A crack in the ground ran across a field of sand and dirt as the black and red-striped metal fan smacked into the ground. The owner lifted it out of the ground and opened it to about two-thirds so you saw two blue moons imprinted on the fan. With a flick of her wrist, she created a dust storm. The dust funnel went on and on as Ryume's brown hair flew about her crazily. Her eyes were closed and she was concentrating her chakra while the dust swirled around her.
"Isn't that dangerous?" A voice said from behind her.
She opened her eyes and the dust storm settled as she turned around. She was startled. "Hikuro? What are you doing here?"
Hikuro rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "I was just doing my daily rounds checking everything. And I just happened to see you here, is all." He said as casually as he can.
"I see." Ryume said and closed her fan. She was quiet for a moment as she stared into space. "I'm sorry about earlier. None of you had to see it."
Hikuro looked back at Ryume with curiosity and confusion in his eyes. He noticed Ryume's discomfort and replied as reassuring as he can. "Oh, that, don't worry about it. I bet the guys forgot all about it. Yeah, they're probably back to work right now." He tried, but with his calm voice.
Ryume looked at Hikuro. "Really?" She asked as she looked into his eyes.
Hikuro felt hot and looked quickly away. Well at least I cheered her up a little bit. Better than being sulky, I guess. "Uhh, sure." He said. "So, why don't we head back before you kill yourself?" Then he stopped. Why did I say that? That's not going to make it any better!
Then he heard laughing. He looked back at Ryume with a faint pink face and found her laughing. "Haven't you figured it out, even now? I fight with wind using my fan. Come on, of all people, you should know that." She started back to camp.
"What makes you think I'd know it?" Hikuro asked mysteriously as he followed.
"Well," Ryume started then giggled before she continued, "I guess it's because I thought you'd be brighter and would've known just from a single glance."
"So, what, you're saying I'm not bright?" Hikuro asked playfully.
Ryume laughed again and held her palms up in defense. "Don't take it the wrong way, I meant that you looked like the kind of guy that would know from a single glance. And I was right." She said and smiled happily. And it was a real smile.
Hikuro looked at Ryume with an eyebrow raised and grinned, "Oh, is that right? What, is it my charms that you're falling for? Ow!" Hikuro rubbed his arm as Ryume punched him playfully.
"Yeah right. I wouldn't like a guy that gets hurt that easily anyway!" Ryume said and couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"Are you saying that you could beat me?" Hikuro challenged as she grinned even more.
"Why couldn't I?" Ryume threatened, although, it didn't work too much because she was still laughing.
"Because you're a girl!" Hikuro said with a tone in his voice on the word 'girl'.
"Yeah, a girl from the Leaf Village." Ryume teased. They both laughed some more and finally arrived at the camp. Both of their sides were hurting from laughing so hard. As the two came closer, the other ninja on Ryume's team looked curiously at the two and whispered to each other.
Ryume stopped laughing straightened herself out. "Okay." She sighed. "Back to work, I guess." Hikuro agreed and they went their separate ways. Ryume went inside her tent and jumped in surprised as Sasuke spoke to her from the side of the tent flap, so she wouldn't have seen him.
"Not much of a mission because you're having so much fun, huh?" His eyes were calm but Ryume knew he was angry.
"You can try to make it have a better environment, though." Ryume replied. Then she stayed silent as she heard Sasuke "Tsch". "Is there something wrong, Sasuke?" she asked a she reached to put a hand on his shoulder.
Sasuke shrugged her hand off and said angrily. "I told that guy to stay away from you."
Ryume was confused. "Why? There's nothing wrong with him."
"And how do you know that? Oh, my bad, you two were probably bonding while you were gone. Tsch. Whatever." Sasuke started outside angry.
Ryume reached out for him, "Sasuke! Wait! Please, you don't understand."
"The only thing he's right about is the fact that you say please too much. You're too polite. It's going to kill you one day. Idiot…"
Ryume stopped her hand in midair and froze. She watched Sasuke exit the tent but pause and growl on the way out. She didn't bother to find out why. She just sank to the ground and hung her head. "What if he's right…?" She half mumbled half whispered to herself. "What if they're all right? I am an idiot…"
"Don't worry about it. Don't let it get to you too much either." A voice said gently.
Ryume looked up with almost watery eyes and met Neji's eyes as he bent down in front of her. "Neji…" she whispered.
Neji spoke softly, "It's okay. Oh, please don't cry." He said as he rubbed Ryume's cheek with his hand as a tear slid down. Then he spoke softer than a whisper. "Please don't cry." Ryume sniffed and rubbed her eyes, looking up at Neji who was looking at her sadly. "I'm so sorry." He whispered.
"Oh, you didn't do anything wrong." Ryume said as she tried to stand up. "I'm just not thinking straight." She said but and wobbled as she tried to regain balance.
Neji went straight to her side and held on to her. "Are you okay?" Ryume nodded. "Are you sure?" He asked again. Ryume smiled softly and nodded again.
"Neji, you're the best." Ryume said suddenly. Neji wasn't expecting it and turned five shades of red. He smiled awkwardly and helped Ryume back upright. Ryume took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Okay." She began. "Let's get this mission over with for sure this time."
Neji followed Ryume out and they both stopped at the exact same time. Ryume's eyes were alert. "Neji, do you sense it?" Neji nodded. "Try using your Byakugan."
"Already on it." He said and scanned the area.
"Everyone!" Ryume yelled so all the ninja could hear. "It seems we have some unwelcome guests. Let's ask them to leave, shall we?" The ninja got the point and some got ready while other grinned and were already prepared for battle. Ryume went back to Neji, "How many?" She asked.
"Around twenty-five." He said. "That's quite a bit. And before you ask," Ryume closed her mouth. "They're the only attacking group and are only advancing to this particular spot. They must want something in specific."
Ryume agreed and got everyone assembled. "So you don't need to go back to your camp/post?" Neji replied with a no and also got ready. Ryume started to look around frantically. Neji noticed.
"What is it? Is there something wrong?" He asked urgently.
Ryume bit her lip. She hesitated, "No, it's nothing. Come on, let's get in front of the group," She said as she walked across the group of ninja so she can get a good view from the cliff. Peering down, she braced herself as the invaders advanced to the top of the cliff that surrounded the Sand Village. Neji stood beside her and watched as Ryume took out a kunai. Ryume wrapped a paper bomb around the hilt of the weapon. She threw it to her left and waited until an explosion sounded. It came and most of the cliff collapsed and while it was running down the cliff, it took down three ninja. "What is your business here?" Ryume yelled as the noise of the cliff resided.
"We have something that belongs to you." Replied a ninja. "Put down your weapons and we won't harm it."
"What is he talking about?" Neji asked.
Ryume just continued to keep her focus as the ninja continued to come up the mountain of dirt and sand. "I don't know." She mumbled. "Maybe we should negotiate with them?" She said unsurely.
Neji hesitated but then ended up nodding his head. "Yes. It won't hurt to see what they have as hostage, we may even get some information out of them."
"Yeah." Ryume mumbled. She called back down to the ninja, "All right. You may advance to the top of the cliff to negotiate. But one false move and we'll make ours!"
"Right back at you girl." He (the ninja) replied.
Ryume raised an eyebrow at his response. Then she said to half herself and half to Neji. "That's an odd answer."
Neji was also a bit startled at the answer and started to back away with Ryume as the ninja stepped on top of the cliff. About one-fourth of the group were huddled together around, what seemed, the hostage. "What do you have there?" Neji asked.
The leader of the group grinned and motioned for the ninja to clear so Ryume and Neji could see. "He was becoming a nuisance so we had to quiet him down a bit." He said and stepped back. Ryume gasped.
A ninja was holding Hikuro by the hair and wasn't being careful of the pressure and headaches he had. He had a tight sash around his head and it was so tight it went inside his mouth and was gagging him. But what Ryume really noticed was all the bruises and the trickle of blood all over him. His clothes were torn in different places and the only way he wasn't fainting from exhaustion was his refusal to give up. If the ninja hadn't been holding him up by the hair, he would've collapsed and wouldn't have gotten up for a long time. But, unfortunately, he was forced to keep hid head up by his long dark hair.
Hikuro looked up at the frightened brunette and her widened green, emerald eyes. His eyes never left hers as he was thrown to the ground by the ninja behind him. He escaped her gaze as the ninja stepped on his back, crushing him. Grunting in pain, he coughed up blood from a possible broken rib. The ninja flipped him over so he was on his back and clutched his stomach in pain.
Ryume had gone to frightened to furious. "Who do you think you are to do that to him? Let him go! He never did anything to you!
The leader chuckled and Neji gritted his teeth. "Shouldn't you show us more respect when your friend's life is on the line?" The ninja said. Hikuro grunted again as a foot met his gut.
Ryume roared. "Stop it! Do anything else like that again and I won't hesitate to attack!"
"Oohh, I'm so scared! What's the cute little girl gonna do to me? Oh, help me!" The ninja leader laughed in amusement. "How about we take care of this like civilized people and talked about this? Yes? All right, then. Let's start with our names. My name is Nushi. And what's the pretty lady's?"
Ryume glared at him and replied angrily. "Ryume Kazemizu." Nushi flinched at 'Kazemizu'.
"Neji Hyuuga." Neji said.
Nushi looked at Neji as if he just now noticed him. "I didn't ask for yours." Neji glared at him but kept quiet.
Ryume went straight to the point. "What do you want? And what are you doing here?"
Nushi turned back to Ryume and smiled evilly. "Shouldn't you know by now? We are the 'thieves', as the Kazekage said. We were going to get some more jewels but…" He paused and stared at Ryume. She glared even harder at him. "I think we'll have something else to fetch before we leave…" He said and grinned his biggest one yet.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ryume asked. "What do you want for you to let go of Hikuro?"
"Hmm…" Nushi put a finger to his chin and acted like he was in deep thought. "Well, that's an easy one. But, I'm not going to tell you." He said and chuckled.
Ryume growled. "I'm warning you!" But her response was even more soft laughter from the group. Then she said sinisterly and yet quietly, "All right, you asked for it." She raised her right hand and moved it to her back, getting ready to bring out her fan.
And that was the signal.
All of a sudden, Ryume's group of ninja attacked the opposing side and clashed. Ryume ran straight to Hikuro and knocked out the ninja who had another fist-full of Hikuro's hair in his hand. He fell to the ground but Ryume caught him in time. "Hikuro!" She called urgently. "Please! Are you okay? Say something!"
"Behind you…" He gasped out. Ryume looked behind her and dodged a stab from a kunai. She rose to her feet with Hikuro at her feet. Taking out shuriken, she flung them at the ninja, which he dodged.
Suddenly, Ryume felt her arms being grabbed as they were pulled behind her so she was captive to the holder. A voice sounded in her ear. "Now, what's a girl like you doing out here in the danger? It's not safe." And he chuckled. Nushi.
"What's with you and girls?" Ryume managed to growl out. Her hair was suddenly pulled back and she yelped in pain. Then, the pain subsided and her hair was released. So were her arms. She looked around and saw Neji facing Nushi, Byakugan activated.
Neji called out to her. "Hikuro is captured again! He's being dragged to the edge of the cliff, hurry!"
Ryume quickly looked towards the edge and, sure enough, saw Hikuro being dragged to the edge. "Oh no you don't." He yelled and kicked the ninja straight in the jaw. He yelled in pain and collapsed, holding his jaw in agony. Ryume helped Hikuro up, "Are you okay?" She asked.
"Behind you." He said again. Then he gritted his teeth and sat upright without Ryume's help. "I'll be fine." He said, and faced the eight ninja behind Ryume. She turned around and held out her arm to stop Hikuro from charging.
"I'll handle this. You need to rest." She said sternly but kindly. He opened his mouth to argue but was interrupted. "Don't argue. Please do as I say." Ryume said and smile warmly at Hikuro.
Hikuro made a face saying 'you're kidding right?' Then he said, "There you go using your politeness again. You're ridiculous." Ryume watched his strangely but then saw a smile start to creep on his face. He smiled and gave him thumbs up.
Hikuro stood back and clutched his side as he watched Ryume kick and punch her foes. She had gotten rid of seven of them when even more started to attack her at once. She was now sweating and had a very deep gash in her left leg. She did her best to stop the attacks but it wasn't enough. She got punched in the back and lurched forward, then a knee met her gut and she coughed up blood and gasped as the wind was taken out of her.
She staggered and held her gut, weak as her knees bent, unable to hold herself up. It was getting harder for her to breath. Raising her right arm to take out her fan she was grabbed and thrown to the ground. She coughed up blood again and didn't bother to move. She heard laughter above her and gritted her teeth in frustration.
Damn it! Why can't I fight them off? I need more training! She told herself. But it didn't help. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted, luckily, not by the hair, but by her collar and was forced to stand. She looked at her holder and met the eyes of Nushi. Neji was fending off more ninja and was trying to get to Ryume, unsuccessfully.
"Time to say bye-bye." Taunted Nushi, then, the next thing Ryume knew, she was being flung off of the cliff with nothing to grab onto.
It all happened so fast.
"RYUME!" Neji screamed, but as he did, a ninja came up from behind him and knocked him out by thrashing him on the side of his head. Neji and Hikuro's last sight was Ryume falling down to her death with her hand outstretched in front of her, not screaming but gaping at the thought of her dying.
Sasuke watched as his half cousin fell off of the cliff in horror and roared as he raged towards the cliff, bracing himself.