Soooo...first story on . hmmmm I'm nervous for what I'm gonna get from reviews. Please be kind, I'm very prone to crying, although I'll also be crying when I get my first good review. So hmmm to recap: I'll cry if you give me a harsh review, if you give me a good review, and even if you don't give me a review at all. So really, I'm just a crybaby haha. *scratches back of neck sheppishly like Kakashi*

Kakashi: Hey! That's my thing!

Me: bleeeeeeehhh! *sticks out tongue*

But please please review and please be kind. Thank you so much! *hands out candies and other junk food. :D*

Disclaimer: hmmmm I don't own naruto. *goes into depression* BUT I OWN THIS STORY! *aaaaand I'm out of it XD*

Oh and one more thing to note: Kakashi is 31, the rookie nine are 17, and team Gai are 18. Please don't dispute the numbers, I got them from Naruto wikia, and just added the differences. Also: Sasuke is back, but the Pain arc is still going to happen, as is the rest of the stuff not involving Sasuke. I'll make the necessary changes to story line, but whoever dies/gets injured in the original will remain so in my story (except the OC character cuz...well, she's OC, what do you expect?) So basically, this is set in the Tsuchigumo Kinjutsu Arc in the anime (eps 144-151). Enjoy!

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Coming Home - Chapter 1

"mmmm..." a small girl stirred in the shadows of a cave lit only by a small fire.

'where am I? What happened?'

"Don't move. You're hurt badly." came a low gravelly voice, one that sounded like it came from an old man.

Opening her eyes, Lina was surprised to see that it actually belonged to a rather young-looking fellow. Unable to get a clear view of him due to the only light being a tiny fire in a dark cave, the only thing she could make out was that his features seemed to be smooth as porcelain, not marred by scars at all. If she had been able to focus more clearly, she would have noticed that he did in fact have a small scar on his chin, a mark that looked like an arrow had made it. But no, for now Lina was too exhausted and too in pain to think of anything except 'Ow ow ow...'.

"Who are you?"

"No one. Rest." And just like that, as if she was placed under a spell, she let go of all her resistance and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Her last waking thought was 'Is this a jutsu? Well, I can't do anything about it now. Gotta remember to thank him when I wake up...IF I wake up.'

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It had been days since she first woke up and met the young man who apparently saved her, yet she was so weakend that she had only woken up sporadically, mostly with him shaking her to get her to eat. Never speaking, he only handed her food or applied medicine to her wounds. The blizzard had died down a couple of days after it began, and she noticed tracks leading to and from the cave entrance while she was awake, indicating that her savior (savior? when did she start thinking of him like that?) had left her several times while she was asleep.

It made sense, since each time she woke up it seemed that there was something new to eat, berries, fish, even a bunny once. Thankfully, he had skinned and cooked it before serving her, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to hold it down. Despite being a shinobi, she was far too gentle to kill such adorable creatures. That had been her undoing in the end, leading to her current situation.

'Enough reminiscing,' Lina chided. 'Here I am, finally awake and alert, and all I can think about is the past? What kind of shinobi am I? Well, ok, maybe I can't really call myself a shinobi, considering it's been so long since I've even heard anything about Konoha.' 'But!' her inner self pumped its fist 'I am still a shinobi! I still have the pride and will of fire that Sandaime always spoke of. Regardless of all that's happened, I must not forget. Oh God, and just a moment ago I was saying I shouldn't be thinking about the past, yet here I go again. I'm really hopeless sometimes...oooh I think the guy's back! Hmm...should I pretend to sleep? Yeah, ok, I'll pretend and see how long it takes him to figure it out.'

She had regained her senses and alertness a day ago, and had come to the conclusion that the young man who had been tending to her was not a threat to her, even though he did seem to be a shinobi of sorts. Now, as she watched him through her eyelashes, she found that his movements were precise and unhurried, as if he was a medic-nin, yet she knew he couldn't be since he hadn't used chakra when healing her. He had no forehead protector that promoted his village, so she had no clue of his specialties. Then again, he could always be a missing-nin. But in her experience most missing-nin weren't likely to heal a fellow shinobi.

"I know you're awake. Get up." that low gravelly voice soft yet stern snapped her back to reality.

Slowly getting up, she said warily "Who are you?"

Not saying anything, he shoved some food in her face. "Eat."

Unsettled by his rudeness despite his gentleness when caring for her, she decided to annoy him a little. Poking and prodding at the food as if it were poisoned, she noticed a twitch from the corner of her eye. Smiling to herself, she dug in before he decided he was being too nice and take the food away. Finishing it quickly, she set it aside and pointedly said "Thank you."

"Hm."

All of the sudden a wave of dizziness and the need to sleep overwhelmed her, and she collapsed on the ground. 'What's going on? Don't tell me he actually DID drug me?!' Her last vision before her eyes shut was the man slipping a blanket over her body, picking up his pack, and leaving the cave. Then everything went black.

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'Mmmm...what happened? Why is everything black? Oh right, my eyes are closed. Ok, time to wake up. Wait, why can't I open my eyes?' Rubbing furiously at her eyes, Lina finally opened them to find herself still in the cave, alone. Getting up, she ventured towards the light that indicated the opening of the cave, and found herself freezing in the middle of a winter morning. How long had she been in the cave? What day was it? Sadly, with no one around her, she had no way of knowing. Testing her limbs and reflexes, Lina found herself almost as good as new, and the drug that the stranger had put in her food seemed to not have caused any damage to her. Still...why had he drugged her? Suddenly, panicking, she ran towards her pack, only to find that it had been left untouched. So many questions, so few answers. But it doesn't matter, she had to leave, now. She had been stuck in this damn cave for too long, her enemies could have found her by now. In fact, since she didn't know how long it had been, it was highly possible that they were outside at this very moment, lying in wait for her to venture out.

Despite her insanely daredevil antics when she was a Genin, age and experience had taken its toll on her emotionally, and shaped her into a more cautious shinobi. Although really, at the age of 29, she wasn't really OLD, just old for a shinobi. 1 more year, and she would REALLY be old. I mean come on, a 30 year old shinobi that's still fighting in the frontlines?! That was basically unheard of unless you were brilliant...but I digress. Forming hand signs, she quietly spoke 'Kuchiyosen no jutsu', and summoned a lone golden retriever ninken.

"Daisuke, at your service." responded the dog.

"Dai-chan, I need you to sniff the outside of this cave for me. See if anybody is out there, or any traps and stuff. Ok?"

"Sure, Lina-kun, anything for you."

"Oi oi! What's with the -kun?!"

"Well, what's with the -chan?! I've told you so many times how much I hate it. I'm not a pet, and more importantly I'm not a girl! Don't patronize me, or one day I'll simply not help you."

"Hai, hai. But calling you Dai-kun sounds funny, and I don't like calling you Dai, Suke, or any other variant! Besides, you're my precious Dai-chan, the only one who's been with me since I left Konoha all those years ago. If I haven't earned the right to call you Dai-chan, I don't know what more I need to do! Anyway, that's not the point, outside! Please and thank you." Lina winked as Daisuke glared his doggy glare at her before padding off to the front of the cave.

Several minutes passed before he came back. "All clear. But why are you in this cave? If I remember correctly, the last time you summoned me was when you were in the Ame (Hidden Rain). It's only been about a month since then, how did you get to Snow country so quickly?** You can't have gone through Fire Country, considering how many enemies you've made, and I know you don't like confrontation unless absolutely necessar-hey! Where are you going? I'm still talking!"

"Shhh. I'll explain later. We need to get out of here first, I'm getting antsy. You know I hate being in 1 place for too long, and I've already stayed here for what looks like over a week. Now come on, and don't forget to alert me if something's amiss." Lina bundled up in her warmest clothing, picked up her pack, tightly gripping 2 tiny but thick scrolls in 1 hand and a kunai in the other, just in case, and walked out of the cave. After adjusting to the light, she found herself about 3 kilometers away from what seemed to be a small village, and about 2 stories up from ground level. Concentrating chakra into her feet, she starting running/skidding down the side of the mountain, Daisuke keeping pace at her side.

Once on the ground, Lina slowly unfurled a giant well-worn map of the country with a side that was connected to Fire Country.

"So, where are you off to? Not that I care." Dai-chan said nonchalantly.

Absentmindedly scratching his ears and stomach, Lina said "I think it's about time I went home, don't you? It's been...what? 12 years? I'll bet so much has changed. I was still such a kid when I left, but maybe if I go home now they'll see how much I've changed. I miss it, you know. The leaves blowing in the wind, the sakura blossoms flying. No matter how much I travel, no matter how many places I've seen that are unimaginably beautiful, Konoha will always be number 1."

"Yeah, it's great. But wait! You didn't tell me why you were in the cave to begin with! Don't think I forgot, eh?"

"My my, was my little Dai-chan worried about me? And to think I thought you didn't care! How sweet." Lina teased, knowing full well that, while it was true that Daisuke did worry, he would never admit to it.

"Oh shut it. I wasn't worried, I just like to know what's going on, that's all."

Shhhhzzzzp. The map recurled when Lina let go of its ends and she stored it in her backpack. "Hmm...where to begin? Well, after I was in Ame, I travelled through Earth country and found a lovely little village called The Village of Flowers. It was really very beautiful. I've never seen so many different flowers in bloom, and the people were so sweet, just like honey. Honestly, I would have loved to have stayed there a little longer, but after a couple of days I just got this really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, you know, the one I get that tells me I should go? Well, I got it, and so I packed up and left the next day.

And after that...hmm...well I just kept travelling, until a couple of days ago I arrived in Snow country. I was buying some warmer clothes and there happened to be a robbery in the next store, so I obviously had to help. Unluckily there were 5 shinobi, so immediately I knew it wasn't a typical robbery, but what could I do, you know? Anyway, I knocked out 2 of them, but the other 3 surrounded me and somehow I got knocked out. Next thing I know, I'm in that cave and there's some random guy treating me and feeding me and just being there for me. I never got to see his face too well, and he drugged me asleep before he left, so I don't know anything about him. But yeah, that's pretty much all of it. See? Nothing worth mentioning."

"...nothing worth mentioning...REALLY?! You were knocked out, taken to a cave and treated by some random stranger, and it's NOTHING WORTH MENTIONING?! What if you were raped? WHAT IF YOU WERE KILLED?! my heart can't take this...of all humans I've made a contract with, you are by far the stupidest. And here I thought you'd grown up a tad in the last 12 years, but No! You baka!"

Lina started laughing "Hahahaaaa! I knew you cared! But really, it's nothing. I'm fine."

"It's NOT nothing! And by the way, you baka-" here Dai-chan earned a glare from Lina for calling her a baka twice in a row "-what's this crap about that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach? You can't leave every time you get a bad 'feeling', you have to face it!"

"You know what happens every time I stay. Someone I care about gets hurt. Remember when I left Konoha? Or have you forgotten how Hanaki-chan and Aoi-chan died because I got caught in a genjutsu and they were surrounded by shinobi and evicerated in seconds? Or how Sou-" Lina paused "died...".

Quietly, Daisuke murmured "Souta-kun knew what he was doing. He was a strong shinobi, and it was not your fault that he was taken. I know you blame yourself because you two henged into each other, but that's not your fault. Yes, it's a terrible thing that he was tortured but-"

"Stop. Just...stop." Silence fell on the two companions as they neared the village that had been seen from the cave. After some time, "Why now?" Daisuke ventured.

"It's time I went home. 12 years, that's long enough. I have travelled and seen so many things in that time. I'm stronger now than I was then, I can protect those I love now. Even if I haven't acted like one for the last decade, I am still a Konoha shinobi, and it is my duty to protect Konoha."

They walked in silence again, finally entering the village. Lina, having changed into warmer clothing, didn't look at all like a shinobi. In fact, if one had to guess at first glance, any stranger would have thought nothing of the young girl walking with her dog. To the average person, Lina looked like nothing special. Medium length hair, slightly and thick, black as night, that fell down her back and rested on her cheekbones in the front, framing her child-like face, with small almond shaped blackish brown eyes, an average nose and mouth. She was short in stature, with a small chest that seemed larger due to her slight body, and an average waist that was hidden under the layers of her clothing. She looked not much older than 15, and that was only because her chest seemed so much larger. With a flat chest, she would have seemed no older than 12. More than once, Lina had become thankful for her small proportions, making fights easier when enemies underestimated her abilities.

Being a weapons expert and having a natural affinity for creating tsunamis and other water-based catastrophes due to her clan affiliation, Lina was often targeted when placed on missions. However, because of her rigid training and perseverance, she had mastered her ability fully by the age of 14. Therefore, it was never a question whether she should go on missions, as Lina had proven herself more than once on missions that otherwise would have been disasterous.

Of course, this advantage in the battlefield had been a disadvantage in life. Never having a boyfriend, it wasn't until she was 17 that she met Souta, a boy her age who loved her for her. They had gone out on dates, went to festivals together, and been all around adorable. He had taken her first kiss, and then showed her more passionate ones, teaching her the inner workings of being a couple. They had been so happy, something Lina had not experienced since her two same-age teammates had died in battle a year before. And then one day, on a mission for Konoha that was supposed to only be recon, she found herself battling 10 jonin-level enemies with Sou-kun at her side.

At the time, both were only chuunin, and the jonin had overwhelmed them easily. Unfortunately, Souta and Lina had henged into each other, since the possibility of a kidnapping plot for Lina was always present. At first, Lina had nearly bitten Souta's head off for even suggesting it, but Sou was adamant. Besides, he had reasoned, this was just a recon mission. Nothing's going to happen. And that's when Lina got a familiarly awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. Trying to persuade Sou to change back, they had been in the midst of an argument when the enemies had invaded camp. Almost immediately, Souta was restrained and taken away, and Lina was knocked out. After making her way back to the village, she was hospitalized for the severe damage the jonin had inflicted on her, and was ordered to remain in the village while search party after search party left looking for Souta. He was found a week later, dead, almost unrecognizable from the torture he had endured. He had been 17, Lina's first love, and he had died because she hadn't fought him enough to change back into himself.

Instantaneously, she withdrew from everyone around her. 1 month, 2 months, 5 months passed. Nothing could bring her back from the darkness, and finally, she asked for a long-term vacation allowing her to leave the village for a year. The Hokage, Sandaime at the time, had allowed it, his heart hurting for the shell that was once a vibrant young girl. And so she left. But after her year was up, she had fled and disappeared, not leaving a trace for any ANBU that might try to find her.

And from then on, she had been on the run, for 11 years. At first, it had been hard, with her missing home every single day, yet also knowing she couldn't go back just yet. 1 year turned into 2, and then 10, and now 12 including her year off. Finally, now she felt that it was time to go back. But would she be welcomed? Would the Godaime understand her reasons for fleeing? Yes, she had heard that the Sandaime had died, and now the legendary Tsunade-hime was the Godaime. What would the Godaime say once she heard her story...IF she heard her story? There was no reason to even assume that she would be heard, considering she was probably now a missing-nin. She could not expect the Godaime to simply forget her treason. In fact, maybe it was better that she didn't go back. Lina, having now walked to the middle of the village, abruptly stopped and thought of not returning. But no, she couldn't not go home. 'No matter what, it's still my home.' she thought. 'I have no one to blame but myself if I get sent to prison, because I DID leave. Oh God, I hope I don't go to prison...'

"Hey, why'd you stop?"

"Nevermind, Dai-chan. Let's just keep going."

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About 3 weeks later...

Sigh 'Finally, Suna. I guess I'll rest here for a couple of days and then I'll go home. Home...I can't believe I'm so close. It should only take a few days to get there.' Arriving at a local inn, Lina plastered a fake smile on her face and cheerily said "Hi, 1 room please."

The fat greasy-haired man glanced up and then did a double take. "I'm not giving a room to you. Bring your mom over and I'll give it to her."

Sigh. "You sir, are an idiot. I'm not a child. I'll have you know that despite how I look, I'm am nearly-well ok you don't need to know how old I am, but I'm an adult. Now see here. If you're worried you're gonna get swindled, I'll pay upfront. Now, I'm exhausted, and I want a room. Are you gonna give it up or not? And don't think about trying to swindle ME. I know how much a room costs, and you better not try anything fishy."

"Hmph. Fine, room 11, here's the key. And next time you might not want to call people idiots when you need something from them."

"Call 'em as I see 'em. Good night." Lina made her way to her room, opened the door, and scrunched her nose in detest as she scrutinized her 'room', which was really not much more than a closet. But after living off the land for a couple of weeks, she was just happy to have a bed under her when she collapsed, even though it seemed as if it might have bedbugs.

The next day, as she walked around Suna, admiring all the changes that had occured since her last visit, she heard a familiar female voice. "Lina nee-san?" Turning around, she found herself face to face with none other than Kankuro and Temari, the two older siblings of the Kazekage Gaara (although she didn't know that at the time). She hadn't seen them in so long. She had travelled to Suna on missions to babysit them before, but she hadn't seen them since she left that she almost didn't recognize them. Oh, of all the luck. And here she'd been thinking she'd be able to remain undetected for a few days, but alas fate had other plans. Before she could get a word in, the two older siblings grabbed her arms and dragged/manhandled her towards the Kazekage building, all the while with Lina digging her heels in to try and stop the inevitable. "You're taking me to see the Kazekage? You're dad's gonna kill me!" "Our father's dead. The new Kazekage is our little brother Gaara." said Temari in a stern voice. "Wait, you have a brother? Wait, your father's dead? Hey-HEY WAIT! STOP!"

Once in the building, the two siblings knocked on the Kazekage office, opened the doors, and unceremoniously dumped her in a chair seated directly in front of the Kazekage desk without so much as an 'Enter' from Gaara himself. Slowly looking up while crouching as low as possible in the chair, Lina's eyes met Gaara's unblinking stare, and immediately fell down to her hands, which were fidgeting on her lap. She had never been in the presence of the Kazekage when not on a babysitting mission, and since this was a new Kazekage, she was unsure of how to conduct herself.

After a loooooong moment of silence, only broken with the siblings leaving the office, Gaara asked "Why are you here." Well ok, it wasn't so much a question the way he said it, but she knew he meant it as such. If the question had come from anyone else, she would have jokingly said "Oh well, you know how much I love Suna! The sand, the people, I just thought it would be a nice place for a vacation." but the intensity of Gaara's stare told her that she should told the truth. Slowly recounting her 'adventures' over the last 12 years, she never once looked up from her hands, feeling Gaara's stare on her like a pair of knives to her head. When she was done, she fell silent, waiting for Gaara's verdict. Would he tell the Hokage on her? Would he leave her be? And then a sudden thought popped into her head. What if she had been labelled a missing-nin? She hadn't heard anything like that in her travels, but anything was possible, considering how often she'd moved around and how far she'd gone. What if she was a missing-nin, and there was a bounty on her head? But as soon as the idea came, she dismissed it. While Gaara was the Kazekage, if he was anything like his siblings he wouldn't rat her out that easily. True, he seemed much more intense than them (I mean, come on. Those dark circles under his eyes were just begging for some sleep.) Oh, if only she'd known how he had been before Naruto's intervention. But no, she had no clue and would remain clueless for a little while longer.

Eventually, after it seemed that Gaara had determined that Lina was telling the truth, he slowly said "I'm not going to tell the Hokage about you being here, on one condition."

"And what might that be, Kazekage-sama?"

"You leave Suna. Tonight."

"T-tonight? Erm...can't I stay 1 more night?"

"No. I want you out of here, and on your way to Konoha tonight, or I will inform the Hokage that you trespassed into Suna."*** The intensity of Gaara's stare bore into Lina's eyes when she finally looked up in shock. How could someone so harsh be related to sweet little Tema- and Kanku-chan? Instantly Lina looked back down and silently nodded her head. "Good, then you can go pack now." With that Lina stood up to bow and leave the office, her heart dropping with each step until it felt like it was in her stomach. On one hand she was glad to be going home, but on the other, she was scared of what she might find when she got there. Suna had changed so much since her last visit, and it wasn't even her home! What would she find when she finally reached her destination?

-end-

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**I have no idea where Snow country is on the map of Naruto verse, I couldn't find it, but yeah. I'm imagining it somewhere around Frost Country and Lightning Country on this map: .

***I have plans for Gaara, so him being mean has a reason