I traveled back to the house. My teammates were already inside. I peered into the house, tapping on the door frame hesitantly. Tsunami notices me. "Oh, come in, come in! You're staying here now, you're our guest! Don't feel the need to be so polite!" She insists, bustling around to set me up a place. I smile and thank her.

"Whaaaat!?!" Naruto shouts. We all turn to him in surprise.

"What?" Sakura echoes. 

"She smiled! Keira-chan smiled!" He yelled.

"We've seen her smile before, dobe." Sasuke mutters. 

"Not like that, you haven't. It was always a smirk before, or totally fake. This one was real." He insists. I stare at him in shock. I never knew he was so observant. "It looks nice, Keira-chan. You should smile more." He said, smiling himself.

I nod slowly, grabbing a plate. He picked up on my change immidiately, with one smile. I didn't expect that. I slowly eat, raising an eyebrow as I see Sasuke and Naruto shoving food down their throats. What's gotten into them?

Suddenly they both stand. "I want some more!" They shout, make eye contact, then turn and throw up. I cover my nose in disgust. Sakura stands, scolding them.

"Don't eat so much if you're gonna puke it up!" She yells. I was surprised. She scolded both of them, not just Naruto. 

"I... have to eat!" Sasuke says. I grab two cups of water, taking some mint leaves out of my pocket and adding it to the water.

"And I have to eat... more than him!" Naruto declares. I hand them both the now minty water, and they swish their mouths out. "Ah, thanks Keira-chan!" 

I open my mouth and close it, then take a leap of faith. "You're welcome, Naruto-k-kun." I stutter at the end, stomach dropping as I risk the rejection from Naruto. 

His eyes widen, but he quickly goes back to normal. "So, Keira-chan, why weren't you training with us today?" He asked.

"Ah, Keira had some special training--" Kakashi begins to explain, but I cut him off. 

"It's fine, Kakashi-sensei. My emotions were disrupting my spiritual chakra, so I had to go and comme to terms with my emotions, settle them and control them." I explained.

"Control you're emotions?" Naruto asked. Ha, like he knows how to do that. "But you do it so well! Nothing seems to faze you! None of you're emotions slip past you're defense!"

I sighed. "For a while, I thought that hiding and trapping you're emotions," I glance at Sasuke, "was the same as controlling them. But Kakashi-sensei showed me that it's not. And the fact that I couldn't control my chakra properly because of them was proof."

"Oh." Sakura murmured.

"Hn. So you haven't even climbed a tree yet?" Sasuke mocked. I swallowed my hurt, then remembered Kakashi's words. You're hiding from you're emotionss, that just begin to grow stronger in that dark place you push them into. And there they grow.

So I let the hurt show on my face, in my eyes, then take a deep breath and whisper, "I haven't even tried yet, Sasuke-san." If he was going to hurt me, I wasn't ready to try and make friends by calling him kun. Besides, I think Sakura would kill me if I did.

Kuso. Why do I always say things that hurt Keira? Sasuke beat himself up. 

"You know... when you feel bad, you can always try apologizing." I murmured to Sasuke so the rest of the team couldn't hear. He stiffenned.

 How did she know I felt bad? A guess?... or can she read me that easily?

I snorted slightly. Oh, the irony. Get it? I can *read* him? Never mind. 

"Er... Keira-s... Keira-chan. I apologize for my rude comment. I should have realized that you were training on other things. Please accept my apologies." 

 Everyone stares at him in shock The great Uchiha, apologizing? I stay silent for a few oments, leaving him hanging. Is she going to accept my apology? "Of cource I accept your apologies, Sasuke-kun."

He kets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Keira-chan." He breathes.

"So, Keira chan, why weren't you here for dinner on time?" Sakura asked.

I flashed back on my complete break down, nearly drowning, flying hundreds of miles... "I was... delayed" I murmur. She nods her understanding. I sipped the tea set out in front of me, thanking Tsunami. I notice a torn picture but avert my gaze. It's not my place to ask questions.

Sakura though, having no instinct for such things, does. "Excuse me, but this picture is torn. Is there some reason for that? Inari, you kept glancing at it throughout dinner, it looks like someone else was in the picture, but they got tor--" 

"Sakura-san." I hiss, cutting off her rambling. I stand up, slamming my cup on the table.

"Huh?"

"Don't pry into others business. You ask about things you couldn't hope to understand! It sickens me, when you do this. You manage to make a tough situation worse!" I storm out I had tried to stop her in time, but knew that the damage had already been dealt. 

I hear Naruto complain, "Now you've done it, Sakura-chan! And she was just coming out of that emotionless shell she's encased herself in!"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted in agreement.

It may seem like she took one step forward and two giant steps back, but it's actually good she had that outburst. Normally she would've just swallowed her anger, smiled and nodded, choosing not to get involved. Kakashi approved.

I hear Inari soon follow me out the door. He saw my legs dangling down from the roof. "What are you doing up there?" He asks grumpily. I jump down, grab him by the waist, and jump back up. I sit him beside me. 

"I'm thinking." I reply quietly.

Inari stares at the ocean, and we both sit in silence. Neither of us make a move to break it. I don't know how it began, but suddenly Inari was pouring out his past to me. I listened carefully, nodding and watching intently. By the end Inari was in tears.

"I know that grief that has turned to guilt, it haunts you day in night. It tortures you so that one day you catch yourself wishing... that they had never existed... simply so you could be happy once more."

"You don't understand..."

"Inari-kun..." I whisper. "You've been raised in a tough village. You've had to grow up fast. I respect that. But these emotions... you linger on the bad. You need to feel the joys of life as well.. You should know, your father, he still hears you. He still reaches out to you. He still loves you. And that should be enough for you, his love."

Inari still has tears streaming down his face as he hugs me. I stiffen, worried he would feel my wings, then I relax into the hug. We remain in half hugs, just looking out into the ocean. I start humming a tune. 

"C-Can you sing that tune you're humming?" Inari asks. I look down at him in surprise. "I hear you are an amazing singer,,, that you have the voice of an angel." I blush.

"Where did you hear that nonsense?" I ask teasingly.

"Around." He answers mysteriously. Naruto.

"Yes, I'll sing it for you," I answer. I clear my throat and begin to sing softly.

"Let That Be Enough"

I wish I had what I needed
To be on my own
'Cause I feel so defeated
And I'm feeling alone

And it all seems so helpless
And I have no plans
I'm a plane in the sunset
With nowhere to land

And all I see
It could never make me happy
And all my sand castles
Spend their time collapsing

Let me know that You hear me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You love me
And let that be enough

It's my birthday tomorrow
No one here could know
I was born this Thursday
22 years ago

And I feel stuck
Watching history repeating
Yeah, who am I?
Just a kid who knows he's needy

Let me know that You hear me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You love me
And let that be enough

"Inari smiles at me after I jump down from the roof, holding him safely in my arms. "I think I kind of understand now. I'm not as sad about my dad anymore." He whispered.

"It's still okay to grieve," I tell him, "It's just not okay to allow it to control your existance, your life, and twist the memory of that person." I ruffle his hair. "Goodnight Inari." I whisper.

"Goodnight, Keira-chan." he wishes, heading towards his room. I tilt my head and smile sligthtly, going up to the room I share with Sakura. I would pretend to fall asleep so as not to raise suspicions. 

You're a good kid, Inari. I'm sorry life is so cruel.

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That's right! Chapter 21! 

This is for supermassiveblckhole. (I know you'll be reading this XD) Thank you!

Also for scribble! Thank you!

Also for my newer followers such as Safara and Mind_Of_The_Odd!

Loved writing this chapter! That's why i stayed up to finish it! (And I couldn't sleep, but...)

Comment! Vote!

Bye!

gaara119