I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.

Bad Dreams

Ryuu watched as Koyuki walked away, stopping to sign autographs as she did.

"That...script..." Kakashi gaped. "She's...perfect!"

Koyuki turned, smiling back at them and Ryuu snorted in amusement, shaking his head. Before walking away, Koyuki had said she intended to keep acting, before holding up a Make-out Paradise script and running off. If that was her next part, Ryuu wouldn't be surprised if Kakashi ended up owning a signed copy of the movie before it was even released. Ryuu sighed, turning to the most recent addition to the team, the one that had saved his life.

"How did you even know where to find me?" He asked.

"The Hokage said you were on a mission here, so I flew here and Yomo led me to you," Fu said. "It's a good thing too."

"I agree," Ryuu said, his right hand tracing over his left forearm where there should be a life-threatening gash, no perfectly smooth without so much as a scar. "You saved my life Fu. Thank you."

She smiled, face practically glowing with joy at the simple statement. "You're welcome. But how did you even get that hurt to begin with?"

"I...I tried to save someone from death, and they tried to kill me before they were safe," Ryuu said.

"I see," Fu nodded. "You should have just let them die."

"I can't do that," Ryuu said. "Killing is wrong, no matter the reason."

"No, killing without good reason is wrong," Fu said. "If you're killing something to protect something else, then it's justified."

Ryuu remained silent, staring at the ground.

"Hey wait a minute! I forgot to get her autograph!" Naruto suddenly shouted.

Ryuu chuckled, walking over to the others with Fu as Sasuke held up an envelope with a rainbow on the front.

"Don't worry, I took care of it for you," Sasuke said.

"Aw, how sweet of you Sasuke," Ryuu taunted.

"Shut up Idiot!" Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto opened the envelope, pulling out a picture of himself, unconscious and with bandages and casts covering most of his body. In the picture, Koyuki was kissing him on the cheek and she had signed the bottom right corner. Ryuu snorted before bursting out laughing, Sakura and Fu bursting into giggling fits and Kakashi managing to suppress his own laughter.

"Damn Naruto," Ryuu laughed. "You lucky dog. An autograph and a kiss."

"Shut up!" Naruto snapped, face as red as a tomato.

They all laughed again before leaving, heading back to the ship and then from there back toward Konoha. Ryuu wandered around the ship for a while before settling in at the nose of the ship, leaning on the railing and watching the seagulls drifting lazily overhead. He really wished he could have gotten Fubuki's wings before they were destroyed. But maybe he just wasn't meant to fly.

"Whatcha doin'?" Fu asked, walking up behind him.

"Just thinking," he smiled, eyes falling to the water below them.

"I see," Fu nodded, watching him for several minutes, seeing his eyes flick up at the birds every few seconds. "Would you like to fly with me for a bit?"

He blinked in surprise, turning to stare at her, seeing the honesty and and a touch of sympathy in her eyes, her mouth turned up in a kind smile. After a moment, he nodded, smiling. Fu's smile grew and she nodded, stepping up behind him, wrapping her arms around his mid section, her hands gripping her forearms securely before he heard her wings buzz to life. Then, they slowly lifted off of the deck, tipping forward and beginning to move. At first, Fu kept it slo, rising up over the shit and drifting around, Ryuu smiling and closing his eyes, reveling in the weightless feeling of flying, even if it wasn't of his own power. He truly loved to fly with Fu. After a moment, he opened his eyes, whistling. A moment later, Yomo was flying at their side. Fu smiled as Ryuu reached out, petting his head lightly, careful not to get in the way of his wings. Then, he glanced back at Fu, a grin on his face and a knowing smile grew on hers.

"Alright," Fu smiled. "Have it your way. But don't pee your pants or I'm dropping you."

And with that, they were off, streaking around through the air so fast Ryuu had to squint against the wind. He hoped there was a jutsu he could learn to counter that, but in the mean time, he cheered, throwing his arms out wide as Fu flipped and rolled and somersaulted through the air. Yomo followed, managing to keep pace with her, despite the incredible speeds they were flying at. Fu dove, streaking down at the water before leveling out on a dime, Ryuu feeling his insides shifting from the momentum, a tickling sensation filling his lower abdomen. He cheered again, reaching out and dragging his hand through the water. After a minute, he pulled it back, Fu turning and shooting across the water until they were over a school of fish. The fish began to jump below them, Ryuu grinning as one flopped down, splashing them. He laughed and Fu curved upward again, shooting up high into the air, spinning as she did and giving Ryuu the feeing of being completely weightless. Then, she leveled out, now below Ryuu with Ryuu within arm's reach of the clouds. And he took advantage of it too, reaching out and sticking his hand in the cloud, watching as the cloud parted. He pulled his hand back, staring at the condensation on it, before Fu rolled over, diving yet again and shooting back down the thousands of feet it took to reach the water then rolling over, skimming over the water as low as she could without wetting her wings. Ryuu rolled over in her arms, carefully sitting up, Fu taking his hands so he wouldn't fall. He grinned, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of the wind buffeting his face, less so now than before. He opened his eyes again, smiling down at Fu as she watched him, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you," he said. "You have no idea what this means to me."

Fu shook her head, smiling. "I do. You want to fly because when you do you're free. No one can force you to do anything. There's nothing expected of you, no duty, when you fly. You're just free. Truly free."

Ryuu nodded, smiling. He lay down, hugging Fu and closing his eyes. Fu hugged him back, rolling over again and rising back up to be a little ways above the ship. Ryuu turned around again, allowing Fu to hold him against her as they flew, drifting calmly through the air now. It was still fast enough that Ryuu didn't feel like he was falling, and Fu didn't seem to be struggling with his weight at all, so he simply closed his eyes, his hands resting over Fu's with his left between hers, and enjoyed the freedom. Finally, Fu lowered them back to the deck of the ship,in the back this time, not moving away from him, but setting their feet down and allowing her wings to fade. They stayed there for a long while, watching as the sun fell in front of them before touching down over the water, slowly sinking below it. The sunset was completely different here. Here, the entire sky was turned a fiery orange as the sun sank. Then, as the sun was sinking, it seemed to disappear in horizontal lines, one line at a time. And each time a line sank below the horizon, it turned green for a moment. Then, finally, the last of the sun began to vanish, turning a bright lime green for a moment before fading altogether. The sky remained orange for several minutes before fading to red, then to pink. Finally, the pink faded to a night-time sky and the world fell silent, save for the creaking of the ship as it sailed, and the sound of waves hitting the hull. Ryuu tipped his head back, looking up at the stars as his head rested on her shoulder. He was glad they were about the same height. She was taller than most of the girls he knew. He smiled. Nothing about her was like any of the other girls he knew.

"Thank you for saving me," Ryuu said.

"You're welcome," Fu said. "Promise me you won't get yourself killed any time soon, though. I don't want to lose my best friend."

"I can't promise I won't die," Ryuu said. "But I promise I'll try."

Fu nodded, smiling and resting her chin on his shoulder. Ryuu smiled, lifting his head up and leaning it against hers, their hands still stacked on over his abdomen. After several minutes, Ryuu pulled away slightly, enough to turn around and hugged her, Fu hugging him back.

"How long do you have until you have to go home?" Ryuu asked.

"I'm allowed to stay away a week this time, as long as I stay with you," Fu said. "Since you saved our village, Shibuki trusts you to watch over me."

"I'm getting the feeling it's more of a 'keep you out of trouble' situation," Ryuu chuckled.

Fu laughed and nodded. "It is."

Ryuu smiled before stepping back.

"We should get to sleep," Ryuu said. "It's already late."

Fu nodded and they walked down below deck together. As they walked, Ryuu realized the problem.

"There aren't any open rooms," Ryuu said.

"That's alright," Fu smiled. "I can sleep in the cargo hold. I'm used to sleeping away from others anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Ryuu scoffed. "You're taking my bed. I'm sleeping on the floor."

Fu's eyes widened and she shook her head. "I can't do that. It's your bed. I'll sleep on the floor. It's fine, really. Half the time I wake up hovering with my wings anyway."

"No Fu. You're taking the bed." He opened his door, letting Fu in after him before shutting the door.

His room was spacious, with a bedside table beside the bed, and a bathroom with a hole that emptied out in the water below the ship. Once inside, Ryuu took one of the spare blankets and pillows, setting it out on the floor for himself.

"Ryuu, you're not sleeping on the floor in your own room," Fu said. "Sleep on the bed."

"The bed's yours, Fu," Ryuu said.

"Then I guess it's just not going to be used," Fu shrugged, lying on the floor.

"Fu."

"I'm sleeping on the floor whether you use the bed or not," Fu said, closing her eyes.

Ryuu sighed, resting his face in his palm. This was a far cry from the childish girl she usually acted like. Finally he sighed, giving up.

"Alright," Ryuu sighed. "You use the blanket and pillow. I'll take the bed. Happy?"

Fu smirked and walked over to the blanket, slipping under it and wrapping herself in it before lying down, watching as Ryuu slipped his sandals off and climbed into the bed.

"Happy now?"

"Much better," Fu beamed. "Goodnight Ryuu."

"Goodnight Fu," Ryuu said, rolling his eyes and rolling over, closing his eyes.

Ryuu reached for the light. It was so close. He just had to reach a little further. The hands grabbed at his clothes, at his flesh. Pulling. Dragging him back. Their rotting flesh reeked, filling his nostrils until he couldn't breathe. He's gag and have to choke back his bile. Their skin was cold and clammy, sticking to him more than it should. He was so close to the light. But now it was getting further away. Then, the voices began.

"Murderer!"

"Killer!"

"Monster!"

"Murderer!"

"Killer!"

"Monster!"

It was like a chant. The voices chanted the mantra again and again as the hands pulled. The light began to fade until darkness swallowed him. Then, the faces appeared. Rotten and with their eyes fully white, devoid of life yet not dead. Suien. Suien's henchman. Fubuki. They clawed at him, pulled at his clothes. Tore at his flesh. One of them bit down on his arm and he screamed, yet no sound came out. Then, there was another face. Shisui's. A look of revulsion and hatred on it.

"Please!" Ryuu pleaded, reaching for Shisui as the hands clawed at him. "Save me! Big Brother!"

"You are not my brother," Shisui spat. "You're a murderer!"

Then, Shisui was gone. Ryuu cried out in despair and fear. Then again as the hands and the faces began to tear at him once more. Then, there was light. The light shone on him and the hands turned to dust, the faces vanished. And then, there was a voice.

"Wake up Ryuu!" Fu said, shaking his shoulders gently.

Ryuu's eyes finally fluttered open and he blinked several times, feeling the tears on his face before sitting up, hugging Fu as he felt his throat constricting as his body tried to sob. Fu held him comfortingly, her hand slowly trailing up and down his back as she did. Finally, Ryuu reached up, wiping his eyes and getting himself under control.

"I was having a nightmare," Ryuu whispered.

"I know," Fu nodded. "It's alright. It's over now."

Ryuu nodded, closing his eyes, feeling his body slowly stop trembling, despite seeing the faces burned into his mind, flashing behind his eyes as he kept them closed. After a few minutes, he lay back down and Fu stood only for him to catch her hand. She looked back, seeing him staring at her hand in silence, his eyes practically screaming how afraid he was on having another nightmare. After another moment, Fu lay down beside him, pulling the covers up over them both and then wrapping her arms around Ryuu, feeling him curl into her, his arms wrapping around her as he pressed his forehead to her shoulder, trembling ever-so-slightly. She ran her hand lightly through his hair, feeling him slowly beginning to calm before finally he drifted off to sleep.

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