I do not own Naruto…

Chap 21

The night passed without incident. Rhys slept until noon the next day.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, was Kai's face above hers, "Well good morning sunshine." He teased.

She smiled and shoved his face away, "Morning to yourself." She looked up at the sun, "Wow. I slept that long?"

"Hai." He grinned, grasping her wrist, "You looked so lovely as you snored away….."

She shot up and nearly knocked Kai over, "NANI?"

"Just kidding." He chuckled, holding his hands up in mock-surrender.

"Kai!" she whined.

How he had missed that.

"Meanie!" she accused, sticking her tongue out and turning away, pouting.

He had missed that too.

"I'm sorry." He bowed, "Oh great goddess of love and beauty Uchiha Rhys-sama, will I ever be forgiven?"

Rhys answered nothing.

"Please?" he begged, whining a little bit himself. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, snuggling into the crook of her neck.

He felt her blush then loosen up, "Fine." She turned around, cheeks red, but eyes sparkling with vitality, "I always will and you know that."

He still held her against him. He murmured against her neck, "Thank you." placing a soft kiss on her nape. He wanted to kiss her more but refrained with great effort.

"You can let go of me now, you know…" she said. Reluctantly, Kai did so.

"Thank you." she smiled, "Now I can go wash up!"

"But the dirt suits you." he licked his finger and rubbed a mark off of her face.

"Bully." Rhys blushed.

"Hime-sama…" he said slyly.

"Baka." She replied.

"Beauty personified." He came right back.

Rhys blushed and abruptly turned around, knowing she had lost their little game.

"Rhys…" he started, something was worrying him. He didn't want her to be alone.

The girl half-turned, "Hai?" she asked.

Kai took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

She cocked her head then understood. She smiled gently and covered his hand with her other one, "I'll be fine, Kai." she squeezed his hand gently, "Don't worry."

"But—"

Gently, she put his hand to her lips, "I said I'll be fine." Rhys slid her hand from his and left.

Humming to herself quietly, Rhys undressed herself to the wraps she wore beneath her clothes. They only covered what was needed and left a good deal of her slim stomach show. Her hum rose to a song as she unbound her hair from her disheveled ponytail. It flowed well past her waist. She knelt on a rock and began to wash her clothes. After she laid them out on a sun-warmed rock, she dove beneath the cool, clear water and washed away the mud and filth from yesterday's flight. As she scrubbed her arms, back to the woods her thoughts were occupied, Somehow, I get the feeling that I won't be back home for a long time. Whoever scared Kai last night must be formidable, to make such a great shinobi frightened like that.

The girl pulled on her tight shorts that she wore underneath her split skirt and was about to pull on the fishnets she wore underneath her shirt when she felt something cold and sharp press between her shoulder blades and something wrap around her bare stomach, yanking her against something. Her breath caught in her lungs. How? I didn't even sense them!

"Don't move." A husky voice said in her ear.

The girl shuddered.

"We have you surrounded my little flower." Kane's husky voice went on.

Rhys nearly screamed. Her sharingan activated in a fighting reflex. She saw a number of men moving at the speed of thunder move around her in a tight circle. All were chuckling menacingly.

There is no way I can take them! She thought, "K-!" her cry was muffled by Kane's offensive hand. She didn't like how he held her against him, it was so intimate it was sickening. His fingers pressed into the soft flesh of her stomach as he murmured "Not a word my dear, or we'll kill Kai."

She had been gone too long. Now Kai was worried. Just as he began to walk in the direction where she had gone Kai heard a muffled cry followed by snickers. Then he sensed him. His fist clenched.

"You have some nerve trying to hide from me. I can smell that putrefying odor of yours long before I can sense you."

A menacing chuckle, "Oh Kai." The man appeared, "A grouch as always."

"A scum just as before." Kai spat back venomously.

"I thought you were ready to take over the village." The man began to circle Kai, "I thought that you hated every single person in there."

Kai eyed him warily, "I never said every single person."

"That is correct. Every single person except- maybe – this person?" Kane said, "Bring her out."

Men appeared with Rhys in only her chest bindings and shorts.

"Kai!" she cried out as they threw her into him. Kai caught her before she hit the ground and immediately shielded her with his arms. She was mortified. "D-don't look—" she stammered, "I'm not-" she began.

"Shh….." Kai soothed, "You're fine. We've been on the same team before. It doesn't bother me at all." He comforted, kissing her forehead while drawing her closer to him, covering her even more.

"I could call you so many things right now." His voice was a lethal quiet. Anger burned in his veins, "What did you to her!" he exploded.

"Nothing at all." Kane nonchalantly said, "We just scared her." He shrugged, much to Kai's annoyance.

"Is that true?" he quietly asked the trembling girl, rubbing her back gently.

"H-hai." Her voice quivered, "I was just pulling my clothes back on when one of them sneaked up behind me and held a kunai to my back." She squeezed her eyes shut, "Oh Kai! I'm so sorry! I should've…."

"Don't worry about it, Rhys." He murmured into her hair, pulling her even closer to him as he went on, "These jerks are even better at extinguishing their chakra than I am." He kissed her head softly, "You have to know them to sense them."

She raised fearful violet eyes to him, "Kai, who are these people? I-I'm scared."

Kai's heart cut him, "It'll be okay. I won't let them hurt you."

Rhys buried her head in his shoulder and clutched his shirt.