Chapter 12: How Little You Know

Told you I'd update!

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"You ready?" Ayame asked as they came up on the small camp. Deidara gave a small nod and they pushed the brush away, all eyes were on them. Ayame smiled and walked over to where Nala, Raiden, and Kiba were sitting, but never took her eyes off of her blonde friend.

Deidara walked over to his group of old friends who greeted him cheerfully, all but Dorchet who just looked at the ground infront of him.

"Where you been?" he asked glancing up with his big chesnut eyes.

"Doing something stupid, what else?" he smiled putting his hand on the short boys head. "Its good to the group back together." He added looking around at all the warm and smiling faces.

"Hey Dei!" Ren said fixing his glasses. "I think Dorchets not the shortest in the group anymore!"

When the boy almost clobbered the eldest medic, everyone knew that things were looking up, or until the next night…

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"Hey I'm heading out with Nala to grab some groceries, you all be have yourselves!" Ayame called over her shoulder as she grabbed the twin blades that she brought with her everywhere.

"Grab some more rice will you?" Leia, who had always been the cook, called over shoulder. Ayame nodded as she started off toward town.

Walking into the populated area, Ayame was surprised it was as busy as it was and she wasted little time knowing the sun would set within the next hour or so. Making her way to the produce stand she hear a small voice.

"Hey miss! Wait up!"

Ayame turned to see a 13 year old boy dragging two adults behind him.

"Its me, Dagon!" he chirped catching his breath.

"Oh hello!" she smiled as Nala went over sniffed him then knocked him to the ground licking his face. The two adults looked ofn affectionately before turning to the teen girl.

"We're sorry, he insisted we came over and said hello, Dagon is quite fond of you." The woman apologized.

"Its no problem." She assured. "You must be his parents, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

"The pleasure is ours!" the man exclaimed. By now Dagon had to returned to his parents sides and Nala Ayame's. "If it weren't for you we may never have seen our boy again!"

"If it weren't for your son I may never have seen by friend again." She countered. "And it wasn't just me."

"Well you are all our heroes." The wife piped in.

"No ma'am." Ayame replied. "We are just a group of misfits trying to make something of ourselves on the world."

"Call yourselves whatever you want." Her husband said placing a hand on her shoulder. "Its just comforting to know that there are still good hearted people out there." And with that the small family left leaving Ayame and Nala where they stood.

Ayame sighed thinking of what it must be like to have a family to go back to.

"You do." Nala said thrusting her conscious toward her companion. "Deidara, Kazuki, Leia, Rycoo, Ren, Dorchet, Kiba and Raiden are your family. They would do anything for you and consider you more of a family than blood kin ever could."

"How do you know all this." She asked the wolf accusingly.

"I have my ways." She replied looking away.

"Darn it Nala! How many times have I told you not to invade peoples private thoughts?!" she asked.

"Four hundred and eleven and counting." She replied with a smirk. Ayame laughed, leave it to Nala to actually keep count.

Looking up at the horizon she noted that the sun was holf way downand the sky was tinted with the indigo hue of the on coming night. Finishing her shopping she started on her way back Nala trotting happily at her side.

"Ayame look out!"

Ahe drew her twin blades subconsciously from the hilts on her back and stepped into a defensive position throwing all of the gathered groceries off to the side. In front of her stood Dorchet with a crooked dagger ready to fight, the boy was glaring irritably at a now wide eyed man who was covered in dirt on the ground. Nala stood white fangs gleaming, and hair on end.

"Sensei?" she asked in disbelief.

"Ahh… Little help here?" He asked not taking his eyes off the armed brunette. She nodded turning the boy around and looking him in the eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "You of all people should know by now how dangerous it is around here."

"I had to follow you!" he yelled glaring at her. "I had to know you were coming back!"

She looked at the boy shocked. A lump formed in her throat as she tried to hold back tears. She pulled him into a warm embrace and whispered into his ear:

"I'm not going anywhere."

He hugged her back and turned to the man who still sat on the packed earth. He seethed his weapon and walked over holding out his hand.

"Sorry about the misundersatanding." He chirped helping the man to his feet. As he turned to walk away Ayame stopped him.

"Dorchet, When I get back I help you turn that rusty old thing you call a weapon into a dagger sharp enough to skin a piece of paper." She grinned. The boy nodded with a smile and ran off toward their camp.

"Is it smart to let a child of that age run around with a weapon such as that?" her teacher asked.

"Its not just smart," she replied giving him a defiant stare. "Its essential. Now why are you here."

Her sensei gave her an odd look before shaking his head.

"I followed you here, as I'm sure you have gathered, to ask you a few questions." He said turning serious in an instant. "Raiden and Kiba desipeared about the same time as you…"

"Both of them came with me, they are fine." She said cutting him off and turning to pick up the thrown produce. "Why are their parents worried?"

"Yes, I was sent to deliver messages to them if they were with you." He said as she straightened up and starting to walk.

"Ya, Okay…" she said sarcastically.

"You don't believe me?" he said running to catch up with the swift girl and wolf.

"Oh, no I believe you," she said. "Its just the thought of them actually being missed that I don't get. They both came with me on their own free will, in hopes of a better life."

"Better than a home with a family that loves them?" he yelled cutting in front of her. The young teen looked at the ground. "Better than having a roof over their heads, and food to eat?!"

"That just proves how little you know!" she shouted, blowing up in his face. "Better you say? Better than a life of abuse and starvation?!" the mans eyes went wide in shock. "In our worlds, friends are even closer than blood, and neither of those families are blood! They came with me to get away and to help me find some kids in the same situation that I promised I'd come back for!" she walked around him and continued. "You can come and tell them your 'messages' if you want to, if they want to tell you more then they will personally I've already said too much."

The man did follow her with her faithfull companion keeping the two of them at least three feet apart the entire time, occasionally letting out a low growl to let this stranger know she meant business.

"What wrong?" Raiden asked worried as Ayame burst through the brush by herself. She set the food down and continued over. To Raiden and Kiba, Ayame looked close to tears, neither had ever seen her cry other than the once with Kabuto, they knew it was bad.

As Nala came through the brushes as Raiden was comforting Ayame, their sensei appear behind the wolf. Ren and Leia, the oldests of the ones who didn't now the man grabbed their own weapons blocked him from coming any farther, Nala sat swoshing her tail form side to side right on the other side of them.

"What the hell did you do to her and why are you here?!" Kiba yelled as Raiden turned and recognized the man.

"I have messages for you," he replied. "From you parents."