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

Air Raid

Ryuu sighed as they neared a hill overlooking the village. It was the same one that he and Fu had found Yakumo years ago. It would have a wonderful vies of their home. They'd be able to see everything. Mount Hokage, the Academy, Ichiraku, Yakiniku Q, the fires and debris. Ryuu froze, staring at the destruction. The village was in flames, explosions going off all over it as what looked like giant yellow birds flew around and around over the village in ones and twos, groups formed into "V"s, even a straight line off to one side. And there were dozens. He activated his Sharingan, realizing that they weren't birds, they were shinobi. Shinobi with some kind of winged device strapped to their backs with two wings out to the sides, two more along their legs, and the shinobi using chakra to keep the device aloft while dropping bombs and using another odd machine to fire kunai at the shinobi standing on the buildings below them, hurling their own kunai back.

"We have to do something!" Naruto finally said, snapping everyone out of their shock.

Ryuu spread his wings instantly, exploding into the air, Fu following a moment later, having recovered enough to fight, as long as she was careful and the opponent wasn't strong. Ryuu sped ahead of her, drawing his Tanto as he neared one of the fliers. The shinobi shouted in surprise and fear as he saw Ryuu approaching and swung his kunai launcher around, opening fire with a stream of them, only for Ryuu to rapidly slash them out of the air before flipping over the flier, slashing the object on his back. The shinobi shouted in dismay instantly, plummeting to the ground where he crashed down head-first, the object on his back exploding and reducing him to a fine paste. Ryuu's eyes widened and he swallowed hard, steeling himself before spinning and flipping over a stream of kunai and taking off again. He slashed several more fliers, flipping over one as it tried to bull-rush him, then hardened his left fist, slamming a punch down on the flier. Another passed and Ryuu flipped, hardening his foot and smashing one of the wings off, sending it spiraling into the ground. Then, he spun as several opened fire at him, only for Fu to fly in front of him.

"Wind Style, Cyclone Wall!" Fu shouted, a sphere of raging Wind Style Chakra forming around her and blocking the kunai before fading, Fu streaking forward and quickly demolishing the entire group in a series of flipping kicks and punches, sending them all crashing to the ground.

The remaining fliers all turned, fleeing from the village. Ryuu and Fu flew after them. Ryuu stopped, swiping his hands and sending a barrage of Beast Wave Palms and Wind Swords out, destroying a handful of the fliers wings, sending them crashing to the ground before Fu exhaled a Wind Style, Wind Blade Jutsu, the blade severing flying machines and shinobi alike, slaughtering almost a dozen. A moment later, what looked like a ship with wings attached to the top drifted into view, only to turn and flee with the rest of the fliers.

Fu sighed. They had stopped whatever the grand finale had been. She looked over at Ryuu and her eyes widened as she saw the tears flooding down his face. She few over instantly, hugging him, Ryuu beginning to sob into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Fu said. "I shouldn't have let you fight."

Ryuu shook his head, forcing himself under control. "I have to be able to fight. I can't break down every time I have to fight. Not if I'm going to protect you from the Akatsuki. They're not going to get any weaker, or be any more willing to let you live just because I don't like taking life."

"I could have done this on my own, though," Fu said. "There was no need for me to make you put yourself through more pain."

"You didn't make me do anything," Ryuu said. "I chose to defend my home in exchange for being in pain. You have no guilt in it. But thank you for being here for me."

Fu nodded, smiling and kissing him. They remained like that for a long few minutes before dropping to the ground and beginning to search for anyone who was injured, finding a few of them and taking them to the hospital, beginning to help Sakura and the other medics with them. There were less injured than Ryuu had expected, though there were still a lot. However, most of those who came in had been treated already by someone who used standard methods of treatment, bandages, gauze wrap, one needle decompression, all of the treatments absolutely perfect.

"Just like the patient Naruto brought in," Sakura said as she was inspecting a girl with her torso wrapped in bandages. "This girl was treated perfectly. Who could do this? And in the middle of a battlefield?"

"Whoever it is, we owe them a lot of thanks," Ryuu said.

Naruto looked over at them. "This old man was-"

"It was Master Shinno!" a voice said suddenly as someone climbed through the window.

The person, which Ryuu was pretty sure was a girl, had dark red hair, a black bandanna tied around her head with hair falling out of it to frame her face and bangs hanging out between her dark eyes. She wore a baby blue shirt with long, loose sleeves that had bright pink around the cuff, then a ring of maroon after that before the blue started, skin-tight black forearm sleeves reached out from under the shirt's sleeves, reaching to her wrists with the back reaching onto the backs of her hands about an inch, a loose, thick tan vest over the blue shirt with a high collar, white fur showing from underneath around the arm holes, and with white fur lining the collar, dark blue shorts, a pair of black shin warmers, and tan shoes.

"This girl, and him!" the girl said, pointing to the patient Sakura had been inspecting, then another. "They were all treated by Doctor Shinno!"

"Doctor Shinno?" Naruto asked.

"That name sounds familiar," a medic said.

"Hey, are you friends with that old guy or something?" Naruto asked.

"You said you saw him right!?" the girl demanded, grabbing hi roughly by the front of his jacket. "Where!? Where is the doctor now!?"

"Whoa, chill out!" Naruto said.

"It's my village!" the girl said. "They're in trouble and need help! Please hurry! I..."

She collapsed, Naruto catching her instantly.

"Who is...this kid?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, give the kid to me," Ryuu said. "Then go find this Doctor Shinno."

Naruto nodded, lifting the girl and passing her to Ryuu before heading out. Ryuu carried her to a bed and set her down, running a quick medical scan. She was exhausted, but healthy. He sighed.

"She'll be alright," Ryuu said. "She's exhausted."

Sakura nodded. "She can rest there. Take her shoes and socks off, then put a blanket over her with her feet uncovered."

Ryuu did as instructed before returning to helping Sakura and the other medics with the remaining patients. After a while, Naruto returned with the doctor, a kindly old man with long, messy white hair and beard, a dark red bandanna, yellow eyes, an open, dark red vest with gold inside and on the lapels, a simple, long-sleeved white kimono shirt under it with blue along the edge, a dark red belt, blue pants, and shinobi sandals. He explained that the girl's name was Amaru, though Naruto seemed to be under the impression that Amaru was a girl, and that she came to find Shinno because her village on the edge of the Land of Fire was attacked by a group of unknown ninja, resulting in many people being injured.

"How does he know about the attack if she came to get him?" Fu breathed as she was standing with her arms around Ryuu, her cheek on his shoulder and her face toward his head.

Ryuu shook his head slightly. She had a good point. If Shinno had known about the attack before the one on Konoha, Amaru shouldn't have had to come all the way there to find him, unless he knew Konoha would be attacked. Ryuu didn't trust him. He seemed kind, but he wouldn't be the first person Ryuu had met who was kind without it being sincere. Kabuto had once been like that.

"Let's head home," Ryuu said. "It's getting late, and I think the normal medics can handle things from here."

Fu nodded and they turned, flying out the window and back to their house. Both headed to bed, but as Fu had suspected, Ryuu couldn't sleep, even after several hours. She rolled over to lay facing away from him, pressing back against him and slipping her hands into his, Ryuu smiling and lacing their fingers together, kissing the side of her neck, then the back of her head before pressing his forehead into her head affectionately.

"I love you," Ryuu smiled.

"I know," Fu replied, squeezing his hands. "It's going to be okay."

Ryuu smiled, nodding and wrapping his right arm, the higher of the two, around her middle, holding her more snuggly against him, allowing her body heat and her calm presence to finally lull him into sleep.

Leave a review.