a/n okay, so here it is: Chapter seven!make sure you go back to look at the sixth chapter. not just because it's been ages, but because I added to it. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I LEFT OUT THE PART I REALLY WNATED THERE!!! WHAT'S MY PROBLEM?! ARGH!!!
I stared at the girl who had spoken in utter disbelief. There was no way...no way Tsukikage had sent them after me!
"Nori?" I croaked out. I didn't notice as my bag slid from my shoulders and fell to the ground. I just continued staring at the two, eyes wide as saucers. "Washi?"
"'Sup?" the boy asked. He threw another blue Gekkougakure apple at me, a goofy grin on his face.
I caught the apple and placed it with the other in my bag. "What are you two doing here?" I insisted, cutting right to the chase.
"Good to see you, too," the girl ordained Nori said sarcastically.
"I'm just surprised is all," I choked. I couldn't tear my eyes from their familiar faces. "And a bit suspicious," I added after a moment.
Washi's smile faded and he ran a hand through his spiky, light brown hair. Neither he nor Nori said anything, and I kept staring at them, hoping one would crack and give an explanation for their presence.
"Come on," Nori finally whispered. "Let's talk."
I couldn't honestly say I wanted to. There was something bad about what she had to say-I could sense it. I knew why they had come, and it made me resent them. They, of all people, should understand why I had left. Them and Tsukikage-sama.
However, I agree, and the three of us took a seat in the alcove I was preparing to leave. I felt foolish as I did it; I should be escaping. I should be running so fast that they couldn't catch up. I shouldnt be sitting down with them, offering them food as I was doing.
"Why are you guys here?" I asked again; Washi changed the subject.
"You wouldn't believe the trouble we had in finding you," he informed me, his mouth quite full of rice. "We didn't really expect you to be headed in this direction, so we kinds got lost at first. Konoha, huh?"
I didn't answer, just sat there on my knees, my fingers clutching at my dark-gray dress. Nori observed me with her bright brown eyes as she nibbled at the rice ball I had given her.
"Where did you go first?" I inquired.
"...Some country on the other side of Gekkougakure," she replied slowly. "We remembered you and Reina speaking of it a lot, so we though...maybe..."
"But no one had seen you there, so we went the other way, figuring that Tsukikage-sama was right in saying that you had gone to get revenge, and not to live in memories," Washi piped in.
"And what better place to go then one of the most prominent Ninja villages in the world?" Nori asked lightly. "We went straight there, but it turns out, that wasnt exactly what you had done. So we retraced our steps back, and asked about you in villages that seemed like good pit-stops. We got little information, except early this morning..."
"We stopped at a Tourist Village," Washi continued. "And apparently, after asking around, people had seen a lot of you, but none seemed to know where you had gone. Until..."
No! I screamed in my head, knowing what was coming. The Kaemons wouldn't! They must have known they were going to take me back to the Village! .
"There was a middle aged couple," the boy continued, "with a son. I showed them a picture of you and Nori, the most recent we could find, and asked if they had seen you recently. They thought I was talking about Nori, at first, and the woman said, 'Why, she's right over there!' and pointed at where Nori stood asking someone else. When I told her I meant you, she and her husband went very silent." He took another bite of his rice ball and left Nori to continue to story. I sat listening, horrified. No, they wouldn't have. They knew how important it was for me to get to Konoha!
"They were unwilling to give any information on where you went. They seemed to be under the impression that we went there to 'capture' you and bring you back home."
"And were they right?" I croaked.
Nori looked down at her white skirt and began picking at it uncomfortable. My mint green eyes never left her, but she didn't waver. So, I turned to Washi, the more easily persuaded of the two.
He cracked, just as I had expected he would.
"Yes," he admitted reluctantly. "Tsukikage-sama felt that, if friends came after you, you would be more likely to come back. He said that if you weren't back soon, he would come looking, which I assume he has already done now."
I got to my feet and stared down at them. Silently, I picked up my bag and began walking off.
"No!" Nori cried. "No, don't go! Please, Kaiyo! Please, come home! . You don't need to do this!"
I looked back at her, my eyes stone-cold. "That place is no home of mine," I retorted. "The Tomi clan has betrayed me. And the village..." I trailed off. "No."
Washi leapt to his feet and ran over to me, grabbing my arm roughly. "Kaiyo," he whispered hoarsely. His hands felt so warm against my pale arms. is gray eyes searched mine, a frown on his face. "Please?"
I shook off his hand. "I can't let you guys--or anybody--take me back there until I avenge my sister!" I snarled.
"But Kaiyo--" Nori objected, jumping to her feet.
"No!" I snapped. "Tell them you couldn't find me. I'm going now!"
"Can't we just talk about this for a minute! We're teammates remember! We're supposed to discuss before we act. We're supposed to work together!"
I sighed. "I'm not going back," I whispered. "I'm not."
"Then let's come up with a compromise," Nori suggested, reasonable as ever. She dragged Washi and I back to the alcove and sat back down, careful to make sure the skirt of her outfit covered up her blue shorts.
Washi rolled up the sleeves of his jacket and stared expectantly at Nori. I could tell that they hadn't discussed any sort of compromise earlier, and he wanted to see what she was talking about.
"Okay, so how would this work for you? The three of us go to Konoha together. We enter the Chuunin exams--"
"You need a sensei to do that, though, and ours is back in Gekkougakure," Washi interrupted, earning a glare from Nori.
"We'll figure that out, " she said through gritted teeth. "Anyway, as I was saying. We'll enter the Chuunin exams, which will help you get stronger. Once those are over, we will stay for a little bit, train, look for those guys, and then return to Gekkougakure."
"But--"I began to object, but Nori interrupted.
"No buts. I'm not finished. In Gekkougakure we will train some more--together, and every once in a while, we will ask permission to go to Konoha or wherever. Sound reasonable?"
"Not particularly," I sniffed.
Nori sighed. "It's either that, or we return to Gekkougakure immediately."
"You guys can't make me!"
At this, Washi pulled roped from his bag--and not just any ropes. They were indestructible ropes that his father made especially for him. After that was out, eh carefully extracted a dart, boxed up, from his bag.
"We could," he said, taking the dart from the box and coiling the rope up. "If we really wanted--or needed--to."
I bit my lower lip. I had seen what happened to people who were poked with one of Washi's darts. It wasn't pleasant. And I imagined the rope would hurt a lot, too. I knew, too, that if they really tried, they could get me in tied up with it, even if I ran.
Plus I could do with the company on my mission.
"...Okay," I said with a resigned sigh. "I agree."
"Good!" Nori chirped--quite out of character--as she adjusted the netted shirt she wore beneath her blue-and-white dress.
"Let's get some rest, first though," Washi suggested. He peeled off his teal colored jacket, fluffed it, and used it as a pillow on the ground. "I'm beat."
Nori and I slowly lay down too. I hadn't really realized how tired I was until they got there. Probably because I was so set on escaping from them.
"Should someone stay up to keep watch?" Nori yawned; her eyes were already shut and she was half-asleep.
"No," I mumbled, positioning my head just right on my backpack; Washi was already asleep. "We'll be fine."
"I hope so."
"Yeah..."
She didn't reply again, and I knew she was asleep. Just as I was drifting off, a thought occurred to me: what if they were setting me up? What if there really was no compromise and they were going to take me back while I slept.
No, a voice in the back of my mind said. They wouldn't...
And with that, I fell asleep.
That night, I had a dream. Or rather, a memory replayed itself in my head as I slept. It was odd, because I don't even remember the event ever happening, but there it was.
"What is it?" Reina-onee-chan would ask over and over again. All I would do was tug on her hand, shake my head, and say: "Not yet. You'll see!"
And then they walked out. I tugged on Reina's hand hard and pointed excitedly at the two people who had walked out of the building: Washi and Nori.
"There, there!" I squealed, much to the confusion of my older sister.
"What is it?"
"Nori and Washi!" I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"The little boy and girl?" Reina asked, confused.
"Hai! Hai!"
"Well...what about them?"
"I want them to be my teammates!" I grinned up at her, my eyes shimmering. My sister just laughed and ruffled my short hair.
"Why them?"
"They're so nice! I sat next to them today!"
And I did. I got exactly what I wanted--that time. And I was glad I did. Washi and Nori...they were the best teammates a person could ask for. They balanced each other out, they were...fun.
In a way, I loved them. But even with this compromise, if I had to, I would leave them. Nothing nothing was more important to me then finding my sisters murderers and sending them to their graves.
I tried not to think about it; it made my stomach queasy.
And then there was another memory, one I did remember but had pushed back in my mind.
"Ready to go?"
The voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and the 'dreams' rushed back to the farthest-most corners of my mind.
My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself staring into the smiling gray eyes of Washi. I felt something tight around my shoulders, and for a moment, I feared that they had, indeed tied me up.
But when I looked down it was just Washi's coat draped over me to keep me warm.
"Why...?" I asked blankly.
"You were shivering," he answered with a simple shrug. "So are you ready? Nori is antsy to get going."
Just like her. Always in a hurry, always serious about her 'kunoichi duties'.
"To...?"
"Konoha, of course!" Washi laughed., A curious look came over his face. "Hey...what were you dreaming about?"
"...Why?"
"Well...I heard you say my name in the middle of the night. That's when I put my coat on you."
"Oh. I was just...remembering something."
Washi's warm smile fell just a little. "Oh? What was it?"
"The first day ever of the ninja...lessons."
Washi furrowed his brow. "What happened then?"
"Well..." I began hesitantly, sitting up and running a hand through my messy long hair. "At the end of the day, I was telling...someone about how I wanted you and Nori as my Genin partners."
"Reina?" he whispered sadly. Sometimes it seemed like he took her murder worse than I did. Of course, I never saw him bawling or anything, but when her name came up, a misty, distracted look came over his face and he got all sad and wouldn't talk to me.
"Yeah," I whispered back, biting my lip.
"Come on you two!" Nori shouted impatiently.
"Coming!" Washi replied. He looked back at me and a lopsided smile came onto his face. "Looks like you got your wish," he said. "Now I understand you wanting me on your team, but her?!"
I smiled slightly back, and Washi's grin grew. "Come on," he said, extending a dirty hand for me to take. I hesitated before accepting and, after I quickly put my backpack back on and gave Washi his jacket back, we were off.
Konohagakure--here we come!