Stories Written In Sand
A few days later, Ryu found that a pattern had established itself without her even realising it. Kiba would wake her up with the spray bottle every morning, and every morning she would wake up to find her knuckles had healed during the night. Guy would make her practice her punches every day, along with various techniques he decided to teach them as a team, and then she would come back to Kiba's an hour after dinner each night with bleeding knuckles. Every night they would have to bandage her knuckles, and then she would collapse onto her bed and sleep. The next day it would happen all over again.
But today was Saturday, and the day before, Guy had given the team the day off. He had also informed Ryu of his success in finding her an apartment. So she was walking with him over there to inspect it in the late morning. It was between the restaurant district and the bazaar where various merchants and local tradesmen sold their wares. They had to walk up some outside stairs to reach the front door, and Guy handed her the keys.
"It's all yours," he said. Ryu smiled.
"Thanks for doing this for me." she said. "Though you didn't really have to."
He shook his head. "A teacher is supposed to help his students, and I couldn't let you stay with Kiba forever."
She shrugged as she rammed the key into the lock and opened the door. It reminded her of a hotel room; the bed was on one side and a small sink area across from it. The stove was in another corner and the closed door on the other side of the room directly across from her she guessed was the bathroom. She walked in and started to look around.
"When did you get all this?" she asked as she walked over to the bed.
"We all pitched in to help," he said, sounding proud of himself and the other teachers. "You can thank the other teams for helping us move it all in. You should definently try to find Chikomaru; Asuma got distracted and ended up dropping the other end of the stove on his foot."
She walked into the bathroom. She looked around and found sand in corners of the small room and around the tub. She looked out at Guy.
"Why is there sand everywhere in here?" she asked.
"Oh, that. Shino detected an infestation and we asked Gaara to get rid of them."
"Gaara?"
"One of the kids from the Sand Village," he said as she came back out. He got the feeling that she knew something about him.
"Do you know him?" he asked voicing his question.
She shook her head, but didn't look too sure. Ryu then brightened as she turned to him, grinning.
"Thanks, Guy-sensei! This means alot to me!" she said, expressing more gratitude. "But don't think this makes up for pushing me out that window. I told you I'm never going to forgive you for that!"
Guy laughed. "I know, I know!" he said. He waved as he walked out the door. "Hope you enjoy the new place!"
"I will! Bye!"
She said this as she danced on her toes. He left going down the stairs and Ryu left the door open. She started to bounce around the room, feeling very happy and pleased about this new arrangement. She liked the apartment and was now in a very good mood. She opened the three windows and then sat down on her new bed.
She would need to make a list of the things she was going to need. She started to explore the one room apartment, going through the cupboards under and above the sink. They had already gotten bowls, plates, utensils, pots, and pans, but when she got to the bathroom, she found nothing there in which to keep herself clean. And where exactly was she going to keep her clothes? A little more exploring resulted in her finding there was a sort of pull-out dresser underneath her bed.
After she made a list of the things she needed, she sat down on her bed again. A continueing sense of contentment went through as she looked about. She walked around the place once more and then clapped her hands in decision. Okay! she thought. Now that I've got a place of my own, it's time for the real work! She grabbed her small messenger bag, emptied it of her clothes, brush, toothbrush, and other toiletries, and then went out the door, locking it behind her.
She walked down the stairs and headed for the inner part of the village. She was going to go look for the Leaf Village's library, and see what they had for myths and legends. After all, she had promised Dr. Masuda she would keep up her research when she found a place to settle down. About fifteen minutes of wandering and asking directions, Ryu had found no library and no one who could give decent directions. She started to look in the side streets, knowing that a library was usually somewhere quiet.
But when she started looking there, she couldn't find anyone to ask where the library was. She began to explore more, and, finally, she saw someone. It was a boy around her age, just minding his own business. Ryu got the feeling that she had seen him before though she couldn't remember where; the red hair seemed very familiar. He was dressed in tan and black clothes, and was carrying a gourd on his back.
It looked like there was black painted around his eyes, making the light green of his eyes stand out. There was also something in red above one of his eyes. She ran over to him.
"Excuse me," she said. He looked at her, and she suddenly got the feeling he didn't talk much to other people. "Do you know where the library is?"
"Yes," he said, his voice quiet and deep.
"Can you give me directions? No one seems to know where it is."
"That's where I'm going right now."
"Oh," she said looking hopeful and trying not to be imposing at the same time. She felt like this guy required his space. "Do you mind if I come with you?"
He nodded. "You may," he said. He looked at her with a slight air of interest now. She smiled her gratitude.
"Thanks!" she said, still smiling. She held out her hand. "I'm Ryu."
He slowly took her hand, and she noticed he had very light grip.
"Gaara," he said, giving her his name. Ryu looked at him questioningly.
"Gaara...?" she echoed. She looked at the ground in thought as he released her hand. "I've heard that name somwhere..."
Gaara looked at her expectantly. He found that people knew who he was in the Leaf Village. But as he looked at this girl, she seemed familar somehow, like an old photograph you took yourself and then find again in the attic, faded and worn. The memory connected with her was just beyond his reach; he strained to catch it, but it dissappeared as soon as he came close to catching it again. The name, the hair, the eyes, and the mark under her right eye all tugged at forgotten memories.
"Oh!" The girl remembered and he hoped she had an answer to his small dilemma.
"You're the boy that Guy said got rid of the infestation in my new apartment!" she said. He blinked as his emotions hit the ground. "But..."
The girl looked at him while she thought, her lips twisted and her eyes intense.
"You seem very familar..." She sighed.
"I was thinking the same thing," he said, trying to help her out. "Have... you ever been to the Sand Village?"
She shook her head. "Have you ever gone to the Sound Village? Or maybe around it?" she asked tentively. He shook his head, and she sighed, folding her arms in frustration.
"You came from the Sound Village?" he asked her.
"Oh, no!" she said, trying to dispel any suspicion. "I used to live around the village, not in it. My family wasn't part of it because of my dad."
Gaara gave an air of understanding and he started to walk away. After going a few feet, he looked back at Ryu.
"I thought you said you needed to get to the library," he said to her.
"I do."
"Then why aren't you moving?"
A light dawned in her eyes, realising what he meant, and then she jogged over to catch up to him. They walked back into the inner part of the village, Gaara pointing out other places Ryu needed to get to at another time. They had brief conversations as Gaara asked questions about her and what brought her to the Leaf Village. When they got to the library, she thanked him for getting her there.
"What exactly are you looking for anyway?" he asked her.
"Oh, I'm doing research on myths and legends, particularly those on the spirits and demons of different villages." she answered. This led to a limited expression of puzzlement from Gaara.
"Why?" She shrugged.
"It's what I'm interested in," she said. A look of understanding spread across his face as she walked over to one of the librarians.
She was able to get directions to the section she needed, and Gaara decided to come with her. Maybe if he stayed close to her, the memory would become clearer. They came to the section, and Ryu started to investigate the stacks while he looked around; he had never been to this part of the library before. Usually, he wandered around until a book caught his eye. But today, Temari and Konkuro had asked him to bring back books for them, so he was on the look out for what they would like.
He knew an author Temari liked, but he had no idea what his older brother read. He turned his attention to Ryu, who had four books in her hands and was straining to reach a fifth. He walked over to her and got the book for her, but the title of it made him pause. It read, "Legends of the Sand." He looked at Ryu.
"Do you mind?" he asked, referring to the book. She shook her head.
"No, go ahead," she said. She started to look around for another.
He opened the book up and flipped to the table of contents. He thought his stomach was about to drop out of his body as his eyes landed on the title for chapter six, "Shukaku- Friend or Foe?". He followed Ryu over to a table as the both of them started to read. He turned to chapter six and started to read the introduction to the Shukaku myths. I wonder what this guy would say if he met me, he thought wickedly as he read. Ryu looked over at what he was reading.
"Oh, you're interested in Shukaku?" she asked.
"...Yes," he answered. "What do you know about him?"
"Well..." she said as she put her thoughts together. "There are two kinds of myths concerning Shukaku; the ones that show him as a protector, and the ones that make him the destroyer. If all the stories are true, I'd say he's very strange and maybe prone to psychotic episodes."
Gaara tried not to flinch. "What else?"
"There really aren't that many myths about him. He saves a girl, he destroys a city, fights a few other spirit demons here and there. He randomly pops up in legend history once in a while, and that's it. The latest one I've read is about a father sealing him inside his son."
He hung his head, and she looked at him. "Gaara? Are you okay?" she asked, concerned. He looked up at her.
"You want to hear something interesting?" he asked. She nodded her head.
"That myth about the father and son is true." Ryu looked like she might laugh, but then looked intently at him.
"How do you know?" she asked. He spread his arms out.
She blinked and then pointed a finger at him. He nodded his head and he thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head they were so wide.
"Wow," she said a little breathlessly. "Can... If you don't mind that is, can I ask you some questions?"
"Only a few please," he said, wanting to keep his personal affairs out of the way.
She got a pad of paper and a pencil out of her messenger bag, and wrote four questions down on the pad before she began.
"What's it like?"
"I... feel like a normal person, I guess. Although over the years...I've...had to deal with a lot. The spirit takes form in sand and it protects me all the time, so I haven't had so many physical injuries as the usual person."
She checked off one of the questions. "What kind of jutsus are you able to perform?"
"I can bend sand to do whatever I want. I can make it harden into rock and take different shapes. I can also make earth based things like jars or hills turn into sand, but it tires me. I can use the sand to take the shape of Shukaku, but that also takes an enormous amount of chakra." he answered. He watched as she wrote everything down.
"Um... I've got two more questions. Does it have any effects on you, mentally or physically?"
He hesitated before answering. "I...suffer from insomnia, and... I had a...psychotic break when I was six." he said quietly.
For some reason he felt like he was talking to a therapist. He had also started wondering why exactly he was telling this all to someone he had just met half an hour ago. Maybe because it was the continuing sense of familiarity he got from her, plus she didn't seem phased at all from what he was telling her. Almost as she was used to hearing stories like his.
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked her. She looked up and nodded.
"Uh-huh."
"Why exactly are you asking me all these questions?"
She blinked. "Research."
The memories of being told he was a failed experiment made him suspicious of this answer.
"And I pertain to your research how?"
Ryu sighed. "How can I explain this...?" she said this more to herself. She looked at him. "Do you want to hear a short story, or a long one?"
"Long one."
She sighed again. "Okay. You see, after my mom died, one of my mom's friends took me in. He was a professor at the university in the Sound Village who taught demonology. While he took care of me, he put me to work studying and also being a secretary. That's how I got so interested in myths and legends and things.
"And you see, finding a human being with a spirit inside them is really rare. It's kind of like living proof that demons are alive. So when people like me or Dr. Masuda finds someone like you, it's an opportunity to learn more about spirits and their relationship with humans. It helps us understand the legends more and how to deal with a dangerous demon spirit if one shows up."
She looked at him sideways, her mouth twisted in a frustrated frown. "Did that make any sense to you?" she asked. He nodded his head.
"Yes. Are...there anymore people like me?" he asked. She brightened a bit a this.
"Oh yes! There's actually been a small surge in the last generation, if the research is correct." she said. "There's a blind girl in the Mist Village with the Sacred Turtle inside her, and there are actually three people in the Sound Village, but there used to be four. The first one we found was a boy who could see ghosts, and then we found a young woman with a fire demon inside her."
She shuddered in remembering that one. "That was a freaky mission. I'm never going to forget that! Then a few years ago Dr. Masuda found Inu, a half-breed who's father seemed to be a dog demon. I have a picture of him, do you want to see it?"
Gaara nodded his head, and Ryu started digging through her bag again. She found her wallet and took a picture out of it. In the photo was a man in his early thirties with glasses, Ryu, and a boy with shoulder-length black hair and... black dog ears coming out of the top of his head. His eyes gleamed yellow, and he smiled a toothy grin, his canines pointed and large. He glanced from the photo to Ryu.
"You knew this boy?" he asked.
"Uh-huh, he's a sweet-heart too. He's seven and he's the cutest little thing I've ever met. The girls at the university love him to death because of the ears." she said.
"So, Dr. Masuda took you and Inu in?"
"Yep. He's a pretty nice guy."
He gave her the picture back, and decided to ask another question. "Why did you leave?"
"Oh, I'd been wanting to for a while," she said as she put it back in her wallet. "Doc made me wait until I was older because he was worried about me going off on my own to find the Leaf Village."
"Huh. Do you have anymore questions for me?"
Ryu looked at him blankly, as if asking what he was talking about. She then looked down at the pad and pencil in her hands still.
"Oh! That's right!" she exclaimed. "Um... What does Shukaku look like?"
Gaara thought a moment. "Well... He... He's kind of hard to describe... Can I use your pencil and paper?" he asked. She pushed them over to him, and he drew a rough sketch.
She looked at the sketch and it reminded her of a fat cat with a large scaled tail, chubby paws, and a short crocodile mouth. She smiled at him.
"Thanks! The Doc will be glad to get this info." she said as she put her things away. "There's almost nothing on Shukaku except for the few myths we've been able to dig up. He's almost as rare as the Winged Tiger."
He looked at her in question. He had never heard of the Winged Tiger before. "What's the Winged Tiger?" he asked.
"Well, she's just what the name says: a giant tiger with wings. There's only one legend about her too, and even then the end is missing." she said.
"What's it about?" he asked, being curious about the new spirit.
"It's the basic creation myth. The gods, angry with man because of their continuing wickedness and disrespect toward them, made a giant tiger with wings, and sent her down to pass judgement on all the evil she saw. After three weeks of roaming the land, man started to pray for forgiveness and release from the Winged Tiger as she had already slaughtered many. This is what the gods wanted, and so now that they had it, they asked the Winged Tiger to come back. But she wouldn't, and after a discussion, one of the gods went down to deal with her," she told him.
She shrugged her shoulders. "And that's it for the legend. That's all that's left of it."
She stood up and picked up her bag. "What are you here for anyway?" she asked.
"Oh, my brother and my sister asked me to get some books for them," he said as he followed her to the fiction section of the library.
He located the author that Temari liked, and then started to look for something for Konkuro. After standing there and puzzling for about three minutes, he gave up and grabbed three random books off of the suggested reading stack. He found Ryu on the other side of the shelf with a copy of Hidden Winds.
"What's that for?" he asked, finding himself puzzled as to why she wanted to read it. She shrugged.
"Something different to read," she answered.
They both went to the check-out desk, and left the library together. They had both found each other interesting; Gaara had found himself fascinated by her optimistic personality. Her entire family was dead, and she still laughed and smiled like a normal person. So they talked more as they walked, Gaara subconsciously walking back to his house as Ryu followed him. She got distracted by a small clothing store that was selling fingerless gloves. She started to look through them to see if there was a size that could fit her small hands.
"Why do you need those?" he asked as he watched her go through them.
"I need something to protect my knuckles during training," she said. She finally found a pair of black gloves that fit her, and paid the clerk.
They walked outside as she tugged them on, and she flexed her hands in them to see if she had enough room. She made a fist and heard the black fabric protest at being moved.
"Who's your teacher?" he asked. He was actually starting to feel a bit silly as he was asking her so many questions. But he wanted to get know her a bit more.
"Guy," she said. "He's making me work like a dog."
"So you're on the same team as Lee?"
"Yeah. Do you know him?"
They had stopped walking, one standing in front of the other. Gaara tried not to look too guilty.
"In a way..." he said, but let his sentence trail off as he saw Ryu's eyes grow large as she looked past him.
"What?"
"Smoke," she said, pointing past him. He turned around and saw smoke billowing out of the tiny porch that was part of his apartment.
"Oh, that's just my house," he said.
Realisation then struck him in the head. He spun around and ran to the building with Ryu right behind him. He dashed up the stairs and wrenched the door open. Temari was standing there with her fan open, and was blowing the smoke, which was coming from the oven, out the window. Konkuro was standing there, not exactly helping, but then what could he do against smoke?
"I'm afraid to ask," said Gaara. "But what happened?"
"Nothing," said Temari though the tone of her voice did nothing to encourage such a remark. She sounded very annoyed. "I fell asleep on the couch while the roast was cooking, that's all."
He looked over at Konkuro, not exactly happy. "And you were where?"
"Room," he said jerking his thumb. "I had my headphones on. I came out here to see if dinner was ready and the room was filled with smoke."
He cocked his head as he looked at Ryu. "Who's she?"
"Ryu. I met her going to the library."
Ryu gave a small wave. "Hello!"
She then looked at Gaara. "So, this is your brother and sister?" she asked. He nodded his head.
Temari gave the fan one final flick, sending the smoke out of the room entirely, and then turned around to meet Ryu. She looked her up and down, and decided to give her a friendly smile.
"Temari. It's nice to meet you." she said, sounding formal.
Ryu smiled back. "It's nice to meet you too."
Konkuro came a little closer and extended his hand. "Konkuro."
She gave him a smile as well as she took his hand. His grip was normal, but she noticed grooves in his fingers. What could those be from? Temari had turned around to inspect what was left of the roast. She sliced the top of it with a knife and found it was okay to eat; it was just very well done.
"Is it still edible?" asked Gaara as he looked over her shoulder.
"It's... alright." she said.
Ryu looked at their clock. It read 2 p.m.
"Gaara, I've got to go," she said. He turned around and he gave a small wave good-bye.
She smiled again. "See you around!"
She left the apartment, closing the door behind her. Konkuro watched Gaara for a moment. Wow, Gaara actually made a friend, he thought. And with a girl to boot. His younger brother looked back at him, the face that used to make him jump present again.
"What?"
"Nothing..."
Ryu walked down the street, heading to Kiba's house. She wondered if he had a phone, and hoped that he did. She also hoped he would be home around this time of day. She didn't know his training schedule. When she got to the house, and knocked on his door, Kiba answered.
"Oh, hey Ryu." He looked surprised to see her.
"Hi! Kiba, do you have a phone?"
He blinked. "Yeah. Do you need to use it?"
"Do you mind?"
"No. Come on in,"
He let her in, and lead her to the phone. Akumaru barked when he saw her and started to wiggle about her feet. She patted him on the back as Kiba handed her the phone. He watched her dial the number.
"Who're you calling anyway?"
"A friend. I told him I'd call once I got here. He's probably freaking out enough as it with me gone so long," she said. She put the phone to her ear, and Kiba attempted to pick Akumaru up.
The puppy barked and bared his teeth in resistance. The boy rolled his eyes.
"Alright, but don't bother her," he said as he left to give Ryu privacy.
She tapped her feet as the phone rang. Finally, someone picked up.
"Second Hokage University. How can I help you?"
"Hi, I'd like to speak to Dr. Masuda in Demonology please."
"I'll transfer you,"
Akumaru cocked his head at her as he heard music being played. Then there was a click.
"Demonology, Inu speaking. Um... Who's this?"
Ryu rolled her eyes. "Inu, you know that's rude."
"Ryu!! You're safe! You're alive! Hold on a sec, I'll go get the Doc!!"
"Wait! Inu! He might be in the middle of a lesson!" she protested as she heard the quick patter of bare feet on wood.
She heard the faint explanation and the phone was picked up again.
"Ryu?"
"Hi, Doc!" she said enthusiastically.
"Hey there! It's good to hear from you. Are you in the Leaf Village?"
"Yup. I got here just fine thanks to a new friend."
Akumaru barked and started to wag his tail.
"Oh, thank goodness. With all the Black Ops. running around, I thought something might happen before you got there. Who's your new friend?"
"Well," she said as she petted Akumaru to try and keep him quiet. "I've actually got a few now. Akumaru was the one who got me here, and lead me to Kiba."
"And they are...?"
"Akumaru is Kiba's puppy and he found me in the forest. I got lost."
She heard Inu in the background say, "As usual!"
"Doc, can you stick your tongue out for me at Inu?"
"Heh heh, no. So, you got to town and made two friends. I hope you made two more with your grandparents."
Akumaru whined. "Well... No. I found out that they're dead too." she said, as she scratched him behind the ears. She had decided to sit on the floor now.
"Oh dear. So where are you staying? Do I have to come get you?"
"Oh, no! You see, Kiba's teacher, Kurenai, met me after I got here and she took me to see the hokage. They set me up with a team, and then Guy-sensei, my teacher, got me an apartment."
"I see, so you're training there now?"
"Uh-huh."
"That's good. That's very good. Oh, hold on a sec,"
She heard Dr. Masuda ask Inu to get the door. Ryu then remembered her notes from Gaara.
"Oh, Doc! You're never going to beleive who I found here either! You remember that legend we heard about the father who sealed Shukaku in his own son?" she said as she dug the notes out of her bag.
He took a moment to answer as she heard him finish talking to someone on the other side of the phone. It didn't sound like anyone she had heard before.
"Doc? Who's there with you?"
"Oh, no one, just a new student. So what did you find out about the legend?"
"It's true! Completely true! I met this boy when I was trying to find the library named Gaara, and after a while, he told me who he was."
Akumaru suddenly jumped out of her lap and ran into the other room. She wondered what was wrong, but was quickly distracted by the doctor's outburst.
"What?! Oh my! Oh my! Uh... Um... Did you ask him anything?! What does he look like?! Please tell me you asked the right questions!! If we can prove he actually exists, we can add another spirit existance to the list!"
Ryu started to laugh as she heard Dr. Masuda go into a hyper-rant of discovery. She loved it when they found something new like this. He got so happy whenever they found a new legend or another spirit. She thought she heard him jumping around on the other end.
"What?! What?! What's so funny?" he exclaimed. She thought she heard Inu laughing as well, his kid laughter breaching the line easily.
"Oh, nothing. Yes, I asked the questions. I'll send the information to you as soon as I can. Speaking of which, can you send my stuff to me? It's kind of hard to get up in the morning without my sleeping pills."
"Oh, yes. What's your address? And do you need your account number? You left so soon, I wasn't able to get it to you."
"Yeah, I'm kinda running out of money here. Do you have a paper and pencil?"
"Uh... I do now."
"Okay, here's my address. 141 Kutchki St., 2nd apartment. Got it?"
"Yup. Are you ready for the account number?"
She quickly dug out a pencil and paper out of her bag. She then put them on the floor and held her pencil in readiness.
"Okay, I'm ready."
"6-6-5-1-2-4-3. Did you get all that?"
"Uh-huh. Thanks, Doc. I'll talk to you again soon."
"Alright. Inu, do you want to say goodbye to Ryu?"
She heard the child on the other end faintly say yes. She then heard the phone changing hands, and the boy's voice was heard clearly.
"Bye Ryu!"
"Bye Inu! I'll call you soon!"
The phone changed hands again, and the girl and doctor said their goodbyes. She put the phone down with a smile on her face. It was good to hear their voices again.
Dr. Masuda then put the phone back down in the cradle and looked over at the new student, who had stood patiently waiting around the desk.
"I'm sorry, it was an important call," he said.
"It's okay. If I may ask, who was it?"
"Oh, a former student of mine." he said as he collected papers off of his desk. "She went to the Leaf Village on family business and she's staying there for a while."
"Really? What was her name?"
"Ryu. Ryu Akihara."
"Is that so..." said Kabuto as he eyed the address on the desk.
Ryu then put her things back in her bag, and headed out of the hall she was in. She found Kiba standing there looking a bit stern.
"You met Gaara?" he asked her bluntly. Ryu found herself wondering at the tone of his voice.
"...Yeah."
"When?"
"This morning. He helped me find the library." she said. She then looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"
He sighed and looked off to the side.
"No, not really. It's just..." he said this as he scratched the back of his head. "Be careful around him, alright? He's kind of... unpredictable."
She folded her arms. "Are you saying he's dangerous?"
He looked a bit nervous. "Kind of. I just want you to be careful around him." he said. Ryu put one of hips out, giving her a look of attitude.
"Kiba Inukaza, do you actually think Gaara is going to hurt me?"
"Well... I wouldn't put it past him. I mean, he does have demon inside him, if you didn't know already."
"Aha!" she said while pointing a finger at him. "I knew it! Are you judging Gaara by being a person, or by having a demon spirit inside him?"
"Uh... Uh..." Ryu rolled her eyes.
"Kiba, I am quite capable of handling myself among those like Gaara. I used to look for people like him." she said. He blinked.
"You did? Why?"
"It was part of my job." she said, sitting on the edge of a couch. "Back in Sound, I lived with Dr. Masuda, one of my mom's friends, who was a professor at Second Hokage University. I was both his secretary and a field agent when we went to a dig or on a recon mission."
"Oh... Oh." Kiba suddenly felt very silly and stupid. "Sorry."
Ryu shrugged. "It's okay. You didn't know. Either way though, Gaara's a nice person. I can tell."
Akumary barked at Kiba and he turned on the puppy.
"What the-?! Hey, you were the one who freaked out, not me!" he accused the puppy. "I'm not the ones who came barreling in here goin', 'Oh noes! That crazy sand guy's gonna eat Ryu!!' "
The girl suddenly started laughing. Both Kiba and Akumaru looked at her.
"What?" he asked. She smiled him, the large grin on her again.
"Nothing, you guys just make me laugh."
The boy half-smiled. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" he asked, feeling as if he should. "My mom won't mind."
Ryu shook her head. "No, I can't. I want to test my new oven out and I need to go get some things for my new place. Maybe some other time."
She waved as she went out the door. "Thanks Kiba! Bye you two!"
"See ya'!"
"Arf!"
She walked down the street toward the market and got what she needed for her bathroom needs; soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste... After that, she stopped along the bazaar to get what she needed to make her dinner. The sun was slowly approaching the horizon as she climbed her steps. Once she got to the top, she noticed a large, orange tabby cat lying on the warm stone under her window. The cat looked up at her, yawned, and then resumed sleeping.
The evening was uneventful as she made dinner, and continued her research as she ate. She then went outside to watch the sun set, and saw the cat was still there. It sat down next to her as she leaned on the rail. It started to purr as the sun finally hit the ground with red and purple streaks painting the sky. She looked down at the cat and saw no collar. She bent down to look at it, and it regarded her with orange eyes accented with green.
"So, do you have a home to get to?" she asked the cat. It merely yawned again.
Ryu then tentively petted it and the cat nudged her hand with the top of it's head, loudly purring. She giggled and stood up.
"Well, good-night Mr. Kitty."
Another yawn and the cat curled up on her porch again.
Ryu then found herself shockingly awakened in the middle of the night from the crashing of pans. She jumped out of bed and quickly flicked the lights on. She looked over at her sink and saw the orange cat from outside standing stalk still over her disarranged pots. She put her hands on her hips, and walked over.
"If you were hungry, why didn't you say so?" she said, annoyed as she put the cat down on the floor.
She walked over to her refridgerator and took out some leftover chicken. She put it in a bowl and set it down on the floor. The cat immediately ran over and started to eat. She saw that it was boy. She sat down on the floor, tired and a little exasperated at this cat.
How did it get in anyway? She looked over at one of her windows and saw the screen had been lifted up. She pointed at the window while looking at the cat.
"Did you do that?" she asked him. The cat looked up at her, purring.
He then trotted over to the open window, jumped onto the sill, and pulled the screen down with it's claws. He then jumped down, and returned to his bowl of food. Ryu sat there with her mouth partially open. I can already tell where this is going... she thought. She patted the cat on the head.
"Okay, cat. I get the message." she said as she did so.
She walked over to her bed and shut the light off. She then got back in.
"But if you're going to live here, you need a name."
She sat up, thinking, her legs crossed under the covers. The cat finished eating and walked over to the bed. It jumped onto it and curled up on the end. He looked expectantly at her. She smiled.
"I've got it." she said as she reached over to pet him. "What do you think of 'Al'?"
The cat started to purr. "Alright, so that's your name. Al."
She then lied back down in bed, sleep quickly taking her captive as it usually did.