When morning came, Ruka was in a tree, looking up at the sunny sky with a frown on her face. She didn't want to see anybody today because she is still conflicted about what squad 7 told her. 

Ruka didn't sleep at all last night and she didn't know what to do with herself. She didn't kill those warriors that entered into the forest last night because she wanted to see with her own eyes if they were just looking for her to kidnap her, or bring her back to her mother. 

Ruka didn't know what to think at the time. All she wanted to do was be alone and have some time to think. 

As Ruka walked through the forest, she came across something that as out of the ordinary. 

She was at the entrance of the forest and when she looked down, there was a white flower sticking up from the ground. 

No flowers were in the forest. There never were. But this was the only flower that Ruka has seen in ages. "What's a flower doing here? There are no flowers in the forest. There aren't suppose to be." Ruka tells herself. 

She kneels down and examines the flower, not wanting to pull it out from the ground because it seemed special. 

In day, or night, it shines, clearing the darkness around its place so its beauty will shine. And for some reason, Ruka felt so attached to this flower. She couldn't explain it. It felt like she's seen this flower before. 

***********************

Squad 7 had already woken up and ate breakfast, and they were ready to head back to the forest to check on Ruka. "Thank you for your hospitality." Kakashi tells Tatsuya. 

"It was no trouble at all. If you do run into the maiden again, please tell her to come home to her mother. She misses her daughter so dearly that she was crying last night. Please, ask the maiden to reunite with her mother." Tatsuya gives Kakashi a charming smile. 

"We will try our best. But, you know, the girl has been through a lot. So, it won't be easy trying to convince her. She's just. . . confused on what's going on. If possible, can you bring Ruka's mother into the forest?" 

"Oh, no. That can't be done. You see, the Willow Maiden cannot leave this place or else she will wither away. There's no other way around that. I'm sorry." 

"I see. . ." Kakashi gives him a narrowed eye look. "Then, how were you able to get her here? If we were to take Ruka out of the forest, won't she wither away as well?" 

"Not likely. My people and I carry a special antidote for maidens like Ruka and her mother. If you bring her here, I will show you what I mean." Tatsuya smiles at Kakashi. 

The Jounin had nothing else to say. So, he took his word and left the Grass Village with his squad. 

When they returned to the forest, they searched for Ruka in her small home, but she wasn't there. "Hey, where did she go?" Naruto asked as he wandered around the house.

"She doesn't seem to here." Sakura states. 

"Hmm. . . Where she go?" Kakashi wondered. 

"I didn't go anywhere. . ." Ruka walked into the house while rubbing her eye. "What are you guys doing here? . . ." She frowns at them, but at the same time glares. 

"We came to check on you, of course. You know, to see how you're doing. Sakura nervously smiles at the girl. 

"Yeah, right. . ." Ruka lies in her bed and curls up, bringing her knees to her chest. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto noticed that she's acting more sad than usual. "Are you okay?" He walks over to her. 

"Listen, Ruka, we really want to help you, but you have to trust us. Your mother is worried sick about you and she can't leave the Grass Village or else she will wither away." Kakashi informs her. 

"You believe them over me. . . How typical. . . You never believed me in the first place, did you? . . ." Ruka lowly whispers. 

"That's not true!" Naruto shouts at her. 

"Naruto, stop. Can't you see she's upset right now? She's been alone ever since her mother went away, and she can't believe that she's still alive. She just. . . needs time to think about it, that's all." Sakura tells him. 

"Sakura's right, Naruto. It's not easy to get over something and we need to respect Ruka's decision." Kakashi steps in before looking back at the maiden. "Ruka, believe it or not, but we've seen your mother. She is worried sick about you and wants you to reunite with her." 

"As if that's easy enough. . . I know what I saw on that day. . . The sad and whimpering look on my mother's face when she was taken from me. . . Sakura?" Ruka eyes wander up to the Genin. 

"Yes, Ruka?" Sakura looks at her. 

"You said someone told you that my mother was in this sacred garden. . . What was their name again?" 

"Tatsuya Ishikawa. He's the leader of those warriors that have been coming here to take you to the Grass Village." 

"What does he look like?" 

"Long black hair and dark golden eyes. He's quite handsome." Sakura blushes a bit at the last part of her sentence. 

'Doesn't ring any bells. . .' Ruka thought within her head. Clearly, he wasn't the man who took her mother. She had a clear view of what the man looked like. 

Short black hair, brown eyes, a thing mustache, short cut beard, and he was wearing green. Tatsuya wasn't the man Ruka remembered. So, how does he know about Ruka's mother? Did he know the other man? 

To Ruka, something didn't add up. 

"Is something wrong, Ruka?" Kakashi asked her. 

"No. . . It's nothing. . ." Ruka shook her head. "You call can stay here if you want, if you still want to protect me. . . Tomorrow, I will go see my mother." 

The squad was shocked by the words that were coming out of her mouth. They thought she would put up a fight, or an argument. But, this was her choice, and she wanted to see her mother, to believe if what they were telling her was true. 

"Alrigth. First thing tomorrow morning, we'll take you to the Grass Village." Kakashi tells Ruka, and the squad. 

That night, everyone was asleep, except for Ruka, in her small house as they waited for morning to arrive. However, both Naruto and Sasuke were woken up by the sound of a beautiful voice. 

"Hey, Sasuke, do you here that?" Naruto asked the boy beside him. 

"Yeah." Sasuke sits up from the bed as he rubbed his eye. 

"I wonder where it's coming from. . . Let's go check it out!" Naruto shouted in a whisper, springing out of bed and leaving the house. 

"Naruto, you idiot! Hold on!" Sasuke got out of bed an followed the knucklehead out to the forest. 

The two boys followed the sound of the beautiful voice. The closer they got, the louder the singing became. 

When they finally found where the singing was coming from, they looked up at the tree branch and saw Ruka looking up at the moonlit sky. 

Both Naruto and Sasuke listened closely as they stay hidden so that they wouldn't startle her as they watched her sing. 

"A young man walked through the forest, with his quiver and hunting bow
He heard a young girl singing, and followed the sound below
There, he found the maiden who lives in the willow
He called to her as she listened from a of toadstools red 

'Come with me, my maiden
Come thy from the willow bed' 

She looked at him serenely, and only shook her head

See me now~
A ray of light in the moon dance
See me now~
I cannot leave this place
Hear me now~
A strain of song in the forest
Don't ask me to follow where you lead

A young man walked through the forest with a flower and coat of green
His love had red like fire
Her eyes an emerald sheen
She wrapped herself in beauty
So young and so serene 
He stood there under the willow and he gave her the yellow bloom

'Girl, my heart you captured
Oh I would be your groom' 

She'd said she wed him never
Not near, nor far, no soon

See me now~
A ray of light in the moon dance
See me now~
I cannot leave this place
Hear me now~
A strain of song in the forest
Don't ask me to follow where you lead

A young man walked through the forest, with an axe sharp as a knife

'I'll take the green-eyed fairy, and she shall be my wife
With her I'll raise my children
With her I'll life my life'

The maiden wept when she heard him when he said he'd set her free
He took his axe and used it to bring down her ancient tree

'Now your willow's fallen
Now you belong to me' 

See me now~
A ray of light in the moon dance
See me now~
I cannot leave this place
Hear me now~
A strain of song in the forest
Don't ask me to follow where you lead. . .

She followed him out of the forest and collapsed upon the earth
Her feet had walked but a distance from the green land of her birth
She faded into a flower that would bloom for one bright eve
He could not take from the forest what was never meant to leave. . ." 

By the end of her song, Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, as if they understood the song. 

Ruka had made up that song that was apart of her memory and some made up. It was like some kind of message. . . 

The two boys were confused, and were now uneasy about the decision Ruka had made. Tomorrow morning, she was going to go to the Grass Village to finally see her mother. But now, they were having second thoughts. 

Just a few feet away from them, Sasuke spotted the white flower that shined in the darkness of night. 

Him, and Naruto, walked over to it, then looked at each other. "Sasuke? Do you think. . . ?" Naruto looked at Sasuke with a worried look. 

"Not sure. . ." Sasuke replied back, not sure how to put the pieces together. Thinking back to the song and when he looked after Ruka, he remembered that Ruka wasn't wearing any footwear and her hair reached down to her feet. 

They didn't feel comfortable for Ruka leaving just yet. 

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