DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. JUST ANOTHER OBSESSED FAN.

Kankuro sighed as he walked down the beaten path. It was his third day in Konoha and he couldn't wait to get home. Sure, he liked the female scenery the village provided, but it just seemed too soon for him to be leaving Suna. It had only been four months since the whole Akatsuki incident and he didn't feel comfortable leaving Gaara back in the village without him around. But Gaara had entrusted him and him alone with meeting and informing the Hokage with any information they had found out about the Akatsuki.

The sun was starting to set over the Hokage mountain, the five faces watching over its many citizens. Kankuro never really got the whole Hokage mountain thing. He found it strange and a little unnerving. The thought of one of those in Suna, his dead father and Gaara's faces always watching him just gave him a bad case of the willies. The mere thought was frightening. A creek ran the length of his path and reflected the fiery glow of the sunset on its surface. The sound of splashing water drew Kankuro's dark gaze and his stride came to a stop.

A girl about sixteen was standing in the middle of the creek. Her blue pants were rolled up past her knees and her blue long sleeve shirt, with the Konoha swirl on the shoulder, was rolled up to her elbows. Her dark green Chunin vest was discarded on the bank of the creek along with her kunai pouch and a few scrolls. Her white hair was cut just at her chin, tucked behind her ears to stay out of her face. Her Konoha headband was tied around her left thigh as she bent slightly at the waist. A red stripe ran across her blue eyes, temple to temple, a mark Kankuro could only guess to be a clan mark. Her blue eyes scanned the water below her, her back hunched forward and her arms slightly outstretched, her fingers wiggling in impatient anticipation. Her gaze flicked over to him quickly, a small smile gracing her face before she looked back down at the water.

"What are you doing?" Kankuro asked as he walked to the very edge of the bank, the water barely tapping against the toe of his sandals. Her hands shot into the water and came back out empty. She let out a whispered curse before she looked over at him. He had seen her before, in the halls of the Hokage building and hanging out at the ramen shop with Naruto and that crazy Nana girl.

"I'm fishing. Want to join? I can always use an extra pair of hands." She said, her voice silkier than he thought it would be.

He hesitated for a moment as he continued to look at her, her gaze intense and unwavering. He let his scrolls drop to the bank behind him and quickly took off his shoes. He rolled his black pants up to his knees before he waded out into the water. He came to a stop beside her, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater. He could just make out the smell of oranges coming from her hair as it caught in a fleeting breeze.

"So how do we do this? I've never done this before," Kankuro said as he looked away from her and down at the water. He positioned his arms like hers, his hands tense as he watched a fish swimming by his feet.

"Neither have I," she said with a small laugh. He looked over at her, that small smile on her face.

"I'm Taki by the way."

"Kankuro."

********

He watched as she came out of Tai's room, shutting the door quietly behind her. He was sitting on her worn out brown sofa after just cleaning up her kitchen. He had told himself many times that he had just come over to fix her and Tai dinner because her hand was hurt and that's what he told himself as he cleaned her kitchen as she put Tai to bed. Kankuro was telling himself a lot of things when it came to Taki. Lying to himself about it seemed like it would be so much easier.

Taki let out a sigh as she dropped down on the couch beside him. He could see it so clearly, the dark purple bruise around her neck from the com biting into her neck as that ninja tried to choke the life right out of her. She rubbed lightly at the bruise, wincing before she reached out for the ointment on the table. The nurse at the hospital had given it to her to try and help get rid of the bruise around her neck, said that it should help with the pain. Taki stopped when Kankuro beat her to it, grabbing it quickly.

"Let me do it," Kankuro said as he twisted the small cap off of the tube.

"I can do it myself. You've helped me enough today, I don't need your help anymore," Taki said as she reached for the bottle, only to have it pulled from her reach.

"You know you used to accept people's help all the time, said that friends help friends. You were always willing to help too."

"People change Kankuro," She replied curtly as she tried for the bottle again. Kankuro pulled it from her grasp once more and stared at her. Taki frowned at him before she let out a huff and situated herself so she was facing him directly. Everything in her told her just hit him as hard as she could and take it from Kankuro, but she didn't. Taki knew him well and once he set his mind to something there was no talking him out of it, even if he was close to death.

He squeezed a small amount onto the end of his finger and rubbed it gently across the bruise. Taki closed her eyes tightly as he did so. Kankuro couldn't be sure if it was the pain of touching the bruise or the fact that he was so close to her face that she had her eyes squeezed shut, but the way her nose bunched up as she did it was something he had to smile at. When he was done he quickly pulled his hand away and put the cap back on the tube before he threw the whole thing on the table.

"Can I ask you something Taki?" Kankuro asked. It was something he had been wondering about for the past five years. Taki cracked an eye open, one of her blue orbs scanning his face before the other one opened.

"What do you want to know?" She asked as she looked at him, scratching at her white hair.

"It's obvious that Kiba is Tai's father but… weren't you with Neji?"

Taki went stiff for a moment before she looked away from him, a look of pain passing over her face as she looked down at the ground. He knew he shouldn't have asked, that there had to be a good reason why she didn't talk about it, but he had to ask. The last he had heard was that she was with Neji and then two months later she shows up in Suna pregnant and then seven months after that she had Tai who is a spitting image of Kiba. Anyone that knew the shinobi would know that it was his.

"I was with Neji. I cheated on him is that what you want to hear Kankuro?"

"I… what… happened?"

"A moment of weakness. Kiba and I were both vulnerable and I took advantage of the situation. He was engaged and I was with Neji. I shouldn't have done it."

"But he didn't say no Taki. You shouldn't…" Kankuro started, but Taki stopped him with a hard look.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore okay. Just drop it," Taki whispered before she got up and headed into her small kitchen.

Kankuro watched as she grabbed a cup, the glass shaking in her hand as she filled it with water. He didn't realize that it would cause her so much stress to ask. He wanted to know more. He knew there was more to the story, but it wasn't the time to pry and he got the feeling if he did she might just rip his head off. Kankuro just wished that she would tell him more sometime and he hoped that it wouldn't be another five years.

********

She walked slowly down one of the streets of Suna. Her hands swung slightly at her sides as her blue eyes kept all her attention on the boy walking in front of her. He was looking around, running a few steps before he would stop and look over his shoulder to see if his mother was still there. Gaara had given her and the rest of the members of her squad two days off and at first she didn't want it, but as she followed Tai down the street and watched as he smiled at everything he saw Taki was glad that she got the next few days off.

Tai held one of the puppets Kankuro had made him tightly in one of his hands as the other pointed things out excitedly. His brown hair was wild on his head like always and when he smiled the very tips of his elongated canines peeked out from behind his lips. The conversation of the night before with Kankuro ran through her head. Why did he have to ask? Why was he so nosy about everything when it came to her?

"Sasuke!" She heard Tai yell out as he went racing down to a small mask booth. Taki quickened her step to catch up, slowing down when she saw the familiar mop of brown hair again. Tai was looking up at Sasuke with a huge grin on his face. Taki stopped, watching the scene in front of her.

Sasuke bent down slightly and ruffled Tai's hair, a whisper of a smile on his lips. Sasuke had changed a lot over the years especially since the birth of his daughter. Yui was standing by her father, grabbing onto the side of his black pant leg, a ball of the material in her fist. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail and her dark eyes were looking at Tai happily. The little girl let go of her father's pants and sprang at Tai, her small arms wrapping around his waist as she gave him a hug. Sasuke let out a small laugh at the sight of Taisetsu's face. There was a slight blush on his cheeks that was mostly hidden by the red fang marks that ran down his cheeks, but his mother could still see it.

"How are you feeling today?" A deep voice asked Taki, breaking her attention away from the two kids and to the man standing in front of her. His eyes were dark and intense as always and his Suna headband seemed to glow in the sun. Taki scratched at her white hair with her bandaged hand and shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine," She said with a fake smile that he immediately picked up on. The girl had always been terrible at lying. He remembered back when they were ten and she pretended to like him like all the others did, but she really liked Naruto.

Her blue eyes darted away from him and down to the kids that were now looking at the masks intently. They were ANBU masks and Sasuke smiled slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He remembered a time when he wanted to be ANBU. He looked over as he watched Taki squat down to be at the kids' level. Taki and Tai looked nothing alike. While she had a bold red stripe that ran across her eyes, Tai had the Inuzuka clan markings on his cheeks. There was one thing though that the boy shared with his mother and that was their smile. And Tai might have been wild like his father, but he wasn't arrogant like him. He was kind and curious like Taki used to be… like how Sasuke remembered her.

"I like this one mama," Taisetsu said as he pointed at one of the masks. It was a dog shaped ANBU mask that had a blue marking that ran from the right ear, over the right eye and all the way down to the chin. One of her hands reached out for it, the heavy feeling of remembrance filling her stomach as she did so. She pulled it from the rack and quickly slipped it onto Tai's head, the boy pulling it over his face. He looked at his mother before looking up at Sasuke.

"Do I look cool?" the boy asked as he looked at Sasuke and his mother from underneath the mask. Sasuke nodded and Taki smiled slightly as she looked at her son. She wanted to tell him that he looked like a true hero that he looked amazing, but the words died in her throat. The mask was just another reminder of a ghost from the past.

"You look very cool, like a hero," Sasuke said quickly, filling in for Taki. She turned her head and looked up at him appreciatively, the look in her blue eyes giving him a silent thank you. She felt a tight tug at her arm and turned to see Yui looking at her expectantly, her dark brown eyes full of want.

"I want one too," Yui said as she hopped up and down in her place.

"You do," Taki said, making herself sound surprised as Yui shook her head yes rapidly. Taki looked back over at the rack and snatched a small one from it. She put it over the little girls head and then down over her face. It was a weasel mask with pink around the eyes. The small girl pulled a small hand fan from the small pouch at her waist and pulled it open, standing in a defensive position she had seen Tai do on many occasions when he was facing her uncle Kankuro. Yui wobble slightly before regaining her composure.

"Itachi," Tai said with a laugh, making Taki go stiff in her spot.

She looked at the small girl in front of her, the mask placed firmly on her face. Itachi… weasel. Guilt spread through her body quickly as she stood up, her blue eyes looking over at Sasuke apologetically. It had been nine years since he had killed his brother. Nine years since he found out the truth of the man that he hated for most of his life. He looked over at her and waved his hand slightly, trying to dismiss the whole thing. Taki didn't know it, but to Sasuke, Itachi was a hero and to have his daughter wearing an Anbu mask that resembled the one his brother wore, the one that was his name, made him happy. He had learned that grief couldn't control his life forever. It was one of those things Temari had taught him. It was one of those lessons that saved his life.

"Okay future hero's of Suna, let's get something to eat," Sasuke said as he rubbed at the back of his head.

"Can we have dumplings daddy?" Yui asked as she once again attached herself to her father's leg. He went to reach into his pocket and grab some money for the mask, but Taki held out her bandage hand as she handed the vendor money with the other.

"I've got the masks," She said.

"Then I get lunch," Sasuke said, giving her no room to argue.

********

He sat quietly on the wooden bench in the small restaurant. Yui was humming slightly at his side as she ate her dumplings, her short legs kicking back and forth violently. His dark eyes scanned across the table to Taki. She was sitting there silently with her head resting against her uninjured hand. She was pushing a dumpling across her plate with chopsticks as she listened absentmindedly to everything Tai was telling Yui about the new puppet he had gotten from Kankuro. Taki let out a sigh as she flicked the dumpling across the plate one more time. Sasuke's hand shot out and he grabbed the dumpling from her plate with his chopsticks before shoving it into his mouth.

Taki paused for a moment, her eyes still on the empty plate below her. Had he really just taken her last dumpling? She wasn't going to eat it, but still… it was an act that she never thought Sasuke would do. When she finally looked up Sasuke was looking at her from over the rim of his tea cup, his eyes calculating, almost daring her to say something to him. She quickly looked away from him and to the kids, not really knowing what he was playing at. What was he doing? Was he messing with her?

A flush came to her face as she listened to Tai, trying very hard to ignore Sasuke. Sasuke put his cup down, getting a swift side look from her before she looked back over at the kids. Had she always been that way? Had she always squirmed under the gaze of others or was it just him? He could never remember her being like that with Naruto or any of the other boys. Hell, she wasn't like that now with Kankuro. Taki didn't even squirm under the gaze of Gaara, the Kazekage. But there she was sitting across the table from him, blushing, all the confidence she had in herself the other day gone. Had she let her guard down because of Tai and Yui? Sasuke had to admit that there was something about her demeanor at that moment that was intriguing him, making him more drawn to her than he already was. The day before when Kankuro had talked of beautiful Kunoichi from the leaf he had failed to mention Taki and Sasuke didn't understand. Taki was beautiful to.

"Taki," Yui called out, getting Sasuke's attention. He looked down at his daughter, her blonde hair just like her mothers. Taki looked to Yui, her blue eyes shining out from underneath the bold red stripe.

"Yes?" Taki asked, a smile gracing her lips.

"You're pretty," Yui said with a huge grin, making the older woman smile more before she looked at her son who was shaking his head in agreement. "And thanks for being Daddy's friend."

Taki was quiet for a moment as her eyes scanned back over to Sasuke. He was looking at her again, that unreadable look on his face. Was that what they were, friends? As she looked at him a little longer she couldn't help but realize that they had become friends even if they had a hard time talking at times. And not only that, they had more in common than either of them wanted to admit to. Taki looked back over at Yui before she leaned across the table and gave the small girl a kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you for sharing him," Taki replied, getting a curt nod from Yui before the little girl shoved the last dumpling on her plate into her mouth.

"I'm ready to go home now daddy," Yui said as she looked up at Sasuke, a grin on her face.

Sasuke just nodded as he reached into his pant pocket and pulled out his money. He set more than enough on the table as he rose to his feet, the others following suit. A wet smell caught Taki's attention when they made their way onto the street of Suna. She looked up, her blue eyes seeing an unusually overcast sky. I didn't rain in Suna, especially during this part of the year. Yui and Tai were too busy playing to notice their parents looking up at the threatening sky, worried looks on both of their faces. Taki looked over at Sasuke to see him already looking at her.

"Rain… the ninja yesterday…" Taki started, but Sasuke cut her off.

"Yeah," was all he said. Taki flinched slightly when she felt something wet splash on her face. Then another and another fell from the sky and Taki just brushed them away as she tilted her head upward again.

Sasuke looked at her, her white hair cascading down her back. A small ANBU mask was on top her head, one Tai and demanded that she get. It was a fox mask with the same red stripe across the eyes that she had on her face. Rain continued to pelt down on her, one drop trailing down the line of her neck and disappearing between the cleavage of her shirt. She looked over at him again and he could tell her guard was back up, that confident air radiating off of her. It was the way her head tilted toward him and that smirk that came to her face. She was waiting for something to happen, the rain being a sign. He felt the same way. She reached up with her bandaged hand and pulled the mask down over her face.

"Let's go Tai. We'll see you guys later," Taki said as she walked away, her son walking just two paces ahead of her.

Authors Note: Thank you to the two that commented and to those who are reading. I love naruto and this is simply for fun. I also know i have crack pairings, but i love those type of pairings. And its funny how Sasuke is becoming a main character because he's not even one of my favorites. THANKS FOR READING!!