Warning: Feeeeels!

Chapter 11: Angel

Kakashi Hatake was known to be a private man.

Despite all the public reading of porn books and random nights in which he participated in ridiculous challenges that people either hated or enjoyed, not even his self acclaimed rival could say what truly was going through his mind.

Which was, a lot.

Considered a prodigy, he rose through the ranks with a mind sharp as steel and fingers fast as the lightning he could hold.

When he was young, people had whispered in praise and gossip on what his own elemental affinity was. Some said that it was fire for the never ending will he held for Konoha, others saying rock for his sturdiness and fighting style, and even wind for how quick he could move.

Lightning and water were never suggested, despite his sharp tongue and in the end, how easily directed he could be like a stream.

Apprenticed under Minato Namikaze, that later became Team Minato with two others, it was the loss of every single person in his life, that his lightning strikes disappeared into dripping water from sad clouds once again.

His father, kicking off the Third Great Shinobi War after breaking the rules and saving his teammate, killed himself when Kakashi was just 8 years old. Directed into following the belief of Rules being above all, being his savior in moments of loneliness, and his comfort blanket when standing up against the world, it was ripped away once again.

Obito Uchiha, a boy with a thing for goggles somehow maintaining constant dust in them at 13 years old. When rules and orders failed Kakashi, resulting in the kidnapping of his teammate Rin, it was the death of Obito underneath a rock and a late promotion gift that began to direct Kakashi somewhere new; a place he wanted to forget that existed.

Rin Nohara, the girl that admired the greatest Healer known and aspired after her, was kidnapped once again. This time, she didn't want to go back home, with the ticking time-bomb sealed into her stomach that was set to be off to destroy her home. So when Kakashi held the lightning in his hand once more, she took it right through the stomach on purpose. She was almost 14.

Kakashi wasn't desperate for love, truly. He just knew when to hold on tight.

He couldn't have had any worse timing to hold onto who was left.

Red hair and soft smiles of Kushina Uzumaki, apron tied around her waist as she served homemade ramen. Blue eyes that were twinkling with joy, belonging to Minato Namikaze, who's elbow could be found in the stomach of his teacher and writer Jiraiya.

It felt like home to him, being dragged to homemade dinners with them, secretly enjoying himself throughout it all despite the snarky retorts and scowls.

When Kushina became pregnant, he willingly went baby shopping with her and when he wasn't, he was buying things on his own and hiding them in the baby's new room to be found later with snickers and knowing glances.

He wasn't surprised that Minato and Kushina decided on the name Naruto, it being a ramen topping, a force to be wrecken with in nature, and a hero in Jiraiya's first book. Unfortunately missing the ultrasound that revealed the gender, he still received a copy of her.

His Kushina-neechan allowed him to touch her belly at one point, and then teased him that he seemed more excited than her for Naruto's birth.

Naruto Namikaze, was going to grow up in a bedroom that was close to the kitchen, loving ramen and kicking boys asses. Pulling fun pranks and ending up on Minato's lap in the Hokage's office, giving puppy dog eyes and running free to cause more trouble. Attending play-dates with Kushina's best friends children, Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha, she'd be taught how to throw kunai with Kakashi's help. She was going to graduate at 12 years old at the top of her class and be Kakashi's student under Minato's scary orders, being able to manipulate objects with just a flick of her hand, taking the chunin exams later and being promoted. She was going to invite her team over for dinners and watch them be scared off by the Fourth Hokage, sobbing in the corner at his little girl growing up.

Kakashi was going to be whatever she wanted.

He'd be her super hero, tea-party guest, guard, knight in shining armor, sensei, big brother, anything she needed or wanted.

When the due date neared closer and closer to October 12th, he had returned from a mission on October 10th. Dropping by the Mission's desk to drop off the report he wrote on the way, he stopped by the Hokage's office and was asked by Minato on if he'd be willing to watch Kushina until her water broke. Sadly too busy with his Hokage duties and unable to do it himself, Kakashi found himself nodding in understanding.

Picking up the plushie he had someone make after his main and most intelligent nin-dog, it was forgotten on the front step of Minato's house when he arrived to Kushina screaming, holding her glowing stomach, water around her.

It was a blur for Kakashi. Throwing down one of the Fourth's kunai, the blond showed up in seconds. Orders were made, ANBU ninja arrived, and the ground began trembling.

Screams rang through the air, cracks ran along the ground, homes collapsed as trees tilted over.

Red glowing eyes were the last thing he saw, before being thrown into a room filled with other young ninja that were armed at the ready.

Kushina Uzumaki, filled with a fire that could set the world on fire and the chains to hold it still as she did, he found still on the ground, eyes open and dark. With a sickened complexion, there was an oddly peaceful expression that still fluttered across her eyelids as blood painted her lips to almost match her hair.

Minato Namikaze, glowing bright and lighting up the dark around him, stood tall on top of his toad summon. Gold dust flying around him as he held a baby in his arm, the last thing he saw was the child crying before his glow finally fell. Not even a whole day later, Jirayia left, his newest book sat ignored on Kakashi's night stand.

Naruto Namikaze never grew up.

Naruto Uzumaki did in her place.

Naruto Uzumaki grew up in a messy studio apartment, clothes, ramen cups and origami everywhere. Throwing his fists at anyone who even wanted to fight, his pranks left a trail of chaos as he was hunted down by ANBU to be punished, normally thrown back into class as he was hog tied. Demanding respect at the top of his lungs, he had no real friends that didn't notice him outside of the pranks, and no one to teach him how to throw kunai. He failed three different genin exams, and only graduated at the bottom of his class because a village traitor used him. He was taken as Kakashi's student only because he happened to be the worse of the class and his ability was destructive to himself, barely being able to control the twitching his fingers at the paper he created. There were no team dinners, barely even team lunches, and no parents to overlook his independent training or make him lunch on the days of activities.

He ignored the little boy, almost all of the time. In moments of his vacation, where his team needed medical help and a break, he stood out on the roof across from the Uzumaki's room, watching. In moments of weakness and no responses from the black obsidian that held his teams name, he stood outside the door, ready to knock.

He wasn't ever going to admit any of it to anyone either. He was too busy with ANBU. They needed the man-power, the money from the missions, to show that Konoha can stand strong no matter what's thrown in her way. Finally picking up the book that Jiraiya left, he bought every single one of the new series and suddenly there were no more urges to hold a stranger close and tell stories of his parents.

The psychiatric ward said he had a death wish.

Kakashi didn't want to die, he just wanted to be useful toward his village. Taking on the missions that even younger ninja than him were offered, he saved their lives in moments that almost costed him his own. He didn't want to be a famed hero, with people shaking his hand with eyes shining when he took out the dangerous ones threatening their lives. He wanted to see shoulders easing down at the lack of stress and to overhear stories of what they had for dinner, because they were able to make it home another night.

He understood his abilities, and though he wasn't close to too many people, he also understood when someone was overestimating their own for a mission. The anger and disgust he held at himself because he couldn't save everyone, faded with time and the rising of his own power. Still crushed at losing everyone, his bad habits remained as bad habits.

Reading constantly of things always going better for other people in books when he wasn't making things better through missions, he kept others at an arms distance. Staying late with awful excuses in memory of his old friend Obito, he continued unless there was trouble. Updating his team and family with no responses, he spent a lot of time at the Obsidian Stone that had all their names carved in.

Taken off ANBU a few years before he accepted his new team, he came back in time from the continuation of missions. This year, he had returned earlier.

Walked through each of their homes with the Third Hokage, importance was placed on each student.

On why Kakashi should give this Team 7 a chance.

He didn't because he felt like he owed it to Obito, and he certainly didn't because he wanted to finally see if the Uzumaki boy could be his missing Namikaze sister somehow.

He ignored the lump in his throat when he realized that Sasuke was too far gone to put aside too much of his pride for even the littlest of tasks, and he hid the ultrasound picture before Team 7's first C-rank, when Naruto didn't fill in his ideals.

Kakashi remembered battling Zabuza, the fake hunter-nin appearing, Sasuke and Sakura helping Tazuna down from the tree they hid him up in, and sitting next to a sad Naruto.

He remembered asking her on if she was okay, and he remembered seeing his new outfit shimmer.

When he woke up, he ignored the soaring of his heart for the situation at hand.

She was constantly busy without even trying on purpose. Her clones were always keeping watch around the island, she was helping Tazuna's family in breaking free from their oppressed shell, learning the Tree Climbing skill. He knew that he should've tried harder rather than waiting patiently, but he also knew that Sasuke needed to be watched after directly taking lives.

He was sort of content with just watching her, like he was that one Hyuuga girl.

Returning to the Leaf Village, Kakashi knew that he was in a load of trouble. Breaking protocol of informing someone that a mission was higher ranked than it should've been, it was a C-rank that turned A and he allowed three genin to choose whether or not they should continue, never sending a summon back. Being out of commission, they went ahead and took on the problem head on without him even being anywhere near, putting the lowest ranked fresh-out-of-the-academy graduate in charge, it didn't matter how well the mission went.

He expected D-ranks, forced volunteering at the academy, training the other genin, a few high ranking missions away from his team, a cut pay, or a tax increase on his missions pay for a while.

Hell, he even expected to sit in Torture and Intelligence for a practice session on what would happen when not following basic fucking protocol.

Instead, he was told to just keep away from his students.

'And of course, with the worse timing.'

He promised his cutest genin that he'd get ramen and train one on one with her. That he'd explain everything he was allowed to, without breaking laws of what she held and keeping her less obvious heritage hidden. He wanted to talk to her about what she's been viewing, her hidden gender, and tell her stories of her parents.

So with an upset stomach, he visited the Obsidian stone again and spoke softly.

"One, two, three, four, five..." Through the thin trees that surrounded the stone for those who were Killed in Action, Kakashi could hear a familiar, scratchy voice counting out loud, all the way to twenty-five. Not needing to turn and search too hard, he could see the familiar black and orange figure doing push-ups and then, sit ups. Sitting down with his back against the stone, he kept his book in his lap as he silently joined in the counting.

"Kage no Bunshin!" Several poofs and smoke even aired into Kakashi's part of the training ground, different shouts of the same voice echoed all at once with one being the loudest of them all. "Alright, you losers! Come at me!"

This didn't count as breaking his punishment. Kakashi was just relaxing with someone training nearby.

'Besides, they don't know that I have a different connection. I was meant to be her brother.'

The training itself was worth it and while I'm tired as shit at the end of it, sometimes the best part of training was walking off the pain, making my way home slowly before I passed out.

Konoha, while filled with eccentric people of both civilian and shinobi, still had its moment of either natural calamity or equally eccentric peacefulness.

"-hell and back with you, stay lost in what we found." Tonight appeared to be the latter, as though there wasn't any kind of festival happening, there was still soft music being played over the easing bustle. Lightly pushing my way through the crowd, I followed the soft music of what some people call a guitar. "So fly on your own, it's time I let you go!"

Arriving on the scene, people surrounded a few men that were holding and using instruments I've only seen in books, some watchers dropping off bills or change in a what looked like a guitar case, a few couples were even swaying together before the men in tune.

"I'm in love with an angel who's afraid of the light, her halo is broken but there's fight in her eyes." Looking up into the vocalists eyes, he had a far away look as he stared over everyone's head. "Mm, walls are built to keep us safe, until they're crashing down. Worlds apart we were the same, until you hit the ground..."

Lifing his chin up high, he smiled sadly as people softly cheered him on. "Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm weak - maybe I'm blinded by what I see. You wanted a soldier but it wasn't me-'cause I could never set you free."

Biting my lip, I took a step back, accidentally bumping someone who quickly grabbed my shoulder, keeping me steady. Muttering a sorry, the hand gripped just a little tighter, catching my attention for sure.

Following the hand up its attached limb, I recognized the flak jacket and mask sitting on top of his face. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Nodding, he stepped closer and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. Blushing, I wrapped my arms around his waist, hoping he didn't smell my awful sweat. "So fly on your own, it's time I let you go, go!"

Watching together, we continued to listen to the men play a few more notes before ending, and I couldn't help grip my sensei closer as the crowd clapped. Feeling his free hand run across my softly damp hat, I sighed happily when the hand through and down my neck, reaching my back and resting a inch below my breast on my left side.

"Maa, Naruto-chan, shouldn't you be going to bed soon? The exam starts the day after tomorrow." Nodding slowly and guiltily, I didn't want to leave yet. He and I still had to talk, it being almost 2 weeks from when he promised we would.

My eyes trailing up into his bored lone one, I allowed my thoughts to wander despite the repeating mantra that I was suppose to be his little sister.

Sitting on his lap, leaving kisses as I pulled his mask down. Kissing the scar over his eye. Him tracing my whiskers. Waking up next to him, nude with the sun shining on us. Playing with each others hair. Dragging him out of bed to team practice, still arriving a hour late. Sparring with him, him winning and ending the match with a kiss.

'He thinks of me as a sister. I'm not his type, I'm his neechan's daughter. He thinks of me as a little sister. I'm too young, I'm his sensei's daughter.' Shaking my head, I didn't realize I was tightening my arms around him slowly. Seeing his eyebrow raised high into his headband, I quickly let go. His hand that rested below my breast automatically dragged lightly along my back. 'I want to know what you're thinking, sensei.'

Chewing on my lower lip, I stared into his eye. "Before I go, can we talk about that one thing?"

A blink later, his hand removed itself from my back and he bobbed his head once.

Grinning wildly, I gestured with my hands and with energy I didn't realize I even had, I turned around and almost jogged a part of the way to my house. Pausing in the entry of an alleyway that I hid in several times before after a prank, Kakashi-sensei took his careful time to catch up. Stepping over the mess of empty and old trash cans, I made it to the dead end and ripped my goggles and hat off, unzipping my jacket and pulling it open to show the small bumps in my tight shirt.

The stuttering light meant to brighten the odd trashcan area, I knew my features were darkened but noticeable to the man.

His eye wandered all over my body, and it was obvious that he was just trying to figure out how easily I could've hid my gender this whole time. Not as though it was mission impossible or anything, I was only aiming to hide my hair and eyes recently. Breast just barely reaching to B, baggy shirts and equally baggy sweaters make it difficult to notice anything going on normally.

Raising his eye to meet mine after his exploration, he leaned against the fence behind him. "What all do you know?"

Dropping onto my bottom to not deal with my sore legs, I folded them and tilted my head. "Kushina's my mom, Fourth Hokage is my dad, their relationship wasn't really public, and the Kyuubi attack happened because I was born."

"That's pretty much all there is," he replied. "I was the Fourth's apprentice, and he was assigned two other genin since he was doing so well with teaching me. We all ended up meeting Kushina overtime since she and Minato-sensei hung out quite a bit under the idea of them being related."

"What?" Reeling my head back, I knew that Namikaze's and Uzumaki's were technically cousins, but to be able to say you're that closely related?

"Mm, yes. Minato-sensei used the excuse of Namikaze being the branch of Uzumaki's like the Hyuuga's, but under different names."

My jaw dropped into a small O as I squinted my eyes, thinking it over. "So, why weren't you around then?" Receiving a blank response in his eye, I explained. "My childhood. I never met you before and I only knew about you because you're a pretty big deal."

"I was too busy with ANBU."

Snorting, I shifted in my spot. "Yeah, but not busy enough to save me from Mizuki in your old mask."

Crouching down to my level with a hard look in his eyes, I squinted at him in return. "Hokage-sama had called all chunin and higher shinobi that were available and locked down the village, to search for you. I put my old mask on to send some of the more than happy members the other direction when I caught onto your trail. Forbidden technique or not, I did not want to endanger you or Iruka unnecessarily when I could take care of him with no problem."

Looking down at the ground before his feet, he sighed.

After a moment, I spoke up quietly. "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes?"

"Was I suppose to be your little sister?"

Another moment of silence passed and I couldn't help but sneak a glance up at him. A thoughtful look crossed his eye before nodding. "Yes, you were. Kushina had poked fun at me quite a bit, saying I was more excited than her for your birth."

"Am I?"

He stood back up on his two feet and offered a hand. Taking it, I was tugged up off the ground with a smooth jerk. Releasing my hand, he ran his hand slowly through my hair, getting a feel for my relenting spikes. "Are you what, Naruto-chan?"

The words were lost in my throat. I was suppose to be an adult in everything but body, being able to attain whatever I wanted that came with the right to legally kill others for money. Being an adult included knowing what was best for me and what I wanted, and besides not taking too high level missions, I barely even know what was best for me. I didn't know what I wanted, besides to grow stronger, bring my clan together, and ramen.

I do know who I am.

I'm Princess Naruto Uzumaki of Uzu no Kuni, Paper Kunoichi, third holder of the jail key to the Nine Tails, prank master of Konoha, dead last of my years graduating class. Future Queen of a soon to be re-opened land, Clan Heiress of almost extinct shinobi clan, I was a genin of Konoha, hopefully soon to be chunin. I was not some bounty for my teammates to cash in together when I died, and everything I did made a difference with my position.

Everything I am matches with what I want, and will help me along the way.

But I also want my own family with someone I love someday. Children that have a piece of me in them.

Kakashi-sensei was not family, no matter how different things could've turned out, he was just my sensei.

One that I can at least admit, I was attracted to.

That I didn't want to be at all.

"Never mind," shaking my head underneath his hand, I stared toward the ground in between us. Even though I wasn't raised as his little sister, the fact that I would've been will never be erased from his mind. Feeling a soft spike be tugged, I lifted my chin to see an eye smile.

Hoping I wasn't going too far, I gripped the top of his vest and pulled him down so his eye reached mine at my level and wrapped my arms around his neck. Placing my face against his clothed neck, I leaned my lower body to press against his bent taller form. 'My heartbeat.' Pounding against my rib cage a million miles a minute, I closed my eyes as I felt his arms slowly snake around my waist. His chakra radiated awkwardness, but I almost didn't care. Flashes of him dropping me on his cock, telling me sweet dirty things, holding a leash to a collar on my neck.

Releasing him quickly with a face that I know was a tomato, he pulled back and stood to his full height. "I'm gonna go then, alright sensei?" Together, we made our way back to the entrance of the alleyway, being sure to step over the trash that still remained, I tugged my hat back on with my goggles hanging around my neck. Turning to each other, I waved at him before lightly jogging the rest of the way to my apartment, it only four blocks away.

Yawning when I made it to the stairs that would lead me up, I sighed before dragging my legs dramatically.

Reaching my floor, I walked to my door. I could still feel the sweat stick to my body but thankfully, it didn't affect my ability. It didn't stop the slight disgust at the smell coming from my armpits though. Yanking my sweaty hat back off and balling it into my left fist, my right hand unlocked the door.

There was no click of the door unlocking like normal.

Slowly turning my key back and pulling it out, I stood in silence. Listening and reaching for any possibly chakra signatures, there was one. Knowing the layout of my own apartment like the back of my hand, the signature was coming slightly from my left and at a distance, making me wonder on if they were sitting on my bed. I couldn't hear or feel the person move, and if they were breathing then it was very shallow and light. Their chakra though was very calm, large even, but still unfamiliar.

It made me feel sick to my stomach.

I felt like I had swallowed something rotten. With my throat drying up and feeling like the rotten piece of meat was steadily making its way down to my stomach, finally falling apart. Breaking into smaller pieces, it only continued to infect my body. Like I was water making its way down a drain pipe, anger seemed to sprinkle itself afterward.

The idea of somebody coming into my home, and sitting there as if they were waiting for me like a pet for their owner was disgusting. There were many methods people can use to communicate, because if this was an assassination attempt then it has already failed. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and opened the door slowly - prepared to defend myself from a possible attack.

My apartment was dark, and when I reached over to light up my apartment with just a flick of my wrist, my eyes quickly became accustomed to the darkness, and my theory of them sitting on my bed, was proven.

Click

"Hello there, little Uzumaki."

Dropping my hand from the switch, I stared at the person before me.

With a lopsided bun on their head, an origami rose sat on top of faded indigo hair that still fell gently to her chin. Piercing amber eyes that still seemed to glow despite the light searched every visible crook in my body. Having subtle eyeliner form a small wing on each eyelid with hair-matching eyeshadow. A narrow but small nose, her chapped lips were a very light pink, only having a piercing right underneath her bottom lip. She wore a very large but form fitting cloak that was mainly black, with a red zipper and an obvious red inside. The cloak was decorated with red clouds that had white outlines. Her feet and legs were covered with a type of high and tight, black kunoichi-like heels with dirtied white heels. Her toes peaked out, and with a double look, all of her nails were painted a neon orange.

Swallowing, I wondered who she was. There was no headband, but the way she was just sitting on my bed, hands folded on top of each other and legs bent at a perfect 90 degree angle, back straight with a controlled expression after sneaking into a ninja village - it was clear that she was dangerous.

Raising her chin subtly, my eyes snapped back to amber ones. I couldn't help but notice the small crack in between her lips, and the way her shoulders naturally moved with her breathing, proving she was breathing quickly and very lightly. 'She can't be nervous, she seems...too controlled for it.'

Raising her right arm completely, with her hand palm up I could feel her gather chakra. Feeling myself tense, I could also feel my breath get caught in my throat.

Folding itself right out of her hand, was fucking paper. I knew my jaw dropped a little at the pleased glint in her eye, but I couldn't help it. In her hand, paper was folding itself to create some kind of open mouthed cocoon. Only slightly seeing the center of said cocoon, did I watch further pieces stretch themselves, and only once the thin pieces reach near the entrance did flower-like buds grow.

Letting go of the apparent bouquet, I watched as it simply floated in the air, and the buds grew into large, plain white but complicated and gorgeous origami roses. Setting her right hand back onto her left, it floated its way to me slowly.

I almost couldn't control myself as my limbs moved me forward, dropping my hat as my arms reached out to grab the bouquet. With the only noise in the room being my pounding heart in my ears and my quick breathing, I nodded to her before I allowed my eyes to observe and analyze the gift.

I suppose she knew my first question before I could even begin trying to wonder

"I'm not an Uzumaki." Snapping my eyes back up, I held onto the roses a little bit tighter. I could feel her chakra in the paper, and it wasn't warm nor cold, but it was almost addicting to just feel. "I knew one. He was powerful, though he didn't seem to inherit the ability to use his chakra like any other Uzumaki." With a little twitch in her cheek, it dawned on me that she wasn't telling me everything, and that she found it amusing.

Barely finding my voice, I finally spoke up. "Then... how can you do this, too?" Lifting the flowers slightly, I hoped she understood my question since I feel like someone had numbed my mouth with medicine.

"It was in the middle of the Second Great Ninja War. The Uzumaki boy, myself and another had our families caught in the crossfire of the fighting and died early on. Anything we found to eat, had some kind of wrapper around it." Barely even moving her mouth in explaining, her voice never slurred though she spoke lowly. "The wrappers were our entertainment, and when we were found by a squad, one member had stayed with us. He wasn't an Uzumaki, but I suppose he must've been close to one to assist me." With only a tilt of her head, I just barely could see the black journal beside her on my bed spread. "Chakra is both physical and spiritual, and he was able to figure out that I could at least imitate the ability with paper. The teacher and I have recorded everything into the book."

I took a few more steps closer, noticing a soft tan line on her right middle finger as if a ring formerly sat there for years, despite her pale skin. "But why are you here..?"

Staring into my eyes, I want to say that it took her a moment to respond because she was thinking of how to put the words together, but it wasn't the answer to my question. Or, if it was - then it made no sense.

"You're the Kyuubi container." Squinting, I couldn't help but be confused despite the whirling caution in my stomach. There was no sigh that could tell me what she thought of her own answer or my lack of response. "Uzumaki, do you know what Lou-Gehrig disease is?"

With the shake of my head, I just barely caught the tensing in her jaw. "It's a neurological disease. It, destroys the nerves that transmits the messages from the brain, to their body." I could feel my eyes widen as my heart tightened. "Civilians call it ALS, but I was, diagnosed with it a few years ago." With silent anger in her amber eyes as she attempted to spit the words out, I tried to understand.

Because I was the Kyuubi container, or just because I was an Uzumaki, maybe because with a similar ability, she's come to me to pass on her knowledge? But it doesn't sound like she'd die just from it alone.

Though the anger in her eyes hadn't passed, I watched them soften. Slowly lifting herself off the bed, she didn't allow her legs to completely straighten. Only setting the book on my nightstand, she once again lowered herself to my bed, though this time she laid down. Using my pillow against her upper back and lower neck, I watched her have difficulties letting her legs straighten and relax. With an almost expecting glance, I walked forward at her silent command. Hesitantly sitting on the edge of the bed, I turned myself just enough to continuously face her.

Sitting in silence, I could feel the heat of the sun through my curtains slowly leave. The lure from the chakra made roses however, didn't.

"Is it true, that all Uzumaki's obsess over fuinjutsu related objects?" Feeling a flush of embarrassed, I allowed a small smile to flash despite the caution still pooled in my stomach. Giving her a little nod, she turned her head to stare up at the ceiling.

It didn't take long for her to begin coughing though.

Using only her hand to cover her mouth, I continued to stare at her in alarm. Sounding as if she was coughing up quite a bit of mucus, I was surprised when she pulled her hand away. Around her chapped lips, was unnaturally darkened blood. Resting her arm on her cloak instead of back on the bed, I watched as the darkened blood slowly made its way onto a red cloud.

Forcing a clear noise at the back of her throat, she seemed to attempt to swallow the remains of the blood. Almost turning my head the other way, she spoke up with a slight rattle in her voice. "I was, told that it depended on the, Uzumaki..." with another cough, the rattling worsened. "On the Uzumaki, that their ability was chosen."

Biting my lip, the woman I still didn't know the name of, observed me. "...I didn't know that."

Narrowing her eyes, I worried that I might've said the wrong thing.

"The boy I knew... he didn't have the chakra ability like you. He had something...much more godlike." Furrowing my brow at her sentence, I silently pondered on what it could've been since it appeared that she won't tell me outright. "You, Naruto Uzumaki..." it was with another small cough, one that seemed to pool a small amount of blood onto her lips that she was forced to pause. "You have paper, by default." Slowly blinking, the woman allowed her eyes to steadily open again. "...Why?"

Pulling back, I had never really thought of why before. As far as I could understand, it was just a random chance for me. My mother received chains, and in all of the memories I've seen - I never had some kind of explanation or reason why to question on how the ability was 'chosen.' My confusion was clear on my face, because her eyes softened once more as her bloodied chapped lips cracked open.

"I continued..researching the ways of using paper, because it was all I had."

My eyes were watering, and I knew she could see it.

It started making just a little more sense on why she came to me. It wasn't just the similarity in our signature abilities, it was because there was something about me. It could've been the obvious life that all containers lived of always being forced to suffer, or she could've been watching me after the word of Konoha having a Paper User got around.

A user who was from a clan that was said to naturally be drawn to brushes, paint and paper. A user whose abilities apparently depended on their entire individual being. The fact that this woman had made her way into my apartment and is now clearly dying on my bed, meant something.

It meant that she saw herself in me.

"I see, you realized why I'm here now..." Turning myself back to her, I tried to bring myself out of my thoughts. Nodding, I bit my lip again and slightly chewed on it. "ALS actually, doesn't have these, symptoms." Turning her hand slightly, I saw the drying blood once again that she had coughed up. It was with a little smirk on the corner of her lips, that had me wary despite her clearly weakened state. "ALS paralyzes people...leaving their mind in tact, but their body useless." Reaching into a pocket of her cloak, an empty clear bottle with a few drops remaining was pulled out. "I am not afraid to wilt...but I refuse to do it any other way..."

Having poisoned herself, the woman didn't want to live the rest of her life in a bed, barely being able to move. I didn't know how bad the disease was for her just yet, but for her to come here and willingly drink poison - it must've been getting worse. She truly was a flower and with how dangerous she could just appear, she must be a tall one with a bush standing behind her for her to come die with a stranger after passing down a journal full of her legacy.

Though my eyes had dried from watering earlier, I could feel the stinging heat return. I didn't know this woman, but she knew a relative of mine. She heard of me somehow, and sees me either as a miniature version of herself or finally found a piece of similarity after giving up some kind of hope.

I honestly didn't know and though I wanted to, I knew better than to ask the mysterious woman.

There was another coughing fest, and the blood that had came up was a much larger amount. Continuing my watching of the dying, I noticed her blinks becoming slower and longer as she stared up at the ceiling.

At one point I opened the curtains to the windows right next to the bed and lifted it up just enough, wanting to give her another view and sound to match it.

It appeared to please her, even more so when she could hear people happily making their ways home as the sun set behind the buildings. When it became clear that she was having trouble lifting herself to see out the window, I left momentarily into my closet to get another pillow, and helped lift her up to stick it underneath her.

We didn't talk too much after that. I didn't know exactly what to say and I think she was content with all that she had said. She still had several coughing fits, and at one point I had left again and returned with a towel for her to at least wipe herself with.

The amount of darkened blood grew each time.

I still don't know her name, and unless she was a known criminal or famed kunoichi from her village, then I might never know. To an extent, I'm okay with that. I didn't know how much of what she said was true about her Uzumaki friend and his apparently godlike powers, if she was truly just an orphaned child that survived the Second Great Ninja War, or if she really wasn't an Uzumaki. I wasn't sure on if I wanted any of it to not be true, because if it wasn't - then I'm just watching a family member die in front of me. Even if she isn't family and the fact that she knows another Uzumaki is true, then he's either been gone with all the past tense mentions of him and doesn't want to be alone in death, she's paranoid that I'll go for looking for him, or she refuses to die in front of him and doesn't want him to know how she's going out.

With her head turned to the window, and eyes half-lidded when they aren't closed, the sun has long ago set. Her chest was still slightly moving, though she was breathing much heavier with an audible rattle to it.

"Uzu-maki..." Snapping my head to her, I leaned forward from my sitting position on the bed. "Go to, sle-ep." Frowning, I shook my head. I knew that during my sleep, she would pass and I didn't want her to die with the noise of my snores and outdoor life through a window. She frowned back, slightly scowling.

Chewing my lip, I considered the idea of taking her to the roof of the tall complex, and laying next to her. Then she'd be able to clearly hear the nightlife of Konoha and the last site wouldn't be my dirty room or risking the chance of my slightly stained ceiling. Since the complex was quite tall as well, no ninjas really roof travel up there in case she was a known criminal or famed ninja from another village.

"Would you like to, uh, go to the roof with me? We can watch the stars..." trailing off, she softly smiled in response with a very small nod. If it wasn't for the dried and still moist blood stains, the situation could be less heartbreaking with my request. 'Would you like to watch the stars as you die next to a stranger..?'

Jumping up, I grabbed another towel and helped the woman up off the bed. Allowing her to use me as a crutch, I yanked my blanket off the bed. Balling it up, the dying woman and I hobbled up the three remaining stairs and through the roof top door. Giving her the blanket to hold for a moment, I held her tight enough to not fall out of my arms as I jumped onto the roof of the stairways and apartment storage room. Taking back the blanket, I laid it out.

Helping her gently lay down, I made sure that the towel was on her lap in case she needed it. Laying next to her, I felt the soft breeze and smelled the soft scent of pine, freshly chopped wood from construction, and aromas of restaurants below.

Turning my head, I checked on the woman one last time.

Laying on her back, her bun was still done and the origami rose was still in place. She wasn't smiling anymore, but her fading amber eyes shined with what was left on how pleased she was. Her body was flattened against the covered pavement as her hands sat on her stomach. Trying to prevent the heated stings behind my eyes, I hoped that this woman wasn't a criminal.

Turning my head to face the sky full of twinkling stars, I allowed my eyes to slowly close after the busy day.

Naruto later learned that her name was Konan. She was a S-Class ninja from Ameagakure that was sighted in the Land of Wave by Konoha nin, staring at the plaque that held the name of the bridge.

Paying for a dress and casket, Naruto had a one person funeral for the woman. When leaving, she passed by the Third Hokage walking forward her grave with a spiky white-haired ninja, that had tattoos of crying blood.

I didn't kill off Konan because I don't want 2 paper users, I killed her off for a completely different reason. Canon will be roughly followed when it comes down to huge events, but things will be a little different of course.

Poor Naruto though, diving head first into things continuously. Like genuine adulthood and feelings.

Uploaded: 8/31/16