I AM SO SORRY! I've been erm… busy… REALLY I HAVE BEEN BUSY! I'M NOT JOKING! In return of your long wait I'll make this chapter longer than usual. This chapter will make many questions arise. And a lot more second thoughts. And…and… and… Goes into thinking pose… And oh yes: I DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT OWN NARUTO.
Here to Stay Chapter Sixteen: Stalk to Talk Neji cursed. From the files he received from Tsunade the one who had just disappeared was Diego Ragougra. He specialized in rock jutsus and was a firearms expert.Tick. Tick. Tick.
… Tick. Tick. Tick.Neji started for the mouth of the cave. He made it out seconds before the cave became a heap of steaming rubble.
"There has to be something here that we don't know about these six…"
XxXxX"NOOO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Tenten hit her head repeatedly on a wall. Neji was quietly waiting for her to finish venting her anger. "THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH US! THERE HAS TO BE! TWO IN ONE DAY? AARRGH!"
"Speak for yourself…" But even as Neji spoke he was thinking about this mysterious group. "There has to be something that we missed…"
XxXxX
"What the? What happened to Axel? Someone mind telling me?" Cynara hovered over the boy's body that rocked with the intake of every harsh breath now and then.
"Something attacked him. He was on patrol and something…something…" Paloma choked.
"Okay… take it easy now Paloma. He'll be fine they're just minor wounds with a few deep stabs here and there. Where's Anjyl?"
"She went out to do something. Wouldn't tell me." The annoyed tone of Shuuhei echoed from the roof of the cave.
"You let her? In her current state? You fool!" Stalactites started to grow downward at an alarming rate. "This means more work for me if she comes back half dead!"
"Ah! You're back Diego!" Cynara grinned. "Go fetch." The smile slipped off her face.
"WHAT? NO! She can fend for herself better than all of us together. The only people who are on equal footing with her are Axel and him!"
But suddenly the cavern fell silent as Axel gripped Paloma's hand and started coughing. "Paloma… He's back…" He managed to rasp out those few words before falling unconscious again.
XxXxX
At that very moment Neji and Tenten were having a nice peaceful walk around the moving market in the outskirts of town seeing as Tenten insisted that she just had to go see the different booths and so on. (A/N: It's like a fair/carnival…)
"Oh. My. God. NEJI! THIS PLUSHIE IS SO KAWAII!" She squealed as she held up a light beige stuffed dog. (A/N: Sorry… I just have this thing for plushies…) "…STUPID PRICE! LOWER YOURSELF THIS INSTANT!"
Needless to say, Neji instantly sweat dropped.
A small hand tugged on the edge of Tenten's capris. "Please miss. I'm selling something like that much cheaper over here…" The hand belonged to a small child. By the looks of it this child's family was suffering from harder times then others. She held up a small rag doll that was clumsily stitched together. It was a rather lopsided small grey cat with the leaf symbol sown on to it's back.
Tenten smiled gently at the child. "Sure how much?" When the child named a price that was not much lower than the previous one she merely laughed and paid the child.
Neji's mouth twisted into a slight smile as he watched the scene. Then suddenly the center of the bazaar erupted in yells and cheers.
A small gasp slipped out of the child's mouth as they neared the commotion. "Miss…You don't want to go to the arena. It's full of bad people and they're always hurting others."
Suddenly a frail form hurtled from the crowd colliding with one of the nearby stands. A rather bulky man emerged from the mass of people, Neji noticed that the people around him gave him a meter radius and cleared off immediately. The child gave a small gulp. "That's Raion! He's a big bully and he steals from almost everybody!" Her eyes were fearful but her words were rebellious.
The brute turned his head toward the child. "Are you calling me a thief kid?" He raised a meaty fist to strike her when his previous victim shot up from the stands and blocked his blow.
"You attack those who accuse you of the truth, you attack those who defy you… But you only attack those weaker than you…you must be a coward!" It turned out to be a beaten young woman with white streaked black hair who seemed strangely wolfish but catlike at the same time. Her gold eyes had a defiant look that echoed rebellious pride.
Tenten asked a nearby shop vender what was going on. The old woman looked at her fearfully. "That Raion is a brute—we all know that but now he's gone to far! I was just selling my wares when he decides to destroy part of my booth and take my wares. That young lady over there decided to give him a talking to but… She's obviously not from around these parts cause everyone knows not to mess with Raion…"
Neji winced as the teenager took every blow with out even trying to defend herself. Apparently Raion got bored of hitting an opponent who didn't care about pain so he decided to take out a dagger and strike her face with it. Tenten gave a slightly audible gasp.
Steel rang against steel as the dagger snapped in two. "I think that's enough play…" On her wrist was a metal cuff that looked as if it were cutting off her circulation. Neji and Tenten watched in fascination as her bony hands formed different hand signs. "Tiger, snake, ox, snake, dog, boar, tiger, dragon… Shadow blood vengeance dragon!" She quietly murmured under her breath as she suddenly gripped Raion's wrist, which was still clutching the broken knife, and dragged the shattered blade down her forearm causing trickles of blood to drip.
"Ha ha! That was idiotic— At this rate you'll probably die of blood loss before I kill you!" Raion laughter stopped as he saw that the smile was still on her impish face.
The bystanders looked on as the blood suddenly flared upward as a serpentine figure was formed from it—a dragon. It reared its head upward and charged forward and down Raion's throat…
All of a sudden bruises and cuts were forming over Raion's body exactly where they on his 'victims' body. Except her cuts were fading off at the very same time. She stared down with disdain at the larger man.
"You shouldn't play with the big kids until you're ready…" Suddenly Raion snapped out of his trance.
"What…what… what did you do to me witch?!?!" His eyes looked slightly manic as his head whirled around strangely disoriented.
"Oh nothing… nothing of great importance… Just the little fact that…" She turned around and started walking off in to the distance. "…You've been cursed forever…"
With out any words needed the two leaf ninja followed.
XxXxX
Shuuhei was pacing around the cavern like a caged animal. Paloma was standing at the cave entrance sitting and standing every now and then. Diego was kicking and smashing rocks. Cynara was slamming herself at the grotto wall. The only one who seemed calm was Axel who was fading in and out of consciousness every few minutes.
"What are we going to do? It's only a matter of time before—" Cynara wrung her hands nervously.
"Don't think we don't know it! Stop reminding us on stuff we clearly know about!" Shuuhei gritted his teeth in impatience.
"She's still not back…" Diego looked at the floor emotionlessly. His head snapped upward. "Do you think that he…?"
"I'm going after her." Three heads snapped up to look at Paloma.
"Don't be ridiculous." Cynara chided the older girl. "We can't send you—"
Paloma interrupted with irritation. "If not me who? You have to stay here to tend to Axel, Diego's too weak and Shuuhei has to stay because if he comes here Diego and my strength wouldn't be enough!"
"Yo Paloma. A-HEM! If I'm so weak then let me go!" Diego started jumping up and down ferociously at a particularly large rock.
"DECIDE ALREADY YOU TWO! I DON'T CARE HOW! ROCK PAPER SCISSORS! DRAW STRAWS! WHATEVER!" Shuuhei left eye was twitching slightly.
"Okay fine! Rock, paper—WHAT THE?" Diego stared at the empty space before him. "Where'd she go?"
Cynara sighed gently, "Do you really need to ask Shafear?"
XxXxX
"Who do you think that girl is Neji?" They continued to follow her. She had come to the forest that bordered the carnival.
"I don't know but she was able to use a forbidden jutsu with ease… And by the looks of it, it barely took anything out of her… Possibly one of the targets." Tenten started to approach the younger woman. "What are you doing Tenten?"
Sadly enough… she ignored him.
"Hi there! I saw you stand up to that guy and I was wondering what your name is. Mine's Tenten." Tenten offered the girl a hand to shake.
She turned her head slowly and when they could see her face they could see gloom filled eyes that quickly shifted to shock. "Leaf ninja?" She lowered herself into a battle stance. "What do you want with me?"
Neji now got a better view of the enigma. She had black hair with two bleach grey streaks such behind her bangs. Her tawny almond eyes accented not only her face but also her catlike features as they danced around with curiosity. A sharp nose, a small mouth that smirked slightly, a pair of skeletal hands with long slender fingers that fiddled with the silver belt at the side of her slim waist.
"I just want to your name… I was just in awe of your skill that I witnessed earlier…" Tenten glanced at her slightly hurt.
"Oh? Okay…" She smiled sheepishly as she straightened up. " It's Suzame Zōge. Sorry about the caution. I was brought up that way…" When Tenten looked slightly disappointed Suzame looked owlishly at her. "What's the matter? Were you looking for someone?"
"Yes we were but I'm sorry for disturbing you—"
Suddenly a punkish looking teenager started to run at Suzame. Tenten realized that this was the same waitress who had talked to Shuuhei at the teahouse.
"Anjyl! Anjyl! Thank god you're okay." Suzame—or Anjyl—glared at the older girl with disgust as she panted heavily. "Look there's no time—"
"No time for what? Do I know you? Am I supposed to know you? I assure you I am not suffering from amnesia."
"She fits the description perfectly for Anjyl Komicana. And she," Neji indicated to the taller girl. "She fits the bill for Paloma Kuragari."
The two girls whirled around at the revelation.
"And what of it?" Paloma snarled at the Byakugan user.
"We want you two to come with us back to Konoha." Tenten stated their mission quite bluntly.
Shanger turned to Anjyl. "You go back. The others are still in the same area. I'll stay here. Hurry!"
Anjyl stared back up calmly. "Why?"
"WE DON'T HAVE THE TIME FOR THIS! You have to go back! It's almost the full moon, Axel is half dead, and he's back…"
Without another moments notice Anjyl gradually faded off into the shadows. But not before Neji and Tenten heard the remnants of her last words. " Just make sure you don't let the sixth out."
Paloma looked at the two remaining people who had already prepared to fight. She raised her arms as if surrendering. "I don't want to fight, I'll come with you to your whatever to talk with your whatever about whatever on whatever. Okay?"
"Uh…okay?"
"Lead the way then!" Paloma cheered up almost instantly.
Finished! By the way Neji and Tenten are seventeen. Okay people I need your help. I NEED TO THINK OF ANOTHER NAME! Like as in nick name-name not name-name. I mean there's Shafear, Shenvy, Shanger, Shadeath and Shapain. I NEED ONE FOR ANJYL! It has to be two syllables and the first one has to start with 'Sha' or 'She' if it's part of another word. And it has to be something appropriate and serious. Just send your suggestions with your review. Thanks! –Shadoom.