While Kiba and Akamaru were admitted to the Medical Core, Caral appeared between Leeandra and Margay. "That's it for today, everyone. Come back tomorrow when we begin!" The red-head yelled as many watchers headed for the exit, that is, except for one. Shino walked towards them because the name Salise, disturbed him. 'The one I remember?' He thought when he heard her name. Once he reached them, he almost spoke but Caral turned her hood to him and asked.
"Yes, do you need something?" A kunai she held under cloak, having to always be on guard life had taught her.
"A name was said, Salise. Do you know of her well?" The bug tamer answered.
"Yes, but who are you?" It was no surprise that some nin try to steal Salise's weapons, they needed to know her location first. The girls were keen to keep somethings about the Medazoa to themselves.
"I'll explain myself if you and your friends do the same." He glances at Leeandra and Margay.
Caral faced her fellow Hitotoki team mates, "agreed," then she turned towards the Aburame who insisted.
"I was taught that a woman should always speak before a man. Would it not be rude if I began our first meeting?"
"How polite of you-" Leeandra then interrupted Caral.
"Polite? All he said was that you go first."
The Shadow of Speed decided to ignore the loud mouth Roteorn and continued. "I am Lerush, Caral." She bowed as Margay shakily approached him.
"My name is Lerush, Margay." She gave a small smile from behind her fan as Leeandra introduced herself.
"Roteorn, Leeandra, good to see you." Her and Margay followed Caral's example by bowing. "Alright, your turn! Out with it!" She yelled, pointing at Shino, Margay stepping from the abruptness.
"Excuse me?" Shino calmly asked.
"Show some manners, Leeandra." Caral demanded just as calmly.
"Ok, I'm sorry." Leeandra rolled her hazel eyes, hand on popped out hip, she didn't care of failing at an apology. Picking her nails, she muttered. "He can kiss my chakra for all I care."
Pretending not to hear that, Shino bowed his head. "Aburame, Shino. Salise, her last name is Medazoa. I am a friend of hers."
"You got proof?" Who else but the obvious asked that?
"She wears half of a necklace like this one." Shino confirmed and rolled up his sleeve up to his elbow. There, in green, a necklace shined with the letters Share Pain.
Margay peered closer at it. "She does."
Now, time for the real question he had been waiting to asking. "Do you know where I can find her?"
XXXX
Yoshino sipped her tea, staring at the door, waiting for the return of Shikaomi. "He's been gone for sometime now." She then looked outside the window. "I'm getting worried." She had heard a rustle after he left but nothing since then.
XXXX
In Hitotoki, Leaf and Time villagers both join together to excavate into the past of the ancient history. They slammed their pick axes against a dirt wall deep underground until it started to crumble. Feeling the other side was hallow, they slammed harder, breaking the rocks apart open. Dust clouded their lungs as they coughed to clear their throats. One man raised a lantern and stepped in the room. "We found something!" An old throne which no one had sat in, carved from stone, stood much too large for the size of the average people.
The leader made her way to the front of the crowd of diggers, applauded by the details of dragons carved into the stone. "Amazing." She wanted to determined the size of the owner by taking a seat and scaling based off herself. Everyone watched how the throne turned her body into that of a child. "Whoever ruled at this spot," she calculated, looking over the features, "was at least six meters tall."
XXXX
"Sorry, but she's back at Hitotoki." Leeandra shrugged.
"Umm..." Margay lowly spoke up, "she's actually staying at the same building for participants as we are..."
"What do you say?!" Leeandra outbursted.
After whimpering, Margay nodded slowly. "H-her mother told me t-they moved back h-home."
"You kept this information private from us?" Caral asked, away from the only male in the arena.
"I t-thought you knew-hon."
Leeandra shoved Margay into the wall, annoyed slightly. "You know darn well Salise trusts you the most!" A firm grip to her shoulder from Caral stopped her from advancing any more abuse. She took her hands off of Margay with a sigh, then turned to the Aburame. "Well there you have it, Shino, Salise is-" He was gone. Changing her eyes from hazel to orange, Leeandra looked for the bug tamer, but could not. "Oh no, I don't think so! I'm not having that stranger go out to find her! If I don't know him, Salise doesn't either!"
"Why are you sounding protective over her? She's older than you."
"No she isn't- Wait, never mind, yes she is... Eh, doesn't change the fact I'm going to spy on him anyways. I need some more fun around here." With a gust of wind around her, Leenadra fled the scene.
With a simple turn of her hood, Margay understood her sister. "You would like me to watch her so she doesn't do anything too rash?"
XXXX
Thanks to the wonderful Hitotoki medicine, Ino healed in time to start her shift in her family's flower shop. She wiped the counter top when an unexpected shopper arrived. "hello. How can I help-" She lifted her head and screamed in terror, "you!"
"Ino, are you ok?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah, it's just that someone gave me a good scare." The shopper was Shino! "Hi, Shino, um... what can I do for you?" She forced a grin, trying to hide her nervousness.
"Do you have any Snowdrops? I'd like to purchase two, please."
"We do. Would you like a vase?"
"A red one."
In a garnet vase, Ino dipped the two white flowers into the water filled pot. Chills crawled all over her after the shopper paid and left. "Why did he buy flowers? He's never come by here before."
"This is very unlike him." Naruto noticed, watching the bug user from a distance outside. He started spying ever since that name bothered Shino and of course, the knuckle-head wasn't alone. He just had to drag Shikamaru along with him. "He's concerned with some girl we didn't even know."
"That some girl is our friend, idiot!" Leeandra, who was also following, over heard Naruto and almost threw a punch. Luckily, Margay caught her fist.
"Grant him the benefit of the doubt." How she hated fighting.
Unphased and thinking back to the necklace, Naruto pondered on. "Why is that thing on him? I didn't think Shino would be into jewelry."
"I'm sure he isn't. He sounded like he was against the thing when he talked about it. Like something personal happened." The Nara added his two cents in, arms folded and yawned.
"Well, let's find out!" Naruto looked over the corner only to find a street with no Aburames. "Where'd he go?"
What did you say? He can't be gone already!" Leeandra also looked with her sharpened eyes. She found animals begging for food, child with their parents and elders taking their time walking, but no brown haired, sunglasses wearing ninja. "Either my Akaigan is broken or we lost him. I'm gonna say we lost him."
"Where could he be now?" Naruto jumped onto a roof top, searching in the masses of people.
"That he's going to visit that girl, you know? He's probably headed there." The Nara reminded him. "We could just follow the way over there and try not to come across him. He could be by the antique shop by now."
"I found him!" Naruto yelled, keeping those blue eyes on the grey jacket.
"Where?" Leeandra looked up, covering her eyes from the sun.
"He passed Crazy Old Lady's shop."
"She's not crazy, she just doesn't like you breaking her merchandise." Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his temples for a second.
"Let's get a move on then!" Leeandra took a place beside Naruto. "I should lead since I'm the only one who knows where she's staying." Margay stayed close by her, silent as ever.
"We've all been to that building before, girl." Shikamaru stated after his brow twitched.
She scoffed then focused her sight on a white petal touched by the bug tamer. 'Hmm...' "Well, c'mon! I'm bored standing here!"
XXXX
Darken eyes were following the young group of nosy ninja from far behind in the trees. Blacken lips curled upwards, showing jagged sharp teeth. "Maybe he could be next." A low voice whispered from the shadows. "But we made a pact with their leader..." the creature sunk deeper in the dark, "and we must honor it..."
XXXX
Naruto hummed a theme to himself, following Shino to up Salise's room door. They all piled beside a corner, peering in as he knocked. They heard a thudding sound then her yelling.
"I order that room service an hour ago!" The door opened and she stepped out with a grumpy expression before her mind registered who is was. For a moment both of them stood still, Salise in awe and Shino... was hard to read.
Leeandra covered her mouth from giggling, trying to now blow their cover, Shikamaru rolled his eyes and gave her head a light smack. "Be quiet."
"I have these for you." Seeing as how she wasn't saying a word, Shino asked while offering the vase. "May I come in?"
The dazed girl snapped herself out of it. "Sure..." Once he entered, the door shut.
"That's not right! He could have her gagged and dead! Didn't her mom tell her to not let people in when she's alone?!" Leeandra marched her way up to the door and balled a fist but Naruto stopped her.
"Hey!" He pulled her back. "Shino's not some creep that would-" He stopped himself. "Ok, he is a creep but not that kind of creep that takes advantage of people."
Margay placed a hand on the door and felt nothing dangerous was happening. "They're just talking."
"If he does anything stupid, I'm busting in there." Leeandra backed off and crossed her arms, glaring at the door.
"Geez, calm down, girl." The Nara sighed. finding the red head's attitude out of line.
"My name is not girl ok? It's Leeandra!"
XXXX
Sitting across from each other at a dinning table, the vase as a center piece, Salise took a sip from a glass, finding a way to start conversing. "So... it's been three years, how are you, Shino?"
"I have passed the Chuuni exams and have learned new jutsus."
"I've missed you. Thanks for the flowers, not my thing but it's a nice thought."
Silence stood between them again. "Do you remember what I said to you as you left Konoha?"
She nodded, "Yes," and recited the small poem to herself.
"Waiting for you..."
As if trying to change the subject, she asked. "You know something else I've missed? Those sapphires you hide from everyone."
"You'll see them soon enough, just not right now. I have Caral to face tomorrow, it's time for me to leave."
After taking another drink, she smiled. "Try to not get hurt. She studies her opponents sometimes. I'll be watching you."
"Good-bye and thank you."
Salise gave a small wave. "Bye."
XXXX
Standing on the fin of a curling fish statue, Caral stared up into the moon, captured by its beauty. "An eclipse tomorrow." She whispered to herself, but someone else who had not expected her, heard. A soft breeze chimed the bells under her and wafted the scent of the other person. She looked below to find a ninja of the sand, walking on the roof tops.
Gaara began to stare back at the occupant of his spot.