Chapter Three-Burn, baby, burn!
Disclaimer: I most certainly ain't going through this once again.
Warning: Angst, a discussion, revenge, rage, and a death. Don't worry; the next chapter will be even more romantic! –sigh-
Rating: P.G.13 for violence. Finally, the rating went up. It took long enough.Pairing: SasuYoru for the entire fic. So if you don't support this couple, then that's your opinion.Author's Notes: -runs and hides from people angry at her for cutting off Chapter Two when she did- Don't hurt me, you'll find out what happens here in this chapter. Yipe. –dodges behind Usagi before a wave of kunai could hit her- This is going to be a long day...
The reason behind the fact that all my chapters are so short is rather simple. It is easier for me to take time out of my busy schedule to type up shorter chapters than longer ones. But don't you readers worry; the next chapter is going to be very long.
Yes, Ryu-ko is skilled, but in the matters of thievery. She was forced to find a way to survive in Ishi, so that is what she resorted to. I'll explain out her time there in another chapter...probably around Chapter Eight. –SPOILER ALERT-
Chapter Dedication: Chappie Three goes to...uh...well...I guess my best RP buddy in the whole wide worldie, Syaoran. –holds up a mug of root beer- Here's to many more adventures with our genin characters!!
-cheers-
Whew. My hand hurts just from typing the 'A.N.' section. Go read now...
Chapter Three-Burn, baby, burn!
"What the hell?!"
Kakashi threw a look that silenced Naruto, and then dropped to Ryu-ko's side. She had fallen to her knees, her hands over her face and her shoulders shaking in pain.
"What the hell'd you do, Sasuke?!"
"You're speaking nonsense. I did nothing."
Kakashi placed one hand on the girl's left shoulder.
"Miss..."
She...was holding the apples that she and the shadowy figure had picked...That boy...
She could recall how heavy they seemed to her young self, and complaining loudly that the boy she obviously seemed to be friends with needed to slow down.
A flash, and there was her mother. Those lifeless eyes, vacant and missing the spark of life that was so dear to her, haunted her very so.
The apples fell...
"No."
She looked up, realizing that she was kneeling on the ground with a concerned crowd of people hovering around her.
"Miss, what happened?"
"It's not 'Miss'; I have a name. It's Ryu-ko."
Why wasn't Kakashi surprised. The street name more than suited her, even though it wasn't a real name...
"These are my genin; Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura... Now could you answer the question?"
"It's..."
Ryu-ko wavered, then shook her head and stood up.
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
Kakashi wondered if they had been pushing the young girl past her limits. But as more and more villagers turned up missing, they needed her to tell them about the missing-nin who attacked her and her comrades.
"Are you sure?"
Sakura pestered some more. Kakashi shooed them all away.
"You'll have time to speak with her later. Now, we really must be heading to the Hokage's."
Pushing the girl ahead of him, Kakashi directed his genin to go on ahead and take the day off. He left with Ryu-ko.
-cutscene-
"Geez."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, tilting that said head inquisitively to the side.
"Wonder what that was all about."
Sakura's attention had shifted from the pesky Naruto to the still silent Sasuke. He was staring down at the apple he had been cutting up in his hands, and the kunai.
"Sasuke...?"
Sakura moved closer to Sasuke, bother her Inner and Outer selves concerned at his even stranger behavior than the norm.
"Sasuke, what is it? Is something the matter?"
He didn't seem to hear her words; the only reaction was the lifting of his head to look in the direction that Ryu-ko and Kakashi had vanished into.
"I must speak with her."
His words shocked both Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke didn't even notice that his teammates were still there; he just walked off in order to brood alone.
Sakura burst into tears. She never had heard him exhibit interest in anyone, let alone another female. Then those tears were instantly gone, and a fury burned within her eyes. If anyone was going to have Sasuke, it would be her. Sakura wasn't going to let any conniving bitch take him away without a fight to the death. Now all she had to do was come up with a plan. And a good one too. One worthy of Sasuke's attention. 'He's mine! And I'm gonna' prove it!'
A strange smile slipped across the pink-haired genin's face.
Naruto backed off, and then slowly edged away before Sakura could notice him and use him as her 'stress reliever' once again. When the pink-haired genin started acting like this, it was better to be as far away as possible. And if Naruto dared to guess at whom that fury was directed at, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Ryu-ko.
-cutscene-
"He was wearing a dark ebony cloak, and Lin-sensei thought he was just a traveler like us. He had stopped to see if the guy needed any help, when he noticed a foul smell coming from the man. I mean, we all noticed it..."
Ryu-ko stopped, eyeing the Hokage and jounin watching her and listening to her every word.
"Go on."
"...The man's clothes were completely soaked with blood, both fresh and old. He had a funny look in his eyes when he looked at us... I guess he had met my jounin before, or maybe he had just heard of him, because Lin-sensei ordered for us to stay back. They started fighting...and the man...the man..."
She broke off, painfully choking on a sob caused by the painful memory of her sensei's brutal slaying. The Hokage was forced to admit that enough was enough.
"Hush now."
He spoke the words kindly, and then looked at the gathered jounin.
"Post guards at the entrances into Konoha, and make sure that there's a patrol of at least five surveying the area at all times. Work out a shift system."
All except for the girl, the Hokage, and Kakashi depart. Kakashi went to the Hokage's side and then whispered something in the elderly man's ear.
"Hm...Do you have family in Ishi?"
"No."
"Guardians?"
"No."
The Hokage looked almost thoughtful.
"If you do not mind me asking, but what happened to your family? Are they dead?"
"Sir, I can honestly say that I do not know."
Ryu-ko looked down at the ground, a pained expression plastered on her face.
"And why do you not know?"
"I have no memories of my childhood. The first thing that I can remember is someone finding me, and presenting me to the shinobi at Ishi. I stayed there ever since..."
"So...you have absolutely no memories what-so-ever?"
Ryu-ko's head snapped up, and she looked at the Hokage with consideration.
"Not...exactly. Sometimes I have flashes. But they seem as if I am looking through another person's eyes; as if they are not my own memories. And yet...somehow I know that they are. Does that make any sense?"
The Hokage shared a glance with Kakashi. This certainly explained a lot. Kakashi would look into the matter of any prominent clans missing any of their daughters.
"Certainly it does. And since you have no reason to return to Ishi, I must ask you this. Would you like to stay here? You can complete your training with a new team, and become a jounin of Konoha? What do you say?"
Ryu-ko stared at the Hokage in shock and wonder. She couldn't believe that anyone could be so kind.
"Really? Oh, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!"
She ran up to the old man, hugging him out of sheer happiness.
"How can I ever repay you for your kindness?"
"Try not to cause too much trouble. We get enough of that from Naruto."
-cutscene-
Speaking of which, Naruto was bored. But then again, that wasn't new for Naruto. I mean, just look at who we are talking about. But that's getting off subject.
Naruto stopped several times while he wandered through the market, ogling at all the different kinds of food for sale.
Reaching into his pocket, the only thing he pulled out was a few lint-bunnies (which quickly hopped away) and an old piece of lemon-flavored hard candy with tuffs of hair and fluff sticking to it. Ah, so that's where that went. He had been looking for it.
Should he take some of the delicious smelling food and make a run for it? Nah, the last time he had been caught and the bruises from the incident had only just finished healing.
But then again, it actually turned out for the better. Ryu-ko-chan would have died if he hadn't been in trouble and sent out on patrol with the others.
Naruto had a feeling that this was going to be a good day...
...You poor, delusional soul.
-cutscene-
Blood splattered across the ground as the simple farmer's body thudded hard against the side of the tree.
The darkly cloaked man withdrew a huge and extremely sharp blade. Tearing the farmer's shirt off, he eyed the damage. Good, none of the vital organs had been damaged.
Now...the question was what part would he harvest first?
-cutscene-
Ryu-ko said not a single word to the jounin escorting her back to the shrine. Even though she insisted that she felt just fine, he refused to allow her to exert herself more. Rest was the best healer of all.
Her thoughts were back on her reaction to the kunai and apple that dark-haired genin held. Why did it affect her so?
-cutscene-
The cloaked man looked up from his bloody task at the sound of footsteps heading toward him. Beside him was a pile of fresh organs he had taken from the dead villager.
'Fresh...kill...hungry...kill...kill...must kill...hungry...kill..'
Were the insane thoughts of the missing-nin. He lifted the heavy blade, and stood his ground.
Waiting...
-cutscene-
"We're almost to the shrine."
Kakashi was watching the silent genin beside him. She was bothered, probably on the thoughts of her team's untimely deaths.
And oh, how the man was wrong...
It was that why he never noticed the man standing on the path in front of them before it was too late.
The missing-nin lunged, that blade carving a silver hacking motion toward the jounin. Kakashi cursed at his lack of attention, ducking and dodging out of the way.
With a crazy and high-pitched laugh, the missing-nin loomed over the frozen Ryu-ko. She was staring at him with wide gray eyes, shocked by the sudden appearance of the murderer.
"I...I'm gonna' tear out and feast on your heart, my pretty."
The missing-nin babbled, the strange expression never leaving his face.
"Why?"
"Ryu-ko, run!"
Kakashi hollered at the young girl, but she acted as if she didn't even hear a single word he said. Ryu-ko stared at the ground.
"Why Lin-sensei? Why Sonha and Taiyo? They never did anything to you...!"
Her voice shook with sadness...and...was it?...yes...an untapped and uncontrollable fury. She closed her eyes...
"Food...food...must feed...must kill...must destroy..."
Ryu-ko's eyes snapped open and she jerked her head upward so to stare eye-to-eye with the missing-nin. Kakashi noticed a strange glaze with her eyes, a red spark the smoldered passionately.
"You-you bastard!"
With a howl in answer to her words, the missing-nin went as if he was going to attack the unarmed Ryu-ko. The genin didn't even flinch.
Her hands flowed into the seals rapidly, and the burning feel of her chakra filled the air.
"Nanatsusaya!"
She screamed the words, naming the attack and completing the seals. Flames; burning, scarlet flames, tore through the air surrounding Ryu-ko, flickering and snaking to the missing-nin.
Crimson Inferno.
The black cloak caught on fire, and the missing-nin shrieked when his own flesh burned from the chakra-created flame. Even while his body burned, he slowly and painfully crawled his way towards the girl..
"Ddddiiiieeee......"
He rattled once, and then was still. Ryu-ko stared coldly at the lifeless burning mass of flesh, a crooked half-smile plastered on her lips. She...enjoyed that...
"Ryu-ko."
Kakashi was shaken by how atrocious the genin had been, and how much she seemed to take pleasure in the act of killing the man.
"Ryu-ko, he is dead."
When Kakashi stepped towards her, she suddenly turned her head and gave him a dangerous look. Her body weight was shifted to a pose providing better balance for a quicker attack.
'She plans to fight me?! But why...'
It was then when the jounin remembered that same glossy look in the eyes of several shinobi he was forced to fight and kill before. That look of one who would continue to fight and kill even when their body had been wounded beyond repair. Fight until the last enemy had been destroyed.
Houston, we have a problem.
-cutscene-
Author's Notes: In case you were wondering, Ryu-ko/Yoru is a berserker. All those born of the Fuyu clan are...I'll send you or add details if you want them.
Plans for Chapter Four:
(1) A section of Konoha goes up in flames... -wide eyes- I didn't do it...
(2) Ryu-ko regains control of her blood-lust, and there is romantic scene between Sasuke and her...
(-coughcoughkisscoughcough-)
(3) Ryu-ko is placed with a new team. Will they get along with the girl?
Alright-now you get the details about the characters...and yes...I do need characters from you peoples. Three in fact (although...more are welcome, it's not limited to just three-I'll just figure out a way to add them into the story somehow...)-two genin (male or female, it doesn't matter) and a jounin (preferably female) to make up the new team... Just post the info below in a review or send it to the e-mail listed below with the heading 'Fanfic Character' and I'll choose the best ones in order to include them in the story. There won't be a new chapter until I get these...
Name: (This is your character's name. Keep in mind that their surname comes first.)
Clan:
Clan Info: (See below for details on the questions that would be liked answered...)
Age:
Appearance:
Eye Color:
Hair Color:
Hair length and style:
Clothes:
Personality:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Skills:
Techniques:
Favorite Foods:
Background Information:
Relationship with Yoru (to be used later in the story):
-Clan Questions-
Clan
Name:
Clan Starter:
Clan Head:
Clan Age and Status:
Current Village:
Clan Bloodline:
Clan Element:
Clan
Emblem:
Clan Background:
Clan Specific Techs:
Clan Skills:
Things
you need to think about when making a clan:
How did this clan
originate? Which village?
How does the rest of village view the
clan's members? What is their attitude towards the clan members?
How
do the clan members view the rest of the village? What is the clan's
attitude towards the village?
What kind of skills does this clan
pass down through the generations?
How large is this clan?
Do
the members in this clan bicker amongst themselves?
What are this
clan's weaknesses?
What are this clan's strengths?
What role
does this clan have in the village, if any?
Does this clan take
likely to others finding of secrets?
Who started this clan?
Does
this clan specialize in a certain ranking, such as ANBU or HunterNin?
It doesn't have to be long, but the more detailed and descriptive it is-the more likely I'll use it... –smile- Credit is given to the character's owners. Also, you can now contact me at ; our official Kadiska and Co. e-mail service. Be sure to direct the heading to me, so that I know it is mine and none of my friends read it without permission. If you want to speak with any of the others from the team, leave the heading as a general topic and not address it to anyone. We may all answer it, or whoever is on at that time. If you want to send the character information there, go on ahead.
On to other news...is there anyone out there who is interested in joining up with Kadiska and Co.? If so, e-mail me that you want to and I'll send you the details. In particular, we are looking for two new members...one who has knowledge on web-site building (since Gunner is far too busy right now to work on ours –sigh-) and someone with moderate art skills (and a scanner). If you have both, that's great; but hey...even if you can't do either I'll be willing to lend an ear and possibly add you to the team! Still interested? Well, E-MAIL!!!
Also...
CONTEST ALERT!!! CONTEST ALERT!!!
This is for all the artists out there among the reviewers. Whoever can draw the best picture of Sasuke and Yoru wins! The prize? An automatic place on 'Kadiska and Co.', a character slot opened in the story (and they can pretty much be whatever they want from the Naruto Universe...good...bad...etc...), 5 gazillion 'Cool Points' for gags, and the opportunity to type up a chapter of their choice in this story. Sounds good? Prizes may be added, but none will be taken away!
