Letters From Suna
Welcoming
Gaara sat in his office, looking at the mess of papers on his desk. He had only been kazekage for about a month now, and already the papers were starting to pile up. Rin, his secretary, was still helping him get organized, but he didn't feel like she was helping much. There were still about twenty plus papers scattered around his desk from yesterday so he started in on those. He scanned over the first five, finding them to be passport and temporary citizenship forms.
He noticed they had pictures in the corners as he looked at the one on top of them all. Funny, why did this guy look familiar? Brown floppy hair... Glasses... He looked to the last name.
Masuda.
He blinked. He then quickly looked to the first name. Yuri. He started to go through the pile more fervently, and came up with another permission paper with a picture of a young boy with yellow colored eyes and black hair wearing a bucket hat. Okay, that was one, but where was she?
He went through all the papers from the day before then started in on the pile that was for today. He got to the bottom of all forty-five papers and then slumped back in his chair. She wasn't there.
Ryu Akihara wasn't among the list of archeologists, demonologists, interns, guards, and college students that were coming to Suna. He then noticed the mail in another pile, and saw that the letter on top was from Ryu herself. A small lump of disappointment situated in himself as he opened the letter, expecting a message from her explaining why she wasn't coming with her guardian, most likely saying that she was in a different area hunting demon spirits. After all, it was part of her job, right? Or maybe she was back in Konoha already, continuing her training.
But... He knew what she did was important to her, but he was starting to really miss her. He missed the girl he had fallen in love with. Letters were okay, but he wanted her in front of him. The couple of kisses shared on top of the temple were starting to grow cold in his memory. He wanted to kiss her now, not when she was finally able to get permission from the doctor to go back to Konoha or visit him in the village.
But what was on the letter completely blew him away. There were only two words in big, red letters.
I'M COMING!!
Author's Note: Yeah, I didn't want to spoil too much of the story... So! Now for the extras!! The thing you're about to read is the first story I started to use Ryu, called Walking On Air. Back then I was still trying to figure out how exactly Ryu got into the Naruto universe, and the story has changed SO MUCH since then! Kiba wasn't even in the story at all when I first thought it up! But, not even after had I nearly finished the second chapter, I got writer's block and couldn't finish the story. It was after this thought that I got inspiration for the White Wings of Darkness! - Ryu
Walking On Air: Original Concept for Ryu Akihara
Memory Dream
Gaara stood in the sandy front yard of a house that wasn't his. A teddy bear was in his right hand. He was five. A girl with ragged blonde hair sat a few feet away from him, rocking a stuffed panda in her arms while humming a tune. She turned and smiled at him, and motioned him to come play with her.
He sat next to her and they started to play zoo. A few minutes of play had resulted in them giggling madly about something.
"Gaara," the girl said in a raspy voice. "We're going to be friends forever, right?"
He smiled at her, almost too fiercely. "Yup!"
The girl laughed aloud, and they started to chase each other. Something made them stop, he didn't remember what. He looked and saw several men coming towards the house. He recognized a few from the Black Ops. masks they were wearing. But why were they coming here?
"Gaara,"
He looked up and saw his uncle standing over him.
"It's time to go."
His uncle took him by the hand as he said goodbye to her. It was a few seconds later that he realized he had left his bear there. A quick tug and he was running back, ignoring his uncle's shouts. He stopped dead as he neared the house, and quickly hid behind a tree. The men that had been coming before were fighting with her father, but a wind sword quickly cut him down as her mother was dragged, screaming, from the house. The girl, unwillingly being held by one of the Black Ops., screamed and cried. His uncle was suddenly there, and pulling him quickly away.
"Uncle! Stop them!!" he pleaded. "They're going to hurt Ryu!"
His uncle hesitated. "I'm sorry," he said, his eyes avoiding Gaara's. "There's nothing I can do."
Gaara woke with a start. He was breathing hard as that memory would forever disturb him. He still remembered everything about those murders clear as crystal. Every rumor attached to how the Black Ops. had found a Sound spy and that every man around him had been killed before he himself had died. That he didn't understand as he had seen Ryu's father killed, and his uncle had been friends with her mother for almost twenty years.
It seemed that that violent act had set everything off. The next day he had killed that man, and then his uncle had tried to assassinate him. His small, five year old world had been shattered in two days. Another question that still lingered in his mind, and haunted his heart: Had he been the cause of Ryu's and her family's death just by being associated them? He wished he knew.
He sighed as he looked out his open window at the moon. Both him and Ryu had been born outcasts. Him with the wind demon stuffed inside him, and her with Echo Syndrome. Echo Syndrome... It caused the inflicted's voice to steadily fade away. By the time Ryu had been five, her voice sounded as if she was perpetually recovering from severe strep throat. He forced the memories of learning sign language along with her away, and lied back down in bed. He turned his back on the moon and tried to go back to sleep.
The echoing melody of a flute wafted through the forest around the road that led to the Village Hidden Among the Leaves. Under a different view of the moon, a girl with ragged blonde hair sat under a tree playing a familiar tune on her flute. A sack was tied to a quarter staff near her as was a small panda bear. It jingled softly as the wind blew by. A curved, sideways, green triangle with two dots above it was under her right eye.
She sighed as she leaned her head back on the tree. She had been contemplating the past and the life she had been, and still was, running from. A black bandanna with the symbol of the Sand Village slashed through showed it to the world. She gave the moon one final song before lying down to sleep.
Ryu To The Rescue
Gaara was walking around town, trying to find the store that Temari had told him about. She had been in a hurry this morning and had asked him to do some grocery shopping for her. They just needed some bread and milk, and he was just trying to find the grocery store. As much as he ran around on his own in the village, he had no clue where anything really was. He didn't really pay attention to signs.
He was about to turn a corner and look elsewhere when he heard a woman scream. He quickly turned around, trying to locate where the sound had come from, and saw a crowd quickly forming near a tall building. He ran over, and tried to see what was wrong. A woman stood apart looking both horrified and skyward. He followed her gaze and saw a child on the high rooftop. The boy looked terrified as he clung to a lightning rod.
"Izu, how did you get up there?!" the woman cried.
"I-I used a justu! But I can't come down! Momma, help me!"
With that the child started to cry, both in fright and self-pity. The woman looked around fretfully. A sound like bouncing wire reached Gaara's ears and he looked to the side. A girl, maybe about his age, was running across a telephone wire to the panicked child. But what made the world seem like it had stopped was the fierce familiarity between this girl and what Ryu would of looked like if she had lived.
She could practically be her twin. What if it actually was her? She can't be, Gaara sternly told himself. Ryu died seven years ago. He watched, still partially frozen where he stood, as the girl jumped onto the roof and neared the freaked kid. He saw the black bandanna tied around her lower calf sported a slashed through Sand symbol. She was banished. Now the score was even between Real Ryu and Coincidence. The girl kneeled down to look into the boy's face and smiled friendly-like then, to Gaara's heart's dismay, signed to him, "Do you want me to get you down?"
Gaara felt for sure he was going to have a heart attack right there in the street. Hek, chest pain was already spiking around the aforesaid area. The world started to swim a bit as he recognized the small panda bear that hung from her quarterstaff. Holy hell, it is her! he thought, feeling number by the second. But the world did not dip into darkness nor did his consciousness as he continued to watch the scene that was shattering his reality.
She took out a small white board from her sack and wrote on it with a marker. The boy nodded frantically.
"Yes! Get me down!!" he begged.
She picked him up gently, and walked down the roof. She then jumped off the building, a small gasp rising from the crowd, but she landed softly on the ground as if the air had become softer just for her. The mother dashed forward, taking the child from her.
"Thank you so much," she said. "I was afraid he'd never come down!"
The girl smiled, and signed, "It's okay."
Gaara pushed his way through the dispersing crowd, the small catastrophe over. The mother looked a bit surprised.
"I'm sorry, are you deaf?" she asked while touching her own ears. The girl, or Ryu as Gaara was now completely convinced, shook her head and touched her throat.
"Oh... Thank you again. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Ryu made a gesture with her hands as a sign of refusement. She nodded her head, and then walked away. Gaara, suddenly hesitant, waited a moment before going after her. He couldn't help but stop again and bite his lip as he reached out to tap her on the shoulder. He then threw his hesitation and nerves to the wind as he reached out and tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned around, and her eyes went as wide as the shape allowed them. He stood still in front of her as he watched what had been going through him moments before happen to her. Except Ryu actually fell over.
"Ryu!" he exclaimed. He bent toward her, and fanned her.
After a moment, her eyelids twitched, and her eyes opened drowsily. The same wide-eyed reaction to seeing his face above her's occurred, but not as extreme. She struggled to her feet, Gaara helping when he thought it was necessary. She looked at him, and shakily signed his name.
"Yes, it's me," he said. "Is it really you, Ryu?"
She slowly nodded, a smile dawning on her face. She suddenly hugged him. He stood for a moment, in shock, then lightly hugged her back. She signed to him, her eyes gleaming wetly, "I missed you so much!"
"Me too," he said. "But... How did you get here? How are you-"
Frantic signing that called for silence, and the anxiety on her face stopped his questions.
"We can't talk about that here," she signed. "Even walls have ears."
He looked around at the high walls on either side of them. He didn't really-wait! It had been a glimmer of a person, but it had been a person all the same. He motioned to her to follow him. They walked around the village, Gaara finally found the grocery store, and Ryu helped him carry the bags back to the apartment.
They reached the door, and Gaara thought he heard the sound of running water.
"Wait here," he said to Ryu, and he opened the door.
"Hey," greeted Temari as he put his bags on the table.
"You didn't tell me where the store was," he said. He then saw she was washing the dishes.
"I didn't? Sorry, I thought you knew where it was." she said. He turned from the table.
"Temari, do you remember Ryu?"
"...Ryu? ...You mean that girl you used to play with when you were little?"
"Yeah,"
"Yes, I remember her. Wasn't she killed because her dad was a Sound spy?"
Gaara couldn't help but flinch at that comment. Temari turned to look at him, a small stack of plates in her hands to put away.
"Why do you ask?" she said. He walked over to the door and opened it.
Ryu stood there expectantly, still holding the bags Gaara had given to her. At the sight of her, Temari dropped the plates, her eyes and mouth wide open.
"Because she's not dead," he answered.
"I can see that, Gaara,"
Konkuru hurried into the room.
"What happened? I thought I heard- Holy shit!!"
He cried the last sentence as he had almost bumped into Ryu as she put her bags on the table next to Gaara's. He looked her up and down, a look of exasperation on his face as she looked back at him blankly.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?!" he nearly shouted. Gaara glared daggers at him.
"Do you have to be so loud?" he said, slightly annoyed.
"I didn't think I'd get this kind of reaction," Ryu signed to him. Temari looked at him in question.
"What did she say?" she asked.
"She said she didn't think she'd get such a reaction,"
"Well, when someone you've thought that's been dead for seven years is suddenly standing in your doorway, it's pretty shocking." Temari said in her defense.
"No kidding," said Konkuro.
Ryu looked a bit anxiously around them, and then at the open porch doors. She tapped Gaara on the shoulder and signed quickly to him.
"I know you're excited to see Ryu alive," said Gaara to his brother and sister. "But she and I have a lot to talk about, and most of it's really important. Do you think you could leave us alone for a while?"
Konkuro was about to protest when Temari lightly stepped on his toe.
"Sure," she said over his muffled reaction. "Take all the time you need."
"Thanks,"
He motioned Ryu to follow him and they both went into his room. Konkuro looked at Temari, none too pleased.
"What was that for? You actually think it's safe to leave those two alone?" he said a bit accusingly.
"I trust Gaara," said Temari, going back to the dishes that were dry. "But believe me Konkuro, if Ryu's alive it means trouble for all of us. It's best that he finds out from her then from us."
Konkuro sat down. "And if she doesn't tell him?"
"Then we'll tell him. Gently."
"Gently? How can you tell someone gently about all that?!"
Temari sighed. "I'll figure something out. But right now, we'll just have to wait and see if she tells him herself."
Meanwhile, in Gaara's room, Ryu busied herself by poking her head out of his open window before closing it. She then walked over to his closet, and quickly opened it. She looked a bit in there, even though there wasn't much, then closed that as well. She gave the room one more look before actually sitting down. Gaara had watched all this with increasing unease.
Why was she doing all of this?
"Ryu," he said, addressing the matter quickly. "Is someone after you?"
She bit her lip before nodding her head. "Who?" he asked while sitting across from her.
She shook her head and then started to sign.
"I don't really know myself," she signed. "They've been following me for a couple of months now, and I've only caught glimpses of them. Black hair. Pale skin. Strange eyes."
"Why are they after you?"
"That I don't know either. But I do think he's just trying to catch me. You wouldn't believe how many traps I've had to get out of while coming here."
Gaara fell silent for a moment, thinking. There were two people he could think of who fit that description. One was completely out of the question, and the other... He really hoped that wasn't who was after her. He sighed before beginning the questions he had tried to ask earlier.
"How did you get here in the first place?" he asked. "Like Konkuro said, you're supposed to be dead. What happened?"
"I walked," she signed. "And sometimes I ran."
Gaara rolled his eyes as she looked at him sheepishly. "You know what I mean, Ryu."
The look faded, and was replaced by... something else. Emptiness maybe. Or was it despair? Gaara couldn't tell as her gaze drifted to the window. She looked for a while before sighing.
"Do you really want to know what happened seven years ago?" she asked.
"Yes,"
She closed her eyes as a look of total depression became her. He looked at her, a little concerned, but then stopped himself. Both her parents had been killed; it was natural for her to feel like this while telling him.
"You heard the rumors about how everyone, including my mom and dad, had been found dead, right?"
"Yes, they were everywhere the day... after."
He had almost said the day after he had killed the child, but had stopped himself. She could learn about his horrific past later. Hers was more important right now.
"I guess the first thing you must know is..." she signed. "That I wasn't just born with Echo Syndrome."
He gave her a curious look as she now looked troubled.
"When I was born, the doctor found marks on my back he couldn't explain. My mom told me they looked like tiger stripes with sketches of feathers on my shoulder blades. So they asked a sooth sayer to come to the house. She didn't even need to see my back to tell my parents what was wrong with me."
She hesitated, not really looking at him. He waited patiently, but the foreboding aura around them wouldn't leave. She then looked at him pitifully before signing.
"I was born with the spirit of the Winged Tiger inside me."
Gaara had to stop himself from gasping, but his eyes did become larger. The Winged Tiger... It was one of the legends of the Sand Village. The gods, angered by man's arrogance and abuse toward them, sent a winged tiger to pass judgment on them all. The tiger had killed thousands before the gods decided that mankind had paid enough, but the tiger had disagreed.
It refused to come back, and continued to kill until one of the gods himself came down to bring her back. The end of the story had been lost for years, and many endings had been supplied. Some were happy, others were sad, but the return of the Winged Tiger lingered in most of them. He guessed it was the Sand Village's form of the Apocalypse. But he never believed any of it.
"So... What happened?" he said, even though he felt he shouldn't of asked.
Ryu bit her bottom lip as it began to tremble. She looked at him, her eyes filled with sadness. Why? Her lips then moved instead of her hands and he heard her voice, soft as ash and almost non-existent. But he heard her.
"I killed them," she said, guilt dripping from every word. "Gaara, I killed every one of them."
She gave him a look of guilt and pleading. "I didn't want to, but I did. I'm sorry, Gaara. I'm so sorry..."
Her voice faded as did her composition. She dissolved into silent tears, her body shaking as her vocal cords struggled to make something of a sound. She looked at him through wet lashes, her eyes begging forgiveness.
"I didn't want to kill them," she whispered as she held herself. "But I couldn't stop it. It just took over. I was so angry and scared, and it just... It exploded.
"It wanted blood. It wanted to kill them all for what they had done. It wanted them to suffer for wanting to kill me. My parents had nothing to do with it, and it wanted them to die for killing them. Oh, Gaara, it was horrible, all the blood..."
She closed her eyes while her nails made long, white lines in her skin from holding herself too hard. Gaara sat there in front of her, feeling sorry for both him and her. He knew what she was going through. He knew all of it. He reached for her, but she moved away from his hands. She looked both pitiful and numb at the same time.
"But that's not all," she said as much as her voice allowed. "When it was done, and everyone was dead, it... It was happy. And so was I. It-I liked it."
She looked at him, the numbness overcoming the grief. "Gaara, I liked killing them all. Oh God..."
Her voice cracked and was no longer there as the tears came again. She let her head fall into her arms. She shook all over, violently sometimes as Gaara sat in front of her, feeling number then he had ever felt. He then reached forward, and brought her closer. He held her to him, her body shaking as he wrapped his arms around her.
"It's okay, " he said. "It's alright, Ryu. Everything's okay."
"Gaara," she croaked. " what am I?"
She looked up at him, her face wet. He looked back at her.
"You're Ryu." he said firmly. "You're my friend, and nothing is going to change that. Ever."
"Never?"
"Never. I told you we'd be friends forever."
Ryu pulled away from him, and inched back to where she had been sitting. She wiped her eyes with her palms then began to sign again.
"You remember that?" she asked. He nodded his head.
She gave him a weak smile. "So, you're not going to throw me out or anything?"
"No!"
The smile grew. "Good. I'm glad."
"So, is that why the Blacks Ops. came that day?" he asked.
"Yes. They came to kill me. Although my dad was from the Sound Village."
"I know. Everybody knew. Why they decided to use that as a cover-up, I'll never understand."
They both fell silent for a while, Gaara working up the courage to tell her what had happened to him, and Ryu resuming her watch of the window. It seemed she was slightly paranoid about whoever was following her. Gaara cleared his throat.
"Do you... want to know what's happened to me?" he asked. She nodded her head, an expectant look in her eyes.
"Well, the day after you...uh...died, I... killed a man."
He waited for a reaction, but only her eyes widened a bit.
"It was the wind spirit, wasn't it?" she signed. He looked away from her.
"In a way. I didn't know how to control it, and I squeezed too hard. I didn't mean to kill him." he said rather quickly in a defensive explanation. The sadness returned in her eyes but as severe as before. She could relate.
"Then my uncle tried to kill me."
This brought a reaction as she put a hand to her mouth in shock. He looked back at her.
"But...
He loved you!" she signed. "How could he want to kill
you?!"
He gave her a wane smile. "Yeah... Pretty sick,
huh? He basically did it for both my mom and me. He said that it
would never be possible for anyone to love me because of what was
inside me."
Ryu looked absolutely horrified.
"Don't worry, it gets worse," he said. This only seemed to increase her anxious expression. "After a while, my dad started sending assassins after to me to try and kill me. Then, I guess you could say, I lost my mind. I found a purpose, since it seemed I had none in order to live, in killing. I made it my life's mission to kill people."
He gave her tiny smile at her huge eyes.
"But... I don't really like to think about- Oof!"
At that single moment, Ryu had thrown herself at him. She was hugging him tightly, and he couldn't really move.
Author's Note: And that was as far as I got! These next few things are scenes I either had to cut out due to length issues or because I felt they didn't go with the story very well. But I'm a pack rat even on my computer so I decided to save everything! I throw comments in before each one, so bear with me. I know, I need to shut-up, but I can't can't! I'm opinionated!! Anyway, the first scene is a scene I had to cut out of "How Hard It Is To Say 'Sorry'" since this was back when I still had to print out everything and then re-type it on a different computer so I could upload the chapter onto the site. To have it make sense, all you have to do is stick it in-between where Al walks into Akumaru's yard. It goes right in!
He (Akumaru) then looked up as he heard a rustling in the bushes. An orange tabby cat came through and looked around the yard. The puppy was about to jump up and start chasing it when he saw it was Al.
Hey! The cat meowed to him as he bounded over. I've got an idea to stop this nonsense if you wanna listen!!
Al!! Akumaru jumped up and pounced on the cat.
Al meowed loudly in protest. Get off me, you great big goofball!! I'm here to talk serious.
Akumaru completely ignored him and licked him on the side of the head. Who cares?! I missed you! He then calmed down and sat down.
Al rubbed his head with a paw, trying to dry the wet side of his head.
It's nice to see you too, but I'm here to talk about Ryu and Kiba, he said as he did this.
Akumaru sighed. I know... We've got to get them to make up somehow... How's Ryu anyway?
Al lied down on the grass. Not too good... Ever since the fight, she hasn't been able to concentrate one bit on her studies. She's a complete wreck. What about Kiba?
Well, aside from becoming completely antisocial, I'd say he was fine. Akumaru gave a dog sigh. This is just so dumb! If Kiba would just apologize...
Al looked at the puppy. He doesn't want to?
Oh no, he does. Kiba would do anything to apologize, he's just afraid Ryu will bite his head off if he tries...
What? She wouldn't do that. Ryu's been waiting for Kiba to show up so she can tell him something.
Both animals looked at one another. Okay, you're right. This is dumb. Al said. So, how can we get them to meet up with one another? That's all that needs to happen, or so it seems to me...
Akumaru thought for a moment. He then busied himself with scratching an ear.
Um... Do you and Ryu go for walks? he asked before turning to bite a harassed hip. What the hek was crawling on him?!
Once in a while. Why? What do you have in mind?
Akumaru finished attacking the invading insects, and turned back to his friend.
Well, Kiba and me go for a walk around seven. If they bump into each other, they'll have to say something to one another. You can smell me, right?
Al cocked his head at him. ...Yes, but I don't see what your body odor has to do with... Oh, right... The cat tried to recover his pride while washing a paw.
Um... So, seven, right? Akumaru smiled at him.
Yup. Either I'll find you, or you'll find me.
Okay, see you tonight.
The cat went bounding into the bushes to relieve a stressed Raikera. Akumaru went back inside. He didn't think he'd bother Kiba anymore, he seemed to be guilt-tripping himself at the moment. All he would have to do was make sure they went for their usual walk around seven.
Al came back to find Ryu asleep on her books. She had studied herself to sleep. So he had let her sleep a few hours before pouncing on her. Raikera helped in getting their mistress to be active again, though she didn't know exactly why they were doing this. Until Al told her.
Author's Note: The next scene was a scene I had to scrap from Awakenings: Part One. I was trying to figure out how Kabuto and Sasuke kidnapped Ryu. So I started writing, and I really liked the idea of Ryu fighting back a lot, but then I realized that I was making the scene too drawn out and wasn't focusing on the actual kidnapping anymore. So I changed it into what it is now in the story. You'll notice that the scene all of a sudden stops too. That's because I usually have epiphanies while I'm writing and will just cut them immediately and start writing the scene over. I kept a lot of the lines and incidents in the real story though...
"...So that's why I'm going. What about you?" Ryu asked Sasuke.
"Same reason. My parents have been dead a long time." he said. She looked sympathetically at him.
"That sucks. How old were you?"
"Well, aren't you chivalrous."
The voice came from above and the they both stopped and looked up. Kabuto had his arms folded, leaning against the trunk of the tree he was standing in. He straightened up and walked to the middle of the branch.
"Here I was thinking you were just going to smack her over the head and drag her here to me." he said.
"What?" Ryu looked at Sasuke, and finally saw the curse mark on his neck.
She gasped and started to run in the other direction. "N-no! Stay away from me!!"
Kabuto jumped down right in front of her, ready to grab her.
"Sorry, you're not going anywhere, Ryu Akihara." he said with a smile.
She whirled around, Al growling at the both of them next to her, his fur on end. Sasuke put a hand on a hip.
"And where exactly would you go anyway? We're in the middle of nowhere." he asked her.
Ryu looked at him for a moment, then smiled.
"Why, up of course!"
She grabbed Al faster then they could blink and shot herself in the air. She turned in the air, the signature swirls of cloud gathering around her ankle, and started to fly back towards the village. Kabuto looked to Sasuke.
"He didn't say anything about her flying!!"
"Don't look at me! You're the one with the crossbow!"
Kabuto growled as he started to run after her. "Go and tell Lord Orichimaru what's happened. I'll bring her back!" he shouted to Sasuke as he did.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. He had known this whole mission had been a mistake. Why did they need to restock the prison laboratories anyway? But Lord Orochimaru had said she wasn't for that... Then what was she for?
Kabuto took the crossbow off his back, and pushed himself to run faster. She was really fast, and she knew she was being followed. She zigzagged across the sky as he tried to aim an arrow at her.
Author's Note: Okay, this is the last extra, I promise! This was back when I was starting to write the final exam battles and I got serious writer's block when it came to the fights. So I did what I always do when I get writer's block: I free-wrote until I got an idea. Free writing is when you just start writing, non-stop, whatever comes into your head, and then stop after a certain amount of time. I usually give myself five minutes to write like crazy and then I stop to read all of what the hek I just wrote. When I was finished I thought what I had typed was kinda funny. Plus, I thought it might be cool for you guys to see how I think.
Okay, um... Starts with Gaara who's looking around for Ryu because she's late to the final rounds... Or Kiba maybe? ... Dunno, Ryu's late, so they start the matches... Sara had to leave because the Turtle was acting up too much so Kiba's battle gets bumped up... Saphira and Ikara fight... Saphira wins? Traps her with water and electrocutes herself!! Or something like that... Hair... Um... Sakura and Hinata fight and Ryu still hasn't shown up... Gaara and Kiba are getting antsy when Kiba gets called down to fight Aki... Gaara tells Kiba he'll go get Ryu. Shows up at Ryu's house and finds her completely asleep with books and ink everywhere. He wakes her up, she gets dressed and they run to the arena in time to see Kiba getting his ass kicked. New outfit for Ryu!! Aki developed a new poison that attacks the nerves. Kiba's in a lot of pain. Ryu is torn between watching Gaara's match and staying by Kiba's side. Gaara tells her to look after Kiba. His match finishes quickly, mud, and Ryu gets called up. She tells Al and Raikera to stay with him. Kisses on forehead? Goes up and beats Hinata. "Whoo that was a rush!!" Gaara faces Aki with the burning intention to kill him, or at least maim him for what he did to Temari, but gets poisoned himself. Lose control?? Maybe. Ryu's angry!! Aki vs. Ryu match. Aki's poison works on Ryu near the end, causing the Tiger to come out a teensy bit. Scares him and then Ryu puts Aki on his ass. She wins and collapses from the poison.
I can't put this all into one chapter!! That's nuts! What was I thinking?? Uh... Two maybe?? One for beginning matches and then the other starts with Gaara going to go get Ryu... Pick Your Poison with second chapter... Uh... Ryu Akihara, Where Are You?! Missing Dragon? Missing Nin? ... Must think of title... The Absence of Wind?/ No, too melodramatic... TITLE?! kjkljkljkjjlkjljttychfhgfytcbvnbvjhgjuygtuyddchgfchg... Blegh, can't think... Okay! Got it!!
RYU?! WHERE ARE YOU?!- reread title, dummy
Pick Your Poison- Kiba+Gaara
Walking on Air- Ryu vs. Hinata
Quicksand- Gaara vs. Aki
To Catch a Tiger- Aki vs. Ryu
Hospital-
Of Birthday Cakes and Gravestones, Awakening- Orochimaru
The Turning of Hearts- Hospital stay 2
Until The Wind Changes- The End
Author's Note: And that is EXACTLY how it happened! And that's it! See you guys in the next story! I should have it started in about two weeks or so. I should warn you that it'll be relatively short, about ten chapters or so. But the story after the time-skip I'm planning on being longer. So, have a great summer guys! And good luck on final exams if you have anything!!
- Your Determined Author, Ryu Redwings