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

Finding A Friend

Fu walked outside, looking around. When she had woken up, Ryuu had been gone. She had assumed he was making dinner, so she showered and cleaned up, then get dressed and headed downstairs. Except, he wasn't there either.

"Ryuu?" Fu called out. "Are you here?" She looked around, then headed for the hot spring. Empty. She turned, walking to the house to check the basement. Empty. She headed back into the backward. "Ryuu!" She was starting to get worried.

"Good morning," Ryuu said, Fu spinning and shouting in surprise before glaring at him.

"Where were you?" Fu demanded.

"Sorry," Ryuu smiled. "I wanted to stretch my...uh...legs. So I went for a run."

"Why'd you hesitate?" Fu asked. "And how come I didn't see you coming, or hear you?"

"I'm a lot faster now," Ryuu shrugged. "As for the hesitation, I had a brain fart." He shrugged.

Fu sighed, leaning against his chest. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry," Ryuu smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "So, you ready to watch Kabuto rehab me?"

"Ugh," Fu groaned. "It's going to be so boring!"

"Well we could always get his permission to spar after," Ryuu smiled, Fu grinning.

"Definitely," Fu smiled. "I want to show off what I've learned."

"You and me both," Ryuu smiled.

They walked through the village to the hospital where Kabuto had been working as an ER doctor while being watched by ANBU. He met them at the door, leading them to one of his rooms where he used Medical Ninjutsu to begin regenerating Ryuu's muscles. As he did, Ryuu asked if he and Fu could spar and Kabuto chuckled.

"I doubt it'll be sparring so much as rearranging the landscape, but sure," Kabuto said. "You can spar to your hearts content, as long as you don't break any bones. Oh, and before you leave, remind me to give you a scroll on how to regenerate muscles. It'll help you rehab faster, and help you train."

Ryuu nodded and Kabuto continued to work in silence, Fu absentmindedly combing her fingers through Ryuu's hair, starting to put him to sleep. Finally, Kabuto finished what he was going to do for that day and Fu woke up Ryuu who thanked Kabuto and left with Fu and the scroll.

Ryuu sighed as he inspected his tanto. Fu had taken good care of it. And his trench knife. She had kept them both in perfect condition. But one thing was missing. He had been too afraid to ask, even though the cage was in his room, and he was reminded of it every time he looked at it. He sighed heavily and stood, putting his tanto in its sheath on his back and walking downstairs where the other three were all helping cook lunch.

"Hello Ryuu," Yugao smiled. "Going training?"

Ryuu remained silent for a moment before sighing again. "We need to talk."

"What's wrong?" Yugao asked, Tayuya and Fu both turning toward him.

"Where's Yomo?" Ryuu asked. "His cage was empty when I got back, there's food in it but it hasn't been eaten at all, and even though no one's cleaned it, I can tell he hasn't been in it. Where is he?"

"Yomo...he disappeared not long after you did," Tayuya said. "We tried looking for him, but...well..."

"Birds don't like us like they do you," Fu said.

"I doubt birds will like me anymore," Ryuu said. "Okay. I'm going to go see if I can find him. Maybe he has a nest somewhere around the village."

The girls all nodded, watching him walk out of the house. He knew Yomo wouldn't have a nest around the village. But he had to try. Yomo was the only family he had left. Actually, that wasn't quite true. He would always have Fu, and he had Yugao and Tayuya as well, but Yomo was the family member that saved him from his despair after Shisui had died. In a way, he felt like Yomo had been sent to him by Shisui. As a way for Shisui to tell him he was still around.

Ryuu stopped as he reached the forest. He prepared himself to whistle, but stopped. What if the birds didn't answer? They had always been there. They had always been his friends. He loved birds. but what if they didn't trust him anymore? He couldn't blame them. He sighed, shaking his head. He had to try. If he didn't, he could never find Yomo. He took a breath, silently praying for God to allow him to still be able to have the birds' trust, then released a long, loud whistle. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the sound of hundreds of sets of wings all taking flight at once sounded and every bird within hearing distance, and there were a lot, came flooding out of the trees. Ryuu laughed, smiling as tears of relief fell down his cheeks and he spread his arms. The birds landed on his arms, shoulders, head feet, they landed around him on the ground and in the trees, and then even more crammed themselves along his arms. He smiled, looking around at all of the birds who were singing and calling to each other, like a thousand excited children whose parent had come home at last.

Then, there was a flurry of movement on his right shoulder, as the birds there moved, clearing half his arm to make room and a crow landed there, cocking its head as it stared at Ryuu, a frog held in its mouth. Ryuu stared at him, tears running down his cheeks again.

"Yomo!" he smiled, moving his left hand to his shoulder, holding the frog for Yomo while Yomo ate. "Couldn't you find anything cleaner to eat?"

Yomo pecked him on the side of the head and Ryuu laughed at the nostalgia. The birds that had been on his arms began to fly around Ryuu in circles and he smiled, whistling a short tune, dozens of mocking birds beginning to echo it, sparking a spontaneous song from every bird present besides Yomo, Ryuu laughing happily as it did. Then, after a few minutes, it began to wind down.

"Thank you, all of you," Ryuu smiled. "I missed you all. I have to head home now. But I'll see you all again. Promise."

The birds all took flight again, chirping, and cawing, and a couple screeching, all saying their goodbyes as they took off into the trees or the air again. Ryuu tossed the remains of Yomo's frog away, scooping him into his arms and gently hugging him as he walked back to the house.

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