She stood on the upper deck, wind streaming through her bright red hair, catching her black cape in its grasp. Her airship, Chrysomiya, was headed towards a large black mansion, owned by her father. It was several stories high, decorated with many large windows. It was time for her to confront a man she used to address as father. She turned, heading back to the main cabin. Pushing open the door, she strode by her crew, men, and took the wheel into her hands. She could if she wanted. After all, she was the daughter of King Lucia Raregroove, that reason alone gave her the ability to do what she pleased in the region as princess.

The girl's name is Riyu Nikanoru. She took the last name Nikanoru by choice and because of destiny. Destiny caused her to be Kage of the village hidden in the land of the dead; Nikanogakure. She also took the last name in case her father ever came looking for her, so she could never be found. Riyu did everything to stay as far away from her father as she possible. Today, it was time to reunite with him, to find out why he abandoned her when she was only eleven years old.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly, landing the ship several feet away from the mansion, hidden in a large green forest - which oddly seemed to stay intact, even though winter had just passed. Often, when she still lived at home, she would stare out at the forest, watching everything with awe and interest.

As she landed Chrysomiya, she noticed the men of her crew staring at her. They quickly turned their attention to the cabin door, a man appearing in the doorway. Riyu placed the fly-lock on and turned to see who had walked in.

She smiled to herself, seeing his sea foam green eyes, his light red hair gently fluttering in the breeze, his lips curved into a smile. Seeing him caused her crew to sigh in relief. He moved towards Riyu, not speaking. Sabaku no Gaara, the love of her life and Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village. He kissed her softly, and taking her hand in his, lead her to the deck of the ship, where he pointed towards the mansion. Sure enough, her father was standing on the roof, facing away from her. The wind caused his thinning blond hair and long black cape to become animated, fluttering around him. Her legs began to buckle as she became slightly nervous, losing her balance. She fell backwards into Gaara, who instinctively caught her and held on tight.

"Are you alright, Riyu?" Gaara asked, his eyes never straying from hers.

"Yeah. I just hope this doesn't go as badly as I'm thinking it's going to."

He nodded as he placed his arm around her, kissing her forehead, resting his head on top of hers. She sighed softly, her crew walking out of the cabin and standing behind Gaara and herself. She turned around, Gaara leaving his arm around her.

"So what's up guys?" Riyu glanced quickly at each crew member.

With her hand firmly on her hip, she watched as her navigator, Toshiro, stepped forward. He brushed his silver hair back with a steady hand. He looked at her with his shining yellow eyes, confident in their gaze, a forced smile across his face.

Toshiro, "Nothing can go wrong with your mission, Lady Riyu. We, as your crew, stand with you one hundred percent."

"I suppose your right," she smiled, nodding.

"Of course he's right! Besides...Zero and I will assist you in confronting him," Gaara smiled as well.

Toshiro looked around, "Where's Zero then?"

"I'm right here!"

A huge smile crossed Riyu's features as she ran, leaping onto the 8-foot tall wolf, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back with just as much enthusiasm.

"Lady Riyu! It's great to see you again!"

She stood up, helping him to his feet, his armor heavy and weighing him down. He placed a large hand on her shoulder once standing. She looked up at him, seeing that he was smiling down at her.

Zero kept his eyes on her, "Don't worry, Milady! No way in hell will Gaara, or myself, let your father do anything to you!"

She glanced down at the ground, before looking at her father, who was still standing on the roof. He turned around, slowly, drawing out the tension that ran through the air between them. His face was twisted in to a mask of repulsion, a sinister evil grin morphing his lips, and she could tell that he was staring directly at them; watching and waiting, just to see what Riyu would do.

She shook her head at the attitude of her father. "You know what? Why doesn't everyone just stay here? If you see that I'm in trouble, come for me."

"Are you crazy, Riyu? I can't let you go alone!" Gaara's heart was racing at the thought of leaving Riyu and her father alone together.

She smiled at him and took hold of his hand. He laced his fingers through hers, leaning in and kissing her chastely. She felt her heart flutter, but it would not change her mind. She couldn't put Gaara in danger like that! A single tear dripped down her cheek as she pictured her beloved Gaara battling against her father. She just would not allow it. Gaara was too precious to her. Gaara swiped at the tear dribbling it's way down her cheek. Riyu turned to look at him, mouth and eyes set in a decisive, stubborn way.

"Just trust me, Gaara. Please, that's all I ask. Give me a chance to confront my father on my own. I promise you, nothing will happen to me. After all, I am Riyu Nikanoru." Gaara was starting to break down, Riyu could tell by the slight downwards curve of his mouth.

Zero laughed, "She's right, Gaara! She should be able to confront King Lucia without us intervening unless it is completely necessary. She has become strong enough to take him on! We could always just go help her if it looks bad."

Gaara sighed softly as he looked at Toshiro and Syl. Toshiro smiled confidently while nodding, Syl doing the same.

Toshiro stared back at Gaara, "Come on, Gaara! She's been training for this for longer then she can remember! It would be a huge boost of confidence for her to do this on her own, and you know it!"

"Yeah! Think about how much she has improved in battle. Not only that, she is also the strongest living member of the Dragon Clan now. Dragon Master Kain said so when we visited him down in Dologany," Syl added, informative as usual.

Gaara pulled Riyu into a tight hug, whispering softly in her ear.

"I'll be standing right here, watching carefully. I know you're strong, that you can take him, but I will put my life on the line if need be. Do you understand, Riyu?"

She nodded, "Of course I understand, Gaara. Thank you for keeping me safe. I won't let you down, you're my everything. I'll never leave you."

With those words, Gaara and Riyu stepped away from each other, eyes still locked together. She could see his love for her, see the faith and the emotion, all swarming in the beautiful sea-green. Riyu nodded at him, smiling in assurance, and he smiled back.

Her crew spoke then, sad smiles on their faces. "Good luck, Riyu! We're all right here, cheering you on!"

As Riyu turned to leave, she heard Gaara whisper one last time. "Good luck, Riyu."

Her steps were light, hesitant. She knew this day would come, but she couldn't help but cringe at the thought of finally speaking with her father. How it was going to turn out, Riyu had no clue.

As she neared the front doors, her steps stumbled, her heart sped up in her chest, beating a jagged rhythm. She watched as her father moved to the edge of the roof, and jumped down, landing silently on the grass. Riyu took a deep breath as he walked towards her, the evil smirk still on his face.

"Riyu. You've returned."

"I haven't returned. I came to get some answers."

She looked down at the ground, tears threatening to fall. She breathed in deep, clenching her fists, as she watched him hold his arms open for her. She shook her head, trying to resist the feeling of running into his arms. It was proving to be rather difficult, more so than she had expected. Before she could stop herself, before she realized what was happening, she was in his arms, tears streaking down her face, fast and silent.

"Why? Why did you abandon me all those years ago?"

"You have to understand, Riyu. I did it for your safety."

"Safety? Safety from what? What danger could there have possibly been for a father to abandon his child? No father would ever do that. Especially you."

He rubbed my back gently, still hugging tightly.

"My brother. If he knew you existed, he would have forced me to kill you."

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him.

"The only way he would know that I exist would be if you told him. Or someone you knew found out. But my last name is different than yours! I took every single precaution so that no one knew I was your daughter!"

"I know, Riyu. But it isn't as simple as you think it is. My brother has his ways of getting his hands on even the most secretive information."

Her arms fell to her sides as she stepped back from her father. Riyu wasn't surprised to see the same evil grin still on her father's face. The tears continued to pour; even though she expected this reaction from her father, it didn't make her happy. She squeezed her eyes shut, before she opened them, looking up at him. He was looking at her, up and down, inspecting the changes in his daughter from when he had last seen her.

"You sure have changed, Riyu. Your outfit is too revealing, you should cover yourself."

Her eyes closed in annoyance, "My clothes are fine. I'm fine. This is who I am now, and the man I fell in love with loves me for me."

He began to laugh as he put his hand on her shoulder. Riyu tried to take a step backwards, but her legs seemed to be frozen in place. He leaned down slightly and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"He's with you for only one thing, you know. He wants a girl to fuck, and with that outfit you're wearing, you're just asking to be fucked. Any daughter of mine should be proud of their body and respect it by covering everything up."

Anger filled her, "Don't talk about Gaara like that! You have no right! You don't know him! He loves me and I love him! I've been with him since before you even abandoned me! And never, not even once, has he asked me for sex."

Riyu shoved him away, her voice cracking with the emotions running through her. All her father did was laugh. As his laughter registered in her head, she realized this was not the man she remembered. This was not the father who loved her, who would save her from any harm, no matter the cost. Pain, like Riyu had never felt before, ripped through her, not only causing her mental weakness, but physical weakness as well. The simple thought of her father becoming this demon of a man was too much for Riyu to handle.

"Why? Why are you laughing at me?"

His laughter ceased, but a smirk was left as a reminder of the horrid snicker, "Still as soft and innocent as ever. That scowl on your face doesn't hide that. You're still so weak and emotional, Riyu."

She looked down, "I'm sorry that I'm not what you expected. I learned what I didn't want to become, become something, someone like you. With that, I created the perfect path for myself, and I don't care if you don't approve. I fell in love with Gaara, and he has been there for me ever since I met him. I've made the greatest friends I ever could. They became the family I'd always hoped for."

He was chuckling softly at her speech, "But they lack that of what we have, my dear Riyu. Blood. We are bonded together by blood. You're my daughter no matter what you say. Your fate has been sealed. You are, and will forever remain the daughter of the most powerful evil king."

"No! That's not true! I may be your daughter but my fate hasn't been sealed! I'm the only one who has the power to seal my own fate. And that is to marry Gaara and combine our villages into one," Riyu stated, so very sure of herself.

King Lucia laughed, "Such a pathetic illusion, my child! You always were a daydreamer. But, you should know, I will personally see to that both your villages are destroyed. Your fate is not yours to control, as you seem to believe."

Tears began to sting her eyes once again, her legs slowly giving way beneath her. She knew that she had to protect her village and Gaara with everything that was in her. But her father's words stabbed her like the sharpest of double edged swords. Her legs finally gave, causing her to drop to her knees. She covered her ears with her hands as she screamed for Gaara, letting the tears stream heavily down her face, unwilling to believe the things her father had said.