Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Just my original characters Hana Taki , Saya Mori , Kimiko Tenkuu and Kiyoshi Hashi

Meaning of My Characters Names
Hana Taki- Blossom Waterfall
Saya Mori- Scabbard Forest
Kimiko Tenkuu- Child Without Equal Air
Kiyoshi Hashi- Quiet Bridge

Chapter 3: A Far Off Memory That's Like a Scattered Dream

After having a quick breakfast and disassembling their campsite the quartet made their way to the sand village. Once they reached the gate of the village if you could call it a gate they were stopped by a sand ninja on duty. He checked their passports before giving them okay to go in. He also told them they had to go to the customs building to sign in. The group thanked him and went on their way.

Going through customs should be an easy process. Sign here. Print there. Say cheese for this picture. Sign again here. Then you're out of there and can go about your day. Not a chance. No matter where you went in the world the custom procedures were always the same. They make the person whose visiting their country run around signing so many papers and sending them to wrong person after that when they finally finish torturing that poor visitor they are left wondering why they even came to that country. Well at least that's how it felt for Hana. No one could possible imagine the pure joy she was feeling once she walked out of the customs building with her friends. They had spent most of there morning dealing with the customs people.

"It feel's so good to be finally out of there!" Hana smiled, stretching her limbs.

"It was a little stuffy in there." Hinata commented.

"Troublesome customs people." Shika added, shaking his head.

Neji nodded his head in agreement. "Let's find our inn and have lunch. Then later we can scout out the village."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm famished!" Hana replied, happily. "What's the name of the inn?"

"Moonflow Inn."

"Oh. I know where that is follow me!" Hana answered.

"She is hungry!" Hinata laughed, before running after Hana's already disappearing form.

Neji looked over at Shika in disbelief. Shika just shrugged his shoulders before taking off after Hinata. The Hyuga prodigy sighed before following suit.

Soon enough the Hyuga's and Shikamaru caught up with Hana outside of the Moonflow Inn. The Moonflow Inn was the most expensive inn in all of the hidden villages. But it was well worth it since during a person's stay at the Moonflow Inn they were treated like royalty. Which also could be the reason why mostly royals stayed at this inn. If Hana ever met the Kazekage she wanted to thank him for paying for their accommodations.

Once the group checked into the inn they were assigned rooms. Hana and Hinata would be on the third floor room 11 while Neji and Shikamaru would be in room 12 on the same floor. They were split up for obvious reasons. The Konoha ninja unpacked their things and then shared an amazing meal. It was simply to die for.

"Hana, we're going to familiarize ourselves with the village so your free to do what you want for the rest of the day." Neji said as the waiters took away their empty plates.

"Aww! Thank you Neji!" She exclaimed, glomping him.

"You're welcome." Neji replied. Even though he's been friends with Hana for years it always took him by surprise when she did this.

"Okay then I'll see you guys around sundown. Bye!" She replied, as she grabbed her shoes and bounded out the door.

"She sure is happy." Shikamaru said, as he watched Hana jump over the garden wall and disappear from sight.

"Well she was born here after all. We would be the same way if we had come back to Konoha after such a long absence." Hinata said, softly.

"True."

"Well we have a lot to do today so let's get going."

With that said the three ninja went out to get a feel for the village.

*Meanwhile*

"Its so good to be back!" Hana sighed, taking in the warmth of the sun as she walked along. "I've missed this heat, the smells, the people, the sights. Its so good to be home!"

As she was walking she saw a store that caught her eye. It was the old bookstore she used to drag her best friend into when she still lived here.

"I wonder if it still looks the same inside? Well Neji did give me the day off so why not have a look."

The bell above the door jingled as she walked inside.

"Yep. Definitely the same!" She grinned.

"Do you need help finding anything?" A old woman from behind the counter asked.

"No, thank you. I'm just looking."

"Okay. Call me if you need me. My name's Keiko."

"I will!"

Hana walked down the aisles thoughtfully, admiring all the different books. She stopped suddenly when she saw a young man sitting in the corner reading a book attentively without a care in the world.

He had crimson spiky hair, light green eyes and pale skin for someone who lived in the sand village. The young man wore a long tuscan red coat that had a grey chest protector over it and underneath both those things was a black shirt. He was also wearing black pants with grey straps around his calf's and black ninja sandals. To Hana he looked really good looking.

The way the sun was shinning through the window on him made him look celestial like he shouldn't be walking the earth with mere mortals. Hana knew she was staring but she couldn't help it. She should have kept walking but she couldn't will herself to move and the young man seemed to be pulling not only on her heartstrings but also a place deep in her mind that was hidden from her. She wondered if they had met before.

The young man unexpectedly looked up from the book he was reading and looked at Hana. His light green eyes studied her a bit before they lit up even though the rest of his face stayed expressionless. He closed his book and stood up.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

She waved her hands in front of her embarrassedly. "Oh no. I'm fine. I just had a slow moment."

"Oh. . .Your eyes say you want to add more." He replied, coming closer to her.

"Um. Well this is going to sound extremely weird but I have this feeling I know you."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Hm. Two strangers meet in a bookstore and think they both know each other. That's a little strange." Hana smiled, before noticing what book he was reading. "You're reading that book?!"

He gave her a quizzical look before answering. ". . .Yes."

"He's a wonderful author. I've read most of his books and they are really good. He has really interesting plot twists and the characters are so easy to relate to. Sometimes I even catch myself talking to the book because I get so caught up in it. I feel like I've grown up with characters in his books like their pain is my pain. Their happiness is my happiness."

"I agree. I do the same thing. Isn't it funny how written words can bring out so much emotion in people or how they can create pictures for people?"

"It is. Not all authors can do that though so if you're reading a story that can bring out those emotions and can create a picture for you then you know you have found a great author."

"Indeed. You seem really passionate about books."

She blushed. "Yeah."

"If you don't mind me asking. What's your name?"

"It's Hana Taki." Hana smiled.

His eyes seemed to light up again and she wondered why.

"Blossom. It suits you."

"Thanks. What's your's?" She asked, hoping that maybe knowing his name would let her remember where they had met before or even at all.

"Its-"

"There you are! Kazekage, you have a meeting in five minutes. If we don't leave now you're going to be late." A girl around Hana's age exclaimed, running over to the mysterious guy.

'He's the Kazekage! Wow I thought the Kazekage was an old man.' Hana thought before really noticing the girl.

Hana knew her very well. It was Saya, one of her closest friends. She hadn't seen her since she left for an s-rank mission a few months back. Hana had never found out what the mission was since everyone said it was a secret but now she knew. Now the question was why the Kazekage needed a leaf ninja watching over him?

Hana's friend hadn't changed much in her absence. Saya had thick neck length brown hair with two long lime green tendrils of hair that came from above her ears down to her chest. She wore a one sleeved green, grey and yellow shirt with long blue gloves that had the index finger of each glove orange while the rest were blue, a silver plate with the Konoha symbol across the top of her gloved hand and orange string at the top of the glove so she could adjust the tightness of the glove. A bright orange Konoha head band was slung around her waist. She wore grey pants with a blue ninja pack strapped to her right leg and finally blue ninja sandals on her feet. Boy did she like colors!

"You're right. Thank you Saya for reminding me." He said to the girl before turning back to Hana. " It was nice meeting you Hana Taki. Would it be all right if I called on you some time in the future?"

"I would like that."

"Good. It was a pleasure meeting you." The Kazekage said, kindly.

" Likewise, Kazekage." She smiled with a bow.

"Ready Kazekage?" Saya asked, earnestly after giving Hana a wink.

"Yes, lets go." He gave a nod to Hana before leaving the store.

"Miss did you find what you were looking for?" The woman at the front desk asked.

Hana gazed at the door he walked out of with a grin on her face. "I think I did and it was unexpected."

"That's what makes life interesting."

"Sure does." She responded, before walking over to the front desk. "Do you have any books on sleep jutsus or charms?"

"I think we just might. Let's go look have a look."

Hana ended up leaving the bookstore with four books. It took a couple hours to find what books had the information she needed but it was worth. After that she continued to pop into different shops until it was time for dinner.

After dinner with her friends, Hana went out to sit on the veranda outside her and Hinata's room. Everyone else had decided to hit the sack earlier since they had received a scroll telling them to meet outside the Kazekage Mansion for a briefing on the competition. Hana would have gone to sleep too but she trouble sleeping since her mind was still excited over having met the Kazekage.

Being outside always seemed to relax so that's where she was, staring up at the stars.

"Kazekage, you are a mystery to me." She whispered. "I swear I met you before."

A soft breeze came through making the wind chimes clang together creating melodic music. Soon she fell into another flashback.

Little Hana sat in the sand holding her little bear tightly as she held back the tears that were threatening to spill. Her parents had just told her a few hours earlier that she would be going to Konoha to live with her Uncle Kakashi. Her parents said it wasn't safe for her to stay there anymore so she would be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. As soon as they finished she took off to the outskirts of the village. How was she supposed to tell him she was leaving?

"I thought you'd be here." A familiar voice said, as the owner plopped down in the sand next to her.

She buried her face in the teddy bear so she wouldn't see her friend and cry.

"You're parents didn't know where you were, Hana." He said scooting closer to her. "They're worried about you."

"I know." She mumbled.

"Hana, please look at me."

She slowly turned her face to the red headed boy who she now considered to be her best friend maybe even more than that. Just like she thought they would, the tears went spilling down her face silently. The boy immediately embraced Hana in a hug which was very uncharacteristic of him.

"I'm going to miss you, Hana."

"I'm going to miss you so much, ---. I don't want to leave."

"I know and I don't want you to go." He said, ending the hug. " I got you something so you wouldn't forget me."

He gently took one of her hands and placed a cold object in it. In her small hand was a sliver charm bracelet that had three charms. They were the sand village symbol, the kanji of love, and the kanji of friendship.

"------, thank you so much! I love it!" She exclaimed, hugging him. "I want to give you something so you won't forget me either."

She pulled away from him and held out her bear, Ichirin.

"Hana, I can't. This is Ichirin we are talking about!" He said with a shake of his head.

"I know and that's why I'm giving him to you. You love Ichirin as much as I do and I know you'll take care of him for me."

"Okay. Thank you, Hana. He'll be safe with me." He replied, hugging the bear close to him.

She smiled, getting to her feet. "Now you'll never forget me either."

She pulled him to his feet and hugged him again.

"Promise me you won't forget."

"I won't." Her friend promised, returning her hug.

"Your life is forfeit." declared two male punks with swords drawn.

They ran her through and she fall on the large stone step with blood pouring out her mouth.

"I thought our master said she'd be more difficult to subdue."

"I guess not. Let's get out of here."

"I don't think so boys." Hana announced from behind the two ninjas with a kunai pressed against both of their necks. "If you plan to kill someone please try not to be fooled by such a simple substitution jutsu."

The ninjas looked down at the ground to see a puddle of water on the stone step.

"Damn."

"Now who are you?" She inquired, trying to stay calm.

They never got to answer because they were suddenly dead on their feet. Quite literally. Hana stared at the two ninjas in shock before letting their bodies hit the ground. She had barely touched them. How did they die? Then she saw two figures across the garden.

It was a guy around her age with a dog. She cautiously placed her kunais back on her belt before walking over to him.

"Hi. I'm Hana Taki. Thanks for taking care of that for me. What's your name?"

The guy had shoulder length purple hair with matching eyes and Hana guessed him to be around 5'11. He wore a black vest with white lining, black pants, black sandals and strapped to his back were two swords. A headband clipped to one of his pants pockets clearly stated he was from the village hidden in Shadows. He looked normal enough but his dog was another story. His dog looked like a living breathing Chinese dog statue.

"Kiyoshi. This is my dog, Butters." Kiyoshi replied, coldly.

She got the vibe he didn't like to socialize.

'Butters. That's a weird name for a dog. Aw. But he does look cute.' Hana thought bending down to pat the dog.

"Don't touch him. He bit-" Kiyoshi began, before his dog tackled Hana and started licking her face happily.

Hana laughed as she rubbed Butters' back. Kiyoshi gazed at his dog with a quizzical look. Butters never let anyone touch him but Kiyoshi.

"Butters off!" Kiyoshi commanded, feeling just a tad jealous.

Butters looked sadly at his master before giving Hana one last lick before going to his master's side. Hana pulled a handkerchief from her back pocket and wiped the saliva off her face. Hana then got back on her feet and looked at Kiyoshi. She was just about to ask him why he saved her when she felt a familiar chakra come onto the scene.

"Hana, who are you talking to?" Hinata asked, stepping on to the veranda.

"Kiyoshi and his dog, Butters." Hana answered, gesturing to them as she looked at Hinata.

"I don't see anyone, Hana."

"Wait what are you-?" Hana asked, as she turned to look at Kiyoshi and his dog. "They're gone."

"Hana maybe your mind is playing tricks on you. You should come to bed."

"Yeah." She murmured, giving one more quick look for Kiyoshi before walking back to Hinata.

'Where did those bodies go. Why did Kiyoshi run off? Was I imagining everything?' She asked herself, silently as she went to where Hinata was waiting for her.

Both Hana and Hinata were unaware of the pair of eyes watching them.

"Master, the target is her. You were right. Do you wish for me to take her now? . . .Okay I'll wait till then."

And then it was done! Oh if you guys would like to see my characters for the stories go to these: .com/art/Hana-Character-Bio-51836413
.com/art/Kimiko-Character-Bio-51836224
.com/art/Saikku-Ref-51251428
My friend Ringbearer made those pictures for me a couple of years ago. I changed the last names of Hana and her friends and Ringbearer was using the name Saikku for one of her stories so we changed my Saikku to Saya. I just thought you guys should see what they look like!