A/N: I know, I know. It's really late and I am sorry. I got a case of writer's block and struggled with this chapter. You should be happy it took so long. I added a lot and really like it despite struggling with this chapter. I added a flashback and really want opinions on it. Let me know if you like it and if you want more or want me to avoid them unless necessary. This chapter is dedicated to Harumi-Hime for being the first to review and for her first review.

I own my dog Maggie and my car Ruby, but that's about it. Meaning Naruto is not mine.

…

"But, why" Rie whined.

"Because I said so" Kakashi answered tiredly. Rie started to pout. He sighed, "Rie, you used up all your chakra at the hospital yesterday. If you train today it could do serious damage to your chakra coils. Now finish your breakfast."

"Why can't I leave the house though? I promise I won't train."

"Because, I know you. If you leave the house you will end up training" Kakashi sighed as he cleaned the kitchen.

"But my team is so strong I can't be a burden to them" Rie shouted, standing up and knocking her chair over.

"You won't be a burden; you are really strong already. Now if you insist on leaving the house you can just come with me and watch my team train. No buts. Get ready and we will leave" Kakashi said as he gathered her dishes to wash.

Rie went upstairs and grabbed her cloak, still pouting. The Hatakes live in a small two story house on the edge of the ninja district. To the back of the house was at the beginnings of a forest and close to some of the training fields.

When they stepped out of the house Kakashi scooped up his daughter and put her on his shoulders. Rie scowled, crossing her arms, but knew better than to protest. They headed 'straight' for the training grounds with Rie still sulking.

They arrived late of course. "Why are you so late?" a girl and a voice that Rie recognized shouted as they appeared.

Rie turned and looked, then dive-bombed straight off Kakashi's shoulders and onto an unsuspecting blond. "RIE" Naruto shouted, happily surprised as she glomped him. "What are you doing here and with Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked excitedly as he hugged his smaller friend back.

"Guys, this is my daughter Rie" Kakashi introduced. "Rie this is Sakura, Sasuke, and you seem to already know Naruto. Naruto, how do you know my daughter?" he asked, giving Naruto a calculating stare that the blond seemed completely oblivious to.

"I see her with Iruka sensei sometimes. I guess the subject of her family never really came up" he said laughing. Rie nodded enthusiastically, standing next to him.

"Oh my gosh, she is so cute Kakashi sensei" Sakura squealed. "How old are you honey?"

"She's 2 months older than me" Naruto replied as Rie sent her a nasty look. Sakura sweat-dropped and Sasuke looked somewhat intrigued, but tried to hide it.

"Ok guys, it's time to train. Rie you go over there, sit down, and you had better behave" Kakashi said slightly threateningly. Rie waved her hand as she walked over to the previously indicated tree. "Don't give me that." Rie sat down, once again pouting.

Rie watched them train for a while before growing bored. She started looking around for something to do, knowing it would end up costing her later. Soon a butterfly floated by and Rie was after it.

She chased it through the woods, farther and farther away from team 7 until she heard someone training. She stopped, having her curiosity peaked, and went in search of the noise.

Rie came to a clearing and was surprised to find Neji in the midst of training. He wasn't facing her, but as soon as she came into the clearing he stopped. "Rie? What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be resting?" he questioned. Rie pointed in the direction she had come from, hoping he would understand. Neji used his Byakugan and saw that she was pointing toward team 7. "Kakashi doesn't know you wondered off does he" he stated, more than asked, with a shake of his head. Rie looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Fine, you can stay, but I'm not taking any of the blame for this one."

Happily Rie sat down on the edge of the clearing to watch him train. The Byakugan still fascinated her, so it was much more interesting than the others. Kakashi had explained how the Byakugan worked, but Rie still found it fun to watch someone else use a dojutsu. The fact that she wasn't being forced also helped to make it more enjoyable.

Rie had been watching Neji for a while when out of nowhere, someone touched her shoulder shouting "What are you doing?!"

Rie squealed and dived to the ground with her hands over her head, convinced she was under attack. Neji ran over, having been too focused on his training to have noticed what had happened. "Gosh Rie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

What a minute! Naruto?! Rie thought, recognizing the voice. Rie stood up and punched him hard in the face.

"I said I was sorry" Naruto whined. "Now, we need to hurry. Kakashi sensei is really mad you took off." Rie shook her head, pointing at Neji, who was still completely lost as to what was going on. "What, is this your boyfriend?" Rie punched him again, only harder, before walking off in the direction of her father. Naruto rubbed his shoulder before trotting off after her, leaving a bewildered, though still composed, Neji alone in the clearing.

"She is on my team; she came to watch me train" Neji called, gaining Naruto's attention before he got out of earshot. Naruto turned around, giving Neji a puzzled look. "It's how a team works you loser. Rie, is it alright to go with him?" Neji asked his younger teammate as he sent a suspicious glare at Naruto.

"Of course it is!" Naruto shouted, now angry. Rie grabbed his arm, dragging him back the way he came.

"Let her father know she didn't do anything but watch" Neji again called after the pair.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say" Naruto grumbled as Rie continued to drag him.

They approached team 7's training ground to find a completely ticked Kakashi. "Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, you are dismissed" he said obviously trying to hide his anger. They all left in a hurry, until Naruto turned back.

"That guy wanted me to tell you all she did was watch" he said before he too made a hasty retreat.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY PUT! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME LIKE THIS?!" he roared as he waved his arms around animatedly. Rie backed away, never having seen him this angry. Rie was very obedient and had never done anything but minor offences before. Kakashi was also a major pushover when it came to his daughter and could never stay angry even if she did disobey him.

Kakashi saw the fear on the small child's face and immediately stopped. He turned his head, trying to regain his composure. "Rie calm down" he said, seeing that she was just getting more wound up. He reached toward her, but she just retreated further. "Rie" he said sadly. It had been a long time since he had seen her react this badly to a situation.

He gazed into her distant eyes and his heart broke for his baby girl. Situations like this were very common the first few months after Rie came home from the hospital. With time, Rie began to improve and her reactions became less severe. It was around that time that Kakashi noticed that almost every time Rie would have a major shut down, it was his fault.

That was one of the worst things Kakashi had ever had to face. It ranked right up there with losing his team. To cause the most precious person in his life so much pain and fear nearly broke him. If it wasn't for the Hokage, Kakashi wasn't sure if he would have been able to continue to face his little girl.

Flashback:

Kakashi sat in the Hokage's office with his head resting in his hands. Rie was at home, probably still hiding in the closet. Kakashi sighed and shook his head to clear his thoughts. The Hokage came back in his office, carrying a tray with tea. He had left the troubled man to gather his thoughts as he went to make tea for the two of them. He poured two cups and handed one to the shinobi before taking a seat himself. Kakashi smiled appreciatively, before sighing again. As the silence dragged on, the Hokage finally asked, "Can I assume this visit is about Rie?"

The young father nodded weakly, staring deeply into his untouched tea. "She hates me Lord Hokage," he said in complete defeat.

The Hokage stared at him for a long moment. Not even the Hokage had seen the great Hatake this broken; not since the Fourth's death, and even then he hid his pain better than he was now. "We both know she doesn't hate you. What would make you think such a thing?" he asked patiently.

"What else am I supposed to think? It seems like the only time she shuts down anymore is because of something I have said or done. Kurenai or Iruka can come over and do or say the same thing as me and she is fine. It just seems like I am constantly doing something to scare her or make her remember something that horrible man did. I do nothing but hurt her; she should hate me" he lamented.

"Calm down" he said, placing a hand on the troubled man's shoulder. "Rie does not hate you" he said firmly. "She trusts you as much as she possibly can and there lies the problem.

"How can she trust me? I only cause her pain and fear. If Rie trusted me she wouldn't react the way she does" Kakashi said in self-pity.

"Let me ask you a question. Has Rie ever willingly slept with anyone around besides you?" Kakashi shook his head. "How about eating? Does she eat easily around anyone else?" Again Kakashi shook his head, his mood brightening slightly. "Has she started talking to anyone besides the two of us yet?" the Hokage asked. Kakashi looked up from his tea for the first time since the conversation began, shaking his head and offering the Hokage a weak smile.

"But if she trusts me than …" Kakashi asked, not quite sure how to finish his question.

"Then why does she react so strongly to you?" the Hokage offered. Kakashi nodded. "It's because you can hurt her."

"I would never," Kakashi said angrily standing up. "How could you even think that? I could never …"

The Hokage raised a hand, silencing the fuming shinobi. "I didn't mean it like that Kakashi" the Hokage said gently. The younger of the two deflated and sank back onto the couch. "I meant you have the ability to hurt her more than anyone else, not because you are a shinobi, but because of the trust she has in you. The people that can hurt you most are the ones closest to you" the Hokage said sagely.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, beginning to understand.

"When someone you really trust hurts you, or lets you down, it hurts so much more than if someone else did the same thing. It hurts on an emotional level that is extremely deep; you should be able to understand that" the Hokage said knowingly.

"Yeah, I do now that you explained it" Kakashi said quietly, deep in thought.

"You also have to consider that because of the trust she has in you, she leaves herself vulnerable. That is scary for anyone, but it's even worse for someone who has been repeatedly hurt. Rie knows how vulnerable she is to you and it scares her, and probably makes her even more over reactive than usual. Don't blame her though. She loves you, and I can see it on her face that she feels guilty every time she reacts strongly to you."

"It just hurts. I love that little girl more than I ever thought was possible and I have only known her a few months. I hate to see her in any sort of pain, and to know I am the cause of it is the worst feeling in the world" Kakashi said the last bit with a slight waver in his voice.

"Welcome to parenthood Kakashi" the Hokage said smiling. "Just give her time and love her in the meantime. Things will get better as she heals. I promise. I will warn you though, that being a father will never be easy" the Hokage said with an evil grin.

End Flashback:

Kakashi kneeled down in front of his trembling daughter trying to see how out of it she was. "Rie" he said gently. No reaction. "Rie" he tried again with more force, but still with no results. "Rie!" When the girl continued to stare into space and tremble, Kakashi cursed under his breath. He knew she was back at that horrible house with that evil man, once called her father, and it scared him.

Slowly he crawled toward her. "Rie, I'm going to come over there" he said, watching her closely for a reaction. "Okay Rie," he said upon reaching her, "I'm just going to rub your back." After a bit of that Kakashi slowly gathered the disconnected girl into his lap and began to rock back and forth in a soothing motion.

"I'm right here Rie; it's me, Kakashi. You are safe and we are here in Konoha at training ground 7. No one is here but us and no one is going to hurt you" he said soothingly, as he continued to rock and rub her back. "Breathe in … and breathe out. I'll do it with you, breathe in," and Kakashi took a deep breath before letting it out, "and out. Look at the trees and the grass. Here feel this rock," he said gently as he placed a rock in her hand, trying to get her back in the present. This went on for a few minutes as Rie's shaking began to slow and her breathing evened out.

Kakashi smiled when he saw her blink a few times and her eyes begin to focus on her surroundings. "Kakashi?" she asked softly. He smiled at her gently and hugged her closer. "I'm so sorry" she said as she buried her head into his stomach.

"No Rie, I'm sorry" he said as caringly as possible. She hugged him back and turned her face to look up at him. "But you can't just run off like that. I was so afraid something had happened to you" he said gently. "Rie, I was so worried when you were in the hospital and I didn't even know you then. If something like that ever happened again I … I just don't know if I could live with myself."

Rie sat up and wiped a tear from his eye. Rie was one of the only people to have ever seen Kakashi cry and the only person that he wasn't bothered by when it did happen. "I'm sorry Kakashi, I didn't mean to worry you, I just got bored" Rie said guiltily as she hugged him around the neck.

He picked his little girl up in his arms and headed toward home. "I know you didn't mean any harm. I'm sorry I over reacted" Kakashi said lovingly. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek to let him know all was forgiven.

Whew, maybe I'm not in trouble Rie thought as they neared home. "Oh, and you will still be punished for disobeying me. Let's see … no going to the park for a week. That sounds fair." CRAP!