I started this story almost a year ago. I'm trying to catch it up with the manga near the end [it has a few minor differences]. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the show. Oh, Kakashi. *tear*

The land stretched out for uninhabited miles of green and brown splendor captured in the eyes of a young woman. A soft breeze shook the tall green slivers of grass suddenly causing it to bend towards the land she knew would lead her home. The brown grass in front of the green grass seemed to be a telltale sign of what lay ahead for her in the land she had not seen for almost six months now. Her falsely colored eyes darted across the flat land again. There had to be some type of reason shinobi hated flat land. Her black sandal crushed a handful of grass underneath it as she took a hesitant step forward. Oh yes! She hated flat land because it made her feel as if she was naked to the world. If she weren't in such a rush to return home, she probably would have taken the long way; it was safer. Her sandals moved across the ground quickly, too fast for her to kick up any dust as she ran across luscious green grass and naked patches of brown here and there. She stopped on the edge of the brown grass and fought back an urge to turn around. Some part of her would actually miss the few friends she had made while she was away. She smiled heartily as she launched forward on her tiptoes; friends were a dime a dozen. There was no need for her to stay in a land where she wasn't needed. All she'd do was ruin things.

The most beautiful sight in her life had to be the one of the large gate she approached. Of course her eyes had gazed upon many a splendors, but none of them filled her with such completion and gratitude as the welcoming gate of their village. She handed her papers to a masked man standing in attention and breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded to the man controlling the gate. After a quick hug, she darted through the gate and disappeared on top of one of the houses. She jumped from roof to roof skillfully with a purple scroll clasped in one hand and a report almost as thick as a book in the other. She landed in front of the hokage's office with a frown. If Lady Tsunade kept insisting she sneak upon the place like a criminal, she just might decide to become one. A smirk stretched her masked face as she went inside. She nodded to certain people she recognized, but kept her surge of excitement contained when she saw Shizune approaching. They talked briefly and Shizune had her wait for the hokage in the hall. She was called inside when Shizune appeared in the doorway with a crooked smile as several men trooped out of the office with defeated looks.

The door closed loudly behind her. Her body relaxed into an almost slouchy stance as she placed the scroll and report on the desk. The hokage looked at her expectantly. She reached for the back of her shirt and lifted it slightly. Lady Tsunade nodded and ripped open the scroll. Her blue eyes widened as she scanned the classy writing. "You executed the leader's two daughters?"

"Yes, I found that they were the ones behind the assassination attempts on the royal family. They were actually illegitimate twins of his." She pulled at the hem of the black mask she wore.

"You may remove them if you like."

The girl bowed and removed the white mask that resembled a cat's face then she lifted the tight black mask. Her long, silky black hair fell out down to her waist in a mass of tangles. "Thank you."

"I know how you feel confined in so many clothes. Damn, is this your report?" Tsunade grabbed the thick stack of papers that were bound by a cloth string. "Wonderful. You numbered the pages. Always a joy when you take missions. You do all my work for me. I have something else you could do, if you like. A simple mission."

The girl shifted her weight and cast her eyes towards the ceiling. She really had nothing to go home to except her father, who was probably on a mission himself. "How long do you estimate this mission will take?"

"A week or two at most. No, your father is not on a mission." Tsunade gave her a bored expression. She smiled when the girl agreed by nodding that she would take the mission. Great! "Your new mission is to escort the prince from the land of ice back home. You leave in two days!"

Muscles in her neck strained as she bowed. "Thank you." She pulled her black mask back on and slipped her white mask into her bag. She jumped out the window and landed gently on the roof of a house she still didn't know who occupied. And how many years had she been jumping from that window? She laughed and moved quickly from roof to roof, her form nothing but a blur.

She landed at the back door and slipped inside. She ducked a thrown kunai and flipped behind the counter that sat in the middle of the room. What an annoyance! After fishing her ANBU mask from her bag, she lifted it, but lowered it when she heard that familiar crack in the air of something being thrown. She ripped the black mask from her face and crawled to the end of the counter. A shuriken flew past her face just as she made to look around the corner. Her heart pounded in her chest as she sat back with her head against the cold wood.

"Papa! It's me, Yuri." Her voice was low, but loud enough for him to hear.

"And how old were you when you kissed your first boy?" His harsh voice sounded as if he had barked the question out.

Laughter rose into the air from behind the counter. "Papa, I have yet to find a man strong enough to tie me down for a kiss."

"Give me a hug then."

She wrapped her arms around his thick muscular frame and kissed on him on the cheek before punching him on the head. "You could have killed me."

"Not before you killed me."

He patted her on her head of matted black hair and went to the refrigerator. Whenever she came back from a mission, he wanted to ask her how things had gone, but he was an active ANBU member himself. He knew it was strongly against code for them to talk about missions outside the office of the hokage. He poured her a large cup of orange juice and sat down at the table across from her. She downed the quickly and slammed the cup on the table.

"I'm going to rest. Then, we will enjoy my time back before I set out on my next mission in a few days. At least I don't have to wear my ANBU disguise for that mission." She kissed him on the cheek again before snatching up her bag and bounding towards the bathroom.

Bath. The only thing that made her hate being on missions was when she felt too uncomfortable to use other people's tubs. She usually would clean herself up with a clean bowl of warm water and leave it at that. And then the only time she used the water was if she prepared it herself. Her friends had found some of habits strange, but Yuri did not want to risk being poisoned or killed. A deep sigh escaped her tense body as she relaxed her head against the white porcelain. The herbs she had added to the water made her feel especially clean. She closed her eyes and hummed a song she had learned while she was away. Her body soon relaxed so that she fell asleep in the water.

She jolted awake when her father slammed his fist repeatedly on the door. With a groan, she climbed from the water, pulling the plug in the process, and wrapped a large fluffy purple towel around her body. She wrapped a smaller one around her head. Her father stared at her pointedly as she walked past him with her eyes averted in embarrassment. That was, what, the fiftieth time she'd fallen asleep in the tub? He slammed the door to the bathroom too loudly for her liking. She dropped the towel she wore right beside her closed door and walked over to her closet. She pulled out a fitting long sleeved green shirt with a round neck and khaki pants that reached her ankles. She rubbed on sweet smelling body oil before pulling on her black panties, a sheer black bra, and then her clothes.

Her eyes stared daringly at the light brown woman gazing at her in the mirror. Her fluffy pink lips stretched into a smile as she grabbed her brush and shook the towel from her hair. She slowly pulled the brush through her tangled hair until it was shiny and straight again. With her left hand, she clipped her hair until it was an inch above her waist. She threw the sharp silver scissors back into the box and placed the brush gently beside them. With a hopeful smile, she moved to the mirror on the wall that was made for her by her father. Gold and silver iron had been used to frame the mirror. She took several steps forward and stopped. Same old Yuri. She slipped her feet into her sandals before running back into the front room.

It was a wonderful day for them to go for a walk. Yuri had decided that she didn't really need any rest since she had rested well the last week she was away. They walked the streets silently; Yuri had her arms wrapped tightly around her father's left arm. Her eyes darted from vendor to vendor until she found what she was looking for. She clapped happily and approached a man standing in front of several caged animals. He gave her a strange smile that actually looked like a smirk and frown pressed into one. Her blue eyes searched the cages behind him desperately.

"You do realize that I agreed to your getting a pet with the idea that I would choose it." He grabbed the man's arm when he turned to retrieve the large snake Yuri pointed to. "No. No snakes. Something with legs."

She frowned and pressed her lips together tightly. Perfect! Her finger pointed towards a cage at the middle of the stack. A giggle of glee erupted from her when the man put the small animal in her arms. "Oh, Papa, he is perfect. I will buy him. Yes?" Her eyes remained on the small face gazing up at her. She frowned and flipped the animal over to find that it was actually a female. Didn't she want an animal that could keep up with her? Fine. She dug in her purse and slammed several large amounts of paper bills on the counter. "How do I care for her?"

The man looked at her stupidly. "I don't know. She was a runt from the last litter at the Inuzuka's house. You know that clan that has all the dogs? They thought it would be better to sell her than to kill her. Uhh just feed her food. I guess. And make sure you love her." He laughed at the last sentence.

Yuri frowned at him. "Keep the change." She cradled the animal in her arms lovingly before nuzzling it in the stomach. The small puppy gave a weak bark. She gave the puppy to her father, who was a well known shinobi but also a medic-nin. She darted ahead and bought a basket, blankets, and toys for the animal. She lifted the puppy in the air happily and twirled around.

"Happy eighteenth birthday, I guess." Her father's voice floated to her ears over her laughter. She gave him another kiss on the cheek. It was a great birthday.

Shizune's sister had been in the same year as Yuri at the academy. She and Shizune stood idly at a densely populated pub. Yuri waved to her old friend and tapped the girl's sister on the shoulder as she took a seat. After ordering a cup of tea, she turned to look around the place. Wow. Was everyone away on missions? She slid the man a bill and turned her attention to her two friends. They were deep in conversation about how Sasuke had finally returned home after being gone for almost five years. Yuri rolled her eyes. Of course her friend, Luna, had been a huge lover of Sasuke's since the academy. Shizune laughed when Yuri made a choking sound as Luna broke into a monologue about how amazing the guy was. He must not be too amazing if he abandoned his friends just to go kill his brother.

"I want to help him revive his clan." Luna said dreamily.

Yuri spit up a mouthful of tea and stared at her friend incredulously. Was she seriously saying things like that aloud now? Had someone slipped her buddy some type of concoction to make her forget where she was? Her hand slapped her forehead loudly as she lay down against the cold wood of the counter. Please let her make it through the next day without having to beat her friend and former teammate into submission.

They moved to a booth in the corner when people began to pile in. After a few drinks, Yuri had relaxed and was busily telling the girls about her new puppy and the moron that sold it to her. They laughed loudly when she mentioned how the man stared at her and didn't give her any instructions on how to care for the thing. She rested her chin on her fist. "Dad's been trying to figure out what's wrong with her."

Shizune nodded and looked out into the crowd of people. "There is Kiba Inuzuka right there with Shino Abarume. Go ask for his help then. If they actually gave the guy the puppy, he should know. He probably stole it."

"Do you think I would risk having my puppy taken from me? Screw that." She laughed and moved her hair over her shoulder. When the man in question looked their way, she gave him a little smile before turning her attention back to her friends. "Besides, my dad will figure it out."

"I have a mission tomorrow." Luna shrugged when Shizune puffed her cheek in frustration. "How else can I manage living alone? Plus, I have nothing to do. I'll be away for two or three months." She chewed on her straw thoughtfully.

"I wish you well on your mission. I have my own to attend to in a day. I promised Papa I would spend all of tomorrow with him. We're waking early to go fishing! We may even train in the forest!"

Luna frowned. "You're the strangest woman I know. Excluding you, Shizune." She ran to the bar and returned with three glasses of brown liquid. She lifted hers into the air. "Here's to eighteen years!"

Yuri laughed as they clinked their glasses together. Three other glasses appeared within the huddle. Luna flushed a furious red color before downing hers and turning towards the wall. Shizune smiled at the three men happily. Yuri scratched her shoulder and pretended to be interested in the pattern on the tablecloth. Her friend's foot collided with her leg underneath the table. Her eyes widened in pain before she returned to favor. Luna kicked her again. "Stop it!" Yuri snatched her coat and forced a smile. She extended her hand to the three males standing at their booth. "It was wonderful to meet you." She turned to a blushing Luna. "Just a guy…" she muttered. The three men frowned.

"GAH!" She held her coat over her arm as she walked home fuming over how silly her friend had acted when Sasuke, fox boy, and Inuzuka, had come over to the table. Then again, it was a tad better than how she had reacted that time when they saw the third hokage for the first time. He had been beautiful. Or whatever. She fished inside her coat for a piece of candy. To her surprise, there actually was a piece of strawberry flavored taffy wrapped in a small piece of wax paper. Wonderful.