Her Protector

Radiant rays of the morning and a delightful smell from the little bakery she loves so much caress her senses, gently persuading her to rise to the new day. A much more welcoming way of waking as compared to the morning the day after she was discharged. Man, what a night...and what a bangin' headache she had.

She throws off the duvet, forcing her body to peel itself from the comfort of her own bed. She had spent three more days in that prison of a hospital room before her mother finally signed off for her to be released with a clean bill of health. Although, that bill may have been put into question after the events of that night.

She may be being a bit dramatic. Her stay at the hospital wasn't all that bad thanks to the routine visits from her parents, friends, and her chaotically energetic students. She was awestricken, she had never had so many caring people circulate around her. Had that been what she was missing out on for so long?

At one time during her hospital stay, all the teams and their senseis had smushed into the room and brought her a cheesy fruit basket. However, she was confident her friends had put the basket together since it was full of tiny bottles of booze disguised as different varieties of fruit. She loved it, all the same, maybe a little more–her mini inner alcoholic crying tears of joy.

The day she was discharged was followed by an amazing night of drinking, laughing, and dancing, surrounded by good company. How she was blessed with such great friends in such a short amount of time, she had no idea. But whoever was looking down at her with favor is sure to be thanked greatly when she gets to the afterlife.

Maybe the Old Bat felt sentimental and put in a good word for her.

One particular moment of the night she held closer than the rest, and that was when she had literally dragged a buzzed Kakashi onto the nonexistent dancefloor to engage in a battle of worst dance moves. The sight of him in semi-casual clothes, his melodic laughter hardly hindered by his signature mask altogether paired with joyfully awkward dancing, was one she could never forget. A sight so beautifully uncharacteristic of him that it left the long-forgotten in attendance utterly baffled by the display. And Katsume was right there with them, though less baffled, as she figuratively grocery-shopped to his figurative sprinkler, and laughed so hard her cheeks burned the rest of the night. However, that could have also been due to the copious amounts of alcohol in her system. Or possibly a lingering after-effect of the briefest moment she saw his face when he pulled down his mask to take a shot. But even so, she would never forget it.

It was the best night of her entire life.

She yawns and stretches her arms as she sits up in the bed, snickering to herself as she remembers the expression on Kakashi's face when their 'judge' forfeited his duties to get in on the action of the dance challenge and slurred something about youthful spirit . Unfortunately, due to the bad choice of arbiter, a victor was never announced, which meant the loser was free of punishment. The look of utter relief that washed over Kakashi's inebriated and exhausted form was adorable in its own way but confirmed that he was sure he had lost. So, Katsume, who was not surprised whatsoever by the outcome, commended herself on her ridiculous victory.

She's brought out of her reminiscing when she hears a loud knock on the front door. She rubs the sleep from her eyes as she opens the door to see her father standing tall in the hallway with too cheerful a smile for eight in the morning.

"Good Morning, Sunshine! I'm leaving on a mission later today, so I thought maybe we could go get some breakfast before I go!"

Katsume can't help but smile hearing the endearment the Old Bat would use for her coming from her Jiraiya. "You know I'll never say no to food," she says and he chuckles, "Just give me a moment and I'll meet you downstairs."

Jiraiya nods and turns to head down the hallway calling out behind him, "Take your time, I'm in no rush." Then disappears down the stairs.

Once out of sight he pulls out a small rectangular box and checks its contents. He exhales to add condensation before rubbing it lightly with his sleeve to buff it shiny. He stares down at the gift. He hopes she likes it, maybe it was a bit flashy but he's a flashy guy and she definitely inherited that trait from him.

"Ready to go?" Katsume calls out from behind, startling him.

He briskly tucks the box back into his crimson haori before turning around to greet her. He throws his arm over her shoulder. "Yup! So, what are you hungry for?"

Katsume hums in thought as they walk down the bustling road. Ordinarily, she'd just stop at the bakery for an order of dangos, but since she's seeing Jiraiya off for his mission maybe something more hearty would make for a better decision. "How about Teishoku," she offers.

He smiles brightly, "Teishoku it is! Wow, you eating a healthy meal? It's truly a miracle," he pokes.

Katsume rolls her amber eyes. "Hardy-har, I just thought you should eat something substantial before you set off on your mission. You're not getting any younger, you know."

Jiraiya gasps dramatically and clutches at his chest. "Way to hit me where it hurts, daughter-o-mine. For your information, I'm still in my prime." He crosses his arms and turns his head away from her.

She bursts into overly boisterous laughter, stopping in her tracks to hunch over and hold her cramping abdomen. "Prime!...Ha...that's a good one!" She gasps for air between her taunts at the aged man.

Jiraiya deadpans, "Come on now, I'm not that old," he says as he sulks and continues walking, leaving her behind.

Katsume's laughter lightens into chuckles as she jogs to catch up to him, "Aw, I'm sorry. You look young for your age! I promise," she says as she patronizingly pats his back.

He laughs, lazily swatting her away. "Get outta here, I'm disowning you."

"You could never." She smiles knowing how true it was. She never thought she would ever know her parents, and she's beyond grateful to have the bond she has with her father.

Jiraiya returns her smile and throws his arm around her shoulders, bringing her into him to place a chaste kiss on top of her fluffy locks and ruffle them after. "Yeah, you're right. My life wouldn't be as bright without you in it. My radiant sun ."

"Ah, get away from me, ya big sap." Katsume groans as she tries to pry herself from his grasp, scowling as he laughs and his hold tightens.

As they approach their breakfast destination, Katsume stares at the familiar white curtains and obvious red lettering on the roof of the building. She turns to him with a confused expression. "This is Ichiraku Ramen. I thought we were having Teishoku?"

He lets out a soft chuckle and raises a white eyebrow at her. "What? You think all they sell here is ramen?"

"Yeah...It's kind of in the name." She mirrors him, chuckling as she gestures at the shop's labeling.

"Well, you'd be wrong! Let's go, I'm starving." He lifts the ramen shop's curtain open for her to pass through then follows her in to take a seat at the stool beside her.

Teuchi Ichiraku and his daughter, Ayame, welcome them with warm smiles. "Hello, Master Jiraiya! Hey, Katsume, how are you feeling?"

"Heya, Teuchi!" Jiraiya greets him with a wave.

Katsume smiles brightly, "Never better! Thank you for asking."

Ayame smiles at the woman, "That's comforting to hear. What can we get you guys this beautiful morning?"

Jiraiya holds up two fingers as he orders, "Two of the tonkatsu teishoku with miso, please."

"You got it!" The shop owner writes down the order as Ayame retrieves and sets two glasses of water down in front of them.

As Teuchi and Ayame prepare the meals, Katsume turns her head to Jiraiya. "So, how long will you be gone?"

Jiraiya lets out a nervous chuckle and scratches his head, "Well, actually, I wanted to talk to you about that..." He takes a much-needed sip of his water and clears his throat. "I'm not sure, how long I'll be on this mission, but when I get back, I'm taking Naruto away from the village to train... for three years."

"So... you invited me out to breakfast because this is my last chance to see you for the next three years? Jeez, way to wait until the last minute to tell me," she says somberly as her gaze falls to the empty table.

Jiraiya smiles, reaching into his haori and retrieving the small rectangular box, then he places it on the table and slides it into her vision. "No, Katsume." He tilts his head to her in an attempt to catch her attention. "I invited you out to breakfast to ask if you wanted to accompany us."

She stares at the box in front of her then her gaze snaps to Jiraiya. "What is this?"

"What does it look like? It's a gift! Hurry up and open it already!" He chuckles at her stunned expression.

She gazes down at the rectangular wooden box. It was painted a sheer dark wood oil to give it a sleek finish. Why would he get her a present? Her birthday passed months before she came to the village, he knows that.

"Oh...alright."

She begins to lift the top off the box painfully slow, feeling nervous for an unknown reason. Katsume sets the top off the side as she takes in the contents of the box. Then slowly, her gaze shifts to her father, her eyes sparkling with many emotions.

Jiraiya smiles at her and watches as she returns her gaze to the gift. "I had Tsunade hold off on giving you one because I wanted to have it custom-made. I know it's late but it took longer than expected to be finished. It was supposed to be a present to welcome you as a shinobi after you passed your jounin exam. Then when it was finally finished, you were still asleep..."

Katsume was speechless as she admired the customized forehead protector. It has blunt horns like her father's, although slightly smaller, with a hunter-green felt band, and engraved in the chrome metal is the kanji meaning 'shine' and 'illuminate'.

But it is not merely a forehead protector to Katsume, it was so much more than that. It was a link–to her father with its similarity to his own, to her status as a shinobi, to her reflective crystal kekkei genkai, to her village, and to the people she swore to protect. A connection to all she has come to hold near and dear to her heart. A symbol of her ties to this earth. Ties she didn't have before coming here. He probably didn't know but the Old Bat had a habit of calling her sunshine or her sun. So, since she doesn't have one, maybe she could see it as her tie to the woman she saw as her mother.

As she stares down at her reflection and the engraving, her vision blurs before she watches a tear fall to drip onto the cool metal. She hasn't received a gift since her twelfth birthday when the Bat came home with a new edition of her favorite book. She was so excited she stayed up all night reading it, and read it over and over every day for months before she finally put it down. It still sits in the bookcase at her cottage.

But this...

Katsume turns to Jiraiya once more with tears in her eyes. His eyes widen at the sight. She's crying? Sure it's a bit corny, but he really thought she would like it. Maybe he overstepped getting her a gift and she feels bad not having gotten him anything. No! Does she hate it?

"Oof!"

He's yanked out of his panicked thoughts, all the oxygen in Jiraiya's lungs expelled from a heavy impact. He looks down and his nose is tickled by white fluff, as he feels her strong hands grip tightly to the back of his red haori. A soft smile forms and he rests his hand on top of her head, the other wrapping around her to return her hug.

"Thank you, Dad," she says slightly muffled with her face buried in his shoulder.

Regardless, he heard her loud and clear. His chestnut eyes light up at her words as he hugs her a little tighter and breathes in the moment.

Eventually, Katsume pulls herself away and wipes her tear-stained cheeks. She takes the forehead protector and wraps it around her head, tying it firmly in place beneath a portion of her ivory locks, then turns to her father.

"How's it look?" She smiles brightly.

His wide smile, unbudging, as he takes in the sight. "Perfect." He lets out a cheery chuckle and crosses his arms as he laughs. "Now we match!"

Teuchi returns and places their breakfast sets down in front of them and the two white-haired ninjas thank him greatly.

Katsume smiles as she reaches up and lightly touches the cool metal. Tsunade had warned them of the dangers of their relation getting out, but simply due to uncanny resemblance, rumor had spread throughout the village. Undoubtedly, it won't be long before the entire Land of Fire is aware of the father-daughter duo. She needs to be prepared for the imminent threat coming her way and by default the village's way.

Jiraiya shifts his gaze from the delectable meal to his daughter who holds a soft smile as she mindlessly traces the engraving on the metal protector. He hated to take her away from the village she had only just gotten acclimated with. She's finally comfortable and to uproot her for three years felt selfish. However, he is selfish. At least when it comes to her–his daughter, his only child. Naruto needs this training and this is the only way, but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving and missing out on more of her life. He's already missed so much. So, yes, he was being selfish, but he'll take advantage of every chance he can to see his daughter grow. But just because she accepted the gift, doesn't mean she's accepted his proposal of accompanying him and Naruto.

Katsume's gaze strains on her meal as she speaks, "I'm sorry..."

Jiraiya's heart drops.

"I'm sorry for causing you more trouble in Otogakure. I refuse to let that happen again. I know now that I still have room to grow. I'm not as invincible as I thought. I'll tag along and do what I can to support you in training Naruto, but...I would appreciate it if you trained with me as well."

Oh, Katsume... he thought. She truly believes her abduction is because she wasn't strong enough? Not experienced enough? Oh, no no. Poor sweet thing.

"Katsume, there was no way for us to foresee Sasame's betrayal. Not even I. What happened was not your fault." He places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Remember what I told you? That there are just some things in this life we won't understand? Humans...were all unique, there's no way to fully understand the expanse of one's thoughts or motives. There will always be situations out of our control because it's simply impossible to manipulate every little thing to our favor. That's just life. It's unpredictable."

Katsume nods solemnly in understanding and Jiraiya lets out a loud laugh to lighten the mood. She's coming with them! He won't have to leave her behind once again. "I would never turn down a chance to teach you! As I said, I don't know when I'll be back, so you should have plenty of time to get things sorted." He takes a bite of his rice before moving on to the savory fried pork cutlet.

Katsume takes in his words. Even so, the fact remains–she needs to become stronger, and her father is the strongest shinobi she knows. The thought of traveling with him and sweet, chaotically rambunctious Naruto, brought a smile to her face.

As much as it saddened her to leave the village and the friends she's made for such a long time, she needed to do this. She had already decided the moment her father asked. So, as she happily devoured the steaming breakfast plate before her, she mentally prepared to inform close ones of her eventual departure. A certain silver-haired ninja came into the forefront of her imagery. The elusive bastard still owes her a date...

"Oh! Before I forget, your mother asked me to inform you that she has a mission for you. Probably best if you report to her office after breakfast. I can walk you there. We should let her know you'll be leaving with me and Naruto as well."

A mission? For her? Odd. Katsume feels fine and has for a few days now. She's been cleared to return to the field, but she didn't think her mother would assign her a mission so soon, considering how adamant she's been about her taking it easy. Whatever, she was pumped! She's been itching to get back into the action! She wonders what kind of assignment it will be...

After they finish their breakfast, Katsume takes it upon herself to pay for the meal. A gesture to show her thanks for Jiraiya's thoughtful present. They leave the ramen shop in no real rush toward the Hokage Mansion. Katsume hasn't spoken with her mother much since she woke up, not much in general really, but she's not ignoring her or brushing her off anymore so she'll count it as a step forward. With time her anger softened–still there but not at the forefront of her brain when she sees or thinks of her. She wishes she could understand her reasoning, but no matter how she looks at it, the confusion remains.

Jiraiya took Katsume's uncharacteristic silence as a tell she was stuck in her head. About leaving the village? Possibly. About how to tell a certain co-sensei? Probably. About the mission, she'll be assigned? Most definitely. He knows how restless she's been. He was informed of her little... escapade through the village before she was discharged. He would have scolded her but apparently, the copy-ninja beat him to it. Jiraiya snickers to himself at the thought.

Oh, they would make for an adorable pair.

You're probably wondering, "But Jiraiya, you aren't supposed to approve of who your daughter dates! It is written clear as day in the Protective Father handbook!" As true as that may be, he is a new father to a fully grown woman, so he can't keep her from dating someone he doesn't like even if he wanted to. She's an adult and she is capable of making her own decisions. However... he can manipulate the strings of fate to a favorable outcome (within reason of course) from behind the scenes.

Luckily for the copy-ninja, Jiraiya sees him as a favorable outcome for his only daughter. The son of the White Fang, a noble man who put the lives of his comrades before his own. Kakashi is an honorable shinobi who took on the morals of his father, he's handsome(objectively), and at an age of emotional maturity. So, if he looks at the simple facts, Kakashi is a perfect suitor for Katsume.

But what Jiraiya sees as icing on the cake is that they have opposing personalities. Kakashi tends to keep to himself, with a savvy and relaxed personality that could bring some wisdom to Katsume's feisty one. Vice versa, Katsume's warm and outgoing personality could bring some unpredictability into his life. You know, 'opposites attract' type of deal.

However, there is only so much even he can do... Now all that's left is to sit back and let them figure it out on their own. Pretty responsible parenting, if he says so.

Jiraiya looks down at his daughter, walking silently in her thoughts at his side, just as he is. He wishes he could've experienced raising her as a child. Teaching her how to walk and talk, to read and to fight. And experience the major milestones that every parent looks forward to supporting their child to reach. As much as he longed to have had that opportunity, he's grateful for what he does have and the time that he'll have with her in the future. Seeing her grow as a shinobi, as a person, and maybe someday as a mother herself. Though, there is absolutely no rush, Katsume! Please stay innocent!

Katsume's voice sounding out breaks him from his thoughts, making him jump in the slightest. "I'm going to run into the cafe and grab a coffee. Do you want one?"

He thinks about the offer for a moment but ultimately decides he doesn't want anything from the charming cafe. She narrows her eyes at him skeptically unbelieving and makes the decision to get him tea instead. Jiraiya laughs, finding it amusing how his daughter knows him better than he does himself after such a short amount of time together. She's observant so maybe he shouldn't be surprised.

He waits for her outside the cafe, committing to his claim to walk her to Tsunade's office, and hums softly to himself as he people-watches. When she returns he takes the tea from her full hands, taking note of the small bag holding a single item, and a sly smile creeps on his features as they continue their walk down the streets of the awakening village.

Jiraiya looks pointedly at the bag as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "Bringing breakfast for your co-sensei?"

Surprisingly, Katsume doesn't react to the implication, her eyes trained on the path ahead. " Actually, it's for Tsunade."

Jiraiya's eyebrows raise at that unexpected gesture and Katsume notices, "Don't read into it. It's just a muffin. Shizune told me she has a habit of skipping breakfast and only drinking coffee until noon."

He brings his fist up to his mouth and clears his throat as he conceals his smile. "That's very thoughtful. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

She doesn't defend her gesture any further, simply staring ahead, but Jiraiya swears he can see a ghost of a smile playing on her features. He didn't want to push her, that would be unfair of him. Just because he's more or less forgiven Tsunade doesn't mean he had the right to pressure her to do the same. Tsunade abandoned her, she has alot more to forgive than he felt he did. She'd do it in her own time, but if she didn't forgive her he could understand. He can see that she's come to accept her mother and he's proud she's taking the steps to meet Tsunade halfway.

But above all, he wished to see his daughter happy, regardless if she finds love or not. Regardless if she forgives her mother for such a heartbreaking decision that affected her entire life. All he can ask for is her happiness in whatever path she chooses. For her to find the true meaning of her happiness.

He hopes more than anything that is to be her fate.

As he is in this very moment.

Here came the sun...The future's looking bright.