Chapter 2: Travelling

It had been half an hour since she had set off to Konoha. The sun was burning down even stronger now. Yuki walked at a steady pace now, the sand burning under her feet. Stupid shoes had to be open at the front so that the sand could come into her shoes, slightly burning her feet and annoying her to no end. She didn't know how other shinobi could stand it and just tried to ignore the feel of the burning nuisance. It would be another two hours until she finally reached the forest that marked the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Sand.

So far nothing had happened. She hadn't had any difficulties with sandstorms or thieves crossing her path. She would really appreciate it if it would go on like this, but just as she had finished that thought, the wind picked up and sand began to fly around wildly. 'Great. Speak of the bad things and they will happen,' Yuki thought to herself as she looked around for shelter to wait in until the storm was over. She spotted a cave not too far away and began running towards it, the sand slapping against her bare arms and legs, making them sting. Finally reaching it, she put her bag against the wall and sat down beside it, rubbing her legs and arms. They were slightly red and still hurt, but the pain would dissipate in some minutes. She took out a bottle of water and drank some. She couldn't collapse in the middle of the desert because she didn't drink enough. It would be a stupid mistake. Everyone who lived in the desert knew that they had to drink a lot, else they'd dehydrate.

Finishing, she put the bottle back into her backpack and looked outside. The wind was howling, the sand flying around and obscuring her view. She could barely see three meters far. It would be far too dangerous to go out now and try to continue her way. People often enough died because they underestimated the desert and its sandstorms, trying to continue their way and then getting lost. She had often enough heard of such cases, always thinking that the victims were fools for even thinking about it. But now she realized that she herself was thinking about the possibility. Judging from the strength of the wind, the storm could go on until the next day. 'Great. That means I will arrive one day later than planned. That's not good. I bet father will be displeased when he hears from the Hokage that his daughter still hasn't arrived. But I can't do anything about it, so I might as well sleep to recover some energy.' She relaxed and laid down, trying to get to sleep. Something in the back of her mind told her that this was a bad omen, but she brushed it off and finally went to sleep.

She awoke the next morning to the early sunrays that found their way into the cave. She got up and stretched her sore muscles, the stone floor not being the most comfortable bed to sleep in. Looking outside she could see that the storm hadn't ended all too long ago, the traces of it still visible. She quickly ate some bread that she'd taken with her as breakfast, drank some water and then hoisted on her bag again, continuing her way to Konoha. Because she hadn't come very far due to the storm it would take her at least three days to get to Konoha.

After walking for several hours she finally reached the border. It was funny how the trees suddenly came out of nowhere and grass covered the ground instead of sand. The forest was much more alive, birds singing and flowers growing everywhere. It was the complete opposite of the desert. 'Finally, the Land of Fire. If I hurry I can be in Konoha in two days.' She began walking again, her pace faster than before. Walking on solid earth and grass was much easier than walking on sand where you would always sink in. She began thinking about Konoha and wondered what it would be like. She'd never left Yuga once like many other villagers.

'I heard a lot of rumors about it. People say that it's far bigger than our village and the people are all friendly. I think they also have some pretty strong clans. Let's see…it was the…Hyuuga and the…the Uchiha clan. But I think the Uchiha are a bit stronger than the Hyuuga. They have that special technique. What's its name again? The…the Sharingan! Yeah, that was the name. I heard that their eyes get red when they use it. People say that they look like demons then. I wonder if that really is true. They can't look that scary, right?' Her thoughts however were interrupted by the clattering of weapons and the voices of men. They had to be close, so Yuki decided to hide behind some bushes and wait until they were gone. If they were bandits then they would surely attack her and she didn't want to have any other interruptions. She quietly knelt down a few feet away from the group of men. It must have been about 20 males, all caring swords at their sides and wearing menacing faces. She only hoped that they wouldn't notice her.

"Damn, only this little?!"

"We're sorry. The damn village was so small and poor that there wasn't much to take. And on top of that some damn Konoha nin passed by and interfered. We had no other choice but to leave!"

'What are they talking about?'

"Don't worry boss," another voice said. "It won't be long 'till we reach the desert. I heard there's that village that has tons of gold. They don't have any shinobi so it'll be easy prey." There was silence again until the leader talked.

"Well what are we waitin' for then. Get your ass movin' and start walkin'. There's a treasure waitin' for us!" He laughed cruelly and the group cheered, beginning to walk toward the desert. Yuki held her breath when some men were passing close by, praying that they wouldn't see her. Unfortunately, she brushed a branch and made a small rustling noise, making one of the men stop.

"Did you hear that?"

She froze. If they found her then she would definitely be killed. She clamped her hand over her mouth, desperately trying to not make the slightest noise. She heard footsteps coming closer to her and felt her heart beating like mad, hearing the drumming of it in her ears. She was sure that the man could hear it and cursed inwardly.

"Come on Ryosuke, you're imagining things!"

"Yeah, you're probably right."

The footsteps got away again and Yuki stayed perfectly still until she could only hear the birds' singing. She fell backwards and took long deep breaths, trying to calm her heart. It had been so close. If the man had taken one more step he'd have found her.

'God that was too close. But when they were talking, they said something about a village with tons of gold. They couldn't have possibly meant Yuga?! And if they did, then the village is in deep trouble. I have to get to Konoha as fast as possible and tell the Hokage! He must do something!' With that thought in mind she practically ran the rest of the way which were five hours. When the guards at the entrance to Konoha saw her, they immediately stopped her.

"Stop! Who are you?!"

"Yuki Shigure…Yuga…I need to see the Hokage immediately," she replied between breaths.

"No one gets to see the Hokage without an appointment. Show us your admission!"

"Listen, the Hokage knows that I have an appointment with him. Just ask him!"

"We'll do exactly that," one of the guards said as he made a few signs and then there was a 'poof' and smoke was where he stood not a second ago. After about five minutes he reappeared with another shinobi at his side. This one was slightly younger than him and had brown hair and matching eyes.

"It's okay, you can pass. Tachi will bring you to the Hokage," the guard said while gesturing to the shinobi at his side.

"If you would follow me."

"Yes, and can we please hurry? It's urgent."

"Of course. This way." With that said, they hurried through the busy streets and into a large building at the back of the city. Tachi knocked at a wooden door and when a 'Come in' came, he opened it for Yuki to go in and closed it behind her. She bowed when she was inside and looked up again to see a desk with piles of paperwork on it. Behind it sat a man with spiky blond hair, busily signing the papers. He looked up and smiled at her, putting the brush away.

"So you must be Yuki Shigure from Yuga, right?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I came here in the name of my village to ask you for something." She reached into her backpack and pulled the scroll she'd received from her father out, handing it to him. He read it in silence and when he was finished, put it aside and looked at her.

"You want protection for your village? From Konoha? Why not Suna? It's far closer than our village."

"I don't know the reason for it. My father - I mean the leader of Yuga said that it was not important for the mission."

"I see. Well I can certainly understand why Yuga would need protection. But I have to first discuss with the council about this. In the mean time you can stay here. We have a room prepared for you. Also, because you are the daughter of the leader of Yuga you will be having a bodyguard."

"A bodyguard?"

"It's just to make sure nothing happens to you. I don't think that he will be needed, but it's just in case that something might happen. You will also be living together with him for the time that you are staying here. Don't worry; he's one of the best, so you can relax."

"Alright. But before I leave, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"On my way here I encountered a group of bandits. They were talking about Yuga and I fear that they will attack my home. They were a large group and heavily armed. I don't think that my village could defend itself if it were to be attacked by those bandits."

"I understand your concern. I will send a team to Yuga to investigate. Don't worry," he said with a kind smile.

"Thank you so much Hokage-sama."

"Oh please. You can call me Minato. No need to be so formal."

Yuki was a bit surprised at this but slightly smiled and nodded.

"Am I too late?" Suddenly, there was a boy with a mask on the windowsill on the left side of the room.

"Ah Shisui. You're right on time, but how about you use the door for once?"

The boy got down from the windowsill and walked towards Minato and Yuki. He wore a mask with the design of a cat, a gray vest, a black t-shirt with a high collar and black pants. He had black standard shinobi shoes, arm protectors on his forearms and a katana strapped to his back.

"You know me Minato."

Yuki looked at the Hokage with a confused look, surprised that an underling would talk like that with their superior. In her village, things were entirely different than here. Even her brother and she had to address their father with 'Shigure-sama'. Seeing her confused look, minato introduced the boy to her.

"Yuki, this is Shisui Uchiha. He will take care of you while you're here. He's an ANBU and, as I said before, one of the best, so you don't have to worry about anything."

"Hey. As Minato said, I'm Shisui. What's your name?"

"I'm Yuki Shigure. Pleased to meet you." She bowed to him and then looked over to Minato again.

"Shisui, while you're with Yuki you won't need to wear your ANBU gear and mask. You can take the mask off now if you want to."

"Thank God. It's so warm under this thing that I'm almost suffocating," he exclaimed dramatically as he removed the mask. 'He is handsome, I'll give him that,' she had to admit upon seeing his face without mask. He had dark onyx eyes which were framed by dark eye lashes. His hair was tousled and messy, creating a carefree air about him. Give his personality, he most likely was a carefree person. She noticed another thing now that he stood beside her; he was at least a head taller than her. She wasn't small but he was still taller than her!

"If there isn't anything else you want to discuss, then you two can go. I'm sure you're tired from the long travel Yuki."

"Yes."

"Alright, follow me, I'll bring you to your new home," Shisui said with a grin, opening the door. She quickly nodded and exited the room, waiting for Shisui to lead the way. They went through several streets, Shisui talking about her new home and she silently listening.

"I forgot to ask; how old are you?" Yuki looked at him with quizzical look, not really understanding why he would want to know her age. Was it important?

"You don't have to tell if you don't want to. I'm 19."

"No, it's okay. I'm 18 years old," she said a bit shyly. She wasn't used to boys other than her brother and never had a boyfriend before. It made her kind of nervous to be alone with Shisui.

"That's only one year younger than me. Do you have any siblings?"

Again, she didn't understand why he would want to know.

"Yes, a little bother. He's 12."

"Cool. I don't have any siblings, but my cousin Itachi is like a little brother. I'll introduce you to him once we have time. Oh, we're here."

Yuki looked up to see a small house. It was considerably smaller than her house in Yuga, but she still liked it. Hers was cold whereas this one had a warm and welcoming air about it. On its front was a symbol she didn't know, but she supposed it was the symbol of the Uchiha clan. They went inside and up a few stairs before stopping in front of a door.

"This is your room. The bathroom's inside. My room's directly opposite yours, so if anything's the matter just call and I'll come."

"Thank you." She opened the door and examined the room. It was small but still comfortable. It had a nice looking bed with a closet on the left side of the room. Next to the bed, which was on the right side of the room, was a small nightstand and next to that was a window, overlooking most of the Uchiha compound and giving view over the city and the rock with the faces of the previous Hokages on it. All in all, she really liked it.

"Dinner will be ready in one hour."

"Would it be okay if I didn't eat with you?" she hesitantly asked, knowing it was not polite to skip dinner without even greeting Shisui's mother.

"No problem. You sure must be tired as hell when you're even skipping dinner. I wish you a good night then." She only nodded and as soon as the door was closed, she threw herself onto the bed and immediately went to sleep. Having run to Konoha took all the energy from her and now she only wanted to sleep.

So this is chapter two. Sorry it took a little while, but with school and homework it's hard to find time to write o on this. But I'll try to update at least once a week or so. It could be that it sometimes takes longer because I have to study for a test but I'll somehow manage. As always, reviews and ideas are greatly appreciated. Tell me what you think about the story. Wish you a good time then and 'till the next chapter. Bye!