All right, because you asked for it, here is the next chapter. Then again I didn't make you wait long. Oh well, two shout outs all ready, thank you to Pimp Troyce and icydragon14 for such speedy reviews. First time I've gotten reviews on the night of publishing. I hope that this next chapter lives up to your expectations. So kept the reviews coming, I don't care if you say it sucks. I'm not going to hunt you down, but if you think it's really that bad then tell me what's wrong and I'll see if I can fix it. Ok, so enjoy the next chapter of Lotus Petals.

Chapter Two

The ninja approached me, he wasn't in any hurry either, in fact he really didn't seem to care. His unemotional eye, his nonchalant attitude, the smooth movements of his body, they all seem to hypnotize me.

Stop that Lian! He is a ninja and you're a samurai, besides there are more important things to worry about than satisfying your feminine needs. I close my eyes as he stopped in front of me, "I advice that your curiosity should find some other way to be satisfied. Even my own has not found what it wants."

"That's alright, you can just fill in the blanks and is the sun in your eyes or do ninjas disgust you that much?"

At least he doesn't sound pissed off, I thought as I slowly opened my eyes.

His face was almost touching mine, did he see through my disguise?

"Don't waste your breath Kakashi Sensei, he would rather kill you then tell you anything," said the boy with blackish blue hair.

"I don't know, he's kind of cool, but I still don't trust him," remarked the blonde haired boy.

Kakashi glance over his shoulder, "now, now, he probably thinks the same about us." He turned his attention back to me, "please forgive the rudeness of my team, they've only know of samurai through stories and rumors. Anyway, why were those guys after you, was it just because you were a samurai or did you piss them off."

Underneath his mouth covering, I could tell that he was smugly smiling.

"I exist and apparently there is money on my head. Is there any other reason to hunt someone like myself?" I didn't have anything to hide from him and I didn't think he was going to go after me.

"I guess not," he shrugged his shoulders and began to walk back to his team. "Farewell samurai," he waved goodbye and signaled for the others to follow him.

They hesitated but reluctantly followed their Sensei. I watched them walked down the road and disappear into the distance.

As they walked away, I eyes wandered up and down the Sensei's body, nice butt. I shook my head, I shouldn't be thinking of such things. With one more good shake, I came out of my dreamlike state. You are a woman now, its only nature that you want a man, I excused myself.

I quickly pick up my bag and fallen katana and sheathed my swords. With a heavy sigh, I began to walk quickly down the beaten path.

Kakashi and his team slowly walked down the path. He couldn't get the samurai out of his head. The memories of the week he had been among the Lotus Blade Clan kept bubbling in his mind.

Was that other ninja right, was that samurai the last of the Lotus Blades?

"Kakashi Sensei, why did we help that samurai? Don't ninjas and samurai hate one another," Sakura asked as she interrupted Kakashi's thoughts.

He stopped and looked up into the cloudless blue sky and sighed. Sakura was right, the ninjas and samurai never got along.

"Well Kakashi Sensei," Naruto jumped in.

"It is true that the samurai don't like the ninjas and vise versa. But that particular breed of samurai is considered neutral. They don't hate us, but they rather not deal with us." Kakashi looked back at his bewildered team.

"So he wouldn't have killed those other ninjas even though he threatened them?" Sakura stopped and looked up at Kakashi.

"Yes he would have, but he would have done it fast by cutting off their heads..."

"Cutting off their heads!" Naruto grabbed his throat, his face contorted in pain from the idea.

"It's not like he would have wasted his time on a bumbler like you Naruto," Sasuke folded his arms as he came up next to Kakashi.

"What! I could have beaten that guy with both arms..."

Kakashi just let Naruto continue on, he was more concerned about the samurai. He knew that he had never paid back the debt he owed.

"Hey it's about high time I did," he whispered to himself.

"What," all three said at the same time.

"We're going to do a little side mission." Kakashi laughed as he turned around.

The three young ninjas looked at one another and shrugged, but followed their Sensei back to where they just came from.

It was about an hour after the ninja attack and everything was pretty quiet. My mind was still running through all that had happen since I left the ruins of my village. All the ninjas and hired swordsmen after me, an unknown foe that had a price on my head and the appearance of Kakashi, a ninja I know I've seen before.

Kakashi, do I know you, do you know me? My cheeks turned red as I thought of Kakashi and his... stop that Lian!

Whoosh... a noise came from the tall grass that lined the side of the road.

Another ninja attack, I put my hand on the hilt of my katana. I wasn't going to be caught this time.

Whoosh... it was closer this time and from behind me. I quickly drew my sword and whirled around... no one there.

Slowly I brought my katana down, "Kakashi I hope that's you behind me."

"How did you know," his voice came from over my shoulder.

I released a sigh of relief, "I just do, what do you want?" I turned around to find him standing about a foot away from me, thought he was a little further away.

"I was curios about something else," he stared down at me with his cool gray eyes.

I could feel my body begin to tremble and quake as he moved in closer, his body was almost touching mine, he must know that I'm not...

"Can you breathe through thing," he blurted out.

I nearly fell over, "What! Is that what you wanted to know?!"

"No, I just wanted to see what you would do." I heard some giggles coming from the tall grass. "Alright you all can come out now."

The three other ninjas, I guess anyway, emerged from the heavy grass, the blonde one was trying to hold back his laughter.

"It was pretty funny," I remarked as I began to laugh.

The samurai began to laugh, but not like that of man, it was shy and more of a feminine giggle.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow in confusion, maybe I shouldn't ask.

He settled down and heaved a sigh, "So what did you want to know? I am in a hurry to get to the village down the road."

He looked really tired, like he had been traveling a lot. Kakashi couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the lonely samurai; he knew that samurai usually travel in groups. One samurai could either be an exile or one who had no clan.

"Well let's see, I wanted to know if you were a real Lotus Blade or if you just dress up as one. You know, because a real Lotus Blade wouldn't have been caught so easily," Kakashi was trying to see if the samurai would react.

The samurai showed no sign of anger or embarrassment, "yes, I know. But my current state of mind has felt it cloudy and not as aware lately. And by the way thank you for your assistance earlier." He bowed very lowly with folded hands.

"We really didn't do anything," Sakura said as she blushed.

I straightened myself up, "and yes I am a member of the Lotus Blade Clan, but I am not an exile. That is, if you were thinking that."

That would be a common thought for a single samurai.

"I was going to ask that. Second question, no wait since you already answered my second question..." Kakashi rested his head on his fist, like he was trying to think.

I leaned over to the kid with blackish blue hair, "does he do this often?"

He snorted and turned his head away from me.

Friendly kid, want one like him when I get married.

"Oh don't mind him, he's always like that. Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki," the blonde hair boy smiled at me.

"I'm Sakura Haruno and this is Sasuke Uchiha," the pink haired girl started to blush.

Oh great, why didn't I just dress like I usually do?

"So why are you traveling alone, didn't anyone want to come with you?" Naruto asked as he looked and up and down my armor.

"No, my clan is gone," I looked down at my swords, they reminded of so many memories, some many friends; tears began to roll down my face.

"Are you ok," Sakura asked.

I sat down on the ground; I was getting dizzy from my emotional state. I guess that's why women are not allowed to become samurai, they get to emotional.

"I have not been ok for awhile. It is still hard to think that I might be the last of the Lotus Blade Clan."

Sasuke, as I now knew him, looked down at me, he seemed to know my pain. Kakashi took notice to my sadden state; his eye seemed to reflect my pain.

He kneeled down to my level, "I sorry. I owed a favor to the leader of your clan and I never got to repay it."

Was he the ninja from five years?

"I want to repay my debt. Please allow me to honor my debt, to help the last of a noble breed of samurai."

He bowed his head; I knew in my heart that if he would do this he would die.

"Kakashi Sensei! I want to help too," Naruto boldly stated.

"As do I," Sakura answered with the same enthusiasm.

Sasuke remained silent, it wasn't because of what I was, but a pain he carried.

"Well do you except the help of Team 7 of the Village Hidden in the Leaves?"

I shook my head, "to follow me, is knocking at death's door. You may follow me, but what happens to you or your young charges is your own fault. Only go with me to the village down the road, then Kakashi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, you will be released from any favor you owe." I put out my hand; he grabbed my wrist and shook it in agreement.

Kakashi grabbed the samurai's wrist to seal the agreement. With a strong pull, he lifted the samurai back onto his feet.

"Alright team, I know you're a little tired from the last mission and I understand if you guys..."

"Sensei we, except for Sasuke, have already said that we want to help, so let's be on our way," Naruto burst out.

He either what's to fight some more or he want's to challenge... umm..., "you never told us your name."

Kakashi looked at the samurai who was currently bent over grabbing a dirty cloth bag.

"Hmm," his eyebrows came together, "what were you looking at?"

I swear that he has a very feminine butt, Kakashi shook his head, "I asked what was your name and nothing."

He nodded his head, "they call me Phoenix."

"Hmph. Sounds like someone thinks to highly of themselves." Sasuke turned his head in disgust and Phoenix shook his head.

Kakashi sighed, "Sasuke if you rather go back to the village then go, it's not that far."

"No, I'll go. You just don't talk to me," he pointed to Phoenix.

He bowed his head and started to walk down the path. Sakura and Naruto quickly followed after him.

I don't blame them for being curious, I was when I was in the Valley of Lotus, Kakashi thought as he slowly followed after the samurai known as Phoenix. But why does he seem so familiar or at least his butt...

The sun was setting in the west and the village was in sight. I breathed a sigh of relief; there had been no other incidents since the ninja Team 7 joined me. I actually wished that I could travel with them some more, Naruto and Sakura were very interesting individuals, Sasuke just didn't care and Kakashi made my body feel things that it had never felt before. At one point during our walk, he ended up in front of me and I had a hard time keeping my eyes off of him.

Get your mind out of the gutter and into your head, I had to keep telling myself.

To keep my mind off of Kakashi's posterior, I chatted with Naruto and Sakura. They both asked question about what it was like being a samurai, our training methods and other various things. It felt good talking about my practices, but it was also painful. I didn't let on though; I wasn't one to deny anyone's curiosity, except when it came to some things.

"I heard that some samurai are just sword users, it that true," Naruto asked as he stared at my katanas.

"Yes, most of the northern clans are strict sword masters, but I use both swords and martial arts. So if I'm disarmed I can still kick butt," I answered proudly.

"Cool, do you..." Sakura stopped in the middle of her sentence.

Her face was filled with fear; I turned to were she was staring. A body of a man was hanging upside down from a large oak tree.

Kakashi narrowed his eyebrows, "looks like you won't have to worry about that ninja attacking you again."

I looked closer; it was that ninja that I let go early.

"Who... who would do that?" Naruto asked with both disgust and fear.

"The Unteki Clan, the position and markings on the body matches the way Unteki torture prisoners and ninja."

The Unteki may be samurai, but their brutish ways and lack of honor made my blood boil.

"We have to cut him down," I said as I unsheathed my small katana. "No one deserves to be found by family or friends in this manner," I was trying to hold back my tears and memories.

Taking hold of the blood stained rope, I cut through it in one past and gently set the body on the ground.

Kakashi came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder, "it looks fresh and I've heard what the Unteki can do. By your reaction, I'll guest that the rumors are true and that we should get out of here."

I nodded my head in agreement and bent down and closed the eyes of the unfortunate ninja, be at peace.

Clank... bang...

"Samurai of the Lotus Blade Clan, your life hangs on my sword," a tall man in a blood stained robe called from the road ahead of us.

"Kakashi, get you and your charges out of here, the Unteki are here and they will kill you," I looked up at Kakashi, his eye staring into the depths of my soul. Leave... please...