Chapter One
"But, Tsunade-sama, I don't think that Naruto and Sakura will want another permanent teammate. After Sasuke left, they've had a hard time adjusting to new additions to the team. Think of what they did with Yamato and Sai." A tall man will silver hair told the hokage. He would look very handsome except for the fact that the only portion of his face that you could see was the right eye and the skin around it. The rest was covered with a mask and his hitai-ate. He let out a soft sigh.
"I'm not trying to disobey orders, Tsunade-sama, but I'm not sure that they'll accept her as a teammate. The wound that Sasuke left is still bleeding for them." Tsunade let out a sigh herself. Her harsh amber eyes met Kakashi's visible one.
"She needs to be watched after desperately, Kakashi, and your team is the only one with an acceptable spot open. Please, if Sakura and Naruto give her any trouble, then you can take her under your wing. She's very special, Kakashi, and you're one of the only ones I would trust her with." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, deliberating.
"What exactly makes this girl so special? Why are you trying so desperately to get me to take her?" the questions sprang from his lips before he could stop them. He nervously awaited the easily-angered hokage's response. Her eyes hardened and she looked at him seriously.
"Tell me what you know and what you've been told about demons." Kakashi blinked and paused, momentarily taken aback by the demand. Why was she asking him about the demon race? Thinking about his life's current balance in the same room as the angry hokage, he quickly thought up every fact that he knew about the creatures.
"The demons have a hierarchy. The tailed beasts, bijuu, are at the top, being the largest and most powerful. They usually control one or two of the main elements, such as wind or fire, or one of the life elements, such as death or illusions. They're not easily controlled, but can be sealed within a young human child, bonding their chakra coils and becoming mortal within the human's body. These are called jinchuuriki, and Konoha has one by the name of Uzumaki Naruto.
"Next comes the upper-class demons, or taiyoukai. They normally have a very animalistic-like form and can control a certain element, or just a skill that will allow them to best themselves and take new mates or lands. They're very easily angered and can be very territorial, and not easily reasoned with. The last sighting of a taiyoukai was about a hundred years ago, on the west border of the Fire Country. They've gone into hiding because people keep trying to control them to use as weapons.
"After that comes the lower-class, or youkai. They can have an animalistic form or a human-like form, with a distinguishing feature that sets them apart from other humans. That can be a strange marking, or maybe strange colorings of hair. A very select few have special abilities, the placement being almost random or just in family bloodlines – just like our kekkei genkai. A few fairy tails have been spread about romantic relationships between the youkai and the humans, but so far, all have been proven false." Kakashi stopped his spur-of-the-moment lecture to watch Tsunade's reaction. She looked almost amused by something, though her features were clearly grave.
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Kakashi. We've found that there have been romantic relationships – successful romantic relationships – between the youkai and the humans. Their children are even more rare than the relationships, in fact, only a total of three have been reported. That is why I need you to watch after her. She's a hanyou – a half demon. Do you now understand the severity of the situation?" Kakashi's visible eye widened and he unconsciously clenched his fist. Tsunade's eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously.
"Hatake Kakashi, she may have a strange lineage, but she's got completely human emotions. She's been raised only by humans, so she doesn't even know how to be a demon. Treat her as you would any other human, but be careful of angering her demon self. She's just a girl, Kakashi." Kakashi's features softened and he nodded, carefully unclenching his fist.
"Of course, Tsunade-sama. But just how old is this girl? And just how well can she control her youkai side?" Tsunade shook her head.
"We're not completely sure of either question at the moment." Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head, trying to suppress the headache he knew was on it's way. He looked back up at Tsunade.
"Right, well, I'll definitely make sure that she stays safe while she's under my care. Besides, she and Naruto should get along well, considering he's the jinchuuriki. Maybe that part won't be so hard." Tsunade grimaced.
"Except that she'll probably be very afraid of angering him in any way, shape, or form. And she'll probably treat him like a god and that she's his slave. Remember the hierarchy, Kakashi. Bijuu are at the top and hanyou, like her, are even lower that dirt." Kakashi let out a sigh.
"Right. I forgot. So, does this girl have a name?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously and she glared, though Kakashi could tell that the glare went right through him and on to someone else beyond him.
"The ANBU that found her weren't very…well we'll say that they weren't very gentle with her. She won't speak with anyone and she's very afraid of anyone touching her. That's another reason that I need your team to take care of her. Even if they don't like her, Naruto and Sakura wouldn't dare hurt her." Kakashi nodded, his own eye narrowing at the ANBU's actions. Recently, they thought they could get all the power they wanted. It was getting worse and worse.
"Of course. I'll take her on as my charge immediately. When can I take her and let her meet Naruto and Sakura?" Tsunade stood, placing her hands on her desk and moving around it, walking towards the door. Kakashi followed her with his eyes, awaiting a response.
"Right now, if at all possible. She's with Shizune right now. And…well…" Tsunade trailed off, searching for words as she neared the door. "She has no place to stay, so if you could possibly ask Sakura or someone to take her in, that'd be much appreciated." Kakashi frowned at her organization, or lack thereof.
"If the ANBU are going to be after her, I could protect her better than Sakura could. No offense to your training techniques, Tsunade-sama, but I'd personally feel better if she were under my own roof. I've got an extra room that I never use anyway. Now, let's go save her from Shizune." Tsunade nodded and led him down the hallways. Soon, he was hearing Shizune's muffled voice.
"Tsunade's on her way down here with your new sensei. He's going to be sure that you're safe and sound while you're in Konoha. Why don't you tell me your name so that I can tell him for you?" No answer came and Tsunade looked at him and sighed, coming to a door and knocking three times. "Come in!"
Tsunade opened the door and Kakashi stepped into the room ahead of her. Shizune stood awkwardly against the wall, holding one of her arms, and looking at Tsunade with a sad, almost exasperated expression on her face. Kakashi looked at Shizune's feet and stopped in shock. The figure curled up with her knees to her chest looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. Her misty-colored auburn hair spread across her back and hiding her face from his view. His heart clenched in pity as he took in her self-preserving stance. Kakashi knelt beside her and she flinched. He kept a slight distance, trying not to push his boundaries.
"Hello there. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm going to be your guardian and your sensei from now on. I was thinking that you might like to go get something to eat and meet my other students. I'm sure that you're bored of waiting around in this office all day, ne? Why don't we go now?" The girl looked up and Kakashi was stunned into silence. She was the most beautiful creature that Kakashi had ever laid eyes upon. Her long hair still partially covered her face, but her eyes were a bright, almost iridescent green color. She nodded, her movements slow, almost shy, and made a move to stand up. Kakashi stood first and offered his hand down to help her to her feet. Her iridescent eyes narrowed in confusion and suspicion, but she extended a pale hand for help and he got her to her feet. She was taller than she had looked on the floor and came up to about his shoulder. Her attire wasn't flattering – an old sweater and some ratty pants – but she seemed to make them look beautiful.
"You'll be fine with Kakashi. He'll take good care of you." Tsunade promised, reaching out to touch the girl's shoulder. She let out a quiet, raspy whimper and flinched away, causing Tsunade to immediately take back her hand. "You'll get to meet Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura, your new teammates." She continued, unperturbed by the girl's reaction. The hanyou girl nodded slowly, looking at Tsunade, almost excited, but still afraid. Kakashi smiled and held his hand out for her to take again.
"Are you ready to go and meet them?" The hanyou girl nodded and hesitantly took his hand. Shizune and Tsunade shared a hopeful glance as Kakashi led her out the door. The hanyou girl looked around in wonder as they walked down the streets of Konoha.
"Have you not been outside of that office building since you were brought here?" She looked at him and shook her head. Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "Will you tell me why you won't talk to me?" The girl hesitated for a moment, looking around her, and then her eyes widened. She grabbed his hand and led him over to a mask kiosk. She took an ANBU mask off of a rack and put it on. Then, she turned back towards him and very slowly and lightly, wrapped her hands around his throat. She put the mask back and touched her throat softly. Kakashi's eyes widened and he pointed to the high collar.
"May I see?" She pursed her lips, hesitating, before gathering her hair from around her shoulders and pulling it behind her back. Then, she lifted her head backwards slightly, exposing her neck. Kakashi very gently rolled her collar down and winced at the painful-looking bruises laid out in a fingerprint-like pattern across her neck. "Those ANBU really did a number on you, didn't they?" The hanyou nodded, backing away from the contact and rolling her collar back up.
"So, does that mean that you'll talk after your neck feels better?" The jounin asked hopefully. The hanyou smiled and nodded. She looked up at the evening sky and pointed to the slowly setting sun, and then pointed to the west horizon, looking back at him expectantly.
"Tonight?" She nodded and then pointed to her elongated canine teeth. "You've got healing abilities because of your youkai side?" She grinned and nodded, looking excited that he had been able to guess everything that she had been trying to get through to him. Kakashi gave her one of his eye-smiles and motioned down the street.
"Well, since I'm not sure of your name yet, I can't call you by name. You're going to have to stay close, all right? There might be a crowd of people in the streets at this hour. But I've told Naruto and Sakura to meet me at a place called Ichiraku Ramen. Have you ever had ramen before?" He began walking, looking back to see her response. She quickly scrambled to stay by his side again, not touching him, but staying closer so she didn't get lost. She paused, thinking it over, and then shook her head, tilting it to the side slightly in question.
"It's like soup with noodles and other stuff in it, depending on which kind you order. But beware all right? It'll be hot for one and for another, don't let your hands anywhere near Naruto while he's eating ramen. He'll eat ten times as much as anyone else. It's almost disgusting." She wrinkled her nose and then put a hand to her mouth as if suppressing a giggle. Kakashi grinned and led her to the stand. She unconsciously grabbed his sleeve, hesitant, and he gave her a comforting eye-smile. Sakura and Naruto were sitting at stools, waiting for him to join them.
"Yo." He called originally as they neared the stand. Both of them looked up at him with grumpy expressions on their faces.
"You're late again, Kakashi-sensei. It's been almost an hour since you told us to meet you here. I should learn not to come until an hour after you say to come." Sakura told him, rolling her eyes. Naruto just huffed, his eyes on the beautiful hanyou slightly hidden behind Kakashi. He pointed his chopsticks at her, and she ducked behind Kakashi.
"Who's the girl, Kakashi-sensei? Is she your girlfriend or something like that?" Kakashi sighed and shook his head, placing her in the stool next to the one he was sitting in and against the wall so that no one could come on the other side of her. She looked up at him, confused and he gave her an eye-smile.
"This, both of you, is your new, permanent teammate. Why don't you introduce yourselves?" Sakura and Naruto both looked at her and she moved her head so that her hair was hiding her face. Her green eyes peered curiously out of her misty-auburn locks. Sakura found her voice first and smiled slightly.
"Hi there. My name is Haruno Sakura. It's nice to meet you." She extended a hand towards the hanyou girl, who flinched. Sakura pulled her hand back, a confused expression on her face. Naruto looked over at her next.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name anyway?" He asked, openly curious as always. The hanyou girl looked at him, opened her mouth, and then looked at Kakashi for help. Kakashi sighed and nodded, turning to look at his other two students.
"I don't know her name yet either. And don't feel hurt if she flinched away from your touch. The ANBU have made her afraid of any of us, but she'll learn soon that she's got nothing to fear from us." The girl flashed him a soft smile, nodding, and then touched her throat. "Oh, and because she was almost strangled, she's too sore to talk right now, but she should be better by tonight." She nodded and then smiled shyly at Sakura and Naruto. Sakura smiled back and Naruto gave her a wide grin.
"Hey, Kakashi, the kids were wondering where you were." The ramen shop owner walked over to them. "And I see that you've got a new student. She's a beautiful little thing, isn't she?" The hanyou blushed darkly and ducked her head as she heard his comment. The ramen shop owner chuckled softly. "So, what can I get all of you?"
"I want the usual! You know how I like it, jii-san!"
"I'll have some ebi ramen please, jii-san." Sakura asked politely. Kakashi, who didn't enjoy ramen nearly as much as everyone else, didn't order himself any ramen and then the ramen shop owner turned to the hanyou girl, who was still hiding her face. Kakashi looked at her and then at the shop owner.
"She'll have some chicken ramen." He ordered for her. The hanyou looked up at him, slightly confused, and the shop owner went to fix their dishes. Kakashi looked over at the girl, smiling. "I hope you'll like it. When you know ramen flavors, then you'll be able to decide your favorite." The hanyou girl smiled and nodded, and then stopped, shocked, when Naruto let out a horrified gasp.
"Kakashi-sensei? Are you trying to tell me that this girl has never had ramen before?" Kakashi nodded.
"Yes, Naruto, you heard right. She doesn't think that she's ever had ramen in her entire life." Naruto openly gaped at the hanyou girl, who's cheeks were painted red in confusion and embarrassment.
"That's completely crazy! How can someone go their whole life without eating the very breath of life that is ramen!? You've been missing out!" The hanyou girl looked down as if he had just verbally punished her and both Kakashi and Sakura gave Naruto a look.
"It's not a bad thing, I promise. Naruto just gets a little over-excited when it comes to the topic of ramen." Kakashi touched the girl on the knee and she flinched, quickly turning her body away from him. Kakashi sighed softly and Sakura talked softly to Naruto, scolding him. The hanyou's glimmering eyes looked up at Kakashi almost apologetically and he smiled.
"Don't worry. You'll get better eventually. You can't be afraid of us forever." Kakashi promised. The hanyou girl nodded and then jumped when the bowl was set down in front of her by the ramen owner. He pulled his hand back quickly at her response and gave her a smile.
"There you go, missy. Let's see if you like it." He put everyone else's order in front of them and then went back to work. Kakashi reached over to her, being careful not to touch her as she cautiously sniffed the dish in front of her, and broke the chopsticks by her bowl. He handed them to her.
"You know how to use chopsticks, don't you?" The hanyou girl smiled and nodded, taking them without touching his skin. Kakashi sat back in his seat and she looked past him with a slightly confused, almost awestruck expression. Kakashi looked behind him and saw Naruto already halfway done with his bowl, shoving all the noodles into his mouth. When he turned back to her, she had picked up the noodles and then looked around him to Naruto. She started putting all of them in her mouth like he was doing and then coughed when it became too much for her and put her chopsticks down, looking at the ramen with a confused expression. Kakashi held back a laugh.
"You don't have to eat like Naruto. You can eat it slowly, like Sakura." Sakura was carefully blowing on her noodles before eating a smaller portion. Naruto was already halfway through his second bowl. Her eyes widened and she nodded, picking up a few strands of noodles and blowing on them lightly, then putting them in her mouth. She made a delighted expression and immediately picked up another mouthful. Kakashi chuckled softly as he watched her watch the others and then try and copy their movements until she was done. Naruto had picked up the remains of his fifth bowl and tilted the broth at the bottom down his throat. The hanyou girl's eyes narrowed and she looked around the stand slowly. Suddenly, she picked up a hollow piece of reed that was used as a decoration and stuck it in the bowl, drinking the broth that way. Kakashi was impressed at her resourcefulness. She would probably make a good shinobi if he could teach her.
"Now, what did you think of it? Did you like it?" Kakashi asked her. She nodded and smiled happily. Naruto laughed and nearly choked on the noodle strand going down his throat.
"Ha! I knew she would! Ramen is amazing!" He downed his seventh bowl in a few gulps. Sakura pushed her own bowl forward and smiled at the ramen store owner.
"Thanks for the food, jii-san. Here's my money." She left the exact change on the counter next to her bowl and turned to Kakashi. "Do we still have training tomorrow morning, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi thought it over, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the hanyou girl sitting there calmly, watching Naruto with a confused expression on her face, and then nodded.
"Sure. I'll be there. But let's make it a little later, say around ten in the morning. I think our new teammate here needs a new outfit. Maybe you could help her with that." Sakura looked excited and nodded, grinning at the hanyou's confused expression.
"Sure! I'll help her. Where's she staying? I'll pick her up tomorrow morning." Kakashi smiled at the hanyou girl as well and then turned back to Sakura.
"She's staying with me until we can find other arrangements for her. You know where I live, right, Sakura?" Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly but she nodded, turning to the hanyou girl with a smile.
"Don't worry! I'll make sure that you're dressed properly. Maybe Ino'd like to come along too." She shrugged and then moved away from the stand. "Thanks again, jii-chan! The food's amazing!" Kakashi stood as well and the girl scrambled to get to her feet. He put money on the counter and motioned for her to follow him. She quickly grabbed onto his sleeve so that she wouldn't lose him in the crowd that was gathering quickly. When they got a few feet away from the stand, she stopped suddenly and ran back, bowing slightly.
"Thank you for the good food!" She murmured in a quiet voice. Kakashi stared at her in surprise, as did both the ramen owner and Naruto, who had noodles hanging out of her mouth. Her voice was soft and whispery and sounded very beautiful. The ramen owner regained his ability to move and speak first.
"You're welcome, darlin'. You can come back anytime you want to all right? We'll soon figure out your favorite flavor." She grinned and nodded and then turned to Naruto.
"It was very nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san. I hope that I won't hold you back as your teammate." Naruto still gaped openly in shock and she blushed, running quickly back to Kakashi. He was still frozen and she looked at him in alarm. "I didn't do something wrong, did I, Hatake-sensei?" Kakashi quickly shook his head, giving her an eye-smile.
"You did just fine. But please, call me Kakashi. No one ever calls me 'Hatake'." The hanyou girl nodded, smiling at him and grabbing onto his sleeve slightly. "Can you tell me your name now?" He asked as he continued walking down the street, getting closer and closer to his house. She smiled and nodded.
"My name is Kongyou Asamoya. Thank you for taking me in, Kakashi-sensei." Her beautiful voice answered him. He smiled.
"Kongyou-san. You've got a very pretty name." Her lip came out in a slight pout and she shook her head at him.
"No, no. Not 'Kongyou-san'. Asamoya." Kakashi, who had stopped in shock when she shook her head, then smiled.
"Right. Asamoya. Let's get you settled in here." He opened the door to his house and led her inside.