By RequiemofDementia
Chapter Twelve: New Friends, and a Future Enemy
Airen giggled as she elbowed Chie in the ribs. "You like her."
Chie blushed brightly, looking away from Airen. Riki did not even glance.
Airen nudged again faintly. "You like her."
Chie looked back at Airen, still blushing, as he timidly nudges back. "You like him."
Airen blushed bright red as well, and Riki's eyes turned in their direction for perhaps half a second.
"What happened here?" Naruto asked, as he came to sit by them. He still did not sit near Chie, partly still trying to figure out if Chie really was male or female.
Riki looked up. "Childishness." This earned him an elbow from both Chie and Airen.
Naruto looked around slowly, and then looked at Chie again. "Really!? Like, seriously?"
Chie looked away, flaming red again, missing Sakura's fist again bopping Naruto on the back of the head. "Baka! Leave him alone! Can't you see you're embarrassing him!"
"And yelling out so everyone can hear you makes him feel better, Sakura," Riki mumbled to himself.
"WHAT WAS THAT!" Inner Sakura screamed, but Sakura just glared, a vein on her forehead twitching.
"Look," Sasuke said faintly. Everyone's eyes drifted over, to see what it was that Sasuke was looking at.
And their eyes met the eyes of a killer. His face was completely emotionless, but the eyes were so cold. A bright symbol emblazoned on his face, and a massive gourd at his back. Chie literally squeaked, and hid behind Airen, who did not look away from him. "Who is that?"
"Gaara of the Desert," Sakura replied softly.
Airen had heard about the problems Leaf had experienced with Sand, but at the moment, there was a hesitant alliance between the two.
She looked around slowly, and noticed that Yume was staring right at Gaara. That made no sense to Airen, all she could see when she looked at the boy was those killer eyes. What could Yume see that she could not?
When she looked back, Gaara was gone, and Yume sighed a soft, wistful sigh.
By the time they arrived home, they knew something was odd. After the front door had been opened, they were confronted with a vast amount of luggage, which was odd in and of itself. However, what they saw next was far more unusual and distressing.
Shinzui sat at the foot of the stairs, looking up at a pretty young woman. And he was smiling. Not the I-am-so-proud-of-your-work smile, or the If-you-do-that-again-I-am-going-to-explode smile, but a genuine, happy smile.
"Uh…"
Shinzui looked over as Riki let his confusion be known, and he straightened quickly. "Everyone, allow me to introduce Yoshida Rei."
"Hitomi Rei, soon enough," she said softly, and Shinzui ducked his head, smiling softly.
A smile crossed her lips, as she stepped in. "Hello, Rei." Airen had not been expecting this at all. Usually, when you hear about arranged marriages, it does not involve the participants holding hands and smiling like long lost best friends.
Chie walked in slowly next. And then, with a soft sigh, Riki picked up the first of the luggage, and began to cart it further into the house, towards the master bedroom.
Rei bowed to Airen, and smiled softly. "It is good to see you, Airen."
"It is good to see you too. Assuming, that we have met before?"
Shinzui smiled at that softly, as he slowly nodded. "You were there when the arrangement was finalized. You were very young."
"And cute," Rei said softly. "It's good to see some things haven't changed."
Airen smiled at that.
By the time Airen made it to the dining room, breakfast had already been laid out, which was odd, because she was supposed to prepare breakfast. Shinzui was the only other one in the dining room, but Airen got the impression that Rei was in the kitchen.
"So, when…"
Shinzui smiled softly. "The arranged date was almost two and a half years ago now. So, by the rules… tomorrow."
Airen's eyes widened in shock. "Tomorrow?" How was she supposed to be ready for that? How was she going to learn to do what she was expected to do, if she was expected to do anything?
"Relax," Shinzui said softly. "Small deal. Just family and friends. Nothing big."
Airen smiled a little.
"I hope I am invited, Shinzui-kun."
Shinzui spun in his chair a little, straightening up. "Anko-chan?" A grin crossed over his lips, as he stepped up to his old team mate. "What brings you here?"
"I'm your replacement," Anko said with a grin, poking her tongue out at him.
"Anko, this is Airen."
Anko looked over at the girl, looking her up and down. "What have you been doing to these children, Shinzui?" She slipped across, and then slid along the table, to be sitting by Airen. "You can smile, right?"
A small smile crossed Airen's lips. "Sorry, today has been one shock after another."
Anko leaned a little closer, shaking her head. "Well, it's a start, I guess." Then her eyes moved from Airen's smile to her own eyes. "Oh, yeah. Shinzui'll do that do you. I don't know how you put up with all the jokes and pranks and…"
The smile was gone again, a look of confusion over Airen's face once more. Pranks? Shinzui? Was this woman crazy?
"Oh ho! Don't tell me that Hitomi Shinzui grew up?" Her eyes darted over to Shinzui, as she grinned.
"Unlike some others here," Riki said sullenly, as he slowly walked in.
Anko spun again, glaring at the tall man. "Yo, giant man. Down in front." Riki slowly sunk into his chair, and then Anko patted his head. "Good boy." Riki just grunted, as he began his meal. Anko leaned closer to Airen, whispering softly. "Whose bed did he wake up on the wrong side of?"
Chie slipped in, silently and unnoticed as always.
Airen giggled, whispering. "His own, I think."
Anko nodded. "That'll do that to you." She slipped off the table and straightened. "And ghost boy makes three?" She peered at Chie, who did not look up, eyes timidly remaining on the table. "Well, three is why I am here, anyway."
Shinzui straightened slowly, speaking softly. "You three be nice for Anko, your new sensei."
"That'll make up for the hell you gave me when we were young, Shinzui," she said with a grin. "Come on you three, eat. I'm here to teach you, not watch you feed yourselves. Hurry hurry hurry."
Chie's mental groan came at about the same time Riki's real groan did.
Anko stood calmly, the three ninja around her in a wide circle. She herself did not yet hold any weapons, but Riki's two bladed sword was already drawn, a grim look on his face. The comment that Anko had made, referring to him as a lumbering dinosaur, seemed to have gotten to his pride.
The three looked at each other, and Chie's hand came up, flashing sign language once more. Anko tilted her head, wondering why the shy little one would ask for paper. But she had no time to think of that, as she ducked under a swing from Riki's blade, and then leapt back to avoid Airen's senbon. The two attacked quickly, taking it in turns so that Anko did not have a moment's peace, blade and senbon always in danger of harming her.
The young ninja had worked very well in their first mission, and their teamwork here was well was very good. Even Anko had to admit that Shinzui had done a good job as far as the teamwork was concerned. As she spun to avoid another senbon attack, her hands deftly plucked one of the thin needles from the air, and brought it up, Riki's sword meeting it with a loud clang. And then Anko saw Chie.
He sat, not having move from his position. In his hands was a piece of paper, that he folded again and again, expertly. His eyes did not leave the paper, trusting completely in his teammates to keep him from danger. Anko's eye's narrowed, wondering what he was doing, as she slipped away from another attack from Riki. She leapt up, into the air, the senbon that she held thrown out, straight for Chie.
The small metal projectile flew straight and true, until, inches from Chie's skin, it was knocked aside by a senbon thrown by Airen. Chie did not even flinch, as he cradled his origami creation in his hands, a perfectly formed lion. His eyes closed, as his hands began to flow smoothly, around the origami creation.
Anko ducked under another attack from Riki, and then raced across the clearing, straight for Chie. She did not know what jutsu he was doing, she had never seen one involving origami before, but she did not plan to let him finish.
She was too late. As she arrived, Chie released the paper lion. There was a loud tearing sound, as the origami lion broke apart, forced out by something inside, a real lion leaping out from the origami construct, powerful jaws moving to clamp around Anko.
Their new sensei leapt back quickly, almost directly into another hail of senbon. "Baka," she mumbled to herself, as she spun quickly, her hands flying through a jutsu, both lion and senbon knocked away from her.
Riki came in quickly from one side, the lion from the other, both relentless, and determined. Anko ducked under Riki's attack once again, and the powerful paw of the lion connected with her shoulder, sending her flying. She flipped in the air, and landed on her feet, a grin on her lips. Airen was already after her, more senbon sailing through the air.
Anko slipped a kunai from concealment in her clothing, deflecting the senbon away and then throwing it straight for Airen. She did not even look to see the results for that, racing along the ground as she drew another kunai. She had learned what she needed to, it was time to end the little training session. Riki was forced back, defensive, as he parried blow after blow from the little kunai.
Airen had managed to stop the other kunai from hitting her, straightening up, both her and Chie taking up positions to either side of the combat, their hands coming together.
The lion leapt straight at Anko, who was forced to duck, Riki quickly gliding away. The ground around Anko exploded as two fireballs met it, and she was thrown across the clearing once again.
However, the feeling of triumph that the ninja had felt was short lived. Anko landed on her feet, untouched by the flames. She raced quickly, towards Chie. The massive Riki loomed up to hinder her path, but Anko's kunai came to deflect the blow from the large man's sword, her foot connecting with his groin at the same time. As Riki went down, Anko ducked under yet more senbon, and continued.
Chie fought valiantly, his own little sword deftly trying to keep Anko back. And yet, she managed to slip under his guard effortlessly, seeming to just appear behind him, kunai held to his throat.
Airen sighed, as her hands lowered. Anko had won.
Riki just groaned in pain.
Author's notes.
Yay, Anko! Yay, Rei! Yay, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and Gaara! Who said I don't bring original characters into the mix. Will that get me a review? Please?
More going on with this, hope you like it!