The younger Hazukashii stared at the older woman for a minute watching as she turned to face her.

"First release Fotou, so I can relieve you of its side effects."

Yuki did so, and at the exact moment she released it, the world around her phased into a white world. The ground, walls and ceiling were all bright white, save her mother who stood in front of her.

"Wh-what's going on?" Yuki asked, glancing around apprehensive.

"I just used one of my more useful genjutsu. I'd rather not sit here discussing things, and genjutsu can make time pass by a lot slower than in real time. Anything to spend time with the one daughter, I never got the chance to," her mother replied.

"I'm extremely impressed by how far you have come. You bear my name pretty well."

Yuki nodded, and stepped forward hugging her elder. The woman returned the embrace, and kissed her hair many times.

"I can't stay here. It's not fair that I was taken from you before we even had a chance to meet. Grandmother has told me of the things that have befallen you and how you asked about Yasuo-kun and I. You are lucky that those two Jounin took you in. I cannot express the joy it brings me to see you raised so well. I wish I could stay. I wish I could help turn the war in our favor."

Yuki felt tears rise to her eyes, and try as she might she couldn't prevent them from spilling over. Fresh sobs took her breath away and left her gasping for air. She'd just reunited with her mother, and yet the reunion was bitter sweet. She was about to die again, and leave Yuki alone and saddened.

"Stop that! You know I love you. That should give you more than enough courage and strength to finish the fight. We beat a very strong opponent together and had fun doing it. The fate of the war hung in the balance, yet we pulled it off. Somehow," her mother joked. Yuki relaxed a little at the feeling of her mother's hands running through her hair gently.

Yuki choked out a response, her heart constricting.

"Can't you stay a little longer? Maybe…we could find a way to give you a body. I can't sit here and act as though I don't miss you. Sure Kakashi-sama and Anko are nice, but I never got to meet you until now."

Her mother tightened her grip on her and she knew the answer to the question before it was even stated.

"Now Yuki. Don't do this. You know a lot better. You should anyways. There are some things in this world you do not tamper with and death is one of them. The Second Hokage did, and look what has become of his jutsu. No. I would much rather leave on my own terms."

Yuki let out a low whimper.

"But, as long as I'm here I might as well get to know you better. So take this time and ask any and all questions. Anything you've ever wanted to know," her mother stated sitting down. Yuki immediately followed suit, and wiped her eyes on her shirt sleeve. She laid her head into her lap, and smiled.

"Hmmm…

"Take your time. There's no rush."

Yuki nodded and inhaled softly. She shifted her mind through the various thoughts and questions which flooded the recesses of her mine.

"Is father like that all the time?"

The question was out of her mouth before she had time to reason that it was not the proper thing to ask.

"Like what?" the woman inquired.

"An emotional robot."

" No, not always. I guess the best way to say is that he is like a grizzly bear on the battlefield and a teddy bear at home. He really loves both of you, though he doesn't always show it in the most obvious way."

Yuki listened, before glancing up to notice the woman's face had contorted into a wistful smile. She was staring out into space, a far off look in her eyes.

"How did you know he was the right one for you? How did you meet? Was it love at first sight?"

Her mother's smile changed to a wider grin.

"Woah, woah, woah! One question at a time," Nagisa responded.

Yuki waited patiently for her mother who immediately launched into the story.

"Yasuo changed a lot from how he used to be. He was arrogant and a loud mouth, not that he didn't have anything to boast about. He kept to himself and looked down on others. Well…the teacher decided to pit the top guy vs. the worst girl of the class. I was not only weak, but extremely shy. I barely spoke to anyone out of fear that I would be frowned upon. The teacher thought that maybe we might get a good match. Sadly, I wasn't an A+ student and it showed as I stood before him. I continued to fiddle with my fingers, as he stared me down. As we faced each other, I remember seeing a small smile form on his lips. Normally, I would have gotten angry, but I knew deep inside myself that he was better than me. He made the first move and , I was not able to thwart it. His fire style, made my wind natured jutsu all but useless. He was faster and more adept for the situation. I warded him off as best as I could,but it was futile. I was going to lose, and it was only a matter of time before he won. And then it happened: I had my back against the wall, and that's when he struck me down."

Yuki felt her jaw drop from sheer shock, and she almost burst out in anger, but her mother held up a single hand.

"I stayed asleep, and it wasn't until I held a hand up to his throat, did I realize that I was using my kekki genkai. That fight changed my life. I activated my hidden power and learned how to use it."

Immediately, Yuki realized what she was discussing.

"He whirled around and swung at where I should I be, but I blocked the attack with no effort whatsoever. Something was not right. I imagined that I was blocking, and it happened. My body acted on an accord of its own. To others it seemed as though I was moving faster than him, but to myself, I could feel and see everything before it happened. He backpedaled, throwing up a mud wall for him to hide behind as I advanced towards him. I slid up behind him in a swift motion, avoiding his blind counterattack. I placed my kunai at his throat, and he raised his hand in defeat. I woke up, to the kunai being held in my shaky hand. I didn't expect that someone as weak as me, could ever end up winning against a genius. I could tell that the defeat had hit him hard, and I asked, if he wanted to spar afterwards. It eventually became our routine. We met everyday after school, and trained together. After that, he softened up, and I became more confident in my capabilities. It was through this, that we fell in love. It didn't take long for us to get married, and have our first child. But then it happened-"

"What did?" Yuki asked out of curiousity.

"Things were great, ya know? We had your sister, and your father and I made a relatively good amount of money to support her. That is until word got out about my jutsu. I tried to keep it a secret, but my family was more important so I used it during the war. I might have lived another three more years if it weren't for the fact that the Uchiha and the Senju found out about it. The two clans made it their personal agenda to rid our clan of its most powerful member. "

Yuki felt a shiver go down her spine, and tried to push down the emotional rage which burned deeply.

Uchiha…attempted to kill my Mom? Targeted her?

"I digress though," her mother stated, sighing and pulling out of her grasp. Yuki watched her face and noticed that she was biting her lip. Yuki immediately burst into laughing, which startled the older woman.

"What?" Nagisa demanded confused.

"I-I…wow. I really am your daughter," Yuki gasped out, between giggles.

"Wha- Oh? Really? You bite your lip when you're stressed?" Nagisa asked, a smile forming on her lips.

"All the time," she replied, choking as she continued to laugh.

"Quiet down. As much as I'd like to continue chatting, the time has come for me to go."

Yuki's composure changed immediately, and she fought to remain calm. She didn't want this moment to end, but her mother had just stated that the time had come.

"Before I go, I have to do something. You know I love you right, sweetie?"

Yuki nodded, and glanced up, noticing that tears were pouring down Nagisa's face.

"Do you know that I would endure anything to spend the rest of my life with you?"

The question threw Yuki off, and she immediately furrowed her brow.

"Wh-"

"I hate to do this to you, Yuki. Understand this; that I will not lose you or Kazuyo to another shinobi. War is a cold place, and I must do what I can to keep you safe. I need something from you, and I am going to take it whether or not you are willing to give."

Yuki took a step back, but the hands around her shoulders were firm and unyielding.

"You favor your left eye, right?"

Yuki struggled more, yet answered with a quick nod of her head. She didn't understand what she meant, but the words were spoken with a firm tone to it, and she feared that her mother would kill her now.

"Yuki. I do love you. This will not make sense, until later. Understand me when I say: I do this out of a sense of remorse for not being there for Kazuyo and you. Forgive me."

Yuki started to protest, but a hand placed itself on her cheek. It caressed her skin and squeezed it gently.

"The pain will be temporary. Just…be strong for me."

A sharp pain filled Yuki's right eye, and her body went stiff as the agony became unbearable. She dug her nails into her mother's shoulder, and let out a scream, as the pain increased tenfold. It felt as though hot lead was being poured on her eyeball. She bit into her lip until it started to bleed, in an attempt to stifle her cries of agony.

"Shhhh. Shhhh. Shhh. I know sweetie. It's almost out."

The sentence registered and Yuki's jaw clenched tighter. SHE LITERALLY IS PULLING MY EYE OUT OF ITS SOCKET! Yuki moaned as the fact hit home.

"Alright. It's out, and I'm going to heal the nerves. The pain should fade away to nothing."

True to her word, almost immediately the pain died to a numbing throb. She gasped for air, and fell to her knees, and reached a shaky hand up to her right eye socket. When she felt nothing but blood and wet flesh, she started to dry heave. It lasted for several minutes, and Yuki grasped the ground between her fingers. Her brain registered that the genjutsu had ended and that her mother was forcing Kabuto to form seals.

"You say you love me, yet you hurt me! You took my eyeball! Why? WHY, MOM?" she screamed at the older woman.

With much effort, Yuki opened her good eye and trained it on the woman, whose face was soaked with tears. Yuki glared at the woman who was kneeling beside her, an arm on her shoulder.

"Yuki-chan. Sweetie…Remember I told you I was feared by the Senju and the Uchiha?" she asked, nuzzling her head against her chest.

Yuki gave a brief acknowledgement, but could not shake the feeling that she was being used.

"You will understand soon enough. I promise. Things are not what they seem. I need your eye for right now. I hope you will forgive me."

Yuki gasped for breath, and felt her strength was returning to her. Within a millisecond of removing her hand from the hole in her head, it was bandaged. She glanced up at her mother, noticing that she glowing with a bright light. She seemed to be fading away, and Yuki felt her rage melt away, replaced with sorrow.

"Wellll, it's time to go. I love you and will see you soon. I'm going to transport you and the other two shinobi close to Kazuyo's location, before I go. Here…"

As her mother touched her body one final time, all her chakra was restored, and she could immediately feel her ability to tap into Fotou restored.

"I know this isn't much, but if this man is as powerful as you say, then you will need all the help I can give. I love you Yuki, and I promise that things will be okay. I know that me stealing your eye is bad enough, but I'm proud of you. You are stronger than I imagined, and more courageous than either me or your father. Goodbye."

Before she could speak, the world turned and she passed out.