Disclaimer: I would've owned Naruto but Kishimoto tripped me in the race. =(

Kiko glanced up as Sol lunged at her father, sword drawn to strike, the blow was parried but Sol pivoted on her heel and swept her leg across the ground, trying to trip him. The King jumped back and sent a fire jutsu at Sol who simply parted it with a wave of her hands, running at him.

The King flung kunai that were enflamed at Sol, they hit but it was just a clone jutsu. He jumped into the air as Sol broke through the ground and used her momentum to keep heading straight up. The man dodged the first blow but Sol quickly used the sylphs to speed her fall and managed to plummet him and herself to the ground. Just a few feet away Sol let go and flipped backwards to land on her feet, sword pointed at her father.

The man smiled and Sol lowered her sword slightly, wrong move. He grabbed her wrist and flung her down to the ground and held her there. "Never let your guard down." He advised and Sol sighed, nodding her head in understanding.

They both stood and separated, Sol coming over towards Kiko to grab a water bottle. That was another thing Kiko noticed, any water Sol happened to get on her evaporated due to the temperature of her body when training with fire and light techniques, sometimes just because her body was like that, an oven.

"Hey Kiko, are you reading something interesting?" Sol asked casually and the girl nodded as she showed Sol the cover, "Shadowed Summer". Sol smiled, "Looks pretty good."

"Sol, it's really hot in your home land." Kiko blurted as she squinted her eyes to read the page but the colored dots kept appearing. Sol laughed and nodded, "It's hot because of where we're the village is located."

"True. I'm going to the library, they have air-conditioning." Sol frowned inwardly but kept a smile on her face as Kiko began to fade away under the sun until she disappeared all together. "I'll be there later."

Hidan frowned as he casually walked through the stoned streets of the village, it had been days since he got here and so far it was pretty cool. Only, he hated learning manners and really hated using them to win the guards over. Those guards were complete pussies! Kiko was likely stronger than them for Pete's sake! That was an embarrassment but, then again, none of them had seen action in countless years.

Tired of not doing anything than biting his fucking tongue he decided it was time for a little change in those wimps. He stocked into the head guards office, the man was named Akira Hatsumori, and he knew how to fight at least. "Oh, Good afternoon Hidan," Akira said as he smoked his pipe, "What can I do for you?"

Hidan let it all out, "Fuck Akira, these men can't fight for shit! They don't know anything and it pisses me off! All 'cuz you shut your village to the world doesn't mean you can get fucking sloppy!" He didn't even know why he really cared! Maybe because Sol, Itachi, Akira, and the King himself were the only people who could hold there own against him more than two minutes? Yeah, he just wanted a challenge!

Chief Hatsumori sighed and nodded, "I assumed so. We really should fix that, with Lady Lacrimosa to inherit the throne one day solitude may be over. Her Ladyship is very…outgoing and will want to reunite with the outer world."

"Yeah, I know and she fucking will! Now what the hell you gonna do 'bout them wimps?"

"Oh, no Hidan you're helping me."

"What the fuck," Hidan said, "I didn't fucking sign up!"

"Listen man, I'm to old for all that physical moving, jutsu's are my specialty, and you on the other hand rely on taijutsu and your scythe in battle. With both of us they'll learn double and of course her Ladyship will be very happy with you for training the guards since it will keep her father safer." Akira pointed out and smiled as Hidan mulled it over.

"Yeah, at least I'll be able to fucking kick some ass." Hidan agreed.

Itachi was browsing through the market place casually. It really was a change of pace for him. No ANBU were hunting him down and no one was shrieking and running away from him. The people here either didn't know he was a murderer or just didn't care. People even smiled at him, one little girl even offered him a flower when he happened to wander into the store, a strange and alien gesture that made him feel a bit strange.

The only people who'd smiled at him was Kisame (during jokes), Sasuke (When he was smaller and after he learned the truth), Kiko (Who saw him as just Itachi.) and then there was Sol who smiled happily, sadly, and in other various emotional ways at him. She'd been the first to smile at him in the Akatsuki (Not counting all the coy, smirking, and sarcastic smiles from the other members) genuinely. Around her he felt like himself and he saw her as…

He bumped into a small boy, not knowing why, he offered a hand to help him up. "Are you okay mister?" The boy asked and Itachi almost blinked in surprise but just nodded that he was alright.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention 'cuz-"A smaller voice called for him up ahead, "Juji, there you are! I thought you weren't going to show up." A small girl walked up to him, they were about the same age. The boy blushed, "Of course I was gonna show up Liliji! Let's go play."

Liliji smiled and ran off with him at her side and Itachi let a ghost of a smile grace his features, puppy love among children, as Konan put it, was cute and innocent. Slowly he began to move again, wandering just how long he was going to be able to stay before his record reached them and Konoha came to clam him.

A sudden thought popped into his head and he was inwardly happy that it may just be true. Sol would never turn against him, in her village he wasn't a criminal just another one of her family. She might even wage war over his safety and rights. The thought of Sol being in charge was one that was both funny yet scary.

Kiko looked through all the remaining books about families but never found hers. Feeling so lost and hopeless she began to cry. Not wanting Sol to see her if she happened to appear she faded and went into a small storeroom to cry her heart out.

It wasn't fair! Why was she all alone? Why where her parents like some prized jewel buried in the core of the Earth, never to be seen or heard of again? It wasn't okay and it would never be okay since she had a torn feeling about it since one side of her craved knowledge about her family while another part of her didn't, afraid of the worst and mostly she craved yet feared the truth.

As she sat on a cardboard box she literally fell through. The box was barely filled and empty boxes can't hold a ninety-two pound eight-year-old girl. Struggling to wiggle her self out she noticed a book up on a high shelf, the cover peaking out and locking oddly old and worn.

When she was free of the box she scooped up the book, it didn't have a title, just a torn leather cover. Slowly interested and bored of sitting around she sat down and started to read it. On the twelfth page she put the book down shakily as she processed all the hand written notes and reports as new tears welled up.

Sol had just crossed into the library when Kiko ran into her, tears streaming down her face and shaking. Instantly her eyes landed on the familiar book in her hand and her eyes widened as they stood up.

"Kiko…" Sol started but Kiko cut her off.

"You knew didn't you? Ever since a few days ago you started acting weird!" Kiko cried, "You knew about it! Why didn't you tell me, why?" Instead of waiting for a reply she faded and ran down the road. "I hate you all!"

Sol looked in her direction and held back unshed tears and felt a presence to the side. Itachi stood there and had seen the whole thing. "What's Kiko yelling 'bout?"

"It's my fault, she wanted so bad to know but when I found out I…I just couldn't tell her Itachi." Sol admitted, "I've wanted to tell her but I wasn't sure how."

"Tell her what?" Itachi asked, confused at what was transgressing.

"Itachi, Kiko's mother was a whore who died two months after she was born. It was suicide."

Itachi nodded in understanding, "There isn't a good way to break that type of news."

Sol sighed, "It gets worse. Kiko never had a father because her mother took drugs that were being tested for Orochimaru."

"A-sexual reproduction," Itachi stated as he fit the pieces together, "She was just an experiment for Orochimaru. That's why she has those abilities."

Sol nodded, "Her name was given to her by her Mother just before she died you know."

Itachi looked at her, "At least it wasn't him."

Kiko walked around the village in an invisible stomp. It wasn't fair! She'd been a mistake, some baby turned wrong because of some drugs. She didn't even have a father! Sol, Itachi, Hidan, and Konan had fathers. Everyone had a father in some shape or form, she didn't. Life was unfair and yet a part of her, a really tiny part, was happy that she at least knew the truth.

She stopped stomping and walked through a park, thinking everything over. Sol hadn't told her and she'd known. That was simple to figure out but she had wanted to, that was obvious also, but she hadn't. Itachi and Hidan hadn't known so it seemed but-

A little boy bumped into her as she came back into being.

"Sorry Miss!" He said as he stood up, offering her a hand, "Are you alright?"

"Have you seen her yet Hidan?" Sol asked as she glanced further ahead. Hidan shook his head as he walked briskly besides her. "Not yet, Itachi hasn't seen her either."

Sol frowned and summoned Kuku to scout for the little girl who'd been missing since that morning after the library incident. Hidan had been notified about it and had joined the other two shinobi in their search.

Kiko looked at the falling sun from her spot on a tree, Kotaru beside her. She was mulling over what he'd told her and couldn't help but feel regretful at what she said but was also still angry at Sol. Kotaru had told her about how sometimes when you know something so crushing you don't want to tell the person, afraid of their reaction and of hurting them. It made sense, it really had, but reason had flown out the door.

"I have to get going Kiko." Kotaru said as he moved to climb down, "Are ya going to go home?"

Kiko shook her head causing the boy to sigh. "It gets spooky here at night."

Kiko shrugged, "I don't care."

He shook his head and left just as the sky turned black.

It was really dark out and Kiko shivered at the sudden cold. It had always been so warm here during the day that she hadn't thought it could get cold. Slowly she wrapped her arms around her legs and closed her eyes.

As she was about to fall asleep a loud hooting startled her awake and something flew dangerously close to her head. She stared at her surrounding, suddenly terrified until common sense settled in. A bird or owl was all it was, just animals.

In the matter of two minutes she was laying on another tree, trying to block out the hoots of owls when something landed on her. She jumped up and shook it off, a bat screeched as it took off frightened of her. Breathing harshly Kiko tried to fade but all the noises still kept her up. Deciding it best to leave the woods she headed in what she hoped was the correct direction.

Kiko was lost. She couldn't remember the way back in the dark and there were a lot of animals moving around, she'd even tripped over a chipmunk somehow. The woods were terrifying and she was afraid of being lost and never finding her way back.

Running now she didn't see the large trap and fell right through the leaves. She hit the ground but, since it wasn't that deep, had only received some cuts and bruises. "Ow…" She groaned as she sat up and looked up. The hole wasn't that deep, just two whole feet taller than she was. Great, just great, how was she supposed to get out of this one?

Kiko jumped when she felt something slither by her foot and she let out a scream as she kicked at the slithering thing. It hissed and 'snake' registered in her brain as she jumped onto the wall trying to find foot holes and hand holes to cling to. Sadly, there wasn't.

Kiko began to cry as the hissing grew closer, the symphony of her death. She would never be able to marry, read more books, or tell Sol she was sorry for hating her. With that last regret more came to mind. She would never be able to watch Hidan and Sol bicker, eat with them, have Sol read to her, have Hidan teach her to read, talk with Itachi about thing, and never be able to spend her days with them.

It clicked.

They were her family. She wasn't just some nothing. She was someone to them and she'd been too blind to see that.

This would be the part where they suddenly rescued her but none came.

The snake bit her foot and she screamed again as she fell back onto the ground. The snake slithered off to avoid being crushed and more hissing from the edges of the circle were heard but faded after a few minutes.

"Kiko!" "Kiko!" two vague yet familiar voices called as said girl blinked, not sure where she was since it was so dark. Once she sat up it all came flooding back to her and she bolted to her feet, wincing at the sudden movement.

The voices had stopped and new tears formed in Kiko's eyes, they wouldn't find be able to find her. It was too late.

Something grabbed her collar and picked her up and out of the hole. She blinked as she stared up at Hidan's angry face, "What the hell were you doing out here?" His voice was firm and angry but he seemed…worried?

"Do you know how long we've all been looking for you? Jashin!(**)" He exclaimed and started to walk, Kiko followed when he yelled her to hurry. "You have Sol looking all over for you and we were all worried, don't you ever do this again Kiko." He turned to look at her when he said the last sentence, "Everyone was freaking out…I was worried."

Kiko stared at Hidan and nodded as she rubbed he eyes, "I'm sorry..it's just…"

Hidan sighed and placed a hand on her head, "I know, Itachi told me and who da fuck cares? Ya got us so fucking deal with it." Kiko nodded, tears threatening to flow.

When they exited the park Sol was there looking worried and worn. "Did you find her Hidan?" Her voice was laced with worry and regret. Kiko took one look at her and started to cry and ran right into Sol.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She bawled, "I don't hate you or the others! I'm sorry for not coming home, I'm really sorry." Sol hugged her back, rubbing her back soothingly as she nodded, "It's alright."

Hidan and Sol walked back to the castle, both holding one of Kiko's hands as she clung to them. Itachi smiled from his place on the roof as he watched them.

Rain: Okay, I'M REALLY SORRY about the slow update! The chapter was half written but I hated it and restarted it. This chapter refused to be written and I hope you forgive me.

* Hidan and Akira hold a respect for each other. That's why Hidan doesn't insult him.

** People always go "God!" and snce Hidan is a Jashinist it was "Jashin!"

~Please review~