the stew now." as I add them into the already boiling mixture, I can practically feel his eyes drilling into the side of my head. When I look back at him, he's still staring me down with those mesmerizing red eyes. "What is it? Is there something on my face?" I can't read his expression, but I can tell by the way his shoulders tense for a moment before relaxing that there's something on his mind. "Is there something you want to-"

"I love you." ...What? Did he just say… he… loves me?

"Wha… what makes you say that?" He only blinked at me, his demeanor undecipherable.

"For a while, I've been finding myself… impatient for your return when you leave. So much so that I've been trying to distract myself by doing things I've never thought I would do. Whenever I'm close to you, my heart beats faster and I can't help but wonder what it would be like to be close to you forever. After looking up these symptoms in that… dic-tion-ary of yours, I've come to realize what I'm feeling is… love. So, I love you." Speechless. He's finally found a way to leave me completely speechless. I never thought that… I would find someone else to love me.

"I love you too," my breath hitched as my eyes burned with unshed tears, "but I'm afraid of allowing myself too." Immediately, he turned away from me. His eyes harden the slightest as he stared across the room to the window by the front door.

"Is it because I am a demon." It was much less a question and more a bitter statement.

"No." I quickly stated, taking a step closer to him. He stared at me through the corner of his eye at my movement, watching me closely. "I want to, but I can't tell if it's right or wrong for me to love someone so soon after Hiroshi…" my throat started closing, cutting off my words. I had to cover my mouth to hide the sobs that threatened to come out. Once I was able to control myself, I slowly lowered my hand, bringing it close to my chest.

"Why do you feel that way?" I blinked slowly, letting out a shaky breath before raising my eyes to meet his.

"Hiroshi… he gave up nearly everything for me. His family almost disowned him, he constantly worked to care for me, and he had to deal with constant ridicule from his peers- all because he married someone like me. I wanted- I practically begged him countless times to leave me just so his life would be easier, but he never did. He loved me so much, that he was willing to go through all of that hardship for two years. Even before we married, he wanted to make our relationship public because he felt no shame in claiming that he was in love with me, but I wouldn't let him. I was with him for four years before he was taken from me. Every second of everyday we were together, he made it clear how deeply he loved and cared for me. And if I-" I squeezed my eyes closed, counting backwards from ten trying to calm my racing heart. Just remembering him brings back all of the emotions- all of the pain of losing him all over again. What will happen if I lose Kurama after all of this too? "And if I… love someone else after all of that, aren't I disrespecting everything he ever did and sacrificed? After everything we've been through, am I even allowed to love someone else?"

"...Did he ever tell you he wanted you to be happy?" Looking at my hands, I thought over all of my memories with Hiroshi searching for an answer.

"He did. Sometimes he would tell me that… if he didn't return from a mission one day, that I should still find a way to be happy. He said I should find a way to continue living my life no matter how painful it may seem." A deep hum that sounded almost similar to purring came from Kurama bringing my attention to him. He still was looking across the room, but his face was much softer.

"I understand… the attachment mates can have for each other. Once your mate dies, it can feel as if finding another will be impossible." Watching his face, I couldn't help myself from wondering.

"Have you ever loved someone before?" He leaned his head back, looking at me with those beautiful red eyes.

"No, but I've witnessed many cases of human and animals interacting with their mates over the years." Oh- "But your mate wants you to be happy for the rest of your life. He isn't here to ensure that, so he'd want for someone to do so in his absence. Whether that be friends or another mate for you to love, but I won't force or pressure you." Straightening, he fully faced me and started walking pass me- more than likely to his own room.

"Kurama-"

"I will give you as much time as you need to work through your emotions." Whirling around, I stared at his form as he paused in his doorway. His back was to me so I couldn't even begin to try and guess what was going through his head.

"Kurama, please don't be-"

"Cutting the vegetables has made my clothing dirty. I will feel more comfortable dining in cleaner clothing." But…

"Ok." After that, we ate together and everything went as it always does. We talked and did other miscellaneous chores around the house but we never brought up the topic again. But what will happen on the day that we will have to talk about it again?

Three Months Later

Toshira's POV

To my utter shock, we haven't talked about what Kurama said. There would be times I would think we would start a conversation about it, but then it would devolve into a different topic. At first, I thought there must have been something on my face that made him second guess talking about it. When I questioned him on it, he never really answered his honest opinion about it.

"There's no need to rush." Is what he would say before changing the subject entirely. Maybe he's nervous about what I will say when we do talk about it?

No matter what he says, I know he's very aware of the fact that humans have hated and attacked him for years just because he is the nine tailed fox demon. Even though he hasn't told me, I'm almost positive that's one of the reasons he was hurt when we met. I can't even begin to imagine what must be going through his mind at the thought of allowing himself to be vulnerable with someone like me. I don't blame him for worrying about being hurt again. A deep sigh left my lips as I pulled my bag closer to my body as I walked quickly down the path back home.

The night air chilled through my clothing causing me to hug myself tighter. Why do parties have to take so long to leave a restaurant? I couldn't help but grumble about the large group that came into the restaurant and left well after closing time hence why I'm heading home so late. Kurama is going to be so worried-

"Mom-" the child's voice was abruptly cut off bringing me to a complete stop. What's a child doing out in these parts at this time of night?

Obviously, I couldn't just walk away. What if the child needed help? Taking a deep breath, I did my best to follow the faint sound I heard somewhere in the woods. Why is it that I keep finding the strangest things around my house? The thought echoed in my head while I slowed my steps as the sounds of soft rustling drifted to my ears.

Hiding behind a tree, I peaked around to see two figures covered from head to toe showing no identifying features. One of them held a small boy that looked no older than six while the other was crouched and drawing something in the dirt. The little dark haired boy was tied and gagged, his bright black eyes were wide as he looked between the people holding him hostage and around the forest. At one point, our eyes connected. Please help me! His eyes practically screamed that one line over and over again. I can't just sit here and do nothing!

"Hey!" Both of the kidnappers paused before turning towards me. My heart pounded as I picked up a rock and chucked it at the one crouching. The kidnapper move to the side effortlessly before standing straight. "Let him go!" Neither of them moved before they regarded each other.

"The lord said no witnesses." The man- I'm assuming from his deep voice- told the other.

"Then I'll deal with her." The other man stated smoothly, pulling out a knife that glinted in the moonlight. My heart hammered in my chest as I reached down and grabbed a chunky tree branch. Like hell I'm going to go down without a fight!

"Then come try it!" My body shook proving I wasn't anywhere near as confident as I sounded.

The man didn't say anything as he lowered into a fighting stance. I gripped the branch tighter. I'm definitely going to die. I took a small step forward, but the man disappeared. Half a second later, a knife was stopped inches away from my face causing a loud screech to leave my lips as I stumbled to the ground. Why didn't he just kill me?

"You will not be shown mercy for attacking someone dear to me." Kurama! Sure enough, Kurama stood to his left gripping the man's wrist.

Before I can even think about saying anything, he spun, slinging the man as if he was a doll and slammed him head first into a tree. The kidnapper's lifeless body slid down the side leaving a trail of blood against the trunk. A snap brought my attention to the sight of Kurama holding the other assailants head in his hands, his neck twisted in an unnatural way.

"Are you alright?" He asked releasing the man as his body dropped like a rock to the ground unmoving. Amazing…

"I'm fine." I breathlessly said before looking around for the boy. It didn't take me long to see him standing only a few feet away from him, his tied hands covering his face as his body shook. He must be so scared. Getting up, I quickly moved to him, lightly placing my hands on his shoulders. "You're safe now, sweetie." I told him working on removing the ropes from his body. Once they were gone, he slowly lowered his hands, his eyes filled with unfiltered fear as he gazed at me.

"Are… are you sure?" I smiled as kind as I could as I placed a hand on his head.

"Yes, sweetie. My name is Toshira, what's yours?"

"Itachi." He hesitantly responded.

"Itachi, that's an adorable name for an adorable little boy." I poked his nose eliciting a small smile from him. At least he isn't shaking anymore. I stood up, holding my hand out to him. "I live closeby. Do you want to go there, get cleaned up and then talk?" Itachi glanced between me and Kurama before nodding slowly. He took my hand we all made our way through the forest.

When we made it home, I gave him a quick bath while Kurama offered to wash his clothing which, now that we had better light, I could see were pajamas. So they snatched him from his bedroom? How can anyone be so monstrous! I had to count to ten in order to control my anger as not to scare Itachi anymore than he already was as I got him redressed. Once that was done, I placed Itachi on the couch while I kneeled in front of him. Kurama stayed by the window next to the front door, his watchful eyes scanning for anymore people looking for Itachi. Kami help them if Kurama finds them.

"How old are you, Itachi?"

"3, but my birthday is coming up soon."

"Oh, so that means you're a big boy aren't you?"

"Yeah- I even help my mommy around the house and I'm learning of to be a shinobi." Learning to be a shinobi? But he's still so young! Glancing at Kurama, he didn't react besides his fist tightening. He's probably thinking the same thing… maybe. Turning back to Itachi, I took a breath.

"Sweetie, what happened with those men?" His face fell as he lowered his head.

"I… snuck out to train more so dad will be proud of me for getting stronger, but those men appeared and grabbed me. I couldn't even do anything when they tied me up and took me away. I thought I was going to be taken forever until you two saved me."

"Leeches." Kurama growled bringing both of our attention to him. "They were more than likely working for someone that wanted the boy for his heritage." His narrowed dangerously as he shifted his gaze to Itachi. "An Uchiha."

"Uchiha? You mean the clan that's in control of the police force?" I'd heard a few stories of the powerful clan from Hiroshi and the occasional gossiper at work, but I didn't know much. Aren't they supposed to be one of the strongest clans in Konoha? "If that's the case," I started, gaining Itachi's attention, "then we should get you home. Your parents must be worried sick." He looked at me for a long time before nodding his head. Like before, I reached out a hand to him, a smile on my face. "You want to show me the way?" He nodded, taking my hand.

It was close to an hour later when we reached large gates. A large red and white fan was painted boldly on the front of it. It's like I imagined a large clan's front door to look like.

"State your business." Looking up, two guards stood on top of the gate. I couldn't really make out their faces, but I could tell by the tone of their voices that they aren't necessarily friendly.

"Uhm, I found a little boy that lives here. His name is Itachi." I called up. Before I could even blink, the two guards evaporated and reappeared in front of us with swords at my neck.

"Who are you?!" One- a female- practically growled at me. Well, this isn't looking like a good situation.

"My name is Toshira, Toshira Haruno. I just found him while I was on my way home."

"You're lying." The female growled, her sword pricking the sensitive skin of my neck.

"She's not lying!" Itachi yelled, stepping in front of me. His eyes were hard as he stared up at them. "Two men tried to kidnap me and she saved me!" The guards watched us for a moment before the woman whispered something to the man beside her. He nodded then vanished in a swirl of leaves. The woman never lowered her sword from my neck until the man returned, a few minutes later.

"The patriarch and matriarch want to have a word with you." was all he said signalling for the woman to put her weapon down.

"If you make any sudden movements, I will kill you myself." Isn't she kind. I merely nodded before the two of them escorted us into, what I can now see, is a large compound.

I couldn't really see much of the surroundings as the guard ushered us quickly through. We didn't have to walk for long before we came to a large house near the center of the compound. Before we could even make it to the front door, it slammed over, revealing a stunning dark haired woman. She took one look at Itachi and bolted towards him.

"Itachi!" She scooped him up into her arms and squeezed him close to her chest, tears streaming down her face. After a few seconds, her eyes found mine, shining with relief. "Thank you- thank you so much!"

"It's not a problem. I would hope someone would do the same thing for me in this situation." I gave her a gentle smile. She reached out a hand and gripped mine.

"How can I repay you?"

"Oh no, you don't have to do that." I don't know how I wasn't expecting something like this from a frantic mother.

"I wouldn't say something so reckless without knowing who this woman is, Mikoto." Turning, there was a dark haired man descending down the short steps towards us. The woman before me started to say something, but the man gave her a look that stopped her. His sharp gaze snapped back to me, his dark eyes filled with distrust. "Who are you?" Well, that wasn't a rude tone.

"My name is Toshira Haruno."

"Where did you find my son?"

"He was in the woods near my home with two kidnappers. I couldn't let them take a defenseless boy, obviously. So I intervened." His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"And how did a civilian woman with no shinobi training take down two shinobi skilled enough to infiltrate our compound?" His eyes scanned over my body before returning to my face. "Ans without receiving a scratch." Shit! It's not like I can casually explain that the nine tailed fox demon helped out because we've been living together for a while and he has feelings for me. I doubt he'd even believe me in the first place.

"Well… someone helped me."

"And who would that be? A random good simaritain or someone who wanted to help you get into the Uchiha compound to gain our trust?"

"Fugaku!" The woman, Mikoto, shouted in disbelief. Fugaku put a hand up, effectively silencing her in the rudest way possible.

"We can't overlook anything in this situation. Our son is the heir to this clan meaning he's a constant target. We can't be so trusting to strangers." This guy…

"To be honest," I started slowly, "it's none of your business who the person is. All you really need to know is that they're a friend and wouldn't hurt anyone- especially a child." Fire burned in his eyes as he took a threatening step forward. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, fear gripped my heart. He didn't seem this tall from a distance. He opened his mouth, but a deep, demonic growl draped an eerie silence over us. Kurama!

"That sounded like-"

"I should leave- it's late and I'm sure you two have a lot to do in the morning." I turned quickly to leave but the female and male guards from before stood in my way.

"Let her go." Glancing over my shoulder, Fugaku didn't even spare me a look. His red eyes fixated on our surroundings as if searching for something. I thought his eyes were black before.

"We'll escort you out." My attention was brought back to the guards as I nodded. Without sparing another look at the two behind me, I quickly made my way out of the compound. Kurama and I have a lot more to talk about now.

Six Months Later

Toshira's POV

Surprisingly, nothing has really changed in our lives. I thought that, after rescuing the heir to, what I now know, one of the most sought after clans in the world for their eyes. After speaking with Kurama about it, it still doesn't make much sense to me how their eyes work, but I know it has something to do with how they can manipulate their chakra in order to be able to copy any jutsu or skill they see with them. Allegedly, there are also different levels to it, but that's were most of it goes over my head.

"All you really need to understand is that the entire lineage is cursed." Is what Kurama eventually told me after a few days of trying to explain it. Even then, it only brought more questions to my mind. How can an entire lineage be cursed? What kind of curse is it anyway? Who brought the curse on to them in the first place? I didn't ask Kurama any of these questions, however. I already know the answers are going to be just as involved and complex as the others. That won't help my confusion at all.

I will say, the only other change in our lives is the constant prodding from the Uchiha matriarch about how she can repay me. Somehow she figured out where I worked as well as my working schedule. I know that because she's been coming up with every excuse in the book to either be a customer while I'm there, get there the moment I arrive to work, or stick around to walk with me home. Thankfully she's never followed me all the way home so she hasn't found out about Kurama, but she's always extremely pushy about wanting to do something to pay her alleged debt to me.

"If you're struggling with money I can create an account for you and make it so you don't have to work another day in your life if you'd like." Tonight is no exception.

"I don't feel comfortable taking so much money from you for doing something any other decent person would do, but if you insist on paying a debt to me, I'll try to think of something." Her eyes lit up as she hooked our arms together, a wide grin on her lips.

"Good! How about we talk about it over lunch tomorrow. It'll be my treat so don't worry about money. Just think about it as a small token of my gratitude for putting up with my insistence for so long without snapping." We giggled before arriving at the fork in the road that would separate us.

"Well, I can't pass on a meal in my honor. Let me know where you'd like to eat at and I'll be there."

"Then it's a date! Goodnight Toshira-chan!"

"Goodnight Mikoto-chan!" We waved each other off and continued on our ways.

Like that, we became much closer than I ever thought I would be able to get with a powerful leader of a shinobi clan. I don't know how Mikoto married a man like Fugaku when she's such a sweetheart and he's a hardass. Mikoto never once has looked down on me for not being able to afford and extravagant living nor for my position at my job. In reality, she seems more curious than demeaning.

She always asks questions about how the rich and wealthy look in the eyes of those I work with. Do we think of them as generous people for the things they do? Do we think of them as pretentious for the way they speak? Or do we not care and label them all as rich jackasses because they don't spare us a second look? To all of her questions, I tried my best to answer them all as honestly as possible, but I never missed on a chance to poke fun at the way some of the clan heads behave in much less regal fashion when they think no one is looking.

"You've seen one of the elders to the Hyuuga clan pee on himself in the bathroom?" We tried to keep our conversation and giggles low as we didn't want anyone else in the quaint tea shop Mikoto picked out for today's lunch break. I hummed in affirmation, taking a sip of my tea.

"And when he tried to sneak out the back, he told me and another lady I work with to tell his party he got sick and had to go home. I thought he was going to pass out from how red his face got." We tried our hardest to contain our laughter, but, eventually, we lost out our battle causing a few heads to turn our way in disapproval.

"I would've given anything to see that." Mikoto sighed, wiping a tear from her eye.

"To my understanding, the Uchiha's and the Hyuuga's aren't very friendly with each other, right?" She nodded, a tired smile on her face.

"I wish it was different, but stubbornness seems to be the curse all clans inherit from their crusty old elders." I let out a light chuckle before focusing my attention on my new found friend across from me.

"What's it like? Living the life of a clan matriarch, I mean." She blinked at me for a while before waving a dismissive hand.

"The only glamorous part of it is the material things, but everything else isn't far off to what normal families face- maybe subtracting arranged marriages and a strict protection of public image." I nodded, blowing out a 'oh' before taking another sip of my tea. A sly smirk made its way to her lips as she watched me with mischievous eyes. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You know what I mean. Why is it that someone as sweet and beautiful as you is still single?" I nearly choked on my tea before meeting her gaze with wide eyes. "I do know a few eligible bachelors that would be more than interested."

"Mikoto!"

"Or if you're more into flings I know a few guys that would be interested in that too."

"No!" She burst into a fit of laughter while my face burned.

"I'm serious-"

"There you are!" We both looked to left of the table as a woman with dark red hair and light blue eyes approached us.

"Kushina-chan!" Mikoto nearly squealed as she got up and gave the new woman a tight hug. "I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Well," the woman- Kushina- scratched the back of her head, "I've been busy trying to help Minato with his work. He's been getting much more busy nowadays." Minato? Where have I heard that name before? As a matter of fact, I'm almost positive I've heard the name Kushina once or twice as well. Maybe it had something to do with the gossip at work?

"-Toshira." What? I refocused on the two in front of me just as they both smiled at me. What did I miss?

"It's great to meet you! My name is Kushina, Kushina Namikaze." I smiled back at her.

"Forgive me if I seem rude, but I feel as if I've heard your name before."

"I'm sure only good things." She confidently stated, placing her hands on her hips. "Besides, I'm the girl that's in charge of keeping our knuckleheaded Hokage in order." Hokage?!

"You're married to the Hokage?!" She waved a nonchalant hand at me.

"It's not as much of a big deal as you think. If anything, I'm excited to meet you. I thought I had met every residence in Konoha at least once but I don't remember meeting you before. How long have you lived here?"

"Over two years now." Her eyes widened.

"Over two years?! It's taken me this long to meet you?! I'm disgraceful then."

"Oh no- please don't feel bad for that! I'll admit, I haven't been very social nor have I spent much time meeting people so it's understandable our paths haven't crossed." She gave me a suspicious look before a wicked smile covered her lips.

"If that's true, then that means you haven't met my husband. I can't tolerate having a citizen that doesn't know who their leader is."

"What are you sug-"

"My husband prides himself in knowing who his citizens are. As of such, you must meet him at tonight's dinner party!" What?

"Wha-"

"And, of course, the Uchiha leaders are always welcomed." Mikoto smiled brightly at her.

"I already reminded Fugaku this morning."

"But-"

"Then I'll see you two tonight!" And with that, Kushina left.

"Speaking of which, I have to pick up my dress for tonight! I'll see you later Toshira-chan!" And like that, Mikoto paid for our lunch and left. … What just happened?

That Night

Toshira's POV

"Be careful around those people." Kurama stated. He sat cross legged on my bed as I put the finishing touches on my outfit.

I nearly forgot that, amongst my few belongings I brought from Suna, I made sure to bring a kimono that Hiroshi bought me a few months before he left on his final mission. Allegedly he picked it up on his travels from a merchant in Kirigakure. It's a bright sky blue color with a deep blue strip covering the edge of the sleeves that matched the obi. Images of flowers were stitched into the top while leaving the bottom of it without designs. It's one of my favorite outfits that I only wear for special occasions. I guess tonight counts as a special occasion.

"It's just a dinner party." I clipped in a matching sky blue flower into my hair. My dark red strands made the flower's color pop even more than it already did. "Besides, I'm always careful."

"You need to be, because, if something were to happen, I will protect you from it. However, I can't ignore the fact that I am a demon, and it's because of that fact that, one day, it could lead to our seperation." I paused, my heart skipping a beat at the thought. Slowly, I turned to him.

"We won't be separated because you're not a-"

"You know I love you, Toshira." His eyes never wavered from my own nor did his voice waver from it's steady tone. "But it's because you know I am a demon- a monster- that you can't bring yourself to love me-"

"That's not true!"

"You don't have to lie-"

"I love you, Kurama!"

"Then why won't you let me love you?" My breath hitched. It felt as if the world froze in that moment, the only thing breaking up the deafening silence are his words. I won't… let him love me? That… can't be...

"It's not that I won't let you." I finally found my voice, my chest feeling tight. "It's just… I'm afraid of what may happen if I do." His brow raised the slightest fraction. "The last time I…" I had to take a deep breath to lessen the tightness in my chest before continuing. "The last time I loved someone that I was… not supposed to, he died because of me. I can't go through something like that again- I won't go through that again, Kurama." I squeezed my eyes closed tightly, keeping the hot tears from falling. A gentle hand landed on the side of my face.

"If you allow me to love you," I opened my eyes, coming face to face with such intensity, it knocked the air out of me once more, "I will use all of my power to make sure that you never regret it." Isn't this the second time he's left me speechless? Before I can even think of something to say, a loud knock on the door brought us back to the present like a splash of cold water. "We'll talk more later." I could only nod. He rubbed his thumb against my cheek before whirling around and walking a few steps away from me. He didn't move or make an attempt to speak anymore.

"I'll… I'll be back soon." He didn't respond. He just stood, his back to me making it impossible to guess what he's feeling. I want to reach out towards him- to ask him how he's feeling- to try my hardest to explain my feelings, but a second round of knocking cut me off. "I'll be back." It took much more of my strength then I care to admit to turn away from him and go towards the door where the escorts Kushina sent waited for me.

On the walk there, I couldn't get our conversation out of my mind. Yes, I've known how Kurama's felt since the day he told me many months ago, but I can't get over my own fears. Maybe I'm traumatized from what happened with Hiroshi and his family. Maybe I'm just being overdramatic and this is all in my head. Either way it goes, I can't keep going on like this. At the very least, Kurama doesn't deserve this uncertainty.

"The gathering is through here." I nodded at the escorts before walking through the double doors on the ground level of the hokage tower.

As I expected, the entire place was decorated in high class decor. Everyone in the room was dressed in the finest silks and jewels. Elites. Mikoto, Fugaku, and Kushina were easy to spot in the crowd, but that may also be because they are the only ones I know here. I could barely focus on any of it, however. What must be going through Kurama's mind right now?

"Toshira-chan!" Glancing up, I watched as Kushina approached me while holding a blonde haired man's hand. The most striking thing about him are his eyes however. They're such a deep ocean blue that it's hard not to feel relaxed while looking into them. As they stopped before me, I noticed that I can even see my reflection within them.

"Hello, Kushina-sama." She huffed distastefully.

"There's no need to ever use such formalities with me, Toshira-chan." I could only give her a half smile. "But this is Minato. My husband and the Fourth Hokage." He gave me a blinding smile, reaching out a hand to me. He's like… sunshine.

"It's an honor to meet a new member of our big family here!" Even his voice was filled with happiness and warmth. He must have been born from the sun.

"It's an honor to meet someone as powerful as you. My name is Toshira." I shook his hand making his smile widened. Once he let my hand go, he tilted his head, regarding me thoughtfully.

"So, what brings you to Konoha? Looking to serve a new nation?" Serve? Oh, he must think i'm a shinobi.

"I'm afraid you have me mistaken." I started, feeling embarrassed. It's not everyday you have to tell some of the strongest people in the world you're inferior compared to them. "I'm not a shinobi. I'm just a civilian." He nodded in understanding, wrapping an arm around Kushina's waist.

"Neither is my beautiful wife. There's nothing wrong with that." He flashed me another smile. ...What is he? "Are you married, Toshira-chan? I can only assume given how beautiful you are." Kushina nodded, both of them looking at me expectantly.

"Well… I'm a widow. My… my husband died over two years ago on a mission." Both of them looked shocked before sympathy covered their faces.

"Toshira… I'm so sorry for your loss." Kushina softly stated, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I take in a breath and give her a smile.

"It's alright. I'm learning to move on. That's what he would have wanted." Even as the words left my mouth, I started to realize how ridiculous I've been acting.

Hiroshi wanted nothing more than my eternal happiness every minute we were together so it makes sense he would want that now. Before Kurama entered my life, I was barely even living. I just did what I needed to do to survive. Nothing more and nothing less. However, after Kurama came, I've been able to slow down- to see all the things my new life has truly offered me that I'd been ignoring since then. It's thanks to Kurama I'm able to know people like Mikoto, Kushina, and now, Minato. Such kind and wonderful people. And here I am- too afraid to allow myself to fully indulge in the happiness Kurama provides for me. I really am a foolish human.

"Hokage-sama." We all turned to see Mikoto and Fugaku approach us. Mikoto smiled brightly at us all while Fugaku regarded me with eyes filled with such distaste.

"Fugaku-san, Mikoto-chan. How are you two doing tonight?" Minato greeted in his warm, welcoming manner. Mikoto embraced him then Kushina while Fugaku shook both of their hands. Mikoto then turned to me, wrapping me into a tight hug.

"I'm glad to see you here." She whispered before releasing me.

"I'm glad I came." We smiled to each other before Fugaku clearing his throat brought our attention to him.

"I didn't know this was an event civilians were allowed to attend." Mikoto's eyes narrowed on him the slightest fraction but her smile didn't waver.

"My dear," her tone was sickly sweet, gaining Fugaku's full attention, "Toshira-chan is a dear friend. She also saved our son from a terrible fate. Let's not forget that." Before he could think about responding, a loud tapping sounded above the chatter, silencing the room.

"Dinner is served!" a server called.

"Well, let's all go eat!" Kushina announced before hooking her arm with Minato and gesturing me to follow. I spared Fugaku one more glance before falling into footsteps behind the leaders of this village through another set of double doors that led to a long table that can easily sit forty people. "Sit with us." Kushina called to me as she and Minato walked to the head of the table.

Following them, I can feel people's eyes on me as all these high class people settled themselves in around the table. Once everyone was seated, the servants went around the table asking what everyone wanted to eat before delivering it soon after. Within minutes, everyone was eating their food and chattering once more.

"What do you do, Toshira-chan?" I glanced up from the finely cut steak I was given to look at Kushina who was seated beside me. "For a job, I mean."

"I'm a cleaning lady at a restaurant." I responded as quietly as I could. The sound of a disgusted scoff coming from across the table brought my gaze to land on Fugaku.

"It seems to be a fitting job for someone of your standing." Mikoto's eyebrow twitched beside him but she didn't say anything. Must be because of that public identity protection thing she mentioned.

"It's one of the few jobs I can do with my health."

"So you're a defective civilian." Turning to my right, the man seated with the long brown hair and the lightest grey eyes I've ever seen stated cooly. If I hadn't have been paying attention, I may not have noticed the insult.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at him. Why does this sound so familiar?

"I've heard a rumor, that you saved the heir to the Uchiha clan." His eyes that never looked in my direction slid over to Fugaku. "I wonder what that says about the strength of the Uchiha."

"It says nothing." Fugaku calmly stated, wiping his mouth. "It only speaks to the foolish nature of those who would believe someone as lowly birth as this woman would be able to accomplish such a feat. The mere fact that she's even allowed here is soiling my appetite."

"Hey-" Kushina started to speak up, but I quickly stood, bringing everyone's attention to me.

"On the contrary, Uchiha-san," I started, keeping my face as emotionless as I possibly can, "the only thing that can spoil a meal is a bad attitude and disgusting personality." A fell over the table.

"What a disrespectful woman!" A man from the other end the table shouted.

"Who invited such an uncultured woman anyway?" A woman called. More people joined in throwing around all kinds of insults at me. Now I know this is familiar. It's the same things my ex-in-laws would yell at me every chance they got. And here I thought this would end in Suna.

"I'm sorry Kushina, but it looks like I need to leave early." before she could try to stop me, I whirled around and speed walked out of there. I won't allow myself to be berated like that- not after Suna.

Just thinking about it makes my chest tighten causing my breath to come out in harsh pants. My ex-in-laws turned the darkest time in my life into a living hell. There was no reason for them to do so- they just did it because they felt that it's what someone like me- a lowly civilian- deserves. I thought that ideology would be different here given that Konoha cares far more about their citizens than Suna ever has, but I was wrong. No matter where I go, I'll be looked at the same way- a useless civilian woman with medical conditions that make me even more worthless. A nuisance. A disease. A leech. An idiot. Insect. Vermin. Unlovable. Disease. Murderer.

The shock of a cold tear rolling down my cheek brought me back to reality. When did I get home? Furiously, wiping at the tears, I walked through the door. I can't let Kurama know that I was crying. He'll get upset and he doesn't need me to cause him anymore strife today.

"Toshira." Looking up, I watched as Kurama climbed out of the latch in the floor that led to the second story. He must have been doing more work down there while I was gone.

"Kurama, where you doing more-"

"What happened?" For some reason, I couldn't pretend anymore. I couldn't hold back the feelings that had been building within me. Just before I started balling, Kurama appeared in front of me, wrapping his arms tightly around me. He patted the top of my head as I cried into his chest, not saying a word.

"I hate it!" I finally brought myself to say- no matter how gumbled the words do to my excessive crying. "Why do people have to look down on others just for the way they're born?!"

"Some humans are like that." He stated after allowing me to cry some more. "But there are much more who are different. It's because of those who choose not to treat others cruelly for their differences that make the world better. Those who are terrible are miniscule in comparison. They're unworthy of a reaction- especially your tears." What? I pulled back enough to look into his beautiful red demon eyes. They were so soft and filled with love I'm not sure he knew he was displaying. "I'm surprised you forgot that seeing that you are the one that taught me that." Third time- this is the third time he's left me speechless. A million thoughts raced through my mind, but the longer I looked into his eyes, the quieter they got until my mind was peacefully blank.

"I'm in love with you." His brow twitched but he didn't say anything. "I want to be with you forever, but I won't force you to live in hiding for the rest of your life in this house."

"If you want me to take you away from this place, then all you have to do is ask it of me." We stared into each other's eyes for a long time.

"I want to live with you forever." I finally said, circling my arms around his neck. Before he could react, I pulled his head down and kissed him. His arms tightened around my waist as he picked me up.

And like that, we left Konoha.

This chapter ended up being much longer than I planned but that only means more story for you all to enjoy! I hope you all liked this new version of the story! Please follow and review (I do read all the review you all leave me)! Next update will come next Saturday! Until then!