Prologue

The sun beamed down on Sunagakure, reflecting off of the sand that the village was built on. A nurse, Naoma, was sitting outside soaking in the sun. She had blonde hair pulled up into a high bun that was so light it could have been considered white in the sun's rays and jade green eyes that shined with life and happiness despite the worry lines and darkness that had started forming under her eyes. She was sitting out in her backyard, perched upon a lone sandstone bench, waiting on her daughter to join her.

The 6 year old girl came running out the back door and leaped into the arms of her mother. The girl shared her mother's delicate facial features, from her button nose to her thin lips and small chin. Their faces were where the similarities ended though. Ren, her daughter, had medium-length, raven-black hair that shined in the sun. Ren's eyes were pupiless pale thistle-purple, almost white, and most people thought that she was blind.

Naoma caught the girl and stood with her in her arms. She twirled around and they both laughed until they grew so dizzy that Naoma fell with Ren on top of her. For all of Ren's life it had just been her and her mother. "What should we do today," Naoma asked when the giggling they were both doing came to an end. Her voice was calm and smooth sounding. It wasn't too high or too low, it was feminine without being annoying.

Ren sat up and looked at Naoma confused, her little brows furrowed and Naoma couldn't help but grin at her daughter. "Don't you have to go to work," Ren's quiet little voice asked. Naoma could see the hope in her daughter's eyes, knowing very well that Ren hated when she had to leave for work.

Naoma was 27 years old and worked as a nurse in the hospital. Her days were chaotic and sometimes her nights were as well. She had been a ninja but could no longer remember what it had been like to be a medical kunoichi, that time felt like lifetimes ago. No, at age 21 Naoma resigned from her position as a kunoichi because she unexpectedly got pregnant with Ren. She was a single mother so she had to work and her medical skills were quite useful to the hospital. She was still helping the people of the country she loved dearly and got to raise her daughter, it was a win-win situation for Naoma.

"I requested the day off," Naoma said with a genuine smile on her face, "today is your birthday and the last day before you start training at the academy after all." Naoma's smile faded, ever so slightly and she asked, "Are you really sure this is what you want? Do you truly wish to be a kunoichi?" Naoma had no doubts that her quiet little daughter had what it took. She was quite obedient, something Naoma figured she got from her father, and smart, which Naoma liked to think Ren got from her. Ren had already started learning about chakra; how could Naoma not teach her daughter about something the girl was so interested in?

Ren's eyes were ablaze with excitement even though the rest of her face showed little more than a slight smile. This was something else that Naoma thought was inherited from her father's family, a stoic appearance. Ren's face almost always appeared emotionless unless she was she was truly upset or in private. Noama was sure that Ren was born to be a kunoichi, she just hated the idea of her baby being in danger all the time. "I want to be a kunoichi more than anything," Ren told her mother, her small voice filled with determination.

Pride, that's what Naoma felt. She grinned at her daughter and they both got up off the ground. Naoma brushed the sand off of Ren's light brown dress and then did the same to her own. "We have time before lunch, what would you like to do," Naoma asked her daughter.

Ren seemed to be considering their options quite intently because her brow was once again furrowed and she was chewing on her bottom lip. "Let's go for a walk along the wall," Ren hurriedly stated. Naoma knew that Ren was amazed with the jagged rock wall that surrounded Suna despite having spent her whole life within its walls. She smiled and nodded to Ren who then grabbed her hand and said, "C'mon mama."

Naoma allowed Ren to lead her out of their backyard and through their hometown. Ren's eyes were filled with the same wonder as always. She knew how much her daughter loved being around other people, even when nothing going on involved her. Ren's mouth curved up into a small smile as they walked around the perimeter. This was going to be quite the walk considering the city's size. Naoma expected them to get 1/3 of the way around before Ren was ready to head home and eat lunch.

The two walked in comfortable silence, hand in hand, for a long while. Ren broke the silence when they passed another family that consisted of a mother, father, and son. "Mama," Ren's voice was almost a whisper that Naoma missed, "Will you tell me about father?"

This was a subject that Naoma always liked to avoid. She didn't know how much was safe to share with her daughter and most of the memories were painful to recall. Naoma forced a smile, for her daughter's sake. She opened her mouth to speak but the words were lost to her. She tried again, this time finding the words she needed to say.

"Well," she began reluctantly, "Your father was an outstanding shinobi. He didn't live here, in Suna, but I fell madly in love with him as soon as I saw him. He had been here on a 4 month long mission with 3 other shinobi. He was quite handsome but troubled. His clan wasn't what he thought it should have been and it was frustrating to him. He was a very hard man to read but I think he was happy when he was here with me. I wish you could've met him," Naoma's words trailed off. She had not heard from her lover but one time since he had went back to his home village.

She never knew what became of him and never did get the chance to tell him about Ren. Naoma knew she could've hunted for him but her pride wouldn't allow that to happen. She had always hoped he would return to her and things would be wonderful, a dream come true, but Naoma knew that wasn't going to happen; she had known that almost 7 years ago when he walked out of her life. His mission ended and he returned home.

There were so many things that Naoma could have told Ren about her father but Naoma didn't want to ruin her daughter. The memories she shared with the man who fathered her daughter were not child appropriate; they were barely something she dared to write about in her diary. Naoma decided that, when Ren was old enough, she would give her old diaries to her daughter. Ren could take it all in, the good and the bad and even the naughty. It would be embarrassing but she wanted her daughter to know her father in some way, even if it was just through the memories Naoma had of him.

Ren didn't question Naoma any further, which worried Naoma a little. She wondered what was going on in her daughter's head. They fell back into a comfortable silence and continued to people watch as they walked. So many things were running through Naoma's mind and she could appreciate her daughter's understanding that grown-ups kept secrets for a reason.

Naoma was truly worried about Ren starting at the academy though. Her daughter was perfect for the role of a ninja but she didn't really know how well she would do with other children. She hoped that she'd make some friends but because of her maturity and stoic-like nature in public Naoma just wasn't sure it'd happen; she'd just have to wait and see how things went.

Naoma was a patient woman, but this involved her daughter so that patience didn't exist. Naoma hoped and prayed to Kami that Ren took after her more than she seemed to, otherwise things for Ren would be chaotic and full of more dangers than she wished to think about.

Ren's little hand squeezed her mothers and Naoma knew that her mind had been so far gone that she didn't hear what Ren said. Naoma turned her head and stared down at her daughter with a smile, silently urging her to repeat herself. "Mama," Ren said meekly, "I'm ready to go home."

Naoma nodded and they took a left at the first main road they came across. Naoma pushed all worries aside, for now, and focused on her daughter. Ren was talking softly but Naoma focused on every word. "I hope I make a lot of new friends," Ren stated, "I know I'll be there to learn, but it'll be so much fun. I'm going to be one of the best kunoichi there ever was. I hope someday I'll be one of the ones to protect the 4th Kazekage." The excitement in Ren's voice was enough to make strangers that passed by them smile too.

Naoma liked when her daughter showed emotions so much more than when she was stoic. Maybe the kids at school would bring her out of that. "I'm sure that you'll make more friends than you can imagine," Naoma vocalized and was a little surprised at how much she meant it. "You just do your best and everything will work out just fine."

Ren's excitement had put her mind to ease some. No matter what came in later years, everything was fine and would continue to be fine. Naoma knew nothing would stop her daughter from accomplishing her dreams. Ren would be a successful kunoichi and would have many friends. Naoma was so confident in that that she would almost bet her life on it. Who knew, maybe someday she would really be one of the elite, if that was what Ren still wanted when the time came.

The remainder of the walk home was filled with talks about how 'cool' it would be to be a protector of The 4th Kazekage. Naoma laughed quietly at how naïve her daughter was about it, but did not correct her. She would let Ren figure out what such a job entailed later on. She would also let her believe that the 4th, Rasa, would never retire.

Lunch consisted of sandwiches because it was just too hot to have the stove on. Naoma was thankful that she had baked Ren's cake the night before. When Naoma sat the chocolate cake with strawberry icing on the table Ren grinned from ear to ear. The candles flickered as Naoma sang happy birthday, just begging Ren to extinguish them with a wish. "Make a wish now," Naoma instructed Ren as she rubbed her daughter's shoulders.

Ren closed her pale eyes and silently made her wish then blew out the six candles. Naoma clapped and Ren laughed. Neither bothered mentioning the wish, they both knew wishes didn't come true if you told someone what you wished for. Naoma watched Ren savoring the taste of her birthday cake in silence. She wished that Suna was able to grow all the ingredients needed for many things, not just cakes; this was a rare treat for them. Things were pretty hard in Suna.

Naoma placed three brightly wrapped boxes on the table once Ren's plate was in the sink. Ren's smile had not faded since they got home; it was plesant to see. "Open them," Naoma urged her daughter. Ren tore off the paper that cloaked the smallest gift, opened the box, and then pulled out a sleek pair of dark sunglasses. Ren beamed as she slipped them on. "Thank you so much, mama," Ren said.

Naoma had thought of the idea for them during one of her many worry sessions. Ren's eyes often caught the attention of others; this would be a way for her to conceal them. She wouldn't tell her daughter that yet though. "They'll protect your eyes from the sun. Go on and open the next one," Naoma encouraged her to move on.

The second box contained custom weighted kunai, perfect for Ren's small hands. The third and biggest gift contained two identical rusty brown long sleeve dresses that would reach halfway to Ren's knees, two pairs of tan pants to wear under the dresses, mesh armor, and closed toe ninja sandals. They were made from light-weight, breathable materials that, when melded with her chakra, would grow and adapt with her body. Naoma had spent a great deal of money, more than she cared to admit, on the gear but knew it would be worth it.

Ren was beyond ecstatic and hugged the clothes to her chest tightly. Naoma was thrilled that Ren liked them so much. The girl ran with them to her bedroom and emerged less than 10 minutes later wearing one of the outfits, sandals and sunglasses included. She walked through the living room and posed for her mother, both of them laughing and smiling.

"Maybe we should start tying your hair back," Naoma suggested as she watched Ren push some loose hairs out of her face. When her daughter didn't seem very pleased with the idea she added, "We can tie it near the ends of your hair so that we don't damage your hair but it will stay out of your way. How does that sound?" Ren nodded enthusiastically and stayed still while her mother gathered her hair. Ren's dark hair came down about 2 inches past her shoulders and so her mother tied it together at shoulder level with a white hairband.

"There we are," Naoma said once she had finished. Ren ran to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. Naoma sighed softly. Things were going to get difficult, but she was prepared and was confident that Ren was too.

[8/25/15 Edit]: I have spent a very short amount of time trying to make certain this is a smoother read. No changes have been made to the story itself but I felt this necessary. I am currently working on the next chapter but have decided to return to it's roots and read it as a viewer as well... so that I can make the most of it. So much has happened in my life, some of which i will share with you all during the chapter 15 update, and I have been quite indisposed. I do promise to keep working towards the next update... but I do wish to fix previous grammatical and spelling errors when I can. This should be of assistance in regaining my inspiration, I hope. Until then, i bid you adieu and good fortune.