"Nana I don't want to wear that," Taki said with a huff as she looked at the black, pleated skirt her friend was holding out for her. It was short, but the thing that turned her off to it the most was the fact that indeed it was a skirt. Nana looked at her, one of her perfectly shaped brows arching up and disappearing behind her black bangs.

"Taki you wear skirts, do your hair nice and wear make-up when you go out on a date," Nana replied as she threw the skirt at Taki. Taki caught it and her eyes looked down at it in dismay. Why was Nana always doing that, making her dress up when she really only wanted to wear pants and her Chunin vest.

"It's not a date, were going out."

"For your birthday! Plus a certain ninja is going to be there… You want to get his attention right?" Nana said as she wiggled those perfect brows suggestively. Nana had such an easy time getting guys, she was beautiful. She could have any male ninja in the village and she had chosen the smartest one out of the lot. Everyone wanted Shikamaru secretly; they just never admitted it to themselves. Taki sighed, dropping her hand to her side and stalking off to her bedroom. She was admitting defeat, plus wearing something nice to get the boys attention you were after sounded like a solid plan. But what if he just thought she was being strange… Hell being nineteen was more confusing than fifteen. Taki kicked her bedroom door closed behind her just as a sound of happiness escaped Nana's full lips.

*******

Tai stood on her bed, the same black pleated skirt from her nineteenth birthday dangling from his hands. He had a cheeky grin on his face as he held it out to her. Taki looked at him, her blue eyes skeptical to his whole reasoning for her wearing the skirt.

"Wear this mom! You will look pretty in it and I think Sasuke will like it," Tai had said. He was four, how was he supposed to know about adult feelings? And what was all this talk about Sasuke liking her in a skirt? He was still smiling at her, his cheeks round under their red fang markings. He looked so much like Kiba that it was painful at times.

Taki reached out for the skirt and took it in her calloused hands, giving her son a small smile before she ruffled his already unruly brown hair.

"Okay, I'll wear it, just for you okay," Taki said getting a nod from her son. When she turned away from him and looked down at the skirt she got a sense of nostalgia. She could remember that night like it had just happened. It was the first night Neji told her that she was pretty. Her small smile faded as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door. There were times that she wished that her life would go back to those simpler times, but if they did she would not have Tai and Taki wouldn't give him up for anything… ever. He was her reason for living.

********

The rain was still pouring as Sasuke made his way through the abandoned streets of Konoha. A red umbrella was held tightly in one of his hands as Yui held onto his other. She had wanted to go see her uncle and even though Sasuke did not want to admit it, he had a very hard time saying no to her. HE turned toward her, his eyes catching the top of her blonde head. She seemed oblivious to everything around her, just like any other two year old would be, but Sasuke knew better than that. Yui was a fast learner, a prodigy some would say. She was taking in all the nooks and crannies of the village, just like she always did whenever he took her out. The only time she seemed to be distracted was when Tai was around. Yui loved to play with him.

A clap of thunder drew Sasuke's attention away from his daughter and up at the dark sky. Rain like that was unheard of in Suna during this time of year and the fact that only a few days ago it had been sunny with no sign of rain, except for that rain-nin, had Sasuke on high alert. He should have been out scouting not on a mini vacation. He should have been doing his duty as a shinobi and that was protecting the village and his daughter. As a streak of lightning lit up his surroundings Sasuke spotted an orb under the overhang of an old roof. It was an eye, an eye he knew too well.

"That's uncle's right?" Yui asked as she looked up at her father and then back at the hovering eye. Sasuke just shook his head as he picked Yui off the ground and slung her onto his back. The red umbrella fell to the ground, alone in the abandoned street.

********

"Gaara why are we …" Kankuro started, but his words were cut off as the door to his office burst open. Taki stood there, panting slightly. Her white hair was wet and hanging down the sides of her face, her red tank-top plastered to her petite frame. The black skirt she was wearing was dripping water onto the toes of her knee high black combat boots, the tread of them covered in mud. Tai slipped from her back as she stared at Gaara, her blue eyes burning.

"I came as quick as I could. Has something happened?" Taki asked as she straightened up, not bothering to fix her attire. A smirk formed on Kankuro's face as he looked over at her. He elbowed Sasuke in the side, nodding his head in Taki's direction. Her skirt was short and wet, sticking snugly to her rounded backside. Sasuke took a quick glance before he looked back over the smirking Kankuro and then back to Gaara.

"Nice skirt Taki, I didn't know you owned one," Kankuro said, wagging his eyebrows at her. She looked over at him and frowned.

"And you used to wear a dress so what's your point?" Taki said, her hands balling into fists at her side. Kankuro's mouth slacked and his brown eyes widened.

"It wasn't…"

"Three more rain-nin where spotted outside of the wall. I'm sending you three up there to watch for more. The other team went to engage the rain-nin. You report back to me if anything changes. You're not to leave the wall is that clear?" Gaara said, his friendly demeanor gone, he was now the Kazekage. Taki's eyes flicked over to the two kids in the corner. Tai was sitting cross-legged on the ground messing with his cat puppet and Yui was watching him from the brown chair she was sitting in. Tai looked up at her and smiled.

"The children will stay with me," Gaara said, his voice gentler than it had been a moment ago. The three ninja didn't say a word before they vanished. Tai dropped the puppet and leaned against the large chair Yui was perched on. The sound of feet slapping the cold floor brought Tai's brown eyes up. Gaara was crouching in front of him, his eyes kind as he gave him a reassuring smile.

"She's a strong shinobi Tai. She'll be back."

********

Taki crouched on the top of the wall, her eyes trying to see through the constant rain. Her body had become numb to the cold and her clothes seemed to be molded to her flesh. They had been there for three hours and she hadn't moved from her perch. Kankuro was further down the wall talking to another scout and Sasuke was crouched at her side.

His black hair was flat on his head and his sharingan was activated, scanning the horizon for any enemy. His bloodline limit faded as he looked over to his silent companion. His eyes drifted down to her bare thighs, the skirt scrunched up to her hip. Droplets of rain were running down from her knee to the collected fabric of her skirt. Sasuke took in a silent breath as he tore his eyes away and looked up at her face. Her jaw was set and her white hair was held out of her face by a strip if leather tied at the base of her skull. Water ran down her face and the red strip across her eyes seemed to be the color of blood in the poor light. He had the urge to reach out to her as his eyes landed on her exposed thighs again, but Kankuro's presence sent Sasuke to his feet. Kankuro sent him a knowing glance before he spoke.

"There hasn't been any movement on the eastern side either. It's like were tracking ghosts," Kankuro said as he removed his hood. He ran a hand through his brown, spiky hair before flipping the hood back over his head.

Taki stood from her spot and stretched her legs out, before she quickly pulled down her skirt. She didn't like the thought of just sitting there and doing nothing when she knew the enemy was out there, waiting and planning. She looked over at Kankuro and sighed. He was the leader of the squad and there was no way he would go against what his brother said. Taki knew she shouldn't either because the Kazekage had told them specifically not too, but the urge to disobey was growing. Kankuro's eyes narrowed at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"We stay here, like we were told by Gaara," Kankuro said, looking from Taki and then to Sasuke. Taki looked away from him and back out into the rain. It was going to be a long fucking day on the wall if nothing happened. Sure she knew it would be best if nothing did happen, but deep down she wanted a fight, just like she knew the two guys standing next to her did also. It was something that ran deep inside them… it was the way of the shinobi.

Authors Note: Do I really only have one reader? Well review if you read. It's always nice to hear feedback.