Their was a lot of light when she woke up this time. She was grateful, this time, to have the headband over her eyes. Her body automatically turned from the light and into something. It was flesh, toned flesh, she knew that, but she couldn't tell who this toned flesh belonged to. Her senses were still hazy from that weird hit from Neji, and the even weirder snake incident. Two arms unlaced themselves, and she felt the cold absence of them right away. She shivered and the arms returned.

" Hey, wake up, we need to talk to you." a loving and familiar voice whispered sweetly in her ear.

She lifted herself into a sitting position on her father's lap. Her hands reached up to take the headband off. When the fabric was off and her eyes opened she let out a pained whimper, and quickly turned into Sasuke. He pushed her head deeper into his chest. Warm tears streaked down her cheeks, her eyes hurt so badly. Her arms wrapped tighter around her father, and she pushed herself more into his chest hoping the darkness would sooth her burning eyes.

The arms that were holding her loosened. She heard the clanking of metal being picked up. Now her father was trying to loosen her grip on him. He used all of his force, but in the end he won. She was now sitting on his lap with her face exposed. She prayed no one would pry her eyes open. Her prayers were in vain. The feeling of uselessness meant she was now in the holds of a shadow possession. Her eyes opened of her own free will.

She screamed as the pain became more intense from all the light.

Her mother's voice was in front of her, but she couldn't think of that, everything hurt too much. Their was something more being done to her then just the healing of her eyes. She could feel something like acid lick its way up and down her body. It radiated from her birth mark. She couldn't move. The only thing she could do was scream in agony. She was helpless.

Are you really so helpless my child? the hiss was back. What did it want with her?

Her eyes rolled up to stare at the ceiling, for that was where the hiss came from. When she first saw the owner of the hiss her memories of the man streamed back into her. The man just sat their laughing an evil laugh. He was chained to an useable wall. He terrified the girl. That terror snapped her back to reality.

She was freed from the possession. Her headband was now back over her eyes. And she was looking up to the ceiling for nothing now.

With tears streaming down her face Sakura slapped Rika her one, and only daughter, and then she fell to her knees and hugged the girl tightly. " You made us worry so much." she sobbed. Rika didn't know what to do so she just sat their crying from the pain in her eyes and the sting of those words, and the terror of the snake-eyed man. When she was released from the embrace of her mother, she was still sitting on her father's lap. He looked at her with a mixture of emotions in his eyes, anger and disappointment being the most noticeable. She felt of twinge of pain, although she couldn't see any of the adults she could certainly feel them. She could practically taste their emotions they were so strong.

Her headband was returned over her eyes.

She sighed from the pleasure of the darkness.

" What did you kids think you were doing?" it was the Hokage's voice, he sounded very angry, but he kept his voice level. The worst was the extreme disappointment in his voice. It stabbed deep, trust was something that was probably lost on this night. It was obvious that he had worried to no end like all the others in the room.

Although it wasn't her idea, but Haku's, she was the leader of the group, and she was the one who didn't try to stop anything until the very end. The eleven-year-old Uchiha stood up. With her eyes still covered she looked in the direction the voice had came from. With her held high she said " We were thinking we would get some respect, but it seems we've only lost it. I take the blame. Don't punish the others. I could have stopped it, but I didn't. I'm sorry." she looked down. She had probably just signed her life over to working in the village forever, and getting out, but still she felt responsible, so she would be the responsible one.

" No, that's not true." cut off his father before he could get the next thing out of his mouth. "It was my idea." Rika jerked her head in the direction of Haku's voice.

" Your not taking all the blame Uzumaki, I started the fight." Zabetsu's voice was somewhere on the other side of the room, she jerked her head to him as well.

" Shut up both of you!" this outburst had the sound of a demand, but was actually a request, but only Haku and Zaza knew that. They decided not to abide by this request.

" Rika had barely anything to do with our little adventure. In fact she tried to stop us-" Haku was interrupted.

" That's why we were fighting." Zaza interjected.

" Yea, we were planning to go to Suna. Rika was looking out for our stupidity. She didn't want us to get hurt, so she had to fight with Zabetsu to stop him."

Rika was very much happy with the fact that her team loved her so much that they would do this, but sense she was herself she didn't like that they were standing up for her, she could do that herself. So she hissed at them to "shut their mouths".

Something happened, and the room had gone silent. Rika was on the floor holding her shoulder near the base of her neck.

She had never felt so much pain in her life. She didn't scream though, she hated screaming. Their was a frantic feel in the room. And someone said something, and did something with their finger on her birthmark. Then just as suddenly as the pain had came it was gone.

" Well, that was close." that was Kakashi's voice. He sounded a little shaken, he must not have expected what had happened to happen.

" Yea." that was her father's voice. It sounded worried, and that, in turn, worried Rika.

" What happened?" she asked in a small, breathy voice.

Sakura crouched down and with a voice of false reassurance said " Nothing, everything is fine, but you are in loads of trouble." Rika didn't believe the nothing part, but she did believe that she was in more trouble then she could comprehend at the moment.

" You said you were wanting respect. What did you mean?" the lord Hokage said this very close to her.

Had all the adult in the room decided to invade her personal space?

" Well, you never let us out of the village. We thought that if we snuck our way out it would show you that we were ready to go on missions outside of Konoha." Haku's voice came from as far as the room allowed. He also sounded worried. Rika was getting annoyed now, she wanted to know what was happening to her!

" Is that all?"

" Yea, you never give us missions that aren't in the village, and you never tell us why. I know its because of who we are." Silence fell across the room and she could hear the shuffling of feet. People were leaving, but sense she couldn't see who, she dismissed that she heard it at all.

" Maybe they should get out of here." Sasuke suggested.

" First, someone answer my question!" she screamed she hated the secrets they were keeping from her about HER! All eyes were on her, she could feel it. " Whats. Happening. To. Me!"

Sasuke squatted next to her and said " In time."

That was it! She was tired of this! Didn't she have a right to know what she was!

She picked herself up off the floor.

She ran out the window, and leaped into the night sky. She was off again, she didn't care where she went as long as it was away from them. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, and float into the air.

They all looked at the window the young girl had stormed off through. All the adults felt guilt pass through them. It tooks its place in each one of them. They couldn't tell her yet. She needed to stay a child for as long as she could. They wanted her to be happy before the coming storm.

Naruto looked at his old teammates. They looked older at that moment then they should. He could see all the suffering they were feeling. If it were his child he would be a wreck. They were holding up better then anyone else could. They truly were stronger then he was.

He looked down. The suggestion wasn't a bad one. It would probably be a good thing for Rika if she got out. He knew that Haku and Zabetsu didn't need to get out nearly as much as she did. After all they have left here before he thought.

" You know," the other adults left in the room looked at him " I think she needs to get out. Sasuke, take her on a mission with you."

Sasuke looked a little shocked, but mostly pleased. He said " Alright, but I choose the mission, and the other two jounin."

" You got it." Naruto grinned at the man. Rika worried Naruto too.

" Call me when her eyes heal Sakura. You know your opinion is the only one I trust." she looked at the blond and smiled.

" But, Naruto, are you sure that's a good idea?" Skiamaru asked urgently." Yep, I'm taking Kakahsi and Neji with me." Sasuke answered confidently.