I obviously don't own Naruto, but I do own Riku.


Dedicated to my wonderful co-author, Neverlookbacksamurai.

This is the prequel/preview of the sequel to Ninja Taboo. Enjoy.


It's hot…

Why was everything on fire?

She scanned the area, seeing the flames licking the edges of the roof, reflecting off the large pools of blood that slowly spread and collected together.

"Riku!"

What? She looked ahead and saw a familiar face running towards her with an arm stretched out.

I know her…what's her name again…?

Her hand twitched as it urged to reach out for the hand that was trying so hard to reach her.

I…I can't move…

What's going on?

A group of people suddenly appeared, also racing towards her with expressions of fear, desperation, and despair. She opened her mouth to speak, but there were no words. No sound. Her legs had no feeling, no strength, and gave away. Time seemed to slow as she fell to her knees, everyone too far away to catch her.

It hurts…

What was happening to her? Her eyes glanced down, widening in horror as she looked at her knees soaked in a puddle of her own blood flowing out from a gaping hole in her abdomen. She gasped for air and collapsed onto her side, feeling a light pressure on her shoulder. She noticed a red stained hand touching her hesitantly, as if she might break. Her eyes slowly gazed up; the woman's face suddenly jogging her memory. She took a long breath, feeling very minimal air coming in and forced out a quiet,

"I…I'm sorry…Katsuki…"

And with that, her eyes blurred and her vision faded away in darkness...


Her dark brown eyes snapped open suddenly, her arms automatically pushing herself up off her back. She panted with her head twisting side to side, slowly taking in the darkness of the dim bedroom. Her body instinctively curled forward with her knees drawn up to her chest, taking in a few deep breaths while her hand touched the middle of her abdomen. She cradled her forehead with a hand, feeling the cold sweat in her palm and the back of her white tanktop.

"…Riku?" said the low, groggy voice of a man that sat up with her, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His hand ran through his short brunette hair as his mind started up again, the information he saw slowly processing and making sense to him. He gazed at the moonlit figure of the woman, her forehead resting on her knees now. He lifted the sheets off and his arms slowly wrapped around her, pausing when he felt her body involuntarily twitch underneath his touch. "It's ok." He whispered as he gently pulled her into his chest. He rubbed her cool arm, his keen ears listening to her quiet muttering.

"…Is it my fault…"

It seemed less and less like a question each time she said it as she gripped her arms in her lap, a tear rolling down her cheek. She took in her breaths erratically through her mouth, her stomach churning with fear and horror as the images replayed in her head. Her eyes examined the area around her, her thoughts unscrambling and setting in. "Is it my fault..."

"Shh..."

She felt a drop falling down the same route her tear had made before, spreading out when it had hit the place where her cheek touched his skin. The rhythmic pace she felt against her upper arm calmed her down slightly, taking her breaths slowly and regularly. She could hear the soft heartbeat through the warm skin of his chest, her own racing heart seeming to long for them both to sync.

He quietly pulled the thrown sheets over their legs, his black pants rustling against the sheets as he shifted them near her's. He let out a relieved sigh as he could feel her heart slow, giving a light kiss on her head. "It's ok." The words quietly floated through the air, never losing their reassurance no matter how many times he had said it before.

"…Genma?" She whispered to match his voice, her tone breaking in the middle.

"Hm?"

He waited patiently through the chilled silence of the night, listening to the faint melodies of the crickets outside until he felt her body leaning back. He followed suit and lowered them both onto the soft bed, the mattress creaking underneath their weight. His arms never left her, one cradling her head, the other draped over her side and rubbing her back just as he had with her arm.

The never ending silence.

As the two lay there, he could feel a thin, slender finger tracing unknown patterns on his chest, a quick tingle following in its wake. His eyes stared contently at the dark profile of the woman, but glanced down when the finger suddenly stopped in its path. He looked on, watching her hand linger in the air for a moment before she placed a kiss on his chest where her tear had fallen.


This is my first story here on FF, so hope this is ok. Please review!

Ok, it is now officially done! I won't add anymore to this! I really just added somethings because 1. It bothered me that there was something missing, and 2. I'm avoiding homework.