To Write Love on Her Arms

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from the anime or manga Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. I merely mess with their lives on a site where writers are allowed to do this… and it rules! :D

AN: Just wanted to point out that while this story will have a plotline of it's own, it also will use bits and pieces from the anime and manga, not necessarily in the order that they originally happened… other than that, enjoy! EDIT: If you've already read this there's no need to read it again, just read the part about her dream cuz that's the part that has changed!

The same dream every time you fall asleep. You'd think that it would get boring after a while, no? Well, maybe for any other ordinary dream, but this dream was special. I'm trapped in a cage of swirling colors, just wisps of misty purple, pink, blue, and red. Maybe I'm not so much trapped as that I don't want to leave. It's very peaceful here, I love it here.

The oddest thing about this dream? I guess that would be the point at which the colors wrap themselves around me and begin to change me. Suddenly there's a surface in front of me that reflects my new self back at me. I'm back to my innocent 5 year old self, smiling happily in the arms of my mother. She sets the young me down and she runs towards where suddenly her whole family is, jumping into her dad's welcome arms before giving me a smile and beckoning me forward.

The problem with dreams though, is that you always wake up.

Slowly I open my eyes, closing them again at the invasion of bright light, a light that probably was the reason for my awakening in the first place.

Quickly I glance around, assessing the area, before finding it relatively safe. Not 20 seconds later, a big explosion is heard, that would be the reason for the 'relatively' when I was assessing the danger.

"Aw, darn it!" A voice not to far away states angrily. I look back towards the voice to see my young ward completely covered in soot. Not being able to help myself, I laugh. Little Kashiko was no more than 3 and a half feet tall, and 6 years old. His reddish brown hair and sea green eyes frightens many people, for it is not common here in these lands or any others as far as I know.

His face lights up at hearing my laughter, probably because I hadn't laughed in quite a while. I made a quick mental note to laugh more if it made him happy.

"Kashiko! Are you trying to kill me?" Comes the voice of my other traveling companion, Zoro. Sitting up I watched him chase poor Kashiko a few feet before he caught him, pounding his fist on top of the young boys head. "Learn to control your chakra before trying that baka!"

"Itai!" Kashiko cried while grabbing his head

"Onii-san, I suggest you leave the boy alone." I said with a dangerous tone in my voice. While Zoro was my onii-san, Kashiko and I have a bond that makes me protect him, and for him to be fiercely loyal to me in return.

"Tch. Whatever Kaya-chan." He turned and crossed his arms, looking into the surrounding forest. His dark brown hair fell into his face slightly and I smirked as he agitatedly blew it away. He was about 5'11" and built of nearly nothing but muscle. I knew his pale blue eyes were keeping a steady lookout, as were his other senses. He had on a dark blue kimono that reached a bit above his knees with black hakama pants. The trim on the kimono was a light blue and it had black yang half signs from the yin yang symbol. On his head was a straw hat, something that I've always thought looked odd with the rest of his getup, and the headband of our clan.

I felt my own hand reach up and touch my own headband. While his was straight on his hat mine was shifted to the left and tied so it was covering the left side of my face. Getting up, I felt the urge to look in the river across the clearing. Of course I know that I will only see what I see every morning, my weird purplish colored eye, waist length midnight black hair tied in a high pony tail, a slightly curvy 5'2" stature, and disappointment pouring from my pores that I wasn't living in my 'mirror paradise' from my dreams.

I glanced at the river, noting that Kashiko was washing his face and arms at a point to the left of me. I discarded the thought of going over there and instead headed to my right, towards where I knew the Village Hidden in Leaves was located. We would have to pass by there to get to the Land of Waves, where our target was.

"Let's start walking; we've got quite a bit of time left before we reach the Land of Waves." Zoro said. He glances back only once to make sure we were following.

"Are you alright Shiko-kun?" I ask, placing my hand on the top of his head.

He smirks up at me, in a fashion not unlike my own. "I'm okay Kaya-senpai, thank you for asking." He smirks again before running to catch up to Zoro. My dog Gracie chased after us, having slept until the last second. She keeps up a steady pace with me, happily looking around innocently.

I smile at first her, then Zoro and Kashiko, not that they see it, before looking at the clouds in the sky. Suddenly I am reminded of another day in the past, one I care not to remember.

Flashback Goodness

"Onii-san! Wait for me!" A 5 year old Kayako yelled, trying to catch up to the 6 year old Zoro. Without warning she found herself tumbling down the hill on the side of the road. "Onii-san!"

She pulled herself up, now was no time for tears. Something was horribly wrong, and her Zoro-niisan was headed straight and willingly towards it. She continued running, not bothering to try and climb the hill to get back on the road. Over the trees she saw a bunch of smoke rising, what scared her most was that that was the direction of their village.

"ZORO-NIISAN!"

Young Kayako pushed herself faster and faster, somehow knowing even at her age that something was very, very wrong. Bursting through the last of the trees Kayako saw a sight she would never forget. Fire was burning everywhere, frighteningly beautiful to see. The village buildings quickly helped spread the fire so even the crops on the other side of their little town became nothing but ashes.

The most horrible thing though had to be the screams of the villagers, all of them trapped within the flames with no way out. Kayako found herself screaming along with them, frozen where she stood. Suddenly she was thrown back into the bushes by an unknown force. Before she could scream again she noticed that it was her onii-san that had knocked her down.

"He's… here… gone home… Sharigan…" Came the voice of a man a little bit away. I struggled to fight the urge to faint and tried to listen to what he was saying. "We need him. Hatake Kakashi's power will become my own." The man, was he talking about Kashi-kun? "I need his Sharigan, Naraku. With it, we can take over the entire fire realm." The voice continued as I heard two pairs of footsteps walking away. "And now with the Yuki clan gone, no one will protect him."

'What do they want with Kashi-kun? Why did they attack us?' She felt silent tears run down her face. Quietly Zoro lead her away from the blazing town, knowing that they couldn't do anything to help the now dead people.

As they walked, Kayako looked up at the sky, which was bright, sunny, and cheerful. There were few clouds in the sky but the ones that were there were big fluffy clouds she would find pictures in sometimes. At this point Kayako stopped crying, wiping them away angrily. 'This will be the last time I cry.' She thought to herself. 'I will become strong, for myself and for my family.' She glanced at Zoro who was still leading her further through the forest, deep in thought. 'I will kill those men for what they did. They will pay.'

And pay they did. I can feel my own pace quicken as I remember the day we finally got revenge for the murder of our whole clan.

The now 14 and 13 year olds stood over their cowering foes, untouched while the two men were beaten and bloody. The rest of the men's allies lay dead around them, creating a bloody and grotesque battle ground.

"W-who are you? Why are you doing this?" One of the men asked, the one we had found to be Naraku. He clutched his stomach where there was a long and deep gash.

"We are your worst nightmare." The barely teenage Kayako grinned maniacally at their fearful looks.

The other man before us was looking at Zoro like he was trying to figure something out. Finally his eyes showed some sort of realization. He looked towards her and the look intensified. "I-impossible." He cringed as Zoro took a step closer.

"You wanna bet?" Zoro's eyes flashed victoriously, seeing that the man had figured out who we were.

"You, you can't be of the Yuki clan… we-we killed them all." He stuttered, then his eyes widened as he realized he had spoken of it out loud.

"Bingo." Kayako smirked, greatly enjoying their fear-filled eyes. "But unfortunately for you, you miscounted."

With that, she and Zoro simply slit their throats, for they did not deserve to die a more extravagant death. Without a word Zoro started walking away. Kayako followed him a few steps before stopping and looking at the bodies of their fallen foe. She felt an immense guilt overtake her, and she started to do one last jutsu. Knowing that Zoro had stopped to watch her as she blew a stream of fire over all the bodies besides Naraku and Gora, the name of the man who had led the attack on our family, she continued silently. After the others were all covered Kayako started singing the Song of Parting.

The Song of Parting is a song from Yuki clan rituals. It is a song that would be sung when one had to bury some of our brethren. Kayako's eyes had filled with tears, but she continued the song refusing to let them fall. So many lives had been taken that day; so many deaths could have been avoided.

As the song ended, so did the flames. Once she was satisfied, Kayako turned to see Zoro staring at her, a look she couldn't determine on his face.

He had then taken off his pack and had dug through it till he had found what he was looking for. In his hand he held two forehead protectors with the Yuki clan's ninja symbol engraved on them. He tossed one to me and without a word he tied his own under his hat, which at this time was slightly too large for him.

Following his example Kayako had moved the bangs covering her left eye to place the protector in their place, covering that side of her face. The bangs drifted back slightly towards their original placement, one that had been consistent since Kayako was four. They now laid in a way that bordered the one side of the symbol on the protector.

"Let's go onii-san." Kayako had said with such an innocent smile that he smirked in return before leading the way into the forest.

End Flashbacks :D

"Kaya-senpai!" The voice of little Kashiko breaks my stream of memories and I realize that I'm running. I skid to a stop and wait for a few seconds to see Zoro run up to me with Kashiko peering over his shoulder. "Kaya-senpai what happed?" He asks, looking at me in confusion.

I look at Zoro to see he has the same sort of expression as Kashiko. My expression turns sheepish as I rub the back of my neck, a habit that these two know means I'm embarrassed.

The flaming cheeks help though.

"What's wrong Kaya-chan?" Zoro places Kashiko on the ground, folding his arms over his chest in a matter that screamed 'spill it or I'll make you'.

"Heh heh, sorry you guys, I was just thinking about some stuff. I guess I just needed to burn off some energy while I was at it." They both sweat drop at my weird excuse before getting knocked over by Gracie.

She barked happily and jumped off of their backs, and I laugh at the identical murderous glares they send at her. She barks again and looks at me, waiting for my approval. I pat her head lightly and smirk. "Good dog." I glance towards the boys to see their incredulous faces, before giggling and running with Gracie towards Konoha. Behind us I can hear the guys running after us, shouting death threats, and I feel myself laugh again.

Todaymarksthedayofachange. I find myself thinking, not quite knowing where the thought came from but deciding to ignore it. For now, I was just going to enjoy life as it comes.

Half of the day later we came to stand at the gates of Konoha. "Let's go."

"Kayako. For the last time we are not going in." Zoro crosses his arms across his chest, trying to show me his seriousness on the subject. "There's no point in wasting time here." Poor Kashiko and Gracie look between us fearfully as the tension between us intensifies.

Please onii-san? We haven't come by here in years! Kashi-kun will be so happy to see us!" I put on my best puppy dog pout, knowing that it wouldn't really do anything to convince him.

He glances at me and seems to see that if he doesn't agree than I'll just go by myself, with Kashiko and Gracie following me of course. "Fine, but for one night only, do you hear me?"

"Hai! You're the best onii-san ever!" I say, already heading towards the guards excitedly. "Zoro and Kayako Yuki, plus 2." I told them quickly, bouncing in anticipation.

One of the guards is giving me a look like I was insane, which I wasn't… right now at least. The other guard just seemed to ignore me and swiftly looks over the list. He nods his head and they transport us all right outside the Hokage's office.

"Come in." Came his voice and I happily skip in.

I see him smile as he sees us, the joys of being the Kage's favorites. "Hi Hokage-sama!" I continue to skip over to him so I can give him a hug.

"Hello Kaya-chan, look how grown up you are." He turns to face Zoro next. "And Zoro-san, you look so much like your father, but you have your mother's eyes." He smiles, causing Zoro to smile as well. Next he sees Gracie and Kashiko, and his smile turns to a look of confusion. He looks at me with a protective sheen in his eyes. "Now Kaya-chan, it has been a long time since I've heard from you, but I know for a fact that you are too young to have a child of his age."

I look at him with no doubt a look of confusion, before a metaphorical light bulb goes off. "Hentai!" I punched his head, sending him sprawling on the ground, with a red face rivaling the color of a tomato. "He's not my son! Or Zoro's either!" I crossed my arms and sulked. "I saved him last year from some thieves… and Gracie I bought in a village…"

I pouted as he rubbed the spot I had punched him. "Now, now, I was kidding dear Kaya-chan." Suddenly his face goes serious. "Now, what do you seek in Konoha?"

I shrugged, over his major mistake. "We wish to seek shelter for the night, and then we will be leaving tomorrow morning." Zoro answers with an identical serious face.

I pout again. "And I want to visit Kashi-kun!" I throw my hands in the air as if to emphasize my point. The only acknowledgement (AN:Holycrapthattookmeforevertobeabletoevengetaspellingsuggestionforthat… evilword…)I got for my enthusiasm was a bunch of weird looks from everyone but my hound. "What?"

Zoro shook his head and turns his attention back to the Hokage, who was doing the same thing. "Your request is granted… both of them." I smirk in victory as I flee out the window with Gracie jumping into my arms. I land safely on the ground and I set her down next to me before taking off towards the training grounds, a good place to begin the search. As I remember that I'm close, I get this great idea to try sneaking up on him, I couldn't do it the last time we visited (AN:4yearsago). I smirk evilly before hiding any evidence of my chakra. Indicating to Gracie to be quiet we continue towards our goal, and I am happy to see that through the trees I can see Kakashi reading one of those little orange books he was always reading the last time I was here. Absentmindedly I wonder what the books were about. Bringing my mind back into action I wait to think about how to handle this. A direct attack would definitely not work; he's too smart for that.

Unless… I smirk again, proud of the childishness in me. All I did was glance at Gracie and I can tell she already knew of my plan and was willing to help me. Perfect. In perfect harmony, after waiting several seconds that is, we pounce towards our unsuspecting victim.

Well, so he seemed. Instantly he looked up at us, looking ready to reprimand someone before shock showed on his face. "Kashi-kun!" I exclaim, finishing the jump so I was now on his back.

I poke his concealed cheek, happy to find that for once it was a real Kakashi and not a clone. "Yay! I snuck up on Kashi-kun!" I look on the ground next to him and saw that there were two bells attached to his waistband. Swiftly I grab them both, jumping off of him in victory. "And I passed his test too! Kaya-chan for the win!" I turned to see Gracie still sitting on his back, a random third bell in her mouth. "And so did Gracie!" I turn to him, a conniving look surely on my face by the way he watched me warily. "And now, you owe us a beautiful lunch."

He stands up, looking at me quizzically. "So that's really you then, Kaya-chan?" His eye crinkles up a bit, and I know that he's smiling. He ruffles my hair and I duck under his hand.

"The one and only!" I smile and glomp him, happy when he was smart enough to catch me and maintain his balance—this time

I look up at him, a cheerful innocent look probably on my face and he randomly sighs. He then glares at three points in the trees. "You three will have to try again later." In synchronization three Genin jump from various hiding places, each with their own form of disappointment showing on their faces.

I instantly feel myself turn red from embarrassment and my hand travel to the back of my neck. "Um, oops?" I give them my best sheepish look and I see them all sweat drop. "My bad?"

AN: Yay! Here's chapter one! 15 brownie points to those who can guess the three Genin that were there! (And FYI that wasn't the first time they have taken this test, they passed the test the first time but never got the bells!)

Luvs forever, HeartlessTeen