Open. Close. Open. Close. Each door shut louder than the last.

The girl finally stood back and glared at the bare cabinet shelves as if they were to blame for the lack of food.

Kakashi tried to hide his amusement. Setting his book aside he asked "Do I need to go shopping?"

The girl didn't even turn to face him "If you don't want to starve to death it might be a good idea."

Kakashi stood up and headed towards the door. "Well then, let's go. The market's still open."

She spun to stare at him. There was no way she was going outside to a market full of people. To be honest- she hadn't left the apartment in the week she had been here. And unfortunately, they hadn't thought of a name for her yet.

"I hate crowds too so trust me- I know the best times to go to avoid them." He waited but she only backed up closer to the hallway, planning an escape route if he tried to force her to come.

Kakashi had to admit she wasn't very house broke. He thought back when she had first woken up in the apartment. How fair was it that she used his own shuriken against him? Of course she had not hit him- but did the walls have to be casualties? He looked at her standing there, the shadows of painful memories still on her face. Well, he would never force her into coming with him so he simply waved his hand.

A quiet voice asked, "When will you be back?"

He smiled softly at her, "I'll be back in a little while." She nodded and hung her head as he closed the door behind him.

He had just made it to the bottom landing when a slamming door and running feet were heard. He didn't need to glance over his shoulder to know who had fallen into step next to him. Surely this was a step in the right direction in building their trust. The market was not very full but there were still a good number of people buying and selling.

Kakashi chuckled. Whenever someone wandered to close, she would tense and dodge behind him but at the same time, the girl held a childlike innocence as she drank in the sights and sounds of the market. Kakashi stopped to buy some fruit and was amused as the wide eyed girl ran her hand over the different colored textured fruits. Kakashi seized the moment to talk to her. He told her the name of each fruit and what they tasted like. The girl said nothing.

As they wandered around a corner, a small Leaf Village boy collided square into the girl. He fell on his butt, and looking up at the girl and Kakashi, began to cry. Before Kakashi could think of how to deal with the child, the girl leaned forward and brushed off the boy's tears. The child had his dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and he had kind eyes. The girl kneeled in front of him. "What's your name?" The boy sniffed and answered, "Azu."

The girl chuckled and helped Azu to his feet. "Are you okay? Why are you running so fast?"

Azu stared at the ground. "My parents went on a mission and I have to wait for them to come home." His eyes got big again, "But I miss them. I don't want them to keep going away." Azu started crying again.

The girl pulled him into a hug. "Then wait for them to return. When they get back, tell them what you told me. They love and would do anything for you." Azu hugged the girl once more and then ran back the way he had come, smiling and crying the whole way. Kakashi had felt, during that encounter with the boy, a flash of the image of a kind-hearted chuunin teacher.

They were nearing the end of their journey when a voice asked, "What are those?"

Kakashi turned to see where she was pointing. "Those are crepes." Kakashi explained, "They are very sweet and you can get almost any flavor you want." The girl watched as two more crepes were handed out to customers. Kakashi headed over, the girl following.

"Well, well. If it isn't Hatake Kakashi. What can I make for you? I never thought of you as the crepe type."

Kakashi smiled at the man, "No, no it's for her." The crepe maker looked at Kakashi for a moment before he spotted the figure practically hiding behind him. Kakashi could swear she was glaring at him for giving away her hiding position. He only smirked at her.

"What would you like, hun?" The girl looked from the crepe maker to Kakashi, utterly lost.

"Um, she might like a strawberry-vanilla flavor." Kakashi said. The crepe maker nodded and went to work. The girl stared at the ground the entire time, still very close to Kakashi.

"Here you are. One strawberry-vanilla crepe for Kakashi's shadow."

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh- I didn't mean any harm. It's just she's like a shadow, how she tags along with you. That's all." Kakashi nodded and took the crepe. He handed it to the girl, who stared at it curiously. "Go on." Kakashi encouraged. She took a bite and was swept away by the delicious sweetness. For the rest of their walk she was so absorbed in her food she stopped dodging around skittishly.

"Shadow."

"Hmn?" The girl asked, her mouth still full of crepe.

"How do you like it?"

"It's delicious!"

Kakashi chuckled. "No I meant for a name. How do you like the name Shadow?"

The girl's eyes seemed to go blank for a minute, as if trying to remember something. "Shadow?" She whispered. Kakashi was concerned. It was like the name was buried in her memory somewhere, hiding something from her.

"We'll keep trying."

"No, I like it. Can I be Shadow?" The girl protested, happy at the thought of having a name.

Kakashi felt relived at the thought of finally having something to call her by, "Yes. You're Shadow."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shadow woke up shaking in fear. She hated those dreams. In the month that she had been here, they had disappeared. But now-

She looked around the dark room. Even if she checked she knew he wouldn't be there sleeping on the couch. He would have checked on her when he returned so she would have known when he got back.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, the old flannel pajamas still warm from the blankets. Shadow thought back to that day one week ago when he said he had to go on a mission. She had stood there and watched him go. She could still see him disappearing out the door in his Jounin vest and carrying all his weapons.

Shadow tried to fight down her fears that resurfaced with every noise the house made. Every creak was the sound of someone coming to take her away again. The house felt cold and empty. When he had first given her the bedroom, his scent had been almost overpowering. But now it was fading and she was realizing what a safe haven it had become to her. Maybe it was because it was the scent of the man who had carried her out of a dungeon and later picked her up off the street in the dead of the night. She placed her feet on the floor, hoping she was right about this.

She broke into a run. She stopped only when she had reached the den.

She touched the pile of blankets still on the couch. Instantly her senses were filled with memories of comfort and the kindness of a silver haired man. She curled up into a ball and pulled the blankets close to her chin. Kakashi had been right. It was much colder in the den.

Kakashi trudged in through the door. It had been a long mission. He was tired, sore, and just wanted to forget. As he passed by the den he noticed a lump on the sofa. A couple blankets were thorn there and they were breathing. He leaned against the door frame and grinned. Shadow, for one reason or another, had left the comfy bed in exchange for the sofa. He wasn't sure what her exact motives were, but he knew one thing about sleeping in the den. Sure enough when he stepped into the room, there was a noticeable draft. It wasn't the warmest room in the house but he always had the right blankets for the night. He walked to the far side of the room and picked up the last blanket. It was plain silver and black but it was the warmest in the house.

He paused by her side before placing the blanket down. The moment the blanket was laying on her form, she relaxed. Kakashi just watched her. She was sleeping so trustingly in his house, despite her many fears. She could ignore his gaze in her sleep because she wasn't tainted in the ways of the ANBU, where they had no room left to be trusting or off guard. He wanted her to stay like that if just so he could see it in her since he had long ago lost it in himself. She stirred and whispered in her sleep. Wanting to sooth her, Kakashi brushed a hand across her cheek. Her movements seized. Slowly her eyes opened. At first she looked at him as if debating if he was really there. Her eyes almost looked sad but then she realized it was truly him and she moved so fast he almost didn't see it coming.

"Kashy!"

"I think you'll sleep better out here." He said, smiling down at her. She had thrown her arms around his neck.

"Thank you for coming back." She whispered in his ear.

Normally it was the thought of sleep that brought him through the door instead of out to the bar. But to hear someone say that, from the bottom of their heart, was something that stole Kakashi's thoughts. Slowly, he embraced the girl returning her hug. He found himself closing his eyes, lost in the contact. He breathed in her warm scent. It was abrisha. Shadow slowly loosened her grip and leaned back down. Kakashi realized how small he felt now. She had so much power over him. She drew the blanket up close to fight the cold left from the parting hug. She smiled at him but her eyes were heavy. Kakashi laughed silently at her actions. She was trying to stay awake for him. Before he could stop himself he placed a goodnight kiss on her forehead and slipped out of the room.