Short, sweet, & simple: I'm lame and do not have the will power nor the time to update all my fics on a regular basis. I am sporadic. Get used to it. This chapter contains sex, lust, death, and moving. As does most of the story. I just thought I'd point it out this time.

Summary: Pet, a brainwashed slave is given a new owner but in the process is disowned. She's trying to do what her new master Kakashi wants her to do, but it's incredibly hard when doing what he wants her to do goes against everything she's believed in. Oh, and she gets an actual name! Yay!

Warning: Yes, there is an OC in here. Beware of OOC-ism. Sex, lust, death, and moving are mentioned. Perhaps they are more than mentioned. I can't tell. The age of the narrator changes during the chapter. Most age changes are noted by a line break of x's and dashes. Yay! X's and dashes are a few of my favourite things!

Rated: M. For Mature, not Maverick.

Disclaimer: The mutilated lyrics belong to Simple Plan and Naruto does not belong to me.

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Without Purpose

Chapter Three

I'd Do Anything

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I'll be here

I'll be waiting

This could be the one last chance to make you understand

…

I'd do anything

- Simple Plan; I'd Do Anything

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New Master put the tray down on my bed. It was a tray I was used to; sometimes I would get breakfast while lounging in bed after a particularly trying assassination. There was a small teapot, a cup already full of fragrant cinnamon tea, a bowl of sugar, and a small pitcher of cream on the tray. There is also a small silver bottle, one that is usually used to hold alcohol; it is what was emitting the smell of whiskey. The teapot was decorated with pigs. Large, pink, pigs with wings…and the cup was plainer, but a very bright, vibrant pink.

I wondered if my New Master was a homosexual.

He walked around the bed, eventually sitting on the side. I slid back into the covers, finding that I was wearing a large white tee-shirt and a pair of oversized black pants. The waist had been rolled several times, but I could still feel the legs going over my feet. Whoever owned these pants was a lot taller than I was.

"How may I be of service, New Master?" I asked demurely, wondering what was going to take place.

I was insecure and hating it. I was not meant to be insecure, afraid, or confused. I wished I were back with Old Master.

Old Master…

Where was Old Master? Back in Rose Country with his petulant wife. How horrid. And here I was… somewhere I have never seen before. I wonder if I have been taken out of the country. I recall hearing something about Fire Country and something else about trees, or had it been leaves? I wasn't sure.

Pay attention!

I am!

"Just drink this," he said, as he picked up the brightly coloured cup and put it in my hands. "I put some whiskey in it, so you might want to—"

He cut off as I downed the drink. It was hot, very hot and I fought hard not to sputter as it burned its way down my throat. I thought I burnt the back of my tongue. And possibly the whole of my esophagus. Well, all of it that wasn't smothered in mucus and spit.

"Drink a little slower…" he finished, a little late.

"I apologize," I said, holding the cup in my hands. I was so confused. Was I supposed to look at him while I talked? Or was I supposed to look away? And what to do with the cup?

He solved the cup problem by taking it out of my hands and pouring me another cup of tea. He added a substantial amount of whiskey to it. Not that I minded. However, for the whiskey to actually have the desired effect on me, I'd have to have a few bottles. Like, perhaps a hundred to make myself a little tipsy. Once I got over a hundred, it was hard to keep my drinking under control though.

"I hope you hold your liquor well," he said, smiling as he passed me the cup.

"Was that a statement or a question?" I asked, highly embarrassed. He wasn't supposed to talk to me like, like this! I was an object he had just acquired. Masters did not go around giving tea to objects! I sincerely doubted he had given the table in the corner of the room a cup of tea. Or maybe this was what he normally did with his objects. But, New, er, Old Master would never have given me to a crazy man… would he have?

"What does it matter?" he asked, his face hidden behind a mask of dark blue cloth. His left eye was covered by a silver ninja head-band with his city's symbol engraved into it. It vaguely resembled a leaf.

I almost flinched. Was this supposed to be a conversation? The longest conversation I had ever had (well, practically the only conversation I had ever had) with New... Old Master had been the one before I was disowned. And now, here I was, having an actual conversation with my New Master. Like it was normal or something.

"If it was a question then I should answer it; it was a statement then I should not have spoken at all."

He stared at me for a moment and I took the opportunity to drink from my cup. I swallowed it all down harshly again all the while berating myself for looking like such an imbecile in front of my New Master.

"I apologize again." I tried to explain my actions. "I am not accustomed to you mannerisms or your speech patterns. Hopefully I will catch onto it with little to no teaching."

"Teaching?" he questioned.

"From the trainer," I said, blinking at him. "Is it too bold for me to ask if they are too busy to work with me?"

"What trainer?"

I look at him in surprise. "The one who is to teach me how to act."

He stared at me, his one visible eye unblinking. And then he laughed. "No one is going to teach you how to act. Act like you want!"

I must have looked quite horrified, for he continued speaking rather quickly. "It'll be fine. Just do what you want! Er, you can have the bed, I'll just take the couch. We'll find something to do with you. Maybe you can, er… find a job or something. It'll be fine."

"I… a job?" I stared at him in disbelief. All this staring is probably not good for our eyes.

"Ah, yeah. Have you got any experience in anything?"

"The only job I have is to do your bidding."

"Do my bidding? Do you always talk like this?"

"Yes, your bidding. Whatever you desire, that's what I'm here for. And what do you mean, 'talk like this'?"

"So formally?"

"Does it bother you? I can change it if you like."

"What? No, don't do that. Don't change anything. Just, be yourself. Do what you want."

"But I want to do what you want me to do."

"But I don't have anything for you to do!" He was frustrated and had gotten up from the bed during our 'talk' if you could call it that.

"Then I will wait for you to find something for me to do," I answered sagely.

"No. Do what you want to do."

"But I want to do what you want me to do."

"This is getting us no where." He seemed to glare at me.

"Do you want me to look at the ground when you are angered? Or should I look in a certain direction?"

"What?"

My change of topic seemed to have taken him off guard.

"Look in any direction you want to! Close your eyes if you want to! Do what you want to do!"

I bit my lip in my frustration. "But I don't know what I want to do."

"Just… here," he grabbed the cup and poured me another drink. "Drink this."

"Yes, New Master."

"What?"

"Yes, New Master."

"What did you just say?"

I wondered if he was hard of hearing as well as homosexual. "Yes, New Master."

"No."

"No what?" I sipped the drink, allowing the tea to flow over my tongue.

"No calling me this Master stuff."

"But, what else am I to call you?" What else was there to call him? Leader? Owner?

"Kakashi."

"Kakashi?"

He nodded.

"But, but that is not even a title!"

"I have no need for a title."

"I… but this is…" I ran out of words. I didn't know what to say. What was there to say? How could he ask me to call him by his name? As if I were worthy to call him such. "Uncalled… no, I cannot."

"You can't what?"

"I, I cannot call you Ka… Kakashi." I made a face when I said his name. "It is uncalled for and disparaging for me to use it in such a casual way."

"I thought you said you would do whatever I wanted."

"But, but that is… wrong."

"It's my name."

I was saved from further discussion by a loud knock at the door. A woman enter, her hair in pigtails and her substantial bust ready to overflow out of her shirt. It was the Hokage, Tsunade-sama.

"Yo," said New Master to the Hokage.

She glanced in my direction before looking at New Master. "Ah, good, she's awake. Have you spoken to her?"

"She's crazy."

"Hatake, she's not crazy. Just, different."

"Have you informed her what to call you?"

"Yep."

"And she agreed?"

"Kind of."

"Hatake, the care of a slave is a serious business! You read all of those books I gave you on the way back, didn't you?"

"Yep."

"And? You have to take this slowly!"

"Fine."

"Tell her she has to acknowledge me and my presence as if it were yours. As well as my orders."

"Fine." New Master half-turned and faced me. "Acknowledge Hokage-sama and her presence as though she were myself."

Finally, a real order. "Yes, New Master."

There is a startled silence.

"I thought you said you told her to call you Kakashi!"

"And I thought I said 'Kind of' as an answer."

Hokage's mouth twitched and she looked at me. Well, it was more of a glare. "Do you want to get Hatake in trouble?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

"Do you want to go against his orders?"

"No, Hokage-sama! It is my dearest and fondest wish to fulfill his every command."

"And yet you refrain from calling him Kakashi. Why is that?"

"It is disrespectful, Hokage-sama."

"I know."

I keep my face straight although I wish I could glare at the woman. "Then why would you ask me to call him Kakashi?" I am being much too bold, much bolder than I ever was with Old Master.

"Because it is what you must do. Slavery is looked down upon everywhere. I know you must think that there are slaves everywhere like you, but there aren't. You are the only one of your kind in this country. And in order to fit in and keep Hatake here from getting into trouble, you must call him Kakashi when you are not around other people. We insist on this for a reason."

"I apologize for disobeying. I wait for punishment."

"There will be no punishment," said Kakashi.

"I am forgiven then? Without punishment?" I looked at him in surprise. "Why?"

"You're not just here to fit in," he paused. "What is you name?"

"I do not have a name. Names are for people of importance and significance, not for slaves."

"What did Brett call you?"

"Old Master called me 'Pet'."

"Now, that won't do," interjected the Hokage.

"Well, what do you want to be called?" asked New Master, er, Kakashi earning a sigh from the Hokage for some odd reason.

"What ever you wish to call me."

"Is that all you can say?"

"I have not repeated anything."

"Whatever you want me to do, whatever you want to call me, what ever you want me to say, is that all you can say?" He seemed distressed and I was unsure of what to do.

"I… Tell me what to say and I will say it. You are my master now."

He stared for a second and then pushed past the Hokage, slamming the door as he left the room.

"Have I done something wrong?" I assumed it was all right for me to speak freely to the Hokage although I was being careful (or at least trying to be careful) with what I said. "Should I check upon him and see what bothers him?"

"No," she said. "Stay here." Her mouth twitched and she watched the door for a minute; it was almost as though she were trying to will the door to open with her eyes.

She sighed and looked at me before sitting on the bed. "Look, Kakashi is just not used to having a slave. No one here is. And the fact is, Kakashi doesn't really want to have you. But I've forbidden him from giving you away. You could be a very valuable asset to this town once we have you trained correctly and remove your brainwashing."

"I am not brainwashed."

"Yes, you are. You don't know it yet, and you don't believe me now, but we're going to work on getting you assimilated here. We're planning on freeing you—"

"What?" I interrupted. "Free? I don't want to be free!" I spat out my word in disgust. Free? First I was disowned and now I was going to be freed? What terrible atrocity had I committed against New Master to be freed?

"What did I do wrong? How have I offended you? Can I not make it up to you? I— I'll do—"

"You didn't do anything wrong," she interrupted me. "This isn't a punishment."

"Yes it is! You can't free me! I won't let you! You can't!" I was losing my composure. The shock of being disowned, of being given away, of getting a new master was horrible enough, but to be told that I was going to be freed? It was enough to make me ill.

"I feel ill. I... I do not want—"

"Fine, rest then. I'll be back in a few days or so. I'll have someone bring in books for you. I order you to read them all, back to front and understand what they're saying." She paused as she stood up and walked to the door. "We're not trying to hurt you; this is for your own good. And I'm sorry I had to tell you this so abruptly, but Hatake probably would have had less tact. Good-bye."

The door clicked shut behind her and I sat quietly for a minute, staring into the distance. I wasn't sure how long I sat there, but at one point someone came in and took away the tea tray and placed several books on the bed.

I opened them and read, but halfway through the first one, I couldn't take it anymore. The books were full of lies.

There were so many conflicting ideas in my head that I felt like I was going to explode. Maybe this was a test to see how far I would trust New Master. Or maybe it wasn't a test and it was all for real and I was going to be freed.

The books were lying. Surely, they were lying. Slavery was not illegal. It was not a violation of rights. It was my destiny to be a slave and it was my destiny to follow orders. That was what I had been born to do, raised to do, and had been doing all of my life.

Was my life a sham? Built on lies and misplaced trust? No, no, no! I hated Old Master for giving me away, but I still loved him. But now, New Master... oh Kami, he was trying to free me! Me, free? I didn't deserve that. I would not do it. Or... I will try not to. I had to try my best. Had to.

Being free was wrong.

Disobeying your master was wrong.

If a master were to free you, it was a bad thing. It was frowned upon. A free slave was a bad slave, a slave who did not understand what it was to serve and protect. A free slave was no longer important or needed or desired.

Did nobody need me now? Was I an obsolete creature?

My thoughts continued to whirl downwards and as they did, I began to feel unfamiliar pangs in my chest. This... this was emotion. And the stinging in my eyes were tears...

I took a deep breath and held it. I would not cry.

I blacked out two minutes later, the book still open on my lap.

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I stared out at the moon, my legs still dangling through the railing of the balcony. I pulled myself away and walked towards my pile of paper as I remembered the days that followed. People had come in, but I had not looked at them. They placed food on the table next to the bed and ordered me to eat. Once a day I was taken out of the room and into a bathroom to bathe and generally make use of the facilities. Never had I once lifted my head during those outings, nor had I made a sound.

I had still been reading those hellish books and my mind has been constantly whirling, trying devilishly to compute all that was being offered. At times, I was unable to take the thoughts and had to force myself to lose consciousness.

The fact that I was alone most of the time did not bothered me. I was used to less human contact than that once-a-day routine.

I lay on my stomach next to the papers and pulled out a sheet of paper. I began to write slowly. The years before my disowning were not important to me anymore. The past five years had been the most important to me. And I was going to catalogue them as best I could.

I lost myself in my memories once more, allowing the pen to write down my life in its harsh ink. I put the tip to my mouth and tasted the ink.

It tasted worse than blood did. More inky… as was expected.

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Several days passed in this routine before I saw New Master again.

I was sitting quietly (as I always was) leafing absently through one of the books on slavery when he came in. I noticed someone came in and recognized his scent immediately. I did not look at him and continued to stare at the wall ahead of me; my hand moving of its own accord.

"Yo," he said, addressing me directly.

I looked at New Master and half-bowed to him, bending at the waist. I was in the bed and still in the same clothes I had been wearing when I had first seen him in this very room. No clothing had been presented to me to change into - not that I had minded. My garments were still relatively clean.

"Hello. How may I be of service, New—Kakashi-sama?" I stumbled slightly on his name. I have finally decided to call him Kakashi to his face and New Master in my mind. This way, it was only slightly degrading and not against his orders. At least, on a technicality it wasn't.

He ignored my question. "Have you read the books?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sama."

"Did you read all of the books?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sama."

His face, er, eye twitched. "Are you sure?"

"Yes Kakashi-sama."

"That's a lot of books to read." He glanced at the one lying on my lap. "You didn't seem too interested in that one when I came in. Have you read it?" He picked it up and leafed through it while leaning against the wall. He was like a jaguar, lean and muscular, yet loose and seemingly lazy.

"Yes, Kakashi-sama."

"Is that all you can say?"

"No, Kakashi-sama."

He flipped through the pages and his one visible eye scanned the pages quickly. "What does Egoi-sama say on slavery throughout the ages?"

"Egoi-sama says slavery has changed in both a sociological and economical way. Economy-wise, slaves were useful and good for people not wishing to spend money on a servant. However, due to society's views, the use of slaves has dropped and—"

"That's enough," his voice broke through my answer. "Call me, Kakashi, will you? Or Kakashi-kun if you have to add something." He paused. "Hokage-sama says you need friends. And clothes. There's a bag outside with some clothes for you from some of the chuunin that she borrowed. You can buy some more when you're better assimilated. Here, I'll go get it."

He disappeared and reappeared with a large green bag made of plastic. "Yeah, it's a garbage bag," he explained. "But the stuff inside is fine," he continued. "I checked." He dumped the bag on the floor and glanced at me.

"Hokage-sama wants you to have scheduled visits from other females. She thinks you should meet with Ino first. It'll only be a short visit. I still don't know what story Hokage's made up for you being here though. She's been busy."

He glanced at me and noticed that I hadn't moved an inch during the entire time he had been speaking. "Is something wrong?"

"No, Kakashi-sama."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Orders," I answered, slightly surprised.

"Oh, well, just change. And get ready quick, I think Ino is coming in about five minutes. I was supposed to tell you all this earlier, but a large dog got stuck in a tree and I had to save it."

"Yes, Kakashi-sama."

He passed the bag to me and I pulled out the first two items I saw and started to pull off my shirt.

"Hey, hold on," drawled New Master. "Are you going to be comfortable in a skirt and a pair of pants?"

I blinked and realized that in my hurry, I had indeed pulled out a skirt and a pair of pants. New Master put the skirt back into the bag and pulled out a light green top. "Here, wear this instead." There was a knock at the door. "Shit, Hokage and Ino are early."

He disappeared again and I changed quickly. I folded my overly large shirt and pants and placed them next to the bag of clothing. I made the bed as fast as I could, not paying attention to detail and was just sitting down when there was a knock at the door.

"You okay in there?" asked New Master. "Can we come in?"

"Yes, Kakashi-kun," I said, slightly startled. I still wasn't used to this equality thing. I never thought I'd ever be able to accept the fact that I was apparently on equal footing with everyone else. But I was prepared to try, as long as I could remain with New Master. It was his desire for me to be free, and I would try hard to become free, no matter how horrible a fate I was going to have to face when it came.

New Master and a girl with blonde hair pulled into a ponytail stepped into the room. "Ah, Ino, this is uh… Kasume." New Master looked at me. "Kasume, this is Ino. Have fun." He disappeared, leaving the blonde female alone in the room with me.

"Well, that was rude," stated Ino. She looked at me, her eyes piercingly sharp. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

I wondered if I was to talk to her. I also wondered if the room was bugged.

Equality.

"No, Ino."

"Well, don't think you can go after Sasuke-kun, then," she hissed.

"Sasuke?"

She blinked at me, batting her long blond lashes. "Uchiha Sasuke! He's mine. Haven't you seen him around?"

"I have not seen anyone excluding yourself, Hokage-sama, and Kakashi-kun since I have come here."

"Really? Why not?" She asked as she sat down on the bed, staring at her fingernails. They were painted light pink.

"Yes, really, Ino. And I have not seen anyone else for I have not been taken outside."

"Why not?"

"I do not know."

"How'd you get here?" She looks at me now and suddenly I wish she were looking at her nails again. Her eyes glitter and I am reminded of several gossiping women I once had to shadow.

"I do not remember."

"You don't remember?" she asked. She seemed to want verification on all that I said.

"No, I do not."

She smiled and tilted her head in my direction. "I bet you were sick," she said in a quiet tone. "Really sick. That's why Hokage-sama was called in. She's the best medic-nin ever. I bet you were really contagious too so she had to keep you here with Kakashi-san."

She looked at me, smiling still. "What was your last memory before showing up here?"

"I fainted."

She looks shocked. "See! You were sick! You were so sick that you fainted! And I bet Hokage-sama showed up at your village and took you away here to get medical help! Oh that's so exciting. But why would she bring you to Kakashi-san's apartment? No offence, but this place is a bachelor pad, a messy one at that. It's not good to have a girl in a guy's apartment, no matter one. This apartment building is full of unwed men, you know."

"I did not know that."

"Well, now you do." She smiles. "You're really uptight, aren't you? You should calm down, I'm not going to bite you."

"I did not think that you would bite me, nor am I uptight. I am perfectly relaxed."

"Sure you are. That's why you look like you're ready to jump at a moment's notice, right?"

I have always been able to jump at a moment's notice. My life requires me to do so. Or rather, it used to require me to do so. "Yes, Ino."

She laughed. "You're hilarious. Forehead-girl would get a kick out of you."

"Forehead-girl? I am not familiar with her."

"Of course not; you haven't met her yet." She glanced around the room, taking in the books on slavery and the large bag of clothing on the floor. "Slavery?" she asked. "Why would you read about this?" She picked up a book, leafed through it and dropped it to the floor. "Boring!"

"Hokage-sama wished for me to read it."

"Right." Her eyes were on my top now. "Hey, isn't that Forehead-girl's?"

"I would not know, I am not—"

"Familiar with her, right. But I swear, that's her top." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and looked at me over her shoulder. "So how do you know Kakashi? Is he your cousin or something?"

"No, he is not my cousin."

"Brother? I didn't know he had siblings."

"Kakashi-kun is not my sibling."

"Friend?"

"Kakashi-kun is not my friend."

"Uh, is he your dad, or something?"

"No, Kakashi-kun is not my father."

"Ew, he's not your fiancé or something, is he? I mean, he's old!"

"No, Kakashi-kun is not my fiancé."

Ino blinked. "Then what is he? Your long-lost twin brother?" She asked with a laugh.

"No, I have no knowledge of siblings."

She looked at me with confusion evident in her eyes. "Then," but she didn't finish her sentence because New Master chose that moment to enter the room.

"Ah, Ino, I hope you had fun conversing with Kasume, my—"

"Your what, Kakashi-san?"

"My wife," he answered with a smile.

I stared at him blankly. Had he just said "wife"? Surely not.

"She's your wife? You're married? Does anyone else know? How come nobody told me?" As she questioned him, Ino stalked closer and closer to New Master, her eyes narrowing all the while. "Does Forehead-girl know about this?"

New Master rubbed the back of his head with a hand. "Well, Hokage-sama and you know."

Her eyes opened wider than they had the entire time we had been conversing. "Why on earth did you marry her? She's my age, isn't she?"

"Ah, well, I decided to settle down. Oh, look, Hokage-sama wants to talk to you!"

He put a hand behind her back and shoved her out of the room.

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That had been the first time he ever called me his wife. It was the first step to our sham marriage.

He had stood there for a while, his back facing me, his head resting on the door. It wasn't until we heard an ominous slamming of another door that he had turned to me, his expression as unreadable as it always had been.

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He looked at me and I looked at him. I spoke first. Perhaps I shouldn't have. I was becoming much too bold.

"Wife?" I asked.

"You said everything wrong."

I stared at him. Everything wrong? But I had never done anything wrong in my life! I was, I was perfect! I was what kept Old Master safe; I never made mistakes.

"You shot down everything," he continued, his voice emotionless. My new master was hard to read and being unable to categorize his mannerisms was bothering me. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Is that all you can say? What if I tried to hit you?" he asked, stepping closer. "Would you stop me?"

"If you wanted me to."

"I," he stopped speaking and looked at the door as Hokage-sama stepped in.

"What's this I hear about a marriage?" she asked. I knew she was asking only to be polite. They had both been listening in on my pre-arranged conversation, I was sure of it. That was why New Master had entered when he had.

"I can't believe you answered everything she asked you," spat New Master. "Couldn't you have lied or something? Or changed the subject?"

"I was not instructed to lie or to evade any topic. I apologize for not knowing—"

"Kakashi," interrupted Hokage-sama. "You can't blame this on her. You should have explained everything to her long before Ino came over. Handing her clothes and telling her that she's to have a visitor five minutes ahead of time was not a good idea."

"It is not Kakashi-kun's fault, Hokage-sama," I said, speaking up for my new master, since he didn't seem to be doing so. New Master's reputation was being tarnished and I had to hold it up. "He rescued a large dog from a tree and that is why he was late."

There was a brief silence before Hokage-sama let out a sigh. "You believe everything he says, don't you?"

"A master's word is law. If he were to speak an untruth it would be in everyone's best interest to believe him unless instructed otherwise."

"Right," said Hokage-sama, crossing her arms under her large bosom. "So, Hatake, you need a new house."

"What?" he asked. "A new house? What's wrong with my apartment?"

"You live in a bachelor pad, Hatake. You cannot keep her here much longer. It will make people talk."

"Didn't you tell the chit to keep her mouth shut?"

"If I did that, then she'd be even more likely to tell everyone. There's nothing we can do but pretend that the two of you are married." She looked at me. "She belongs to you now, and you have to do what's in her best interest. She cannot stay here and live productively."

"I didn't want to own her."

"I know. So, I'll get a new house set up for you and everyone will find out that you're married. Er, you did not move right away because she was ill and unable to move into the new house. And you didn't tell anyone because you two fell madly in love and didn't want the age factor to get in the way, so you kept her as a secret fiancé for a while, planning on getting married to her sometime in the future, but she fell ill and you two decided to get married right away just because it was romantic and she's… very romantic. I don't know. But there, use that as your explanation if anyone asks. All right?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I wrote the words carefully on the paper, filling both sides with my neat and even print. Some of the things I was going to write had happened when I was not there. But New, Kakashi-kun, had told me about some of the conversations he had had when I was not around.

I continued to write.

In a few days, we had been moved from Kakashi's old apartment into a brand new house, semi-furnished house. Only a few of the rooms were filled with furniture. The living room, dining room, the kitchen, and one bedroom had been furnished.

One bedroom, with one bed. A large, canopied bed. With curtains.

Oh, and there was a really big walk-in closet with more outfits than I had every seen in my life.

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"There is only one bed."

"Is that a problem?" he asked.

"If you want it to be."

"No."

"Then it is not."

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Hokage-sama and Kakashi-kun sat in the living room each gripping a cup of tea in the hands and wishing it were something else.

"So," began the Hokage. "Ino was a small mistake." She took a sip of her tea.

"Small? I'm married."

"Er, yes, well, at least you aren't… well, it could be worse."

"How?"

"Well, it could be! But listen, we have to keep getting her to talk. You saw her up there, she was actually asking questions. That is very good."

"It's been a week since the Ino incident."

"Kakashi, I cannot spare you any more time. I have a city to run."

"I know, Hokage. I just wish you'd let me give her away."

"Hatake, you know I can't do that. She would be a very valuable asset to the city if she realizes that she is no longer a slave."

"Why not just keep her a slave and get her to do all the work anyway?"

"Kakashi!" The Hokage looked at him in disbelief. "You know I cannot condone such behaviour!"

"I apologize. I was just… I'm just tired."

"Have you been feeding her?"

"Three square meals a day."

"Taking her to the bathroom?"

"Once a day."

"Talking to her?"

"What about?"

"Anything?"

"No."

"Kakashi!" exclaimed the Hokage. "You have to talk to her. She needs human contact."

"She was fine without it before."

"Now it is going to be different. Please, stop being difficult."

"Fine, I apologize. I'll talk to her. Who did you want to talk to her first, though?"

"A girl. A chuunin, I think."

"Who?"

"Well, Hyuuga Hinata?"

"Too quiet. They'd quiet each other to death."

"Then, that Ten-Ten girl."

"Close friend of Ino."

"What about Sakura? There, it makes sense. She, Kasume, did you call her?"

"Yes, Kasume."

"Well, she's going to be working with Sakura and your new chuunin anyway."

"What?"

"Kasume is good. Very good. The chuunin can learn much from her."

"Right. I'll have Sakura come in soon."

"Good. Well, I have to go now," said the Hokage, putting down her cup. "Good-bye."

"Good-bye Tsunade-sama."

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I was sitting quietly in the kitchen, on a stool, when I heard New Master call my name.

Several days ago he had come into the bedroom and announced that I was to explore the house and learn where everything was. I was allowed to go anywhere in the house or in the garden. For the past couple of days, I had been going to the kitchen to go out into the garden. I wouldn't do anything out there, just sit and breathe and wait for my instructions. The only instruction I got were to come eat or to go to the bathroom.

Was it any surprise that I ran all the way into the living room?

New Master was not alone in the living room. He was sitting in an armchair, reading a small orange book which I had noticed many times before. He had it on his person almost all the time.

There was a girl with pink hair standing with her back to me in the living room. She was looking at the vaulted ceiling and the chandelier that hung from the very center. "This is a big step up from your apartment, Kaka-sensei!" she said, turning to face him.

"Mm," he said, turning a page. Without moving his eyes from the page in front of him, he waved his arm in my direction and said, "Ah, Kasume, meet Sakura-chan, one of my many students." He flipped to another page and continued the introduction. "Sakura-chan, this is my wife, Kasume."

"Oh, so Ino was telling the truth!" exclaimed the pink-haired girl. "You didn't tell us!" She shouted, pointing her finger at New Master. "You went and got married without anyone!"

"Well, I got married with my wife. Here I was thinking that you could have a simple ceremony without a million mouths to feed in the way."

"You lazy bastard! It was your wedding! You're so cheap, Kaka-sensei!"

"Aren't you going to greet my wife? She's waiting very patiently."

"Oh," said Sakura, her face coloring slightly as she turned to look at me. She stuck her hand out at me. "It's nice to meet you. I can't believe you married him!"

I looked at her hand in confusion. "It is nice to meet you as well. And, I am married to him. Why are you offering me you hand?"

"She wants to shake your hand," answered New Master from the armchair. "It's a custom here."

"Oh," I said. "I apologize for not knowing your custom and inadvertently embarrassing you." I put my hand in hers and she moved it up and down before releasing my hand.

"No problem at all," she said, smiling slightly. "You're not from around here, are you? No wonder he got you to marry him. If you lived here, you would probably wouldn't have married him."

"Whyever not?"

"The stories. Plus, he's a real lazy bastard. Always late to everything."

"Real lazy bastard sitting right here. Also note that this real lazy bastard is your teacher and in charge of your training."

"Did I say real lazy bastard?" asked Sakura. "I meant to say, wonderful, charming man."

"That's more like it," interjected New Master again.

"You change your mind quickly," I said. "Is Kakashi-kun really as bad as you say?"

"What?" she asked, "Oh no, not at all. He's an okay guy I guess."

She sat down on a couch and I sat down across from her. "So, how old are you?" she asked. "Ino said you were our age, but I thought maybe you were using a youth enhancing jutsu like Tsunade-sama."

"I have seen sixteen summers this year."

"Er… sixteen summers? Oh, years." Her expression changed to one of horror and she looked to New Master. "You married someone my age? Ew! Kaka-sensei! How could you?"

"She's very mature for her age, Sakura-chan. Her customs are much more complex than ours. Age doesn't matter to her or to me."

"Oh, Kaka-sensei, are you saying you're in love?"

"Do people who are in love get married?"

"Yes."

"Then?"

"Oh! Kaka-sensei! This is so exciting. I can't believe you didn't tell us! How could you keep a secret like this from your team? I mean, I can understand why you wouldn't tell the new members, but what about Team 7? Huh?"

"Look, Sakura, you're already worked up about it now, and she's already sixteen. If you really want to know, we were engaged for a year and dated for a year before that, so I really started seeing her when she was fourteen."

"Ew!"

"See? If that's your reaction, what would everyone else think?" Kakashi stood up. "Kasume's was ill for a while before we came here. The journey was hard and she's still recovering. It would be best if you would leave now and let her rest some more."

"Oh, right. Well, it was nice meeting you, Kasume-chan! I'm sure we can become great friends!"

"Friends?"

"Oh yeah! I mean, it must be lonely being here in a new city and everything and not knowing anyone."

"She knows me," interjected New Master.

"And we all know how messed up your company is."

"Don't you have a meeting with Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Oh, yeah! Can I tell them about this?"

"You better. Kasume-chan's coming to training tomorrow."

"Wow! That's awesome! Are you a ninja too?"

"Partial," I replied. Part ninja, part seductress, part assassin, that was how I had always been introduced.

"Cool! Well, good-bye, Kasume-chan!" She yelled, pulling me in for a hug. As she wrapped her arms around me, my eyes fell on New Master, but he wasn't paying attention, so I relaxed in the embrace, hugging the vivacious girl back.

"Good-bye, Sakura-chan," I said as she walked to the door, New Master following her. She waved over her shoulder as she walked out the door.

"Time for bed," said New Master as he locked the door.

I made my way up the stairs and changed into a large tee-shirt. Kakashi had entered the room at some time during my changing and he was already undressed, clad only in his boxers and his ever present blue/black mask.

We both got into bed and he pulled all the curtains shut around us, encasing us in gloom. With the flick of a finger, he turned the lights out and the light that had been creeping in through a crack in the curtains disappeared.

I laid down under the covers and he laid down next to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"If you want me to be," I answered. Ever since he told me to explore the house, he had been staging small conversations with me. He'd ask me how I was and talk about the weather and ask if I had done anything noteworthy during the day. I never did.

"Is that you answer to everything?"

"If you want it to be."

He sighed. "Tell me about yourself…. You're a very good ninja."

"If you wish to call me that."

There was a small pause and I realized that I may have aggravated him somehow. "I apologize. I have never once had the ability to speak so freely with anyone, especially not masters."

"Kakashi."

"Pardon?"

"I'm not a master: I'm Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi."

"Ah, I… Gomen nasai, Kakashi-kun."

"Tell me about your life."

"What about it?"

"Anything."

"That is a broad topic."

"I know."

"Uh…" I didn't know where to start. The darkness was startling in its simplicity. The conversation has lasted much longer than the ones before and I am feeling rather nervous. I hate emotions. Where is my shell? Where is my void? I hate this rapid humanization of myself. The books I read called it that… 'humanization.' As if I were not human already. It is more like, 'emotionalization.' Or elimination of my urges to do what my master wants. The destruction of my obedience.

"Who was your mother?" he asked.

"I did not know my mother." She had given me up at the age of three days.

"What did you know of her? Nothing?"

"No. I knew she was of the Leaf Village. From this village, I do believe."

"I see."

"Um… Oldest Master was from the Sand Village. Old Master was of the Rose Village. And, due to my past, Old Master gave me the alias of Desert Rose to use when I was assassinating."

"I hear you're good at assassination."

"Old Master used to say so."

"You would do anything for your master?"

"Of course." What a silly question.

"You would do anything if I told you to do it?"

"Anything."

"Anything?"

"Yes, Kakashi-kun, anything. No matter how many times you ask, I will say yes."

"Would you kill yourself?"

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence before he rolled over under the covers and faced away from me. "Go to sleep," he said. "You're helping me train the chuunin tomorrow."

I held my breath until I feel unconscious, anxious to do his bidding.

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Training. God.

I stop writing and flex my wrist a bit.

Training was where I met Sakura again, and her two friends, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. Originally they were the only ones in the team, but something happened and they were forced to take on two new team-mates. One, who was a year older, and one who was from a different village all together.

I shut my eyes and lie on my back, my right arm thrown over my eyes. Hyuuga Neji, someone I had never heard of before, with large, white, pupil-less eyes. And Subaku No Gaara, someone who I had wished I would never meet again.

Memories wash over me once more, and I turn over, determined to write down the journey of my life.

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Reviews

DreamAnimeKitten: I'm glad you're enjoying the story, even if it is only because Kakashi's in it.

KetsuekiSohma: I'm betting that she really hates being in her position as well. Poor chick, being disowned. How horribly upsetting. Ah, but if she had slapped him, she wouldn't have been in character. Glad you think this is awesome.

thexpariah: Er… was it half a year? I wouldn't know. I apologize if you were very sad.

Malitia: Everyone feels sorry for Pet, or Kasume as she is now known. Kakashi as a master is super hot. At least, it would be if he would just stop being a chicken and act like one. What a lazy man.

KaibasShadowGirl: I'm glad you like this fanfic. I'm glad you figured out the names and such. Yay! Gaara! He's hot! I mean, young, and pre-pubescent, and not to mention psychotic and a serial killer. (But hot nonetheless!) (I am a sick, sick, repressed fangirl.)

xkuroxshinobix: I did take a damned long time to update.

Chrissie-chan: Yay! My summary is good! That's awesome to hear. (I like good OCs. Bad OCs are creepy. And Mary Sue-ish. And oh my god, Kasume is not a Mary Sue! I won't let her! Just let her develop a bit. Yeah… )

m: I was hoping it made sense.

Fade-sempai: And now, many more things will fall into place. Or just fall. Like jaws. And potatoes.

XoXSilverDragonXoX: Yay! It's you. I love A Girl Named Yama. It's lovely! Yep, Kakashi has good hands. Awesome hands. If only he would touch her…

xl-twisted-lx: What took me so long? Er, well… depression, school, friends, lack of motivation, my muse (Pepsi B'Dobb) going on vacation, lack of internet… shall I go on?

A Random Person: If only I could have a real Kakashi plushie… I love capturing emotions. It's my hobby. You should see all the emotions I've caught. I've got sadness, and angst, and anger! But that's only because I was following these swarmy-pants losers who were being sadly angry and angsty. (Disregard my silliness.)

Yuki Mitsuten: Best way to make an author love you: admit you haven't read the story. LoL. Glad you liked the summary. I'm glad you thought it was truly amazing. Y'all are doing wonders for my ego.

ally: Yay! You found my story once more. That's lovely. Ah, and now you know how she ends up as his wife. By accident. And fraud. And the scariness which is Ino.

audee: Glad you think this is great.

UPDATE: Your wish had been granted.

sasukefreak: Yeah, well, no one really likes the idea of slaves. Except slave owners, I guess. And it is sad about her thinking she should serve other people.

chrln2004: Quite sad indeed.

crazed fangirl: I'm not updating because… I didn't want to. Check out the response to xl-twisted-lx for details.

Sutefani-chan: Very mature fic, what with all the mature-ness going on. Of course I'm going to continue! I am upset that you would think that I would start a fic and even think about not finishing it! I plan to finish all my fics! Just… not now.

Trinity: Let me start off with… "WOW! I LOVE YOU AND YOUR REVIEW." Yay, Pet got her name! Let us all rejoice. The Rose Country belongs to me! I am it's soul creator and er… well, creator.

If only everyone wrote super duper long reviews like you. I'd be super duper happy.

kimpster: Thanks for the compliment.

kawaii-kitsune22: This is as fast as I can go. Super duper slow mode. But hey, at least I'm updating.

And so ends this session of review responses.

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Tune in next time for Gaara, training, a blast into Kasume's past in Rose Country, and a test to end all tests!