One more week...okay everyone. One more week until school's out, and then summr break, and then high school. -sighs- I can't wait to get outta middle school. I'm going to a different high school then everyone else, so I won't have to deal with any of the jerks from school ever again. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, on my DA page I've started a comic for "the Violet Rose." Lol, I'm working on this story, the comics, and my original manga. XD It's a bit much, but I love doing it, and I think I even it out pleanty. Oh yeah...this one girl has been a real....well, jerk basically. She posted a picture saying, "Heres to you, Lightpaw45" and wrote a whole bunch of really cruel things. I;'ve known her since Kinder garden, and at first, I was really, really upset, but now...I really don't care. My friends all saw it and are hammoring down on her..XDDD So, yay. I didn't say anything to her. I just reported her to deviant art and printed out the submission so I can show it to the Principal at school...and she can't wiggle her way out of this one, cuz my mom emailed the link to one of my teachers. And I didn't curse her out or anything in response, so I am at no fault here. Lol.
Anyway, enough of my blabbering. Character theme songs will be posted soon, maybe in a few chapters...so, go ahead a read!
Nodoka stared out of the tent, watching Suzaku chase Seiryu around. Aki was sitting int he grass with Inami, both laughing at the god and goddess as they chased each other. Kishun was sitting in a tree, picking some fruit for dinner and Shuro was rummaging around in the girl's tent. "..." His face remained blank as he watched them all, smiling, laughing...He blinked slowly.
Sighing, the young man touched his side and sat up. His wound had healed up pretty well over the past few days, and he should be leaving soon. He would go on and look for the Jewel of Genbu, and then he would capture Aki and hunt down the Jewel of Byakko, and then give them all to Kabuto...
But what then?
This questions had been striking him repeatedly over the past week since Aki and her friends had saved him. What would he do once Kabuto had eliminated the three of them? Where would that leave him, since being as assassin for Kabuto was all he knew...?
He didn't know anymore, but he knew one thing. I need to leave...soon.
He sighed again and brushed his black bangs out of his pale face. He glanced at the group again to see that Inami was looking at him. He caught her eye and she looked away quickly. Nodoka blinked and frowned. "Weird girl..." He mumbled.
"Who is?"
Looking up again, he saw that Aki had ventured over and was glaring in at him.
He glared back. "What?"
"Did you say something to Inami?" She asked icily.
He took a deep breath. "No," He said coolly.
"I think you did! Whenever you look at her or vice versa, she freaks out!" Aki narrowed her eyes angrily. "I swear, if you did anything to hurt her, I'll gut you where you stand, and then I'll feed your insides to the dogs!"
"Scary!" He said, making a hissing sound and shaking his head.
She growled in frustration. It was taking everything she had not to smack him upside the head. "I-"
"AKI!"
They both looked around to see Kishun running up to them. He looked out of breath. "Aki, it's bad!" He panted. "I just saw it from the tree I was in-! The blond woman from a few days ago, the one with the other two guys...She's coming back this way, around your ice wall, and she has more people with her!"
"Huh!?" Aki looked at Nodoka who narrowed his eyes she hurried out of the tent, hearing footsteps behind her. She turned around and her eyes widened.
Nodoka was following her out of the tent, pulling his dark red jacket over his bare shoulders. The bandages were still tied around his chest and waist, but his silver eyes were bright with fire again.
"Get back in tehre!" Aki told him angrily.
"No." He frowned in her direction as Inami and Shuro ran up to them. "It's time I leave anyway. Suzaku," The phoenix let out a coo and flew over, landing on Nodoka's shoulder.
"Y-you're leaving...?" Inami asked, her blue eyes wide.
"Nodoka-" Shuro began, but he stopped her with a dark look, which made her shiver.
"And I will continue to hunt you," He added at Aki, eyes flickering. "I will hunt you, the other Jewels, and anyone connected to you..." His eyes ran over the other three, and Seiyru. "And I WILL capture you, and hand you over to Kabuto-sama." He closed his eyes and headed off in the direction of the ice wall Aki had made.
"Why're you going that way!?" Aki asked, turning and watching him go, unfazed by his threat.
"I'll give you a head start, out of sportsmanship," He said, not turning his back on them as he walked.
Kishun's face grew red with anger. "YOU-"
"Not now," Aki told him, watching as Nodoka vanished into the trees. "Let's clean up camp and get out of here!"
He looked at her. "B-but..."
"He's all bark and no bite," Aki concluded, turning and hurrying to roll up the tents and pack the rest of their belongings. The other two girls followed her example, and after a moment, Kishun did the same.
Temari made her way around the ice wall, Kankuro and Shikamaru behind her. They had left Otogakure after assuring that Rei, Nariko and everyone else was going to be okay, and continued their way to Ame. Temari however, decided to double back to check out those kids again.
"I still think this is a bad idea," Shikamaru droned lazily, hands in his pockets.
"I want to get a look at that girl's face," Temari concluded.
"We're going to get in trouble for being late to the mission," Kankuro told her.
"I don't care," She added through clenched teeth.
"Hey."
The three of them looked up to see a boy standing in a tree. His dark hair which fell to his neck flew around his pale, handsome face. His open jacket fluttered in the breeze, his bare chest covered by a multitude of bandages. His silver eyes glistened, and at his shoulder was a flaming crimson phoenix.
"I suggest not going that way," Nodoka said in his low, silky voice.
"Who are you?" Temari asked. Her eyes darted over the phoenix. "Are you...Could you be the Jewel of Suzaku?"
"Smart little ninja, aren't you," He said coldly, leaping down from the tree and landing in front of the three. He placed his hands on his hips. "Do not go any further this way."
"You...were there the other day, when that girl attacked us," Shikamaru observed. "You're the one who saved her, right?"
"I was simply returning the favor, but yes," He narrowed his eyes. "Do not get the wrong idea. I am no friend nor ally of hers. If anything, I am her enemy."
"Then why won't you let us go see her?" Temari asked.
Nodoka smirked. "Because she is MY prey."
"Prey?" Temari's eyes narrowed. "What-"
"I just wanted to wanted to warn you," Nodoka shrugged, before snapping. He vanished in a whirl of flames, leaving the three shinobi silent.
"If I remember correctly..." Kankuro blinked. "Back in the labyrinth...didn't Kabuto say something about his, 'little fire bird' being his secret weapon...?" Kankuro looked at his sister and brother-in-law. "That kid is the Jewel of Suzaku...could he be who he was talking about?"
"I don't know.." Temari turned and started to head back towards Konoha. "But I DO know that we need to forget our mission to Amegakure...we need to go to Konoha and tell Naruto and Gaara about this...and about that girl."
SLAM!!!!
The head crashed to the ground, blood splattering everywhere. A sea of crimson rose before Sunagakure and crashed over it like a wave...
SLAM!!!
Another head fell, sending up a shower of blood...the head was Okojo's. Another followed, and another, and another...Hinata, Temari, Shikamaru, Naruto, Michiru, Shikaru, Kankuro, Urin, Ayatsuri, Amagumo...
Two feet carried a dark figure across the sea of blood, a head in their hand. The person smiled, their white teeth glowing beneath the darkness, and they lifted the head. It was Gaara's. His pale green eyes were wide and stared ahead, fear in their lifeless depths. His mouth was slightly open, with blood trailing down his lips...The figure holding his head dropped it to the ground, and more blood splattered across the sand...
Green orbs peered out from the figure's blackened face-
Yuki screamed in sheer terror. She sat bolt upright, still screaming, her teal eyes wide and tears streaming wildly down her cheeks. She grabbed her head, her white hair being tossed this way and that. She screamed again, pulling her knees to her chest, her body convulsing with mad sobs.
"Onee-chan!" Shikaru burst into her room, his hair down and swinging around his face. He saw her and his eyes widened. "Onee-chan, Onee-chan!? What's the matter!?" He ran up to her and grabbed her arm-
Yuki looked around at him and saw that his ehad was still connected to his body. "Shi-Shika...ru...?" She grabbed his face in her hands and stared at him. "Shikaru...Shikaru..." She let out a terrified sob and pulled him into a tight embrace.
Shikaru didn't know what was going on, but he returned her hug all the same. He frowned and looked at her. "Oncee-chan, what happened?"
"I need to see Gaara-oji...I-I need to..." She breathed in a trembling voice.
"But he's in Konaha-"
"I have to see him!" Yuki said desperatly, pleading with her littlr brother. "I need to! It's of the up most importance!" She leaped to her feet and quickly got undressed. She pulled on her day clothes and tied her headband around his waist. She then proceeded to slam her things into her bags, her eyes wide.
"Yuki, don't be stupid!" Shikaru said, grabbing her arm. "You can't go!"
"I HAVE to!" She said.
He argued with her all the way out of the house and into the street. "You'll get in trouble! Leaving the village without permission is against the rules...you'll be marked down as a rogue!"
"I don't care! I NEED to talk to Gaara-oji!" Yuki snapped, her fear making her legs tremble as she walked.
"Yuki-san? Shikaru-san?"
They looked around to see Suzuku, his black hair hanging in his bright blue eyes. He looked tired, as if he had just woken up. "What's going on?" He asked drearily, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"I need to go to Konoha," Yuki said.
He blinked. "Why?"
"I had a dream."
Shikaru looked shocked. "You didn't tell me that part!" he gasped. "You had a prophecy? After all these years...is that why you screamed?"
She nodded, eyes narrowed darkly.
"P-Prophecy...?" Suzuku whispered, confused.
"Onee-chan's an oracle," Shikaru told him him. "She has prophecies that forlorn her about the future...though she hasn't had one in twelve years, ever since we lost our cousin to Kabuto, at the labyrinth."
Suzuku nodded solemnly, having been told the story multiple times by his parents. "W-was it a bad one?" He asked, looking back at Yuki.
"Very bad," She whispered, "I...I don't want to go into detail. It might be too much for the two of you."
"...." The twelve-year-old's looked at each other.
"I'm going" Yuki said finally, pulling her bag over her shoulder. "Neither of you can stop me...I HAVE to see Gaara-oji about my dream." She started to make her way towards the canyon.
"Then I'm coming too!" Shikaru declared, hurrying after her. "You're my sister, so I'm going!"
"I'll go!" Suzuku said, racing to catch up. "I need to report to Naruto-sama anyway."
Yuki stared at them both for a moment, before smiling. "Thanks you two..." She blinked, then grinned. "And I know someone else you can help us! Let's go!" She and the other two raced out of the village, in a direction Yuki knew she would find a friend.
"Who're you?"
Yuki blinked, Shikaru and Suzuku cowering behind her. They were staring up at a tall man with spiky, dark blue hair and pale, grayish-blue skin. His golden eyes stared them down curiously.
"U-uh...." Yuki took a step back, her eyes wide. "U--um...is Okojo-san here?" She asked, averting her eyes from his piercing yellow gaze. "W-we...uh, I need to talk to him for a moment...if that's okay..."
The man stared at her, before nodding. "Yeah...alright." He turned and walked into the large mouth of the cave.
"Yuki-san, what are we doing here?" Suzuku whispered.
"The guy who saved us from those nins and the collapsing ground," She told him quietly.
His eyes widened and Shikaru gave Yuki a suspicious look.
They waited for a few minutes, until the sound of footsteps came, and Okojo stepped out into the nighttime light. He blinked in surprise, his black eyes meeting Yuki's teal ones. "Yuki-chan!" He said, his tone shocked.
"Hi!" Yuki smiled at him. "Uh..."
Okojo spotted Shikaru and Suzuku and stared at them. His eyes fell on Suzuku and he gazed at him for a long time, until Suzuku retreated fearfully behind Yuki.
"W-we need your help, Okojo-san," Yuki said quickly. "We want to go to Konoha, to talk with my uncle, but it's dangerous for us to go alone."
"You want me to take you?"
"U-um..." She blushed.
"..." Okojo gave her a regretful look. "I was about to head out and find someone..."
"This is important!" Yuki pleaded. "I...I had a vision that he needs to know about!" She shivered, remembering seeing Okojo's head slam to the ground, his coal eyes staring at her, begging for help...She swallowed.
Okojo seemed to notice the panicked way she was acting, so he placed his hands on his hips. "I'll take you three to Konoha," He said, nodding.
Yuki beamed at him. "Oh thank you, Okojo-an! You know Suzuku, and this is my little brother, Shikaru."
He nodded and smiled at her. "Kisame," he said, drawing the attention of the blue man who had walked back out and now stood beside him. "Take Misago, Tsuki and Zetsu onto find the personn we were going to look for," He glanced at him. "Keep her in one spot until I get there."
Kisame stared at him, before nodding.
Okojo looked back at Yuki, Suzuku and Shikaru, and smiled. "Let's get going then, shall we?"
Michiru watched as Yuki, Shikaru, and Suzuku left the village. He frowned, his silver eyes narrowing against the darkness.
"You're letting them go?" A girl stood beside him from atop the canyon. She had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail with a green streak at the side. Her golden eyes watched him curiously.
"Yup," Michiru sighed and closed his eyes. "Yuki must have a reason."
She frowned. "But what if they get in trouble."
"They won't."
"How do you know?"
He smiled at her. "Akina...Yuki's a smart girl. So's Shikaru, and Suzuku isn't any dull light bulb either. They'll be fine."
"Well, good luck..." Akina said, rolling her eyes.
He smirked and chuckled. "Yup!"
Good chapter, I think. So, Nodoka left the group and promised Aki that he would continue to hunt her, but is he going to? Who knows. I'm not going to tell you. -points and laughs- Temari and her boys try to go back, but Nodoka stops them, warning them that Aki is his to capture. They figure out he's the Jewel of Suzaku and then head back to Konoha to talk to Gaara....WOW that dream was scary to write...-shivers- It kinda scared me writing it, but Yuki finally had another dream, so she, Shikaru and Suzuku set out together to Konoha to talk to Gaara about her dream. And Okojo's going with them...I don't know if that's such a good idea...Whay if Sasuke sees him!?!??!OMGWTFBBQ!!!!!!! XDDDD Next chapter, Nodoka thinks about what he should do more, and the gang continues on their way to Amegakure!!! SEE YOU NEXT TIME!!!