Promises
Robin tapped her fingers on the dark wood, waiting in the small ramen bar with her cousin.
"Where is he?" She muttered to herself, glancing around the bar. After a moment she finally spotted him and a glare worked its way onto her face.
"Sorry I'm late." Gaara mumbled as he sat beside Robin. With an annoyed sigh she waved it off, not caring anymore.
"I just want to know why you were ten minutes late. That's not like you."
"Tsunade gave me a mission to escort a noblemen from a village near Konoha." Robin leaned back and shrugged, thinking back to two months ago when the three became jounin. "So why just the three of us?" Robin sighed and jerked her thumb in Naruto's direction.
"Ask him."
"Ne, you're no fun, Robin-kun." Naruto pouted after he finished his last bowl of ramen. He paid for his ramen before standing up and leaving, causing the other two jounin to exchange a look of confusion before following him. With ease the two caught up to Naruto as he navigated through the streets until they came upon the Hokage monument.
"Naruto-kun, what did you want to talk about?" Robin asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"The Akatsuki has been starting to surface." Robin nodded, all the jounin had been told. "Hokage-sama talked to me the other day. She says we have to train even harder." Robin rose an eyebrow in confusion.
"I understand that. But I do not think it concerns me as much as the two of you." Naruto shook his head, disagreeing with his cousin.
"Iie. You can summon anything Robin. That also puts you in danger." Robin looked back, surprised when she felt Gaara's hand on her shoulder.
"Would it be possible for you to summon demons?" His voice was cold, emotionless. Much like the way he was when Naruto first met him.
"I have never tried."
"But you could." Gaara insisted. Robin sigh and nodded.
"It is possible. I doubt I could but it is a possibility."
"Then the three of us have to train."
Setsuko hummed gently as she smelled a red rose. Kakashi had given her the rose the day before, surprising her by coming over and waking her up. Had it been anyone else, she would have become extremely mad at the prospect of someone being in her room. Setsuko placed the rose back in the vase Yoko had gotten her. She stepped out of her room quietly and began to walk down the hallway.
"What are you thinking?" Setsuko turned and smiled at Akira.
"In a month Kakashi and I will be married. I was just thinking how happy I'll be." Akira smiled as he laid a hand on her arm.
"I am very glad that you will be happy. You deserve it so much."
Robin dodged a wave of sand and threw kunai towards Gaara. The jounin sent several waves of sand after that, causing Robin to jump up into the air. She twirled the naginata in the air and brought it down, only to have it blocked by more sand. Robin kicked off of the sand quickly. As she flipped in the air her hands flew through a set of seals before summoning a ball of fire. She hurled the fire towards Gaara and barely managed to land on her feet. The sand turned into to glass as Robin pointed the naginata towards her boyfriend.
"You've lost your main weapon, what will you do now?" Gaara smirked as he dashed forward.
"Go hand to hand!" Robin ducked under a punch and kicked up, clipping him on the chin. Gaara dropped down and kicked out, aiming to knock her feet out from under her. Robin did a back flip and avoided his feet. She wasted no time in aiming a punch for his head only to have it blocked by him arm. Gaara sent a kick towards her side only to have her lift her leg up and block the kick. Robin flipped backwards and kicked out, knocking Gaara back a few feet. The two charged each other once more, exchanging a number of blows. Robin and Gaara both reached back and punched each other in the face, causing the two to fly backwards until they flipped and landed, taking only a second before launching themselves at each other again.
"Ano . . ." Naruto caused the two to look back at him.
"Yes, otoutosan?" (Younger brother) Naruto scratched the back of his head.
"What if we're given a team?" Robin and Gaara blinked as they looked at each other.
". . . I am a sand shinobi so I won't have to worry about that . . ." Robin glanced at Naruto.
"If the three of us need to train, I do not think Hokage-sama will give us a team." Naruto nodded.
"Good point." Naruto looked up at the sky and saw the sun setting. "Ne, I think it's time to go home, don't you?"
Setsuko bowed as she greeted the Hokage. Tsunade nodded and motioned for her to sit.
"Setsuko . . . . what will you do?"
"Pardon?"
"The Akatsuki have been acting up. You swore revenge for the death of Riki."
"I know that." Setsuko closed her eyes as she remembered. "I love Kakashi. So I will train until there is no risk that anything will happen to me when I fight the Akatsuki." Setsuko felt her hand clench into a fist as her thoughts came back to her departed student. "Riki was my student. For his death I will destroy the Akatsuki. It is the least I can do."
Yoko sipped her tea as Tenshi came into the room. It was well past midnight.
"What are you doing up still, Yoko?" Yoko smiled as Tenshi sat down and poured herself some tea.
"I could ask you the same thing?"
"Yes, but I asked first, cousin."
"I could not sleep."
"Why not?" Yoko sent a wry glare towards Tenshi.
"Why don't you tell me why you are still awake." Tenshi smiled.
"I could not sleep either." Yoko ran her finger around the rim of her cup.
"Everyone is training so hard." She muttered to herself. However, Tenshi overheard her and smiled.
"Hai. Setsuko wants to avenge her fallen student, Gaara, Robin, and Naruto train to stop anything from happening when Akatsuki strikes, Kakashi trains so he can stop Setsuko from getting hurt . . . it seems like Akatsuki will be far worse than Orochimaru was . . ." Yoko bit her lip before speaking to her cousin.
". . . . I fear that this will be more dangerous than Kyuubi." Tenshi tilted her head to the side in confusion.
"Why is that?"
". . . I had a vision again." Tenshi looked at Yoko sharply.
"What was it?"
"A young woman was in it. She fought Setsuko. She won." The tea Tenshi had poured for herself was forgotten as she focused on Yoko completely.
"Who was she?"
"Setsuko knew her." Yoko stood and looked at Tenshi. "She wanted Setsuko dead more than anything."
"Are you going to tell Setsuko?"
". . . I do not know if it will make a difference." Tenshi stood and moved next to yoko, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You have to. Setsuko must know. That might save her." Yoko nodded.
"Yes, I suppose I must."
