Power is no blessing in itself, except when it is used to protect the innocent.

Jonathan Swift

"Come on Kee, you can do it, come to Nee-chan." I encouraged, my arms outstretched as I squatted a few feet in front of my little brother. He had begun standing on his own a few days ago and I knew it would only be a matter of time before he took those precious first steps. Being the selfish person, I was I wanted them to be towards me. Mom wasn't exactly impressed by milestones as simple as walking, so I knew she wouldn't be upset at missing his first steps, and I hadn't seen Dad in months, whatever. Hana would probably be a little upset, but I could make it up to her.

"He's not ready Ashi-san," Itachi commented from the couch, Sasuke napping contently in his arms. Well if that wasn't the cutest thing I'd ever seen.

"Yes, he is 'Tachi, I can see it in his eyes," I replied, and he rolled his eyes. Kiba and Sasuke were having a playdate at my house –well as much of a playdate as two toddlers could have-, Mom and Hana were both away on missions, so it was just the four of us; six if you counted Yuki and Shiro who were napping on either side of me.

"You're ridiculous."

"That's why you love me!" I chirped happily. Itachi averted his gaze, choosing to not acknowledge my comment and looking a tad bit flustered.

Movement from in front of me caught my attention and I whipped my head around, gasping when I saw Kiba slowly wobbling towards me.

"Oh my god! He's doing it 'Tachi! He's doing it! It's his first steps!" I squealed. "C'mon Kiba, you can do it!"

My heart melted as he slowly but surely made his way towards me, arms outstretched in my direction, a smile on his face. When he was finally within arm's reach I scooped him up and got to my feet, laughter spilling from my lips.

"I'm so proud of you Kee!" I praised happily to Kiba, planting kisses all over his face as I spun around. He giggled happily and I felt my heart overflowing with love for the little boy in my arms. The noise had woken up Sasuke and he also began to giggle once he was oriented. I wished I could have captured the moment, to relive it in the coming years.

I was playing with fire. Dangerous, dangerous fire. A fire that could consume me and extinguish my life in an instant. It was stupid, but when did I ever do anything smart?

"Can I help you?" A kind voice inquired, and I hid my surprise at being snuck up on. Turning, I met the bespectacled gaze of a brown-haired woman. Nono, I wasn't surprised she could sneak up on me, knowing what I did about her past.

I had to play my cards right here. If I said the wrong thing, acted the wrong way, even the slightest misstep would arouse suspicion.

"Hello! I'm Ashi Inuzuka, I brought some toys for the orphans." I said as politely and innocently as I could, lifting the giant basket to emphasize my purpose. Well, the purpose I wanted everyone else to see.

"How wonderful!" The woman smiled. "I'm Nono Yakushi, I run the orphanage. Why don't you come on in?"

"Who's this Kaa-san?" A young boy asked the minute we walked through the doors.

"Manners, Urushi." Nono chided good-naturedly. "This is Ashi-chan, she's brought toys for you and the others."

A piercing shriek rang out through the orphanage and I recognized it as the familiar sound of a baby crying. This was where I had to be the most careful.

"I'm all too familiar with that sound, my mom had a baby a few months ago," I commented with a sympathetic smile. "Can I see the baby?"

I acted as nonchalant as possible. Nono couldn't have even the slightest suspicion that I knew just who the crying baby was.

"Well, I don't see why not, follow me." The woman said kindly. I kept my breathing steady as she led me into a small room. There were no other children in the room with the crib, a deliberate decision I assumed.

I kept my steps even as I walked towards the crib housing the crying baby, made sure my heart-rate didn't increase more than normal. It took everything in me to conceal my reaction when I saw the fussy, blonde, baby with whisker marks on his face.

It was him.

"What's his name?" I asked softly, even though I already knew the answer.

"Naruto," Nono answered. I began reaching into the crib but paused to look for approval from the matron. She nodded once and I gently lifted up the still crying infant. My heart ached as the memory of my night with Kushina and Minato played through my head.

I made a promise to protect their child, to protect Naruto. It was a stupid thing to do, how could I possibly protect the baby in front of me. I couldn't show any special interest in the child without arousing suspicion.

"Shh, it's okay Naruto," I whispered comfortingly, holding the child close to my chest and gently rocking. His cries began to fade into whimpers before he was finally quiet.

"You certainly have a way with children Ashi-chan, he cried almost nonstop except when he's eating and sleeping," Nono said and I heard the interest in her voice.

"Well I have a baby brother and so does my best friend. I have experience in this area." I explained easily. "Naruto-kun doesn't seem much younger than my little brother."

I couldn't take my eyes off the little blonde baby in my arms. It was almost too much to wrap my mind around that the Naruto Uzumaki was in my arms, a helpless infant, the host of the Nine-Tails, the future Hokage. I had watched the boy in my arms for years Before, cheered him on from behind the screen, and now there wasn't a screen.

"Poor little guy, all alone in the world," I said softly. "I'm glad he has you Nono-san."

"That's sweet of you Ashi-chan." The matron replied warmly, pondering something for a moment before continuing. "You know, I could always use more hands around here. Ever since the attack, we've had an increase in children, and I'm still only one woman."

The woman's offer was surprising. With Naruto there, she couldn't possibly just be letting strangers into the orphanage with little thought. It could be a trap of some sort, but I don't remember her being willingly malicious, but there was something with Kabuto if only I had paid more attention.

She was giving me the perfect excuse to spend more time with Naruto, but it was such a double-edged sword. Danzo's eyes were already on me which was a dangerous thing. I couldn't have the higher powers thinking I had a special interest in Naruto. They would already know about my connection to his parents. Though it was only one night, no occurrence went unnoticed, especially when it came to the former Hokage and his Jinchuuriki wife.

I should refuse the woman's offer. I had legitimate excuses; clan training, missions, family, friends. However, Naruto yawned and curled inwards to my chest in a way babies only do when they're completely at ease.

"I'd love to Nono-san." I found myself saying despite the warning bells in my head. I was already making about seven hundred bad decisions, why not add one more?

"Yuki-sensei isn't going to recommend us for the Chuunin exams," I commented simply, my back pressed against the soft grass and my eyes not leaving the blue sky above me.

"Hn," Itachi replied from beside me. We had just finished training and I convinced my friend to take a break with me. That wasn't an easy task lately. From what I gathered, his father had started showing him more clan duties. "He doesn't like the speed at which we continue to grow."

"He's scared we'll surpass him. He's jealous." I added and Itachi nodded. It wasn't hard to see the jealousy in our teacher. It was obvious from our first meeting. Itachi and I were everything he hated, clan kids, immensely talented. He didn't see it as fair. As unfair and petty as it was, Sensei retaliated by favoring Tenma, even though Itachi was our squad leader fair and square.

"A good teacher should be proud when his students excel, should want them to surpass him as it shows growth. He wants us to progress, but only to a certain point." We laid there in silence, simply watching the clouds and enjoying each other's presence. Shiro and Yuki were napping on either side of us and I felt like I could join them.

Between missions, training, watching Kiba, and volunteering at the orphanage, I hadn't exactly had much time to just sit and relax either. I was only –technically- eight years old yet I was an adult. No one thought twice before leaving me to care for my infant brother, before sending me on missions. I was only eight years old –technically- but I wielded power that could easily kill someone. It never failed to unnerve me whenever I passed a mirror or saw a reflection of myself, of my childish, prepubescent body.

My childhood was over before it began.

"You're heavy in thought," Itachi observed, an amused smile on his face. "You hum to yourself when you are. Not when it's anything serious though."

"I do not!" I protested, jerking upright and looking at my friend with wide eyes and a blush forming on my cheeks. Do I?

"You do." He confirmed and I groaned, letting my body fall back against the grass.

"How could I be humming and not even realize it?" I lamented, crossing my arms over my face. That was so embarrassing. Have I always done it? How long has he noticed it? I'm supposed to be intimidating, a soldier. Intimidating soldiers don't hum when they're daydreaming. Intimidating soldiers probably don't daydream either which was beside the point.

"The same way your forehead gets scrunched up right here-," Itachi said, poking me right in the middle of my forehead. "When you're thinking about something serious."

I swatted at his hand and huffed as he laughed.

"Now you're just being mean."

A/N: Hey guys! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! It's still Christmas in my time zone so here is my gift to you. Hope you all enjoyed, I'll try and update at least once more before the new year. Let me know what you think, love you all.

Edited by The Slytherin Unicorn