Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to people under 20 years old and guess how old I am.
QY- For those of you who want to kill me, you can line up and wait for your turn when the chapter is over. Meanwhile, think about what you want to say when you review ::nudge nudge:: And I swear I was going to update at the beginning of last week. But then I remembered I have midterms. And I still do. So I should be studying. But too much math/physics hurts my brain...
Oh yeah, and it seems I was right the first time, there will be a total of 4... well, 6 OCs in this story. 3 will be main characters, you've met two already, the other will come this chapter and the other three will be mentioned and will come in once in a while, some more than others, one of which you'll see in this chapter as well. However, as is Seito's policy, should you ever feel they are turning into Mary Sues or Gary Stus, do not hesitate to inform us. We will rectify this immediately. Either by taking them out completely or, if it is only small things, change 'em. The first choice is more likely though... (Seito: -Nod-)
Review Responses:
Thanks to everyone for reading including:
ghostninja85- Glad that questions were answered. And yeah... totally working hard on chapter 10. Now anyway.
Narutofreak22- Hasn't revealed himself yet, but he will soon. Has to sometime, they are traveling together. (later) Ha, whattaya know. It seems that it happens in this chapter. Here you go!
Kyuubi-kun- Most people prolly figured out Shin was Naruto. We just wanted someone to actually say it. Lol, you were sad that you understood. It wasn't soon, but it allowed me to write this slightly better than my previous chaps so... eh.
NightOwl123, annika, , insanechildfanfic, Firehedgehog, Shepherd, animelvr4evr
Yum- Complications make the world go round. Unfortunately, it's been two months, but er... I have courage?
akuma-river- Um.. okay, if you say so. Kage wants to kill Shin/Naruto only after he kills everyone close to him because not only will it hurt him mentally and emotionally, there's a chance Shin might decide to just give up. And when Shin gets hurt, Hotaru gets hurt. You know, brother/sister thing and all. Kage took his memory because... You can answer this for me, Seito, hehe. Seito: Kage didn't take Shin's memory, it's more like amnesia. Shin says Kage took his memory because Kage is the last person who Shin remembers so Shin figures Kage knows who he used to be and that Kage is the reason that Shin doesn't remember.
izumi- But you do understand now, right? And I'm Chinese, but Seito isn't. She's another Asian-type person though. Seito: Full blood Japanese and proud of it!
I feel some bias in the reviewers... I'm kidding. Really. I am.
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Without Life
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Chapter X: First Stop and Then Some
For a moment, for a beat in time, he allowed his hand to stay within the other's grasp, but the suspicion he still had proved to be too strong and so he pulled away, sharply, but with care. Shin glanced back, startled at the movement before looking down at his hand. Laughingly, he brushed off the event with a curious reply, "Sorry, I didn't realize I was still holding your hand." A curious reply because something within Sasuke knew that the follow-up – should Shin have continued - would've been to say, "It felt right". A cliché that appeared in just about every romance novel in the world, it was not a phrase to be spoken at the moment, in this time. But somehow, it lingered between the two of them and the very air hung heavy with the awkward silence.
Of course, there was a thought that the heavy air just might have been the work of someone Shin knew quite well.
"Uchiha-san, do you know if there's another clearing around here?" Shin glanced around as if he could somehow see through all the trees blocking his vision and for an instant it seemed as if he really could. But then he turned back to look at Sasuke questioningly, waiting for his answer.
In response, Sasuke looked to the moon and then to the rest of the sky, "There should be one not too far away from this clearing."
"Can we walk there before it gets too dark?" A concerned tone was apparent in Shin's voice and it revealed just how worried he was.
Refraining from asking what it was that worried him so much - because he kind of knew, didn't he? - Sasuke nodded in a distracted way soon adding on a verbal response. "If we went at our fastest pace and taking into account how tired you are, there should be no problem. But there seems to be something... near us."
"Near?" Shin looked up and around before realizing that it was pretty pointless. With a sigh, he prepared to spread out a net as he had done so weeks before, but he was stopped by his sister's voice.
$$Don't worry otouto, it's just me.$$
((And your lover boy, no doubt.))
There was a pause between the two before a scandalized gasp sounded, /Shin! I can't believe you just called me that!/
((Believe it, lover boy.))
/Haha, missed you buddy./
((Yeah, you too.))
Shin's gaze shifted and something seemed to 'click' in his eyes before he turned to Sasuke. "Don't worry, it's just my sister and her-" His next words seemed to have literally been carried off in the winds for even though Sasuke saw the outline of his jaws shifting, he did not hear the actual words themselves.
'Curious.' But the thought disappeared soon after.
"I guess we better start moving if we want to make it." Shin straightened out his back, stretching a little to release the tension that had popped up after the battle.
There was a nod from Sasuke before he led both of them off to the northeast.
The night was still and quiet, providing little distraction to the thoughts that ran through the two teenagers' minds. They had found the clearing that Sasuke was referring to and deciding that it was the best place to stop at for the night, they settled in and prepared to rest their weary bodies before tomorrow's journey.
Unfortunately, it seemed as if their minds didn't want to rest. Both of them sat against the trees edging the clearing, not wanting to be in blind sight, but also wanting to have a space to fight in, should they be found by unwanted company.
That and the only choices they had as their 'bed' for the night was the ground or the trunk of a tree. They both wisely chose to lean against the trees.
For a few hours, both men merely stared at the sky above, wondering what the journey would bring them and what they would learn in the time to come.
While Shin wondered about Kage and of the events that he knew were coming, Sasuke wondered about Shin and whether he was really trustworthy.
Their minds danced for a while longer before finally, they drifted off to sleep.
What seemed to be only moments later, though it actually wasn't, a sharp whistle echoed through the air, immediately waking up the two teenagers. Sasuke immediately fell into a loose fighting stance, warily glancing around him and honing in his senses.
Shin merely rolled to his side to fall on the ground. He had, miraculously, remained sitting against the tree the entire night, so when he tried to roll over... there was nothing to roll over on, so therefore, a light fall to the ground. Sasuke only looked at him for a moment before scanning the area once again.
However, he was interrupted by Shin's muttering that told him to, "Stop acting so anal, it's just Kai."
Noting that he had said, "just Kai", Sasuke assumed that it meant they were not about to be attacked, and so, minutely relaxed himself.
Shin looked like he was attempting to burrow himself into the ground as he pressed harder and harder into the earth, trying desperately to keep the sun out of his eyes. He pulled at his cloak and scarf, attempting to hide behind them. His attempts were futile as the ground refused to give away and the sun continued to shine through his clothes. With a huff, Shin sat up and stretched his arms.
"Stupid Kai, he always loved doing this to me. Ugh, I'm so glad he wasn't with us at Konoha," he muttered to himself, all the while slowly lifting himself off the ground, as if he was still in pain.
"Who's Kai?" Blunt as always, Sasuke went straight to the point, brushing by all morning greetings as was usually polite to do. Which Shin gladly pointed out, "You know, it's usually polite to greet someone in the morning before you bombard them with questions."
Shin was met by only a blank stare. Not to be defeated by something like this, he defiantly stared back and for a few minutes, this was all they did.
Until another whistle interrupted them. This one was shrill and loud, seeming to originate somewhere very near them.
A young male voice rang through the clearing, once again, it was loud and clear as if the speaker stood right next to them, but with only a glance, it was obvious that there was no one there. "Time's a-wasting guys, let's get on with it, eh?"
While Sasuke looked bewildered, Shin rolled his eyes and spoke to, apparently, thin air.
"Stop bothering us, Kai, and talk normally."
This time, a childish tone carried through the area, "You're not my mother, so, nyah!" One could almost see the tongue that stuck out at the end of the statement, blowing a raspberry at Shin. But he only laughed and said, "Put that tongue back in there. Leave it for Hotaru, Kai."
Abruptly, the wind that Sasuke did not realize was there stopped and there were only the sounds of nature and nothing else.
Shin laughed again and made a vertical mark in the air, "Twenty-two for me, nineteen for Kai."
Then he finally turned to Sasuke and it appeared he forgot about the staring contest as he answered Sasuke's previous question, "That was Kai, my sister's long term boyfriend. Very long term boyfriend. If you ask me, I would've told them to get married years ago, if it weren't for the whole issue that Kai's still kind of a mortal and Hotaru wouldn't be very happy to see him die. Of course, that would be easily solved if Hotaru's mother would just give up and..." Shin continued to ramble on about Kai, Hotaru, her mother and the issues surrounding the two. While he spoke, he started to walk to the left.
Sasuke looked up at the sun's position and noted with some surprise that Shin was walking northeast, heading directly towards Cloud Country, the same direction that Sasuke had led the two of them the night before. The surprise was quickly dashed when Shin turned back to ask, "Hey, is this the right direction? I'm sort of just walking randomly here."
With a sweat drop that had appeared last with Naruto, Sasuke shook his head, a small smile appearing on his lips before he jogged to Shin's side and then past him, lightly hitting him on the head as he did so.
"Come on dobe, we're heading to Cloud Country."
"Hey! Don't call me that!" Shin shouted after Sasuke, but he only received an impatient, "Hurry up," in response.
Shin stood at his place for an instant, tilting his head and smiling, 'I was right, this is going to be an interesting journey.' But even as this thought passed through his mind, there was still the ever present apprehension of Kage's plans and where he would strike next.
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The two teenagers had walked for most of the day, other times sprinting through the plains, mountains, and forests that rose in their path. Finally, when the sun became unbearable in its late summer heat, the two rested in a well-sheltered area of the forest they were in. Both of them panted from excess exertion and drops of sweat rolled down Sasuke's face to drop down onto his shirt. His shirt was in a worse condition compared to his face, the neckline completely soaked and the rest sticking to his body.
It was hard to say if Shin was hot, but since he was still wearing his cloak and scarf, one would have to assume that he was. And moments later, he loudly declared his discomfort in a most unusual way.
"C'mon, Kai. I know you're there. Help me out, will you?" At his words, Sasuke rose an eyebrow, refraining from calling Shin crazy because he had heard the voice appear from thin air hours earlier as well.
"I can't help you if you won't help yourself. Besides, you know I can't just randomly-"
In his desperation, Shin cut off the voice before it could go further, "Don't give me that! I know you've got something extra with you! You always do."
There was a pause before the voice spoke again, "Okay, so I do have a few, that doesn't mean I'm about to give it to you. There are tons of other people who need this more than you do."
"How could you say that?" Shin cried out incredulously, as if insulted that Kai would say that to him.
"I can say that plenty well to you since they don't choose to wear a cloak and scarf in a weather like this." Kai spoke with a hint of glee, as if anticipating something.
Shin scowled and grudgingly made a horizontal mark in the air, "Twenty-two for me... twenty for you." A raucous laugh echoed in the forest. "Don't look so down, Shin, I still have three to go and I'm sure plenty of people won't mind if you wear a-"
"Hey! Just because I agreed to it, doesn't mean you can just randomly tell everybody!" Off to the side, Sasuke donned an annoyed look. Honestly, this was the second time today he was being ignored. And for an invisible guy too!
"Why, Shin, I can't believe you think so little of Sasuke. And to think, he was starting to like you too!"
Suddenly, Sasuke decided that he liked it better when he was being ignored. Shin narrowed his eyes at Kai's words and only wrinkled his nose up as a response. "If you don't want to help me, then you could've just told me that in the beginning."
"Hey! I did! That was the first thing I said!"
Shin looked to Sasuke, "Really?" Sasuke nodded to him in affirmation. "Oh. Huh..."
"There's something different about you, Shin. You're not usually this forgetful and brash." Kai paused for a moment before continuing, "I think I like you this way better. You seem more... natural. Do you-"
The voice, Kai's voice, abruptly disappeared. And again, with the disappearance, the slight wind that had been blowing also disappeared. Without a notice, Hotaru appeared in front of them and while Shin remained -mostly- unaffected, Sasuke was startled into stepping back a step before regaining his composure.
A soft smile appeared on Hotaru's face, "Sorry about that, Kai was being silly again. And Shin, you know that if you want Kai to help you, you have to help yourself first. That is the first thing I've told you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but you were the one who told me that-"
"That was when you were in a village, I never told you that you couldn't take it off when you were with a friend, did I?"
Shin murmured a soft "no" before sighing and reluctantly taking off his scarf and cloak.
Throughout it all, Sasuke had stood off to the side, seemingly unnoticed by everyone. He wondered about Shin's reluctance to take off his outer clothing - it was pretty hot, after all - but when Shin bared his face to the air, he realized just why Shin didn't want to take it off.
Shock ran through his system as sun-bright blond hair was revealed, soon followed by a tanned skin, unmarred except for three whisker-like scars that appeared on each side of his face. But most surprising to Sasuke was that for a moment, he saw nothing but blue eyes, the red that had been there disappeared, before it suddenly came into his vision and Sasuke was brought back.
He almost stumbled but was kept from doing so by the tree he had ended up leaning against. Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed in before opening his eyes again.
There, in front of him, Shin who looked like Naruto and Hotaru who was the Angel of Life and Death looked calmly back at him. Although it seemed that Shin was anxious to see Sasuke's reaction.
He felt relieved yet strangely disappointed when Sasuke merely said, "I guess this is why you didn't want me to see your face?" Shin nodded minutely while Hotaru only smiled and said, "Now that you've taken off your heavy clothes, if you still feel hot later on, just ask Kai for help and he'll give it to you. Make sure it's only when you're sure it's the only thing left though, okay?"
Hotaru received no acknowledgement of her words, but she also did not expect any, so after glancing between Sasuke and Shin, she disappeared the same way she appeared; without a noise, without a warning and without a trace.
Another staring contest started, but this time, instead of with stoicism and defiance, they stared at each other with questions and unformed answers.
Sasuke exhaled sharply before speaking, "We should start heading out, the sun is coming back down now." And with that, he continued off to the north where more questions and less answers laid.
The blond boy stretched out a hand as if reaching out to stop him, but just as he suddenly brought it up, he brought it back down without saying anything.
Smiling, he jogged to Sasuke's side.
"It's okay. For now, it's okay. We'll talk about this later. Later, when I know you. Shin."
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A day passed in their travels and with the swift pace they set - for it seemed that Shin was able to keep up with the grueling pace Sasuke set now that his cloak was off - they were due to enter the Thunder country by the morning of the next day. (1) For now, they prepared to rest at the edge of the forest they managed to cross as night fell. They spent most of their journey that day in a comfortable if not slightly awkward silence, usually only speaking to each other to point out something in their path.
But now it was nighttime and they had only each other for company. A small breeze blew through the trees, rustling fallen leaves and grass along its path, providing little distraction from their thoughts.
Whoa. Dejá vu. (sorry 'bout that)
The only difference this time was that Shin was content to drift off to sleep, despite any questions he may have had. On the other hand, Sasuke was stuck to staring at the stars as if they held the answers to everything. And it is with this in mind that he is unexpectedly startled by the appearance of a young man.
Looking every inch of the word 'bishounen', the wind tossed the stranger's silver hair as golden eyes bore down at Sasuke. He was dressed in a red shirt and deep blue pants that stood out among the green foliage of the tree. (2) In the dark, he seemed to glow, yet blend in at the same time.
When after a few moments, the two only looked at each other, Sasuke shifted his eyes to the sky beyond the male, content, it appeared, to ignore him.
A boisterous laugh echoed through the area, even while it seemed to... contract within itself.
"I don't suppose there's a particular reason that the Slatrommi are showing themselves to me one by one today, is there?" Sasuke spoke to the sky, somehow realizing that this man - this Slatrommi, apparently - would not be offended if he spoke to the sky as if it were him.
A content smile stretched across the silver haired teenager - for that is what he appeared to be, a teenager, just like Sasuke - "Of course there is! You're traveling with our brother, you should've expected us to show up."
"Brother?" A curious inflection appeared in his voice and Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes. 'Sure, you find out Shin looks like Naruto and now you decide to want to show you care? About anything?'
"Adopted, of course. None of the Slatrommi are truly related to each other just as they can never truly be separated. It's all a part of the mix and jumble that makes up our history. You want to hear about it, I'm sure. But I don't understand half of the things that happened."
"Hn, I'm sure."
The stranger laughed and Sasuke literally heard the very stars in it. There was a moment of hesitation on Sasuke's part before he threw it away and said, "You're the Cosmos Slatrommi, Rikugou?"
"I prefer Riku, but congratulations! You are effectively the only person to have guessed who I am. Not that I can blame anyone, there are only few people who even know about me. I guess you really are as smart as they say you are, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke finally turned his eyes toward the boy, idly examining his features. "You're a tad different from what I expected."
"Really?" The boy frowned before saying, "I bet Seika painted a nasty picture of me. Aside from you, she's the only mortal I can think of who knows of us."
"On the contrary, I expected something more from her words. Not someone-"
"Be careful of what you say, Sasuke-kun. You never know what the consequences may be." With his words, Riku's entire demeanor seemed to change from an easy-going teenager to an intimidating man.
Not waiting to hear Sasuke's response, he continued speaking, "But I didn't come here to talk about me, I came here to talk about you."
"I wasn't aware that there was something to talk about."
"Of course there is! You still have to make a decision, don't you?" Again, his mood seemed to change as he turned curious and cocked his head at Sasuke.
"Decision? About what?"
"Mou... you can't do this to me. I don't know about what! Something! There's a decision to be made, I know there is!" Riku grew frustrated with his own words and for a moment, the night seemed to grow simultaneously brighter and darker.
"Riku, you need to calm down. It's okay." Another voice spoke up from behind Sasuke, it appeared that Shin was woken by their voices.
At the sound of his voice, Riku turned and looked down at him before jumping down from the tree he stood on. "Shin! I haven't seen you in a while!"
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" A soft smile spread on Shin's face, as if coaxing Riku to walk closer to him. It was working for a while, but then Riku suddenly stopped in his path, a frown marring his face.
"I know what you're doing. Stop treating me as if I was a little kid. I'm a few thousand years older than you, you know." At his words, Shin relaxed and a more natural smile appeared, "You know I can't help it."
"Of course, I'm too cute and cuddly to resist." Riku said sarcastically.
Shin beamed at him, "That's right!" With a laugh, Riku ran towards Shin and was caught up in a hug.
Off to the side (once again) Sasuke looked on with passive eyes, but his hands were fisted tightly.
Meanwhile, Riku was twirled into a circle before somehow maneuvering himself to face Sasuke. Then, he mouthed a word to him.
"Jealous?" His golden eyes twinkled at him and once again, Sasuke was reminded of the celestial beings in the sky. In an unexpected move, he mouthed back, "Of Shin, maybe."
Riku immediately started blinking rapidly, startled at Sasuke's words.
Shin was in turn startled when rich laughter came from Sasuke, but when he set Riku down, he got the feeling that the Slatrommi gained a new friend.
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A yawn nearly echoed as Shin woke up from a good night's rest only to be interrupted by a tossed branch from Sasuke's direction. He turned to question the boy when he noticed that it wasn't just Sasuke, Riku was there too. And they looked like they were... cuddling.
He stared in shock at the two before quickly getting up to stomp over to their area. One golden eye peeked at him, then slowly closed in contentment. Feeling slightly enraged - and not knowing why - Shin reached down to grab Riku by his arm but was interrupted by a voice that rang out.
"Now, now, Shin, no need to get jealous. I'm sure Sasuke likes you just as much."
Face flushing, Shin swiveled around to see Kai smirking in amusement while leaning against a tree. Shin took a moment to wonder why Slatrommi had such weird colored hair - Kai had dark blue hair with black eyes - then remembering Sakura and her pink hair, before registering his comment. He attempted to fire back a retort, but found himself lost for words.
He was kept from needing to say anything as a stifled moan was heard from behind him. Eyes widening, he swiftly turned back and sighed in relief when all he saw was Sasuke waking up. And with Riku looking straight at him… from his position in front of Sasuke, Shin expected a reaction from Sasuke, any reaction that had at least a small amount of displeasure, but all he did was yawn and say, "Good morning, Riku"
Shin's mouth opened and closed several times.
"Ooh, let me guess Shin, you're trying to be a fish!" Kai laughed at Shin's expression, taking glee in his surprise. The blond suppressed a growl and roughly said, "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Ah! I almost forgot! Hotaru wanted me to inform you and," he gestured behind Shin, "Sasuke that Riku will be traveling with you for as long as Fate deems it necessary."
"What? Why?" A worried look crossed Shin's face, "There isn't anything wrong, is there?"
"No, not that I know of anyway. Fate says that you might need his help later on and Riku needs a place to stay for now. Or rather, he needs people to stay with." Kai said matter-of-factly, as if it was a common occurrence. Thinking back, it probably was. Riku was always getting into trouble when he was on his own and with Hotaru, her mother and uncle busy, Kai either with Hotaru or on his own, and Chi stuck watching Konoha, Riku need someone to stay with to make sure he didn't get in trouble.
The blond turned to ask Sasuke if it was okay with him, but it was apparent that he didn't mind since he looked as if he was getting along with Riku famously.
An annoyed look crossed his face, but he turned to Kai to say, "It's okay. I guess having another person around would be helpful."
Kai refrained from commenting, merely smiling and saying a cheery, "See you later!" before disappearing.
Well, he didn't really disappear. He kind of floated away...
"Psh, Air Slatrommi, show-offs."
He turned around to face the others to inform them of the new change only to see them waiting for him a few yards off.
"C'mon Shin, you don't want to be left behind, do you?" Riku sent a cheeky grin towards Shin's direction and was met with a scowl. Immediately, Shin walked up to Riku and ruffled his hair before walking off.
"Aw man, don't do that!" Riku followed Shin, catching up and started to chatter at him. Sasuke meanwhile, continued at his own pace, wondering if Shin knew where he was really going.
Moments later, it appeared not, for they had somehow managed to completely bypass the Thunder country and enter the Wind country. (1) For a while, Sasuke stood in front of the boundary sign in confusion. He wasn't sure how this had happened since the only way to get to the Wind country was either by walking through the widest part of the Thunder country, residing in the Cloud country or getting there by the water that surrounded it from the west and east. And he was absolutely positive that they had not passed through Thunder country because he remembered that it took at least four days of getting past a few villages - Thunder country citizens were very, very, generous and always insisted that you stay and eat at their house if you pass by - and another half a day to take into account the numerous rivers that ran through the country.
Shin and Riku didn't seem to notice anything weird, even though Sasuke had told Shin that they would need to pass through the Thunder country in order to get to Wind and then Cloud. But seeing Sasuke stop, the two backtracked and approached Sasuke.
"What's wrong Uchiha-san?"
"Yeah, what's the matter, Sasuke-kun?" At Riku's stressed title for Sasuke, Shin sent a sharp glance at him before looking back at Sasuke. Riku merely grinned.
"Why are we already in Wind?"
At his words, Riku grew confused as he replied, "We're not supposed to be? I sent us to Wind because I thought this was your destination... Oh no, did I go to the wrong place?"
Sasuke blinked at his words before silently reminding himself that he was traveling with a Slatrommi now, a Cosmos Slatrommi, the one that governed Dark, Light, Chaos, Peace, the planets, and the stars for that matter. Jumping countries seems as if it to be an easy thing for them. "No, you didn't go to the wrong place. We were supposed to come here, but only after going through Thunder country."
"Oh! Hotaru told me that there was no need to go to the Thunder country. She said we wouldn't find anything useful there."
"If Hotaru said that, I'm sure it will be fine. You didn't need to do anything at Thunder, right?"
"I was hoping to send a letter back to Konoha so they don't decide to label me as a missing-nin. But I guess I can always just send it from Wind." Sasuke looked a tad doubtful, but shrugged it off with Shin's bright smile.
"Great! So let's get going!"
And so, they entered the Wind country's boundary.
Somehow, in the first town they entered, they met Jiraiya.
Who was getting chased out of the women's side of the town's onsen.
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Meanwhile in Thunder country:
"Are you sure that the letter said they would be here, Kisame?"
"I'm positive, Itachi."
"And you're sure it's not from the same source as the one who sent us off to Snow?"
"Absolutely positive. None of the signs were the same. Smell, touch of the paper, the writing style."
"Let's hope that he's here then. For your sake, Kisame."
"Oh, young man, you look absolutely worn down! Come in, come in."
"It's okay... obaa-san" A forced tone was heard. "We're fine."
"No, no, I insist! Such a sturdy look to you too. Why don't you meet my daughter..."
To Be Continued...
(1) After scrounging around the 'net, then giving up and going straight to the manga, I found a map of Naruto's world (chapter 9, for those of you who want to know) where there is a separation of two countries between the Fire Country and the Cloud Country to the northeast. Seito (and later I) decided to name it after two elements that have yet to show up in Kishimoto's world. The first one being Thunder, the second being Wind. If you can either (a) Find the actual names of the two countries or (b) Find that there is a country named Thunder/Wind and it isn't those two countries, we would appreciate it if you told us. Otherwise, you can accept this as a Without Life fact.
Seito: We named it Wind because we didn't want to copy the person who claimed Air first.
(2) Directly copied (after the comma) from Seito's Or Die Trying in which both Hotaru and this kid shows up. This story happens after chapter 234 of the manga, right after Sasuke leaves Naruto after the fight. It's a good story, so... go read it. (And I'm serious this time, it's not my obligatory beta reader thinking. Actually... I don't have much of that with Seito, now that I think of it...)
QianYun- I laugh. I really do. I spend two months procrastinating and I end up mostly starting and finishing this in one day. I kill myself.
Don't forget to Review!
Written- January 23, 2005
