Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything of Naruto. Hikari is my character though.

Okay, so this is my first fan fiction. I really hope you like it. I am quite proud of this story.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1 - Memories of the Past

~Flashback~

"Oh come on, Kakashi!"

"No."

"Awww, why not?"

"What makes you think I want some little girl hanging on my back?"

The face of the young girl turned from a smile to a pout. "You are so mean, Kakashi!" She turned away from him faking her anger. She knew that she could never stay mad at Kakashi. He was her best friend after all.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the 7-year-old before shaking his head. He then placed his hand on top of her head. "Come on. It's getting late."

Hikari turned to look at him with her golden eyes and smiled. "Right, don't want mother to worry." She took his hand into hers as she led the way back to her home. "Oh! I forgot to tell you. Father is coming home tomorrow." She said excitedly.

"Oh really? Well that's good. Hopefully his mission went well." Kakashi replied with a straight face. He knew that she was very close to her father as well as her mother.

Hikari started jumping up and down as they walked. "Yeah! And he is gonna start training me tomorrow. I can't wait!"

A small smile formed under Kakashi's mask. Her smiles were contagious. "Just remember to stay focused. And don't let your guard down."

She turned to him and walked backwards. "Got it!" She gave him a thumbs up. When she turned around her home stood before them. "Thank you for walking me home. I'll see you tomorrow after training." Kakashi turned around and lifted his hand waving goodbye.

-The next day-

The pounding of kunai hitting the trees echoed throughout the woods that surrounded the village. "Good. Your aim is getting better." Hideo Sato smiled at his daughter.

Hikari looked up to her father with a look of seriousness. "I want to be as strong as you one day. And for that, I must keep training." She threw three shuriken at a tree with almost perfect accuracy.

"Aw, isn't that sweet. Knowing that your child has such an impossible dream." Hideo looked for the source of the voice.

"Show yourself!" He pulled out a kunai and moved in front of Hikari. "Stay behind me, Kari." He whispered in a low voice. Hikari nodded in response as she watched the surrounding trees.

"It must mean a lot to you to know that your little brat wants something that will never happen." A kunai came flying through the leaves from behind them. Hideo maneuvered himself around his daughter right as the kunai hit him in the chest.

"Father!" Hikari hugged him from behind. She looked to the mysterious ninja that appeared before her. "Who are you?! What do you want from us?!" Tears filled her eyes as she held her injured father.

"My name is of no importance to you at this time. What I want does not concern you either." Yellow snake eyes met Hikari's golden ones. The mystery ninja walked towards her with a triumphant smirk.

She hugged her father closer to her. "Stay away!" She screamed as loud as she could, causing the enemy to stopped.

The ninja's smile grew bigger. "Well then, I guess I'll leave you alone now. I'm sure we will meet again one day. Oh, and I'm sorry for your loss." And with that he was gone.

Hikari continued to cry over her father who was down to his last breaths. "Don't leave me. I need you."

"K-kari, be strong...I-I love...you..." Hideo fell limp in Hikari's arms and the tears continue. "I love you too father..." She replied to her now dead father.

-Later that day-

Hikari remained in her room from the moment that she returned home with her father. The tears never ceased to fall. Not even her mother could convince her to come out of her room. No matter what Hikari was always a stubborn child.

Chiaki looked up in surprise when a knock was heard at the front door. She wiped her eyes of the remaining tears as she stood up from the table. She walked over to the door opening it to find Kakashi. "Oh, hello Kakashi. What are you doing here?" She had tried to keep the sadness out of her voice but was unsuccessful.

Kakashi looked up to Hikari's mother to see pure sadness in her eyes. "Is Hikari here?" The sadness confused him since he was unaware of the accident that had happen just hours ago.

"She is here but I don't think she is feeling up for visitors today." Chiaki stepped out of the door closing it behind her. "I have some bad news. Hikari's father, Hideo, was killed today..." She stared down at the ground as she spoke willing the tears to stop.

Kakashi stood there in shock at the news. "I'm so sorry for your loss..." He clenched his fists in anger that his friend was being forced to go through the same tragedy that he had gone through just years ago.

"Hikari won't even speak to me. Much less let me see her. She has been locked up in her room ever since she returned from training with her father." Fresh tears started to fall from her eyes as she remembered her daughter returning home without her father.

Kakashi frowned underneath his mask. "Let me try." He turned away and started walking for the back of Hikari's house.

Chiaki smiled softly and nodded as he walked away. She walked back into the house and back to what she had been doing beforehand.

Kakashi knocked on Hikari's bedroom window softly hoping she would hear it. After many silent moments he knocked again. He wasn't too surprised that she didn't answer but still he hoped that she would open up. "Open up. Don't make me break your window." He called to her as leaned against a small tree.

Hikari sat on her bed just staring at her wall. She hadn't shed a tear since she left the woods. She refused to see anybody in fear that she would lose control of her tears again. Her door was locked and her curtains were pulled to keep the light of the day out. Her eyes widened in surprise when Kakashi called to her but she returned to her depressed state just moments after. "Go away, Kakashi." Was all she said in return.

"Don't be like that, Hikari. Let me in. I want to talk." Kakashi was determined to speak to her face to face. He was slowly getting aggravated and all he got in return was silence. He lifted his fist ready to throw a punch at her window when he heard the window unlock. He pushed the window open and jumped in. He looked around and saw Hikari sitting on her bed staring at the wall with an emotionless look on her face. "Why did you lock yourself in here?" Kakashi spoke cautiously unsure of how to approach the silent child.

Without moving she spoke in a whisper. "I was not strong enough. I am not worth the attention of my mother." Her eyes never deterred from the gray wall. "Do you hate me, Kakashi? Do you hate that I am so weak?"

Kakashi was shocked that she would ask such questions. "Why would I hate you, Hikari? Because you are weak? You are not weak. You are strong and with a little training you might be able to defeat me." He smiled a little at the last comment hoping to get a positive reaction out of the depressed child. His smile disappeared when her facial expression didn't change in the slightest.

"I need you to promise me something, Kakashi." She turned her head to look at him. "It's a secret that you must take to the grave."

Kakashi felt a stabbing pain in his chest when he saw that her once bright golden eyes were now dull and almost colorless.

"My mother must never know." She turned back to the wall. "At midnight, I am leaving."

"Leaving? Why are you leaving?" He started to become worried about the young girl. Was she losing her mind from the death of her father? This wasn't the same girl that had been begging for a piggy back ride just the day before.

"I must get stronger. My father died today because I was not strong enough." A single tear fell from her eye at the memory. She tried to wipe it away before her friend could see it but was unsuccessful.

"Why do you hide your tears? You can cry if you want." Kakashi spoke softly.

"No. A shinobi must never show emotion. And I will not start." She slowly stood up from her bed and faced the gray haired boy. "I want to be able to protect those that I care about. I've already lost one of the three people I care about." She walked up to him smiling sadly. "Promise you won't tell anybody."

He reached a hand up to her face cupping her cheek. "I won't tell as long as you promise to come back."

She nodded. "I promise." She stood up on her tip toes and placed a kiss upon his cheek. "I think it is time you go." He nodded in agreement. "Goodbye Kakashi." Another tear fell as he climbed out of her bedroom window.

Later that night Hikari tip toed through the house with her backpack hanging from her shoulders. She made her way to her mothers' room where she slept soundly. She opened the door without so much as a creak. "Goodbye mother. I love you." Was all she said in her quietest whisper. And with her goodbye given she left her home and made her way to the gate of the village.

She stood at the entrance looking back at her home but only for a second before running out of the village. And that was the last time she saw her home.

~End flashback~

The view of Konoha from atop the highest tree was an amazing one. During her absence the village had grown to almost twice its original size. It was quite surprising but the emotion did not reach the dull gold eyes of a now 23-year-old ninja. She stared ahead prepared to face the uproar that was soon to come.