Part One

Gai, Kakashi, and Rin were given the job to escort a young girl from the Village Hidden in the Grass, to a village in the Fire Country, she had a minder with her, an old woman, none of the team were expecting the girl to be around their age. "Woah," Gai stuttered, neither were they expecting the girl to be exceedingly pretty, he had gone bright pink as he stared at her. Kakashi narrowed his eyes elbowing Gai to make him focus on the mission at hand, he himself did not understand why he, a Jonin and two Chunin's had been tasked with this mission, he did not see where it would rank as a B Class mission, it seemed pretty straightforward.

The girl sat opposite Gai as he rowed it was clearly distracting him but she carried on watching him, "What's your home like?" she asked him suddenly.

Gai stumbled over his words going bright red, "I, uh, I what?" he didn't understand why she was talking to him.

"What's your home like?" she repeated again, "You're Leaf Shinobi so you're from Konoha, what's Konoha like?"

"You've never been to Konoha?" he stuttered.

"I've never left the Village Hidden in the Grass," she began to say more but the woman glowered at her, so she stopped, "So what's Konoha like?"

"Uh," Gai thought for a moment, "It's great, it's a real community, practically everyone knows each other, we have great festivals and food, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else."

"Sounds like a nice place to live," she leaned her head against her hand.

"You should come and visit," he said brightly, "I'll show you the whole village, it'll be so much fun."

She smiled, "You're sweet."

"Ria," the old woman narrowed her eyes at her again, "It's time to practice."

She tensed, "It's not really the place…" she was cut off by another look, sighing she turned to look out at the river, her eyes focused on the water, Rin and Gai watched curiously, they had no idea what she was about to practice, Kakashi, on the other hand, was keeping an eye out for any obstructions. Her eyes glazed over as she took a deep breath, suddenly she began to sing, it made all three of them stare at her, she had a beautiful voice, it was so sad and reached deep into your soul with each note. It was hard to look anywhere but at her. She was mesmerizing.

Kakashi was irritated, he had completed his mission only for Ria to destroy everything by running away, it frustrated him further that she was able to steal a kunei from him without him noticing. What added to it all was that Jiraiya had witnessed it all, they had come across him in their travel to the new village, he had decided to tag along and observe. It made Kakashi feel like a failure in front of the man his sensei admired so much. Gai scratched his head, "But why would she run away?"

He shrugged, "I don't know and I don't care, clearly a spoilt brat," he muttered darkly under his breath.

"Come on Kakashi, that's harsh," Gai glanced at him.

"Just find her, so we can go home," he snapped, turning to track her via his nose, it was difficult her scent seemed to be everywhere, he bit his thumb and called upon all his ninja hounds, using a part of her clothing that they got from her home, the hounds jumped off. It didn't take long for a low whistle to be heard, "Let's go," Kakashi led his team. He stumbled when he saw her, all his hounds kept a distance, she was hiding behind a tree crouched at the bottom, her hands over her head, one hand tightly gripping his kunei which was glowing with chakra, her head was lowered and she was trembling. He could smell it, he could smell a mixture of blood and fear. It was a real fear, pure fear.

They all saw all those wounds that covered her body. Each laceration striking her skin, some healed most open, it was painful even to look at. She flinched as Rin attempted to go towards her getting her medi-pak ready, "No," she shrieked, "No I'm not going back, I'm never going back. I…I…I'll kill myself if you come near me," she tried to strike herself with the chakra burning kunei. In a second Kakashi had grabbed her wrist tight, she stared at him, he was so fast, his Sharingan blood red and furious, his hold on her wrist, "Don't even dare to think it, your life is worth more than that."

"You don't know anything about my life," her eyes blazed as she stared right up at him, "You don't know what it's like, never being able to sleep, always to be afraid that if you let you guard down he'll come and he'll touch you again, he'll try…" she couldn't breathe, the hurt of saying it out loud was too much to bear, "I can't let it happen, I am not anyone's plaything, I'm not…"

Jiraiya stepped forwards his anger deepening, "Who touched you?"

"Why would you care?" she demanded, trying to pull her hand free from Kakashi's hold, but he was supremely stronger than her, "You work for him, you were taking me to be his bride. The one time I get out of my prison I just get taken to another."

"What?" Gai, Kakashi and Rin cried out in unison, "This was just an escort mission."

"There is no way Saratobi-Sensei would have ever agreed for this to have happened," Jiraiya noted directly, "Kid, your coming with us to Konoha."

"No," she called out still struggling, "No, I'm not going anywhere, I don't trust anyone, how do I know you just not taking me back? Or somewhere worse?"

Ria found it very difficult to sleep. She couldn't get comfortable, her mind kept screaming, her pain had not dulled in the slightest. Sure the shinobi had sworn to protect her, they gave her a place to stay and gave her supposed freedom, but that didn't mean she trusted anyone. She still had the kunei she had taken from Kakashi, she gripped it tightly it was the only thing that soothed her. Every sound in this unknown village made her jump, the silence of the night, the new surroundings, nothing was helping. She would always drop down into the corner of the room, holding her kunei out crawled up into a ball. It was a defensive position. Kakashi dropped down on to her windowsill, he had been watching her ever since they returned to the village, ever since she had attempted to kill herself, he was afraid she was still teetering on the edge of it. It hurt to see her so afraid, he masked his fear with indifference cooly stating,

"You have a perfectly good bedroom, why only use a small portion of it?"

She looked up jumping at his voice, her heart was racing her grip tightening on the kunei, "I…I can't sleep."

"You have to sleep, if you don't you'll die…" he warned her.

"I can't…" she mumbled lowering her eyes down to the kunei, it was clear to him what she was afraid of, he sighed and bit his thumb suddenly all his ninja hounds jumped into the room from nowhere,

"Yes Kakashi," they looked up at him.

"Protect her while she sleeps, make sure no one, not even me or the Hokage comes near her, that is an absolute order," he said to them.

Ria looked up sharply her eyes on Kakashi, "What?"

"If you are afraid of getting hurt, don't be with them around you, ninja hounds never break an order, they will protect you with their lives, try and get some sleep," he gave her a little salute and left giving Jiraiya a nod who was stood outside her window his back against the wall unbeknownst to her. Gai was sitting on the roof, all three of them couldn't handle the fear she was in, they all wanted to keep her safe. All of Kakashi's ninja hounds surrounded Ria in a defensive position, their backs to her as they stayed on guard, she couldn't stop watching them her eyes brimming with tears, she didn't know what to do.

"Please rest," one small dog said sweetly, making Ria look at him surprised by his words, "Ninja hounds can't handle failure, our job is to protect you, if you are still too afraid to rest then we failed."

"What's your name?" she whispered.

"Pakkun," he said warmly his eyes on her, she reached out and touched him, he murmured with contentment at her touch, it soothed her, "You smell nice, so nice."

"Can you come a little closer, Pakkun?" she asked him, he nodded and walked closer, till she scooped him up and hugged him instead of the pillow, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she mumbled her eyes wet with the hounds close to her, Pakkun in her arms, she was able to calm down and finally go to sleep. Every night they remained by her side slowly Ria moved from the corner to the actual bed in her room, but she was never content unless they were with her, she was even able to sleep without holding the kunei close to her, instead, it remained under her pillow.

Ria was standing outside one day her eyes on board, she had been there for a while just staring at it. Kakashi, Gai and Rin came over curious Gai tilted his head smiling at her, "What are you doing?"

She jumped not expecting anyone else to be there, "Nothing," she lowered her eyes, "I've got to go, bye," she ran off making them all frown, was she still afraid of them? Rin gasped when she saw it on the floor, "Is she still bleeding from her wounds?"

They all looked down at what Rin was looking at sure enough there were droplets of blood, they saw her retreating back, blood was seeping through her clothes, they tensed and ran after her, catching up quickly, "Are you okay?" Rin was the first to ask.

She nodded, "I'm fine."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, he hated behavior like this, "If you're in pain just say," he grabbed hold of her hand and without waiting for her to reply pulled her after him as he forcefully took her to the hospital.

"But I'm not in pain," she struggled against his hold, confused at what was going on, he kept his focus ahead taking hold of a form he pushed it into her hands,

"Don't be stupid, we can all see the blood, just fill the form out so we can get you treatment."

She paled staring at the form, she was silent for a moment but then put it on the side shaking her head getting up, "No, I'm fine, I don't need treatment."

Gai and Rin pushed her back down, Rin picking up the form, "I'll fill it out, what's your last name Ria?"

She stared at her hands knowing she wasn't going to evade this, "I don't know, I don't have one."

They stared at her in unison, "You don't know your surname? What about your parents?"

"Don't have any," she said curtly.

Kakashi scowled at her, "Everyone has parents."

She snapped at him her eyes blazing, "Well mine left me in hell when I was a baby so sorry if I didn't get the chance to get their details before they vanished."

He sighed, "Just write Hatake down, Rin, it'll be easier to deal with."

"Fine," Rin wrote it down, glancing sadly at Ria who had returned to staring at her hands, "When's your birthday?"

She looked away, "I don't know."

"You don't know your birthday?" Gai was shocked, he couldn't imagine anyone not knowing.

She shook her head, "Those things didn't matter, you were who they wanted you to be. I just know I'm 12."

"You're 12?" Rin's eyes widened making Ria look at her,

"Yes," she nodded, "Why?"

"I thought you were older than me, I'm 15, you and Kakashi are the same age," she gestured over at Kakashi who wasn't watching them his focus elsewhere.

"I'll make up a date," Rin jotted it down hurriedly and made up a bunch of other information, soon enough Ria was seen by a doctor, Rin stayed with Ria to help guide her and keep her comfortable. Whilst Ria got dressed after the doctor applied the bandages and medicine Rin went out to the boys who had waited, she looked pale prompting Gai to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Ria can't feel pain anymore," she mumbled still struck, "She was hurt so many times that she can't sense anything across 90% of her body. She needs proper treatment from a specialist as most of her wounds aren't closing."

Gai's blood boiled, "How could they?!"

"Is that why she didn't react when she was bleeding earlier?" Kakashi's voice was calm and direct.

Rin nodded, "The doctor didn't even need to use anesthetic as she stitched her up. I've never seen anything that bad, she said that Ria won't even need pain killers because she feels nothing."

They decided to drag Ria to a restaurant wanting to do something nice for her after realizing she had such a horrific past, she sat uncomfortably beside Kakashi opposite Rin and Gai, "You can pick whatever you want," Gai said brightly passing her the menu, "Anything, it's on me."

Ria paled as she stared at the menu, whilst the others chatted, she stared at it, the only person aware of her nerves was Kakashi, Gai ran off to the toilets and Rin excused herself as she saw Minato and Jiraiya walking passed. She felt as if it was important to let them know what Ria's condition was, maybe one of them would know of a doctor that could treat her. Whilst they were gone Kakashi glanced at Ria, "What are you having?"

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled pushing the menu away from her, he put his hand atop of it and slid it back to her, she pressed her lips together, "I'm not hungry," she attempted to get up but he pulled her back down, and pointed at the first entry and began reading it to her going down the list,

"There is nothing wrong in admitting you can't do something."

"I'm not stupid," she tensed.

"I didn't say you were," he looked at her, "Are you dyslexic?"

She frowned, "What's that?"

"It's when the words get jumbled up in your head," Gai, Rin, Minato, and Jiraiya arrived overhearing, "It's got nothing to do with being clever or not, some people just find it harder to read and write. Is that why you were staring at the board earlier? You were trying to read it?"

She shook her head, lowering her voice and eyes, neither had realized they were being eavesdropped on, "It's not that I was trying, I can't read or write, no one ever taught me. I like looking at the letters, it looks nice to me but I can't even try to read it because I don't know what it means or even how to do it."

Kakashi frowned, "But you sing? Surely someone taught you to read songs and music?"

Again she shook her head, "I listen, I repeat, I listen, I repeat, again and again till it's all I know. All of it is drilled in my head, I can't put it down or pick up something to learn it. If I haven't seen or heard someone else do it, I'm useless."

"You're not useless," he tensed his jaw, "It takes a lot of skill to be able to copy music, don't worry about reading or writing, I'll teach you."

"You will?" she was surprised looking at him in shock.

He nodded, "As long as your not an irritating student, so tell me what you want to eat and I'll order it for you, I'll be your sensei."

Kakashi dropped a pile of books down on the table, Rin's eyes widened, "Don't you think that's a lot?"

He shook his head, "No, she's pretty good at understanding things quickly."

Ria arrived with Gai, "I'm so hungry," he exclaimed jumping down at the table, "Hey Rin, Kakashi, did you just get here?"

"Yeah," Rin smiled at Gai, "What have you been up to?"

Kakashi passed Ria the books, "Get it done before the weekend and I'll test you…" Ria nodded, taking the books and putting it beside her as she sat down, Kakashi frowned, he sat down a little confused he watched Ria for a moment whilst Rin and Gai chatted, she was trying to read the menu slowly spelling each word. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, his action made both Rin and Gai stare, they had never seen him be that gentle with anyone, "What does that say?" she was oblivious to his touch as she pointed at a word in the menu, Kakashi tilted her head to his to look at her closely, his fingers tensed,

"Do you know you have a black eye?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, "What's this?" she asked again.

"How'd you get a black eye?" he demanded, his anger flaring up, the thought that she was hurt hit him deeply.

She shrugged, "Training."

"Training, training for what? You're only learning to read and write," he glowered at her, pulling out his med-pak, he attempted to treat her eye, as she flinched,

"Ow, it's fine. Cut it out Kakashi," she struggled against his hold.

"No, you need to treat it," he gritted his teeth.

"It hurts when you touch it, so stop it," she pushed him back off.

"How'd you get a black eye?" he repeated, his eyes narrowed.

"I told you I was training," she turned away from him, she pushed the menu towards Gai leaning over the table, "What does this say?" she asked him doing her best to ignore Kakashi. Gai looked very guilty as he too did his best not to look Kakashi in the eye, a blush across his cheeks, Kakashi noticed,

"Gai," he scowled menacingly.

His shoulders dropped, "I'm sorry, we were just training together, and I didn't mean to, it was an accident."

"You gave Ria a black eye!" Rin gasped, "What were you training?"

"Gai's teaching me to protect myself," Ria said simply, "I can't rely on other people all the time, it's not his fault, I asked him to."

"You don't need to learn to fight, no one here will ever hurt you," Kakashi stated confidently.

Ria looked at him she was silent for a moment then covered her mouth as she burst into giggles, it made everyone stare at her, her laugh was so beautiful, a tinkling musical note.

"What's so funny?" Kakashi demanded, his neck going red, luckily it was hidden under his mask, it really threw him to hear her laugh.

She lowered her eyes a little feeling a blush rise on her own skin, "I just never thought I would ever be around people that want to look after me," her voice was soft, the others watching her, sadness in their eyes, "Who gets angry when all I have is a bruise, who want to help me get stronger, teach me to read and write. I guess I'm not used to it, I'll probably never get used to it, as much as I want badly to have this never change there will always be a part of me that will be afraid that I might be lost again. So that's why I have to train, I have to know that I can fight for myself, you've all given me hope that I am allowed to be happy, that I can live the way I want to, I'm really grateful to all of you."

Kakashi sighed taking the menu back, "Don't be stupid, you can read this, try again," he brushed off her words focusing on that instead, it made both Gai and Rin smile, unbeknownst to them under the table Kakashi had taken hold of Ria's hand in his, intertwining their fingers together, he needed it.

She squinted, not moving her hand from his using her other to cover her black eye, "I can't see too well, I think I'm blind."

Gai shrieked covering his mouth, "I blinded you?!" Kakashi's anger rose again but Ria burst out laughing, which made Rin laugh too,

"She's joking Gai," Rin pulled him back down to the table, "You haven't blinded her."

"That wasn't funny," Kakashi gave her a look.

She grinned, "I thought it was," she felt a lightness in her heart, she had never laughed nor smiled so much in her life, around these people who barely a few months ago were strangers to her she felt truly happy and safe.

Kakashi sat opposite Ria a scroll in his hand, "I thought we could try something."

"What?" she tilted her head curiously, it was getting late and he was sitting on her bed, she crossed her legs waiting for his response.

He opened the scroll and showed her it, inside was a list of names in columns all undersigned with a 5 finger seal, she stopped at the last name tracing the letters with her finger, "That's your name isn't it?" she glanced up at him, he nodded, a fluttery feeling in his chest caused by her recognizing his name made him blush, "This is my contract with my ninja hounds."

"A contract?" she was confused, "You and Pakkun and the guys have a contract, what for?"

"The Summoning Jitsu, it's a two-way relationship, a bond sealed by this contract, only someone with my blood can summon my hounds," he explained she listened, it always felt special to him when he spoke to her, he could tell she took it all in.

"Why are you showing me this?" she asked, that part didn't make sense to her.

"Well I'm going to have to go on missions soon so I won't be able to summon the boys to protect you while you sleep, so I was wondering if maybe I could teach you the summoning technique you can call them yourself," he told her softly.

She was silent staring at him, "But they are yours, will they even want a contract with me?"

He nodded, "I asked them and they all agreed."

She blushed, "Is it even possible, I'm not a shinobi…"

"But you have chakra in you," he pointed out.

She frowned, "I do?"

"That day when you had my kunei in your hand, you were able to pass your chakra through it that was why it was alight," he took out another and showed her, "That only happened because of you, not the blade itself."

She glanced down at her hands, "I have chakra?"

"It's unheard of someone without any training in chakra management to be able to summon, it's a pretty advanced technique but you are really good at copying, and it's not like two people unrelated can't have a contract with the same summon, Minato-Sensei and Master Jiraiya both share the Toad Summon. We won't know if we don't try."

"It seems pretty wasteful to go to the trouble to teach me something just so I can sleep," she mumbled.

Kakashi lifted her chin to make her look at him, "It's for me, it's so I don't worry about you while I'm on my missions, I know you are getting better with your taijutsu training with Gai, but knowing my hounds can be around you wherever you are makes me focus better."

"You shouldn't worry about me…" she began but he cut her off,

"You can say whatever you want but it won't change the fact that I do and will, so stop wasting time and watch," he scowled and began demonstrating the hand signs explaining as he went along.

Ria looked up at Jiraiya as they walked out of the village, she didn't bring anything but a medi-pak that Rin made her and a few books to practice her reading and writing, there wasn't much else she owned, "Where are we going?" she asked him.

He smiled down at her ruffling her hair, "You are going to help me do research for my new book."

"Research," she repeated, confused, "I don't know how much help I can be, I can barely read or write."

"Kakashi tells me you are getting better really quick, hopefully by the time we finish our trip you can go back and wow everyone with your skills," he grinned.

"You're going to help me?" she asked, he nodded,

"Why not? I am a renowned author, and unlike Kakashi, I have years of sensei-training under my belt," he grinned.

She smiled, "Gai is teaching me taijutsu, he's very good too."

"I can help you there too, I am not pretty bad at that either, I am the Legendary Toad Sage," he chuckled.

"Rin looks after me, she tends to the cuts and makes sure that it doesn't all get infected," she added simply.

Jiraiya's smile faltered, he remembered what he had seen and heard from Rin herself, the extent of Ria's injuries it made everyone angry, "Don't worry about that, that's the first thing we are going to take care of."

"What do you mean?" she looked up again, holding the straps of her backpack, her dark brown eyes big and innocent.

"I have a friend who will be able to help with that," he kept his eyes out ahead.

"With what?" she still didn't understand.

"My friend just so happens to be the worlds best medical-ninja, I am certain she will be able to treat your injuries," he tensed at calling them injuries, they were inflictions of torture, not some minor scrape, "She will be able to help."

"Don't worry about that," Ria patted his arm making him look at her, she looked so small to him, a little child he wanted to protect, "You've all helped me so much, I don't mind this it's nothing to me, it hasn't stopped me at all in being happy. So, let's focus on your research."

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and a young Shizune left Ria sitting beside a statue, Biscuit beside her as she practiced her reading, Jiraiya retold Ria's story to the two of them, they glanced at her with deep sadness in their eyes. "I'm sorry Jiraiya but you know I can't…"

"I know you can't," Jiraiya nodded, "But your student," he gestured at Shizune whose eyes widened, "I am sure she can do at least something, please, at least make it so she doesn't bleed all the time."

Jiraiya ruffled Ria's hair, "We have got to get you a new outfit."

She stared down at herself, she was wearing one of Jiraiya's t-shirts her own outfit completely destroyed after her surgery, "I don't know what you're talking about, I think I look fine."

He couldn't help but burst out laughing making her smile, "You are funny, you know that," his t-shirt was far too big for her, it made her look even smaller than before.

Ria walked beside Jiraiya as they headed back to the village, they had been on the road for 9 months, she felt completely different to the person she was before she left, she was taller for one, her hair longer reaching down her back, she was wearing a dress made of light blue chiffon, a gold band around her upper arm reflected in the sun, it along with the gold sandals she wore made her look even more like a princess, "Master Jiraiya," she said softly.

He glanced down at her, "Yes, Ria."

"Thank you," she said simply looking out ahead.

"What for?" he was surprised by her words.

"I might not be a shinobi, but I always knew he wouldn't stop trying to get me back," he tensed immediately when he heard her say that, "He has money and he can always buy more and more shinobi to get what he wants. So thank you, for not telling me that's why we left the village, thank you for looking after me…"

"Don't worry about it kid, there is no one in this village that wouldn't protect you, you just keep on smiling, and anyway we did manage to finish my book," he smiled at her making her laugh and blush, "We did," she nodded.

She couldn't breathe she crouched down her hands over her head as she panicked repeating the same words, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," it was clear she was having a panic attack. Jiraiya, Kushina, and Minato struggled over one another on how best to help her when Kakashi dived forwards he surprised them all by pulling Ria into his arms and holding her close, smoothing her hair back he murmured encouraging words to her, "No one's angry with you Ria, no one's angry, you just need to breathe."

She began to cry, "I'm sorry, I panicked, I'm so stupid…" at least she was breathing again, her cries turning to sobs, she held on to Kakashi who had managed to bring her to stability. Kushina's heart broke as did Jiraiya and Minato's they knelt down to her level, "You didn't do anything wrong Ria, you aren't useless."

Kakashi helped her up and with Kushina they stood beside Ria to cook together, Minato and Jiraiya stood aside discussing Ria quietly, "She is doing pretty well considering," Jiraiya noted, "I think Kakashi is the best help to her."

Minato smiled glancing over at the two, "She's good for him, he needs someone he can feel useful to. Someone he can care about."

Kakashi looked down at Ria for a moment, "You got yourself a new outfit then."

She nodded her voice soft, "I didn't want to wear the clothes that I had any more, I wanted something different, I didn't want to be a slave anymore."

"Well you definitely aren't a slave to anyone, not anymore," he said with conviction which made her smile.

"You should smile more, it suits you," he suddenly blurted out making her blush, she looked up at him her eyes sparkling,

"Well you have a very beautiful eye and it shines when you smile so you should do it more often too."

Kakashi couldn't help but giggle making all the others stare at him in shock, it was such a light-hearted laugh, he had gone completely pink by her words, he rubbed his neck, "You think my eye is beautiful?" he had become unaware of his surroundings his focus only on her.

She nodded, facing him, she reached out and touched his temple, "It's a sparkly grey, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

During dinner the elder's noticed Kakashi holding Ria's hand under the table, they shared glances Kakashi was clearly hooked on her, he was enthralled by her every move, aware of her every word, it was beautiful to watch.

Rin lay on Ria's bed staring at the ceiling, Ria was sitting on her windowsill reading a book, ever since she had learned to read she grew a passion for it, Kakashi would always send books for her and would help her decipher kanji she still wasn't familiar with. Finally she relented and glanced at Rin, "What's the matter?"

She had been staring at the ceiling quiet for ages, Rin turned over facing Ria, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" she was confused.

"How are you able to get every boy in this village to notice you, how can you get them to react and smile, and get angry?" she turned back and blew her hair out of her face, "I thought it was impossible to ever get Kakashi to really react to something, to notice something, but he does with you."

"I don't understand?" Ria frowned.

"Kakashi and I have been in the same team since we were kids, we were classmates, I've known him forever, I've tried so hard to get him to smile, to laugh to do anything but be indifferent to everything around him. I thought maybe I just needed more time, but you come here and suddenly he is looking after you, teaching you to read and write, getting angry with you…"

"Did I do something wrong?" Ria mumbled not sure what to say.

"No," Rin shook her head, she rolled on to her stomach and watched Ria for a moment, "It's not like that, I just, I really care about Kakashi, I always have. I just want to know how you managed to get him to react."

"I think you should take it as a compliment," Ria said softly, "I am useless, and stupid, whereas you are smart and capable, he clearly trusts you and your skills so he knows you don't need his help like some baby. It is better to be seen as someone's equal than a burden."

"You think?" Rin said brightly her eyes wide.

Ria nodded, "I wouldn't want to be with anyone unless I felt equal to them."

Kakashi frowned as Ria pulled him down so his head was on her lap, "What are you doing?"

"I want to play with your hair," she said as if it was a perfectly natural thing to want to do.

"Why?"

She shrugged, "I just want to, carry on reading," he tensed, as she ran her fingers through his hair, at first he didn't know how to react but it felt so nice he couldn't help but let her do what she wanted. It was just so comforting to be beside her, with her hands in his hair, he slipped his forehead protector off to give her better access, he didn't say a word not wanting to give her the knowledge that he was enjoying it, she smiled and carried on. Kakashi looked calm for once, it was what she was hoping to achieve. Ever since he left the hospital, there had been a dark cloud around him, he held such a heavy burden, she desperately wanted to help. He had done so much for her, she couldn't stand seeing him hurting.

Minato smiled when he dropped by, "At least he's finally resting."

Ria nodded, her eyes still on Kakashi, he had fallen asleep, "He keeps telling me off about the dangers of not sleeping, but look at him."

"He's lucky he has you," Minato said softly watching Kakashi, it hurt so much to see him in pain but at least with Ria that was dulled.

"No," she shook her head making Minato glance at her, "I'm the lucky one that he found me, I just want to be able to protect him the way he protected me, all I want is for him to be as happy as I am."

Kakashi was walking down the street with Asuma, it was rare for either of them to be in the village. His days as a member of the ANBU squad made him very busy, whilst Asuma was completely caught up in his role as one of the Guardian Shinobi 12. They were all trying their hardest to bring Kakashi out of his shell, force him to be around them again, he kept trying his best to detach from the world.

"So, everything's going good with you?" Asuma was the worst at small talk.

Kakashi shrugged, "As good is it can be," he felt himself drift off trying to find an escape.

"Oh there's Kurenai," Asuma sighed, finally someone who could break the awkwardness, "And Ria, haven't seen her in a while."

Kakashi suddenly looked up, a reaction that went amiss by Asuma who was watching Kurenai with bright eyes, both girls were carrying boxes and bags clearly having been shopping, it had been so long since Kakashi had seen Ria face to face, being so busy he hadn't found the time, though that didn't mean he wasn't in the loop with what she was doing. Through regular updates by Pakkun, he was happy that Ria was building her life, she had been using music to establish a career doing incredibly well. It made him happy to know she was safe and independent, he knew that was what she really wanted.

"What did you girls buy?" Asuma grinned looking at Kurenai, shocking Kakashi to the real world as he realized they were standing right in front of them.

"Thank God you're here," Kurenai threw all her stuff into Asuma's arms making him groan under the weight of it, "You can help me carry this."

"What did you buy?" Asuma gasped, "The whole store?"

Ria giggled, the sound of which made Kakashi's eyes sparkle, "She did try."

"Do you want help?" Kakashi looked down at Ria who smiled at him shaking her head,

"It's okay, we aren't that far."

"Where are you going?" Asuma asked struggling to carry everything in his arms.

Kurenai grinned, "To Ria's house."

"Ria's house?" Asuma frowned.

Ria blushed, lowering her head, "I bought a house."

"What?" Kakashi and Asuma stared at her, she was only 18 and had managed to buy herself a house.

"Well," she looked away not wanting to look either of them in the eye, "I couldn't fit my piano in my room so it was a necessity."

"You bought a house for your piano?" Asuma chuckled.

"It's beautiful," Kurenai gushed.

"I'm sure they can decide for themselves, it's where we are headed," Ria turned to lead them, "I will warn you, I've only just moved in so it's not exactly in its best condition."

As they walked Kakashi took the position beside her, Kurenai and Asuma squabbling behind them, he reached down and took the bags from her hand, their fingers brushed causing a tingle down his spine, she glanced up at him, "It's okay, I can carry it."

"I hate feeling useless, so let me," he said gently keeping his eyes ahead, "What's with all the shopping?" he asked her offhanded.

She smiled, "I'm performing tonight, it's my first performance in the village since I started so Kurenai was helping me with my outfit."

"All of these bags are for one outfit?" Kakashi glanced at all the bags they had accumulated.

Ria giggled, "No we got distracted, Kurenai really knows how to shop. What about you? What have you been doing?" she watched him as he thought for a moment,

"Nothing much, just been reading, missions, nothing like you," he replied glancing down at her, it made him stand up straighter to be around her, "I did discover this hot spring near the border of the Land of Fire, it's the best I've ever been too, you'd like it."

"We should go," she said brightly, "Me and you, I have a couple of days off soon."

He went red, "You want to go to the Hot Springs with me?"

"Of course," she nodded taking his arm and hooking hers with his leaning against him, "I've never really been on holiday, research trips with Master Jiraiya don't count. So let's go, together, just you and me."

He felt his heart thump loudly against his chest, his throat getting dry, "Okay," he replied trembling a little, "We can go, together."

"Yay," she grinned, then lowered her voice so only he could hear, "You better promise its just us, if I get stuck in between those two again I'll go crazy!"

Kakashi burst into laughter surprising Asuma and Kurenai who stared at him, they hadn't seen Kakashi smile in so long, in a mere few moments of being around Ria he was laughing, he leaned down to her ear and added, "He's worse on his own."

"I don't believe you," she giggled her eyes sparkling.

"What are you two gossiping about?" Kurenai demanded.

They both glanced back at the two and then at each other sniggering, "Nothing."

"It better be nothing," Kurenai scowled crossing her arms.

"Here we are," Ria changed the topic as she gestured to a large house near the outskirts of the village, Asuma and Kakashi's jaw dropped, Ria's home was large and genuinely beautiful.

"This, this is yours?" Asuma stuttered.

Ria nodded, "Yes."

"How'd you afford this?" Asuma asked for the umpteenth time as they received the grand tour of her new home, it had so much light and warmth showing the best of the forest views making you feel as if you were living within it, a small water feature, an open room that led out was the main aspect of the house, there stood Ria's prized possession, in center place, her piano.

She blushed as she finally answered, "I sold out all my tour dates and my last album went international. I've been booked for another tour and 3 more albums so I got an advance. I don't really get time to spend the money I have so I saved a lot, Konoha is my home so this was the best place to invest in."

"It's amazing," he breathed his eyes wide, it was the best house he had ever walked in and he had lived his whole life in the Hokage Quarters.

"Hey Kakashi," Pakkun padded lazily about the house with the rest of his ninkin, he crossed his arms,

"Is this where you guys are when I haven't summoned you?"

Ria giggled, "They helped me pick the house, they are great company especially when I'm writing aren't you guys," she smiled at the dogs who grinned back at her.

Kurenai and Asuma left to go get ready for the Festival, Kakashi was busy with his ninkin so hadn't noticed them leave, he felt so at home whenever he was with Ria, it was as if she could make all his darkness, all his regrets just go away. Whilst she got ready in her room Kakashi took a break and looked around her music room, it served as a living room too, on a mantlepiece were lots of pictures, there were so many with him, her and Gai, him, her and Rin, him, her, Gai and Rin, with Jiraiya, Kushina, Minato, some ANBU members he recognized, Kurenai and Asuma, his ninkin. It made him both happy and sad to see these pictures, so many in them were no longer alive.

"Kakashi," Ria was standing behind him, "Could you help me, the pin won't stay…"

He turned and sucked in the air, Ria was wearing a different dress, it was in an off white reaching the floor, gold bands kept her waist cinched in, and strapped down her back, the material was wispy and light, she looked like a goddess and it made him stare at her with wide eyes. Ria blushed darkly at the way he was looking at her, she lowered her eyes a little, "What do you think?" she gestured down and then twirled on the spot making the dress swirl around her, "Is it okay?"

"You look…" he began feeling that sensation again in the pit of his stomach, "You look," his voice broke, he was unable to say it out loud, "What pin won't stay?" he cleared his throat trying to push the awkwardness away.

Ria passed him a hairpin, it was gold like the straps of her dress, she gestured to her hair, he helped her put it in, his heart going crazy at being able to touch Ria's hair, her neck, breathing in her scent, he was so close to her, it felt so right, "Thank you," she smiled at him, "You are coming tonight?"

He paused, he wasn't planning to, her face fell realizing so he put a hand on her shoulder, "I wouldn't miss your performance for anything."

Her eyes lit up, "After I finish we can watch the fireworks together and see the stands, we can have dinner, it'll be so much fun," she was so giddy with happiness it was hard to not be happy with her.

Her performance was stunning, there was not a single person who wasn't fixated on her, not only was her talent extraordinary it was Ria's warmth that made people love her, Kakashi couldn't help but smile, seeing the adoration in their eyes for her it proved that she had changed her destiny, she had become who she wanted to be, fought her darkness and won. Gai picked Ria up and threw her up in the air catching her easily, "You were amazing," he gushed, "And you look great!"

Ria giggled, "Thanks Gai, everyone was so kind, it makes a big difference when you know you have people you love in the audience."

Kakashi felt slightly out if it as Gai took over, he never had an inability to talk around Ria, he was able to say what he thought and felt just as it came into his head, it was one of the few times Kakashi wished he could be like him, he wished he could tell Ria straight how he thought she looked, how brilliant she was on stage and how strong she was having gone through everything she had gone through. But as always Kakashi was too slow. The three sat on top of a roof to watch the fireworks, Ria between them, Kakashi felt her shiver a little and as an immediate reaction he put his arm around her shifting her a little closer to him, it felt completely natural to do so.

"Are you cold?" Gai asked Ria, getting worried.

"It's okay," she leaned into Kakashi's arms, "Kakashi's really warm."

"You really should have brought a jacket or something," Kakashi scolded her lightly.

She grinned, "And ruin the outfit?"

That made Kakashi laugh and Gai stare, he watched the two together, the way they seamlessly worked, and then it hit him, as Kakashi watched the fireworks, Ria was watching him. Her smile wasn't because of the display but rather just being with Kakashi, seeing his happiness, she really cared about him and that couldn't cause any jealousy in Gai, all it did was make him happy, how could he get jealous or angry that the two people he cared about, cared for each other.

Kakashi stared at Ria as she repeated, "Yes, we'll take the Honeymoon Suite, right honey?" she took his hand and smiled at him, he went bright red and nodded, she took charge and spelled out their names giving the joint surname of Hatake, it felt surreal to be holding her hand as they were led to the Honeymoon Suite.

"You two make such a beautiful couple," the host smiled brightly making Kakashi's blush deepen and Ria giggle,

"Thank you, you're so kind," the host's assistant took Ria away to have her yukata fitted whilst Kakashi blindly put his on, he stared at the stunning room with its own private onsen and low set futon, it was the perfect honeymoon room with its soft lighting and privacy.

"You are a very lucky man," the host grinned at Kakashi, "Your wife is truly beautiful."

Kakashi turned around to see Ria dressed in a gorgeous sky blue yukata, he had rarely seen Ria wear anything traditional, she preferred her more elaborate clothing, but seeing her there in front of him in that simple dress which just made her beauty stand out made his heart swell and that rush of emotions fill him up. He was speechless, especially when she smiled and bowed to the Host and the assistant who were giddy at how well the two of them looked together, she talked to them organizing their dinner whilst he stood completely in a daze. When they left Kakashi stuttered, "You look…you…"

She laughed, "Will you ever finish that sentence?"

He reddened, "Probably not…" he tensed suddenly, "Ria why'd you tell them we were married…?"

"You get a better room and more privacy," she gestured to what they have.

"But your a girl and I'm a guy, to share a room…"

She giggled, "Kakashi I've never been afraid of being around you, sharing a room with you is not a problem for me. I trust you, do you not trust me?"

"It's not like that…it's just not right…"

"It's our holiday," she said brightly, "And this way no one's going to disrupt us, I really just want a break I've been so busy that I haven't had a time to just breathe, don't get me wrong, I love what I do and I wouldn't change it for the world but sometimes I just want to relax."

"But I'm here?" he was confused, "Do you want me to leave?"

"No," she shook her head, "I don't relax when I'm completely alone, that's when I feel the least safe, I feel like I can breathe around you so please stay, we can just pretend we aren't who we are, we can just be two people enjoying a holiday together, no work, no stress, no past, no nothing."

"Fine," he sighed, "Fine, just for a couple of days."

"Yay," her eyes sparkled, "Let's go explore," she took his hand and dragged him after her, it didn't take long for him to throw himself into the holiday, they took in all the sights and then headed back to their room. Ria groaned rolling her eyes, she was already in their private onsen whilst Kakashi was freaking out, "Come on Kakashi, it's not like you can see anything, don't be a baby, the water's perfect."

"But, but…" he was bright red, she was completely naked only a few feet away from him.

She turned resting her arms against the side and looked straight at him, "You can't see anything, and I promised I'll close my eyes when you get in, so hurry up!"

Eventually, he dragged himself in chided by her, he couldn't calm his heart nor his nerves, they were both naked in the same bath, it was really hard to decide where to look, Ria covered her mouth and giggled, making him snap, "Why are you laughing?"

"Have you never seen a naked girl before?"

"Of course not," he scowled.

She rested her head back against the edge of the tub, her eyes closed as she relaxed every muscle, "Gai's seen me naked."

"What?!" he exclaimed nearly jumping out of the water but stopping himself just before anything of importance got exposed, "When? How?" he demanded.

She laughed, "He dropped by when I got out of the shower and scared me making me drop my towel, I nearly had a heart attack and he fainted. It was an accident, not his fault at all, but he punished himself so much for it. I think I scarred him for life, the first time he ever see's a girl naked it's me with all these marks, it probably gives him nightmares," she glanced down at her arm, her scars had gone a silvery color but they still covered her body, some were still painful red welts, but at least they were all closed up. She looked up when Kakashi touched her cheek, she hadn't realized he had edged closer, "You are the most beautiful person I know, these scars don't hide nor change the person you are. I have no doubt that Gai considers himself the luckiest person in the world," he was so close to her she could feel his warmth, his scent, their noses nearly touching as he whispered, "I think you're perfect."

Before anything could happen the host arrived to set up dinner, Kakashi immediately went red and moved to the other side of the tub leaving Ria a blushing mess her eyes lowered, "Anyway," Kakashi added, "You should be lucky you didn't see Gai naked, his looks like an acorn."

Ria stared at Kakashi and then splashed him, "There is no need to be mean."

He chuckled, "I'm not, it's true, I've seen it."

"Well Gai's perfect to me," she grinned.

"At least mine doesn't look like an acorn," he pressed his lips together unable to stop his laughter.

Her eyes glinted, "Prove it."

"You wish," he laughed making her giggle too, they got dressed in turn and then sat down for their dinner, it was delicious, their earlier moment forgotten as the two fell into their usual routine of jokes and chatter. Kakashi couldn't help the feeling of contentment as he lay with Ria in his arms, the two of them in bed, heavy from food and the onsen's healing water. It would have been the perfect honeymoon, just being with her, he could forget everything he feared, she was the brightest light in his life.

"Kakashi," Ria mumbled half asleep.

"Yes," he played with her hair, a soothing action for both of them.

"You're perfect to me too," she said softly before falling asleep leaving Kakashi with a big smile on his face, she meant so much to him.