Olivia- Sorry for the late update. Sorta got behind with other fics and such. Anyway, (and I know some ppl don't like them) but i've decided to incorporate my OC Luna. For more on her, go to our profile, but I think she will fit in nicely with the story line...for those who are fans of my work, Luna shares many characteristics of my OC Falcon from my Teen Titans fics. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!

Hidden From You

Chapter 2- Tied Together With A Smile

"Shut it Uzumaki!" Melody hissed. She didn't bother lowering her voice like she usually did with the outside world." Turn around for a sec! I swear I'll explain!" Naruto did as he was told. And Melody reached into her side pouch and yanked out a sewing needle and thread. She swiftly sewed her corset back into place and then repaired her t-shirt and slipped the jacket, around her waist, on and zipped it up. She turned back and sighed as Naruto ogled at her." My real name is Melody Dito and I am a girl."

Naruto was silent and Melody closed her eyes, horrified that her secret, and her whole charade was in the hands of this boy.

"Masha!" Temari called as she and her brothers neared the gates to the village.

"Please!" Melody begged to the blonde boy. "Don't tell Gaara-sama about my secret!" Naruto nodded, still a bit confused about what just happened, but he decided to keep quiet about it.

"Nice to see you again, Naruto-kun." Temari smiled as she approached him.

"You too Temari-sama." he replied grinning slightly. "Shikamaru asked for you to meet him at Hokage Tower to discuss a few transcrips that came in this morning from the Sand Village." Temari nodded and took off in search of her lazy boyfriend. Gaara and Konkuro slowly brought up the rear. The red headed jinchuriki stopped a few feet away from the blonde, wearing the faintest of smiles. He held out his hand, which Naruto gladly excepted. Words were not needed for these two to comunicate.

Melody only stared at the two in awe while Konkuro stood by her side.

"They're truely two of a kind." he muttered, catching Melody's attention. " Both are so different, yet soo alike; foils of eachother; having endured the darkness and pain of not having a loving family, shunned for what's inside them and judged simply because they were alone in the world. But now, times are much different. They have eachother, finding an extended and adopted family to call thier own." The puppet master's words rang endlessly thoughout Melody's head. She wanted nothing more than a family to love, cherish and call her own. She looked to the blonde, then to her Kazekage, and finally to the puppet weilder beside her, wondering if one day they would except her like they have eachother.

"Naruto!" shouted a femine voice. The four shinobi turned towards the village gate to see a girl running in thier direction. Waist lenght onyx hair swayed from side to side as she ran, ivory skin like fine porcellen and intense saphire eyes. "Uzumaki, give me back my head band this instant!" she growled when she came to a stop in front of the blonde. Naruto laughed nervously and held out a leaf headband.

"Heh, sorry Luna. Kinda forgot i was playing keep away with it."

Melody examined the girl as she tied the head protector around her waist. The gold embossed 'A' made into a five pointed star on the bottom left of the girl's ninja skirt caught her attention.

'I've seen that before somewhere...' Melody thought to herself. 'Come to think of it, she looks familiar as well.' The raven haired girl shot one last evil glance at her blonde friend before turning towards the Sand ninjas.

"Nice to see you again, Lord Kazekage, Lord Konkuro."

"You too, Luna." Konkuro smiled, shaking hands.

"Who might you be, dear?" she asked to Melody. The young sand kunoichi stiffened upon the girl's words.

"My name is Masha Minoto." she managed in her most masculine voice. Luna's azure eyes looked curiously over her, seeming to see right through the disguise. Melody paniced, fearing her cover was completely blown.

"Shouldn't we get going?" Gaara asked casually.

"Sure, right this way, Lord Gaara." Luna replied, motioning for them to follow her.

3

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3

Sunset was almost upon Kohona when Melody was finally dismissed from Hokage Tower. She'd sat quietly for hours listening to the sand siblings and Lady Tsunade discuss official issues. The sun had almost completely set, painting the sky in glorious shades of red, pink, yellow and orange. Melody sighed contently as she watched the sky fade to black, housing many twinkling stars.

"Masha?" she turned to see Luna standing behind her. "Lady Hokage has requested that you stay with me tonight, Gaara and Konkuro are crashing at Naruto's and Temari is with Hinata." Melody nodded and followed the young girl towards her home. Upon seeing the dwelling, Melody was astonished. Gold lined the intracate boarders and framework of the house with a gold embossed 'A' over the threshold, just like the one on Luna's skirt.

"What? Never seen an heiress before?" Luna giggled, watching her friend's shocked expression. The interior was even more stunning. Navy tapisties bordered in gold lined the furnature and a few walls. Luna led the girl to a small, but spacious guest room, just as lavishly furnished as the rest of the house. "If you want to take a shower, the bathroom is through there." Luna pointed to a door on the far wall. "And i'll bring you an extra blanket and towels in a sec." As the heiress disapeared down the hall, Melody quickly slipped into the bathroom to bathe. 30 minutes later, she exited with a towel wrapped around her, surprised upon seeing Luna sitting casually on the foot of her bed, legs and arms crossed in a curious mannor.

"So it seems my suspicions were right." It took everything the sand ninja had not to break down, upon discovering her secret was totally blown. Luna only smiled warmly and raised from the bed, comming to stand a few inches taller than Melody. A few tears escaped the younger girl's eyes and splashed on the towel hiding her body.

"M-my mother was k-killed when i was a child." her voice small and barely heard. "W-women are usually not in positions of power in my village. I knew if i wanted to climb my way up and actually become a decent shinobi, i'd have to hide the fact i'm a girl."

"It seems pretty foolish, in my opinion." Luna replied at the end of the girl's story. Dark midnight eyes flashed at the elder girl, almost angry. "You needn't hide your gender from anybody. The fact that you're a girl dosent change any of your ablilties or what you're set out to do." Melody downcast her eyes, realizing Luna had been right. "Care to tell me your real name?"

"Melody Ditto."

"Well, Melody. I dont think we were properly introduced before. I'm Luna Avalon, heiress to the Avalon clan."

"Avalon?" Melody asked, almost shocked. "The Avalon clan were a few of the ninja that came to my clan's aid when those bandits invaded my villiage! And you're the woman who helped me escape!" Confusion swept across Luna's porcellin features, but only for a second before she realized what Melody had been talking about.

"Melody, I think the woman you saw was my mother."

flashback

Fire engulfed much of a small village on the outskirts of Suna. Many sand and leaf ninja were dispatched to the area, but it was already much too late. More than half of the villlage's clans were either killed or taken prisoner. A small girl, no older than six, watched with wide fearful eyes as her mother was drug from her house.

"Run, Melody! Dont let them catch you!" the woman screamed to her child. The little girl nodded once with tears streaming down her face. She ran until she reached the edge of the woods. Melody collapsed from exursion and cried into the grass. The next thing she knew, a pair of strong, yet gental arms lifted her off the ground. Midnight blue eyes connected with vivid lavender. The woman holding her was probably in her mid twenties with waist lenght onyx hair and ivory skin. She was beautiful. But what caught Melody's eye was the gold embossed 'A' made into a five pointed star stitched into the woman's jonin vest.

She only smiled at the child in her arms and dashed quickly past the burning village and into the main gates of Suna. Soon, Melody found herself in a children's hospital, being tended to by many doctors and nurses.

end flashback

"You look just like her." Melody whispered, seeing her savior's face flash before her eyes.

"I favor her alot, save for my eyes. The Avalons are an extension of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans. My mother, favored the Hyuga side. Blue eyes are something rare for my clan." Luna gestured to her own cerulean orbs.

"I would like to thank her, if I may."

"Oh. Um...Livana, my mother, was killed during the Kyuubi attack 15 years ago."

"Im soo sorry, Luna." Melody offered, seeing the unshead tears threatening to fall from the Avalon's eyes. Luna nodded and bit her friend a good night.

Olivia- So now you see a little more into Melody's past and how Luna actually ties in with the story. R&R kiddies!