Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I only own my OC Akira, and the rest of my OC's.

It was about two days later, I found myself sitting at a small lilac colored table with stuffed animals, a grumpy Hiroshi, a neutral Haku, and a very excited Reika. Teacups full off milk disguised as tea, and plates holding delicious chocolate chip melonpan were placed in front of each guest. I on the other hand was pretty content and happy, especially with the fact that Reika somehow got her brother to dress up in fake costume jewelry. Seeing him dressed like that, was making it hard for me not to outright laugh. Although at one point I did let one escape, and as expected he rewarded me with a glare.

"Would you like some more tea, Lady Akira?" asked Reika, a bedazzled crown on her head. I think there actually is a real ruby in the center of that crown. Talk about the greatest dress up item. I mean all I only had a floppy albeit fancy hat, while she had a pretty sweet crown. Yes, I am a bit jealous of a little girl, and her princess crown.

"Why certainly, Princess Reika," I answered and handed her my porcelain cup. She took it, and poured milk into it from her porcelain tea-pot that had purple floral designs painted all over. "Thank you." After handing it back to me, I took a small sip of the drink and a bite from the treat. It was absolutely delicious. Once again, the guys in the kitchen knew how to whip up a tasty snack. They were honestly culinary gods.

The little girl's attention was now focused on her stuffed animal guests. Going around the table she 'asked' them one by one if they needed a refill. Taking their silence as a yes, she filled each of their cups.

"How did you know they wanted some? It's not like they can speak," Hiroshi commented. I sent a deadpan look in his direction, and Haku lightly tapped him on the arm. How dare he try to mess with the girl's imagination?

"Careful, they might hear you," gasped Reika, eyes widened in shock.

"I doubt that," her brother murmured before I slapped roughly the back of his head. "Ouch!"

"Well, I think this tea party is great," Haku stated with a smile.

Reika's face shone bright with happiness, and I could tell that what her brother just uttered was forgotten. "Really?" her whole demeanor was shy now, as if Haku approval meant everything.

"Really," he assured gently. With that, a large smile bloomed on her young face, and everything was okay again.

"Do you want some more tea, Lord Haku?" she then asked, happiness clear in her eyes. Haku nodded his head yes, and Reika made do with refilling his cup.

She then turned her attention to her older brother who was still sulking somewhat from when I hit him. "What about you Lord Grumpy Pants?"

"Why is my name Lord Grumpy Pants, while everyone else gets to keep their own?" Hiroshi whined.

"Because they're not mean," she answered snidely before she stuck her tongue out at him. Hiroshi's frown deepened even more, and I couldn't help but snicker at his misfortune. That's what he gets for being mean to his litter sister.

"I think it's cute that you're having a tea party with your sister," Haku stated lowly to Hiroshi. At that, the older boy's face became dusted with a light shade of red. From my seat, I could see Haku squeeze Hiroshi's leg underneath the table, and the teen sent Haku a smile in response. I couldn't help but mentally "Aw" at the scene. They were honestly too cute.

The rest of the tea party passed with no event. Truthfully, I had a wonderful time hanging out with Reika, Hiroshi, Haku, and her stuffed animals. The conversation was great, and seeing Reika having a great time with a smile on her face was enough for me. That was really all that mattered.

By the end of the week, I found myself in my room with Dr. Akiyama, Haku, and Zabuza. It was time to check out the status of my wound; whether it was perfectly healed or still in the process of healing. I knew that it was perfectly healed, but I still had to get the 'A-Okay' from the doctor.

"So, how's my patient doing?" Dr. Akiyama questioned.

"I'm good," I answered truthfully. "I don't feel any pain at all. The medicine greatly helped."

"Well that's great. However, I still want to check it for confirmation. Can you lie back, and lift your shirt halfway?"

"Sure," I lied down on my bed and uncomfortably lifted my shirt up to the bottom of my boobs. It was so awkward with Zabuza there. He could have at least turned his head, instead of staring intently. Creeper.

Dr. Akiyama removed the bandages I still had on, and started to touch my side. Every so often I would flinch because her hands were so cold. Why do doctors always have cold hands? Is it a requirement, or something that just comes with the job?

"Alright, do you feel any discomfort or pain when I touch around it?" the older woman asked as she gently moved her fingers around, sometimes pressing down on certain spots.

"No, I mean it itches sometimes and rarely there's this twinge of pain, but it doesn't really hurt," I replied sincerely.

She smiled. "Well, that's good news. As I expected, with the medicine I gave you, the pain was bound to go away. And it's also common for it to itch especially with the stitches put in, which I am happy to see dissolved."

"What does that mean?" Zabuza voiced for the first time through the appointment. He just took what I was going to say. So unfair.

"Yeah, what does that mean for me?" I repeated, sitting up slightly to see the older woman better.

"Well, it means that you're basically all healed. The wound is healed, and there is no more visible damage that I see. However, there will be a permanent scar. I'm sorry about that."

I turned my attention to my newly exposed side to check what Dr. Akiyama was talking about. And there it was. A slightly jagged marked that stretched from underneath my breast to almost the top of my hips. The color was a bright pink that contrasted severely with my tan skin. Honestly, I didn't know how to feel about it. I never had something like this mark my body before. Yeah, I did get cuts and bruises when I was younger, but they never scarred. It was a big flaw now. On one hand it symbolized that I survived after being so close to death, but on the other there was this big imperfection that I had to get used to.

"It's okay. Why are you sorry? You didn't give me the scar," I said, shrugging my shoulders dismissively. "Besides..." a small smile was now present on my face. "It's kind of cool. It makes me seem like a bad ass or something."

Dr. Akiyama laughed at that. "I'm glad you feel that way," she replied before rummaging around in her bag in search for something. A moment later, she pulled out a small white container, and held it out towards me. I took it from her, and looked at her questionably. "It's an ointment made with certain herbs that help to heal scars. The ointment helps the scar fade and shrink in size, however it won't permanently go away. Just rub it on your side once a day."

I unscrewed the top, and inside the container was a green substance that smelled like some type of flower. Truthfully, it smelled so much better than what I thought it would, and it would have been rude for me to voice it. Instead I settled for a "This smells amazing!"

The older woman smiled widely. "Thank you, I made it myself. I know the smell isn't what you would expect," she stated slyly with a wink. "But it surprises you. Here, let me put some on your side now."

She then took the container from me, and dipped her fingers into the green substance. Placing the ointment on my side, she rubbed it in meticulously over the scar. The slight chill the goo provided greatly relieved my itchy side.

"That feels really good." I commented. "My side doesn't really itch anymore to."

"One of the other effects that it has," she responded. "Well, if there's not anything else you want to discuss, my work is done."

"Is she healthy enough to travel?" Zabuza questioned all serious like.

Dr. Akiyama nodded her head 'yes'. "Her side is healed enough for her to travel, however I would take it a little easy on it. If she needs to take a break, let her take a break. She has to work her endurance up again."

Zabuza nodded his head in the smallest of movements, but I don't think he agreed with the little orders she gave him. Tough luck, if I wanted to take a break, I damn well was taking a break. If Zabuza didn't like it (which I know he won't) he could carry my ass.

"Any more questions? Concerns? No? Okay." she started to re-pack her bag. "It was really nice meeting you Akira. I wish it could have been under better conditions."

"Me to," I replied. "Thank you so much for everything you did. I'm forever in your debt." I gave a small bow, which she returned. Haku followed my example and gave the doctor a bow to. Zabuza, the bad boy that he is, didn't. Although, I did see his head move in a gesture of acknowledgment. He's such a loser.

"Take care," she said with a warm smile, and with another bow I gave her to show my appreciation, she left.

"She was so nice," I commented before placing the small gift I received on the bedside table next to me. "Without her help, I probably would have been a goner."

"So..." I started to say while pulling my shirt down to cover my stomach from view. "What next?"

"We leave tomorrow," said Zabuza bluntly.

I whipped my head over to his direction so fast, I'm pretty sure I got whiplash. "I'm sorry," I said while clearing out my ear. "I don't think I heard you right. Can you say that again please?"

"We leave early morning tomorrow," he repeated, annoyance clear in his tone.

"What?!" I spluttered in surprise. "Why so soon? I just got the approval from the doctor."

"We finished the job. There is no longer a need for us here." Zabuza answered with a scowl.

"Still, what's the difference in waiting one more day? It won't hurt anything."

"We're leaving tomorrow. End of discussion," he growled with finality. With that he walked away before I could say another word.

As soon as he left, I turned towards Haku to get his opinion on the situation. "Don't tell me you agree with this situation."

"Our mission is over. We did what the employer needed our services for. It's time for us to leave," he simply replied.

I sent him a look of disbelief. "So, you're willing to leave before you get to say goodbye to Hiroshi?"

"No, but what Zabuza says goes. We still have a short time before we have to leave. You should make the most of it, and say your goodbyes."

"You're right," I agreed with a sigh. "But can I at least say goodbye to Hiroshi first, since I know you want to spend a lot of time with him?"

Haku nodded his head. "Can you let me know when you're done? That way I know when it's good to see him."

"Sure, but I won't take long. I know you want to spend as much time as you can with him."

"Thank you," he stated with a smile.

I brushed it off with a wave of my hand. "No problem. I have to break Reika the news, and telling her is not going to be pretty. I'm going to miss the little tyke. She wormed her way into my heart. It's going to be tough saying goodbye."

"I know, but it has to be done," he said.

I sighed and let out a big groan. "Alright, I'm going to see Hiroshi now, that way you can have a lot of time with him." I slid off my bed, and stretched out the kinks in my lower back. "Will you be in your room?"

Haku shook his head yes, and started to make his way towards the door.

"Okay, I'll go there when I'm done." I followed him out the room, and closed the door behind me.

New Goal: Finding Hiroshi, and saying goodbye.

After doing a quick search, I found the man I was looking for sitting in the garden, a book in his hand. He looked in my direction when I was only a few feet away.

"Hey," he greeted, looking up from his book to do so. "What's up? Why the long face?"

I tried to put on a brave face, but failed. At this, Hiroshi sat up on the stone bench, and bookmarked his page.

"Really, what's wrong? It looks like someone stole your favorite toy or something?" he joked, but stopped when he saw the look on my face. "You can talk to me. You know that right?" Concern shown on his face.

"I know," I sighed. "It's just...I found out that we're leaving soon."

"Okay, we knew you guys had to leave eventually. We knew you couldn't stay here forever, especially since the problem has been squashed." Roshi explained logically. "How soon though? Because judging by your face, I would go out on a limb to say it's pretty soon."

"Tomorrow morning," I whispered quietly, although it was loud enough for Hiroshi to hear.

"Wow," he exhaled in surprise. "That's pretty soon. I can see why you're upset."

"Yup," The frown on Hiroshi's face showed he was definitely not happy with the news either. "It sucks though. I mean, I knew we were leaving when the mission, but I also didn't account for actually getting close to you and Reika."

"Have you tried to convince Zabuza to wait a few more days? You've only just been given the 'A-Okay' by the doctor. Shouldn't he wait a few more days to make sure your stamina is up for the journey?"

I snorted at that. "I tried to get the jerk to change his mind, but he won't budge. He's so annoying, stubborn, and pigheaded, that he won't listen."

"So, that's it then?" he sighed. "Have you tried using you tried using your womanly charm? Show some cleavage, some legs, and doll yourself up. I'm pretty sure he won't be able to resist that."

"I doubt that," I said with a small laugh. "But, I'll keep that plan in mind for another time if I'm ever that desperate."

"Hey, it was a brilliant plan," Hiroshi retorted mock seriously with a quick poke to my side. I shied away from the ticklish sensation.

"I know it was sweetie," I agreed while patting his back in comfort. "I know it was."

Hiroshi stuck his tongue out at me, and tugged on a lock of my hair. I just laughed and swatted at his hand. After a few moments, Hiroshi placed his left arm around my shoulder, and pulled me gently into his side. In response, I laid my head down on his shoulder. He only pulled me closer to him. A few tears left my eyes at the tenderness in the gesture.

"I'll miss you Roshi," I said softly. I didn't even think he would hear me, it was so low. "You wormed your way into my heart, and became someone important to me. I'm glad I met you."

"Me to. You've earned yourself a spot in 'few people I actually like' group," he informed with a smirk.

"Jeez, I feel so honored," I snorted with an eye roll. "You're in my group to make it even."

"Good," he said, a genuine smile conveying his happiness. "That makes me feel so much better about you leaving." I started to sniffle at that reminder, and I felt some tears roll down my cheeks. Hiroshi must've sensed that for his happy smile slipped off his face. "Hey, don't cry. You know I hate to see you cry."

"I'm trying, but it's hard. Saying goodbye sucks," I whined, wiping at the salty wetness on my face. Hiroshi's hand squeezed my shoulder in comfort.

"Don't think of it as goodbye. Think of it as a see you later," he suggested. "It's not like I'll never see or hear from you again. We can send each other letters, that way we can still talk."

I nodded my head at what he was saying. "Okay," I agreed after a few moments. "I like that idea. I'll send one to you, and to Reika. See what you and the little princess are up to."

"She would love that," Hiroshi confirmed. "The little bit adores you for some reason." I glared at him for that.

"It's because I'm awesome," I said smiling.

"And there's that smile," Hiroshi cried aloud startling me some. "Seeing you depressed was bringing down my mood."

I pinched his side hard causing him to wince in pain. He mumbled an 'Ow' in response. "Serves you right for being a smart ass."

"You're so mean," he pouted, but I knew he wasn't really upset.

"I know," I replied with an innocent smile. "I better tell Reika the news. It's going to break her little heart. I'll probably be more of an emotional wreck when I tell her."

"Yeah, but it's best that she hears it from you," he advised.

"Thanks for everything Hiroshi. You're a great friend," I said looking up at him serious. He smiled at me warmly and gave me a kiss to the temple.

"You're a great friend as well," he repeated sincerely. I beamed at that. I slid out of his embrace, and stood up from the bench.

"I'm going to go and see Reika now. Haku wanted to see you, so I'll send him your way." Hiroshi then stood up and gave me a quick hug. When we both pulled away, I started to make my way to the house, with each step, dreading even more talking to the little girl.

After telling Haku where Hiroshi was, I found myself outside of Reika's room trying to put on a brave face to cover the fact that I was delivering bad news. I knocked on the door, and pushed it open a few seconds later. Reika, who was playing with dolls on her floor, looked up when I stepped into her room. Her face lit up into a big smile when she laid her eyes on me.

"Akira!" She exclaimed before running over to give me a hug. Her skinny arms wrapped tightly around my waist, and made me stumble a little from the force of it.

"What're you doing here?" Her voice was slightly muffled by my shirt.

"I just came to spend some time with you. I didn't know I needed an excuse to see one of my favorite people."

"You don't," she answered hurriedly. "I love playing with you. Do you want to play dolls with me?"

"Sure," I replied with a smile. It might be easier to drop the bomb while we were doing something else. Grabbing my hand she pulled me over to the dolls that we're lying on the floor. Handing me one with brown hair, while she took the one with black.

It was in the midst of playing house that I decided it was a good time to tell her.

"Reika," I said softly yet somewhat firm in order to get her attention. Reika looked up from her dolls and turned attention to me. "There's something I have to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked, her voice was laced with curiosity.

"So, you know how I came here because I had to do a job?" she nodded her head in response. "And you know how I don't live here right?" Once again she nodded. "Well, it's time for me to go home."

"What? Why?" Her eyes were wide with confusion. "Why can't you stay?"

"My job here is done. Our services are no longer needed. It's time for me to go home."

"But," she trailed off. Her green eyes were shining with tears, and her bottom lip quivered slightly. My heart broke at the sight, so I swept her up into my arms. Her little body was shaking, as tears crept from her eyes. I shushed her quietly, and rubbed her back in soothing circles. A few tears left my own eyes, and I didn't try to stop them. I didn't want to leave her, as much as she didn't want me to leave.

"Hey," I said after a few moments. I pulled back some so she could see my face. "It's okay. This won't be the last time you see me. I promise, I'll send you some letters. Is that okay with you?"

Reika nodded her head mutely. "You promise?" she whispered shakily.

"I promise," I replied, every ounce of my voice was serious.

"Pinky promise?" her pinky was outstretched towards mine, and I took it automatically with my own.

"I pinky promise," I vowed with a soft smile. Reika's eyes brightened up, and a huge smile grew on her face. "No more tears, alright?" With the pads of my thumb I brushed the tears from her face, and brought her in for another tight hug. After a few moments, she pulled away and wiped the rest of her tears off on her sleeve.

"If it's alright with you, can we keep playing?" she asked somewhat shyly. I couldn't help but laugh quietly.

"Sure," I answered and Reika smiled before handing me the doll I was playing with earlier. She picked up her own, and we resumed our little game.

Later that night, I made sure all of my things were packed, and that the room was in decent order. I double checked, that everything was fine before changing into a pair of night clothes. For the last time, I climbed into the perfectly comfortable bed and turned off the lights. Pulling the covers snugly around me, and nuzzled deeply into the pillows. I knew that tomorrow especially, and that the next few days were not going to be easy. With that thought, I closed my eyes in hope that sleep would find me.

The next morning, I did not want to get up at all. Almost as if I was on autopilot, I hopped into the shower, brushed my teeth, and changed into a clean pair of clothes. As I tied my hair into a bun, I checked around the room one final time to make sure nothing was missing. Pleased that I missed nothing the night before, I grabbed my pack and made sure my weapon pouches was securely placed around my waist. Sighing wearily, I walked out of the lavish room and headed to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Everyone except Zabuza was at the table, already enjoying the food that was laid out.

"Good morning," I greeted cheerfully, and everyone gave their own form of a greeting. Grabbing my plate, I filled it up with many delicious items knowing it was going to be a long time before I had something like that again. Breakfast was a quiet affair, and it wasn't too long after I was finished that Zabuza made his appearance, his pack and sword in tow. With a pointed glare in Haku and my direction, I knew that it was time for us to leave. The others must have noticed as well because as soon as we stood up, they did as well. We left the kitchen, and headed out towards the main entrance gate is. As soon as we arrived, I turned to face the family that I had gotten fairly close with. I didn't want to leave, and I knew that this moment was going to be a tough one.

"Thank you so much for everything you have done for my family," Lord Yutaka while he bowed towards us in gratitude. Haku and I returned the gesture, while Zabuza just nodded his head in recognition.

"Without your efforts," he explained further. "My family could have been seriously injured, including my youngest." He ruffled the top of Reika's head, and smiled at her fondly.

"You're welcome. It was no problem really. Thank you for hiring us," I spoke up happily for the three of us. I knew Haku wasn't going to speak, and I damn sure knew Zabuza wasn't going to say anything good if he felt like replying.

I then directed my attention to Hiroshi and Reika, and based on their facial expressions I knew they wanted to say one last goodbye. I looked toward Zabuza to see if he noticed them to, and when he caught my eye he nodded mutely with a glare. Even if he said no, I was going to disregard it and do what I wanted regardless. I knew that Haku had already made his peace the night before, so I was the only one who had to do my farewells.

Stepping forward towards Hiroshi, he met me halfway and wrapped me up tightly in his arms. My arms wrapped themselves freely around his neck, squeezing him tightly to me. Inhaling, I felt tears prick the corner of my eyes as I breathed in his scent of apples and old books. It was so uniquely Hiroshi and I was going to miss it.

"You take good of yourself," he murmured into my temple. "And him." I knew who he was referring to. Haku.

"I will," I promised quietly, but I knew he heard me. I felt him smile against my temple before placing a kiss there. Reluctantly, I pulled away from the hug and gave Hiroshi a kiss on the cheek. He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. I took a few steps to the left so I was now standing in front of Reika. Poor girl was trying to be strong, but I could see her lip quivering and her watery eyes. Kneeling down on one knee so I could be on her eye level, I opened my arms and the little girl wasted no time crashing into them. I wrapped my arms around her waist tightly, while she wrapped her own tightly around my neck. My shirt was increasingly becoming damp because of her tears.

"Hey," I whispered thickly. "It's going to be alright."

"I'll miss you," she whimpered brokenly. My heart at this point was past being just broken. It was in little tiny irreparable pieces.

"I'll miss you to, munchkin. So much, but you have to be strong okay?" I felt her mumble okay into my neck. She stepped back some, and made to pull something out of her dress pocket. It was a bracelet, but upon closer inspection I saw that it was a pink silk cord bracelet with letter beads that spelled her name. She handed it to me and I immediately put it on.

"It's a friendship bracelet. It has my name on it so you won't forget me. And look," she piped holding out her right wrist towards me. It had an identical bracelet to mine except hers was blue and held my name. "I have one to. See yours has my name and favorite color, and mine has your name and favorite color. That way we don't forget each other."

That's it. I was really trying to be strong here, but dammit my tear dams were breaking.

"Thank you sweetie, it's beautiful. There's no way I can ever forget you now, even though I wasn't before." I said sincerely. Reika smiled widely, and gave me another hug.

"I love you Akira," her little voice full of strong conviction.

"I love you to Reika," I replied. After my parents died, I didn't think I would ever hear that I was loved again. Who knew I would hear it from a little girl.? A little girl who managed to captivate a part of my heart in such a short amount of time. We stayed like that for what felt like hours, but was really only a few minutes. Before I pulled away completely, I pressed a kiss to her forehead, and gave her a quick squeeze.

Reluctantly, I stood up and gave Reika a smile. I wanted to stay a little bit longer, but I knew Zabuza wanted to leave. I was lucky that he was letting me say the goodbyes I needed to give. Looking back at the man in question, I saw his stern eyes telling me to hurry up. I said one last goodbye before walking back to Zabuza and Haku.

As we were walking of the grounds of the mansion, I took one more glance back, and saw Reika and Hiroshi waving goodbye. With a smile on my face, I turned around and kept moving forward.

AN: Sooooo this has been a long time coming. I am so sorry it took me forever to update. Life has been hectic these couple months. Finishing up Junior year, starting senior year, doing college applications, and then picking a college. It's pretty stressful. Hopefully, I have time to update more now. Thank you to those who stuck around and waited for this chapter. I know it's not the best, but I just really wanted to close out this arc in the story. Thanks for reading! Please review :)

-ILoveTeamSeth