.Visitors .

I've been working on this fic for quite a while, hoping to reach somewhat perfection. It's not written to match the series in particular. This serie also includes my own two characters Serge and Ryuu. They are well used in fic's and have a story of their own. Though nothing you particularly need to know.

Well now, ON with it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto series or anything/one (And if I where, the series would so be 18 ;D)

Chapter One: One who walks by

It was summer in the Hidden village of the Fire Country. There was no vacation for the Academy students aiming to become Genins by the turn of autumn. Even by playing their childish games they practiced different ninja skills.

There were many strangers in the village at this time of year. It was a time when Ninjas had the least to do. Especially in daytime. Everyone was smiling and laughing with each other. It almost looked to be the perfect place to be.

Though there were two strangers who weren't there to visit friends. Or to conduct business of any kind. They were merely passing by and resting up. They didn't talk much, or smile a lot. It was a man and a woman. Not a couple. You didn't need to know them to see that they weren't lovers.

They walked next to each other, though the keen eyed would see that the woman was careful to walk just a small inch after him. Respect, the most would guess. And it was more or less true. They were Master and apprentice, you could say. Even if they wouldn't call the relation that themselves.

They reached a town square where a huge crowd had gathered. While the man kept his eyes straight the woman looked around. She noticed that in the middle of the crowd there was a round ring.

Apparently a tournament had been set up between the graduates of the summer Academy students. It had been a tough year for the students. A new teacher had just started when the new class had begun. A quite well known woman. One with a temper like a roller coaster ride. Haruno Sakura was her name. It was about ten years since she had been one of those children herself. Since that time she had experienced so very much. But she had come to the conclusion that she liked it better to stay in the village and take care of others than to be the one to be taken care of.

Such as Uchiha Sasuke. The man she had loved for years. Well… she together with the rest of the women in their former class. He was watching the whole tournament to. Only from a higher place, away from the crowd. After finally becoming a Chuunin then a Jounin he had joined the Anbu. And he was rather satisfied with it. Though as an unmarried 23-year-old the issue about rebuilding his clan had to be solved, which wasn't easiest task to serve.

There was also a second man watching Sakura's students. After they had graduated, about a month away, he would take care of three of them, potentially. Uzumaki Naruto had soon after his promotion to Jounin become a special Jounin, specializing in facing strong enemies. Right now he was one of the strongest Ninja's in the whole village. And he often worked under the talented Uchiha.

As the stranger girl across the square raised her eyes, the blond haired man also made a laugh and raised his head. Accidentally their eyes met and suddenly the woman stopped. Naruto also stopped the conversation he was holding and returned her gaze.

She didn't understand, he didn't understand. Why did they keep watching each other? The eye contact wasn't special of any kind. No tension, no passion they just kept… watching.

"Ryuu." The woman heard her travelling companion call her.

Though she made no effort in paying attention to him.

"Ryuu." He said more firmly and grabbed her upper arm. "We're moving."

She tore herself away from the eye contact and met the man's. He let go of her arm and they started walking away from the square. She didn't even turn her head around to look at him again. Naruto followed her until she was out of sight.

"Wow… what was that?" Kiba, another one of his old classmates, asked. He had noticed what had happened a moment ago. And his dog, Akamaru, joined in with a barf.

"I have no idea…" He said, just as confused himself. "I've never even seen her before."

"She didn't look as if she was from around here. Not the man either."

"The man?" Naruto questioned and turned his head to Kiba.

"What? You didn't even notice him?"

"No…"

"Man… you really were out of it."

"FOR CHRIST SAKE MIZU! Move your ass!" Sakura suddenly screamed.

Naruto and Kiba stared at her a little horrific. And the dog by Kiba's side slightly whimpered in fear. When she turned towards them she just smiled.

Someone had a temper all right…

- Later the same day, at a motel…

The unknown woman was standing out at the balcony in a light, long and black robe. Tightly swept around herself. She was looking over the village. 'Village' she slightly snorted to herself. It was larger than suitable to be called a village. It was a well-hidden village. She had never been here before.

The wind increased for just a slight moment and her travelling partner stepped out on the other balcony. He was a rather normally grown man, with features to be around 20. About 170-180 centimeters tall. Weight around 70 kilos. A more or less suntanned body, midnight blue hair and red eyes. Handsome… nonetheless.

"I think he's a demon…" The woman suddenly spoke.

"The boy you were looking at?" He asked, not turning his face towards her.

"Mm." She nodded slightly.

"Why?"

"It's just a feeling. I can't explain it any other way."

"This area has been calm for quite a while. It's possible, but not likely."

"I told you… it's just a feeling."

"Anyway… We're not here to hunt down demons." He said grabbing the banister.

"I know." She turned around and jumped up to sit on the banister. She stared down at the ground before her and sighed lightly. "But I'm getting bored."

"You'll be able to still your blood as we get there."

"And you?" She asked and he looked over at her. She smiled faintly before she turned her head up towards him. "Where are you going tonight?"

"I'm just checking out the road ahead." He said taking his eyes off her.

"Hah…" She snorted vaguely. "Aren't my abilities better for that?" She asked still holding her eyes on him. "I can stay in the air longer than you after all." Her voice was slightly taunting.

"Perhaps." He answered quickly and looked at her again. "But your 'help' is not needed."

She frowned lightly and jumped down from the rail to walk inside. His eyes followed her until she had closed the door. He shook his head lightly and soon he was off, moving out from the village just as fast as a Ninja.

When he had disappeared her door opened again. Now she was fully dressed and smiled a contented smile.

"Then again… who's gonna stop me when you're not around." She took a grip on the banister and jumped over to smoothly land on the ground below.

She was dressed in dark clothes. Though they were not black, only deep, deep blue. They were rather tight and offered high agility. As a top she wore a simple top with a quite high cleavage and without arms. And a long coat offering her a certain mysterious aura. Her hair was faintly red and reaching to her shoulders, perhaps a little longer. It seemed to have a slight smell of burned wood. But only vague. She had a proud face, almost gleaming of self-confidence. Though the only thing that might gleam was her eye. Her steel gray eyes easily caught the moon- and starlight.

She started to head towards the square where she had seen the boy earlier that same day. She had no rush so she walked in quite a normal pace. When she reached it, it was desolate. She placed her hands in her pockets and started to walk towards the middle of it. There were no sign of what had happened earlier this day. These Ninja villages were always beautiful. She stopped in the middle of it. Of course she couldn't see the young boy there. She didn't expect it either.

However she noticed other eyes at her. She couldn't see them, but she knew they were there. Ninjas watching the village at night perhaps. She smiled amused.

"Why don't you just show yourselves…?" She shouted. She sought for battles as other sought for love. Though she hang around it as a one-night stander. And instead of sex it was the fighting she was after, nothing else.

Seconds after her voice had spread through the square and the ally's five men were standing around her in a circle. Her smile grew.

"So, how do we do this? One at a time or everybody at once?"

"Who are you?" Asked one of them.

"Why are you here?" Asked another.

"Jeez… how much do you need to know to fight?" She sighed. "Don't worry I won't kill you…"

"We are not here to fight-"One of them started but the woman cut him off.

"Too bad… Cause I am." And faster then the man could cope with she had pulled her left hand out of her pocket and thrown a shuriken at his shoulder, which impacted. "These Ninja tools are quite handy… aren't they?" She commented.

And that action served as a starting shot for the others. The one who had spoken first of them plunged at her and attacked her. Though he had serious trouble to even land one single blow. And she hadn't even taken out her right hand. She took a firm grip around his wrist and twisted it hard so he was forced to drop to his knees.

"Come on… Give me a challenge already."

And she knocked the guy out with her right hand. When she turned around the four of the other was already rushing towards her. She smiled and raised her right hand. Above it a faint glow shone and she waited, waited, just to the last second and she jumped up a few meters from the ground and aimed her hand towards it.

"I hope you like fireworks, Hanabi!"

(It's the name of the attack. Hanabi also mean fireworks in Japanese, or directly translated to Fireflower.)

A blinding flash spread through the Town Square. And when the light shattered to once more become night, there laid five men. Beaten to unconsciousness. All except one. The woman emerged from the shadows to walk up to him and grab him by his clothes. She held his face towards hers and demanded.

"Who is the blue eyed boy with blond hair, probably strong and with orange outfit?"

"I don't know who you're talking about." He answered; his voice was rather husky. The woman tightened her grip and his clothes tightened around his throat.

"Well think harder." The man shook his head and the woman took out a knife, holding it in front of his face. "I'm not afraid of killing people you know. And I already know from your heartbeat that you know the name of this man. So spill it." She placed the edge across his cheek, and he felt that the steel was warm rather than cold.

"Alright, alright… His name's Uzumaki…" He swallowed hard. Telling himself that the only reason he was spilling this was because the man she was searching for could handle himself… and hopefully her. "…Naruto."

"Good Boy. My name's Ryuu… remember to tell him that." She whispered and slammed the grip of the knife across his head so he too would faint.

She rose and stretched her head from left to right.

"And let him run to me." She smiled and placed her hands in the coat pockets again. Her smile died out with a sight and she started to walk away.

She really used to smile a lot. Not anymore. Well, not since quite a while actually. Not since she was a little girl. Now she just smiled when she felt a certain feeling. And it wasn't a feeling people normally had, or liked. To be stronger than others. To be able to look down at them without being taller. To totally ruin their lives. But still she preferred to kill them. Ever since shooting her stepfather's and stepbrother's killer she had had a special taste for killing. Quite bizarre, evil, however you wanted to express it. She couldn't help it really; it was in her blood and soul.

- The same night, at an apartment…

"Well that… Sucked…"

"Agree… lets never watch a foreign drama… ever… again."

Sakura laughed as she rose from the couch and squatted in front of the video to wait for the tape to pop out. Naruto sank deeper into it and made himself more comfortable be adding a pillow to his back. She grabbed the tape and put it back in its case. She let it lay in front of the video as she resorted back to the couch and grabbed the remote. After changing the channel a few times she sighed and looked over at Naruto.

"Hey…"

"Huh?" He met her eyes.

"Sasuke-Kun told me you were looking at someone at the tournament today."

"Yeah." He said considerate, with eyes dropping to the floor.

"So… who was it?" She wondered cheerful.

Of the trio Sakura was probably the one worrying most of their lives besides the life of a ninja. And she loved to invite her two best friends' home to watch a movie and talk afterwards.

"I have no idea. I've never seen her before." He scratched the back of his head. "Maybe it was just because she wouldn't stop looking at me…"

"Well, from what I understand she and the man she was with weren't from this village. And they didn't look like Ninjas either. Maybe they were just passing through."

"Yeah… probably."

Still he found it quite strange. He didn't take notice of girls or women very often. Not even Sakura so much anymore. After all of her shouting about doing anything for his comrade he had given her up. And ever since that it hadn't been easy finding a replacement for her. He sighed deeply and rose from the couch.

"I think I'll be going home. I'm up early tomorrow."

"Oh? Why is that?" She asked looking at him, not bothering to show him the way out. It was unnecessary.

"Training." He said short and disappeared out the room to the hall. "Kakashi-Sensei is bugging me as always." He added.

"Hehe… Say hello to him from me." She shouted just before he shut the door.

She waited a few seconds before she rose and walked up to the window. Naruto was slowly walking away from the apartment she was living in. Her eyes were following him until he disappeared around a corner. It was sad, what the relationships among Team #7 had evolved to. The different situations of them each prevented them from working together.

Sakura who had been the one who knew both Naruto and Sasuke best was now the one who was a little… left out. Both Naruto and Sasuke was active in the field and it wasn't seldom it happened that they were put on the same team. And they actually made a team now. It wasn't the old 'I'm better and stronger than you are' anymore. They worked together, for the better benefit.

Sakura was hardly ever active in the field. Since she was a Sensei she was busy teaching almost every month of the year. And sometimes, just to keep her contacts around the village she worked additional at the hospital. Also keeping in mind that if she got really good in healing skills… maybe she could quit her job as a teacher and go out on the field. Especially being an asset to her two best friends.

- At an apartment, rather close to the square mentioned before…

"So you think it's a problem?"

"I'm not sure but it could be."

"Really?"

"There is no information to be found about the two of them."

"And you couldn't sense anything?"

"No, that's the strange part. What would a pair of total strangers cross this kind of village if they have no kind of powers? And dressed in such suspicious clothes…"

The silver haired Hatake Kakashi laughed discreetly at his former student.

"I'm not sure you're the one to talk about suspicious clothing."

Sasuke looked down at his clothing. Black shorts and a short-sleeved jersey with a high collar. He sighed and sat down in front of the older man. He tried to lean back in the armchair and relax but he wasn't very successful.

"It's been too quiet." He said with his eyes looking at the table in front of him.

"You don't normally come to me when it comes to your intuition. You usually act on it instead. What's the real problem?"

"I did act on it. I placed two spies outside the strangers' windows, one for each of them." He folded his hands and placed his elbows on his knees. "I think I need some time off."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows in surprise. That was something he truly never thought that he would hear from Sasuke's lips.

Not even after loosing the meaning of his life had the young boy fell in despair. That's right, not even after putting an end to his brother's life. So what was this? He wasn't mentally unstable. He hadn't been severely hurt. No as always he was just, perfect.

The truth was that he was planning on finding a woman. Well he had to. He wasn't getting any younger. And he had realized that the restoration of his clan wasn't something that could be solved in an afternoon.

"You've changed much since we first met Sasuke. But still, hearing you saying this…"

"Sir!" Sasuke heard a voice from his earpiece.

"Excuse me." Sasuke told Kakashi then pressed a button on the device. "Yes?"

"You have to come down to the Third Square."

"Alright." He released the button again and met Kakashi's eyes… err I mean eye. (:P)

"I'll come with you." He said and rose from his seat.

- Kakashi's and Sasuke's arrival, at the Square...

"What happened here?" Sasuke instantly questioned the boy he had sat out as spy.

"About ten to eleven the woman left the motel. She walked calmly to this Square and then knocked out the men who were on watch. I've never seen such a technique, it was over in minutes."

"Are they dead?" Kakashi asked as he walked up to one of the fainted men.

"No, just unconscious. I've called on medical attention."

"What was she after?" Sasuke questioned while he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's strange, the only thing she asked for was Uzumaki Naruto's name. Then she just walked away and back to the motel."

"And the man?"

"He left just a while before her."

"And from what you have told me…" Kakashi started and paused just because he saw the medics arriving, the he turned over to Sasuke again. "…I don't think she would've acted if the man was still present."

"Mm, probably not." Sasuke watched over the scene and sighed lightly. Looked as if that vacation was out of question. "Shirow." The spy reacted and turned alert. "See to it that as soon as anyone of them wakes up, they get questioned. We will need all information there is."

"Of course." And he disappeared to go with the medics.

"Told you it was trouble." Sasuke sighed heavily and started to walk away.

To Be Continued…

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