"Guy Sensei, you don't not appear to be as filled with spirit as you normally are. Is something wrong?"

"Ah Lee, I'm just feeling the pangs of separation from my Lady"

"Oh, I did not know you are dating Lady Masami"

"Er, what? No. No I'm not, um, dating Lady Masami"

"But I remember before your lesson about being strong but still having a poetic side that appeals to women"

"Yes Lee, well, you should know that sometimes no matter what you do or how hard you try, sometimes a goal is unattainable but you should keep your eyes open for when new opportunities arise"

"So you're saying you have another lady?"

"Yes Lee"

"Have I met her before?"

"You know, you are being awfully curious today. It's not terribly kind to ask so many personal questions when I've already told you that I'm going through some heartache right now"

"Yes sensei, I am very sorry."

"As punishment you shall race me five hundred laps around the village and if you cannot beat me, you shall have to do five hundred more on one foot!"

"Yes sensei!"

"Ready, set, GO!"

[Neji and Tenten step back and watch as Guy and Lee take off at a furious pace. Fueled by emotional pain, Guy begins to best Lee despite the ache of his muscles and the burning of his chest. Guy keeps pushing his body, trying to use physical strain to distract him from the shadows in his mind, but to no avail. It keeps re-playing in his head two nights ago when he was making love to his Masami. He runs harder, his physical strength hits a wall and he's ready to give up. Then he sees how her neck hung limply in his hands. He pushes past the wall and gets a second wind. He hadn't realized his hands had wrapped around that fragile part of her body, he'd been too focused on reaching climax. His body feels like it's on fire as he maintains his furious pace, but he hears Lee closing in. Guy removes his hands and looks at them, he trembles looking at what his strength has done to his beloved. Lee now parallels him as they run. It pains Guy having to pack her in a box and ship her off to be repaired, it's like sealing her in a coffin. At the very end of the five hundredth lap, Lee barely edges out Guy. They both slow to a stop, panting and drenched with sweat. The words of the company representative over the phone still ring in his ears that they will rush to fix her and send her back in four days. Finally catching his breath, Guy says to Lee]

"You are doing well my student! The vigor of youth flows strongly in you! As your prize for beating me, you get to do five hundred push ups and five hundred sit ups in circuits of ten, now go!"

"Yes Guy sensei!"

[Lee drops to the ground and continues his training. Even as Guy moves to work with Tenten on her weapons training he still only has one thing on his mind]

(Guy thinking) "Four days... Four days... Four days... Four days..."

:::::

[Kakashi is amazed at how the time at her parent's home has relaxed Masami. Her normally highly styled hair is left down and free flowing. Her usual fitted business attire has been replaced by stretch cotton shirts and high waisted free flowing skirts or dresses. She tends to run around in sandals or bare footed now too. The way Masami is currently reminds of him of when you happen to catch a glimpse of a beautiful, untamed, creature, roaming freely in the wild. Her smile has even returned to normal, and it sets Kakashi's heart at ease. She hasn't had anymore nightmares either, so it's been easier for Kakashi to forget his anger towards those who have harmed his love. On the afternoon of the fourth day they sit up in a tree together watching the clouds pass through the leaves and branches. They sit leaning into each other, Kakashi is amazed at how they feel like one being. He admires her dainty feet and legs as they dangle in the air above the ground. Masami sighs knowing that tonight will be their last night here. Their plans for tomorrow are to spend the day there then leave mid-afternoon to catch the last ferry out back to the Land of Fire. Kakashi sighs before he speaks]

"So how did you get the title of "Lady" anyways?"

"Ah, a short while before I met Tsunade I happened to be traveling the same route as a King who was touring his country. When he was attacked and most of his guard taken down, I came to his aid and saved the King and his people. The King begged me to stay with his party since I was headed the same direction anyways-"

"I bet that's not all he begged you for"

"You're right it's not, but let me finish my tale first. Anyways, I repelled two more, weaker, attacks before the King reached his destination. He did ask me to become his Queen because he said I would exemplify strength and beauty for his country but I turned him down because I was much too young for that sort of responsibility. That and even though he was offering me a castle all I could see was a glorified cage. He asked at the very least if he could grant me the title of an honorary knight of his kingdom and thus 'Lady Masami' was born"

"I see"

[Kakashi sighs pushing away the thought of such a high ranking suitor trying to pursue his love. He stares up a the sky, losing his thoughts in the clouds before he murmurs]

"I could do this all day..."

"Why do you like people thinking you're lazy and aloof?"

"I guess because when it's time to fight, it makes my ability to calculate and strategize more fearsome in comparision."

"I see. What else do you like?"

"Such as?"

"How about foods?"

"You answer first, I already answered two questions in succession"

"You answered the second question with a question!"

[Masami shoots Kakashi a playful smile, and he responds with a wink. She gives in]

"Okay fine. I prefer foods that don't need to be cooked; not because I'm lazy like you, but because they're more natural that way and I believe that's how our bodies are intended to process foods. So I enjoy fresh fruits, raw vegetables and my favorite beverage is water"

[Masami smiles again as she ribs Kakashi with the lazy comment]

"Oh, so I am lazy? As I recall I usually do all the work..."

"You hush you pervert!"

[She playfully punches him in the shoulder, he winks at her again]

"I answered my own question, now it's your turn"

"Hm, well I do prefer miso soup with eggplant and salt grilled saury so while I do enjoy cooked foods, I do agree with you that our bodies are designed to eat healthy foods, so I'm not a fan of fried or overly sweet foods."

"Ah. Your turn"

"What are some things you dislike?"

"Feet"

"But you have feet!"

"Yes, but I'm not a fan of other people having their bare feet in close proximity to me"

"Why not?"

"Because people often don't take very good care of their feet, so they allow them to become rough, unmanicured, filthy, stinky and just plain gross!"

[At this Masami shudders as Kakashi slips a foot out of his sandal and reaches a leg towards her]

"UGH! You're a jerk!"

[Masami flips out and falls out of the tree. Kakashi is immediately concerned and looks below the tree for her]

"Masami! I'm sorry!"

[With his guard down, Masami swings back around the branch and knocks Kakashi out of the tree. He lands comically face down in the ground, he sits up slightly winded]

"Okay, maybe I earned that"

"Darn right you did! Going and asking me something I dislike, then using it against me!"

[Masami gracefully leaps out of the tree, and lands next to Kakashi. He sweeps her legs out from under her and catches her before she hits the ground. He gently lays her down in the grass and lays across the top of her]

"I'll make it up to you by telling you something I don't like; I dislike being on bottom"

"Oh really..."

[Is all Masami manages to say before Kakashi silences her with a kiss. There under the shade of the mango tree they have a romantic encounter before returning to Sho and Amaya's home for supper. After their brief interlude, Masami redresses herself and straightens out her skirt. She picks debris from the ground out of her hair as she looks over at Kakashi who looks even more handsome and immaculate than ever. She can't help herself from flirting with him]

"Hey there good lookin, you have any plans for dinner tonight?"

[Masami winks at him after she says this and he approaches her. Kakashi picks out a leaf before combing his fingers through her hair as he falls into the endless depths of her heliotrope eyes. He loves how soft and long her hair is, after running his hands through it a couple times, he holds her by the back of the neck and sweetly kisses her]

"As long as it's with you, you can take me anywhere"

[Masami gets goosebumps at his words]

"You kill me sometimes with how much of a sweet talker you are"

"It gets me by"

[Kakashi smiles at her, then takes her hand and leads her back to the homestead]

[That evening, Sho, Amaya, Masami, and Kakashi enjoy dinner. They take in the peacefulness of the atmosphere and relish the moment as much as they can before Masami and Kakashi have to leave tomorrow. That night after going to bed, the peace is interrupted by that black guilded door cracking open a little bit wider this time]

[In Masami's dream it is nighttime, and she's outdoors. She is short of breath and she's having pelvic pain. She looks down at herself, she's pregnant and heavily so! And she's being pursued, but by whom? She tries to sort through the dream's memories. She's being chased by the snake man, Orochimaru. Masami looks behind herself in the distance, she sees the looming shadow of a temple. But not just any temple, it's Monk Isao's monastery, but she's running away from it. Why? No, she's not running from it, she's leading away the giant snake crashing through the forest around it. Masami travels for two days away from the monestary, she won't let Orochimaru hurt Monk Isao or even think that Isao has any connection to her. The terrain is rough and Masami's pain only spreads and grows the more she travels. By then end of the second day, she can't deny what the pain is trying to tell her. She knows she'll be incapacitated while giving birth, so she tries to find a place to hide. Masami knows the devil isn't far behind her, so she does what she can. She spies a valley with a deep creek running through it, so Masami heads to the bottom. The trek down is slow going as she has to frequently stop while in the grips of the rhythmic pain clutching her whole body. She crawls on her hands and knees to the water, she is so hot and thirsty, if only she could get a quick drink she can make it through this. At the water's edge she pushes a hood off her head and looks at her reflection. Her eyes are the same but her face is thin and sallow. Her hair is long and unruly, but wait? Where's the purple that normally streaks through her hair? It's gone! Her hair is just a mass of black waves. Another strip of intense pain grabs hold of her again. As soon as it passes, Masami knows it's time. She quickly washes off her face and takes a fast swig before getting herself into a squatting position. Instinct tells her body to bear down and push, and as she does she is completely immersed in the most excruciating pain she's ever experienced. Masami reaches her hands beneath herself to catch the weight as it drops out of her body and she feels suddenly relieved]

"MASAMI! WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP!"

[When she opens her eyes Kakashi is there shaking her by the shoulders. He looks worried]

"What? What is it Kakashi?"

"You were tossing and turning in your sleep again. Then you were screaming with your mouth closed, you sounded like you were in so much pain but you were muffled. .. were you having another dream about Orochimaru?"

[As Masami's heart rate and breathing slows back down, she takes her surroundings in before calmly answering Kakashi]

"Yes... and no. I was pregnant"

"YOU'RE WHAT?!"

[Kakashi's eye pops wide open]

"No, Kakashi. Calm down. In my dream, I was pregnant. And Orochimaru was chasing me. I was near Monk Isao's monestary and I was struggling to lead that monster away. You woke me up while I was in the midst of labor"

"But it was just a dream, right?"

"I'm not sure... That pain felt very real"

"Perhaps Orochimaru cast some sort of genjutsu on you to make you believe you were in labor and cripple you with the pain before trying to completely erase the memories from your mind"

"I dunno... maybe."

[Kakashi squeezes her tight against his body while they lay there together in the dark]

(Kakashi thinking) "I'm afraid of what's happening to Masami... The battles in her mind are not a war I can help her fight. I hate feeling so helpless. I hate these bastards for doing such cruel things to her mind. Maybe... Maybe if I can destroy them, it will set her free... I have to do it. I have to do what I can to save Masami. I won't let her be taken from me..."

[After awhile Kakashi feels her body soften as she falls back to sleep but he keeps at steady vigil over her until day break. At daylight Masami wakes on her own. Kakashi's features look stern and hard, so she tenderly kisses him. He closes his eyes and pushes away his thoughts. They both dress then join Masami's parents for breakfast. After breakfast they pack their things then go for one last stroll through the grove. They decide to leave a little bit earlier than planned, so after lunch and a short goodbye, Kakashi and Masami head back on the road towards the village where the ferry will take off from. To travel Masami has resumed her usual vintage style attire, Kakashi gets distracted by how carefully and beautifully she's pieced herself together. Nearing the village, bandits spring up on them.]

[One grabs Masami from behind and holds a kunai to her neck. Masami looks more annoyed than anything else as Kakashi maintains his cool, keeping his stance casual and unassuming. The bandit holding Masami growls]

"Give us all your money and nothing will happen to the pretty lady!"

"What makes you think I'm worried about the lady?" Kakashi responds unintimidated

"Because obviously you're a leaf ninja on an escort mission, but you've failed at keeping your guard up! We have the superior numbers, you can't outmatch us all when it's ten against one!"

"Try two against ten!"

[Masami shouts as she grabs the bandit's wrist and violently twists the whole forearm, breaking it. As the brigands assemble, Kakashi and Masami stand back to back as Kakashi weilds a kunai and Masami bears two ninjato. The melee starts and is instantly bloody as Kakashi and Masami easily disarm their oppenents with a variety of taijutsu and bukijutsu. Neither of them use ninjutsu in preparation for if they should need their chakra later. With most of the thugs either on the ground or run off, Kakashi smiles at Masami and says]

"I think I beat you six to four"

"No way-"

[Masami is cut off as suddenly two arrow heads protude through her body, poking out from her ribs very close to her arm. Kakashi snaps and doesn't hesitate to throw a lightning infused kunai through the head of the bandit on the ground, struggling to reload his cross bow. The kunai violently splits the skull open then penetrates the ground before the body has a chance to drop. Kakashi then makes quick work of the rest of the bodies on the ground, making sure they are all dead before rushing to Masami's side]

"Dammit! I really liked this blouse too!"

"All you can think about is your clothes at a time like this?!"

"Both arrows are very superficial, they hurt like hell but I should be able to heal myself as soon as I get these out of me."

"Out the back or front?"

"Front is fine, I'd rather pull them all the way through"

[Masami staggers as Kakashi moves behind her. She wimpers as he snaps the tails off both arrows. It almost kills him knowing she's in pain at his hands, but he tries to keep in mind it has to be done so she can start healing herself. Stepping back around to her front, he looks at her face and sees the color draining out of it. He grabs the arrows shafts that are now slick with her blood and she grimaces. He tells her]

"I'm going to pull on three. Ready?"

"Just do it already!"

"Okay! ONE! TWO! THREE!"

[And Kakashi cleanly pulls both arrows at the same time. Masami's agonizing scream fills the air as she drops to the ground and Kakashi just wants to die. He throws the arrows to the ground and his hands feel stained as he sees her blood on them. He rubs his hands in the dirt to get the blood off then steals a glance at Masami as she kneels there, pumping her purple chakra into her wounds. The bleeding ceases quickly and after a few moments the raw, open, flesh seals and becomes a set of smooth round pink scars. Sweat drips off her brow as she brings herself to stand. Kakashi quickly slips under her arm to help her up]

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes, I should be fine. I'll just be very sore for at least the next couple of days"

"Come on, lets hurry to the ferry."

"Let me grab my ninjato"

"I've got it"

[Kakashi quickly retrieves both her swords and his knife. He wipes the blood off on the pants of the fallen, then returns to Masami's side. They make it to the pier and catch the second to last ferry of the day, meaning they'll arrive at the shores of the Land of Fire in the dark of pre-morning. During the ride as Masami sleeps, Kakashi keeps a tireless vigil. His mind is filled with rage and guilt over having failed at an oath he swore to himself to protect her. Upon reaching land they make haste towards Konoha. Having exerted so much chakra yesterday, nearing the end of the journey Kakashi has to carry Masami, but he doesn't mind. They check into the gates just as the sun has peaked at the horizon. Izumo and Kotetsu look half asleep still, but ask no questions noticing Masami in Kakashi's arms. He takes her to his apartment and puts her to bed before reporting to Tsunade. At the hokage's office, Kakashi fills in Tsunade about the attack and Masami's dreams. Tsunade looks stern as she rests her chin atop her hands and contemplates the information]

"Tell me Kakashi, what do you think of her dreams? Are they repressed memories or implanted thoughts?"

"I'm not sure. It worries me that she's never been able to utilize fire chakra before but the night of her first dream she almost burned the building down in her sleep. I've also considered they could be premonitions"

"Now that is troublesome"

:::::