Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

After the conference Sol sighed, Itachi had let them in on Madara's plan and then Konan informed them of a Hokage summit that would take place in one month. Sol had decided to attend and speak for her home since she was its heir. The only problem was that she didn't know anything about being a Kage or princess, Konan had offered to teach her the things she knew but it wouldn't be enough.

Sol had decided then to head back to her home land. In order to do that though she'd need Silas, whom she really wanted to stay as far away as possible. That also wasn't the whole reason either.

Flashback (Two Days Ago)

The trio had stopped to rest at a library (It had air conditioning) on their way to Amegakure. During their break the two girls looked over the selection with interest. It's not they can just kick back and read whenever so it was a nice change of scenery.

When ready to leave Sol went to find Kiko, the girl was engrossed in books, carefully looking each page over. "Kiko it's time to go."

Sol noticed the girl frown and place the books back in their respected areas. As they walked towards the door Kiko tugged on the hem of Sol's shirt, the older girl turned to her.

"Sol…I've been reading and reading but I still can't find my name or anything close to it." Kiko's hazel eyes filled with tears, "I want to know who my parents are, but –sniff- I'll never be able to find them!"

Sol bent down and hugged Kiko, she knew from experience that it was difficult not knowing who you are or your past. Sol, though, also knew that sometimes that the past was left alone. "Kiko, we'll find something eventually. Don't you worry."

Flashback Over

Perhaps her birth place held a library that could help them. It was a slim chance but she couldn't just let Kiko wander through life without knowing, maybe Kiko's parents were looking for her too. Sol shook her head, she was beginning to sound like Naruto which wasn't necessarily a bad thing but it would hurt all the more if the truth was dark.

None of the remaining Akatsuki members liked the idea of Silas helping them but knew it was the only way to get there. Hidan had volunteered to go with her and Sol asked Konan and Itachi to go. Sol had a bad feeling that something was going to happen but Konan declined, the village needed her there.

Sol had sent Kuku (One of her birds) to find Silas and have him meet them on the outskirts of Ame. Now they all just had to wait.

Kiko silently watched the Ninja, they were like a family. Konan was like their mother and Sol was the daughter who held them together. They laughed, taunted, smiled, and were themselves, a family, that's how Kiko saw them, kindred, clan, a group, and the very thing that separated them from her.

She didn't have a family and though Sol was kind to her she wondered if she ever could be part of their make-shift family. Even if she couldn't maybe she could still be near and watch them.

"Kiko, what are you doing over there?" Konan asked as she spotted the girl peering over the doorway. "Why don't you come help us?" The lady let a smile grace her features and Kiko smiled and walked over.

"What are you guys doing?" Kiko asked as she stared at the bowels.

"We're trying to make 'pizza', Itachi once read about it and we decided to give it a shot." Sol said as she handed an apron. Kiko noticed everyone was wearing one, even the two guys were. Itachi helped her tie the back and Hidan handed her a bowl of cheese to shred.

Shredding the cheese was harder than it looked and Kiko struggled to do it. "No, no, this is how you do it." Hidan came over and held the cheese grater, showing Kiko how to shred the cheese properly before watching her repeat what he just did.

"Good, that's better, if you need anymore help just ask." Kiko thanked him and watched the Jashinist walk over to Sol and Itachi, step in between them and roll dough. The guy seemed so much calmer and nicer than when they were traveling together.

"I see you've noticed." Konan smiled, "He's a lot calmer here, and there aren't any hunters or enemies around the corner."

"Konan, why are you all like a family?" The lady shrugged, "We used to be distant and cold from one another but then we found Sol, frozen in ice. After awhile we began to change, Sol was like paper," Konan suddenly held a piece of paper and began to fold it, "The folds of the paper that kept us in one shape, we could bend and change shape but we were still connected." Kiko looked at the crane and then the rose origami in awe. "Kiko, you are always welcome here and perhaps one day you'll find what you're looking for."

Kiko smiled and grated more cheese as she watched everyone around her. "Hey, Kiko will you lend me a hand?" Sol asked as she was smoothing the sauce on the large, flat, round dough.

Kiko took another spoon and moved it around the sauce to even it out. After, they all placed toppings, more dough, cheese, and placed it in a pan to go in an oven before Sol placed her hand on it to heat the oven.

Sol and Kiko smiled and turned around only to be hit with a puff of flour. Hidan laughed as he looked at them and then started running around the kitchen as the girls retaliated, picking up some flour they threw it at Hidan. The Jashinist dodged and it hit Itachi instead.

Everyone froze as the Uchiha wiped some of the flour. He picked up a bowel and within a second Hidan had a mushroom on his forehead, "This means war Uchiha!" Soon the four were throwing flour and pizza topping at one another, even Konan joined in once an anchovy ruined the crane she was making.

Within thirty minutes the kitchen was covered in a variety of toppings as were the five food fighters. Sol heard a ding and took the pizza out. Itachi cut the pizza into equal slices and placed it on the table. The group sat at the table and ate, ignoring the mess around them as they talked and laughed.

The pizza turned out to be pretty good but a little too doughy. Once finished they lounged in their dirty chairs and continued talking about anything. Finally Sol decided to start cleaning up and everyone helped (Hidan was forced to because Konan threatened him.) out. Some of the sauce had set on the walls so Itachi had to help Sol clean it, Konan was mopping up the flour, and Hidan was lifting Kiko up so she could pick the toppings off the ceiling.

Once the kitchen was clean they went to the living room and plopped on the available furniture and put in the movie 'Ponyo'. By the end of the animated movie Kiko knew Hidan had cried a little, which went unknown to the others. Maybe Hidan was a movie crier…nah, right?

It was really late at night when Kuku flew through the walls, squawking about something. He landed on Sol's outstretched hand and relayed a message he'd been given before poof, it disappeared.

Kiko watched Sol sigh, "He agreed, he'll be here on the outskirts by tomorrow evening."

Hidan grimaced, Itachi frowned, and Konan had a blasé expression. Kiko looked at them, "But Sol is going to her birth place and there we can ditch him again, right?"

Sol smiled, "That's true, and we can loose him again once there." The air softened a little but there was still some tension but the Akatsuki and Kiko tried to ignore it and focus on other things.

The next day Sol and Konan were gone, Hidan was off doing a ritual and Kiko was looking through the library for any information or hints of her family. Being eight (She corrected the others, they though she was 12) and having lived near Orochimaru for a year or two she wasn't the fastest or best reader out there.

"What are you doing?" Kiko jumped and turned around to look at Itachi. "I-Itachi, I was looking for any clues about my family."

Itachi nodded and smiled lightly as he seemed to remember something, "You sound like Sol had not that long ago. She was looking for answers also, still is." He went silent for around thirty seconds, "I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for eventually."

"Thanks Itachi, c-can you help me look through these?"

"I'm afraid that the answers aren't in those books, I've read through them all many times." Itachi stated bluntly as he frowned. "I had to tell her the same thing."

Kiko looked down at the floor, and then felt a hand on her head. She looked up to see Itachi, "Don't worry about it, answers appear when you least expect them." Kiko nodded and rubbed her eyes.

"Sol's looking for you." Itachi stated as he walked away.

That evening Sol and Kiko hugged Konan goodbye. Itachi and Hidan shook her hand since their pride wouldn't allow them to hug her. They each carried a knapsack and weapons on their person. Konan waved to them until she couldn't see them anymore.

The group met their guide on the outskirts, as planned. "Ready to go Sol?" He asked and the girl frowned but nodded as she walked in between Hidan and Itachi, Kiko between her and Hidan.

"Let's get going." Itachi said coldly to Silas, who shivered at how cold Itachi's voice was or maybe it was his red eyes glaring at him. Silas turned and began to walk away and they followed.

"We'll arrive there in three days if you are up for running." Hidan turned to Kiko and bent down, "Get on." Kiko climbed up and held onto his neck as they started jumping from tree to tree.

At dawn they stopped for a break. Silas was trying to talk to Sol and was ignoring the others around him. Kiko walked over and tugged on Sol's shirt, "Sol can you show me how to use this dagger?"

Sol nodded and ushered Kiko away. They practiced throwing and close contact offense and defense for about an hour before they got back on the road again. Itachi carried Kiko this time around and they moved around for most of the day.

Towards mid-day Itachi warned of a group up ahead. They continued without halting, drawing weapons as they moved closer. A raid of kunai flew at them and Kiko stared before Itachi dodged them. Looking for the others she saw Sol melt all the metal coming at her, Silas made a rock wall, and Hidan stuck with Sol to avoid being hit.

Itachi moved quickly and Kiko saw a rush of people before Itachi halted, the bandits were dead. Kiko was set down as the Uchiha moved towards one of the still living bandits. There was a noise before Kiko felt the earth shift underneath her.

The ground around her gave way, leaving her on a small 'island' of sorts. Itachi turned around and Sol looked over, Silas was the only one not fighting, "Silas, get Kiko!" Sol yelled as she stared at Kiko's scared expression. Silas glanced in the young girl's direction before looking back at the remaining three bandits.

The ground around Kiko began to give way as an onslaught of kunai raced towards her. As the weapons closed in on her she managed, through her panic, to turn half of her invisible. A ring of fire appeared before the child like a shield, but the 'island' gave way. Below her were sharp, pointy rocks she couldn't identify.

Sol watched Kiko fall and raced forward, a stray kunai hitting her shoulder. The bandits were finished off by Silas and Itachi. Hidan finished off another bandit and ran after Sol. Silas appeared and stopped Sol from looking into the large hole. The girl turned and slapped him across the face, "You asshole, why didn't you get her!"

Without waiting for an answer Sol peered over the edge, "Kiko, are you alright?" There wasn't a reply. "I'm sorry-" Silas was cut off by Sol, "Don't lie, you never cared about her. Kiko's not dead."

Sol held a fire ball in her hand and guided it down as a torch before jumping down.

Kiko blinked as she stared up at a ball of light, she sat up and went through one of the rocks that were protruding from her chest. She looked up at the ball and then saw Sol standing on an adjacent part of the wall. The light grew brighter and Kiko blinked again.

"Kiko, are you there?" Sol called, her voice laced with worry.

"Yeah, right here." Kiko said, holding her aching shoulder as she moved towards Sol. Once she was right below her Kiko materialized her hand that wasn't connected to her aching shoulder, Sol lifted her up and hugged her before jumping out of the hole.

Hidan came over and asked if Kiko was alright as Itachi looked at the levitating hand in silent surprise as Silas just stared in utter disgust. Kiko materialized fully and Sol looked her over, "Your foreheads bleeding." Hidan stated and Sol put her hand on Kiko's forehead and healed it.

"Thank-you Sol, Hidan." Kiko said as she touched her healed forehead.

"I knew it was said she could do that but I never believed it." Silas said as he stared at Kiko with pity and disgust.

Hidan moved to hit him with his scythe but Itachi stopped him, "We still need him, kill him later."

"Ignore him Kiko." Sol instructed and that's when Kiko noticed something.

"You're shoulder!" Sol blinked and looked at her right shoulder, "Don't worry about this, it's nothing." Sol pulled the kunai out and healed the wound but she wasn't great at healing big wounds and only stopped the bleeding. Kiko helped smear an ointment on the wound before they left. Hidan carried Kiko again and the rest of the journey passed without to many incidents, most self inflicted.

At mid-morning Silas led the group through large hills and Silas led them to a tree. "A large genjutsu was placed around the village and only one door was made to cross between the jutsu." He did some hand signs, "Only those from our village can enter though, most can't generate enough chakra to trick the jutsu into letting others in." He showed Sol the hand signs before leaving through the tree.

"Let's go," Sol was determined to get them all through; she did the hand signs and had them walk through with her. They arrived in front of a large, iron gate with the symbol of the village in the center. The gate was closed and Silas looked at them from the other side, "They placed a jutsu so only are people could also get through the gate."

Sol moved toward the gate and laid a hand on it, the gate opened up. The group walked through but once on the other side a group of ninja met them and jumped at them. Sol, not wanting to hurt them made a fire barrier.

"Wait stop! Stand down!" Silas yelled at the ninja.

Once the barrier was down Silas ushered them away and towards a large building with those steep steps and pillars on the outside. The streets were like a purple stone and the building was light lavender looking in color. They walked up the steps as people glanced at them curiously.

Sol glanced around as they walked, the place seeming familiar to her. After walking down a series of hallways they came to a large door where two guards holding spears stood.

"I wish to speak with the King." Silas stated.

One of the guards moved an inch towards him, a steal mask covered his face, from the crease of his nose to his neck, below his armored shirt. "Silas of Kyoraku the King is busy."

"The King is to busy for his own daughter then?" Silas asked arrogantly and smirked as the of the guards slipped through the door and opened it.

"Your Highness, Silas of Kyoraku."

Silas stepped in, eyes shifting to the ground as the group moved off to the side and watched. The guy stepped forwards to a desk where a man sat on a chair, turned away from him.

"Your highness, I bring news from the outside world." Silas got down on one knee and bowed and stayed that way, looking at the floor.

"Have you found them?" The voice sounded grave and sad as it met their ears.

"I haven't, sire but-" Silas was cut off, "Then that's it, they're really gone." They heard the King's hand hit his forehead.

"Sire." Silas started, "She's still alive."

The King didn't turn, "I know she is but where is she, that's the question."

"Right here," Sol stated as she moved away from the wall.

Rain: A cliff-hanger! =D

In this chapter I focused more on kiko's feelings in the beginning. Half the chapter was like a filler but more essential to the story, while the rest was more plot. I'm taking the advice and focusing on Kiko, Sol's home-land, and how Silas came to be a part of it. I know many don't like Silas (He was going to let Kiko die!) and well, just bear with it for a little and remember I have to write him. :(

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review!