I see that look in your eyes,

It makes me go blind,

Cut me deep, these secrets and lies,

Storm in the quiet

-Madness; by Ruelle

Red hair. Red hair. Long and straight, pulled back into a high ponytail. But. . .red. Unruly strands framing the face, and still with that coloration. It reminded Mito of her heritage — a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. Apparently, red hair was a common trait amongst Uzumaki Clan members. But of all the traits to have. . .

No, she shouldn't complain. Mito should know better than that, but. . .she still had questions. She wanted to know why red hair was the inherent trait. The young girl was proud of her Uzumaki heritage, she really was. It's just. . .if she had to choose between hair colors, she would've gone with her father's. His was silver. It didn't seem to stand out so much. Mito appreciated that. Her hair, on the other hand, seemed to stand out a lot. The second she entered the room, people noticed her. Their heads turned to look at her in an instant.

Oh well. It's not like Mito can really change that little part of herself. Having red hair reminded her of her Uzumaki heritage, reminded her to be proud of her heritage. She had to look beyond her self-consciousness and be proud of herself. At least, that's what Mito's mother tells her. Motherly advice. That's important, right?

Turning her head slightly, Mito frowned a little. Even in a ponytail, her hair looked dreary. The reason she had it put up was, one, to get it out of her face; and two, to at least look somewhat decent. The style looked horrible on Mito. Her hair never cooperated. Unruly strands framed her face, the hair that stayed in the ponytail hung limply down her back. She couldn't help but scowl at that.

"You look lovely, dear." Looking behind her, Mito was greeted by her mother, Ayame. "Really, you do."

"I think you might need glasses, Ma," Mito muttered. "I look horrendous."

Shaking her head, Ayame let out a defiant huff. Shuffling over to where her daughter stood, the older woman placed a hand between Mito's shoulder blades as she peered in the mirror. Ayame's gaze was piercing, even in her current state — dark and observant, unwavering in its own right.

"I think my eyes are the one thing still working." Ayame rubbed her daughter's back, a small smile on her face. "You shouldn't be so self-conscious, Mito. You're beautiful. You've got the best qualities of your father and I."

"But my hair. . .," Mito murmured, twirling a few strands.

". . .is absolutely stunning." Ayame looked down at Mito, a firmness was apparent in her voice and in her facial expression. "The Uzumaki Clan is known for their red hair. It's one of our most notable physical traits."

Sighing, the young girl nodded. "I know," she said. "You've told me a million times."

"Then what is wrong?" she pressed. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

Frowning, Mito let down her ponytail, allowing her hair to cascade down her back. The thick red hair fell just inches below the young girl's waist, curling slightly at the tips. Looking up at her mother, Mito felt her cheeks heat up a little. What she was about to say — what she was currently feeling — was something she'd never expressed before.

"My hair draws too much attention," Mito muttered. She started to unconsciously twirl a few strands of hair between her thumb and forefinger, her eyes lowering a fraction while under her mother's gaze. "It's so red, and everyone always stares. The other kids at the Academy are always saying my hair looks ridiculous, and I hate it."

A whirlwind of emotions erupted in Ayame. These children at the Academy, they were mocking Mito over the color of her hair? Calling it ridiculous? How could something like that be considered acceptable? Why were the instructors allowing such harassment to go on like that? Ayame's jaw clenched, her lips pursed, and her brows furrowed. Mito was being harassed at the Academy over the color of her hair. As far as the mother was concerned, the instructors were allowing it to continue. It was absolutely absurd.

Turning to look at her daughter, Ayame placed both hands firmly on Mito's shoulders. "I want you to understand something," Ayame said. "Your hair is not ridiculous. Whatever thoughts those children are putting into your head are complete and utter bullshit. Do you understand?"

"Ma. . .," Mito stammered.

"No." That one word was said with such sharpness, the young girl flinched. It was very unlike Ayame to talk in such a manner. "You are so beautiful, Mito. I want you to know that, okay? You're so beautiful — and it gets me so upset, knowing there are people out there trying to bring you down."

"Ma, please," Mito exclaimed. "You can't get yourself worked up."

Shaking her head, Ayame let out a shaky breath. Her daughter was right. In her current condition, if she allowed herself to get all worked up, her health would deteriorate faster. She couldn't afford that.

"I'll have your father talk to the instructors at the Academy," Ayame said. "You don't deserve to be treated this way."

Heat rushed to Mito's face. "Can he not know about this?" she murmured. The thought of her father being told caused embarrassment to surge through the young girl.

"Why would you want to keep this from him?" Ayame's brows furrowed in confusion. "I would've thought. . ."

"It's stupid," Mito interrupted. "He's got other things to worry about. More important things."

The embarrassment became stronger, overwhelming Mito. The feeling of it consuming her body, it felt like she was drowning. Lowering her head, the young girl couldn't help but wish the Earth would swallow her whole. She felt so idiotic, feeling the way she did. Telling Ayame about the harassment was tough enough already, but telling him? Mito could think of a thousand other things she'd rather do than that. Her father was a renown shinobi, someone who was feared in other nations. Certainly he had other things to worry about than schoolyard bullies.

As Mito's head continued to lower, her hair started to fall around her face. It was like a red curtain, closing her off from everything. That was probably the one thing Mito liked about her hair — it was long enough to "protect" her in certain situations.

Even if I went to see him, Mito thought timidly, there's no telling how he'd be at that moment. Would he be happy to see me? Would he want me to leave? It's not like he goes out of his way to visit Ma or I that often. Even if he is a successful shinobi. . .

"Mito." Ayame's voice snapped the young girl out of her thoughts, though she made no attempt to raise her head. "Please, just tell him," Ayame said. Her tone was gentle, as if she could sense Mito's distress. "Even if things are tense right now, he's still your father. He still loves you."

｡*ﾟ+.*.｡

Mito viewed her relationship with her father as complicated. She loved her father to death, truly she did, but sometimes — no, what felt like all the time — it felt impossible to decipher how he truly felt. He was good at shutting off his emotions when it was convenient, and Mito had to wonder if he ever did that with her. If so, then he was good at pretending to care about her. Or maybe she was being irrational, and was blowing his over all demeanor out of proportion. Despite being a very successful shinobi, Mito's father was known as lazy, laid-back, but also apathetic and blunt.

God, she was making it all more complicated than it needed to be. Yes, Mito's father can be apathetic to the point of concern, yet he seemed to have the laziest attitude at the best of times. He had no problem speaking his mind, even if it meant others were offended or uncomfortable. He was always late to everything, and always managed to have an excuse. But Mito was just. . .unsure on how to be when she was with him. Should she be herself? Or would that be too annoying? What would be an acceptable amount of time to spend with him? Mito's parents had separated when she was very young, and she grew up feeling the tension between her parents.

But. . .would it be appropriate to tell him about the harassment? Would he really care?

Would it really. . .?

｡*ﾟ+.*.｡

Kakashi had to admit, he was having a fairly easy day. He'd returned from a mission not too long ago, and thankfully he hadn't sustained any major injuries. A few bumps and bruises, but that was it. The one thing Kakashi would've liked, though, would have to seen his daughter before he left and after he came back. It felt like a lifetime since he'd been with her.

Letting out a soft sigh, Kakashi closed his book, his eyes lazily scanning around the room. He didn't really have a lot to do, and that made him a bit restless. He didn't have any groceries to buy, and he'd given all his information to Lord Third already. So. . .well, maybe he did have something to do, but he wasn't sure how well it'd be received. Kakashi knew he had every opportunity to go visit Mito, that he had no restrictions when it came to her. The only problem was Ayame. Things had ended badly between them, and it seemed as though Mito was paying the price for it. Tensions between her parents probably overwhelmed her, making her anxious on what she wanted to do. On top of that, Ayame's health was doing poorly, so that probably made Mito stress even more. But Kakashi knew, deep down, despite everything, that he loved Mito no matter what. She was his child, and he'd give anything to at least spend five minutes with her.

I could go now if I wanted to, Kakashi thought. I've done my resting, and I don't have anything else to do. If Ayame's there, oh well. That won't stop me from seeing my daughter.

Placing his book on his bed, Kakashi stood up and prepared to go out. He'd go see Mito, he'd do whatever he could to spend time with her.

At least, he'd like to. If someone hadn't knocked on his door.

(A/N):

Hello, my lovelies! I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter, but I was having some severe writer's block. I had to separate myself from my computer for a little while so I could sort through my thoughts and figure out what I wanted to write. So, as you guys can tell, this is what I came up with. It may not be the best, but I'm happy it's something. So if you've got constructive criticism, don't hesitate to leave it, okay? I'd greatly appreciate it.

Do I own anything in the Naruto Universe? No. No I do not. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the laptop I'm typing on. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.

Also, let me know if I'm getting any of the canon characters wrong. It's been a while since I've watched the original Naruto anime, so please bear with me. And yeah, I feel like I'm asking a lot from you guys. . .sorry.

I'm hoping you guys have a wonderful holiday season! And if you don't celebrate anything, hopefully the fall/winter season is kind to you.

[There are a lot of holidays that are celebrated around this time of year. Some of them might be a bit overshadowed by Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. So, for any of you who feel like answering, what kinds of holidays do you celebrate? Or, if you don't celebrate any, then what's your favorite part of the fall/winter season(s)?]

Thank you all so, so much!

Bella Lillis