Author's Note: Helloooooooo from the Internets! XD Yay! I've finally gotten my mojo back for this story! I'm so happy! Anyway, enough of my banter! Happy reading!! – Ryu
Hookie
Needless to say, Ryu did give Neji a piece of her mind the next time she saw him. His explanation was that he hadn't wanted to give away information on his cousin. Ryu's response to that was quite potent. So she came up with her own strategy against Neji's attacks on her charka network. She cloaked herself in a wind barrier; it seemed to be working.
The bruises from before were healing, and she hadn't found any new ones since she had started using the cloak. Even so, it couldn't protect her from Neji's attitude. She still wanted to strangle him. It had been a week since her escapade with Kiba to find Akumaru. That left only two weeks left to prepare for the finals, and Ryu was a little worried.
She hadn't been able to find any time to study on her own to strengthen her Sound techniques or do any research on spirits. Guy had packed her training schedule so tightly, the favors she had asked for in the beginning seemed pretty neglected. She was going to have to ask Guy for a few days off near the end, so the material would be fresh in her head. But if she lost any more time training with Neji and Lee, she didn't think she'd be prepared enough in that aspect. Her training with TenTen, however, was nearly finished.
She wasn't as good as TenTen, but she was a crack shot with her own technique, hitting the target rings every time she used it. It seemed her aim seemed to improve when she was hanging upside-down, much to Ryu's and TenTen's amusement. It was on a Monday night when Ryu went over to the small café down the street to pick up some coffee mixes; she was going to need them if her personal training plan was going to work. The radio was on when she went to pay for the mixes.
"…be prepared for a hot one tomorrow! Forecasters are expecting the temperature to go well into the 90's! In other news…"
The little blip she had caught was enough to make Ryu worry about the next day. She remembered the last time it had gotten that hot. She and Gaara had basically hidden in the library from the heat. Hey, that gave her an idea…
The weatherman's prediction proved true as Ryu woke up at seven a.m. to hear the cicadas buzzing like it was one p.m. But she didn't mind, she had a plan. She got out of bed and packed her messenger bag. A towel, sunscreen, a bathing suit, a few bottles of water, and a couple of books were what she put into it. She dressed in white shorts, flip-flops, and a black tank top.
She tied the green ribbon around Al's neck and put Raikera on her leash. The cub had matured greatly since when she had first come to her. She was onto solid food now, and was almost rid of her habit of chewing on things. She had also grown, almost above Ryu's knees. She looked like a mini tiger now instead of an over-sized orange kitten with stripes.
The trio left at around eight, heading for the shopping district. They stopped at an apartment building, and Ryu walked up the stairs to Gaara's apartment. She knocked n the door, and was opened by Gaara. He looked a little surprised to see her.
"Oh, good morning, Ryu," he said. She gave him a great big smile.
"Good morning Gaara! Hey, are Temari and Konkuro here too?" she asked. He nodded.
He motioned for her to come in, and she did, followed by Raikera and Al. Temari was in the kitchen scraping a bowl of food into the trash, and a Konkuro without face-paint was half asleep on the couch. He certainly seemed to wake up as soon as she came in though. He sat up.
"Oh, hey Ryu. What's up?" he asked as he scratched the back of his head. He was painfully aware of the severe case of bed-head he had.
"I was wondering if you guys wanted to come with me to the lake," said Ryu. "It's supposed to be really hot today, so it's perfect to go swimming."
Konkuro didn't have a second thought. "A hot day and swimming? Count me in! Now I just have to find that beach ball!"
He got up and went to his room to get what he needed. Temari thought a moment, then looking a little concerned.
"But what about training?" she said. Ryu shrugged.
"I'm supposed to be with TenTen today, but she said we're pretty much done so I really don't have to go anymore," she said. Gaara folded his arms.
"What about Baki? I'm not exactly sure what he'd say about all this..." he said.
"Oh please!" Konkuro shouted from his room. "Like Baki's going to want to do anything outside of an air conditioner today! He'll probably be grateful you didn't show up!"
Gaara thought on this. Ryu looked hopefully at him. She smiled at him.
"Oh, come on Gaara! It'll be fun!" she said. Temari smiled.
"Okay, I'm coming," she said, giving in to the temptation. She stared to walk to her room. "I just have to get some stuff."
This left Ryu alone with Gaara to persuade him to come. He thought on what Baki's reaction would be if he skipped training. It didn't exactly alarm him, Baki had never been one to yell much. Then again, one wrong word last year would have made him kill him. And it wasn't like Baki wasn't teaching him anything new...
He looked at Ryu, her optimism and bright face a lot more enticing then training in the hot sun all day. He nodded.
"Alright, I'll come." he said.
"Yay!"
Ryu hugged him, glad that he was coming. He finally let himself smile. She let him go, and he walked over to his room.
"I just have to get some things," he said.
Konkuro came out of his room, a bag slung over his shoulder. He had flip-flops, a black t-shirt and swimming trunks on.
"Let's go!" he said. Ryu laughed.
She was glad someone else was eager to go as she was. TenTen had told her about the lake and said it was perfect or day trips. If there weren't too many visitors or if some crazy guy in a fright wig wasn't there. They were joined by Gaara and Temari, who both had bags. It seemed Gaara had done pretty much the same thing as Konkuro had.
So they left the apartment building and were on their way, following the directions TenTen had given her. There as actually a crowd for a day so hot, people wanting to get their errands done before the real heat set in. Gaara was looking around as he walked, and then suddenly stopped.
"Wait!! Stop!!!" he said frantically. They did and looked at him.
"What is it?" Ryu asked. He pointed in front of them.
"Baki's right there! If he sees me, he'll know what we're doing!!" he said, looking like he might panic. Ryu though this was weird; she had never seen Gaara panic before.
Konkuro looked a head. Yep, there was Baki, waiting in line to... get a coffee? Okay, that was weird... Who would want a coffee on a day like today?! He shook his head and then looked back the group. He thought a moment.
"I have an idea," he said. "Gaara, come here."
Baki was patiently waiting in line when he thought he saw Konkuro, Temari and that other girl who was in the final rounds. What was her name? Ryu Akihara or something like that... Konkuro seemed to be carrying something wrapped in bandages, a new puppet perhaps? The boy looked over at him and waved.
"Hey, Baki!" he said. He gave a little wave back.
"Where are you guys going?" he asked.
"To the lake!" the Akihara girl chirped.
"Alright, have fun..." he said to his students. The clerk was asking him what he wanted now.
The three teens quickly walked to the next street. Konkuro let out a breath. Temari laughed a little.
"I can't believe that actually worked," she said, smiling. She leaned in to the bandaged Gaara that Konkuro was holding up. "Are you okay in there?"
"Yes, but tell Konkuro to let me out. He's holding me upside-down!" Gaara's muffled voice came from inside the wrappings.
Konkuro quickly flipped Gaara over and started to shred the tape he had been covered in. Ryu smiled as his head emerged.
"So, what was it like being a mummy?" she asked him, joking. He smiled a little.
"Kind of stuffy," he said, which made her laugh. He stepped out of the wrappings and they continued on their way to the lake.
Once there, Ryu almost squealed. It was pretty! The water was clear and sparkling in the sun, and the lake, or rather a large pond, was fed by a small waterfall. The ground was stony but clean. There was a little sand, and Temari walked over to it and spread her beach towel out and put her umbrella up.
The doctors had told her to not do anything strenuous, and swimming fell under that category. She'd go in to cool off later. Ryu spread her towel next to hers. Temari looked at her.
"Hey, Ryu," she said. "I've got to get my suit on. Can you come with me and be a look-out?"
She seemed a little embarrassed to be asking this. Ryu shrugged.
"Sure, I was just about to ask you the same things," she said.
Both girls got up and found a secluded area behind some large boulders. Konkuro had heard this and watched them go. His sister saw him, and frowned at him, basically telling him if he tried to peek at Ryu, she'd kill him. He folded his arms; like he'd ever do that. Gaara sat down on the pebbly ground, and tugged his shirt off.
He didn't plan on going in the water, but at least he'd be cooler this way. Konkuro, however, had wasted no time on jumping in, and was already exploring different places of the pool to find a deep enough place to dive. He didn't feel like braining himself today. He finally found a spot with a peaked boulder near it that was pretty deep, it was deeper than his own height by a few feet. He came up from an in-water dive to see both girls come out in their swimsuits.
He whistled at them.
"Well, gee1 Look at these pretty things!" he shouted to them.
Temari put her hands on her hips, making a face at him. She had brought her bikini, since she knew no one was going to be around to make her feel embarrassed about it. It was white with black outlines. Ryu had just laughed at his fake catcall. She had brought her red tankini with the yellow hummingbird on the tank top.
Al had curled up on Temari's towel, and Raikera had wriggled out of her leash to go splashing in the water after Konkuro. The tiger cub seemed perfectly at home in the shallows. Temari sat down, Al moving for her, and started to dig around in her bag. She had brought a book to read while she was here. Gaara looked at her.
"Um… Temari?" he said. She looked at him. "Are you sure you should be wearing that? You seem awfully… exposed."
Temari blinked. "Oh… Well, this is what some girls wear to go swimming, Gaara, so it's okay," she said. Her younger brother shrugged.
That's when Temari thought of something. Did Gaara know how to swim? She didn't even remember him coming to the beach with them as a family, or as much as a family they had been at the time. Ryu kneeled next to Gaara.
"Hey, Gaara," she said, smiling. "Wanna come in the water with me?"
Temari waited. She had noticed that he couldn't really say no to Ryu. He thought a moment.
"Okay," he said. She flashed him a bright smile, and they both got up.
Ryu air slid to the water, and dropped herself in.
"Wheee!"
She hit the water, and then came up sputtering. "Gah! It's cold!!" she shivered.
Gaara stopped at the water's edge and stuck a foot in. He let that foot get wet and then he walked in up to his ankles. He slowly waded in up to his knees, and then saw Konkuro sneaking up behind Ryu, who was in up to her chest already. He suddenly jumped up, grabbed Ryu by the shoulders, and brought her under. A small squeak came from the suddenly submerged girl, and Gaara just stood there for a second.
But when Konkuro kept her under for a small space of time, he became a little uneasy. His first impulse was to wrap some sand around him and get him away from her, but then he remembered he had left his gourd at home. Wait a second, then what the hek was he standing on then?!
He was just about to use the sand underneath his feet when bubbles started to froth around Konkuro and he was flung from where he was. Ryu burst out of the water, gasping and angry, her eyes purple.
"KONKURO!!" she raged. "What is wrong with you?! I can't hold my breath for that long!!"
Konkuro just laughed, proud of his joke. Ryu brought an arm back and created a small wave, then strengthened it with her wind. A mini tsunami overtook Konkuro who struggled to swim away from it. It swamped him, which gave cause for her to laugh at him as he was tossed up on the boulder. Konkuro looked like he might yell at her, but then laughed as well.
Gaara was a little confused; weren't they trying to hurt each other? Ryu turned to him, smiling.
"Gaara, come on!" she said. "It's fun over here!"
Konkuro dove from the rock, and grabbed her again, making her shriek.
"Yeah! You can help me dunk her!" he said wickedly.
Ryu slipped out of his grasp, and pushed him under and up as quickly as she could. He came up sputtering. She grinned.
"Or you can help me teach your brother a thing or two!"
Gaara smiled as he suddenly got it. It was plat. Okay, he could do that. Or he hoped he could. He waded in farter and summoned some sand.
He tripped Konkuro with the shifting ground, and laughed after he went under. Ryu's laughter bubbled out of her as he came back up. Konkuro splashed her in retaliation, and she did the same thing back. Gaara swam in closer and joined in, a little nervous and feeling rather empty at doing this. Temari looked up from her book to see the squealing, laughing, and smiling trio.
She smiled as she saw Gaara trying to do his best. She was glad he was trying, knowing social gatherings, no matter how small, were a challenge for him. He had been so emotionless for so long. Though it seemed Ryu and his other friends were softening him. Al stretched across her legs, and she scratched his head.
He was a sweet cat. Raikera suddenly came splashing over to the teens, grabbing hold of Konkuro's arm with large paws and gentle jaws. She jumped on top of him, and used him to jump onto the rock. The tiger cub, once on the rock, turned around and jumped back in, splashing them all. Konkuro thought this was a good idea, and scrambled into the rock. While Raikera proved her natural swimming skills, he jumped and succeeded in a cannonball.
Ryu squealed as the cold water suddenly splashed her entirely. Gaara wanted to laugh, but then thought it better not to. She then got herself out of the water by using her wind an flew onto the rock. Konkuro came up just in time to hear Ryu saying something.
"Hey, Konkuro! Bet I can jump farther then you!" she challenged.
The boy grinned. "Oh yeah?" He clambered back onto the rock.
Ryu smiled at him, and ran off the boulder. She then air slid off of it, the surge propelling her into the middle of the lake. She stuck her tongue out and wiggled her fingers at him before letting herself drop into the water. Konkuro folded his arms stubbornly.
"That's cheating!" he yelled.
"I did say I was going to jump farther then you could! And I did! So there!"
"Yeah, whatever…" he mumbled.
He took a running jump off of the boulder and nearly met Ryu's air slide jump. He came up, shaking the water from his hair. He looked at his younger brother.
"Hey, Gaara, you want to give it a try?" he asked him.
"Give what a try?" Gaara said, a little puzzled.
"Jumping from the rock. It's fun."
Gaara looked from him to the rock. What was the big deal about jumping from a rock? Though he had noticed that both Konkuro and Ryu were having fun with it, and he was curious. He shrugged.
"I'll try,' he said. Konkuro smiled.
"Great! Follow me!"
They swam over to the rock, and Gaara looked up at it. He was strong, but he didn't think he could reach up to the plateau of the rock. Konkuro looked at him.
"Do you want a boost?" he asked.
He double-took his own question. Had he just offered Gaara help? The boy blinked at him. He couldn't really believe it either.
"Um… Sure," he said.
"Okay," Konkuro said, getting ready. "I'm going to grab you by your knees, alright? So don't freak out on me."
Gaara shook his head. "I won't."
Konkuro went under the water, and took hold of his knees. Gaara had to stop himself from 'freaking out', just as his older brother had warned him when he suddenly found himself going up. Konkuro was holding him up, and Gaara quickly grabbed hold of the boulder. He didn't know Konkuro could do this! From what he knew, his brother didn't have much strength, that was why he worked with Crow so much.
He was able to pull himself up onto the rock, and Konkuro joined him. Temari smiled from where she sat. She had just seen her brothers do something together besides train. She was glad. Ryu air slid over and stood on the rock with them to watch.
Gaara stepped to the edge and looked over. The water suddenly seemed intimidating from where he stood. He looked back at his brother and Ryu. She smiled at him, and gave him a thumbs-up. He gave her a small smile in return, and looked back at the water. He was just about to jump in when Konkuro suddenly said, "Wait!"
He paused. "What?"
He came over. "Hold your nose," he instructed, showing him. "Like this."
"Why?"
"So you don't get water up your nose," he explained.
Gaara shrugged and held his nose and breath. He then jumped. For a brief moment he was terrified, but then felt the sensation of flying. Oh, so this was why it was considered fun. He then hit the water and bobbed back up. He came up gasping. He then smiled at his brother and friend.
"That was… fun!" he said, sounding surprised.
"Woo-hoo!" Ryu shouted. She then jumped in after him, followed by Konkuro.
The trio continued to hoot and laugh as the day went on. Temari eventually joined them even though she couldn't do everything they could. The day was ended with all four of them sitting on their towels, watching the sky turn orange. Ryu sighed, satisfied with her day. It had been fun. They packed up, and started for the village.
All of them were quietly happy as they walked down the streets. Gaara offered to walk her home, and she accepted. Temari and Konkuro went the way back to their apartment, the sister trying to stop the brother from blurting anything out. His opinions would only make things awkward. Both teens found themselves silent as they walked, their romp in the lake leaving them pleasantly tired.
Ryu liked the companionable silence. As they neared her apartment, she thought she saw Kiba walking down the street with Akumaru. Akumaru perked up when he saw Ryu, but then stopped when he saw Gaara. This abruptly got Kiba's attention. Why were Ryu and Gaara alone together, and after dark as well?
Something growled inside Kiba as he got closer. He had been on his way to see her; how long had she been out with Gaara? Wasn't she supposed to be training with Guy? Jealousy stirred violently in the boy as he held his composure. Ryu saw him, and waved, smiling brightly. Akumaru stayed behind Kiba as she walked over to him.
"Hey," she said. "What's up?"
"Well, I was coming over to see you." he said. He tried not to growl at Gaara as he came closer behind Ryu.
"Oh really? Cool, I can let you in then."
The three of them walked over to her porch. Ryu couldn't help but sense the stiff silence between Gaara and Kiba. Something was definitely off with Kiba. He felt… angry. Why? Even Gaara could feel the friction.
It puzzled him as to why Kiba's eyes had hardened so much when he saw him. But then again, he should probably be used to this by now. He sighed inwardly; he was still hated and feared by a number of people. Why should Kiba be any different? Though he noticed the boy's anger was different then what he was used to.
Ryu opened the door. She looked at Gaara.
"Do you want to come in?" she asked. He shook his head.
"No thank you. I've got to get to the apartment." he said.
"Okay. Thanks for walking me home."
"You're welcome." He said to her. He nodded at Kiba and then left.
Kiba shoved his hands in his opckts, and followed Ryu inside, pouting. What the hell! Why had Gaara walked her home?! He could do that, couldn't he?! Kiba felt like kicking something but another part of him was saying, "Why exactly are you angry again?"
"Why did Gaara walk you home?" he said, letting some of his anger out.
Ryu looked back at him as she put her things down. "Oh, we went out to the lake today, and he wanted to walk me home." She said. She suddenly felt guilty that she hadn't thought of Kiba.
Kiba folded his arms. "Don't you have training? Like me?" he asked her bluntly.
"Um… TenTen said we're basically finished so it was okay for me not to come. You had training today, right?" she said. The air felt prickly. Where was this going?
The boy finally groaned. "Ryu, I told you to be careful around him! You can't just go running off with him with no warning!"
Ryu put her hands on her hips. "I wasn't along with him, if that's what you're worried about. Temari and Konkuro came with us." She said. Kiba rolled his eyes.
"Oh, as if that would actually make a difference," he said sarcastically.
Ryu looked at him, confused. "What? Kiba, what is with you?" she asked. Her eyes then widened. "Oh! This about that demon things, isn't it?!"
Kiba sighed heavily, not wanting to admit it. They had had this conversation before. Ryu frowned at him.
"That's it, isn't it?! You're freaking out because Gaara has Shukaku in him!"
Why shouldn't I freak out?!" Kiba finally exploded. "He's dangerous! You shouldn't be around him so much!"
Ryu's eyes sparked. "Ugh, I told you before! Just because someone has a demon inside them, doesn't mean they're dangerous!!"
"I know that! Gaara's different though! Ryu, he's not right! There's something wrong with him, even Akumaru can feel it!" he said, pointing at the puppy.
Akumaru barked as he sat with Raikera and Al. Don't you DARE get me involved in this!! he snapped at him. You're over-reacting you jealous idiot!
"Kiba, you're over-reacting!" Ryu said, echoing Akumaru even though she hadn't understood what he had just said. "Gaara isn't different, and there is nothing wrong with him!"
"Yes, there is! Ryu, you haven't see what he can do! The guy's out of his freakin' mind!!" Kiba shouted.
He hadn't meant to but he was yelling now. Ryu's eyes turned purple.
"He is NOT out of his mind!!!" she shouted back. "How do you think you'd feel if you had a demon shoved inside you, huh?!"
"I sure as hell wouldn't act like him!!"
"How would you know?! You don't have a clue what it's like!!"
"I don't NEED a clue!! Gaara's killed people by the dozens! That means he's crazy and dangerous!!"
"Kiba, you know as well as everyone that he's changed since then!
"Oh yeah? He may have changed but what about that thing inside of him? What if it goes crazy, huh? What if it goes crazy, and you're there with him? What will you do then?"
Ryu's eyes had turned yellow by then. Kiba was panting. The air vibrated with angry energy.
"I know how to handle myself, Kiba! I didn't study with Dr. Masuda for three years for nothing!!" she said curtly.
"That doesn't matter! You haven't seen Gaara's demon form; you don't know what he's capable of!!" Kiba insisted. "Ryu, why don't you get it?! He's too dangerous!!"
"Kiba!! Are you telling me that if a person has an unstable demon inside them, they're too dangerous to be around?' Ryu suddenly asked him, catching him offguard. Her eyes were fierce as she asked this.
He paused before answering. Something inside was screaming for him not to answer, but he ignored it.
"Yes," he said, certain.
Ryu suddenly seemed still. She closed her eyes and took a breath. When she opened her eyes, they were brown. He stared at her; the air felt broken. She looked away from him.
"Get out," she said, barely audible.
Kiba blinked. "What?"
"I said get out!!" she suddenly shouted. He jumped
Her eyes turned a purple and yellow at the same time, the colors mixing with hints of red. "Kiba Inuzuka, get out!! GET OUT!! GET OUT!!"
A small amount of rage burst into him.
"FINE!" he shouted back. "I will!"
"JUST SHUT-UP!!!" she screamed ferociously. "AND GET THE HELL OUT!!!"
Kiba and Akumaru quickly got out of the apartment, Ryu slamming the door behind them. She stood there, a throbbing hand on the door. Raikera shivered next to a wall, and Al took a step toward her.
"Raow?" he questioned.
Something dripped on the floor. The orange tabby looked underneath her, and saw that she was crying. Hot tears were sliding down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth. She didn't want to cry; she hated crying. But her heart ached too much.
It hurt so much… She lied down her bed and curled around the covers, pulling them around her. She couldn't stop crying… Everything hurt…